The Double
Chapter 313 - 118: Gratitude

Chapter 313: Chapter 118: Gratitude

Ever since Feng Yutang took office in Tongxiang, no one has dared to speak the words "County Magistrate Xue" on the street, let alone at home, where the words "County Magistrate Xue" seem to be a taboo no one would dare to bring up.

Gradually, it seemed as though people had forgotten what those three words, "County Magistrate Xue," meant. They stood for a glimmer of hope when one was at a dead end, the only hope in the face of injustice, they signified justice, they signified conscience.

But it seemed like everyone hadn’t really forgotten, it was like a seed of humiliation planted deep, waiting for someone to come with a spark, for with just a little ignition, it could burst into roaring flames.

Today, the words "County Magistrate Xue" quietly began to resonate throughout Tongxiang once more, spreading like wind-blown grass in spring, making some restless and others uneasy.

At night, within a house in Green Stone Lane, a lantern was lit.

The dim light revealed a room full of people, some sitting, some standing, all wearing expressions of dejection.

Ye Mingyu sat on a low stool, his fist pounding the table as he said angrily, "This is too difficult!"

He, along with Jiang Li and six of his men, had split into groups early in the morning to approach the people of Tongxiang. Out of the more than five hundred households, they had only managed to visit a few dozen by the end of the day. While a few dozen wasn’t insignificant, the only one willing to come forward to attest for Xue Huaiyuan was the poor scholar Mo Wenxuan. This was after Mo Wenxuan’s blind mother had heard about it and sternly chastised him, prompting Mo Wenxuan to come forward with a tragic determination to share his fate with Xue Huaiyuan.

Ye Mingyu didn’t know what to say. Blame these people for being ungrateful? After all, they were just trying to protect their own families. Instead of blaming the townspeople, it seemed more fitting to curse Feng Yutang for his dirty tricks. But did these townspeople truly bear no responsibility? If only they had put up a bit more resistance, perhaps County Magistrate Xue’s imprisonment wouldn’t seem so tragic.

There are always helpless matters in the world.

"Don’t worry, uncle," Jiang Li smiled. "We haven’t come out completely empty-handed. Even one person is good, isn’t it? As long as we have one today, and another tomorrow, then by the end of five days, we will have five. That’s not too few."

A guard muttered, "Five hundred and sixty-eight households, and only five are willing to stand up; this is truly disheartening."

Jiang Li still smiled, but Ye Mingyu felt a sudden sadness in his niece that instant, as if she had glimpsed the unreliability of human nature through these events. It made Ye Mingyu melancholic as well, but he quickly snapped out of it and silently scolded himself. He wanted to comfort Jiang Li, but being unable to find the right words, he thought how nice it would be if the handsome Duke were here. Perhaps seeing the man she fancied would make Jiang Li temporarily forget her current troubles.

But Jih Heng was not there.

Ye Mingyu awkwardly changed the subject: "Speaking of which, several times today, I felt like we were being followed. It even felt murderous. I was ready for a big fight, but then the feeling would disappear. It’s strange."

"Me too, me too!" the guards in the room all agreed noisily: "I had that feeling today as well and thought I was overthinking."

"Could it be ghosts? How come everyone feels it?"

"I think it’s the bandits from Tongxiang. They probably wanted to rob us but seeing that we are skilled in martial arts, they got scared and backed off."

"That makes sense, I believe that’s exactly what happened!"

"Get lost," Ye Mingyu waved his hand dismissively and said, "You don’t know anything. Stop trying to take credit for everything. Who would rob you? Do you look like you have money? If anyone were to be robbed, it would be me. Besides, are there even any robbers in Tongxiang? Tongxiang is so poor, if there were any robbers, they’d have starved to death by now!"

The room fell silent at once, and Ye Mingyu turned to ask Jiang Li, "A-Li, this matter, it’s that rascal Duke who helped out, right?"

Not knowing Jih Heng’s name, Ye Mingyu still thought the "Duke" was an official and invariably referred to Jih Heng as the "Duke." Jiang Li, caught between laughter and tears, said, "Most likely."

Feng Yutang’s forces had diminished that much overnight, yet there was not a peep from him or any subsequent trouble—clearly, it was Jih Heng’s doing. The fact they were openly bringing up Xue Huaiyuan’s case in Tongxiang today without Feng Yutang’s men intervening was also impossible. The only possibility was that Feng Yutang had indeed dispatched men to interfere but they had been stopped by Jih Heng’s people.