The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 692 - 681: Just Right (Happy Birthday to our book friend "A Green Leaf")

Chapter 692: Chapter 681: Just Right (Happy Birthday to our book friend "A Green Leaf")

County Magistrate Tang gave a faint smile and rested his chin in his hand, watching him eat. Ying Wenhai felt somewhat uneasy. After pouring himself a bowl of water to moisten his throat, he asked, "Is Ji Hao truly alive?"

County Magistrate Tang raised an eyebrow at him.

Ying Wenhai lowered his head and said, "After he lost so much blood, his stomach was... it was torn open..."

"Didn’t you think he would end up like this when you whipped his horse?"

Ying Wenhai clenched the bun in his hand and said, "Who would have thought his horsemanship was so poor that he would fall off the horse..."

Under the gaze of County Magistrate Tang, Ying Wenhai found himself at a loss for words.

County Magistrate Tang withdrew his gaze, considering that it was the first time the person involved had spoken up. He didn’t want the atmosphere to become too tense.

"What I’m more curious about is why you fought at the Spring Breeze Pavilion. The substance on the silver hairpin was applied in advance, wasn’t it? Didn’t you know that an infection could kill someone?"

Ying Wenhai fell silent again.

County Magistrate Tang then smiled and said, "If you won’t speak, in these past few days I have already brought back all the necessary witness testimonies, including that of the young servant who attends to you, the people you called to the Spring Breeze Pavilion, and that woman. They are all in prison now."

At the clap of County Magistrate Tang’s hands, the bailiffs outside dragged several people out of the innermost part of the cell with a clanging sound.

One servant-looking individual, upon seeing Ying Wenhai, knelt down and scurried forward on his knees, crying, "Young Master, save me, Young Master, Young Master—"

With a wave of his hand, County Magistrate Tang had the bailiffs gag the man and drag him away.

Ying Wenhai’s complexion changed drastically, and he glared angrily at County Magistrate Tang.

County Magistrate Tang tapped the table and smiled at him, "Don’t be angry now. Ji Hao survived, so what can’t we talk about? What’s the point of clinging to those little secrets? Whose idea was it to put something on the hairpin?"

Ying Wenhai lowered his gaze and remained silent, now suspecting whether Ji Hao had indeed survived, or if he had died, and this was County Magistrate Tang deceiving him.

To a sixteen-year-old youth, no matter how cunning, facing County Magistrate Tang was akin to a child without clothes, easily seen through at a glance.

He stroked his chin and pondered; this was becoming difficult. He certainly couldn’t release the youth to seek evidence, nor could he take him to the Ji Family...

While he was thinking this, a bailiff entered briskly and whispered in County Magistrate Tang’s ear, "The Ying Family has sent someone."

County Magistrate Tang looked up at him, and the bailiff whispered, "It’s Manager Ying from the Ying Family. He has brought some food and necessities for Young Master Ying."

Ying Wenhai pricked up his ears to listen. County Magistrate Tang glanced at him and then chuckled, "Let him in."

Manager Ying from the Ying Family quickly entered with two servants carrying items. Seeing so many bailiffs, he hesitated, and was even more surprised to see County Magistrate Tang sitting in the cell. He wavered for a moment.

County Magistrate Tang beckoned him with a smile, "Come in, come in. It must have been hard, not seeing your young master for three days, right?"

Wasn’t it you who stopped us from seeing him?

Manager Ying bowed and paid his respects to County Magistrate Tang, then instructed the servants to bring in the items. Inside were all sorts of food and necessities. Manager Ying, while busily unpacking chicken, duck, fish, and meat, babbled about the old lady’s concern for the young master and the old master’s worries, then sneakily peeked at County Magistrate Tang.

County Magistrate Tang sat firmly on his seat without shifting an inch, let alone moving away to give them privacy.

Manager Ying had no choice but to unpack everything. However clever he was, he found himself out of things to say.

County Magistrate Tang picked up a pair of chopsticks and sampled a warm fish, nodding, "Not bad. Sending so many delicious foods over, you must have received some reassuring news?"

Manager Ying smiled awkwardly, "Your Excellency jests, our old lady sent these because she’s worried about the young master."

"Jesting?" County Magistrate Tang said with a smile, "I never jest. This morning, Imperial Doctor Fan and Doctor Ji, along with four other doctors, all left the Ji Family and even took a carriage full of gifts with them. How is it, your family’s old master didn’t ask Imperial Doctor Fan about Young Master Ji’s condition?"

Ying Wenhai straightened up to look at him.

Manager Ying hastily said, "Of course he asked. Our old master has been feeling guilty all this while, nearly sending people every day to deliver medicine to the Ji Family..."

County Magistrate Tang listened with a smile as he detailed how the Ying Family had gone to great lengths to placate the Ji Family. When he finished, County Magistrate Tang asked, "And what did Imperial Doctor Fan say?"

Manager Ying then smiled, "Imperial Doctor Fan said, Young Master Ji has awakened, and with further recuperation, he will be fine."

If not for fear of County Magistrate Tang’s scrutiny, he would have added that Young Master Ji would be jumping around energetically in no time, reasoning that the more healthy the victim appeared, the less blame would befall their young master.

County Magistrate Tang nodded with a smile, "Not bad, not bad, that’s similar to the news I received."

Seeing Manager Ying still standing, he waved dismissively, "What are you still standing for? The things are delivered, the person seen; you may leave, no?"

Manager Ying was taken aback.

The bailiffs approached with a smile and said, "Manager Ying, this is a cell, full of bad luck. It’s better you leave first."

Manager Ying had confidential matters to discuss with his young master but seeing that County Magistrate Tang remained seated, he knew there would be no chance today. With a sigh, he bowed and excused himself.

Only after the people from the Ying Family had left did County Magistrate Tang have someone serve him a bowl of soup, and he casually started his lunch in the cell.

He even called out to Ying Wenhai, "You should eat something too. After all, it’s the old lady’s kind gesture. But since you’ve been hungry for two days, don’t eat anything greasy. Opt for something light, hmm, here, this lotus root soup is good."

Ying Wenhai returned to the table and served himself some soup. Coming to his senses, he asked, "Is Ji Hao really okay?"

County Magistrate Tang smiled faintly at him, "I never stoop to deceit, and would Manager Ying lie to you?"

After pondering for a moment and finding no reason for Manager Ying to deceive him, Ying Wenhai let go of his anxiety. Only then did he realize how hungry he was; looking at the chicken, duck, fish, and meat on the table, he couldn’t help reaching out with his chopsticks.

But County Magistrate Tang knocked his chopsticks away, "You are only allowed to eat light food."

Ying Wenhai frowned but still turned his chopsticks to pick up some vegetables.

County Magistrate Tang continued with the previous question, "Who taught you to put something on the silver hairpin?"

Ying Wenhai looked up at him and said, "That case was already settled, wasn’t it? You don’t ask about the horse fall, so why do you keep asking about the Spring Breeze Pavilion?"

County Magistrate Tang said with a smile, "When I investigate a case, I like to probe into the cause and effect. From my perspective, your conflict at Qixia Mountain was a result of the issue at Spring Breeze Pavilion."

He continued, "The case at Spring Breeze Pavilion wasn’t judged by me, you two families settled it privately, so there are many things I still don’t know."

County Magistrate Tang added, "To determine the fault of you both, I need to start from the beginning. I know he insulted you on Qixia Mountain and, in a fit of anger, you whipped his horse. But his reason for insulting you was because of the issue at Spring Breeze Pavilion, so I want to get to the root of it."

Ying Wenhai scoffed, "Then you’re mistaken. What started our animosity wasn’t at Spring Breeze Pavilion; it was three years ago when he first arrived in Yizhou City."

County Magistrate Tang gestured for him to continue, assuming the posture of an eager listener.

As a county magistrate who had judged numerous strange cases, he loved to hear stories. County Magistrate Tang also courteously poured him a glass of water to soothe his throat.