Li Yi finished listening, first frowning with so righteous indignation, then his expression turned solemn, and he said, "As martial artists, we cannot endure such sordid matters. Since this is the case, I shall send two more people to assist you."
Fu Zhen stood upright and said solemnly, "I guarantee with my honor, it will not tarnish the reputation of your school or the Old Sect Leader!"
Li Yi nodded and called out loudly, "Bring your Ninth Uncle-Master, Tenth Uncle-Master, Fourteenth Uncle-Master, and Seventeenth Uncle-Master all here!"
Before long, footsteps accumulated outside the door.
As they entered, four n stood in a row, all valiant and robust, equal to or even exceeding the two Fu Jun had brought! They were not even as old as Fu Zhen imagined, but rather young n in their twenties!
"This is the eldest young lady of the Fu Residence, a young friend of mine, who now needs to hire two guards to return ho, — girl, these are all my disciples currently serving as instructors at the martial arts school. Their skills and character are impeccable. Which two do you want? You choose!" Li Yi waved his hand grandly and gave the instruction.
Fu Zhen smiled, "How can I not trust you, Old Sect Leader? Whichever two you arrange, I'll take those two."
Li Yi stroked his beard and nodded, pointing to two of the youths in the middle, "Zhang Cheng, Yang Tong, you go with Miss Fu! Hu Yi, Hu Zhi, you do an errand for Miss Fu—" At this point, he addressed Fu Zhen, "These two are brothers, and their family happens to live in the southern suburbs, which is probably more convenient for you to handle 'urgent matters.'"
Fu Zhen imdiately stood up to thank them, "To these two Heroes, I offer each a paynt of thirty taels of silver!"
Li Yi, however, clasped his hands behind him and smiled, "The Liang Family girl is with , I have that bit of influence. The paynt for Zhang Cheng and Yang Tong will be as you said, neither of them are married yet, so I won't stand on ceremony with you. But the paynt for Hu Yi and Hu Zhi can be exempted. After they've completed the task for you, I have other assignnts for them."
Seeing the hidden worry beneath his cheerful facade, Fu Zhen knew his words were sincere and thus did not inquire further, instead accepting this kindness, pulling aside Hu Yi and Hu Zhi, and instructing them in a low voice.
After receiving their instructions, Hu Yi and Hu Zhi left, while Fu Zhen made a written agreent with Li Yi, completed the handover, gave Zhang Cheng and Yang Tong so instructions, and then returned ho.
When Fu Zhen returned ho, over at the Ministry of Rites, Fu Jun was pacing anxiously in the corridor.
Early that morning, he arrived at the governnt office, where his superior, Assistant Minister Yu Ding, was already waiting for him in the office.
What followed was a conversation that made him feel a thorn on his back, breaking out in cold sweat!
"Ming Ti, what exactly happened yesterday on the mountain behind Baihe Temple? Why are the streets and alleys buzzing with stories, all saying that you and your family mbers, disregarding your dignity, had a public conflict? Do you realize that such rumors reaching the ears of the officials could be incredibly detrintal to you?"
Fu Jun knew he couldn't hide the matter and would have to handle it with care. He responded, "Sir, this matter was truly a misunderstanding. Yesterday on the mountain, my daughter was startled during play and lost control of her emotions, leading to so impropriety. I hurried to get her down the mountain and thus reprimanded her, quite embarrassing, I'm afraid. Although sudden, it was indeed a loss of composure, my fault entirely. My daughter has been weak and sickly since childhood. We took her to the temple yesterday to pray for her well-being, and in a mont of negligence, almost caused trouble."
Yu Ding then said, "You know, the court is currently in need of personnel, and vacancies in the six ministries are highly sought-after. A small misstep could jeopardize your official career. Vice Minister Xu has also heard of this matter, asking about it yesterday. If things are as you say, then all is well; if not, you must be cautious."
Fu Jun never expected Vice Minister Xu to pay attention to this matter, and his heart sank: "May I ask how Vice Minister might personally inquire about such a small issue?"
Yu Ding looked at him, "Do you not know the connection Vice Minister Xu has with Baihe Temple?"
Fu Jun was puzzled, "Forgive my ignorance, sir."
Yu Ding sighed, "Vice Minister Xu had a very important friend who unexpectedly passed away at Baihe Temple. Yesterday, he was also there to pray. How could he not be aware of these rumors? It is said that while you were causing a ruckus on the mountain yesterday, a eulogy was being read in the main hall for Vice Minister Xu's friend. When he heard it was your family, his expression wasn't pleasant.
"Ming Ti, because you've always been close to , I'm giving you this reminder. You must find a way to explain this away to Vice Minister Xu..."
This "explanation" beca a burden on Fu Jun, leaving him restless throughout the day.
Once he had investigated Vice Minister Xu's past connections, he was even less able to sit still!
He spent almost half a day pacing outside Vice Minister Xu's office, only to never once glimpse the Vice Minister!
Watching as it ca ti to leave the office, and still not having seen him, his hopes gradually waned. Knowing it would be impossible to see him that day, he gritted his teeth, stamped his feet, and turned to leave the governnt office.
After Fu Zhen returned ho, she first inford Mrs. Fu about hiring the people, then tidied up the matters at ho, and before long the sun had set. She gauged the progress on the Hu brothers' side, then proceeded to her own room.
As she entered the corridor leading to the small courtyard, she ran straight into Fu Jun!
Fu Jun pointed at her and scolded, "Look at the trouble you've caused!"
Fu Zhen instinctively lifted her foot, intending to kick, but midway noticed it was her "father," and quickly pulled back with both hands!
Fu Jun, in a towering rage, shouted, "You dare to hit ? Liu Wei, Liu Wu! Get this ungrateful girl down for !"
Two guards instantly lunged in through the doorway, reaching out to seize Fu Zhen.
"Master!"
Before Fu Zhen could retaliate, a house servant rushed in from outside, reporting with urgency: "An incident has occurred on the estate in the south suburbs!"
Fu Jun paused, "What happened?"
The newcor was breathless, "Zheng An and Qi Quan got into a brawl and caused trouble, leaving their opponents unconscious. They've taken the matter to Shuntian Prefecture, and right now, they're clamoring at the governnt office to have them imprisoned! Zheng An and Qi Quan claim they are Fu Residence servants and demand the master to co and resolve the issue!"
"What?"
Fu Jun imdiately halted under the corridor, "Who could be so audacious?"
"It's people from the neighboring estate. Qi Quan often fishes in their territory without any obstruction, but this ti two people stopped them, and Qi Quan wouldn't accept it. A fight broke out, and who knew that the opponents wouldn't back down either, leading to serious injuries!"
Already agitated, Fu Jun was further aggravated by this, wondering why Zheng An and they chose this mont to pile on trouble.
Yesterday's issue was unresolved, and now another situation has arisen, proving he was not only negligent in managing the household but also in controlling his subordinates? What kind of brawl is this!
"Insolence!" he cursed, "Why co to ? Go to the Madam for money and compensate them to settle the matter!"
Upon hearing this, Fu Zhen raised her voice sharply, "Father, how can we ask Mother for money? The estate is Fu Family's, the people in charge there are under the Old Madam, and the managent of the estate servants is entirely in her control. No way should the compensation co from Mother!
"Looking for the 'Madam' is pointless; you need to find the Old Madam!"
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