PFC Chapter 52 Debate
Chapter 52 Debate
On a mass grave in Yanggu, Wu Song knelt before a low tomb, silently tidying up the weeds on it.
With Wu Song imprisoned, no one really cared about Wu Da's funeral arrangements; they were simply buried hastily and that was it.
After that, no one offered incense or paid respects, so within just a few months, the grave was overgrown with weeds.
Seeing the state of his brother's grave, who had raised him, Wu Song felt even more distressed and immediately began to clean it up.
Not far behind him were Li Chong and Wu Dalang following behind.
After changing into the clothes of a yamen runner, Wu Song mingled with Wu Dalang and his group and easily walked out of the prison.
Zhang Da and his men were all gambling, so they naturally didn't bother to check the exact number of Wu Dalang and his group. Wu Song regained his freedom.
The first thing he did after regaining his freedom was to pay respects to his deceased brother, and Li Chong also came to join them at this time.
Looking at Wu Song ahead, Li Chong asked in a deep voice, "Was there anything wrong with the rescue? Zhang Da didn't suspect anything, did he?"
Wu Dalang lowered his head: "Don't worry, sir. Those people are busy gambling. How can they have time to patrol the prison? By the time they find something is wrong, it will probably be after dinner. By then, we will have all left, and they won't be able to find any evidence."
Li Chong nodded slightly.
But he knew very well that even if he couldn't find any evidence, Wu Dalang and the others had just gone to see it when Wu Song suddenly "died" and his body was unrecognizable. It was impossible to hide this from Zhang Da.
But as the prison warden, Zhang Da couldn't possibly make a scene by complaining about his mistake.
Otherwise, Zhang Da would be shooting himself in the foot.
At this point, as long as the county magistrate officially defines the nature of the matter, even if Zhang Da is tactless, he will obediently endorse it.
Then, Wu Song would become a completely dead man, and he would truly be free.
"Be careful these days, avoid Zhang Da to prevent him from causing you trouble. Once I've finalized this matter and appeased Zhang Da, give him some benefits, and this will be over."
After hearing Li Chong's words, Wu Dalang nodded in agreement.
He raised his head and asked again, "So, what does the magistrate intend to do with Wu Song? Quite a few people in our county know him. If he gets recognized, it won't be easy to handle."
Li Chong stepped forward and said, "Don't worry about that. I have my own way. Let him follow you for the next few days, and I'll entrust him with my tasks later."
Upon arriving at Wu Song's side, Li Chong bowed slightly towards Wu Da's grave, then straightened up.
"Erlang, don't be too sad. You should have been mentally prepared during your time in prison."
With a face full of grief, Wu Song pulled out the weeds from the grave one by one: "My elder brother raised me, and I can't take care of him in his old age, and he can't even receive offerings. How can I face anyone?"
"So you should be even more excited." Li Chong bent down and helped Wu Song up. "Once you're settled, I'll find you a wife, let you have a child to be adopted by your older brother, so he won't die without an heir. Your freedom will have been meaningful this time, and all my efforts won't have been in vain."
Adoption?
Wu Song's spirits lifted. "That's it! Adoption!"
If he could adopt a son for his elder brother, then the brother could continue his family's lineage in the afterlife, and Wu Song would be able to give his deceased brother some peace of mind.
"Wu Er thanks you, sir! I can never repay your great kindness in this lifetime."
As he spoke, Wu Song kowtowed repeatedly.
"Look at you." Li Chong helped Wu Song up again. "Isn't this what we agreed on before? I rescued you, so it's only right that you do things for me."
Wu Song, still unable to contain his excitement, immediately replied, "It's just suppressing bandits, isn't it? My life belongs to you, sir. Tell me what to do, and I'll do it! Tell me who to kill, and I'll kill them!"
Despite his excitement, Wu Song also had his own bottom line.
He still remembered what Li Chong had said about suppressing bandits. If Li Chong were to order him to do something else illegal or disorderly now, he might not agree.
Fortunately, Li Chong had no other plans.
"No rush."
After calming Wu Song down, Li Chong led him to Wu Dalang: "Go with Constable Wu to wash away the dust of your journey. You've been in prison for so many days, it's time to get rid of the evil spirits. Be careful not to appear in front of people these days, and cover your face as much as possible. I'll arrange things for you later."
An excited Wu Song left with Wu Dalang, and Li Chong also embarked on his journey back to the yamen.
"Wu Song should be considered the first trusted confidant I've taken in, right? Now that I have him, it's time to consider suppressing the bandits."
No sooner had he returned to the yamen than someone came looking for him: "Your Honor, jailer Zhang Da is requesting an audience and has been waiting for quite some time."
"Oh?" Li Chong's lips curled into a smile. "Have him come see me."
Once Zhang Da was dealt with, the matter of Wu Song was completely resolved.
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Just as Li Chong was conning Zhang Da, in another part of Yanggu County, a bearded man slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly.
"You, surnamed Jia! Are you just going to stand by and watch Xiao Mei'er be taken away by that corrupt official? You're a coward, but I'm not!"
With that, the bearded man grabbed the long knife beside him, stood up, and started to walk out.
"Brothers, come with me to save Xiao Mei'er!"
Many people responded noisily and followed, creating a chaotic scene.
Jia Zhuo quickly stopped him: "Third brother, can you not be so reckless? That's the county government office. Are you trying to lead the brothers to their deaths?"
The third brother Jia Zhuo mentioned was Zhong Mei's third uncle, who was also her father's sworn brother, Hu Changyong.
Faced with his second brother's obstruction, Hu Changyong was still furious: "I'm reckless? I'm not like you, who didn't study hard and lost all sense of loyalty. We brought Xiaomei down the mountain to protect our eldest brother's only bloodline, didn't we? And now, you've handed her over to the authorities yourself."
"Then Magistrate Li said he wouldn't do anything to Xiao Mei'er," Jia Zhuo explained earnestly.
But Hu Changyong wouldn't listen: "Can you believe what those corrupt officials say? Is there a single word of truth in their mouths? I'll just say one thing: are you coming with me or not?"
Helpless, Jia Zhuo angrily sat down: "If you want to kill Xiao Mei'er, then bring your men. I don't care!"
His lack of intervention calmed Hu Changyong down.
"Then what do you suggest we do? If we don't go to the county government, how can we save Xiaomei'er?"
Jia Zhuo glanced at him: "Didn't I say that we should cooperate with that person, take the opportunity to kill our way back up the mountain, and then rescue Xiao Mei'er? That would be the best of both worlds."
"But can we trust those government officials? What if they betray us?" Hu Changyong still questioned.
Jia Zhuo retorted, "So, leading the brothers to attack the county government now is a good idea? You think you can fight your way back into the mountains after all the brothers are dead?"
Hu Changyong naturally couldn't answer, and the others quieted down as well.
In the huge room, dozens of people were strangely silent.