Xu Hengyi couldn't bear to speak it aloud, feeling it would be an insult to the third young lady of the Song family, "…In short, it wasn't anything good!"
This was why, last night at the gambling den, he, who had always been afraid to act recklessly, had joined Xie Jiang in humiliating Hao Wei.
Scum like Hao Wei needed a strong hand to deal with them!
Xie Jiang turned and walked towards Hao Wei. Hao Wei was tied at the very front of the ropes. Xie Jiang kicked Hao Wei squarely in the chest.
Hao Wei flew out like a kite and then crashed heavily onto the ground, taking the several people tied behind him with him, folding them together as they fell.
Pedestrians and onlookers were startled into gasps by the sudden turn of events.
Hao Wei curled up like a shrimp, his mouth gagged so tightly that he couldn't even cry out in pain. Sweat mixed with blood rolled down his forehead.
Xie Jiang stepped forward and kicked him several more times.
Xia Zeshi and Xu Hengyi quickly went to pull Xie Jiang back.
"That's enough, that's enough, that's enough! Don't beat this bastard to death and cause a murder, is it worth dirtying your own feet? This bastard isn't even fit to lick the sole of your shoe. Let's hand him over to the Shuntian Prefecture."
"I knew you wouldn't be able to stand it if I told you. Hao Wei is a filthy thing, raised on filth since childhood. You can smell the stench from his mouth from ten miles away…"
He hadn't even recounted Hao Wei's words yet. If he were to repeat them all, Hao Wei's fate wouldn't be much better than Lu Baofang's.
As they pulled him, Xie Jiang kicked Hao Wei a few more times.
The Hao family servants, tied relatively close by, realized what was happening and rushed to Hao Wei's side, shielding him from Xie Jiang's kicks.
The street was in chaos for a moment.
Soldiers from the patrol battalion saw the situation and came forward to inquire.
"What's going on? Who's causing trouble on the street?"
Seeing the patrol battalion soldiers with swords and spears, the onlookers retreated, fearing accidental injury or getting into trouble.
Seeing that Xie Jiang's emotions had stabilized, Xia Zeshi stepped forward. The patrol battalion captain saw Xia Zeshi and quickly bowed his head and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Greetings, Fifth Prince. May I ask what has happened?"
"The fourth young master of the Hao family, Hao Wei, just brought a group of his household retainers and guards to break into Marquis Xie's residence, intending to kill Marquis Xie…"
Since Xie Jiang insisted on framing Hao Wei for assassination, Hao Wei's actions today were tantamount to assassination, whether they were or not.
"Marquis Xie?"
The captain looked up behind Xia Zeshi. He only saw Xie Jiang and Xu Hengyi. By their ages, neither of them looked like a marquis.
"Oh, the Emperor just conferred the title of Marquis of Nanhai upon Young Master Xie. Hong Tao just went to Marquis Xie's residence to deliver the decree half an hour ago," Xia Zeshi said, pointing at Xie Jiang.
The captain and the soldiers were skeptical, but since the Fifth Prince had said so, it was unlikely he was joking. The captain clasped his hands in greeting to Xie Jiang.
Then he realized, this Young Master Xie, who had been ennobled as a marquis at such a young age, could he be that person?
Who among the military wouldn't be curious about the Young Master Xie who, according to rumors, had annihilated the bandits of Huanglan Mountain without a single soldier from the court, with just a wave of his hand?
The patrol battalion soldiers couldn't help but secretly size up Xie Jiang.
"May I ask where Marquis Nanhai is taking Fourth Young Master Hao?"
Although encountering such a situation was troublesome, it was their duty, so they had to ask.
"Of course, we are taking him to the Shuntian Prefecture for legal proceedings. Fourth Young Master Hao is audacious, lawless, and disrespectful. Marquis Xie would not do this."
"Fifth Prince is right. Do you and Marquis Nanhai require our assistance?"
As for why Fourth Young Master Hao was beaten again halfway, and Marquis Nanhai seemed so agitated, as if he hadn't had enough?
The captain claimed to have seen nothing. Perhaps the road was uneven, and Fourth Young Master Hao had accidentally sprained his ankle.
Xia Zeshi said, "The person is already tied up. We can take him ourselves. You should go about your business."
The captain immediately strode away with his soldiers.
Hao Wei had already been beaten at Marquis Xie's residence, and now he was being kicked by Xie Jiang. He couldn't even stand. The Hao family guards asked to carry their fourth young master. Luo Tie kicked that guard, and the guard himself couldn't stand up.
"Does anyone else want to carry your fourth young master?" Luo Tie's every word was filled with ferocity.
Two guards, filled with grief and indignation, stubbornly declared they would carry him.
Luo Tie went up and kicked each of them. The guards' leg bones crunched, and no one dared to utter another word.
Xu Hengyi gasped and whispered to Xie Jiang, "What was this young man's name again? He's even more ruthless than Nie Tong."
Xie Jiang seemed not to hear the screams behind him as he tidied his robes, "When was Nie Tong ruthless? Nie Tong has always been a sunny young man."
Xu Hengyi: "Heh."
Xia Zeshi glanced at Xie Jiang silently, thinking that whether Nie Tong was ruthless or not depended on who he was compared to. Compared to Xie Jiang, he was naturally very sunny.
The procession continued unhurriedly towards the Shuntian Prefecture.
What about Hao Wei and the guards who couldn't stand?
They were dragged along.
It was as if they were sweeping the streets.
Before Xie Jiang even reached the Shuntian Prefecture, Hong Tao had already arrived at the Yuan You Palace.
Hong Tao told Hong Wei what he had seen and heard at Marquis Xie's residence.
When Hong Wei went in to serve tea, he intentionally or unintentionally mentioned it to the Emperor as idle talk.
The Emperor laughed twice, "I thought they went to the pleasure houses and gambling dens last night just to eat, drink, whore, and gamble. I didn't expect there to be such a matter. Can't this kid stay quiet for a single day?"
Hong Wei accompanied with a smile, "Marquis Nanhai is the young master of the Xie family who is greatly favored. It's inevitable that he's a bit overbearing."
The Emperor didn't take the trivial matters between the two young men to heart, dismissing them as a joke.
~
Upon hearing that Xie Jiang was escorting the fourth young master of the Hao family and over thirty Hao family retainers and guards, and was nearing the entrance of the Shuntian Prefecture, the Prefect of the Shuntian Prefecture, who was handling official business, felt a surge of blood rush to his head.
"How long has it been since the matter of the Lu family of the Nanxiong Marquis Manor? Why has that troublemaker clashed with the Hao family again? And how did Hao Wei offend this troublemaker!"
What a disaster!
"I don't know. Wasn't Xie Jiang always in Ninghe? I heard he only returned to the capital yesterday." Clerk Zhang was also bewildered. Who knew what had happened?
"What heinous deed did Hao Wei commit that Xie Jiang discovered and decided to eliminate him for the good of the people?" The previous disturbance at the Nanxiong Marquis Manor had left too deep a psychological shadow on the people of the Shuntian Prefecture.
Clerk Zhang said confusedly, "I haven't heard of Hao Wei having any particular skills that would make people remember him. Isn't Hao Wei just a dandy who frequents places of pleasure?"
The Prefect of the Shuntian Prefecture paced back and forth in his office with his hands behind his back, looking at Clerk Zhang in confusion, "Didn't we just hear that Xie Jiang was ennobled as Marquis Nanhai by His Majesty? Does she still have time to eliminate people for the good of the public?"
Clerk Zhang was also at a loss. Thinking that Xie Jiang would arrive soon, he couldn't help but feel a little flustered and asked for guidance from his superior on what to do.
The Prefect of the Shuntian Prefecture's head buzzed. He slapped his forehead and thought for a moment, "Let Investigator Wang first… ah, and Judge Huo too. It was Judge Huo who handled it last time, and he has dealt with Xie Jiang before, so he's relatively familiar with him. Let them go and understand the situation first, and then try to delay for a few days to thoroughly investigate the situation. We cannot fall into the same trap twice with the same troublemaker."