Jeune Premier ministre, un ermite

Chapitre 43

Holding the unconscious person in his arms, he turned to fight off the attackers. Suddenly, one of the bandits leaped up the stairs, his broadsword slashing towards Wei Zijun from the side. Liu Yunde was preoccupied with the attacks of the men in front of him, his mind solely focused on the safety of the person in his arms. He neglected the sensitivity of a martial artist, and when he realized someone was attacking from the side, it was too late to dodge the weapon. He resolutely turned to protect the person in his arms, and the broadsword slashed deeply into his back.

A chill ran down his back, and Liu Yunde angrily threw a punch, the force of which sent the thug spitting blood. Enraged, he lost all compassion and his killing intent surged. He had initially refrained from using excessive force, thinking that a few street thugs would be taught a lesson, but these people had dared to be so cruel to his beloved.

Anger swept through like a whirlwind, each strike drawing blood. Instantly, the chaotic battle hall fell silent, the only sound the painful groans from the ground.

When Wei Zijun opened her eyes, this was the scene she saw. Because she held her breath as soon as she saw the white mist, she only inhaled a small amount of the sleeping smoke, which was only enough to make her dizzy for a moment before she woke up again.

At this moment, Magistrate Wu arrived with a group of constables. Magistrate Wu ordered his men to surround Juyun Tower and led a dozen or so officials in blue robes into Juyun Tower.

Wei Zijun stepped forward, cupped her hands in greeting, and said, "I am grateful that Your Excellency has come in person. There are some people here who have gathered to smash up the shop. I beg Your Excellency to help us."

"Young Master Wei, you're too kind." After returning the greeting, Magistrate Wu turned around and ordered, "Men! Seize all these bandits and throw them into prison for trial."

“Magistrate Wu—” The squinty-eyed man on the ground saw Magistrate Wu and said, “It’s me, Magistrate Wu.”

Magistrate Wu glanced at the slanted-eyed man but ignored him.

"Your Excellency!" the squinty-eyed man cried out anxiously, "Has Your Excellency forgotten me? Your Excellency is supposed to look after me!"

"Outrageous!" Magistrate Wu shouted. "Arrest them all, don't let a single one escape." Then he walked towards Wei Zijun and said, "Young Master Wei, you must be frightened. I will take these villains back now, and you can come to the trial tomorrow."

"Thank you for your trouble, Your Excellency." Wei Zijun bowed and expressed his gratitude.

After seeing Magistrate Wu off, Wei Zijun ordered the first floor to be tidied up, and then went to the second floor to appease the guests. Those who wanted to continue eating would receive a 50% discount, and those who did not want to continue eating would not be charged a penny. This made all the guests very satisfied.

Just as he was exchanging pleasantries with the guests, a waiter ran up and said, "Manager, something terrible has happened! Manager Liu... he's fainted!"

"What!?" Wei Zijun rushed downstairs and saw Liu Yunde being supported by others, with a knife wound more than a foot long on his back, from which black blood was flowing.

"What happened! How did he get injured?" Wei Zijun tore open the clothes and looked at the wound. It was clearly a sign of poisoning, but she didn't know anything about medicine or what kind of poison it was.

"The shopkeeper was unconscious at the time, and he took a knife for you to save you." A waiter witnessed the whole thing.

Wei Zijun sighed. "This fool!" She lightly pressed a few acupoints to seal his wounds and prevent the poison from spreading. She planned to take him back to the valley to heal, but fearing he might discover the valley's secret, she ordered Liu Lang to carry him upstairs to clean his wounds, while she returned to the valley to find her master.

Upon arriving in the valley, I didn't want to reveal who was injured, but out of respect for my master's wishes, I told him about Liu Yunde.

"Very well, since he doesn't want to harm Dieyun, I will repay him with my life. Dieyun, come with me." The master took Dieyun and headed for Lucheng.

Thanks to timely medical treatment, Liu Yunde was finally out of danger, but remained in a deep coma.

After everything was arranged and seeing that Liu Yunde was out of danger, Wei Zijun ordered a table of food and wine to be prepared, and invited Duan Xin, Die'er, and Old Man Zhang to sit down together, and introduced them one by one.

"Dieyun, you can come here every day from now on." Looking at that delicate face, a slight pain slid through her heart. She composed herself and turned to her master, "Master, you can eat here from now on. After I buy a property here in a while, you can move in."

"I'm used to living in that quiet place. Dieyun can come and help out. As long as you have a place to stay, that's fine. How much money do you have? Why are you buying property? Just save some yourself." After all, she's an old woman, and she's saying the kinds of things that old people always say.

"Master, I'll bring you all the money I earned last month later, and then you'll know how much I made. You won't have to worry about anything anymore," Wei Zijun said with a smile, her tone full of pride.

“Uncle, my elder brother is famous here, known to everyone, young and old. He has many friends and is very capable. Earning a little money is no problem for him. Uncle, you don’t need to worry about him,” Duan Xin interjected from the side.

"Stop bragging to me, you little rascal." Wei Zijun tapped Duan Xin's forehead with her chopsticks, and Die'er chuckled.

Looking at Die'er, Wei Zijun's heart stirred, and she couldn't help but say, "Die'er, Dieyun, Master, don't you think you're a match made in heaven?"

Ju Yun Sou stroked his beard and smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Die Yun, on the other hand, glared fiercely at Wei Zijun.

Wei Zijun chuckled, "Dieyun, look at our Die'er, she's beautiful inside and out. Not only is she pretty, but she also has a beautiful voice and plays the pipa very well. Alas, Dieyun is at the age where she should get married!"

Since arriving here, Die'er has been in a good mood, well-fed and clothed, and no longer has to go out to work. As a result, her face has become plump and fair, much more beautiful than before, a true beauty in the making. Naturally, Wei Zijun wanted to benefit her family first, not let the good fortune go to outsiders.

"Eat your food properly." Dieyun, her face flushed, buried her head in her food and shoveled down a few mouthfuls without looking up.

"Haha... Uncle Zhang, my daughter Dieyun is just like that, always shy." Wei Zijun smiled at Uncle Zhang. She glanced at Die'er, whose face was already flushed red, and she was picking at the rice in her bowl with great embarrassment.

"Alright, let's eat," Wei Zijun said awkwardly.

Given the atmosphere, there's nothing more to say.

[Volume 1, Deer City Chapter: Chapter 38 Matchmaking]

The next day, Wei Zijun brought a Hetian jade phoenix-shaped dragon-head wine cup to the county government office.

In the reception room, she opened the bundle containing wine cups. She had long known that Magistrate Wu had a hobby of collecting all kinds of wine cups, and that obtaining one would make him happy for days. So, she had brought this item to please him.

The wine cup was carved from a single piece of Hetian jade, measuring four inches square. It was translucent and bright. At the front of the cup was a phoenix with outstretched wings, supporting the body of the cup. A hanging ring was carved in openwork below the phoenix's beak. At the back of the cup was a dragon's head, with its teeth and horns clearly visible. The cup was exquisite and smooth. What was most amazing was that the yellow color of the jade body was carved into the phoenix's head and wings, which showed the exquisite thought put into the carving.

"Oh dear, what do you mean by this, Young Master Wei?" Magistrate Wu said, but his eyes were already shining.

“My lord, Zijun has acquired this item by chance, but he doesn’t know how to appreciate it. Leaving it there is just a waste. It would be better to let him find a kindred spirit, so as not to squander such a precious thing.”

"Young Master Wei, no, this is too precious for me to accept." He declined verbally, but had already taken it and was playing with it in his hands.

"If Your Excellency does not accept this, it means you think my gift is too meager, and I will never dare to visit again."

"Young Master Wei, you flatter me. I will accept this. However, you must not do this again. If you need anything, just let me know. Given your relationship with the Pacification Ambassador and General Chen, what is there that I wouldn't do my best for?"

"My friendship with them is theirs, but I would much rather befriend you, Your Excellency, and hope you will look after me in the future," Wei Zijun said with a smile, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Young master, you are too kind. I will do my best. May I ask, young master, what should be done with those people?"

Wei Zijun knew that she was now at the mercy of Wei Zijun's demands, so she said, "Your Excellency, those thugs came in and smashed up the shop. Most of the items in the shop were damaged, and after the inventory was settled, the damage amounted to as much as three hundred taels. They should compensate for these losses."

"That's right, I will definitely make them compensate me."

"Furthermore, my shop manager was slashed and is in critical condition, still unconscious. These thugs even poisoned the knife, which shows how vicious they are. I urge Your Excellency to punish them severely to prevent them from endangering the safety of other people in the future."