“Young Master, someone is looking for you. He seems to be in a hurry.” A servant hurried in from outside.
Ling Zhang handed over the order with the shopkeeper of Jiang’s Herbs, then sent him away. This was the first time that Ling Zhang had dealt with such a transaction so formally. Unfamiliar to so many details, he was so busy that he didn’t even have time to drink water. It was not until noon that he finished all the work. As soon as he was preparing to sit down and have a rest, someone came in to find him.
“What happened?” Ling Zhang asked the man who came from the Ling Family.
“Old Master asks you and the second master to go back home soon, because we have a respected guest,” the man replied.
Back now? A respected guest visited? What kind of distinguished guest demands my presence? Ling Zhang was confused. Why was grandfather in such a hurry to get him back?
“When did the guest come?” Ling Zhang asked.
The man answered, “I set out at dawn. Before I left, Old Master and the Second Master were waiting at the gate for the arrival of the distinguished guests.”
So early. What kind of guest would visit before dawn? He was specially told to go home. If he left now, it must be evening when he got home…He couldn’t believe that the guest would stay overnight.
So the guest must have come from other places. Ling Zhang didn’t know why he was a little panicked. He remembered, at an inopportune moment, the dream he had in the early hours of this morning… Damn it, that guest couldn’t be Yuwen Tong.
“Okay. Wait a moment. I will pack up and take Maomao home.”
They had packed their luggage and were about to get into the carriage. At the same time, Zhou Quanfu, the manager of the Herb Farm, suddenly ran over, panting, “Young Master, bad news!”
Ling Zhang stopped and looked at Zhou Quanfu, “What happened?”Zhou Quanfu was a thoughtful and careful person who had been in charge of the Herb Farm for a long time. He was experienced in all kinds of emergencies, therefore unlikely to lose his cool before ordinary matters.
Ling Zhang had a sense of foreboding at this moment.
“Several farmers are detained by the Prefecture Guard,” Zhou Quanfu said.
As expected. A dark look formed on Ling Zhang’s face. He said, “When were they detained? And why would the Prefecture Guard do that?”
“It happened Just now. There is a pool in the forest to the west of the Herb Farm. Usually our farmers will go to that pool to get the water for the herbs. On the other side of the forest is the encampment of the Prefecture Guard. The herb farmers and the Guards has been at peace for a long time, but today the patrols suddenly showed up, accused farmers of trespassing into their encampment, and arrested the herb farmers back to the encampment for punishment,” Zhou Quanfu said.
Ling Zhang frowned. Zhang Chong’s request for the Court’s permission to expand his encampment of the Prefecture Guard had not yet been delivered to the Capital. Why claiming the land in such a haste? Besides, that forest did not belong to the encampment of the Prefecture Guard at all, why would they detain the farmers?
“Where are the farmers?” Ling Zhang asked.
“They’ve just been taken away. The farmers are on foot, so they won’t get to the encampment too soon.”
Ling Zhang looked at the servant who came to get him home. “Something urgent happened here. So I can’t go back home right now. Please tell my grandfather and my uncle about it.”
The man was in a dilemma because his task was to take Ling Zhang back. But now there was an emergency at the Herb Farm, so he hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “I will go back soon, Young Master.”
After that, the man galloped back to Tanyang City.
Ling Zhang watched the man left, coldness glistening in his eyes.
‘If he rides fast enough, he can get back to Tanyang in less than two hours. And it may take him another hour to travel from Tanyang to the encampment. It is obviously too late.’
‘It must be Zhang Chong’s doing. What Zhang Chong wants is an excuse to harm the Ling Family. If no one of the Ling Family reach there, Zhang Chong will not punish the farmers.’
‘But if the farmers are brought into the encampment, things will become more difficult to deal with. Unlike in Prefecture Yamen, the encampment is under the jurisdiction of Zhang Chong. He can do whatever he wants. If he dies there, no one will know.’
The farmers were arrested when Ling Zhang took over the Herb Farm. It was obvious that their target was Ling Zhang.
Ling Zhang calmed down when he thought about this. He told himself that he couldn’t act on impulse.
The best solution was to rescue the herb farmers before they were taken into the encampment.
A bright idea suddenly occurred in his mind as he looked at the direction of the encampment. He said to Zhou Quanfu, “The people of Jiang’s Herbs set out only moments ago, and their carriages are loaded with herbs, so they won’t go too far. Manager Zhou, send someone to catch up with them and stop them. And tell them that we have something important to ask them for help.”
“Young Master, you mean to…”
“The forest doesn’t belong to the encampment of the Prefecture Guards yet. Their purpose is to lure me into a trap. They thought that once I entered their encampment, they could put any charge on me. We must save the farmers before they were taken into the encampment. They are unjustified in this matter, so they certainly don’t hope it to be revealed. Therefore, we need the shopkeeper of the Jiang’s Herbs to do us a favor at this time.”
Zhou Quanfu’s eyes brightened, “Got it. I will do that right away.”
Ling Zhang summoned the twelve guards and said to them, “Five of you stay to take care of Maomao, the rest of you come with me.”
“Yes, Young Master.” They obeyed the order quickly and efficiently to divide themselves into two groups.
Their performance really surprised Ling Zhang. It seemed that firing the nine guards was with its rewards.
Ling Maomao didn’t want to be left at the village. He took Ling Zhang’s hand and said, “Big brother, take me with you.”
Ling Zhang didn’t indulge Maomao this time. He said seriously, “No, you should stay here and don’t run around.”
Ling Maomao was clever boy who knew how to behave by the expression of his brother. So when he saw his brother’s serious face, he knew he couldn’t be willful anymore. He let go of Ling Zhang’s hand and said in an aggrieved tone, “Okay, you must come back soon.”
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Ling Maoao knew it must be a tricky matter this time and was naturally worried.
Ling Zhang perceived Maomao’s fear and nervousness. He patted Maomao on the head. “Don’t be afraid, I will be back soon.”
Ling felt a little relieved finally.
Without delay, Ling Zhang mounted a horse and went in pursuit of the carriage. Seven of his guards joined the chase as well.
What a coincidence, when he caught up with the carts of the Jiang’s Herbs, he happened to encounter with the patrols of the Prefecture Guard.
Ling Zhang reined in the horse in the middle of the road and stopped the patrols, “Stop!”
Ling Zhang’s sudden appearance caught the patrols off guard. The leader’s face suddenly darkened, “How dare you block the way of the Prefecture Guard?”
Ling Zhang snorted coldly, dismounting the horse. He first glanced at the people of Jiang’s Herbs who stopped at the roadside and nodded to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper calmly nodded in reply and glanced at the patrols and the herb farmers who were detained. Having figured out what was going on, he said after some ponderation, “Young Master, may I help you?”
That question alone was a great gesture of kindness. Ling Zhang said gratefully, “Thank you a lot. . Not for now. Please wait for a moment and then you can return to Tanyang city.”
The shopkeeper was lost in thought after hearing Ling Zhang’s words. He said, “I will wait for a while then.”
Hearing the conservation between Ling Zhang and the shopkeeper, the leader of the patrols became angrier. He said, “How dare you! Who are you? Take your men and leave, now!”
Obviously, he was unconfident when he said those words. So the shopkeeper completely ignored him.
“You!” The leader of the patrols was flustered and exasperated. “Drive them away.”
“Hold it right there!” Ling Zhang said coldly. “You people from the Prefecture Guards have gone too far, don’t you think? First, you detained our farmers on a whim. Now you’re driving us away for no reason at all? Since when did the Prefecture Guards start to act like a bunch of lowly bandits?”
“How presumptuous of you!. How dare you slander the Prefecture Guard? Aren’t you afraid we will arrest you back to the encampment and let our Commander punish you?” the leader said.
“Well, it seems you cannot state their crimes. Do you admit that you are detaining the farmers for no reason?” Ling Zhang said.
“Bullshit!” the leader’s face looked unnatural. “They broke into our encampment. Shouldn’t they be arrested?”
“Young Master, please save us. We were wronged. We were just fetching water in the forest next to our Herb Farm to water the field. And it is far from their encampment. It doesn’t belong to the Prefecture Guard at all,” the farmer who was arrested shouted.
“Many herb farmers were present at the time, and they could testify!”
“As they said, they didn’t break into your encampment. You should release them,” Ling Zhang said.
The patrols looked at each other in confusion. They were just acting on orders. And they knew clearly that the forest there did not belong to the Prefecture Guard. So they said with guilty consciences, “If you have anything to say, say it to the Commander when we reach the encampment. The Commander will decide whether you’re being framed or not.”
They were still unwilling to release the farmers. It was obvious that they were trying to force him into their encampment. Ling Zhang burst into anger at this time.
The shopkeeper of Jiang’s Herbs frowned slightly. He had already seen through what was going on. He said, “You are so unreasonable. People in Tanyang will scorn you! Aren’t you afraid of that?”
“It is none of your business. Get out of here. Don’t get into trouble,” the leader said.
They didn’t even try to cover up their intention.
Ling zhang sneered. ‘This is not Prefecture Yamen, but their territory. Without other people around, Jiang’s Herbs alone doesn’t pose any deterrence to them’
“Listen to my command, go back to Tanyang and invite Lord Tao here to do us justice,” Ling Zhang said.
‘Anyway, I can’t let them take the farmers back to their encampment. I need to stall them.’
A scowl formed on the leader’s face. He said, “This is none of his business.”
“Really? Is that my business?” Suddenly a cold, deep voice came from afar.
Behind Ling Zhang, a man, stepping on tree branches, flew over through the forest like a sword. Then, he landed firmly in front of Ling Zhang.
This man’s strong aura suppressed all the people present. Everyone was shocked.
Ling Zhang froze when he saw the tall figure in front of him. He had a sense of deja vu as he saw this man. And that familiarity made his fingers shrink at that moment.
The man was standing too close to Ling Zhang, so close that he could detect the man’s strange scent. The scent was immensely mild, but when it entered his nostril, its effects were far from mild; it traveled to every corner of his body in such a rapid manner that it immediately freshened his mind.
Ling Zhang couldn’t help but shaking. Who was this man? Why would he suddenly have a strong desire to escape?
“Who are you?” The patrols pointed this man with their weapons, getting vigilant.
“You dare to detain the people for no reason. Is this how Zhang Chong manages his subordinates? It seems that he doesn’t want to be the Commander of the Prefecture Guard any more.”
