The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 63 : Jiang Hongfu (4)

Jiang Hongfu’s silence infuriated Jiang Wenrui, “What is it that makes you avoid even telling me?”

Jiang Hongfu immediately knelt on the ground and said, “Dad, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s just that I don’t know how to say it. It is such a strange matter that I’m afraid, even you won’t believe it.”

Jiang Wenrui’s face softened a lot as he said, “I’d like to hear what strange thing that makes you so sure that I won’t believe it even before you can say it.” At this moment, he couldn’t guess that Yu Shi had something to do with this incident. He only suspected that outside people had a hand on the matter.

Jiang Hongfu decided to pull himself together as he told his father everything that had happened yesterday, except for the half silver ticket he received. Once he finished, he asked with an entangled expression, “Dad, I don’t know if what the man said is true or not?”

Jiang Wenrui’s expression was livid. He was starting to truly believe that it was an accident, but now he was told that it wasn’t an accident. “What’s the identity of the gray-clad man?” Seeing Jiang Hongfu shaking his head, he then asked, “What does he look like?”

Jiang Hongfu thought for a moment, then he described the man’s physical characteristics.

Jiang Wenrui had dealt with many things. After hearing the commission, he could roughly guess that the man was an armed escort from an escort agency. He then found out that the man worked in Xinglong Escort Agency. It was not difficult for him to find out and it only took him a day to investigate. Of course, it was also the intention of Xinglong Escort Agency not to cover their trace. If they didn’t want the Jiang to find out, the gray-clad man wouldn’t have let Jiang Hongfu to see his appearance.

Jiang Wenrui immediately went to Xinglong Escort Agency.

The manager of Xinglong Escort Agency listened to Jiang Wenrui’s intention and readily admitted that the gray-clad man was indeed the armed escort that they had sent. As for which escort, it was not convenient for him to reveal.

Jiang Wenrui showed little interest in the armed escorts person, “I just want to know who appointed you?” He suspected that the person behind the scenes had written and performed the story to his son. That person must have aimed to sow discord between father and son, mother and son relationships.

The manager of the escort agency rejected Jiang Wenrui’s request and stated, “Lord Jiang, there is a rule in our business that unless the court wants to investigate crimes committed by criminals, the client’s information cannot be disclosed.”

Jiang Wenrui said, “As long as you tell me who is behind the scenes, no matter what your requirements are, as long as I can do it, I will promise.” He really wanted to catch this person, otherwise the trouble would never end.

The steward smiled and said, “Lord Jiang, please forgive me, we can’t break our own rice bowls (means of livelihood)!” If the client’s information was disclosed easily, who dared to trust them anymore? Without reputation, the escort agency would only be closed down.

Xinglong Escort Agency could be the largest in the capital not only because their armed escorts were good in martial arts, but it also had strong backers behind the scenes.

Jiang Wenhui saw that the other party’s attitude was resolute. Knowing that it would be useless for him to pester the manager anymore, he could only return to his residence in a depressed mood. Not long after he returned home, the main steward he sent to inquire on the incident also returned.

The steward reported, “Master, the groom named Zhou came from a poor family and his family livelihood solely depended on his one carriage. This man had an addiction, where he loved wines as his life (Chinese idiom : fond of the bottle/drinking).“

Jiang Wenrui asked with a cold face, “Did the man drink that day?” That was too coincidental if the man really did drink.

The butler nodded, but then he added, “Master, before the accident, the groom drank some wine and boasted to others that he would make a lot of money soon and would live a good life in the future. However, when he woke up from drinking, he refused to admit it, saying it was just an empty talks after drinking.”

Jiang Wenrui’s looks turned ugly. It could be seen from this that it was not an accident, just as he thought. He then asked, “What else? Why didn’t the residence carriage pick up Fu-er in time?” If the carriage had picked up his son on time, this incident would not have happened.

Deep-fried dough cake or yóu bǐng

Source | Baike Baidu

The steward answered, “I also asked the groom. He said that he ate from the big kitchen that day. Before he headed out to pick up Eldest Young Master, he was just done eating a deep-fried dough cake given by old Head Cao.“

Jiang Wenhui asked, “Old Head Cao? Who is he involved with?”

The steward explained in details, “Old Head Cao is the residence servant’s child. However, Old Cao’s wife, Liu Shi is the niece of Madam’s personal maid, Mama Liu.”

Jiang Wenrui, with a gloomy face, ordered, “Don’t check any more.”

Jiang Hongfu expressed his disappointment when he heard his father said it was all an accident. He knew it would end up with such result. He also didn’t investigate till the end because he knew it was impossible. He just said, “Dad, I want to go back to my mother’s hometown for a while.” He also thought a lot these two days, and finally decided that if his father opened his eyes for him, he would stay in the capital. If his father had settled the matter and still said that all of this was an accident, he would go back to his mother’s hometown.

Jiang Hongfu would make such a decision because he still had a glimmer of hope in his heart. Unfortunately, this hope was broken by his father himself.

Jiang Wenrui saw his son’s calm eyes as if he had known everything, and his throat rolled. His son seemed to grow into a person he didn’t know in an instant. He said with difficult, “How can Jiangnan be as good as the capital. Your teachers and classmates are also here. What about your lessons when you go to Jiangnan?”

Jiang Hongfu restrained his emotion as he said, “There are also many famous teachers in Jiangnan.”

No matter what Jiang Hongfu said, Jiang Wenrui refused.

Jiang Hongfu had no choice but to unleash his last deadly tactic, “Dad, Jiangnan is not as good as the capital. Everyone knows that. But I dare not stay here any longer, otherwise I can’t be at ease. I will always worry about my accident. Dad, let me go back to Jiangnan!“ This time he narrowly escaped, but what about next time? What would happen to his father next time if he really let Yu Shi succeeded? Would it still be like this? Whether he would be called timid or weak, he did not dare to gamble with his own life.

Jiang Wenrui slapped his hand on the table, “I said it was an accident. Someone must have been playing tricks behind the scenes.”

Jiang Hongfu did not argue with Jiang Wenrui, but said, “Dad, all I know is that I would have already be dead without that person.” Although he did not know how that person knew Yu Shi wanted to harm him on that day, no matter what purpose that person had, he still owed that person for his life.

A simple sentence left Jiang Wenrui speechless. He knew that his son was blaming him for not being able to give him justice. But what could he do? Was it because of that deep-fried dough cake he should suspect Yu Shi for this crime? Not to mention that there was no solid evidence, even if there was one, this dirty linen could only be hidden in this holding. How could he let it out?

After quite a while, Jiang Wenrui finally said, “I won’t let this happen again.” This was actually the same as admitting that Yu Shi was suspected.

Jiang Hongfu shook his head and said, “Dad, one needs one thousand days to be a thief, but there is no defence against thieves for one thousand days (T/N : I actually don’t know how this idiom should be told literally. If anyone knows, please please let me know. I could not find anything in English for this peoverb).” If Yu Shi could harm him once, she could harm him twice. His maternal grandfather and cousin had gone, so, he had no help in the capital. Originally, he had some expectations for his father, but now he knew that his father was unreliable. As the person behind the scene had said, if he wanted to live, he must go back to Jiangnan, otherwise he would surely be killed by Yu Shi. Then, he would just die in vain. His father won’t give up Yu Shi’s family for him. Though, he couldn’t say for sure that for the sake of his future, his father would also help Yu Shi to cover it up and not let the people in his mother’s hometown knew about it.

Jiang Wenrui knew his eldest son very well. Although he was usually easy to speak to, but once something touched his bottom line, whatever one said, it wouldn’t matter. Knowing that there was no room for change, he finally sighed and said, “You may as well go back to your mother’s hometown. You just go there as a filial duty for your father, who hasn’t returned for many years.”

Jiang Hongfu nodded his head and said, “Okay.”

Jiang Wenrui thought for a moment and said, “Let Hongjin go back with you this time.”

Jiang Hongfu was stunned, but still he nodded and said, “I’ll listen to Dad’s arrangement.” As long as Yu Shi did not follow along, he would not be afraid.

On hearing the news, Yu Shi was simply unwilling. Moreover, her argument was very sufficient, “Jin-er is still small, what if something happens to him while they are on the road?”

Jiang Wenrui said in a cold voice, “I’ve decided. You don’t have to say anything anymore.” After that, he leaved with a flick of his sleeve (go off in a huff).

There was a chill in Yu Shi’s heart. From their marriage till now, the Lord had always treated her with gentleness. Today was the first time she saw him lose his temper. She feared that the thing she had done had been discovered by the Lord, so, she asked the old woman beside her, “Didn’t you say you hadn’t leave a trace?”

Old woman Mi said with certainty, “Madam, this handmaiden has done a very clean job. There are no traces left behind!” Her only regret was, Eldest Young Master had managed to escape from this calamity!

Speaking of Jiang Hongfu’s incident, Yu Shi was full of questions. “How’s the matter that I have asked you to inquire?” She needed to know how Jiang Hongfu had evaded the incident.

Old woman Mi shook her head and said, “I can’t find anything!” Except for Jiang Wenrui and his son, only Jiang Xiaofang knew about this matter. Even if she had exceptional ability, she still could not find out more on it.

Yu Shi thought of Jiang Hongfu’s sudden request to return to Jiangnan, as both her eyebrows started to wrinkle together, “What do you think the reason Lord suddenly let them go back together?”

Old woman Mi also couldn’t guess, “This handmaiden couldn’t think of anything.”

Jiang Hongfu was a quick-witted person. First, he went to Baitan Academy to take leave from his teacher, by saying that he would go back to his mother’s hometown. He didn’t explain anything to his teacher even on the matter of when he would come back. He only said that it would take a long time for him to return this time.

After taking his leave, Jiang Hongfu said goodbye to some of his classmates, then went back to Jiang residence and started to tidy things up. This time, when he went to Jiangnan, he was sure that he won’t go back to the capital until he had done his regional examination. So there were a lot of many things that he needed to bring along.

At this moment, Jiang Hongfu felt somewhat glad that his mother’s dowry was not in his family’s hand, but in the hands of his grandmother. Old Madam Jiang loved her legitimate eldest grandson very much and would only supplement him a lot from her own savings. There was no way she would deduct it from his mother’s dowry.

Yu Shi did not want her son to follow Jiang Hongfu to Jiangnan, but Jiang Wenrui’s attitude was firm. In her helplessness, she could finally come up with a way. Before departure, Jiang Hongjin fell ill. It was a real illness, not a fake one.

Jiang Hongfu was unwilling to delay his journey for Jiang Hongjin at all. On the second day, he set out to Jiangnan as per schedule .

Jiang Wenrui wanted Jiang Hongjin to follow Jiang Hongfu back to Jiangnan in order not to let both brothers had a fallen out. However, his plan had been destroyed by Yu Shi. When he started to put the two events together, his heart suddenly turned cold.