Under Hou Yao's emotional performance, He Jianzhong couldn't help but be moved:
"Do you mean what you said? Did Bai Tao really get punched in the eye while insulting your mother?"
Hou Yao nodded and said:
"It's absolutely true, and there's absolutely no lie. It's all happening for the whole village to see.
But if anyone dares to testify against them, students can’t guarantee it.”
He Jianzhong was able to stand up:
"You should get up first, I will send people to check, if what you said is true, and relax, I will seek justice for you as a teacher.
But you must also agree to be my teacher. If things calm down, you must participate in next year's Autumn Siege and cannot go to other houses for reference."
When Hou Yao heard this, he knew that he had made the right bet. In his original plan, he wanted to use huge profits to get He Jianzhong to come forward and make peace.
Just pay some money to suppress this matter, and then think of other ways, such as revenge.
But he didn't expect that He Jianzhong also needed him. Naturally, he would no longer be satisfied with ordinary life.
Such a good opportunity, if I don’t peel off a layer of skin from Bai Tao and his group,
He felt sorry for traveling these dozens of miles.
Dang even nodded solemnly:
"Teacher, don't worry. The student is from Yazhou and represents Yazhou wherever he goes. How could he go to Beppu for reference?"
He Jianzhong nodded with satisfaction:
"Okay, you go back to the inn first and wait for the news. I will send someone to investigate and collect evidence.
As long as what you say is true, bullies like Bai Tao will definitely be severely punished by the law."
…
Just when Hou Yao got the letter from He Jianzhong, Bai Tao also arrived at his brother-in-law Zheng Chong's home.
Zheng Chong's current power is no longer what it was a few years ago.
When he took office as the county magistrate, he was very capable and took action in everything himself. His reputation as a local historian was dispensable.
But the current county magistrate is a fool. He doesn't know how to investigate criminal cases and lets Dian Shi make the final decision in everything.
His power has naturally increased. In the past two years, he has rarely felt that anything has made him feel aggrieved.
Until Bai Tao arrived home with a disability, his lungs were about to explode.
After learning that it was Hou Yao who did it, all the old and new hatreds came out.
Bai Tao's sister Zheng has already burst into tears:
"Head of the family, you have to make the decision for my brother. This Hou Yao relies on his several years of education.
They wronged my brother before, and now they are even more bullying. How much hatred must they have to take such a heavy blow?"
Bai Tao just felt brave enough to raise his head and let his sister cry.
Although he was angry, Zheng Chong was not stupid. If he thought about it carefully, the risks involved were quite high.
Scholars are not easy to mess with, especially those with a good reputation. If you offend them, you may lose your official position.
It will be too late to regret it by then,
After careful consideration, Zheng Chong still felt that this matter was not easy to handle:
"Okay, you go back to your room first. Don't worry about how you cry. I'll just discuss it with my uncle.
Don’t worry, I won’t make things easier for that scholar.”
Although Mrs. Zheng was unwilling to cry, she could only wipe away her tears and go back to the house. Her status in the family was not actually that high.
It's just that both brothers are useful to Zheng Chong, so that he can maintain a certain say in the family.
To ensure that the mistress's status is not shaken, otherwise, she would have lost her status long ago based on her declining beauty.
When Mrs. Zheng returned to her room, Zheng Chong snorted coldly and looked at Bai Tao and said:
"What you just said is untrue. What do you want to do? Do you really think that I am someone you can fool?"
Bai Tao hurriedly knelt on the ground and said:
"Brother-in-law, calm down. I'm embarrassed to say it in front of my sister. Besides, I can't let him know about it."
Zheng Chong's expression softened a little:
"What's going on? Tell me."
Bai Tao could only tell exactly what he had done.
Zheng Chong remained silent after hearing this.
Bai Tao waited for a while and then continued:
"I admit that I did have something wrong, but they can't be so harsh. I'm already disabled..."
Zheng Chong stood up and walked around the room for a long time before thinking things over and said:
"This matter is unusual. I'm afraid it's a trap set up by Hou Yao."
Bai Tao was dumbfounded when he heard:
"A set up?"
Zheng Chong said confidently:
"Yes, Hou Yao must have gotten the news from somewhere that the uncle was going to catch him, and hid it in advance.
Therefore, the uncle and the others did not succeed that day. Due to the tightness of the news, he was unable to send the news back in time.
And Hou Yao has been hiding in the dark, waiting for you to make mistakes,
Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence? If you don’t come back sooner or later, just when you are about to touch his mother, he appears.
This guy is so scheming. If what I predict is correct, he will definitely go to the state government office, or perhaps the government office to file a complaint.
Our county government is afraid that it can no longer touch him.
The lawsuit is not easy to fight, I guess the most we can do is settle it, and Hou Fu will definitely not be able to close it any longer."
Bai Tao was dumbfounded when he heard this, and immediately shouted:
"Ah? What should I do...isn't my injury just in vain?"
Zheng Chong walked for a long time and then said:
"There is only one plan for now, which is to confirm Hou Yao's identity as a pirate and make it difficult for him to defend himself."
Bai Tao was surprised and said:
"How can this be confirmed? What should I do now that the others are no longer in the village? How can others believe that he is a pirate?"
Zheng Chong said grimly:
"The only way is to rob the prison. You should go to the uncle now and ask him to send a few dead soldiers to pretend to come to rob the prison to rescue Hou Fu.
Must fail and leave one alive,
He poured dirty water on Hou Yao, and then after Hou Yao was imprisoned, he robbed their father and son with great fanfare.
This would solidify his reputation as a liaison with pirates, and the case would be dropped.
As for how to deal with it, it's up to you."
Bai Tao was immediately elated and said:
"Brother-in-law is so clever. Okay, I will send someone to Heiyu Island now."
Zheng Chong hurriedly stretched out his hand to stop:
"No, it's not appropriate to let others know about this. You have to go there in person, and you must be back before sunrise the day after tomorrow.
In addition, I have something else in my hands, please bring it back to me."
Bai Tao nodded:
"Okay, I'll leave now, but brother-in-law, if you asked me to bring something back, I'm afraid I'll bring the wrong thing."
Zheng Chong hesitated for a moment before saying:
"It's a palm-sized jade flute. If the uncle forgets, you can remind him.
If he doesn't want to give it, tell him that what the adults want is not something he can cover up.
Only by handing over the things can the seahorse have a chance to become a sea dragon."
…
Blackfish Island,
Yu Xiuer, a dozen brothers, sisters Shen Yuluoyan, and Jiang Hong stayed here for two days.
The battlefield to annihilate the Seahorse Gang is just over ten kilometers outside Heiyu Island.
Because of their extremely vicious reputation, almost no one dares to approach this sea area.
So even though more than ten days have passed, no one has discovered that the evil bandits entrenched on the island have been eliminated.
After getting Hou Yao's instruction, Yu Xiuer hurriedly led people over.
Mainly to prevent visitors from seeing the flaws, they had to tidy up and clean the entire island.
Then just wait for the fish to take the bait. According to Hou Yao's analysis, it is actually very difficult for both parties to win this lawsuit.
The final trend is for both parties to reconcile, but Bai Tao will definitely not give up on this result.
After all, he is irreparably disabled, so forget it if he doesn't have the ability to take revenge.
As long as there is hope, he will never give up, so in the end he will definitely go to Blackfish Island to ask for help.
Hou Yao planned to use the people Bai Tao sent to ask for help to expose his shortcomings to them.
But after waiting for two days and still not seeing anyone, Yu Xiuer couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
Some are worried about the safety of Hou Yao, mother and son,
Chen Yu offered some words of comfort:
"Sister Xiu'er, are you worried about Mr. Hou's safety? Didn't he go to Zhoucheng?
What is there to worry about? Who dares to bully a scholar in the city and is not afraid of being punished by the Yamen."
Yu Xiuer knew very well that she would generally not encounter any danger in the city.
But at the moment I am so anxious and restless that I can't calm down no matter what.
"I know, but I just can't calm down, and I don't know how things are going on with my husband.
Although Mr. Zhizhou is his teacher in name, he has no real friendship after all.
Alas, how can we not be anxious when there is no news?"
Luoyan also consoled him:
"Master Hou is a man of great ability, isn't he just a magistrate of the state? I think there must be nothing wrong with him.
We just wait to hear the good news."
Yu Xiuer couldn't laugh or cry:
"Isn't he just a magistrate? Do you know how big an official a magistrate is?"
Luoyan waved his hands and said:
"It doesn't matter how big an official he is, no matter how big the official is, he can't control us. The worst he can do is fight with them."
"What if you can't fight?"
"If you can't fight it, go back to Starfish Island. Is it possible that they can still eat me?"
Yu Xiuer shook her head slightly. Luoyan's temperament was a bit naive, which was both a good thing and a bad thing.
When you meet someone you like, you are cute and innocent. When you meet someone with ulterior motives, they are the source of trouble.
As he said this, he planned to teach you a few words:
"Luoyan, let me tell you..."
At this moment, a brother from the gang suddenly came in and said:
"Gang leader, a small boat has come to the beach. On the boat is a man with one eye and one hand. He is about to reach the shore. Do you want to catch him?"
Yu Xiuer was stunned for a moment, then said with great joy:
“I thought I was hooking a small fish, but I didn’t expect to catch a big fish.
You go and call Jiang Hong over first, and then go to the beach to escort him over.
Also, that person knows me, and I can’t come forward later, so you all should be smart and don’t make any mistakes.”
The gang members laughed and said:
"Your Majesty, are you going to call Sister Chen Yu the gang leader later?"
Yu Xiuer smiled and said:
"It's not the gang leader, it's the gang leader's wife."
…
The Seahorse Gang originally had a stronghold along the coast.
Later, it was destroyed during the naval encirclement and suppression.
The Navy has not yet relaxed its vigilance against the Seahorse Gang.
Naturally, the stronghold cannot be restored.
Bai Tao couldn't find a guide, so he had to find a way to get to Heiyu Island by himself.
He asked someone to sail a boat overnight to take him to the waters near Heiyu Island.
When we reached the shore, we let the boat anchor down, and then we drove a small boat to the shore alone.
This is not his first time on the island, but over the past ten years,
The total number of visits to the island is no more than one hand.
And like this time, it was the first time that I went to the island without anyone leading me.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he got off the boat, two steel knives were held against his neck.