Old Mr. Xu instructed Xu Liang, “Go to the inn and invite Song Si over, saying the same thing I said this morning, and remember, invite him alone.”
Xu Liang answered, and quickly went to the inn, met Song Si, and gave him Old Mr Xu’s original words.
Even if Xu Liang did not come, Song Si would still have to visit Old Mr. Xu.
On hearing this, he told him to wait a moment.
After changing a set of clothes and giving Gu Yi and Song Wan Yue another word, he went with Xu Liang to the Xu family.
No sooner had he left than two magistrates came at his heels, entering the door of the inn and saying directly to the innkeeper, “Call down that scholar called Song Si from your shop and go to the magistrate’s office for questioning.”
The magistrates’ voices were so loud that not only did the students in the lobby hear them, but also the students in their rooms, who opened the doors and came out to look.
The shopkeeper did not know what had happened to Song Si in the western market, and was startled at first to see the magistrate. He hurriedly came out from the counter and nodded his head, “Sir, Mr. Song has just gone out, I wonder what you two are looking for him for?”
“His boy killed someone, let’s take him in for questioning.”
The inn exploded at once.
Sweat broke out on the innkeeper’s head, he looked upstairs, thought for a moment and still said, “Although he has gone out, his family is still upstairs, wait a moment, Your Excellency, I will go up and ask.”
“Hurry up!”
The shopkeeper carried the hem of his coat upstairs, and before he had taken two steps, Song Wan Yue and Gu Yi poked their heads down, Song Wan Yue raised her voice and said, “My elder brother has been invited by Old Mr Xu, the two officials can go to the Xu family to look for him.”
Upstairs and downstairs there was a huff of air.
All the people living here were scholars, so they naturally knew who Old Mr Xu was.
Some of them had even visited the Xu family, and they were received by Mr Xu Da and Mr Xu Er, who had never even met Old Mr Xu, but now Song Si was invited by Old Mr Xu, which was enough to see the importance Old Mr Xu attached to Song Si.
The two magistrates were also stunned. Having lived in the capital for a long time, they naturally knew who Old Mr. Xu was, and they would not dare to go to the Xu family to get him if they were given ten guts.
When they spoke out again, their tone softened, “Do you know when he will be back?”
Song Wan Yue shook her head, “I don’t know.”
The two magistrates looked at each other and tilted their heads, “In that case, have him come to the magistrate’s office when he comes back.”
“Two officials, I would like to ask, today it is clear that that person failed to steal and became angry and wanted my elder brother’s life, my family’s boy was trying to protect himself even if he fought back, this case is so clear, why do you still want to ask my elder brother to go to the magistrate’s office?”
The two magistrates had taken money from people, and after they entered the inn, they deliberately made ambiguous statements in order to make people misunderstand Song Si, but now that Song Wan Yue had told them the truth in just a few words, their faces were immediately embarrassed.
“What do you know? You can’t kill someone even if it’s self-preservation! Anyway, don’t talk nonsense, wait for the man to come back and tell him to make a trip to the magistrate’s office.”
When the magistrate had gone, the shopkeeper wiped a handful of sweat from his forehead and took two more steps up the stairs, “Miss Song, what’s going on?”
His inn was already far away from the examination hall, and if word got out that one of the students’ boys had killed someone, he was afraid that if there were any more examinations in the future, not even one student would be able to stay in his inn.
Song Wan Yue told the story of what had happened in the morning, and after listening to it, everyone sighed and felt that Song Si was unlucky to have met such a vicious person, and it was fortunate that he had his boy with him, otherwise he might have really taken his life.
The shopkeeper also sighed with relief and kindly suggested, “Miss Song, although your boy is protecting himself, if Mr. Song is really called to the court, I am afraid it will be detrimental to his reputation, so I think you should go to the Xu residence and ask Mr. Song to ask old Mr. Xu to come forward. With the face of the old gentleman, even if someone uses this matter to make a fuss in the future, they will be much more scrupulous.”
He had heard of everything in the capital for so many years, and there was also a student who had made it to the top of the list and later won third place in the Imperial examination. If Song Si had won the high esteem of Mr. Xu, he would have been able to learn well, and if he did make it to the exams, someone might have used the incident to make an article.
“Thank you, shopkeeper, we’ll go right away.”
……
“Old man.”
Song Si followed Xu Liang into the house and bowed to Old Mr. Xu.
Old Mr. Xu had deliberately changed his clothes to make himself look more approachable, and his tone was kindly like treating his own grandson, “Come, sit down.
Song Si went over and sat down upright.
Old Mr. Xu’s eyes fell on his face, but he could not see the shadow of his own grandson, thinking that perhaps he had followed his father’s example, and spoke affectionately, “Do you still remember the last essay you wrote?”
“I remember.”
“Recite it to me. ”
Song Si recited the article word for word.
Old Mr Xu nodded as he listened, and when he had finished reciting it, he looked vaguely excited. That day when Song Si came over, he only gave him a slight mention, but he had never expected that he would write such a good essay by lifting one example.
“With this essay of yours, you are sure of this session exam, the next temple exam is the most important one, if you can play well, the first grade will not be a problem.”
“Please give me more guidance, old man.”
Looking at his modest appearance, Old Mister Xu looked happy in any way, “This is natural, if you can get into the first grade, it will be considered as adding glory to your dean. But before that, I have a personal question I want to ask you.”
“Please speak, old sir.”
“You must have been taught by your parents to be so good, can you tell me your parents’ names?”
Song Si replied truthfully, “My father, Song Shu, and my mother, Liu Cui Lan, they are both from the countryside.”
Liu Cui Lan?
Old Mr. Xu’s anticipation cooled for a moment, but he still asked, “They both grew up in the countryside?”
“Yes.”
Old Mr. Xu closed his eyes to ease himself, the child in front of him was not Wan’er’s, so where was his Wan’er, was it really ……
He did not dare to think further, back then Wan’er disappeared without warning, he personally went to the palace and begged the emperor to send the imperial army and the five city military divisions, turned the capital upside down, but could not find it.
Everyone said that Wan’er had met an untimely end, but he did not believe them. His Wan’er was so clever, even if she had met the wrong people, she would still find a way to protect herself, so how could she have met an untimely end? She must have met something she had to do, and she would definitely come back one day.
But now, the hope in his heart was dashed, nearly ten years had passed, if Wan’er was still alive, she would have returned long ago.
“Master, Miss Song is asking for an audience outside the door of the residence.”
Xu Liang’s endowment sounded at the door.