However, what surprised Yu Tang the most was encountering Pei Yan.

When they were in Hangzhou City, Yu Wen had been delayed for several days because of the map incident. By the time he went to thank Pei Yan, Pei Yan had already gone to Huai’an. After returning to Lin’an City, Yu Wen went to the Pei residence several more times, but the stewards at the Pei residence all said that Pei Yan had not yet returned.

Yu Wen’s last visit to the Pei residence had been just two days ago.

Was Pei Yan truly very busy, or did he not want to see her father?

Yu Tang thought it was the latter.

However, whether it was the former or the latter, Pei Yan clearly had no intention of associating with their family.

Not to mention that Pei Yan had saved her—even if he were a complete stranger, she couldn’t very well force him.

Yu Tang thanked Pei Yan again, but didn’t mention having her father personally visit the Pei residence to express his gratitude.

Whether it was because Pei Yan felt that Yu Tang’s behavior and conduct suited him perfectly, or because he didn’t take saving her to heart, he nodded without saying much. He called out to the driver, “Zhao Zhen,” and said, “Hand these people over to Miss Yu, and we’ll be on our way!”

Zhao Zhen immediately responded. With a few chops of his hand, he knocked out those thugs like splitting melons, leaving them unconscious on the ground. Only then did he run over, grinning at Yu Tang, and said, “Miss Yu, you can rest assured. Before the constables from the magistrate’s office arrive, these people won’t wake up.”

Yu Tang was astonished.

Although Pei Yan treated people coldly and arrogantly, she hadn’t expected that both this driver named Zhao Zhen and the little boy who had helped her were such kind and warm people.

They could be this way because of how Pei Yan usually treated them.

This showed that her perception of Pei Yan was biased.

If nothing else, he was at least very generous and magnanimous toward those around him.

Since this was just a chance encounter, Yu Tang naturally couldn’t delay Pei Yan any further.

She thanked Zhao Zhen: “This time, it’s all thanks to you subduing these thugs.”

Zhao Zhen waved his hand and smiled sheepishly, “I, I was just following orders. If you want to thank someone, thank our master!” Having said this, he quickly ran to the side of the blue-curtained carriage, took hold of the horse’s reins, and called to the boy, “A’Ming, we’re leaving.”

The boy called “A’Ming” cheerfully responded, greeted Yu Tang, turned around and climbed onto the carriage, sitting on the carriage shaft.

Yu Tang couldn’t help but smile, waving at A’Ming.

A’Ming smiled shyly.

Pei Yan left in his carriage.

Li Jun and Shen Fang stood at the village entrance watching Pei Yan leave. Only after the carriage had gone far into the distance did the two point at the thugs lying scattered on the ground and ask, “What does Miss Yu plan to do?”

Yu Tang intended to keep Li Jun there, so she seized the opportunity and said, “Young Master Li, Young Master Shen, thank you both so much this time. Although Zhao Zhen from Third Master Pei’s household said these people won’t wake up before the constables arrive, one can never be too careful. I presume to ask both young masters to stay here for a moment. When the constables come, you can help bear witness. I’ll go call the villagers to fetch the village head and my father. This matter cannot be left as it is.”

Both Li Jun and Shen Fang agreed this was appropriate. Yu Tang hurried to knock on the door of the nearest household, gave them two pieces of broken silver to go report the news to the Yu Family’s old estate, and said, “Tell my father not to inform my mother or my eldest aunt, but to find Seventh Uncle and bring him along.”

She hadn’t seen Seventh Uncle earlier and didn’t know if he had run away or was blocking her path somewhere else.

The person looked at the thugs on the ground and was greatly startled. Wanting to see the excitement but also eager to earn those two pieces of broken silver, he took a quick glance and then ran off toward the Yu Family’s old estate.

Li Jun and Shen Fang began talking about Pei Yan: “Third Master Pei looks very cold and proud, but I didn’t expect him to be a man of such genuine character—forthright and quick to act, actually coming to Miss Yu’s rescue.”

Shen Fang rolled his eyes and said, “Anyone would lend a hand in such circumstances, wouldn’t they? I don’t see where Third Master Pei was forthright or quick to act!”

“You don’t know. My family had some trouble a few days ago,” Li Jun argued. “My cousin had a shipment detained by the Taihu Lake Patrol Inspectorate. My cousin sent someone to ask my father for help. My father didn’t know anyone at the Taihu Lake Patrol Inspectorate, so as a last resort, treating a dead horse as if it were alive, he had no choice but to turn to Third Master Pei. Third Master Pei didn’t even ask many questions—he just gave my elder brother a calling card to take to the Taihu Prefect, and the matter was resolved just like that. Third Master Pei is really quite a good person.”

Shen Fang was startled and said, “Your cousin? Which cousin?”

Li Jun said, “The cousin who does business in Fujian. My maternal uncle’s eldest son. He’s a good person. Next time he comes to Lin’an, I’ll introduce you.”

Shen Fang responded perfunctorily. In Yu Tang’s view, Shen Fang had no interest in meeting Li Jun’s cousin, but Li Jun clearly lacked the perception to notice and continued, “This cousin of mine is the same age as my elder brother, but he’s already my uncle’s right-hand man…”

Yu Tang knew who he was talking about.

Lin Jue, the nephew from the Lin family’s maiden home, the patriarch’s son of the Lin clan.

He was extremely capable at business. In just a few years after the Lin family came into his hands, it had become one of Fujian’s top merchant families. The Li Family had also begun engaging in maritime trade and become newly wealthy because of him.

In her previous life, he visited the Li Family very frequently. Li Duan and he were very close. Once, when Li Duan had ill intentions toward her, it was Lin Jue who had helped him…

Yu Tang silently sank into memories of the past, but a noisy commotion reached her ears.

She looked up to see her father, her eldest uncle, and her eldest cousin leading seven or eight male clan members running over furiously.

Yu Tang hurried forward to meet them.

Yu Wen grabbed Yu Tang’s arm, his face pale as he looked her up and down while urgently asking, “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine!” Yu Tang quickly said. “Mother doesn’t know about this, does she?” As she spoke, she stretched her neck to look at the people who had come.

She didn’t see Seventh Uncle.

Yu Wen said, “I was terribly frightened when someone came to report. I didn’t wait to find your Seventh Uncle before coming with your eldest uncle and these people. What happened to your Seventh Uncle? Wasn’t he with you?”

Yu Tang said, “I’ll explain that later. Young Master Li and Young Master Shen are here. Both young masters are righteous and warm-hearted—when they heard I was in trouble, they rushed over anxiously!”

Yu Wen immediately stepped forward to thank the two.

Li Jun and Shen Fang both turned aside, not accepting Yu Wen’s bow, both blushing somewhat as they said, “We arrived too late—it was Third Master Pei who saved Miss Yu!”

The person who went to report didn’t know exactly what had happened. Yu Wen was shocked to suddenly hear that this matter also involved Pei Yan, and asked, “Where is Third Master Pei?”

Yu Tang said, “He had matters to attend to and left first.”

“Then we’ll go thank Third Master Pei when we return to the city,” Yu Wen said. He still very sincerely thanked Li Jun and Shen Fang. “Although you two young masters arrived a bit late, your hearts in wanting to save her were the same. Please don’t be modest—you must come to my humble home later for a simple meal so I can show my modest appreciation.”

Li Jun and Shen Fang were still exchanging pleasantries when the constables from the magistrate’s office arrived.

Yu Wen was after all a scholar and had some literary reputation in Lin’an City. He was already acquainted with the constables from the magistrate’s office. Combined with Li Jun and Shen Fang’s testimony, the constables quickly bound up those thugs. Yu Bo also privately slipped a few taels of broken silver to the constable, asking him not to drag Yu Tang’s name into this matter, and saying they would all drink together when they returned to the city. The constable handled matters efficiently and took the thugs back to the magistrate’s office first.

Li Jun and Shen Fang also wanted to leave, saying, “Xiao Wan and the others heard about this and were very worried. If their riding skills were better, they would have followed us here. We’ll go back and tell them what happened.”

Yu Wen was thinking that they still had to go to the Wei family later, and was considering whether to thank Li Jun and Shen Fang another day instead. But Yu Tang said, “There are no outsiders here now. I ask both of you to stay. Come to our home for a cup of tea—I have some things I want to say to Young Master Li.”

Li Jun and Shen Fang looked at each other. After a moment’s thought, both agreed.

The group went to the Yu Family’s old estate.

Chen Shi and Wang Shi still didn’t know what had happened. They only knew that guests had arrived in the front courtyard and didn’t pay much attention.

Yu Tang invited Li Jun and Shen Fang to sit in the reception hall, then also asked Fifth Great-Uncle to come over, and told everyone what Seventh Uncle had done.

Everyone was dumbstruck. Fifth Great-Uncle was the first to jump up, saying incredulously, “Impossible! How is that possible? He’s such an honest person—how could he do such a thing? Grand-niece, did you mishear?”

The second person to jump up was Li Jun.

His face was completely flushed as he said, “No, it shouldn’t be like that! How could my mother do something that would ruin someone’s reputation? Even if you married into our family, we two would have become enemies… My mother couldn’t possibly treat me this way!”

Even Yu Wen felt this matter was too absurd: “Could it be that someone with ill intentions is framing the Li Family? This matter must be investigated clearly.”

Yu Bo came to his senses and also said, “Yes, yes! Such words cannot be spoken carelessly. If someone really is scheming behind the scenes, wouldn’t we be wrongly accusing the Li Family?”

Only Yu Yuan and Shen Fang remained silent.

Yu Yuan was lost in thought, while Shen Fang looked at Li Jun, then at Yu Tang, finally his gaze darkening slightly as he fixed his eyes on Yu Tang.

“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not will become clear once we find Seventh Uncle and the magistrate’s office arrests the relevant people,” Yu Tang said calmly. “This matter cannot be left as it is. If there’s a first time, there will be a second. If we don’t root out the person behind this, constantly guarding against thieves, we won’t even be able to sleep peacefully.”

Li Jun’s face flushed even redder, as if blood would drip from it. He stammered, “Miss Yu, you, you don’t believe me?”

Yu Tang said, “Whether I believe you or not isn’t important. What’s important is who did this. The methods were too despicable and vile—no one could tolerate such a thing happening to them.”

Li Jun suddenly stood up, wanting to say something angrily, but then seemed to think of something. His lips moved but no sound came out.

Shen Fang watched this and stood up as well, saying, “Just as Miss Yu said, this matter requires evidence. Anything we say now is useless. It just so happens that Master Yu has other matters this afternoon. Why don’t we disperse for now? Once your family’s Seventh Uncle is found and the magistrate’s office has news, it won’t be too late to discuss this matter then.”

Yu Wen felt that Li Jun and Shen Fang had come to rescue Yu Tang but were ultimately suspected by her—it was too discourteous. He said with embarrassment, “How can we do this…”

“Uncle!” Yu Yuan suddenly stood up and interrupted Yu Wen, saying, “Young Master Li and Young Master Shen are not outsiders. Finding Seventh Uncle is what’s urgent.”

Li Jun loudly agreed, “Master Yu, Young Master Yu speaks reasonably. I think finding your family’s Seventh Uncle quickly is what’s most important.”