Chapter 257 Bandaging

Words : 2021 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Watching the Hidden Guard carry the two men into the carriage.Su Jin let out a soft sigh. If she had known she would have to give up the carriage eventually, why bother tying the guard to the tree? After running around all day, it was too much trouble to go back and pick him up; he would have to wait until he woke up and got himself down. With two unfamiliar men in the carriage, Xingxing didn’t want to stay with them, so she sat with the Hidden Guard on the cart shaft, heading towards the city gate. On a tree by the riverbank. The man woke up, groggy, and tried to move his body. His head and legs could move, but his arms and waist couldn’t. The feeling of being tied up made his muddled mind suddenly clearer. He had been abducted?! He abruptly opened his eyes— What he saw was the crystal-clear river, the fish swimming happily. The man, "...." There wasn’t a soul in sight, he hadn’t been caught. He recalled swapping clothes with the young master to distract the assassins. After taking a sword strike, the assassins didn’t bother with him, anxious to catch the young master. His head was dizzy, and hearing laughter from the lake shore, he went over. Only, before he could see anyone, he blacked out and tumbled forward. When he awoke, he was on a tree. The wound had been bandaged, and there wasn’t the feeling of poison; it seemed the poison had been resolved. The man felt grateful in his heart. He wondered which kind-hearted person had saved him. But such gratitude turned to frustration when he couldn’t free himself no matter what. He was tied way too securely. And with both hands tied, how was he supposed to free himself? The man, devoid of strength, lay on the tree— feeling utterly desperate. He had no idea how long he waited, his mouth dry and head spinning, when he heard the mooing of a cow. The man turned his head with difficulty and saw an old man driving a ox cart over. The man’s lips moved, but he could not utter the words "help me". Watching as the ox cart passed by the riverbank, the man feared he would have to spend the night on the tree and couldn’t know how his master was doing, so he threw caution to the wind and shouted, "Help!" The old man, hearing the call for help, stopped his ox cart. He looked around but saw no one. "I’m in the tree," said the man. The old man looked in the direction of the voice and indeed saw someone on the tree. The old man wasn’t like Su Jin; he’d assess whether the person was good and whether he should help. "Old man, please help me down, and I will reward you handsomely," said the man. The old man saw his luxurious attire, and though there was a bit of coldness in his brow, he didn’t seem like a bad person. Only then did the old man help the man down. Seeing that he was bound with a woman’s belt, the man was momentarily stunned, a hint of red creeping up his ears. "Sir, I have to hurry home," the old man urged. The man felt his bosom. The money was, gone, gone...and the jade pendant and purse at his waist had also disappeared. The man, "...." The old man looked at him suspiciously. The man looked embarrassed, "The money was stolen." The old man’s face darkened. Looking so decent yet turned out to be a fraud! The man hurriedly took off his blood-stained brocade robe and handed it to him, "This brocade robe is embroidered with golden silk and silver thread." Saying this, he quickly ran away. But after taking a few steps. The man turned back, picked up the woman’s belt the old man had tossed to the ground. On the carriage, Xingxing happily took out the silver notes from the pouch. The pouch wasn’t airtight, and the silver notes hadn’t dried after being stuffed inside for so long. Xingxing sat on the cart shaft, her hand extended, using the wind to dry the silver notes one by one. The noble sons of Capital City are ridiculously wealthy. Casually robbing them yielded ten thousand taels of silver. And selling the antidote pills brought in another ten thousand taels. In the future, she must persuade the young lady to venture out more often; earning money this way is much faster than opening a shop. The smile on Xingxing’s face was brighter than mountain flowers. While she was thrilled, the Heir of Duke Chong and his companions were not happy at all. They left proud and imposing for an outing, but returned with half of their faces swollen, looking like they were beaten. Getting kicked into the river by a frail invalid, if the story spreads, wouldn’t people laugh their teeth off? After drinking a little water, they got poisoned, robbed, and even had to buy an antidote pill from the bandits?! It was simply the unluckiest day! You think that’s the worst of it? Not at all— The faces of the Heir of Duke Chong and his companions clearly showed they had been beaten, and after entering the city, countless people whispered behind their backs. Many speculated whether they had run into the Young Master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion again. In the entire Capital City, only people from Dongxiang Marquis Mansion dared to beat the Heir of Duke Chong. Though the guesses weren’t entirely accurate, they weren’t far off. Xie Jingchen is the son-in-law of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion. A son-in-law is like half a son. The Heir of Duke Chong clenched his fist in anger. And then, he saw Su Chong. What a small world for enemies to meet. The gambling incident had made him the joke of Capital City, and today he drank his sister’s foot-washing water and was robbed by her; these new and old grievances must be avenged. The three exchanged looks, hatching a plan. The original group of four included the Heir of Duke Chong, the Eldest Young Master of the Minister of War, the Heir of Wu’an Bo, and the Heir of Marquis Yongning. Now there were only three left. The Heir of Marquis Yongning didn’t drink foot-washing water, wasn’t poisoned, and even bought pills for them while they were unconscious, yet when they woke up, they were ungrateful. Even the Heir of Duke Chong declared that he wouldn’t pay the three thousand taels. If he won’t pay, can the Heir of Marquis Yongning, who handled the affair, not take full responsibility? Saved someone’s life, and still had to spend money on it. In a bad mood, he returned to the mansion first. Su Chong was leisurely riding on horseback. All alone. Chu Shun and the others were exhausted, having trained until they were dead tired, and didn’t want to come out looking bruised and to be laughed at. The Eldest Young Master of the Minister of War Mansion rode up behind Su Chong. The Heir of Duke Chong and his group did not move. The Eldest Young Master of the Minister of War Mansion raised his hand, and a dagger flew forward, embedding itself in the backside of Su Chong’s horse. The horse let out a wretched cry and desperately galloped forward. The Heir of Duke Chong and the Heir of Wu’an Bo held the rope across the road to tie Su Chong up. Su Chong knew what was happening just by looking. When the horse passed by, he leaped up and kicked out with both feet. The Heir of Duke Chong and the Heir of Wu’an Bo crashed to either side. The Heir of Duke Chong crashed into a tofu stand, covered in tofu. The Heir of Wu’an Bo crashed into a noodle stand, his face covered in flour. The Heir of Duke Chong grunted, "...!!!" The Heir of Wu’an Bo grunted, "...!!!" The onlookers laughed heartily, bending over with laughter. Su Chong gave each one a kick and then chased after his horse. The street was bustling with people; he was worried the horse might hurt someone. After catching up with his horse, Su Chong saw the dagger in its rear and became furious. Su Jin and the group rode into the Capital City. After a short ride forward, they saw Su Chong. Xie Jingchen rode over, dismounted, and then helped Su Jin down. "Big brother, what are you doing here?" Su Jin asked. "The horse got injured; I’m dressing its wound," Su Chong replied. Xie Jingchen looked up and saw a pharmacy. The doctor beside them blushed as he applied medicine to the horse, feeling too angry to speak. Though a doctor with some fame in the Capital, he was being treated as a veterinarian. Thinking of the Heir of Duke Chong and the Heir of Wu’an Bo who had been kicked down, the doctor’s anger lessened significantly. Xingxing came over, patting the horse’s head, "Young Master, how did your horse get injured?" "Don’t mention it, I was tricked," Su Chong said, feeling frustrated. Not wanting to bring up such an embarrassing incident, he looked at Su Jin, "How’s the effect of the pills that the Duke Zhen Country Mansion asked me to get?" It turned out it really was her brother’s handiwork. "Very good," Su Jin smiled. Su Chong breathed a sigh of relief, "That’s good to hear." Su Jin, "... ." The doctor applied the medicine, wrapped it with gauze, and said, "The wound is dressed." Xie Jingchen glanced at it, a thick black line sliding down his forehead. Su Chong patted the horse, mounted it, "I have to go get revenge for my horse, let’s talk another day." "Oh, by the way, brother-in-law, please pay for the treatment," Su Chong said. Xie Jingchen, "... ." Su Chong rode off. The gauze bandaged around the horse’s rear drew plenty of attention. The doctor looked at Xie Jingchen. The Hidden Guard walked over and silently paid the treatment fee. Su Chong headed straight for the Minister of War Mansion. Seeing his furious approach, the servants at the Minister of War Mansion were frightened. Su Chong dismounted and walked straight in. No one dared to stop him. The steward of the Minister’s Mansion came up to him, "What brings Mr. Su here?" "Your young master hurt my horse; where is he?!" Su Chong said angrily. "The young master is getting scolded for this matter right now," the steward whispered. Su Chong, "... ." He went to the main hall and saw the Minister of War with a whip in hand. The young master knelt on the ground; the Minister’s wife held her son. "If you want to hit, hit me too!" the Minister’s wife cried. The Minister of War’s face turned ashen with anger. The Marquis Dongxiang spoke in front of the Emperor about his aspirations for the Ministry of War. It was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice’s plan to knock over the Marquis Dongxiang. He hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in days, and this rebellious son dared to provoke the son of the Marquis Dongxiang. He was courting disaster! "Take the madam away!" the Minister of War ordered. Two maids led the Minister’s wife aside. The Minister of War raised his hand, and a whip struck out. The young master’s brocade robe bore a whip mark. Su Chong counted; there were three marks. None had broken the skin. The Minister’s wife broke free and shielded her son. The Minister of War threw the whip on the ground out of anger. After all, it was his own son; he couldn’t bring himself to whip him heavily anymore. Su Chong felt a bit of melancholy, a bit of envy. His father’s whipping was half-hearted. The mother couldn’t bear it either; such feelings, he had never felt. He was a bit jealous. Originally planning to ask for a thousand taels as compensation. Upon leaving the Minister of War Mansion, Su Chong had three thousand taels in silver notes in hand.

Chapter 257 Bandaging

Comments (0)