The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

Changsun Dan thought for a moment:

"You mean that widow?"

Fang Yi'ai glanced back, made a shushing gesture, and lowered his voice:

"This Lady Wei is no ordinary woman. Although she has a daughter to support, His Majesty dotes on her immensely. This Xuanping Ward is considered the ancestral property of the Wei family of Jingzhao, specifically the Yun Gong branch. As a top-tier aristocratic family within the Guanzhong Group, the Wei family is generally ignored in Xuanping Ward, no matter what happens. Otherwise, why do you think these refugees would be able to gather here?"

Changsun Dan frowned slightly. "The Wei and Du families in the south of the city are only a foot and a half from the sky. It seems that the rumors among the people are indeed true. However, Consort Wei has a good reputation in history. After Empress Changsun passed away, she took control of Li Er's harem and seemed to have the potential to become the empress. Could she not be unaware that her family members had committed such inhumane acts?"

"Many members of the Wei clan serve as officials in the imperial court. Who is actually managing the ancestral property of Xuanping Ward?"

Fang Yi'ai looked at Changsun Dan as if he were a fool:

"Almost all the men of the Wei family entered officialdom when they reached the appropriate age, except for one person, Wei Guan of Xuanping Ward. He was the eldest son of Wei Yuanzhao, the uncle of Consort Wei, and thus Consort Wei's cousin. Wei Yuanzhao died early, and the Wei clan took good care of Wei Guan. The ancestral property of Xuanping Ward was basically handed over to him to manage."

Changsun Dan wanted to ask more questions, but Lu Fan had already cleared the alleyway. Two Imperial Guards each dragged a cart in; they were probably temporarily conscripting these poor people. They carried Mu Dajiang and his wife onto the carts. Lu Fan didn't seem to want to stay there long, and bowed slightly.

"Sir, I have military orders to follow, so I must escort you back to your residence as soon as possible."

Fang Yi'ai also covered his nose with his hand:

"Let's go, Liu Lang. You can't handle this. If we don't get into trouble today, we'll be grateful."

Changsun Dan held Bao'er and nodded silently. If they couldn't find Mu Qingyi and Lin Xiaocui, no one could do anything to Wei Guan. Moreover, it was still unknown whether these people had been sold to the Lishan Silver Mine. But no matter what, they should find time to ask the Crown Prince.

After leaving the densely packed shantytown, Changsun Dan carried Bao'er onto the Red Hare, looking somewhat preoccupied. Bao'er hadn't made a sound yet, only occasionally twitching in his arms, her little hands tightly gripping Changsun Dan's arm. Although she was only a four or five-year-old girl, her grip was painful.

It is unknown whether the dead horse was buried on the spot. All that was seen was that the Imperial Guards threw the two evil servants onto another cart and dragged it, which was covered tightly with a tattered straw mat.

Changsun Dan entered Xuanpingfang from the east gate and returned to Meiyuan. He could have exited from the west, but he still rode his horse eastward. Lu Fan looked at Fang Yi'ai with some confusion.

Fang Yi'ai shook his head helplessly:

"Let him be, let him be. Liu Lang has always been this stubborn since he was a child."

Lu Fan said in a low voice:

"We entered through the west gate to deliberately avoid Wei Guan, but the county magistrate is acting so ostentatiously, doesn't he fear getting into trouble?"

Fang Yi'ai grinned:

"Could the Empress's own nephew really be afraid of a mere concubine's cousin?"

Lu Fan muttered to himself:

"The Wei family occupies half the sky in officialdom. Even His Majesty turns a blind eye. The county magistrate is not afraid, but we don't want to offend them."

However, Changsun Dan was already riding Red Hare at the front, and Lu Fan couldn't stop him. He could only sigh and wave for the Imperial Guards to follow.

Once you reach the main street of Xuanpingfang, lanterns are hung on both sides of the shops, and the shops are still open for business. No one would imagine that behind the warm lights of Xuanpingfang, there is a place like the Sand Dune Tomb, a place of the living dead.

The entrance to Hongxiu Pavilion was particularly lively, with the interior brightly lit and many carriages parked outside. Vendors selling snacks and hangover soup had set up their stalls early in the morning, creating a bustling and prosperous scene.

When the madam who had previously solicited customers saw Changsun Dan again, he was still riding that skinny chestnut horse, but now he was covered in mud and had a child in his arms. The Imperial Guards following behind him were pulling three carts, and it was clear at a glance that many people had died.

Fang Yi'ai craned his neck and peered into the Red Sleeve Pavilion a few times. The madam hadn't invited anyone in this time, but she was still somewhat surprised to see the Imperial Guards appear in the market. Even if someone had died, when did it become their turn to come in and deal with it? He then hurriedly turned and went into the Red Sleeve Pavilion.

Before long, a fat man in his thirties came out of the Red Sleeve Pavilion with about a dozen strong servants, but the magistrate Sun Dan and the others had already walked several hundred meters away.

The fat man boarded the carriage, his tone chilling:

"Catch up with them."

Changsun Dan noticed that many of the Wei family mansions were closed and unlit, indicating that the Wei family rarely lived in these old residences. Only the largest mansion, the Wei Family Hall, had lanterns hanging at its entrance, and the courtyard was brightly lit. The two huge blue stone lions at the entrance glowed with an eerie red light under the lanterns.

"What a magnificent Shidetang!"

Changsun Dan jumped off his horse, walked closer to the cart carrying two wicked slaves, held Bao'er in his left arm, stepped on the tattered straw mat with his foot, and forcefully tore off a piece of straw mat with his right hand, rolled it into a straight tube, and stirred it directly on the slave's pierced head until it was covered in blood.

The Imperial Guards exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what had gotten into the county magistrate. Moreover, death is a serious matter, and he was not afraid of losing face by doing this.

Lu Fan felt a headache coming on and whispered to Fang Yi'ai:

"The county magistrate wouldn't be thinking... You should stop him quickly."

Fang Yi'ai looked at Changsun Dan with a puzzled expression. This kid's behavior was becoming increasingly strange. He shook his head and replied:

"I can't stop him from doing what he's planning now..."

Changsun Dan walked to the main gate of the Wei family's ancestral hall, holding up the rolled-up tattered straw mat in his hand, and swiftly wrote several lines of large characters on the gate:

"Good and evil will be rewarded in the end; the way of Heaven is just a cycle. If you don't believe it, look up and see who Heaven has ever spared."

After finishing writing, he threw the tattered straw mat on the ground and was about to mount his horse when a carriage came speeding up behind him. More than ten strong servants gripped the hilts of long swords tightly and followed him all the way.

Lu Fan gave a wry smile:

"Alright, this is going to blow up."

He dismounted, straightened his armor, and waited for the fat man to alight from the carriage before bowing and saying:

"I am Lu Fan, a Gentleman of the Imperial Guard, and I greet Young Master Wei!"

Wei Guan's face was extremely cold. He glanced at the carts, then at the blood-written words on the gate. A raging fire ignited in his heart, and he asked fiercely:

"Who dares to write such blood-stained curses against me, Wei!"

Changsun Dan, now surrounded by the Imperial Guards, felt completely unconcerned. It seemed this fat man was most likely Wei Guan. He stepped forward, holding Bao'er, meeting Wei Guan's gaze with an extremely provocative tone:

"That fat pig up ahead is Wei Guan! The one who cursed you is none other than your grandpa, so what? You dare to sell me out too?!"

Since they couldn't find any fault with Wei Guan, they decided to give him a chance to act freely. Looking at Wei Guan's face, Changsun Dan felt extremely disgusted. If Wang Fangyi were here, he might have beaten Wei Guan to a pulp.

Wei Guan wasn't stupid; he knew Bao'er, otherwise he wouldn't have sent those two wicked servants to snatch her away today! After Changsun Dan finished speaking, he calmed down a bit!