Chapter 328: Chapter 336: Where Did It Go
“Madam, the one leading the team is a subordinate of Ba Lang, the General Battalion’s commander, and Ba Lang is someone Mr. Sun, the general magistrate, placed in the military camp,” Qi Luo whispered to Su Wenyue.

Qi Luo was someone Han Yu had found from who knows where because Xiao Xi, who knew martial arts, was often sent by Su Wenyue to handle affairs outside. Aside from Xiao Xi, there was no other girl proficient in martial arts beside Su Wenyue. Worried about her, Han Yu had Qi Luo stationed by her side, only telling Su Wenyue that Qi Luo was trustworthy and very familiar with Yiyang Prefecture and its surrounding affairs. However, he did not disclose Qi Luo’s background to Su Wenyue, as he had promised Qi Luo beforehand not to reveal her origins to anyone.

Su Wenyue didn’t mind, after all, Han Yu had made a promise to Qi Luo first, and keeping promises was part of being honorable. Plus, she believed Han Yu wouldn’t harm her; since Han Yu had confirmed that Qi Luo was reliable, she could use Qi Luo with peace of mind. Indeed, Qi Luo had not let her down; her intervention was impressive. Su Wenyue gained a new respect for her, recognizing that Qi Luo could even identify who a minor leader in the General Battalion was and which person he served under. Knowing this gave her confidence.

While Su Wenyue was taking this in, the soldiers chasing the man were also heading in their direction.

“I told you to get out of the way, did you not hear me? A bunch of obstinate commoners, be careful or grandfather will throw you in prison, and you’ll have no good fruit to eat,” the soldiers said unpleasantly as they came across Su Wenyue and her group.

Although Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang had specifically chosen good clothes to wear when they went out today, they were still villagers through and through, having spent a lifetime working in the field, their demeanor was different and they did not look like people of status. After all, someone like Han Yu was a rarity, likened to a golden phoenix emerging from a chicken coop.

Moreover, due to past habits, even though their son was now an official, they subconsciously feared and revered these government soldiers, who were typically bullies and cowards. Thinking perhaps they could extort something from these people, they intentionally intimidated them with a menacing presence, and upon seeing Su Wenyue’s face, they even showed a **** expression.

“Master official, my apologies, we didn’t do it on purpose. We’re moving out of your way right now,” Mrs. Yang and the others instinctively displayed a humble attitude. Unfortunately, the soldiers saw them as easy prey and were not willing to let them go.

“How dare you, you insolent citizens! You are obstructing official business. This isn’t something that can be settled with just a few words; what do you take us for!” responded the soldiers to Mrs. Yang’s apology, not only refusing to forgive them, but their attitude became even more overbearing, as if they were not going to let the matter rest.

“Then what would you have us do, Master official? We truly didn’t do it on purpose,” Mrs. Yang and the other women were unfamiliar with such situations and didn’t understand the soldiers’ intentions. They continuously apologized and begged for mercy, hoping the soldiers would let them go. However, Old Man Han, along with his sons Han Hu and Han Quan, realized what was happening, their expressions turning ugly. An outing that should have been pleasant was now tainted with such an incident — truly bad luck.

“What do we want? Heh, you old lady…”

Su Wenyue’s face turned cold. Though she was growing increasingly indifferent to her mother-in-law, that was Han Yu’s birth mother, her own mother-in-law, and family should stand united in public, no matter what differences they had behind closed doors. Given her current status, if she let her husband’s family be humiliated by a mere group of soldiers, she would no longer fit to be associated with them.

“Enough! Where do these arrogant dogs come from, daring to insult an official’s family, and even hindering official duties? The charge you’re throwing around sure is grand, but ultimately it’s not up to you to decide what happens!”

The soldiers initially thought that except for Su Wenyue and her servants, the others looked rustic, probably country folks who had recently come into wealth, or small-time businessmen. Thus, they did not take them seriously. Hearing Su Wenyue mention “an official’s family,” they realized something might be wrong.

However, Ba Lang wasn’t too afraid, since he had the general magistrate as his backer, which gave him a good deal of confidence. He knew the key figures in the prefecture city, and clearly, he had not heard of these people. Even if someone in their family was an official, their rank couldn’t have been high enough to threaten him.

“Little Madam shouldn’t be too arrogant. An ‘official’s family,’ how significant can that be? Whoever it is, they’re just a minor official and not worth my concern. In this matter, it truly is I who have the final say,” Ba Lang said.

Su Wenyue smirked, “Is that so? In that case, let’s head to the Goverment office and explain everything clearly in front of the prefecture governor. I believe the prefecture governor will naturally make a fair judgement.”

Hearing Su Wenyue bring up the prefecture governor with such a certain tone, as if sure that the governor would take her side, Ba Lang began to hesitate. If these people really had connections with the prefecture governor, he indeed couldn’t afford to provoke them, for even the general magistrate was no match for the prefecture governor. With that, he softened his stance.

“Little Madam, there’s no need for such fiery temper over a trivial matter. Since you didn’t intentionally hinder official duties, I won’t pursue this incident any further. Let’s leave it at that.” Having said this, Ba Lang left with his soldiers.

Su Wenyue did not stop them. Although there was already a grudge with Mr. Sun and a confrontation was inevitable, now was not the right time. There was no need to provoke a direct conflict with Mr. Sun over a man like Ba Lang, as long as she had preserved her family’s dignity.

However, since the soldiers were Mr. Sun’s men, and Mr. Sun was not a good man, the one he aimed to capture was likely not a good person either, but certainly an adversary. Su Wenyue had been somewhat hesitant earlier, but now she had made up her mind. She decided to rescue the man. Even if for no other reason, just to give Mr. Sun some trouble would be worthwhile, and it might even be advantageous if it interfered with Mr. Sun’s plans.

Having made her decision, Su Wenyue first ensured Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law and their party were well situated, instructing them to select cloth in the cloth store and to be well taken care of by the servants. With an excuse, she then left with Qi Luo.

For such a matter, Su Wenyue could only trust those close and reliable to her, and since it was rumored that Qi Luo was highly skilled, rescuing the man should pose no problem.

Qi Luo, a competent servant, followed Su Wenyue’s orders without question and accompanied her to a deserted alley, then turned several corners. She could not help but feel a bit suspicious, wondering what her Madam was doing taking her to such a secluded place with just the two of them. Although she was versed in some martial arts, she would struggle against a real expert, and it seemed best to leave sooner rather than later.

Guided by her memory, Su Wenyue arrived where the man had been hiding, but the injured man was nowhere to be seen; only the bloodstains on the ground confirmed the incident had indeed occurred. Where had the man gone? Qi Luo’s face showed a look of concern at this scene.