Chapter 1513: Taken to the Yang Mansion
Chapter 1513: Chapter 1513: Taken to the Yang Mansion
"Hurry and open the door, we’ve come to help!" shouted Xu Damin.
The housekeeper of Elder Yang’s family tapped the servant next to him, and the servant immediately ran off.
Shortly thereafter, a whistle blew, and people of Yang Mansion nearby heard the sound, rushing to Huang Inn. In no time, they surrounded the inn, blocking the back door and corner gate.
Several Yang Family’s servants ran around the inn constantly, fearing the thieves might climb the walls and escape.
"Wow, look at this formation, Elder Yang’s family must have really lost something valuable, almost half the household has turned up," people watching nearby were discussing among themselves.
Erxi, seeing the commotion caused by Yang Mansion’s servants, felt a sinking feeling. Such well-trained individuals, without a word spoken, the housekeeper merely tapped a servant who could summon such a group, and this group clearly knew how to defend.
"Mr. Chang, what does Elder Yang’s family do? How can they afford so many servants?" Erxi asked the elderly man he was gossiping with earlier.
Mr. Chang replied, "You coming from the south wouldn’t know, Elder Yang’s family is one of the renowned wealthy families in Beicang Prefecture, having lived here for five generations, doing the charcoal business. In Beicang Prefecture and even half of the charcoal used in the Seven Prefectures of Northwest are in the hands of the Yang Family, quite prosperous indeed."
Don’t look down on charcoal, it’s quite cold here in the Northwest, wealthy families burn charcoal for warmth in winter, Yang Family’s business is very lucrative.
"A five-generation family, where were the Yang Family from originally?" Erxi smiled, "Could they have come from the Northwest, otherwise how could they expand the charcoal business to the Seven Prefectures of Northwest?"
Mr. Chang shook his head, "No, the Yang Family was originally from the northeast, near Dongqing Country. The northeast is colder than here, and the Yang Family learned their skills in charcoal production from there."
How did it get to Dongqing Country?
While Erxi was pondering, Mr. Chang suddenly slapped him on the shoulder, saying, "Look, the chief housekeeper of Yang is here!"
Mr. Chang, quite excited, shouted to Housekeeper Yang, "Housekeeper Yang, the thief who stole your Yang Mansion’s treasure is inside the inn, rest assured, Old Chang from Old Huai Alley in West City has been keeping an eye out for you, that thief won’t escape!"
Housekeeper Yang listened, glanced over, frowned, and ignored Mr. Chang.
Uncle Wang scoffed, "Old Chang, you’re sticking your warm face to someone’s cold behind. Don’t think about it, the charcoal-making skills are Yang Family’s secret, and the workers are all indentured servants. If your son wants to work at Yang’s, he has to sell himself!"
Mr. Chang was displeased, saying, "My Old San just wants to be a driver transporting goods to Daliang Prefecture, not to work as a charcoal maker, and the Yang Family might want him."
Uncle Wang: "It’s useless."
Mr. Chang got angry and started arguing with Uncle Wang.
Meanwhile, Housekeeper Yang had already entered the inn, but what he didn’t expect was, the child who had followed them to reconnaissance on Wenchang Street yesterday suddenly rushed out, crying out, "Lord, my brother knew what he did, it was to support me that he stole, boo hoo hoo!"
Xiao Erliu, not even eight years old, rushed over and knelt down crying, arousing sympathy from the onlookers outside the inn.
Huang Zhanggui had little impression of You Ping and Er Ping, mainly because they looked quite similar, and both intentionally kept a low profile, letting Xiao Erliu handle any issues.
Xiao Erliu was sweet-talking and good-looking, so many in the inn knew and liked him.
Huang Zhanggui spoke up, "Housekeeper Yang, the thief is the older one. Even if this child did wrong, it was instigated by the older one, you..."
Before finishing, Housekeeper Yang glared at him with wolf-like fierceness and snake-like chill, frightening Huang Zhanggui into silence.
Er Ping, dragging his injured body, came out kneeling, crying, "Gentlemen, lords, I know I was wrong. I’m from Daliang Prefecture, couldn’t survive back home. I heard Beicang Prefecture is richer, with many merchants, so I brought my young brother here seeking a way to live... After hearing Elder Yang’s family was wealthy, I brought my brother to reconnaissance, sneaked into Yang Mansion when the Protectors were lax during the festival last night, stole some valuables intending to steal more valuable things in the main courtyard, but got shot by Yang family people..."
"Shut up!" Housekeeper Yang seemed very wary of Er Ping talking about the shooting in public, immediately interrupting him.
"Yes, yes, everything is my fault, please calm down my lord." Er Ping said, quickly placing the bundle he was holding on the ground, "All the stolen belongings are here, I return them to your family, please spare my younger brother and just take me away!"
Housekeeper Yang said, "The ones stealing were you brothers, the ones enjoying the stolen goods were also you two brothers, and you still want us to spare your brother?"
Housekeeper Yang sneered, instructing Yang Family’s servants, "Come on, take these two thieves back to Yang Mansion!"
The Yang Family’s servants rushed like a whirlwind towards Er Ping and Xiao Erliu, capturing them to bind and take away.
Er Ping was shocked, realizing Housekeeper Yang was still suspicious of them, intending to interrogate them at Yang Mansion.
Going to Yang Mansion couldn’t happen; Yang Mansion was a nest of Rong people. Once inside, whether he and Xiao Erliu confessed or not, the outcome would be death!
"I am of good register, I have a household register, I want to surrender myself to the government office, not go to Yang Mansion!" Er Ping shouted loudly, but just as he cried out, a Yang Family’s servant struck him on the back spine, causing his face to turn pale with pain, collapsing to the ground, and his mouth was immediately stuffed with a rag, unable to utter any further cries of pain.
"Brother!" Xiao Erliu shouted, wanting to argue, but was knocked unconscious by a Yang Family’s servant.
Mr. Chi watched with a frown, thinking the Yang Family’s servants were too ruthless.
He asked the newly arrived Xu Damin, "May I ask this lord, when the thieves are caught by the government’s people, shouldn’t they be brought to the government office for trial? How can they be taken to Yang Mansion? Moreover, these thieves are of good register, not slaves or homeless vagrants without household registration; how can they be arbitrarily taken by non-government families for punishment? What if a good citizen is beaten to death?"
Xu Damin was stumped by the question.
Housekeeper Yang looked grim, knowing that taking people with household registration away was indeed against the law.
He didn’t speak, instead looking toward Elder Chen.
Elder Chen, acting as a henchman, immediately shouted, "You lowly merchant, shut up! The Yang family is the victim here. What’s wrong with the victim’s family taking the thief back to the mansion for discipline?"
Mr. Chi said, "If the thief was caught at Yang Mansion, then Yang Family could punish them as they please, even to death. But as the thief was caught here at the inn, they should be sent to the government office, how can they be taken to Yang Mansion? Isn’t this subjecting a legally registered citizen to private punishment?"
"This brother is right, since it was the government officials who caught them first, they should be sent to the government office, taking them to Yang Mansion makes no sense," said the man dining in the inn’s hall.