Ji Hao fell silent for a moment before asking, "How is Ying Wenhai?"
He had asked about his family after he regained consciousness, but his grandmother had only told him to rest and recover, not to worry about external affairs; in truth, he felt too unwell to inquire further.
Wei Ting perked up, looked around, and seeing that the only other person in the room was an old maid trusted by Old Madam Ji, he didn’t avoid her and whispered, "The trial began today. You don’t know, but his stepmother... she’s really something..."
He then described the court proceedings in detail; Ji Hao was gobsmacked and finally said, "The incident at Spring Breeze Pavilion was really instigated by his stepmother? That’s not right, why is there even a trial? Shouldn’t this be something our two families discuss and resolve together?"
Wei Ting looked at him with disdain, "You almost lost your life; how could it have been resolved privately between the two families?"
"When you hadn’t even been carried back from Qixia Mountain, Ying Wenhai was already thrown into the prison by County Magistrate Tang," he said.
Jiao Yong added, "In the last few days while you were unconscious, there was a bloody mess outside. The Ying Family even sent gifts to the classmates who were with you that day, all to seek favor for Ying Wenhai during the trial."
Ji Hao didn’t expect the matter to have escalated so greatly. In his memory, every time he had an argument or fight with Ying Wenhai, they would be dragged home by their parents for another round of punishment.
He was, after all, fortunate – at most, his grandmother would make him kneel in the ancestral hall, and he could go out after an hour or two; Ying Wenhai’s father was at home, and at minimum, he would kneel for a night in the ancestral hall, or at worst, be beaten with wooden boards.
He thought that at most, Ying Wenhai would have been beaten more harshly this time.
He didn’t expect it to involve the government and for him to be arrested outright?
Seeing his stupefied look, Jiao Yong tapped his forehead, "Can’t you use your brain? You nearly died; it’s not the same as scraping off a bit of skin."
"Actually, it is just a bit of skin that got scraped off, just a larger, deeper piece, and your intestines were showing," Wei Ting said.
Ji Hao wiped his face and asked, "So, what was the verdict for Ying Wenhai?"
"Not yet. County Magistrate Tang wouldn’t let us sit in on the trial. Next up is probably Mrs. Ying’s turn; who knows how much evidence County Magistrate Tang has gotten hold of." Wei Ting paused, a contemplative look crossing his face: "Thinking about it, County Magistrate Tang taking Ying Wenhai into custody might actually be protecting him."
Jiao Yong, utterly confused, asked, "How is that protecting him?"
"Think about it," Wei Ting said, "If Lord Tang hadn’t arrested Ying Wenhai, what would Lord Ying do to calm the Ji Family’s fury?"
Jiao Yong: "Beat Ying Wenhai with wooden boards!"
"That would be the least of it. You weren’t at Qixia Mountain that day to see it, but Lord Ying kicked Ying Wenhai in the stomach, sending him flying and making him vomit blood then and there, before County Magistrate Tang took him away."
Wei Ting counted on his fingers, "Internal injury from a kick, and if Old Madam Ji doesn’t relent, there will definitely be another beating back home. As for Mrs. Ying, let’s not even talk about her pleading; it would be good if she didn’t add fuel to the fire. If Ying Wenhai had been beaten to death..."
Wei Ting looked down at Ji Hao, his expression pensive, "If in the end you were to die, and Ying Wenhai also died, that would resolve the feud between your families, right? Even if there’s lingering resentment, with a life for a life, what would your family have to complain about?"
Wei Ting continued, "But if you survived and Ying Wenhai was beaten to death by his father as compensation..."
Ji Hao shuddered, his face turning pale: "Don’t, don’t make wild guesses."
Wei Ting looked sagely, "Don’t believe me? Ask Old Madam when she returns."
Jiao Yong, surprised, asked, "Wei Ting, how have you become so much more astute in just a few days?"
Wei Ting sighed, "I had no choice. Ever since the incident at Qixia Mountain, people from the Ying Family have been coming to my home every few days. My father and mother are afraid I’ll get involved and either offend the Ying Family or become distant from the Ji Family, so they nag about schemes and plots every day. I’ve heard it so much that now, even drinking a cup of water, I’m suspicious it could be poisoned."
Ji Hao & Jiao Yong: ...
Meanwhile, Bai Shan, still in the carriage, was advising Manbao, "We should keep our distance from Ji Hao in the future. With someone so reckless with his life, what if we get dragged down with him?"
Manbao nodded, and looking at the bustling streets outside, asked, "Are we still going to the market?"
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang said in unison: "Yes!"
Bai Shan called through the curtain to Daji, "Daji, we’re going to have fun."
Daji acknowledged, guiding the horse toward the bustling main street; it was the liveliest place at that time, and they could circle around, take a turn, and head back home in the carriage.
Stepping down from the carriage and looking up at the busy streets, the three of them exchanged smiles and gleefully dashed into the crowd.
The atmosphere between the Ji and Ying families left in the County Governmental Office, however, was not as cheerful. County Magistrate Tang said the trial would continue tomorrow, so it would.
But before the formal questioning and judgment, he did not prevent the parties from discussing matters - no, there were actually three parties involved.
He and the County Governmental Office formed a separate party.
Nobody knew what had been discussed beforehand, but by the time Manbao and the others found out, Ying Wenhai had already been bailed out.
It was said that the Ji Family had pleaded on behalf of the Ying Family in front of County Magistrate Tang, who, considering the Ying Family’s prompt compensation to the Ji Family after the incident and Ji Hao’s own share of responsibility for the conflict, sentenced Ying Wenhai to three years for involuntary assault.
Once the sentence was passed, the Ying Family paid the fine and Ying Wenhai was released from the County Governmental Office. Two days later, he was taken to the capital by the Pei Family.
This news was spread by Pei Yun, a second-year student at the academy. Mrs. Ying has now gone to Qixia Temple to cultivate spiritually, and she might not be able to come down from the mountain until the new year.
The teachers and students, who had a very negative impression of Ying Wenhai due to the incident at Qixia Mountain, felt that he was not as cold-hearted and scheming as they had imagined.
Pei Yun heaved a sigh of relief internally, while Wei Ting commented to Bai Shan, "The Pei Family is really going all out to salvage Ying Wenhai’s reputation."
Bai Shan shifted uncomfortably, "Don’t come too close."
Wei Ting draped an arm over his shoulder, "We’re good brothers who have climbed walls and bled together."
Bai Shan brushed off his hand, "The only one who bled was Ji Hao."
Wei Ting puckered his lips, withdrew his hand, and sat properly. Since the incident at Qixia Mountain, Wei Ting and a few others close to Ji Hao had automatically counted Bai Shan as one of their own.
Although he was still cold-faced on a daily basis, everyone knew he was warm-hearted, like Ji Hao for example.
Initially, the two even quarreled, but when Ji Hao was in danger, Bai Shan was the first to rush to the forefront.
So, dealing with such a loyal friend, a colder expression could be overlooked; they still enjoyed his friendship greatly.
Bai Shan was extremely averse to this, because ever since he found out that he had two friends who liked to climb walls into the academy to read books secretly, they were especially keen on providing cover for them, not realizing that Manbao and Bai Erlang didn’t appreciate their help at all.
Without them, not many in the academy would have known about it. Now, even Bai Shan wasn’t sure if this was still a secret in the academy.