Chapter 1122: The Princess of Pyongyang has fallen

Outside the hall, Li Hu's screams pierced the sky, mixed with the muffled sound of sticks hitting flesh and bones, striking the nerves of everyone in the hall like a death warrant.

Pei Yong clutched his sleeves tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

The image of his sister and brother-in-law entrusting Li Hu to him kept flashing before his eyes, but at this moment, his nephew Li Hu's shrill cry made him break out in cold sweat on his back, as if countless fine needles were piercing his heart.

But he knew very well that if he didn't make up his mind to give an explanation to Lin Lang and the Gao family, he would be the one who would suffer the consequences.

Gao Nanfu stood aside, a happy smile on his face, the haze in his eyes finally dissipated.

Hearing that the young man who bullied his son had met such a fate, all the anger that had been pent up in his heart turned into pleasure.

He stroked his chest lightly, took a long breath, and whispered, "Finally, I've gotten rid of this bad feeling."

Gao Baoyuan felt a little creepy when he heard the screams of Li Hu and Xue Kaishu outside the hall. After all, he was only nine years old and did not have any cruelty or violence in him.

Even though Gao Baoyuan felt relieved when the classmate who bullied him had his leg broken, he was still frightened and worried about being bullied again in the future.

Therefore, there was no joy or pride on Gao Baoyuan's face. Instead, he seemed a little scared when he heard the screams like pigs being slaughtered outside the hall.

Of course, this is in line with children's nature.

Seeing that the evil young men who bullied her nephew were all punished under Lin Lang's iron fist and high pressure, Princess Pyongyang could not hide the smile on her lips, and her eyes were full of teasing and pride.

She nodded slightly, looked at her nephew Gao Baoyuan, and said gently, "Yuan'er, did you see that? Evildoers will be punished. From now on, don't be afraid of those who bully the weak."

"Yeah." Gao Baoyuan nodded, not quite understanding.

When Pei Jinzhou saw that Li Hu, who caused his son to suffer misfortune, also had his leg broken, he felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart, but he felt more distressed for his son.

At this moment, Sun Yizhen saw Lin Lang starting to show off his acting skills again.

Lin Lang's face showed regret, and he sighed hypocritically, "Master Pei, there's no need to be like this! It's just a fight between children. Your way of enforcing family rules is too harsh."

Pei Yong knelt hurriedly like a frightened bird, his forehead pressed against the ground, his voice trembling, "I dare not be partial! Li Hu has committed a serious crime by bullying Master Gao, and he deserves to be punished!"

Lin Lang looked at Pei Yong with a forced smile and said slowly, "Master Pei, you are too kind. I just thought you could exercise some control over Li Hu. I didn't expect Master Pei to have such an upright character."

Pei Yong said tremblingly, "I am willing to compensate Mr. Gao for the medical expenses on behalf of my sister and brother-in-law. I will send the money and property to Gao's residence before tonight! I only ask that General Lin be magnanimous and not blame me!"

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Lin Lang said with a smile: "I am very pleased that Master Pei has such a thoughtful attitude."

"Shufei, are you satisfied with the verdict?" Lin Lang looked at Princess Pyongyang.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for upholding justice for the Gao family and Yuan'er. As the saying goes, forgive others when you can. Let's just leave it at that." Princess Pyongyang's eyes became much gentler when she looked at Lin Lang.

Upon hearing this, Xue Jinzhou and Pei Yong breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately began to worry about the matter of supervising the account books, fearing that Lin Lang would use his status as an imperial envoy to seek revenge.

Lin Lang laughed loudly and said, "Look, Lord Xue and Lord Pei are both impartial and selfless, and they put justice above their relatives. With officials of such character, do we still need to check the account books? Their character is obvious, they must be good officials who love the people like their own children!"

Upon seeing this, Sun Lianhai immediately hunched over and stepped forward, his shrill voice filled with flattery: "General Lin is absolutely right!"

"Master Xue and Master Pei are the honest and upright officials of our area!"

"Last year during the flood, the two lords personally led the men to dig ditches to divert water and protect the embankment, working tirelessly for three days and nights. Such dedicated officials are truly hard to find!"

It has to be said that Sun Lianhai knows how to flatter. He reads people's expressions while he speaks.

Lin Lang smiled after hearing this and said, "Hearing what Lord Sun said, I believe that Lord Xue and Lord Pei must be honest and good officials. It is better not to check this account book."

Xue Jinzhou and Pei Yong's faces suddenly changed, they were both surprised and happy, and they kowtowed heavily, and the big stone in their hearts finally fell to the ground.

Xue Jinzhou said in a trembling voice, "Thank you, General Lin, for your trust! I will do my best to serve you honestly and honestly, and will never let you down!"

Pei Yong quickly echoed the sentiment, his voice filled with the relief of having escaped a disaster: "I am willing to go through fire and water for you, sir! From now on, I will be even more conscientious in my duties and be an honest and upright official!"

The two men's foreheads hit the blue bricks, making a dull sound, but they were secretly glad in their hearts that the storm was finally over for the time being.

Lin Lang clapped his hands and laughed, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes: "Alright! With your statement, this trip of mine has not been in vain. After returning to Chang'an to see the emperor, I will find a few words of praise for you two adults."

"General Xie Lin is supporting us!" Xue Jinzhou and Pei Yong said in unison, and their tense nerves finally relaxed.

Only the screams of Li Hu and Xue Kaishu could still be heard faintly from outside the hall, mixed with the sounds of flattery that came one after another, and the power struggle ended in the undercurrent.

Lin Lang narrowed his eyes slightly, and glanced at Xue Jinzhou and Pei Yong like a smiling tiger, and said slowly: "As the saying goes, distant water cannot quench near thirst. I and Concubine Shu live in Chang'an, and the Gao family has its roots in Andong. It is difficult for us to take care of local affairs."

"You two are the fathers and mothers of this region, holding real power. I hope you will take good care of all matters concerning the Gao family and not allow any unscrupulous people to take advantage of you."

Xue Jinzhou and Pei Yong exchanged a glance, then hurriedly replied with a show of loyalty, "Please rest assured, General Lin! From now on, I will make the Gao family's affairs my top priority. Whenever the Gao family is in trouble, I will be the first to step forward to protect them!"

Pei Yong kowtowed repeatedly, his voice resounding like a bell: "I am willing to protect the Gao family from all odds! From now on, if anyone dares to touch the Gao family, they will have to step over my corpse first!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you two masters. When you are promoted and return to Chang'an in the future, I will definitely host a banquet to entertain you two masters." Lin Lang knows how to make big promises.

After hearing this, Xue Jinzhou and Pei Yong flattered Lin Lang again, hoping that he could speak well of him in front of the emperor, and even hoping to climb up Lin Lang's network to get promoted!

When Princess Pyongyang heard Lin Lang instruct Xue Jinzhou and Pei Yong to take good care of the Gao family in the future, her heart warmed and her liking for Lin Lang increased a little more.

After all, the county magistrate is not as good as the current one. With the protection of the Protectorate, at least the Gao family will have a better life in the future and will not be bullied by local forces.

Gao Nanfu was somewhat surprised that Lin Lang not only stood up for the Gao family, but also signaled the Andong Protectorate to take care of the Gao family. For a moment, he was in a dilemma about whether he should poison the wine during the dinner to murder Lin Lang.

Sun Lianhai hid in the corner, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

He took out his handkerchief with trembling hands and repeatedly wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, a sigh rolling in his throat that he dared not utter.

The tense confrontation just now turned into cold sweat running down his spine.

He secretly thanked his lucky stars that he had been cautious throughout the whole process and was not caught up in this vortex.

Sun Lianhai secretly glanced at the subtle sneer on Lin Lang's lips, as well as Pei Yong and Xue Jinzhou's relieved but still frightened expressions, and he already understood what was going on.

Sun Lianhai is a smart man. He has already realized that the so-called audit of the account books is just a pretext for Lin Lang to vent his anger on behalf of the Gao family.

Now that Lin Lang's goal has been achieved, he no longer checks the accounts. This is just Lin Lang directing and acting it himself, and he wants it to end in a decent way.

But Sun Lianhai did not dare to doubt Lin Lang's identity as the imperial envoy.

As long as the account books are not checked, the shady activities of the Andong Protectorate will not be exposed.

Sun Lianhai listened to Li Hu and Xue Kaishu still wailing outside the hall, and suddenly felt that the screams were pleasant to the ear - these two unlucky guys finally used one of their legs to exchange for the safety of everyone.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Lang left the Andong Protectorate with Princess Pyongyang, Sun Yizhen, Gao Nanfu, Gao Baoyuan and others.

As soon as Lin Lang stepped over the threshold, Pei Yong and Xue Jinzhou almost simultaneously took a half step forward, reaching out to lightly support the shaft of the carriage, while Sun Lianhai bent his waist and trotted to lift the brocade curtain. The three of them moved in unison as if they had practiced dozens of times.

"Farewell, General Lin and Concubine Shu!" Pei Yong's voice was deliberately warm.

Xue Jinzhou clasped his hands together and bowed, "I respectfully bid farewell to General Lin and Madam Shufei. If you have any errands in the future, I will travel day and night!"

The sound of horse hooves gradually faded away, but Pei Yong, Xue Jinzhou and Sun Lianhai remained frozen in their hunched positions until the last trace of a carriage turned out of the long street, then they straightened up like deflated balls.

Pei Yong took out his handkerchief and wiped his face fiercely, his fingertips still trembling slightly: "Finally, we have sent this plague god away."

Xue Jinzhou quickly whispered, "Shut up! Be careful someone might overhear you. If that gets to the ears of Shanghai's Emperor Lin Lang, your life will be in danger."

After hearing this, Pei Yong subconsciously covered his mouth.

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp cry suddenly pierced the silence - "My son! How could you be beaten like this!"

Xue Jinzhou's wife, Zhou, stumbled over, her skirt covered in dust, her golden hairpin askew. When she saw her son Xue Kaishu's bloody leg, she collapsed to the ground.

"Mom, I'm in so much pain, it hurts so much..." Xue Kaishu burst into tears in pain.

Sun Lianhai hurriedly said, "Master Xue, it's the Madam who has arrived."

Xue Jinzhou took a deep breath with a gloomy face and quickly returned to the courtyard of the Protectorate. He saw his wife Zhou crying while holding their son whose leg was broken.

Although Xue Jinzhou also felt very sorry for his youngest son, it was too late to say anything now that things had come to this point.

Xue Jinzhou said angrily, "Why are you crying? Shu'er is in this situation because you, as his mother, have spoiled him and made him lawless. Now you know you've caused such a disaster?"

Zhou sobbed, "Master, how could you be so cruel as to order your own son's legs to be broken? Shu'er is still a child, he's only twelve years old!"

Xue Jinzhou said helplessly, "If we hadn't taken such a ruthless action today, the careers of our Xue family would have been ruined by this evil boy."

"Do you know who he offended?"

"It's the current emperor's sworn brother, His Majesty the Great, Emperor Lin Lang. My husband was able to become the Protectorate General of Andong because General Lin led his troops to sweep across Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, unifying the Chaoxian Peninsula. Only then was the court able to establish the Protectorate General in Andong."

"Can our Xue family afford to offend such a big shot in the court?" Xue Jinzhou was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick.

Zhou was so frightened that she stopped crying and hurriedly grabbed her husband's sleeve, "Master, calm down. Tell the servants to prepare a carriage and take Shu'er to the clinic to treat his leg injury."

Xue Jinzhou sighed, turned to Pei Yong and said in a deep voice, "Send the order and immediately send someone to prepare a carriage to take Shu'er and Li Hu to the best hospital in Andong for treatment."

"Yes, sir." Pei Yong hurriedly did as he was told. He caught a glimpse of his nephew Li Hu bandaging the wound on his broken leg, which was shocking.

Xue Jinzhou then lowered his voice and said to Sun Lianhai, "Take five hundred taels of gold from the treasury and send someone to Gao's house as soon as it gets dark to pay compensation and settle the matter peacefully."

"Yes, sir." Sun Lianhai responded and did as he was told.

The evening breeze carried dust through the corridor. Xue Jinzhou looked at the sunset in the sky and thought of Lin Lang's half-smile when he left. His temples throbbed.

Xue Jinzhou wiped the cold sweat off his forehead in fear. He heard Zhou's suppressed sobs behind him, intertwined with the groans and screams of Xue Kaishu and Li Hu, which made him feel particularly upset.

Meanwhile, on the way back to Gaofu, Son Ye-jeong, Princess Pyongyang, and Lin Lang rode in the same carriage.

In the sedan chair, Princess Pyongyang looked at Lin Lang with affection, her heart filled with emotion and love.

She never thought that her husband, whom she had neglected for three years, would stand up for his nephew.

The Princess of Pyongyang took Lin Lang's hand and leaned gently on his shoulder. Although she didn't say anything in front of Son Ye-jeong, her intimate gesture had already expressed her feelings to Lin Lang.

Lin Lang felt warm in his heart. He hugged Princess Pyongyang tighter with his left hand and put his arm around Sun Yezhen's waist with his right hand. The famous scene of hugging her left and right was staged again.

In Brother Lang's opinion, nothing in this world can compare to the warmth in his arms.

Princess Pyongyang had a faint scent of rouge and powder mixed with the fragrance of virginity.

Son Ye-jeong exudes the elegant fragrance of orchids with a hint of lazy charm.

Breathing in their fragrance made Lin Lang feel happy. This is what life feels like when you are at your best.