160: Chapter 160 Miss Li
Inside the Shili Xiang Tavern, Jiang Xun had been on edge.
He sat at the table in the back room, holding a teacup in his hand without taking a single sip.
The sky outside was already dark, and only one oil lamp was lit in the room, its flame flickering in the wind.
He could not figure out how Li Shutang had appeared.
Could it really be because he had offered her a stick of incense?
Then what was the difference between Li Shutang and a god?
You had to know that Empress Temples were everywhere in the Central Prefecture, and the number of believers offering incense every day was well over ten million.
The fact that she could accurately find him among these tens of millions of believers was simply terrifying.
Jiang Xun set down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the window.
A wave of irritation surged in his heart.
He swore that from now on, he would definitely stay far away from Li Shutang's temples.
But for now, he could not show any flaws.
He could not hide, could not be afraid, and could not show even the slightest sign that he recognized her.
Do not admit, do not be clear, do not know.
Only in this way could he make her feel that he had truly lost his memory.
He did not want to experience the plot of the Snowy Plains grand wedding again.
Jiang Xun took a deep breath.
Early the next morning, he went out.
Before that, he dug out the land deed for this Shili Xiang Tavern and went to a pawnshop in the city.
The manager of the pawnshop was a fat man in his fifties, surnamed Qian, and was also called Fatty Qian by everyone.
He sat behind the counter, rolling two walnuts in his hand, squinting at people.
Jiang Xun placed the land deed on the counter.
"Manager, I want to pawn this."
Fatty Qian picked up the land deed, looked at it, and then looked at Jiang Xun.
"Shili Xiang Tavern? Which manager are you?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Oh!" Fatty Qian drawled, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Xun. "I've heard about your wife's situation. How much do you want to pawn it for?"
"Three hundred taels."
"Three hundred taels?" Fatty Qian put down the land deed; it was a reasonable price. "Pawn it permanently or temporarily?"
"Temporarily," Jiang Xun said. "The term is three months; I will come to redeem it after three months. You calculate the interest."
Fatty Qian thought for a moment, then picked up the land deed and looked at it again.
"Fine, three hundred taels, a three-month term, with a monthly interest of three percent. If you don't come to redeem it after three months, this shop will be mine."
"Understood."
Fatty Qian opened the cash box, counted out three hundred taels of silver, wrapped it in cloth, and pushed it over.
Jiang Xun picked up the cloth bundle, stuffed it into his bosom, and left without looking back.
Three hundred taels.
This was his travel money to leave Lean County.
It was also his sincerity in saving White Fox Jiu.
He had to let everyone see that he, Jiang Hu, had pawned his shop to save his wife.
Only then would no one suspect anything when he left.
Leaving the pawnshop, Jiang Xun went straight to the county government office.
He thought about using it to bribe Wang Qing, but then thought better of it.
Wang Qing had another nickname locally: Iron Face.
He was impervious to reason and could not be swayed by soft or hard tactics; bribing him was not as good as going directly to his superior.
The magistrate. This was a greedy and insatiable person.
Jiang Xun knew that this amount of money was not enough to get White Fox Jiu out.
But he didn't intend to actually get White Fox Jiu out either, but on the surface, he had to try his best to appear concerned.
He stood at the side door of the county government office and knocked.
The door opened a crack, and a face peeked out. It was a minor official, about forty years old.
Seeing this, Jiang Xun immediately cupped his hands and said, "May I ask, elder brother, could I please see the magistrate?"
The minor official tilted his head and didn't agree. His gaze swept over Jiang Xun, as if gauging whether he was worth the trouble.
Seeing this, Jiang Xun stuffed a tael of broken silver into his hand. The minor official's hand retracted, and the silver was already in his sleeve.
His expression improved quite a bit. "What business do you have with the magistrate?"
"I am here to plead for my wife's innocence."
The minor official looked him up and down. "Your name is Jiang Hu?"
"That is me."
Seeing no one around, the minor official leaned close to Jiang Xun's ear and lowered his voice. "How much silver did you bring?"
Jiang Xun was a bit surprised; how did he know he wanted to offer a bribe? But he didn't show it, simply holding up three fingers.
The minor official took a look, chuckled, and shook his head. "I'm afraid this will be difficult for you."
"Why?"
"Do you know how much the people from the Ximen family brought when they came yesterday?"
Jiang Xun shook his head.
The minor official held up two fingers.
"Two hundred taels of silver?"
The minor official laughed. "Gold."
Two hundred taels of gold, which converted to silver was two thousand taels; his three hundred taels of silver weren't even a fraction of theirs.
"Now you know, right?" The minor official patted his shoulder. "Keep this money and marry a new wife sooner rather than later."
Jiang Xun stood there, stunned for a long while. Then he shook his head. "I will not give up on my wife."
Seeing this, the minor official was deeply impressed. "Then you will have to wait two days; the magistrate suddenly went to the Prefecture to report on his duties yesterday and is not in the county."
Jiang Xun's eyelid twitched. Then why did you tell me so much?
But it was just as well; he could keep that fox locked up for a while longer. If Li Shutang and White Fox Jiu were to gather in front of him later, that would be the real trouble.
With a disappointed expression, he cupped his hands and turned to leave.
Two days later, hearing that the magistrate had returned, Jiang Xun went to his residence.
This time, he was not only going to inquire about the handling of White Fox Jiu's case but also to buy himself the status of a scholar, so he could prepare to leave Lean County and participate in the Autumn Examination.
When the time came, he could attempt to condense his Golden Core and disappear completely.
That's right, Jiang Xun had already touched the threshold of a Breakthrough.
The fragments of the Origin within the Blood Lake were being decomposed and reconstructed, and that immense power was becoming the opportunity for his Breakthrough.
A wave of amusement surged in his heart; he wondered what kind of expression that fox would have if she found out.
Jiang Xun walked to a large gate in the east of the city. Two red lanterns hung at the entrance, and the words "Meng Mansion" were written on the lintel.
He straightened his collar, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to knock. "Dong! Dong! Dong!"
The door opened. A woman stood inside.
She had skin as lustrous as jade and was extremely beautiful, dressed in a pale yellow dress, looking like someone who had walked out of a painting.
Jiang Xun's hand froze in mid-air. Li Shutang!?
His mouth opened and then closed. The expression on his face changed from surprise to confusion, and from confusion to disbelief.
The expression was very real, because he was indeed very surprised.
"Young Miss... Li?"
Li Shutang smiled slightly. "Young Master Jiang, we meet again."
Jiang Xun took a step back, looked up at the words "Meng Mansion" on the lintel, and then looked at Li Shutang.
"You... why are you here?"
"This is my home." Li Shutang turned sideways, clearing the doorway. "Please, come in."
Jiang Xun stood where he was, not moving. "You didn't even ask what I do, yet you invite me in; aren't you afraid I might be a bad person?"
Li Shutang covered her mouth and smiled. "I believe you are a good person, Young Master. If not, then I will consider it my misjudgment and take it as a punishment."
Jiang Xun's face darkened. Did Li Shutang mean that if he were a bad person, he could do something to her?
After an awkward smile, he said, "Didn't you say you were from the Imperial Capital?"
"Yes, I just moved here," Li Shutang said. "Magistrate Meng was transferred to another place, and my father succeeded him as the new magistrate."
Jiang Xun wanted to ask, where did you get a father from? Didn't you only have a grandmother to depend on?
He felt more and more that he really couldn't stay in Lean County anymore; he had to get away as soon as possible.
He said, "Then, Young Miss Li, is your father at home right now?"
Li Shutang stood sideways. "My father went to the government office to hand over official duties; you can come in and wait, Young Master."
Jiang Xun stood at the door, somewhat caught in a dilemma. Finally, he cupped his hands and said, "Since your father is not here, I will come to visit another day."
But just as he turned around, his sleeve was tugged by Li Shutang. "My father will be back soon." She smiled brightly. "Could it be that you are afraid of a young woman like me, Young Master?"