APSIL -Chapter 135 Using a Sledgehammer to Kill a Chicken

While Zhang Shou began making his move on one side, A-Liu had already shot forward like an arrow released from a bow on the other.

Zhu Ying, who had been keeping her ears perked up the entire time, listening for any sign of trouble from Zhang Shou, immediately sprang into action as well. She was extremely grateful that she had chosen to dress as a man earlier, supposedly to avoid unnecessary gossip. Now she could sprint freely without worrying about her skirt getting in the way.

As for the guards, who had no idea what was happening, they were a full two beats slower before reacting. However, they were ultimately well-trained. By the time they arrived, not only had two of them caught up with Zhu Ying, but the other two had even overtaken her.

When they arrived and saw A-Liu kicking away the two men in front of Zhang Shou who were struggling to get back up, while several black-clad men on the other side had already placed gleaming swords against the neck of a young man whose face was twisted with fear, they finally understood.

The argument between the young lady and the Zhang family’s young master had been fake.

They had deliberately created an opportunity to appear alone and lure the enemy out!

But what exactly had they lured out?

“A-Shou!”

Seeing Zhu Ying rushing toward him like a gust of wind, Zhang Shou casually tossed the sword in his hand to A-Liu and immediately stepped forward to meet her.

Seeing her face flushed—whether from running or from worry—he gave a helpless smile.

“I made you worry for nothing. We used a sledgehammer to kill a chicken and caught the wrong person.”

Zhu Ying froze for a moment before turning her head toward the group of black-clad men.

When she recognized the young man struggling desperately but unable to break free, the anger she had felt earlier about Zhang Shou taking risks instantly transformed into uncontrollable laughter.

“Qiao Huaien? How could it be you?!”

After laughing for quite a while, Zhu Ying wiped away tears that had nearly formed from laughing too hard. She turned back toward Zhang Shou with a cheerful expression and explained naturally: “He is the Emperor’s cousin’s son. Because he hasn’t passed the imperial examination for the imperial clan yet, he doesn’t have a title.”

“His family once came to my house to propose marriage, but my father rejected them immediately. I never expected him to still refuse to give up!”

Zhang Shou immediately smiled.

So this wasn’t just some lovesick fool with a one-sided crush.

He was actually a rejected marriage rival!

After being frightened away by Zhang Shou’s sword, Qiao Huaien had run straight into the trap set by the black-clad men. Then he had been dragged over like a captured criminal, only for Zhu Ying to reveal his name and expose the most embarrassing event of his life—the rejected marriage proposal.

He was both humiliated and furious.

“Let go of me! Even without a title, I am still a member of the imperial clan!”

“I only wanted to scare Zhang Shou. I didn’t actually do anything else. What right do you have to arrest me?!”

“Zhu Ying, what is so good about this man who only has a handsome face? How am I inferior to him?”

Zhu Ying glanced at Qiao Huaien with complete disdain.

“You’re not as handsome as A-Shou.”

“Your schemes aren’t as clever as A-Shou’s.”

“Your speech isn’t as interesting as A-Shou’s.”

“You aren’t as warm-hearted toward others as A-Shou.”

“Basically, you’re inferior to him in every way!”

Qiao Huaien instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.

Seeing this, Zhang Shou couldn’t even bring himself to be angry.

Especially when he noticed that A-Liu beside him had actually raised the corner of his mouth slightly, as if secretly laughing.

Zhang Shou could only calmly say: “If you have anything to say, save it for Lord Wang of Shuntian Prefecture.”

“Everything today was arranged by him. Originally, the plan was to cast a long line and catch a big fish. Unexpectedly, the person caught in the net turned out to be you, a perfectly legitimate member of the imperial clan.”

When Qiao Huaien realized that these black-clad men clearly knew he was imperial family yet still refused to release him, he had already sensed something was wrong.

After hearing Zhang Shou say that this entire plan had been designed by the Shuntian Prefecture Prefect Wang Jie, he knew things had become troublesome.

A matter serious enough for the dignified magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture to personally intervene obviously could not merely be about him sending a sword to threaten Zhang Shou or trying to intimidate him face-to-face.

There had to be a much larger issue involved.

Even though he was a member of the imperial clan, he could not withstand the consequences.

“Zhang Shou, as long as you let me go, we can consider today’s matter settled!”

Qiao Huaien desperately tried to calm himself and pull himself out of this predicament.

“You should know that someone like you, born as a commoner in the countryside, is simply not worthy of Zhu Ying!”

Zhu Ying immediately exploded in anger.

“Qiao Huaien, if you say one more word, believe me, I’ll pull your tongue out!”

Seeing Qiao Huaien instantly shut his mouth, Zhang Shou almost laughed.

From Rongshui Village to the Imperial Academy, he had truly seen plenty of spoiled young masters.

There was Lu Sanlang, who had ambitions and ideals.

Zhang Chen, who had a strong personality.

Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu, who each had their own plans.

And countless others who were merely there for appearances, lazy and carefree, or simply doing whatever they pleased.

The Half-Mountain Hall contained every type of noble young master imaginable.

He had almost become numb from seeing them.

But he had never encountered someone as foolish as this self-proclaimed member of the imperial clan.

After failing to intimidate him by sending a sword, he had personally shown up.

There was absolutely no sophistication involved!

Just as Zhang Shou sighed inwardly, A-Liu’s voice suddenly sounded beside him.

“Lord Wang has arrived.”

Zhang Shou hurriedly looked up.

However, he saw no one.

After waiting for quite some time, just when he was almost convinced A-Liu was teasing him, he finally saw several figures appear on the mountain path where he and Zhu Ying had walked earlier.

Leading them was Wang Datou, forever wearing the expression of someone as if another person owed him three hundred taels of silver.

More than a dozen guards surrounded him.

Thinking about how Wang Datou would react after learning what happened, and how he might blame the person who came up with this plan—himself—Zhang Shou suddenly had an idea.

“Yingying.”

Zhu Ying was still glaring at Qiao Huaien, secretly considering whether she should give this annoying man a proper beating.

When she suddenly heard Zhang Shou call her name, she immediately turned around.

Seeing him wink at her and then move his index and middle fingers of his right hand, making a gesture meaning “let’s leave,” she instantly understood.

“A-Shou, let Lord Wang handle things here. Let’s go somewhere else and look around.”

As she spoke, she quickly stepped forward, grabbed Zhang Shou’s sleeve, and ran.

Only after they had gone far away did she release him and look back.

Seeing that A-Liu had already disappeared without a trace, while the remaining guards from the Duke of Zhao’s residence had failed to escape and were all stopped by Wang Jie’s men, she couldn’t help laughing.

“A-Liu really is clever!”

“Regardless, the task Wang Datou asked you to accomplish has been completed!”

“Unfortunately, the person we wanted to catch didn’t appear. But at least the person who sent the sword has finally been exposed.”

Zhang Shou casually smoothed out the wrinkles Zhu Ying had pulled into his sleeve.

After looking around and noticing a small path leading down the mountain, he casually suggested: “How about we go down from here? That way we won’t have to go back and run into Wang Datou waiting for us.”

“Looking at the direction, after reaching the bottom of the mountain and taking a slight detour, we should be able to meet up with the people from the Duke of Zhao’s residence waiting there.”

“Sure!”

Zhu Ying immediately agreed.

“We came out of the city to enjoy the autumn scenery anyway. Helping Wang Datou set a trap and catch his fish was actually quite interesting.”

“Who would have thought we would end up catching that idiot Qiao Huaien instead? How boring!”

“Let’s go down the mountain. We’ll return to Haidian. My family has a garden there. We can stay the night and return to the capital tomorrow morning.”

“Besides, you have two days off anyway!”

As Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying descended the mountain one after another along the somewhat unstable path, Shuntian Prefecture Prefect Wang Jie was standing coldly before Qiao Huaien.

Compared to the arrogance and confidence Qiao Huaien had displayed before Zhang Shou earlier, the imperial clan member now appeared timid and quiet.

Even though the black-clad men who had restrained him had already released their grip, he still hunched slightly and did not dare meet Wang Jie’s eyes.

However, Wang Jie had no intention of questioning Qiao Huaien.

At this moment, his gaze was fixed upon the shortest and thinnest of the black-clad men.

This person was none other than Lin Laohu, the famous chief constable of the Criminal Division of Shuntian Prefecture.

Standing before his direct superior, Lin Laohu had long realized that today’s matter was troublesome. However, he could only brace himself and explain everything from beginning to end.

After all, the two people involved—Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying—were people he absolutely could not afford to offend, and they had already run away.

After calmly listening to the entire story, Wang Datou did not immediately explode in anger as his subordinate had feared.

Instead, his gaze passed over everyone else and landed solely on Qiao Huaien.

Coincidentally, Qiao Huaien had just composed himself and was preparing to raise his head and explain himself to Wang Datou.

The moment their eyes met, however, every word he had prepared disappeared from his mind.

Although Wang Jie had not said anything yet, Qiao Huaien could already feel the terrifying anger almost swallowing him whole.

“The imperial clan examination is approaching, and Young Master Huaien certainly seems to have plenty of leisure time.”

Seeing the sweat appearing faintly on Qiao Huaien’s forehead as he dared not speak, Wang Jie finally said coldly: “Even if people laugh at me for using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken, I’ll accept it.”

“A big fish turning into a small shrimp is still better than catching nothing at all.”

Even someone as foolish as Qiao Huaien could sense that things were going badly.

When the two black-clad men behind him suddenly stepped forward and firmly grabbed each of his arms, Qiao Huaien hurriedly shouted: “Lord Wang, I merely acted foolishly for a moment and did something inappropriate, but I didn’t cause any actual harm…”

“No actual harm?”

Wang Jie interrupted him coldly.

“Zhang Shou already put the sword you used to threaten him into its sheath and openly brought it to the Imperial Academy.”

“More than a hundred students in Half-Mountain Hall, including the two princes, have already seen it.”

“Is that still not enough?”

“Today, you even brought people here to set a trap and restrain him.”

“If he had not been prepared, and if I had not already arranged people here to wait for you, what exactly were you planning to do?”

Before Qiao Huaien could continue defending himself, Wang Jie impatiently waved his hand.

“Someone, gag him.”

“Take him back to Shuntian Prefecture.”

“The case involving the eunuch who framed Zhang Shou by stealing the porcelain box in Qingning Palace still has not been resolved.”

Hearing these ruthless words, which fell like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, Qiao Huaien nearly went insane.

A handkerchief was immediately stuffed into his mouth.

The matter of bribing someone inside the palace to frame Zhang Shou had clearly been done without anyone knowing.

Even the little eunuch who carried it out did not know who had ordered him.

Was Wang Datou a clairvoyant with eyes that could see a thousand miles and ears that could hear everything?

How did he know it was him?

What Qiao Huaien did not know was that Wang Jie’s mood at this moment was actually extremely terrible.

Today’s carefully planned “luring the snake out of its hole” operation had turned into this ridiculous situation.

When he returned, the Emperor would most likely mock him again.

The great case involving the Linhai Military Camp had been thrown to Shuntian Prefecture.

The inexplicable theft-and-frame-up case at Qingning Palace had also been thrown to Shuntian Prefecture.

He was the Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture.

He was not the Minister of War combined with the Chief Manager of the Imperial Household!

Since that was the case, no one could blame him for taking the easiest route.

After all, Qiao Huaien had walked straight into his trap.

These imperial clansmen really were overdue for some discipline!