Yang Ning: I Remember Now

Inside the Directorate of Education, where it was like spring all year round.

Only the small courtyard where Jiang Chunxi resided remained shrouded in dense wind and snow.

By now, Keke had been back for quite some time.

Jiang Chunxi sat on a small couch, flipping through poetry, while Keke sat by her legs. Holding a candied hawthorn stick in her left hand and hugging a jade flute, Keke babbled incessantly about what had just happened, recounting everything in great detail from the Yunzhou prison all the way to Yang An's attack at the Zheng family estate.

"Miss, big brother is so naughty," Keke licked her candied hawthorn and laughed happily. "He actually pretended to be your student and used your identity to scare people!"

Not minding Yang An's act of borrowing her prestige to intimidate others.

Jiang Chunxi instead shot Keke a glance. "So, you used that dharma talisman I gave you on him?"

"It's just one dharma talisman. Miss, you can draw so many in a day, it doesn't matter, right?"

"It doesn't matter, but your allowance for this month is gone."

The smile vanished from Keke's face.

She hugged Jiang Chunxi's legs and wailed loudly, "Miss, you can't! A month without allowance means a month without snacks! Keke will die!"

Jiang Chunxi: ...

Seeing her teary-eyed appearance, Jiang Chunxi said helplessly, "Two days' allowance."

Keke, who had just been crying like a painted cat.

Instantly broke into a beaming smile.

She climbed up Jiang Chunxi's skirt onto her lap and planted a loud kiss on her cheek. "Miss is the best!"

Her eyes full of disdain, Jiang Chunxi grabbed Keke by the back of her neck.

And tossed her into a nearby pile of books.

Yet Keke happily trotted right back to sit by her feet, looking up and asking, "Miss, have you finished reading the poetry here? Did you find anything useful?"

Jiang Chunxi shook her head. "No, they are all old-fashioned and lack the slightest bit of spiritual aura." She sighed, "I can only do as you said and go find the Erudite tomorrow. We'll change the theme of the poetry section for this provincial exam to 'Cold' and see if there's any hope."

Keke also sighed.

Then, suddenly remembering something, her eyes lit up as she said, "Miss, Miss! Big brother seems to be participating in this provincial exam too! Miss, do you think big brother could possibly write the poem you need?"

"If the poetry big brother writes is useful to Miss."

"Could Miss accept big brother as a student? That way, Keke can go play with big brother every day!"

"You seem to like him a lot?"

Jiang Chunxi gave Keke a sidelong glance.

Keke's little face flushed red as she hugged her jade flute and giggled coyly, "Not really, Keke still likes Miss the best~"

Jiang Chunxi withdrew her gaze. "If he truly can write such a poem, taking him in as a student wouldn't be impossible."

...

Leaving the Princess's estate.

Yang An, who hadn't stayed behind to dine with Princess Anle, felt a bit hungry in his stomach and arrived at Wang Shitou's baked flatbread shop.

Wang Shitou was an honest and simple man.

His flatbreads were just as simple, but they were quite famous in Yunzhou. At mealtime, the shop was almost full of people. Yang An smiled and said, "Brother Shitou, business is really good today!"

Wang Shitou saw Yang An arrive.

He hurriedly put down his work, took a rag to wipe a clean empty seat for him, and greeted him warmly, "Brother An, eat a couple of flatbreads before you go."

Yang An hadn't eaten at the Princess's estate.

So that was exactly his intention.

Soon, Wang Shitou brought over five piping hot meat pies and a bowl of oil tea. The egg drops and shredded meat in his oil tea were noticeably more plentiful than what others received.

Yang An smiled. "Thanks a lot, Brother Shitou."

Wang Shitou chuckled. "Brother An, you eat first, I'm going to get busy." With that, he turned around to attend to other customers.

As Yang An ate the meat pies, he pondered over things.

Was the person hiding behind the scenes really Cui Wenyan? Why exactly did he harm our family?

Judging by what the Zheng family youth had said.

They wanted him dead, but they wanted to capture his sister alive...

Yang An narrowed his eyes, finishing a meat pie in a few bites, and took a gulp of oil tea. He thought to himself: Could it be that their true target is my sister?

Wanshou Ward.

The golden light between the brows of Yang Ning, who was unconscious with a high fever at home, finally broke through its seal after multiple stimulations.

With a whoosh, it illuminated the entire room.

Guarding the small courtyard, Manman, who was focused on tackling a piece of dried meat, suddenly sensed an aura of danger. As if her fur were standing on end, she swiftly shoved the unfinished dried meat into her mouth.

She transformed into a black blur and dashed into Yang Ning's bedroom.

The moment Manman entered, that wisp of golden light had completely dissipated, retracting back between Yang Ning's brows.

Yang Ning, who had been unconscious.

Suddenly found a profound incantation appearing in her mind.

Her high fever subsiding, she slowly opened her eyes and murmured, "I remember... I finally remember... I must tell Erlang this incantation... I can only tell Erlang..."

...

Unable to figure out the true motives of the person behind the scenes.

Yang An calculated: There is too little useful information right now. I'll go home and ask my sister to see if she knows anything. Furthermore, the matters concerning the Cui and Lin families can no longer be kept from my brother-in-law and sister.

Petty people seek revenge day and night.

Things like what happened with Wang Gou'er and Sun Ming will probably happen again in the future. Although Manman is at home, I still need to tell them to be careful from now on.

Yang An ate very quickly.

Just as he shoved the last bite of flatbread into his mouth, he suddenly noticed a gaze spying on him!

Yang An abruptly turned his head toward the direction of the gaze, only to see a filthy little beggar standing at the entrance of the alley.

Meeting Yang An's gaze.

The little beggar seemed frightened, hurriedly lowering his head to stare at his toes while shivering.

A real beggar or a fake one?

Could it be someone from the Cui or Lin families tracking me!

Taking advantage of the moment the little beggar lowered his head, Yang An quietly drew the indestructible dagger from his waist.

And hid it in his sleeve.

Then he asked Wang Shitou for two more flatbreads, had them wrapped.

And walked toward the little beggar.

As Yang An approached.

The little beggar's already trembling body shook even more violently. Keeping his hand with the hidden dagger pressed down, Yang An offered the flatbreads to him. "Little brother, you must be hungry, right? These two flatbreads are for you."

Hearing this, the little beggar shrank his neck again.

He remained silent, keeping his head down and staring at his toes.

Yang An prepared to test him. If he was really someone from the Cui or Lin families, subduing him might allow Yang An to pry some information out of his mouth.

After preparing to strike with his knife.

Yang An fiercely grabbed the little beggar's wrist!

The little beggar was in so much pain that tears welled up in his eyes, but he offered no resistance at all. Afraid of crying out, he bit his lower lip so hard that it soon bled.

Gripping the little beggar's wrist.

Yang An realized there was no strength in his arm whatsoever. His arm was as thin as a hemp stalk, seemingly fragile enough to snap with a gentle twist, and his body bore no traces of martial arts training.

He immediately knew he had misunderstood.

This was truly just an ordinary beggar.

Yang An quickly let go of the little beggar's wrist, stuffed the flatbreads into his hands, and apologized, "I'm sorry, little brother. I was too reckless. These two flatbreads are my treat to make up for it."

The little beggar still didn't speak, only shaking his head.

"Can't you speak?" Having bullied such a pitiful person, Yang An felt even more guilty. Just as he pulled a large silver ingot from his chest to give to him.

He had a second thought.

The little beggar was frail; giving him a shiny large silver ingot directly might end up harming him.

Thus, Yang An crushed the silver bit by bit.

Kneading it into small pieces.

Before finally pressing it into the little beggar's hands.

"Keep this silver hidden well," Yang An instructed. "If you still remember where your family is, go find them."

The little beggar still showed no reaction.

This was all the help he could offer. Yang An said, "Take care of yourself then. I'll be going now."

Having said that.

He did not linger any longer, turning around and walking away.

After Yang An had walked far away, the little beggar, holding the piping hot flatbread, slowly raised his head to look at his retreating back. Pursing his lips, he said in a soft, tiny voice, "I know how to speak..."

...

After leaving the Great Prison of Yunzhou.

Li Yan headed straight home, quickly returning to the Wanshou Ward.

The horse he was riding had been borrowed from the Lizheng's family.

As soon as he arrived.

Li Yan led the horse to return it to the Lizheng. The Lizheng, worried about Yang Erlang, had been standing in his room, anxiously waiting.

Seeing Li Yan return with the horse.

He stepped forward and asked with concern, "How is it? Is Erlang alright?"

The Lizheng currently had a bruised nose and a swollen face, with scratch marks on his face, arms, and the back of his hands. Seeing him like this, Li Yan knew he must have gotten into another fight with Old Lady Li.

The Lizheng was henpecked.

This was a well-known fact in the village.

Li Yan pretended not to notice, simply expressing his gratitude, "Thank you for your care, Lizheng. Erlang is already fine."

"Haha, that's good to hear!"

The Lizheng also breathed a sigh of relief. Being in his sixties or seventies, he had lived in Wanshou Ward for almost his entire life, and had watched most of the children in the village grow up.

He hoped that every family would be safe and sound.

Li Yan returned the horse and thanked him. With Yang Ning on his mind, he didn't exchange much small talk with the Lizheng. After saying his goodbyes, he hurried home.

When passing by the large willow tree in the village.

Several old women, led by Old Lady Li, were sitting under the tree basking in the sun. Running into them head-on, Li Yan, despite knowing that Old Lady Li had quite a prejudice against his family, couldn't very well pretend not to see them.

He cupped his fists in a salute and greeted them.

By this time, the news of Yang An being taken away by the Wuhou Guards had already spread throughout Wanshou Village, courtesy of Old Lady Li's mouth.

The old women immediately began bombarding him with questions all at once: "How is Erlang?"

"Why was he thrown into prison?"

"What crime did he commit? Can he still get out?"

Li Yan was not a man of many words to begin with. Faced with the barrage of questions, he hastily dealt with them by repeating "he's fine now" a few times, and then hurried away.

After Li Yan left.

Sitting in the center of the group, Old Lady Li said in a sarcastic tone, "He went into the Great Prison of Yunzhou, how could he possibly be fine? Even if he doesn't die, he'll be skinned alive."

How terrifying the Great Prison of Yunzhou was.

Everyone in Yunzhou knew.

No one who went in ever came out in one piece. Hearing Old Lady Li say this, the other old women deeply agreed and sighed one after another: "Yes, something must have happened to the Yang family's Erlang. If he was fine, why didn't he come back with Li Buliang?"

"Who knows what law that boy Yang An broke to get arrested like that."

"Whatever it is, it's definitely nothing honorable. Even if he manages to get out, with this black mark on his record, he probably won't even be able to find a wife in the future."

"Sigh, Li Buliang is really unlucky to be stuck with those siblings. He just fully recovered from his injuries a few days ago, and now he has to run around for Yang Erlang."

Mentioning this matter.

Old Lady Li got furious at the mere thought of it. "Back then, my niece was so capable. She was just a little dark, a little short, and a little plain-looking. In what other way was she not better than Yang Ning? The matchmakers ran their legs off, but he stubbornly refused, insisting on marrying that vixen Yang Ning."

"Bewitched by beauty, ending up in this state—he brought it all upon himself!"

Old Lady Li was the wife of the Lizheng.

And the Lizheng managed the entire Wanshou Ward.

Coupled with the fact that the Lizheng held the highest noble rank in the ward as a Third-class Zanniao, all the old women in the ward followed her lead.

They chimed in: "Sister Li is right, you really see things clearly! When marrying, one must marry a virtuous woman. Take that sibling pair, Yang An and Yang Ning—just looking at them, you can tell they aren't law-abiding people. It was only a matter of time before something happened."

"Exactly! A few years ago, Yang An seemed quite honest. Who would have thought he'd suddenly end up in the Yunzhou Prison? Sister Li's grandson is much better. He passed the county exams to become a TongSheng at just fifteen or sixteen. He'll definitely be the most promising child in our ward in the future."

"Listen to what you're saying! How could Yang An possibly compare to Sister Li's Da Bao?"

At the mention of her grandson.

Old Lady Li immediately put on a proud expression, looking like a hen that had just laid an egg, and said, "That makes sense! My grandson is going to be a high-ranking official in the future. Ten Yang Ans couldn't compare to him."

"Then we should congratulate Sister Li in advance!"

"Sister Li, don't forget us when you strike it rich."

Right in the midst of all the flattery.

Suddenly, a group of horsemen galloped over, kicking up a cloud of dust. There were about a dozen of them, all clad in bright silver armor that flashed with a cold light under the sun, looking as imposing as a dancing silver dragon.

This instantly attracted the attention of all the old women.

"What are these people doing?"

"Who knows! With such a huge commotion, something big must be happening!"

"They're wearing armor and carrying weapons. They don't look like people you want to mess with."

Old Lady Li thought of Yang An being locked up in the Great Prison of Yunzhou and suddenly exclaimed in shock, "Could it be that Yang An committed a crime worthy of having his home confiscated? That must be it! The imperial court has sent people to confiscate his property! Otherwise, why would there be such a huge formation?"

The other old women nodded in agreement.

"Sister Li is right."

"Looking at this formation, Yang Erlang is really finished!"

"Not just Yang An. Our Great Xia laws practice collective punishment. Looking at this setup, I'm afraid Li Yan and Yang Ning won't be able to escape either."

Hearing this, Old Lady Li suddenly remembered the collective punishment laws of Great Xia. If the crime was severe enough, not only would relatives be implicated, but closely associated neighbors would also find it hard to escape involvement.

The Lizheng had lent Li Yan a horse!

Then wouldn't our family be implicated too!?

Old Lady Li's face instantly changed color. Frantic, she let out a yelp, jumped up, and was about to run home.

Just at that moment.

The leading soldier seemed unable to discern the direction.

Looking around, he saw a group of old women sitting under the large willow tree, so he spurred his horse and galloped over.

He blocked Old Lady Li, who was just about to leave.

The officer dismounted and asked politely, "Excuse me, old madam, do you know which part of the ward Li Yan's family lives in?"

Hearing the officer ask for Li Yan's address.

Old Lady Li felt a loud boom go off in her mind.

It's over, they really are here to confiscate the Yang family's property!

And they came looking for me!

Assuming she was already implicated, Old Lady Li let out a wail and collapsed to the ground, howling like a pig being slaughtered: "This old woman has nothing to do with their family!"

"Don't implicate me!"

"You old bastard surnamed Li! I told you long ago not to lend the horse to them, but you insisted on lending it. Now we're done for!"

She lay paralyzed on the ground, crying and howling endlessly.

This behavior completely baffled the officer asking for directions. I was just asking for directions, how did it suddenly turn into a property confiscation?!

He thought the old woman had gone mad.

The silver-armored soldier was so startled he took a step back. He tried to ask the other old women, but saw that, influenced by Old Lady Li, everyone thought they were here to confiscate property.

Seeing the officer look towards them.

The old women with good legs turned and ran, while those with bad legs, just like Old Lady Li, collapsed to the ground in terror and started wailing.

The silver-armored officer was dumbfounded!

Then, he slapped his forehead in sudden realization.

"You're running a scam! You're trying to extort money from me, aren't you?"

Seeing through the old ladies' trick, the silver-armored officer gave a wicked smile. "Heh, the person who can extort me, Wu Tong, doesn't exist in this world!"

With that said, the officer named Wu Tong lay down on the ground, blending in with the old ladies rolling around and throwing tantrums, and let out a pig-slaughtering wail!

"Assault!"

"Assault on an officer!"

"Old ladies are beating up a court official!"

For a moment, Wu Tong's voice actually drowned out the old ladies'.

Hearing this, the old ladies realized the officer was trying to frame them. How could they let that happen! Disregarding their old age, they immediately tore their throats howling!

The mournful cries rose and fell in succession.

Yang An heard it as soon as he entered the ward. "Could it be that another old person didn't survive this winter and passed away?"

"Which family's filial descendants are crying so heartbrokenly?"

Puzzled, he continued walking forward.

The crying only grew louder.

It wasn't until he reached the large willow tree in the center of the ward that Yang An saw it wasn't a funeral, but a group of old ladies rolling on the ground.

The silver-armored officer stood out abruptly among them.

He was even holding a few disheveled, wailing old ladies.

What in the world is going on...

He had seen bizarre things, but never anything this bizarre!

Even Yang An's eye twitched as he took half a step back, quickly rubbing his eyes to look again.

He wasn't mistaken.

It was just that bizarre...

Wait, no!

Why did that silver-armored officer look a bit familiar?

Yang An remembered. When Lord Wu Zhe saved him in the Yunzhou Prison, this silver-armored officer was standing right beside him, holding the wanted poster.