The Invitation

Boss Qian said politely: "Master Wen, my niece and sister-in-law have been through a lot today. We should get them home as soon as possible. Can we leave now?"

Wen Zhifu replied: "Today's events were my fault for not keeping things under control. Please accept my apologies, Boss Qian."

Boss Qian said: "Your Excellency is usually very busy with official duties, we naturally understand."

After the Xu family left, Wen Yuan asked: "Father, why were you so polite to Boss Qian?"

Prefect Wen sighed and said: "There are many things you don't know yet. Remember this: Don't offend Juxiang Pavilion or the Xu family. They're not as simple as they seem! If we can, it's best to stay on good terms with them. That Xu Wenwu is impressive—a young man with such achievements at his age."

"I agree, Father." Wen Yuan said. "I like Young Master Xu too."

Prefect Wen nodded and said: "By the way, Gao Yuan has been sent away, so tell your sister to stop going out and hiding all the time."

"That's a relief." Wen Yuan asked: "But how should I explain this to Mother?"

"Don't worry. Your mother knows what's important. I'll talk to her about it."

......

After they returned to Juxiang Pavilion, the old man said: "Eldest, help your wife to her room and let her rest. She's been through a lot today."

"Yes, Father."

Although the old man knew his granddaughter's abilities, he still asked worriedly: "Qibao, how are you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Qibao replied: "Grandpa, don't you know what your granddaughter is capable of? No one can hurt me."

The old man said: "That's good. What happened today?"

Qibao carefully explained the whole incident from start to finish.

The old man sighed and said: "In this world, only those with a good background can get ahead! But Magistrate Wen's attitude towards us is a little different today!"

Qibao kept her suspicions to herself and said: "Grandpa, don't overthink it. Today's events are over, and we didn't lose anything."

"True." The old man agreed. "That Gao Yuan will probably never get out of bed again."

As the afternoon progressed, Juxiang Pavilion began to fill with customers.

Boss Qian entered the rear courtyard and said to Elder Xu: "Uncle, Lord Wen is here. He's in the third private room upstairs and has requested your presence for a drink. What do you say?"

Surprised, the old man paused before saying: "Alright, I'll be up in a moment."

Boss Qian didn't linger, hurrying back to the main hall to tend to his duties.

The old man asked in confusion: "Qibao, what does this Magistrate Wen mean?"

Qibao replied: "You'll find out once you get up there."

With that, the old man led Qibao towards the second floor.

At this time, Xu Dabo and Mrs. Zhang also came out of their rooms. Noticing the old man's absence, they asked the Dean, who informed them that the old man had gone to the second-floor private room to meet with Magistrate Wen.

Concerned, they hesitated. We just got back from the prefectural office at noon. They wondered if this meeting would be good or bad, they thought. Without delay, both decided to follow.

Mrs. Zhang, believing that as a family, they should face challenges together, quickly followed her husband, heading upstairs.

As they rushed up, they spotted the old man with Qibao, about to knock on the private room's door.

"What's the matter, Father?" Big Uncle Xu called out: "Why didn't you let us know? We should've come with you."

The old man turned, slightly taken aback: "What are you doing up here too? Don't worry, I'll be fine. If Magistrate Wen truly wanted to harm us, he wouldn't have released us so easily."

Big Uncle Xu thought about this and said: "That might make sense, but I still want to go inside with my father. I wouldn't feel right otherwise."

Mrs. Zhang agreed: "Yes, Father, let us accompany you inside."

The old man finally nodded: "Alright, but once we're in there, don't speak unless spoken to. Understand?"

"We understand, Father."

With that, the old man raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Wen Yuan opened it. Seeing the old man, he said politely: "Oh, Grandpa Xu, you're here. Please come in."

The old man bowed in greeting and led everyone inside.

They found not only Magistrate Wen in the room, but also a girl sitting next to him. She wore a pale blue, flowing sleeve dress, and had cheeks as red as peaches. She looked like she was about to speak, and carried an air as delicate as a orchid.

"Please, take a seat." Magistrate Wen said, rising from his seat.

The girl next to him also stood up gracefully.

The old man quickly bowed: "Greetings, Master Wen. Is there anything you want me to do today?"

Magistrate Wen gestured for him to sit: "Please, sit down, Grandpa. Let's talk this over."

......

After exchanging glances, Qibao nodded and took a seat below her grandfather.

"First, let me introduce you. This is my youngest daughter, Wen Die, and this is my son Wen Yuan, whom you all know."

Wen Die smiled and bowed to the Xu family.

The old man returned her greeting before asking: "Governor Wen, what brings you here today?"

Magistrate Wen then spoke. "I'm here to apologize for today's events. You could see for yourself—it wasn't a fair judgment for your side."

"Let bygones be bygones." the old man replied: "I'm sure you have your reasons, Governor. I can tell you're a good official."

The governor sighed: "Grandpa Xu, you're too kind. I'm far from a perfect official. The reason I let Gao Yuan off today is because his mother was kind to my wife. Before we got married, she was robbed by bandits in the outskirts, and Gao Yuan's mother had her men rescue her. Without that help, who knows what might've happened. They became sworn sisters because they're close in age and share that life-saving bond. They don't see each other often anymore, though, since they married into different families."

"Ah, I see." The old man said. "But Magistrate Wen, this is your family matter. You don't need to explain it to us. Today's events are over, and as long as my family is safe, I don't want to pursue it any further."

"May I speak frankly?" Magistrate Wen asked: "I'm actually grateful to you because of what happened today."

The old man was confused and asked: "What do you mean?"

"The Gao family relied on my relationship. Gao Yuan's father made a lot of money in Songshan County. Many gentry or wealthy people gave him gifts to curry favor with him. The Gaos became more and more brazen. If things continued like this, I might be dragged down. That's why I used this chance to finally sever ties with them."

Qibao suddenly spoke up:"Are you using us to solve your own problems, Magistrate Wen?"

Magistrate replied: "Little girl, I didn't mean to take advantage of you, but it was indeed my fault first, so the more I thought about it this afternoon, the more uncomfortable I felt, so I came to apologize to you."

The old man said: "You are too polite, sir. You have done us a favor. When Juxiang Pavilion first came to Qingyun City, we encountered troubles, and it was you who stepped in to help us solve them."

"Ah... you haven't heard?" Magistrate Wen asked, surprised.

The old man was confused: "Know what, sir?"

Magistrate Wen exclaimed: "My previous mentor, his son, I didn't know he'd caused trouble for Juxiang Pavilion. It wasn't until a person in black showed up with a token at midnight, asking me to keep an eye on Juxiang Pavilion. So the next day, I investigated their situation. That's when I discovered what Chen Hu had been up to."

The old man was even more surprised: "Did this person in black say who he was?"

"No." Said Magistrate Wen: "I only know he's someone important, though. Does the old man recognize any influential figures in the capital?"

The old man thought for a moment: "I knew two people, but I never found out who they really were."