Chapter 685: Good Deeds
The thief heard that something bad was wrong and fled in panic.
Zhuang Wei's eyes turned contemptuous and he took action slowly. In a blink of an eye, he restrained his arms and pushed him against the stair railing.
"Hand over my purse, or else, don't blame me, I'll just throw you down."
"It's four floors high, and you might get injured. You should think carefully."
The thief was completely outmatched by the enemy in martial arts and had no choice but to surrender and hand over his purse.
"Please spare my life, my lord. I will never dare to do it again."
"Here, here, here. Please keep it."
Zhuang Wei asked seriously.
“Is this your first time stealing?”
The thief looks pitiful.
"It's my first time."
Zhuang Wei's eyes were sharp and he could tell what was going on at a glance.
"It's obviously not the first time, don't lie to me."
"How many times?"
The thief's upper body was pushed out of the railing by Zhuang Wei. Seeing that his life was in danger, he hurriedly changed his words.
"My villains, I can't count them all."
Zhuang Wei demanded.
"Hand over all the stolen goods on you and return them to their original owners."
The thief was stunned.
"what?"
"Your Excellency is very perceptive. I cannot remember the original owner."
Zhuang Wei handled it with ease.
"I will report it to the court, and they will post a notice with the embroidered purse pattern to find the person who lost the item."
The thief was helpless and obeyed.
"Your Excellency is wise, and I admire you."
"Please keep these purses."
He was cautious and looked for a way to retreat.
"I have something to do at home, so I'll leave first."
Zhuang Wei took the purse with one hand and easily subdued the thief with the other hand, making him unable to move.
"You steal without restraint and disregard the law. Do you think you can get away with it?"
The thief was almost devastated.
"I'll return all my purses to you. What else do you want?"
Zhuang Wei is impartial and upright.
"We caught him red-handed and of course we will send him to Yin Sitai or Ting Hetai for questioning."
"Tell me, are you a subject or a commoner?"
The thief tried to scare Zhuang Wei by acting mysteriously.
"Chen Ji, I am a Chen Ji person. If you dare to provoke me, you will never have a good ending!"
Zhuang Wei smiled disdainfully and didn't take it seriously.
"Okay, I'm your subordinate."
"Remember, when you arrive at the Yinsitai, you must lie about your official status. If you cause unnecessary trouble to the gentlemen, you will be committing an even greater crime and obstructing public affairs."
The thief shook his head repeatedly.
"No, no, I am a civilian, I just made a mistake."
Zhuang Wei gave an order.
"Okay, let's go to Tinghetai."
Not far away, at the door of a side room, Gu Yuanqiong and Mi Yao paused to see Zhuang Wei's good deed.
In addition to them, there were many other spectators who stopped to watch out of curiosity.
Seeing his upright character, everyone admired him, and some even cheered loudly for Zhuang Wei. Only Mi Yao was dismissive.
Zhuang Wei escorted the thief down the stairs step by step. Gu Yuanqiong followed him, as if he was seeing off the hero.
Mi Yao was immediately filled with dissatisfaction when she saw this.
"Didn't you agree to spend my birthday with me? Why are you so indecisive?"
"If you don't want to eat this meal, I will go back to Chongyixuan and wait for Master Ji and the others to return after quelling the rebellion."
The words that Gu Yuanqiong used seemed to please her, but in fact they were very rejecting.
"I'll celebrate my birthday another day. You can go back. I have something to do."
Mi Yao was extremely shocked and felt aggrieved.
"How can we postpone our birthday to another day?"
"What are you doing? Going to find that strong man?"
"How could you leave me for a stranger?"
Gu Yuanqiong turned a deaf ear to him and followed Zhuang Wei silently, patiently waiting for him to finish his business before making friends with him.
Mi Yao followed and followed the prince, feeling frustrated and melancholy, wanting to cry but having no tears.
"It's just a righteous act. Is it worthy of the prince's favor?"
"One look at this man shows that he has strong limbs but a slow mind. He is of no use to us."
"Why did he deserve the prince's appreciation?"
Gu Yuanqiong couldn't help but feel indignant for Zhuang Weiming.
"You are not good at identifying talent."
"This noble man is obviously an expert in both martial arts and strategy, a rare genius in this world."
"The experts are indeed among the common people."
"This king must have such a talent. I must recruit him and invite him to serve under me."
"The road back to the capital has been secretly blocked. It is difficult for me to contact Lord Xin, and I don't know how my second brother's plan to seal the throne is going. In times of crisis, if I can get help from this wise man, maybe I can plan to return to the capital and rescue my second brother without waiting for Lord Ji and the others to return."
Mi Yao was not able to celebrate her birthday and was very resentful and started making sarcastic remarks.
"Shuying County is not far from Shengjing. Your Majesty, be careful. If you accidentally make friends with the enemy, they will take advantage of the opportunity to enter and use you as an informant."
Gu Yuanqiong's gaze did not move, always staring at Zhuang Wei's back, and even the corner of his eyes could not contain Mi Yao.
"I know all the extraordinary men and counselors around my father and uncle, and I am absolutely sure that there is no such person."
"With this warrior's extraordinary military skills, it is impossible for him to remain unknown wherever he lives. However, his reputation has been lost. Either he is hidden among the people and has not yet been discovered, or he is hiding in the enemy camp and has not been reused."
"A talented person has a lot of ambitions but no place to use them. I don't need to elaborate on his heartbreak. As long as I show my sincerity, even if he is in the enemy camp, he will change his mind and follow me."
Mi Yao was inexplicably ignored by the prince and was extremely displeased. She hated Zhuang Wei and wished she could tear him in half.
"How did the prince know that? He has nothing but ambitions?"
"Perhaps he is hiding his cleverness and prefers to be an ordinary person, not wanting to be valued by others."
Gu Yuanqiong questioned.
"If you don't want to be reused, how can you show your talent so openly?"
Mi Yao responded calmly on the surface, but her emotions were in turmoil.
"Your Highness is wrong. He did not show any talent. You are the one who recognized his talent."
"The audience applauded him because they admired his integrity, not because they saw any extraordinary martial arts skills."
Gu Yuanqiong remained indifferent.
"My king has made up his mind. You don't need to persuade me."
Mi Yao was filled with anger.
"Yes."
To Tinghetai in Shuying County, not far from the restaurant, Zhuang Wei escorted the thief to the place, explained what had happened, and handed over the stolen goods.
Gu Yuanqiong and Mi Yao stood outside the main gate of Tinghetai, waiting for a long time.
Seeing Zhuang Wei walking out of the main gate with steady steps, Gu Yuanqiong was the first to greet him.
"My lord, please stay."
Seeing that the person looked unfamiliar, Zhuang Wei asked.
"You are?"
Gu Yuanqiong is reserved and modest.
"I am a country bumpkin, not worth mentioning, for fear of offending your noble ears."
"Just now, I was fortunate enough to witness your kindness and I was deeply impressed. So I had the idea to invite you to visit my humble home and have a chat."
Zhuang Wei declined without hesitation.
"Thank you for your kindness."
"I have something urgent to do and cannot wait any longer. Please allow me to visit you at your residence next time."
"See you later."
Gu Yuanqiong refused to give up and asked respectfully.
"May I ask your name, sir?"
Zhuang Wei responded calmly.
"My humble name is Jiang Hong, and my family name is from the local people."
"Excuse me, sir, your honorable name?"
Gu Yuanqiong did not reveal his inner feelings and remained calm and composed.
"My name is humble. I live in Tongqing. I am a commoner. I hope you can give me some advice, Young Master Jiang."
Zhuang Wei was in a pleasant mood.
"Don't dare."
"Excuse me, who is this noble man?"
"Ling Zheng?"
Gu Yuanqiong turned his head, glanced at Mi Yao, and answered in a decisive tone.
"No, just follow me."
Mi Yao's heart was shocked, and her pupils were filled with surprise.
She stayed by the prince's side for a whole year. Although she had no official status, he never called her his attendant.
What's more, today is her birthday.
My Lord, why are you so cold?
Zhuang Wei spoke calmly.
"Forgive me for my poor eyesight and any offense I may have caused. Please forgive me, Tong Shaolang."