Fang Er Bai glanced at Xiao Huan.
"Alright, go back to sleep. I'll watch over you here. If anything feels uncomfortable, just tell me."
He carefully laid Xiao Qing down, tucked her in with a thin quilt, and stroked her hair as he spoke gently.
"Mmm, perhaps, Young Master, you should sleep too? If you're worried about Qing'er, you can sleep inside?" Xiao Qing said, blushing and gathering her courage.
"You just sleep. Young Master is not tired," Fang Er said against his will. He was indeed tired, but he didn't dare to leave. If he went to bed, he feared he might accidentally roll over and injure Xiao Qing's wound.
"Mmm, then if you're tired, Young Master, you can come up and rest. Qing'er is asleep." With that, Xiao Qing closed her eyes. Due to her weakness, she soon fell into a deep sleep.
After holding on for a while, Fang Er couldn't resist any longer and fell asleep beside Xiao Qing.
When dawn broke, Niu Liang came to the door and was stopped by Xiao Huan.
"Young Master just fell asleep. Uncle Niu, if you have something important, please come back later." Xiao Huan softly said to Niu Liang.
Niu Liang asked about Xiao Qing's injuries. Upon hearing that she had taken her medicine and fallen asleep, he left.
Afterward, elders from the manor came one after another to visit, but all were stopped by Xiao Huan.
Xiao Qing and Fang Er were of similar age. Fang Er was not married, and it was highly probable that Xiao Qing would become a concubine, or even a secondary wife, which was also normal. Moreover, she was beautiful and always treated people kindly. When meeting the people from the manor, she was very sweet-tongued, and no one disliked her. The explosion last night was heard throughout the manor, and the young men rushed to help.
Fang Er was generous. His monthly salary of one tael of silver was unheard of throughout the Great Tang. The farmers had no other thoughts; whoever treated them well, they would repay tenfold, even if it meant losing their lives!
When Fang Er woke up and heard what Xiao Huan had to say, he sent someone to purchase supplies from Chang'an and retrieve all the available silver from the restaurant's vault.
At noon, Zhu Zi, Zhao Hu, Liu Meng, and a group of people returned from Chang'an, driving numerous ox carts. They also brought back a large flock of sheep and batches of chicks and goslings.
Fang Er summoned the people from the manor to gather at the Fang residence. Young and old, without exception, they all came to the Fang residence.
"Last night, there were thieves who committed evil deeds. Thanks to the help of the people from the manor, we were able to apprehend the thieves. I, Fang, thank you all here." Fang Er bowed deeply from the steps in front of the door to everyone.
"Young Master Fang, there's no need for this. Ever since you came here, our lives have finally had a direction, and we can all eat our fill. You are the benefactor of Fang Family Village. Whoever dares to cause trouble for you, our entire village stands with you. Through mountains of knives and seas of fire, not a single coward!" Old Man Ma said, stepping forward with his cane. He then turned to the villagers and asked, "Can you do it?"
"Mountains of knives, seas of fire, not a single coward!" The young and strong men of the village responded in unison.
Fang Er looked at the people before him, deeply moved.
"I, Fang Anzhi, swear here that for as long as I live, as long as I have a bite to eat, I will not let the old and young of Fang Family Village go hungry. I will support the lonely and widowed elders of the village! I will bear the burden of lack of medicine and doctors! I will manage birth, aging, sickness, and death! I will ensure no one freezes to death, starves to death, or dies from lack of medicine and doctors! If I break this oath, may lightning strike me five times!" Fang Er knelt on the steps and made his vow to the crowd.
"We are willing to follow Young Master Fang, through mountains of knives and seas of fire, willing to die without regret!" Old Man Ma, upon hearing Fang Er's words, excitedly threw his cane to the ground, knelt down, and shouted.
"We are willing to follow Young Master Fang, through mountains of knives and seas of fire, willing to die without regret!" Hearing Fang Er's words, the others were also extremely excited. These were words even the Emperor would not dare to utter, yet Fang Er said them, in the form of an oath. Thus, they all knelt down and shouted loudly.
"Everyone, get up. From now on, we will be inseparable. I, Fang, guarantee that your lives will become more and more prosperous." Fang Er stood up and helped up Old Man Ma. The crowd also stood up.
"Zhu Zi, distribute ten chicks and goslings, one sheep, and one hundred catties of rice and flour to each family!" Fang Er said to Zhu Zi, who was watching with red eyes.
"Yes!" Zhu Zi quickly replied.
The crowd in the manor erupted in excitement. It had to be said that Fang Er's generosity this time was immense. In the past, people couldn't even eat enough, so no family raised these animals. But now that their daily needs were met, raising poultry and livestock could also improve their lives from time to time. The items Fang Er distributed were worth at least one or two taels of silver. The women beamed with joy as they received their share and, with the help of their neighbors, carried them back home. Fang Er then arranged for a banquet.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, chaos had erupted. Li Er stood on the imperial steps, his face as cold as if it could drip water, staring intently at the ministers standing below.
"Come, tell me, yesterday I was about to reward Fang Anzhi for his merits! And yet, someone threw explosives into Fang Anzhi's home last night! Who is so lawless? What are they trying to do? Will they next throw them into the imperial palace? Into my Eastern Palace? Or want to throw them to the bedside of the Retired Emperor?!"
"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! I want to see who is slapping my face! If I can't even protect a meritorious minister, what face do I have to sit on this Dragon Throne!" Li Er roared at the ministers.
After saying this, he shifted his gaze to the Minister of Works, Du Yiyang, staring intently at him and asking, "Du Yiyang, you are the Minister of Works. The matter of gunpowder falls under the Ministry of Works. You tell me, from whose hands did this gunpowder leak out? Hmm?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, your humble servant does not know either. Yesterday, after Scholar Fang created the explosive packs and the Meng Han hand grenades, he left. I brought the items here, and you know this. After returning from here, I went straight home and did not go back to the Ministry of Works!" Du Yiyang said, kneeling on the ground and looking at Li Er aggrievedly.
"Then tell me! From whom is this gunpowder most likely to have leaked? Or did some traitor within the Ministry of Works commit the deed?" Li Er continued to ask.
Actually, they all knew who did this, but someone needed to expose it. However, Li Er himself could not do it! So, he could only force Du Yiyang to speak and become the villain. Du Yiyang also knew why Li Er was staring at him and asking, but he truly dared not speak!
"Your Majesty, your humble servant went to Fang Family Village last night. There were a total of four thieves. Two were killed on the spot, and two were captured alive. When your humble servant arrived, those two captives could not endure the interrogation. After confessing, they bit their tongues and committed suicide. Upon further inquiry, Scholar Fang did not say who was behind it, only that he would handle the matter himself and make the person behind the scenes pay the price." Cheng Yaojin, seeing that Du Yiyang refused to speak, stepped forward and said.