Chapter 201: A “Solid” Relationship

A frantic Magistrate Yuan clutched Wei Hai tightly, fearing that if he let go, the man would bolt straight back and exaggerate the story to Prefect Wen Songmo!

If that happened, his career prospects would likely dwindle rapidly…

But why was he so certain that Wei Hai truly had a letter from the Prefect?

That was simple—because of what had just happened.

Gu Ning’an had intervened, making the punishment token that was about to land “blow” back into the token cylinder!

Who was Mr. Gu?

A “celestial being”, no less!

Such a figure, who was usually as elusive as a dragon, had actually appeared in court—and even lent a hand on Wei Hai’s behalf!

That alone was proof of how “solid” their relationship was!

And if a man could interact with a celestial being, knowing a prefect didn’t seem all that surprising.

Most importantly, letters of this nature were only entrusted to close confidants.

Wei Hai not only had the letter, but he also boldly called the Prefect “that old bastard” without hesitation.

That only reinforced the idea that Wei Hai and Prefect Wen had an incredibly close relationship!

At this realization, Magistrate Yuan felt like his head was about to split in two!

“Ugh, forget it! It’s just one letter—where am I even supposed to find it?” Wei Hai looked up with an air of nonchalance.

“Oh, come on!”

“We’ll find it! We’ll find it!”

“Just give me an hour—no, half an hour! I’ll definitely get it back!”

Magistrate Yuan put on a pleading expression.

Seeing this, Gu Ning’an finally spoke up, unable to stand it any longer.

“Wei Hai, isn’t the letter tucked inside your sleeve?”

Hearing the underlying message in Gu Ning’an’s words, Wei Hai knew when to stop. He feigned a look of realization, reached into the lining of his sleeve, and pulled out the letter.

He waved it in front of Magistrate Yuan.

“Look at my memory!”

“Good thing Mr. Gu reminded me! Otherwise, I could’ve spent ages searching for this!”

“Alright, let’s go.”

After saying that, Gu Ning’an turned to the still-stunned Butcher Liu and thanked him before leaving.

Wei Hai, meanwhile, patted Magistrate Yuan on the shoulder, laughed heartily, and quickly followed after Gu Ning’an.

Once the two were far away, Magistrate Yuan let out a long breath of relief.

“Whew! Thank goodness Mr. Gu spoke up! Otherwise, who knows how long that brute would’ve dragged this out?”

A nearby yamen officer asked, “Sir, was that brute deliberately giving you a hard time?”

“Obviously!” Magistrate Yuan snapped. “Didn’t you see he has both Mr. Gu and the Prefect backing him?”

The officer shrunk back. “Mr. Gu, sure—but that Prefect…”

Magistrate Yuan clicked his tongue. “What do you know? A man who can curse the Prefect so naturally in court—you think he hasn’t done it countless times before?”

“Even without Mr. Gu’s involvement, I’d still be certain that brute has a deep connection with the Prefect!”

“Brilliant deduction, sir!” The officer bowed respectfully.

Nearby, Butcher Liu chuckled awkwardly.

“Magistrate Yuan… Seems I misjudged the situation and caused you trouble.”

“It’s fine.” Magistrate Yuan waved him off. “Your intentions were good, so there’s no blame on you. Just go home.”

Hearing this, Butcher Liu bit down on his pipe and left.

Finally, the courtroom quieted down.

Magistrate Yuan exhaled deeply, then turned to the wide-eyed constables and yamen officers around him and waved them off.

“Alright, alright—go home and celebrate the New Year with your families!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Mr. Gu, how did you know I was arrested and brought to court?”

“If not for you, I probably wouldn’t have escaped those ten strokes today.”

Wei Hai clicked his tongue.

Gu Ning’an walked ahead, replying with a smile, “I woke up because I smelled a strong aroma of wine in my sleep.”

“Following the scent, I saw your carriage stopped to the west of my courtyard.”

“When I saw that wine, I naturally thought it was you.”

“Who would have thought you’d be so lucky as to be mistaken for a thief?”

Wei Hai scratched his head. “It’s so strange, isn’t it? Mr. Gu, be honest—do I really look that much like a thief?”

“Last time I was mistaken for a bandit, and this time a burglar!”

“So I just naturally look like a bad guy?”

Gu Ning’an turned to glance at him and chuckled. “With your build and outfit, I wouldn’t say you look exactly like a thief, but at the very least, you don’t look like someone easy to get along with.”

Wei Hai sighed helplessly. “Well, what can I do? My looks were given to me by my parents—I can’t change that.”

“If you can’t change it, then don’t.” Gu Ning’an turned a corner and continued, “By the way, why did you come alone?”

Hearing this, Wei Hai suddenly thought of something and asked eagerly, “Mr. Gu, am I the first to arrive?”

Gu Ning’an replied, “If you mean among Li Xunshan and the others, then yes.”

Wei Hai nodded. “Exactly!”

“Then yes, you’re the first…” Gu Ning’an affirmed.

“That’s great! That means I get to use two shops for free!” Wei Hai slapped his forehead and laughed. “What a profit! Only I, Wei Hai, could pull this off!”

Gu Ning’an asked with amusement, “How did you manage to get two shops for free?”

“Sir, let me explain…”

It turned out that on New Year’s Eve, Wei Hai, Patriarch Ren’s family, and Wen Songmo had gathered for a festive dinner.

During the meal, Wei Hai and Patriarch Ren made a bet.

The wager? Whoever managed to visit Mr. Gu first to pay their respects for the New Year would win.

The stakes were:

Patriarch Ren’s bet: Free use of two street-front shops.

Wei Hai’s bet: Twenty jars of premium Eternal Vintage wine.

Determined to win, Wei Hai wasted no time. Right after the meal, in the middle of the night, he secured a carriage, loaded it with the first batch of brewed Eternal Vintage, and set off for Lexiang County!

This meant that Patriarch Ren and the others were also likely to come. As for Wen Songmo, he definitely wouldn’t make it—he was still dealing with the mess in Xiangzhou and had no time to spare. Instead, he had written a letter for Wei Hai to deliver.

Fortunately, Wen Songmo had prepared the letter in advance and handed it to Wei Hai during dinner. Otherwise, if Wei Hai had gone looking for him the next day, he probably would have missed him entirely.

Soon, the two arrived at Ansi Courtyard. Gu Ning’an opened the gate and let Wei Hai’s carriage in. Then, he smiled and asked, “Would you mind if I took two jars of wine to gift a friend?”

“His daughter was just born. Your wine is excellent, and I’d like to give him two jars as celebratory wine.”

Wei Hai laughed heartily. “Of course, no problem! Go ahead!”

“Our wine is the best choice for celebratory wine!”

“I’m not bragging—this Eternal Vintage can be buried underground, and while I won’t claim it lasts thousands of years, it can definitely be stored for fifty or sixty years, even over a hundred!”

“I guarantee that when you dig it up, the wine will still be perfectly fine—and the longer it’s aged, the richer and smoother the flavor!”