Chapter 776: All Four Looked at Each Other in Shock

The woman tugged at the corner of Xi Yu's clothes, with a worried look on her face, and said softly: "Master, let's forget it. We can't afford to offend him."

Xi Yu turned sideways slightly, gave her a comforting look, and said, "Don't worry, today's matter won't just be forgotten."

He looked at the shopkeeper again, feeling determined to seek justice for the people no matter what.

The atmosphere was as tense as the depression before a storm. The shopkeeper crossed his arms with his hands on his chest, a fierce and disdainful look on his face, his eyes squinted at Yu Yu, and sneered: "In that case, if you insist on seeking death, don't blame me for being rude. Then go find my cousin, don't say you can't call me." Come, even if you come, my cousin will be facing me."

He raised his chin slightly, looking like he was sure of victory.

Xi Yu's eyes were cold, as if he could shoot cold arrows. He whispered to the secret guard without hesitation: "Go to the palace to find Ouyang Lian." However, the secret guard did not show up and left directly.

The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, then burst into a burst of piercing laughter, "Haha, who are you talking to? You're bluffing." He laughed and shook his head with a mocking look on his face.

The woman beside her bit her lips tightly, her eyes full of anxiety and doubt.

She secretly looked at Xi Yu and thought to herself: Is there something wrong with this man's nerves? Can he really help me? Is it reliable? But now I have no other choice but to worry here.

Xi Yu ignored the shop owner's ridicule, his expression as cold as an ice sculpture.

The shopkeeper stopped laughing and his eyes became more sinister. He took a step forward and threatened: "Boy, don't even think about walking out of this door today."

The woman nervously grabbed her clothes, while Xiyu straightened his back like a pine tree, looking at the shop owner without fear, waiting for the coming storm.

The shop owner became more and more arrogant. He put his hands on his hips, his eyes were shining, and he shouted: "Come on, come on, everyone, come and see this madman!"

As he spoke, he waved his arms like a funny clown to attract the audience.

Pedestrians passing by heard the shouting and stopped one after another. After a while, they gathered around and blocked the door of the store.

People were whispering to each other, their eyes full of curiosity and excitement, as if they were expecting a wonderful farce to be staged.

The shopkeeper saw more and more people, and the smile on his face became brighter, with a bit of pride and greed in his smile.

He raised his voice and continued shouting: "Everyone, come to my store and have a look. We have good products today. You are welcome to buy!"

He turned around and picked up an item from the shelf and waved it in front of everyone, trying to attract everyone's attention.

The woman hid behind Xi Yu, her eyes filled with fear and helplessness.

As she looked at more and more people around her, she felt increasingly desperate, feeling that it was even more impossible for Xi Yu to turn the situation around in front of so many people.

She sobbed quietly, and her body trembled slightly involuntarily.

Xi Yu frowned slightly and glanced around the crowd with cold eyes.

He was waiting for the secret guards to bring back Ouyang Company.

The shop owner was still bragging about his products to everyone, and occasionally casting provocative glances at Xi Yu. The turmoil intensified under the instigation of the shop owner.

Ouyang Lian sat in the ornately decorated room of the palace. The sunlight shone on him through the carved windows, but he felt no warmth at all.

He frowned slightly, with a trace of regret and confusion in his eyes, and kept thinking in his mind: "Why am I so confused today that I didn't ask where he lives? Will I be able to see him again in the future?"

His fingers were unconsciously on the armrest of the seat.

While he was deep in thought, a steady sound of footsteps came from far away.

The young eunuch's shrill voice came: "Sir, bring someone from the Prime Minister's side."

Ouyang Lian came back to his senses instantly and looked up.

I saw a secret guard wearing black clothing appearing in front of me.

He directly introduced himself as a secret guard.

Ouyang Lian was a little surprised. He originally thought it was an attendant beside the prime minister, but he didn't expect it to be a secret guard.

He sat up straight and asked doubtfully: "Are you the secret guard beside the Prime Minister? What are you doing here?"

"The Prime Minister has arrived in Fang County and is handling matters at a certain store. He asked you to come with me."

Ouyang Lian's eyes instantly lit up when he heard the secret guard's words, his face full of surprise and expectation.

"The Prime Minister has come to Fangjun?" he asked excitedly, his voice rising a little unconsciously.

His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He was both excited to see the prime minister and curious about what happened in front of the store.

The secret guard frowned slightly, with a hint of warning in his eyes, and lowered his voice and said, "Don't ask any more questions, we have to get there quickly."

Only then did Ouyang Lian realize his gaffe. He smiled sheepishly, but his heart was still pounding like a little rabbit.

"Okay, I'll go with you." He said without hesitation.

He quickly adjusted his clothes and quickly followed the pace of the secret guard.

As he walked, he thought to himself: "It's definitely not easy for the Prime Minister to personally solve the problem. So what did the shop owner do?"

Various questions were swirling in his mind, but his steps did not stop at all.

Ouyang Lian and the secret guard hurried out of the palace, and the sunlight outside shone on them.

Ouyang Lian looked forward, his eyes full of eagerness.

"We have to hurry up, we can't keep the prime minister waiting." He said to the secret guard.

The secret guard just nodded slightly and said nothing, but his pace became faster and faster.

They shuttled through the streets, and the people around cast curious eyes, but Ouyang Lian didn't care about these at this time. He was full of expectations and uneasiness about meeting the prime minister as soon as possible, and about what he was about to face.

"I don't know what kind of scene I will see when I get there, can I help?" Ouyang Lian thought silently in his heart, unconsciously clenching his fists.

As he got closer and closer to the destination, his breathing became a little rapid.

And Xi Yu stood upright like a pine tree.

The woman next to him tightly grasped the corner of her clothes, her eyes wandering, her feet unconsciously moving back and forth, her face full of panic.

Xi Yu turned his head slightly, looked at the woman, and whispered: "You are a victim, why are you panicking?" His voice was gentle but with a hint of doubt.

The woman looked up at him, then quickly lowered her head and whispered: "I... I'm afraid things will get worse."

The crowd around was bustling, and noisy discussions were endless.

"This shop owner is so abominable. He does whatever he wants just because he has the governor as his cousin." A passerby whispered.

The shop owner's face flushed instantly, veins popped on his forehead, and he shouted at the crowd with his eyes wide open: "Why are you talking nonsense?"

Xi Yu looked the shop owner in the eye and said calmly: "They are not wrong."

The shop owner suddenly turned his spearhead to Xi Yu, pointed his finger at him, and shouted angrily: "Who do you think you are? Talking nonsense here!"

Xi Yu's eyes revealed a kind of self-confidence that made people shudder.

The crowd whispered again: "Seeing that he is so calm, maybe he has something to rely on."

"Humph, I think he is just showing off. When the governor comes, he will know how powerful he is."

Xi Yu seemed not to hear these discussions. He just stood there quietly, like an unshakable mountain.

The woman was beside him, and her emotions gradually stabilized. She looked at Xi Yu's profile, and a trace of inexplicable trust surged in her heart.

Ouyang Lian and the secret guard hurried on the way to their destination. The buildings on both sides of the street quickly retreated, and Ouyang Lian's heartbeat accelerated because he was about to meet the prime minister.

Bits of news about the prime minister kept emerging in his mind. He knew that it was the prime minister who promoted him to be the governor of Fang County among many candidates. This favor was like a heavy stone, always weighing on his heart.

"The prime minister has been very kind to me, but I have never had the opportunity to thank him in person." Ouyang Lian thought to himself, his eyes full of gratitude and expectation.

He quickened his pace to catch up with the secret guard, while organizing words of thanks in his mind.

"I must express my most sincere respect and gratitude to the prime minister, and I will do my best for the prime minister in the future." He clenched his fists, as if to cheer himself up secretly.

Ouyang Lian followed the secret guard and hurried to the front of the store.

The owner's arrogant expression froze the moment he saw Ouyang Lian. His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly. He stood there as if he was under a spell.

His mind was blank. He couldn't believe that the person in front of him was really his cousin.

Xiyu heard the movement behind him and looked back subconsciously. When his eyes met Ouyang Lian's, time seemed to stand still. Surprise, doubt and complex emotions flashed in both of their eyes.

Ouyang Lian's footsteps also stopped suddenly. He stared at Xiyu, and countless questions surged in his heart.

"Why is he here? What's going on?" His lips trembled slightly, but he couldn't speak for a while.

Xiyu's mind was also a mess. He never thought that he would see Ouyang Lian again in this situation.

The surrounding noise seemed to gradually fade away, and the whole world seemed to be left with only the two of them looking at each other.

The woman noticed the strange atmosphere, looked at Xiyu, and then at Ouyang Lian, her eyes full of confusion.

The crowd that was originally talking around them also quieted down, and everyone's eyes shuttled back and forth between the three of them.

The shop owner came to his senses first, and he stammered: "Cousin...cousin, why are you here? This...this person..." He pointed at Xi Yu, his face full of confusion.

Ouyang Lian ignored the shop owner, still staring at Xi Yu, took a small step forward, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know where to start.

Xi Yu also opened his mouth slightly, but also did not make a sound.

Ouyang Lian's voice, with a hint of doubt and surprise, broke the brief silence: "Why is Brother Sun Zhe here?"

The dark guard heard this and immediately said seriously: "Bold! This is the prime minister!"

Ouyang Lian heard this, his eyes widened instantly, his face full of disbelief.

Xi Yu was also slightly startled when he heard Ouyang Lian's words, and then asked: "Is he Ouyang Lian?"

Ouyang Lian immediately reacted, straightened his clothes, stepped forward, saluted respectfully and said: "Fangjun Governor Ouyang Lian pays homage to the Prime Minister." His voice trembled slightly, and his heart was full of shock and nervousness.

Everyone present was so surprised to hear this conversation that they couldn't close their mouths.

The original noisy discussion stopped abruptly, and everyone's face was full of astonishment.

Their eyes moved back and forth between Ouyang Lian and Xi Yu, as if they couldn't believe what was happening in front of them.

The shop owner was so scared that his face turned pale and his legs went weak.

He never thought that the person he had been provoking was actually the Prime Minister.

His body began to tremble involuntarily, his mind was blank, and he felt that a disaster was coming.

Xi Yu looked at Ouyang Lian with mixed feelings in his heart. He recalled his previous acquaintance with Ouyang Lian, but he didn't expect it to be such a coincidence.

He raised his hand slightly and said, "You don't have to be polite, Governor Ouyang."

Ouyang Lian stood up slowly, with awe and doubt in his eyes. He never expected that the person he once knew turned out to be a high-ranking prime minister.

The shop owner stood aside, with big beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He didn't know what kind of punishment was waiting for him.

Xi Yu's eyes slowly swept across the crowd, and finally landed on the shop owner, with an unpredictable look in his eyes.

Ouyang Lian looked ashamed, lowered his head slightly and said, "Prime Minister, I didn't expect that the friend I just made today is you. I didn't tell my real name at the time. I hope the Prime Minister won't blame me." His tone was full of anxiety and uneasiness.

Xi Yu looked at Ouyang Lian, smiled softly, and said, "I never thought you were Ouyang Lian, and I didn't say your real name." There was a hint of understanding in his eyes.

Ouyang Lian felt relieved after hearing Xi Yu's words. He raised his head, his eyes showing sincerity: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, what happened today was an accident. If there is any offense, please forgive me."

Xi Yu waved his hand slightly and said, "Don't be so nervous. What happened today also showed me what you are like." There was a little more appreciation in his eyes.

Xi Yu turned around and pointed at the shop owner with burning eyes.

He raised his chin slightly with a serious expression and said, "Is this your cousin?"

Ouyang Lian looked in the direction Xi Yu pointed and saw the shop owner cowering, his eyes evasive, not daring to look at him.

Ouyang Lian's heart suddenly sank. He knew that his cousin loved to cause trouble.

Seeing his cousin's appearance at this time, he felt that he must have done nothing good.

Ouyang Lian frowned, with a stern look in his eyes. He took a step forward and asked, "What did you do?" His voice was low and majestic.

The shopkeeper's lips began to tremble slightly, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He secretly raised his eyes to look at Ouyang Lian, then quickly lowered his head, rubbing the corners of his clothes unconsciously with his hands.

He was so scared that he thought about how he could make up excuses to get through.

"I...I didn't do anything, cousin." His voice was obviously trembling, and his eyes were wandering.

Seeing his guilty look, Ouyang Lian became even more sure that he had done something wrong.

He took a deep breath, tried hard to suppress the anger in his heart, and said, "Tell the truth! What's going on?" His eyes were fixed on the shop owner, as if he wanted to see through him.

Xi Yu clasped his hands on his chest and looked at them quietly, with a faint smile on his lips.

He wanted to see how Ouyang Lian would handle this matter.

The woman stood aside with expectation in her eyes, hoping that she would be dealt with fairly.

The surrounding crowd also became quiet, waiting to see how things would develop.

The shop owner felt that the surrounding eyes were stabbing him like needles. His body was shaking slightly, his mind was in chaos, and he didn't know how to deal with it.

Ouyang Lian took another step forward and asked again: "Say! What exactly did you do? Don't force me to have someone investigate."

His voice rose a bit, with irresistible authority.

The shop owner felt like he had nowhere to run and hesitated to tell the truth.

The shop owner lowered his head and said in a trembling voice: "I...I just lost a lot of money to that woman."

As soon as his words came out, Ouyang Lian's eyes widened instantly, and anger suddenly emerged.

He raised his hand without hesitation and hit the shop owner hard on the face with a "pop" sound.

The shop owner's face was slapped to one side, and a clear slap mark immediately appeared on his face.

Xi Yu crossed his arms, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said coldly: "And he also said that you are his cousin, so he is confident here and feels that no one dares to deal with him."

When Ouyang Lian heard this, he was so angry that he was shaking all over. He raised his hand again and slapped the shop owner on the face.

This slap was harder than before, and the shop owner staggered and almost fell to the ground.

"You bastard! You actually used my name to do evil. Isn't this trying to discredit me?" Ouyang Lian roared angrily.

The shopkeeper covered his face, tears welling up in his eyes. He was scared and aggrieved, and muttered in a low voice: "Cousin, I know I was wrong..."

Ouyang Lian didn't listen to his explanation at all. He turned to the woman, bent down slightly, and said with a guilty look on his face: "Girl, I'm really sorry. It's my fault for not being able to discipline her well."

The woman waved her hands in fear and said, "Sir, this...it's not your fault."

Xi Yu looked at this scene, nodded slightly, and said, "Prince Ouyang, your cousin really needs to be disciplined."

Ouyang Lian stood up straight, looked at Xi Yu, and said, "Prime Minister, I made you laugh. I will definitely give you an explanation for what happened today."

After saying that, he glared at the shop owner again, and the shop owner shrank his neck in fear and did not dare to say a word.

The people around him nodded in praise when they saw Ouyang Lian being so fair and strict.

But the shop owner just felt extremely regretful at this time. He should not have bullied others, and now he has caused such a big trouble.

When the shop owner heard Ouyang Lian's decision, he knelt down with a plop, hugged Ouyang Lian's legs tightly with both hands, and cried: "Cousin, no, I know I was wrong, please give me another chance." . If my shop is closed, I will have nothing." His face was full of panic and pleading, with tears and snot mixed together.

Ouyang Lian pulled his legs out in disgust, looked at him coldly and said, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place. When you did this, you should have thought of the consequences."

His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

The woman looked at Ouyang Lian in surprise. She didn't expect Ouyang Lian to impose such a severe punishment. (End of this chapter)