RPAGF Chapter 204: Going into the City to Inquire 2
Chapter 204: Going into the City to Inquire 2
Lin Xiaoman hid the silver in his palm and walked forward alone.
"Two big brothers."
The two yamen runners saw that the person coming was a girl, and a little girl who looked only twelve or thirteen years old. They just said with a sullen face: "Don't waste your time, just leave!"
"My two elder brothers, please don't blame me for being a ignorant country girl. My grandparents are seriously ill and they are crying out that they must see my third uncle. My father had no choice but to come to the county government to inquire about him. My two elder brothers, can my third uncle still fulfill his filial duty?"
After saying that, Lin Xiaoman, relying on his small stature, casually stuffed the silver into the hand of one of the yamen runners, then quickly stepped back.
It was so fast that almost no one saw it.
The yamen runner who had taken the silver was about to return it, but suddenly he glanced somewhere and put the silver away again.
"That depends on the verdict of the case. You should let your elders in your family hold on for a few more days."
It was an ambiguous statement, but Lin Xiaoman understood that after the case was over, Brother Lin would be able to come out and fulfill his filial duties.
It means Lin Dahe is fine.
Lin Xiaoman sighed, saying that his third uncle was really blessed with a long life.
"Dad, let's go."
"The money was collected? What did they say?"
Lin Xiaoman picked out the most important things and told Lin Dajiang, "Since the yamen runners said so, Third Uncle must be fine."
Lin Dahai: "That's great, I'm glad that my third brother is okay."
Lin Dajiang shook his head. "I asked the waiter last night. A large number of prisoners were arrested in the county five or six days ago. There are at least thirty or forty people, which is more than the number of prisoners in Jialin County in the past ten years."
Lin Xiaoman immediately thought of the bandit.
"Dad, Uncle San is not desperate and has become a bandit, right?" Lin Xiaoman asked, but then he felt something was wrong. "A bandit will be beheaded if he is caught. This is definitely not the case. Besides, Uncle San looks like a scholar and can't lift anything. He can't be a bandit either."
Lin Dahai was startled, thinking of the last time when Landlord Liu's house was raided, "Third brother, you won't help someone kidnap your child, right? Do you still remember Landlord Liu? There were boxes of gold and silver treasures in the house, I wonder what happened to them later."
Lin Xiaoman heard Li Zheng say a few times, "I heard that he was escorted to the capital. He will either be executed immediately or exiled 3,000 miles away, right?"
After all, sending children to King Shen, who is the enemy of the imperial court, will definitely mean there is no way to survive!
"Second uncle, don't let your imagination run wild. If you say so, even if our third uncle has nine lives, they won't be enough for him to chop off."
"What should we do? Should we go back first or wait for the trial?" Lin Dahai worried secretly.
The cost of staying in a hotel is quite high.
Lin Dajiang knew that his second brother's old habit of saving money had come back. "Dahai, if you go back now, our mother will definitely nag you every day. It doesn't matter if I live far away, but can you bear it?"
Neither left nor right is right, Lin Dahai was worried, "Oh, what should I do! It's not a good idea to wait like this!"
Lin Dajiang didn't have any good ideas. "We can only take it one step at a time and try again tomorrow."
-
"Sir, Lin Dahe's family is here. There are two men and one woman. They are Lin Dahe's eldest brother, second brother, and niece."
"Niece? Why is my niece here to join in the fun at this time?" County Magistrate Zhen looked surprised. She came to redeem someone and brought her family with her?
"Sir, Lin Dahe's niece is no ordinary person. According to the spies' report, the new dishes at Ruyi Restaurant might all be made by that little girl. And the sausages and preserved eggs that you are interested in were also made by that little girl, according to the villagers."
"Oh? There's also this? The juicy dumplings at Ruyi Restaurant are also from her?"
"Exactly!"
"A young girl is so capable? Wonderful, wonderful!" County Magistrate Zhen had a bright and clear voice, but he had a strong appetite, and that's how he caught his eye with sausages and preserved eggs.
The pickled fish and grilled fish at Ruyi Restaurant also seem to be the work of this little girl.
"Just now, the girl used silver to bribe the gatekeeper, but the gatekeeper didn't dare to accept it. I sent someone to remind them to accept it. Sir, this is the small change the gatekeeper accepted."
County Magistrate Zhen glanced at the silver coins and said, "Since they have been taken, let them keep them. Have the rest of the people confessed?"
"Sir, except for that stubborn guy, all the others have confessed. The woman who was dealing with Lin Dahe is called Li Niang. The brothers followed her around for several days before she finally settled in a teahouse outside Lin'an City. The teahouse's business is very poor, which shows that there is something wrong."
"Keep checking. If you're lucky, you might catch a big fish."
"Report!" A black-clad yamen runner hurried over to report the news. "Sir, it's bad. The teahouse owner and waiter died tragically. A tunnel was found under the teahouse, leading to an abandoned farmyard several dozen feet away. The village head and villagers said that the yard had been abandoned for seven or eight years. After investigation, it was found that the original buyer of the yard was the eighth concubine of the landlord Liu."
County Magistrate Zhen looked solemn, "Why didn't you find out about it at the beginning?"
"Landlord Liu had a special hobby in that regard. He liked to torture decent women. When the family was confiscated, the Liu family promoted two concubines, and the rest had already been buried."
The guard knew that he had made a big mistake, so he knelt down and begged for mercy, "Sir, I am guilty!"
County Magistrate Zhen fumbled with the warm jade in his palm, his mind turning over and over, and finally said in a deep voice: "Get up! Even if you found that courtyard at the beginning, there are still thousands of courtyards that can be used as their temporary base. The Nanzhao forces are like rats digging holes, attacking unexpectedly and unprepared, and have already infiltrated the officialdom. It is not something that you and I can wipe out."
"Those old foxes in the officialdom are even more greedy. They will go to whoever offers the most money." County Magistrate Zhen picked up the teacup and put it down fiercely. "Humans are greedy!"
"Sir, since the prisoners in the jail have confessed, can we set up a trap to lure them out?"
The trusted yamen runners felt a chill in their hearts. The officials in the court who condoned the Nanzhao forces to kidnap children and cheat money were not worthy of being officials. But those people were hiding deep and would not reveal their tracks. Even if the prisoners in the prison confessed, they would only reveal a few secret agents of the Nanzhao forces. As for who in the court was involved in this matter, they knew nothing. Even the messengers used code names instead of names.
As soon as the prisoner confessed, they rushed to search for the hidden agents, but found that the house was already empty. The hidden agents had been destroyed long before the people in the prison were arrested, or even earlier. Those people in the prison had already been abandoned.
Subsequently, countless children were abducted from various state capitals and trained to be assassins, and continued to move north.
so horrible!
The night was dark, and the sea outside the window was calm. The words of the confidant were like a stone falling into the lake. County Magistrate Zhen looked at him and asked, "How do you set up the game?"
Almost all the situations that can be solved are dead ends!
"Sir, we are in the open, and the enemy is in the dark. Now, everything the government says and does may have been secretly monitored by the enemy."
"You are right. They didn't take those confessions seriously because they had already discarded them. The ambition of King Shen of Nanzhao is well known to everyone. He is not afraid of our investigation. It's nothing more than losing a few dead soldiers. As long as the cooperating court officials are not killed, there will be a constant supply of reserve troops."
County Magistrate Zhen stroked the rice paper in his hand that was filled with confessions. One of the prisoners mentioned the word "Zhu Yin" many times.
It was a nickname for the court contact that the confessing prisoner overheard.
Zhuyin is the name of the mountain god of Zhongshan. Ancient books record that when Zhulong opens his eyes, it is daytime; when Zhulong closes his eyes, it is night; when Zhulong blows a breath, it is winter; when Zhulong exhales a breath, it is summer.
Zhulong never eats, drinks, or breathes. Once he exhales, the world will be windy. He is shaped like a snake, a thousand miles long, with a human-like face and red body.
Zhu Yin, who controls the world day and night with the blink of an eye, is named Zhu Yin, which shows his obvious ambition.
That night, County Magistrate Zhen immediately wrote a letter and rushed to the capital.
-
"Sister-in-law, why haven't you received any news yet?"
Only three days had passed and Wang Chunxiu could no longer sit still.
He was afraid that something might happen to the head of the family, and he was also afraid that the head of the family would spend all his money to save his third brother.
Lin Dajiang and Lin Xiaoman have been away for the past two days, and there have been a lot of things to do at home. Li Taohua has been busy running around and has no time to relax.
Seeing that Li Taohua just responded with a "hmm" and didn't say anything else, Wang Chunxiu started to talk again, "Sister-in-law, how much silver did you bring for uncle this time? A poor family or a rich traveler should always bring more."
"Yes, you have to bring more. I don't know what the situation will be like for my third brother. Silver can be used in an emergency."
Li Taohua just said something casually and Wang Chunxiu started to feel uncomfortable again.
The five taels of silver saved last year were all given to Lin Dahe that day.
I was in a hurry that day and didn't have time to exchange small change.
I should have known that I would go to the town to exchange it for small change or copper coins even if it would take time, so that I could at least keep half for my family.
For a moment, Wang Chunxiu was filled with regret.
As it was, she no longer had the energy to stay and find out the news.
"Taohua, is Lin Dahe really in jail?" Li Shan's wife asked while wrapping eggs.
"It can't be false. The village head's eldest grandson Yaowu brought back news from the county town." Li Taohua has become numb from being asked questions by villagers in the past few days.
These are the same questions that come and go.
Daheguan Prison?
Is Dahawa going to be exiled?
What did Dahao do wrong? Should he be beheaded?
......
It wasn't enough to just ask her, he had to run to the old house to ask Old Mrs. Lin.
Old Mrs. Lin, who was already suffering from heartache, now refused to leave the house or even take a step out of her room.
The villagers are like this, they go wherever there is fun, without considering whether they are rubbing salt into other people's wounds.
After this incident, Old Man Lin lost all face and became even more silent.
Wang Chunxiu, on the other hand, became tough and used a broom to chase people away several times, dispersing the crowd that came to watch the fun.
She was not worried that the old couple could not bear the shock, but she was worried that Lin Lichun would not be able to find a wife because of this.
Originally, they were going to start looking for a bride after Qingming Festival, and the matchmaker had already found three families, all of which had good conditions. But when Lin Dahe got into trouble, those families backed off.
But Wang Chunxiu was furious.
But there was nothing I could do even if I was mad as hell. I couldn't just tie up the girl's hands and feet and force her to buy something!
Li Taohua felt that the villagers were too idle. If everyone was as busy as she was, they would not have the time to gossip.
She didn’t feel anything when Jingzhe was gone, but now that the head of the family and Xiaoman are gone, she wishes she had eight pairs of hands and eight pairs of feet.
-
The yamen runner received the order and waited for Lin Xiaoman to appear at the gate of the county government office again. Before Lin Xiaoman could stuff the silver coins into his pocket, he took the initiative to talk to her, "Don't waste your time. It's still too early to tell whether he's guilty or not. If he's not guilty, he'll be released after the trial. Go back and wait patiently."
Lin Xiaoman was startled, but she remained calm and didn't dare show it.
He looks calm, but he is actually very nervous.
When did the yamen runner become so easy to talk to? He told her everything before he even gave her the silver or asked her any questions?
The amount of change in Lin Xiaoman's hand was twice as much as it was two days ago. Since the bailiffs had kindly told her so, she couldn't just refuse a bribe.
The bailiff realized that Lin Xiaoman wanted to steal the silver, so he dared not accept it.
This was a special order from the boss. This plainly dressed farm girl in front of me might have a powerful background.
The two brothers who received the silver yesterday are now regretting and want to return the hot silver.
They can't do such a stupid thing.
He smiled bitterly and drove them away, "Girl, hurry up and leave, don't delay us from doing our work."
Another person echoed: "Yes, I've told you the news. Just go back and wait patiently. It's nothing more than suffering a little in prison. You can make up for it when you go back."
After saying this, he stood straight with a businesslike look on his face and ignored Lin Xiaoman.
Weird...
Lin Xiaoman, full of doubts, trotted to meet Lin Dajiang who was waiting at the street corner.
"Dad, those two yamen runners were so weird today..."
Lin Dajiang could only see roughly from his angle, so he clenched his fist and asked anxiously, "Did they bully you?"
"No, Dad, look, the silver hasn't been given away." Lin Xiaoman spread out his palms and spoke in a low voice.
Lin Dahai thought it was over, the money was useless.
Third brother is really finished this time.
Lin Dajiang began to think about how to deal with the villagers and what to do with the debts if something really happened to his third brother.
"No, Dad, Second Uncle, the silver was indeed confiscated, and Third Uncle was indeed fined. He just suffered a little in prison, and he will be released after the trial."
Lin Dajiang asked, "Did they say when he would be released?"
"Dad, I'm afraid we'll only know after the trial."
Lin Dahai was anxious to bring the news back, "How about we go back first? My parents must be waiting anxiously."
"Okay, then let's set off after lunch. Since my third brother is fine, let's take a good walk around the county." Lin Dajiang felt relieved, and the haze of the past few days disappeared.
As for what the third brother can do after he gets out of prison, we’ll think about it later.
Lin Xiaoman was thinking about buying a gold hairpin for her mother.
She usually has no place to spend her little treasury.
It’s hard to imagine that after saving several hundred taels of silver, I could hardly spend it in town.
The county town is still bustling. Not only is there a wide variety of food, but there are also brothels, teahouses, bookstores, jewelry shops, and rouge shops.
Lin Dahai looked around, taking in the sights, and found everything he saw new and interesting.
Lin Dajiang was thinking about what to buy for his wife and daughter.
Only Lin Xiaoman was the most purposeful. After buying three mutton biscuits, he just focused on eating them and only looked at the Rouge Shop for a while.
The rouge and soap on the shelf looked very rough, but then again, the facial cleansers and lotions she had stored in her villa were almost used up, so why not go back and try to make the facial soap?