Most of the guards and soldiers in charge of the team went into the city to help search for Officer Jie and Lord Liang in the ruins.
It was really bad luck for Lord Liang and his companions. In order to avoid attracting attention, they deliberately chose a more remote inn. If they had stayed in the largest inns in the city, they would not have encountered such an accident.
The officers, covered in mud and having just come out of the city, took turns with those who stayed outside the city.
Liang Erye hurried forward to ask, "Sirs, how are my eldest brother and sister-in-law doing now? Have you found them?"
"Mrs. Liang and the young master were found yesterday. They were not seriously injured and are now recuperating in the city's clinic. As for Lord Liang..."
The officer sighed and said, "When the earth dragon turned over, Lord Liang and his men were drinking downstairs in the inn. The inn is three stories high, and we haven't dug to the bottom floor yet."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Liang didn't know what to say. Nearly twenty hours had passed, and his brother was probably in great danger!
While lamenting, he couldn't help but feel a little relieved.
Fortunately, his brother did not think of bringing their family into the city, otherwise, wouldn’t he be one more person buried under the rubble?
"Thank you for your hard work, officers." Wei Maolin came out at this time, bowed politely to the officers, and said with a sad face: "My wife has always been in poor health, and my two grandchildren are still young. I am really worried about them because I still don't know where they are."
As he said this, he took off the only purse from his waist, handed it to the officer, and pleaded, "Please help me look for it nearby. Whether I can find it or not, I will always remember your kindness and be grateful!"
To be honest, seeing that a fourth-rank official in the court begged them so humbly and gave them a purse full of silver, the officers wanted to agree to help.
But now they can't find Officer Jie and Lord Liang, so they can't continue on their journey. Once the court sends people to investigate and finds out that their team has changed the original route without authorization, none of those officers involved will be able to escape and their heads will all be in danger.
The most urgent task now is to find Officer Jie and Lord Liang first. Where would we spare the manpower to look for the whereabouts of other people?
"Master Wei, it's not that we don't want to help you, it's just that we don't have enough manpower right now!"
The Wei family has always been a quiet bunch, and they have been paid a lot. Seeing Wei Maolin in such a state of disarray, the officers could not bear it any longer. "Why don't you ask these two servants to look for him nearby first? No matter if they can find him or not, they just need to come back before dark."
Upon hearing this, Wei Maolin showed a grateful expression and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you very much for your leniency."
The officers who were originally guarding outside continued to go into the city to look for people. The few who had just been rotated out were so tired that they sat down on the ground and did not move anymore.
Wei Maolin led Dong Da and Manager Wang a little further away, "You guys go around Qingfeng County first and head north. If you don't meet me before dark, continue north and meet up with the others in Suijiang first."
"Master, how can I abandon you?" Manager Wang asked anxiously.
"You go first, so I can get away better later." Wei Maolin glanced at the bushes not far away and whispered, "Don't worry, I have the secret guards left by Lan'er to help me."
Manager Wang wanted to say something else, but Wei Maolin winked at them.
Dong Da immediately grabbed Manager Wang's arm and said, "Okay, there are so many people here, so there won't be any trouble. Let's find the Madam, the Young Master, and the Little Master as soon as possible. That's the important thing!"
"Then I'll look to the east, and you look to the west?"
"OK."
The two discussed to act separately. Wei Maolin sat back near the officer. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lord Feng sitting back next to Old Lady Feng not far away.
He asked, "Sir Feng, aren't you worried about the safety of your sister and your nephews and nieces?"
Those who went missing from the Feng family were Old Lady Feng's unmarried second daughter and Mr. Feng's two children.
"Of course I'm worried." Lord Feng looked worried, "But I'm not like Brother Wei. I have servants at home. I can't leave with the wooden yoke on. My two brothers are also injured. There are only the old and the young left. I really can't spare anyone to go out and look for him."
As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Laoer, who had twisted his ankle while running out of the forest, stood up and said, "I'll go look for him. Lao Si will come with me?"
Feng Lao Si had just fallen into a fight with Feng Lao Er. Hearing this, he shook his head with a bitter face, "Second brother, my leg still hurts, and it's a little hard for me to walk."
"Then Erniu and Sanzhuang, come with me to look for him." Feng Laoer named his son and nephew.
I went to ask the officer for help, and the officer did not stop me. He just waved his hand and said, "Just come back before dark."
There were fewer and fewer people in this temporary camp near the city wall.
At first glance, the people sitting around the fire were almost all old, young, women and children. The few men all looked listless and exhausted.
There were many people coming in and out of the city gate, and from time to time someone would look over here from afar.
Most people quickly looked away when they saw the guards and prisoners wearing wooden shackles. A few would look around curiously or keep their eyes on the steaming pots, unable to take their eyes away.
As the sun rose higher and noon approached, more people came outside the city gate.
The servant of Mr. Liang went to the city gate to inquire and came back, saying, "Didn't the county government recruit people to clean up the ruins two days ago, and they paid ten copper coins and two steamed buns every day? A lot of people came, and the county government's grain depot couldn't supply them. Now they are not recruiting anymore. Those who came here specially are surrounding the city gate to demand an explanation!"
Wei Maolin pointed at the crowd outside the city gate and asked, "Are those people here in Qingfeng County looking for work?"
The Liang family servant nodded and said, "They are all from the area that suffered a disaster. I heard that the harvest was not good this year, so I guess they want to take advantage of the opportunity to make as much money as possible."
Wei Maolin's eyes lit up, and he turned to look at the officer, "Sir, can I spend some money to hire someone to help find my family?"
Since they didn't need to find one themselves, the officers had no reason to disagree. They just nodded and said, "You can hire one if you have the money."
Wei Maolin gave a penny of silver to the Liang family's servant and asked him to help call some people. After a while, he gave out some silver and hired twenty people to help him find his family near Qingfeng County.
After two hours, none of the lost Wei family members were found, but more and more people gathered to collect their money.
Wei Maolin looked embarrassed and tried to refuse, but was surrounded by the crowd.
At first, the officers did not take it seriously. When they wanted to rescue the people, the place was already crowded with people. Some people took advantage of the chaos to steal the steamed buns that the Liang family had placed aside, and the meat bones in the officers' pot.
"Stop it!"
"Disperse!"
The more the officers scolded, the more chaotic the crowd became. It was nearly half an hour later when the officers went into the city to call for help and the crowd gradually dispersed.
There were a lot of scattered debris and torn cloth on the ground, which could be seen to have fallen from the wooden yoke and Wei Maolin's outer robe.
In addition, there were a lot of bloodstains, but there was no trace of Wei Maolin.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
