Su Mengyan couldn't imagine how many people like Zhao Qing's father were, who were not infected with the plague but were taken away by the arrogant and unreasonable yamen runners.
"Sister, can you help me find my parents?" Zhao Qing's voice was choked with tears.
Su Mengyan felt sad and made up a beautiful lie for him, "Don't worry, when you recover, your father and mother will be back, so you should rest and recuperate now."
"But they all say my illness is an incurable plague." Zhao Qing lowered his head and said gloomily, "Are Dad and Mom still alive?"
Su Mengyan turned her eyes away to hide the moisture in the corners of her eyes, but she couldn't nod her head.
There is a high possibility that his parents will never come back.
"Are the people who came to arrest you these days the yamen runners?" Situ Yao asked him. Whenever Zhao Qing was afraid, he would repeat the three words "Don't arrest me".
"It was them." Zhao Qing nodded and said, "I hid myself and they didn't find me."
"Okay, just stay here and recuperate. No one will come to arrest you." Situ Yao unexpectedly comforted him, and then left with Su Mengyan.
After disinfecting themselves, everyone gathered outside the yard again.
"Sir, what did the little boy say?" Cui Mixue asked with concern.
Situ Yao didn't answer her. He leaned his fingers against the table, his brows furrowed, and it was unknown what he was thinking about.
Seeing that she was embarrassed, Su Mengyan told her what Zhao Qing said.
"It's so abominable." The two of them condemned the yamen runners who arrested people indiscriminately.
"Have Xu Chuyun and the others returned?" Situ Yao had just asked when they rushed in in a hurry. Speak of the devil, he appeared.
Situ Yao noticed something was wrong with them and asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"
"Someone is following us." Xu Chuyun's face turned grim. "It should be someone from the government office."
"Have they discovered your identities?" Situ Yao also frowned. If the Xu brothers were exposed so quickly, it would be a rather troublesome matter.
"We got rid of them halfway. They probably didn't notice we were here." Both of them had good martial arts skills and easily got rid of the yamen runners behind them.
However, they were well-known figures in Chu City, so they were recognized as soon as they went out.
"How are you doing with the things I asked you to do?" Situ Yao didn't notice the inn, so he didn't bother to make a fuss about it.
Xu Chuyun shook his head and said, "We searched the entire city, but couldn't find the people they hid."
"No need to search the city, let's find a way to look for him outside." Situ Yao guessed that the person was imprisoned outside the city. This matter was still handed over to the Xu brothers, but the next time they went out, they had to disguise themselves well and not be recognized so quickly.
In the Chucheng prefectural government, a bailiff knelt before a middle-aged civil servant and said, "Sir, today my men found the Xu brothers in the city."
"Where are the people?" the civil servant shouted. "With all of you, couldn't you capture those two? They're a bunch of losers!"
"They ran away." The yamen runner lowered his head. "Please punish them, sir."
"Waste!" the civil servant cursed again. If it weren't for the shortage of manpower, this man would probably be punished.
The civil servant gave him a sharp kick and said, "Get out! You're more likely to cause trouble than to help!"
The yamen runners ran out tumbling and crawling, and the sound of civil servants cursing could be heard from behind.
Half a cup of tea passed before the civil official finally calmed down and regained his usual elegance. He ordered the servant boy outside, "Go and invite the other adults to the prefectural governor's residence. Tell them that I have an urgent matter to discuss."
The servant boy trotted away, knowing that his master was angry, and didn't dare to say a word for fear of being shot.
Half an hour later, all the officials in Chu City who had a say arrived at the civil servant's study.
"Why did Lord Wang call us here?" asked one of the adults.
In terms of official positions, they were higher than Wang Shouli, the Tongpan of Chucheng, and should not have obeyed orders blindly.
The bad thing is that this person has evidence of most of them taking bribes, as well as some other shameful things, and no one knows how he found out about them.
With the threat of these evidences, no matter what Wang Shouli said, they dared not show their displeasure openly.
Wang Shouli was wearing a long gown that scholars often wear. He had a gentle and elegant temperament and did not look like a villain at all. He looked around, ignoring their different expressions. He said to himself, "Brother Xu is back."
"Didn't they run away?" Lord Lin asked doubtfully, "Could it be that they just escaped from the prefectural government and were actually hiding in the city?"
"It's possible. When they left, we immediately blocked the exit of Chu City, and no one saw how they got out." Because they didn't see the Xu brothers leaving the city, they concluded that they stayed in the city.
"They have been hiding for so long, why do they show up?" Lord Lin continued to ask.
A sneer rang out from the study. "You've locked up the governor. As sons of the Xu family, of course they'll come back to rescue us." The speaker raised an eyebrow and looked at the people in the study. "I heard that the Xu brothers have practiced martial arts since they were young. They might be seeking revenge on you. If any of you die without knowing it, don't feel wronged."
The man who spoke these words was He Xuyu, the magistrate of Qinghe County. He was just over twenty years old and had arrived in Qinghe County, the poorest district in Chu City, full of ambition. Under his leadership, the people of the county had just begun to improve their impoverished lives when they were struck by the plague.
Before He Xuyu arrived and could report the news, he was guarded by Wang Shouli's men and forced to become a member of their faction. He usually disliked their actions and would make sarcastic remarks whenever he got the chance.
Being stared at by his fierce eyes, Wang Shouli did not feel uncomfortable at all. However, the other adults in the study did not think so. They had been guilty to begin with, and now they were even more afraid. They wanted to drive He Xuyu out.
Under pressure, Wang Shouli called the yamen runners and said, "Take Lord He away and keep a close watch on him. Don't let him escape."
"You have harmed the people of Chucheng, and you will definitely be punished!" Before leaving, He Xuyu memorized the faces of each of them.
"Lord Wang, will the kid from the Xu family really come to seek revenge on us?" The weak and gentle Wang Shouli unexpectedly became their evil leader, and the others all came to him for advice.
Wang Shouli looked at those cowards with disdain, "You are all the officials of Chu City. Your homes are guarded by yamen runners. Do you think they can break through the numerous yamen runners and force their way in?"
"In my opinion, it would be great if they really come. We can catch them all in one fell swoop." Wang Shouli said indifferently, "As long as we can catch them, I don't care what the price is!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
