18 Chapter 18
◎Five families form a chain, ten families form a guarantee◎
Cheng Mu intended to let the man go, Mu Yun stopped his moves, and the man found an opportunity to escape.
Mu Yun asked her who this person was.
Qi Song heard the noise in the front yard and when he rushed over he saw the man in black climbing over the wall and escaping.
He quickly ran to their side, confirmed that the two were not injured, and asked anxiously, "Madam Cheng, was it a robbery?"
Seeing Qi Song coming out of the heavy rain, all wet, Cheng Mu looked at the dark night and whispered, "This is not the place to talk to each other. Let's go inside and talk."
Cheng Mu recounted the story of her encounter with the thief that night from the beginning.
Mu Yun thought it was just another hungry ghost, but Qi Song had a keener sense of smell than him, "The streets are open for business today." Many families went out to buy things, and even beggars went out to beg for food.
Yes, everyone who was hungry went to the streets to find a way out.
Mu Yun suddenly thought, "He asked if the family's surname was Li. Could it be that he knew Master Li?"
It’s not necessarily knowing, but knowing should be knowing. Cheng Mu thought to herself, could it be that Mr. Li’s success was due to his involvement in this incident?
Qi Song had a guess in his mind and said hesitantly, "Could it be that the person the Yanbei Army is searching for today is..."
Cheng Mu nodded affirmatively at him, "That should be it. Qi Bo, Mu Yun, if any soldiers get wind of this and come to ask about it, you must tell them the truth. Qi Bo, go change your clothes quickly, be careful not to catch a cold."
He stood in the room for a while, and there was a circle of wetness on the ground.
The matter was of great importance, so Mu Yun asked, "Do you want to tell me about what he inquired about Master Li?"
Cheng Mu frowned and shook her head, "You only tell me what you saw, I will tell you what I encountered."
Cheng Mu knew the thief and first guessed it was him based on his appearance and voice. When he took off his veil, she confirmed it was him. She was afraid that he would recognize her, so she never faced him.
But she didn't tell Mu Yun and Qi Song that the child had no mother, and it was a long story. Besides, she had already separated her life from Cheng Jiuniang's, and she would not reveal it unless it was absolutely necessary.
Apart from the Tatars, Wala and other Mongols, how many people could be mobilized by the Yanbei Army to search for them, especially after such a big event recently?
There are some descriptions of this person in the book, saying only that he is a madman who hates the male protagonist, loves to steal his things, and disgusts his family. He wants to get rid of the male protagonist. If his father's rebellion succeeds, he will replace the male protagonist as the prince, but it doesn't happen, so he can only escape. As long as he escapes, he can always keep away from the male protagonist.
Cheng Mu couldn't help but guess the relationship between him and Li Xiucai. If he was secretly colluding with the court, he would have a backup plan. Li Xiucai might be his backup plan, helping him escape from Yanbei. This could explain why he came here.
Most likely he is here to make a connection.
Cheng Mu's guess was correct. Even though a night of heavy rain had washed away many traces, the Yanbei soldiers still found this place by following some clues.
As soon as they arrived, they blocked off all the street entrances. A team of soldiers lined up in front of Cheng Mu's house, and more than a dozen of them entered the house to guard every doorway. The soldiers looked stern, solemn and mighty.
Several street corners were crowded with people watching the excitement. The walls of the houses in the alleys seemed to have people growing on them, looking up. The soldiers standing like a steel forest brought an inexplicable fear, and the whole area was shrouded in an inexplicable oppression.
Five families form a group, ten families form a guarantee. If one family is guilty and nine families report it, if no one reports it, all ten families will be punished.
They had already searched thoroughly yesterday, and came again today, still only going to one house. Everyone was afraid to see the person wanted by the whole city coming out of this house.
A general questioned him carefully in the main hall.
When did that person come? Did you see his face? What did he say? What did he take? Where did he leave? How did he leave?
They asked the same question over and over again, and Cheng Xi patiently answered them again and again.
It mainly proves two points. First, the thief's face was not seen, so no one knew who he was. Second, the thief only stole food, looted a can of fried flour, and even took away the dried fruits, which fits the image of a thief who fled in a panic.
The general wanted her to lead the movement and recreate what happened last night. He wanted to know every step, every word, and every detail.
Ask Mu Yun how he found him and how he fought with him, and demonstrate it several times;
Ask Qi Song where he escaped to and how he got on the wall, and continue to recreate the scene...
Yu and Gui'er were also questioned. Gui'er was sleeping soundly and had not woken up. Yu said that she only heard the rain and the noisy sound of the rain, and she did not hear any other noise.
It was not until noon that the Yanbei soldiers left here.
As soon as they left, the air started to flow again and became much fresher.
Yu held her chest and cried out that she was scared to death, and Gui'er cried out that she was starving to death.
The family had not eaten or drunk anything all morning. Yu came to ask Cheng Mu what she wanted to eat. Cheng Mu said to chop some cucumbers and make a pot of noodle dumplings. Yu took Gui'er to the kitchen.
Seeing how thorough and strict the interrogation was, Mu Yun was still worried about Li Xiucai. Yu's mother and daughter had gone to the kitchen, and Qi Song had gone to the front yard. Now that no one was around, he whispered to Cheng Mu, "Is Master Li okay?"
Cheng Mu also didn't know that the second young master in the book did not escape. He was not stupid. He could find out that the people around him had been bribed, and he knew how to take advantage of the situation. However, the protagonist had a big halo. When he wanted to hurt the heroine, he could not escape being beaten by the people around the heroine, and died easily.
Cheng Jiuniang's fate has changed, so it's not surprising that Mr. Xu Er has also changed.
"Aren't we going to be away from here for a while? Go and say goodbye to the two masters in a couple of days."
Mu Yun nodded. He would know if he went to check on Master Li.
Qi Songgang went to the gatehouse and then turned back to report.
Cheng Mu asked him, "Who's making noise at the door?"
Qi Song said, "Several neighbors want to see the head of the family."
Cheng Mu and Mu Yun exchanged a glance, and Mu Yun said, "I'll go take a look first."
Because the Yanbei soldiers blocked the street and stood here for a whole morning, the neighbors were in panic and had the most terrible guesses, so they came over with a threatening look.
A plump woman put her hands on her hips and angrily demanded, "Are the Yanbei Army here to find the murderer? Do you dare to swear that you are not harboring any criminals?"
Everyone agreed, already feeling that they had been implicated.
An old man with a white beard said angrily, "We are a group of people who have jointly protected our family. You are trying to kill our entire family..."
Mu Yun explained that they were not harboring any criminals, but were robbed in the middle of the night. When the soldiers came to investigate, he asked them in return, if his house really was harboring someone, why would the soldiers just leave like that!
The people were furious, their rationality gone. They'd been trembling with fear all morning, and now they couldn't let it go. Someone in the crowd threw rotten leaves and rotten eggs at them, cursing, "You deserve to be cut into pieces! How did you escape from famine? You're just a piece of shit!"
Qi Song blocked for Mu Yun and signaled him to stop talking, saying it was useless. He then protected him and went in, closing the door tightly.
Clods of dirt, smelly fish, etc. flew in from outside the wall, and someone took advantage of the chaos to throw firecrackers in, which made a non-stop crackling sound.
Gui'er and Yu came out of the kitchen and looked at it in amazement.
Cheng Xi shook her head helplessly.
After the neighbors had vented their anger and left, the family quietly cleaned up. Gui'er, knowing how to find joy in hardship, piled the unburned bamboo together, rekindled it, and listened to the echo.
Cheng Mu took out a ginseng from the space, packed some fruits and vegetables, took Mu Yun and Qi Song, and went to the headman's house.
In the current situation, she had no choice but to use the tiger's skin as a banner. She revealed to the head of the village that her surname was Cheng, "The princess of the Yanyun Palace is also surnamed Cheng. She is from the same clan as my mother's family. She lived in the ancestral home in Ding'an Town for a period of time when she was young, and we often played together." She said that because of this reason, the generals of the Yanbei Army stayed in her house for a while longer in the morning.
The headman was a plump old man, worldly-wise and obedient. He immediately understood the purpose of Madam Cheng's visit. Today, the neighbors bullied her for being a widow and a newcomer, and she came to tell everyone through him that she was not easy to bully and had a strong backing.
Someone from the headman's house also went to join in the fun today. His face looked a little ugly, and he was a little surprised.
After all, he preferred to keep things quiet, so naturally he would put on a show. He sighed, "They say a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor. Those families today really went too far. How could they hurt the relationship between neighbors like this? Even if Madam Cheng doesn't come to my house, I will still speak a few fair words on her behalf."
"I'm deeply grateful that the head of the police station spoke for my uncle and aunt. Please accept my gift." Cheng Mu bowed deeply. Qi Song handed over the gift. Cheng Mu said, "The thief broke into the house and robbed it in the middle of the night. Who would want to suffer such a misfortune? It's my fault that the neighbors were worried. Mu Yun, when you go back, prepare a gift for each family and go door to door with Uncle Qi."
Mu Yunmu nodded blankly. He had heard about the Ding'an Cheng family from the oil mill on Qushui Street. He had never asked about it before. This was the first time he heard her sister-in-law mention her "maternal family." But he had no idea that the Crown Prince's Consort of the Yanyun Palace was also from the Ding'an Cheng family. If they were from the same clan...
"I am now very ill and have no one to take care of me at my husband's house. I received a letter from my parents asking me to go back to give birth. I will leave in the next few days. I will definitely thank you handsomely for your care when I return."
This Madam Cheng looked young and naive, but she did things in a methodical way. The head of the village took out his pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff. "Madam Cheng, don't worry. There will definitely be an explanation for what happened today."
Afterwards, the head of the village came out and called the heads of each household to discuss the matter.
Because of the banner raised by Cheng Mu, she was related to the Yanyun Palace, so the apology she offered was not difficult. The neighbors around her could not figure out her background, but they did not dare to bully her anymore, and they all came to her house to apologize.
The tense atmosphere in the city lasted for several days. Probably because they couldn't find anyone, the Yanbei soldiers left Puyang City one morning.
When Mu Yun went to say goodbye, he hadn't seen either of his teachers. Captain Lin hadn't been seen since the war began, and he wasn't at the county government office. As for Li Xiucai, his family said he was out traveling. Because the new emperor might reopen the imperial examinations, he had been invited by his classmates to go out on the day the city gates opened.
Since nothing happened, Cheng Mu no longer paid attention to this matter.
Mu Yun also brought back a piece of news that the Yang family had been very active during the martial law period, and had run into the Yanbei Army's guns, and the entire family was killed.
Yang Wulang abused his power to kill. Gui'er avenged her father and brother by chopping Yang Wulang's head. The late emperor pardoned her, but the Yang family could not swallow this humiliation. After Gui'er was released from prison, they arranged for an assassin to kill her, but Gui'er counterattacked. If one strike fails, there will be another, and now this has brought disaster to the entire family.
Gui'er and her daughter were relieved of their endless worries. "Don't have the intention to harm others. Harming others will only harm yourself."
Gui'er and Yu both applauded.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
