Chapter 21 A Man Relying on His Dog's Power
Zisu looked surprised and peeked out for a closer look.
“They are the family of Minister Jiang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. I once saw Minister Jiang visit the young master at our home.”
Li Nanke frowned slightly.
Zisu continued, "Miss was at Prince Xuan's residence this morning and is unaware of what happened outside."
This morning, after the imperial edict of punishment for our Crown Prince was issued, the imperial edict of confiscation of the Jiang family property and exile followed immediately.
While I was waiting for you outside, Miss, I overheard someone saying that Lord Jiang is corrupt, accepts bribes, and uses inferior goods to pass off as superior ones. He also helps his colleagues neglect their duties.
Li Nanke immediately understood.
So this Lord Jiang is the one who took my father's money and signed in on his behalf.
This same Lord Jiang was also involved in embezzlement, bribery, and selling inferior goods as superior ones.
He was probably afraid of being exposed, so he signed his father's name on the Ministry of Revenue's treasury records.
My aunt and uncle didn't know that my father had never been to the government office. They assumed that my father was embezzling and accepting bribes, so they wrote an anonymous letter to report him.
Zisu spat out a mouthful of saliva, "That Jiang guy is really despicable. He took the young master's money and then did something to frame him."
Fortunately, the young lady pleaded with King Xuan for help; otherwise, it would be our family being exiled now.
Li Nanke strongly agreed with this statement.
Without Shen Cong's help, their family would indeed have had a hard time escaping exile.
However, she also repaid Shen Cong by hoping that he could successfully find the eldest prince, Shen Xu, in Taizhou.
Just then, a piercing cry came from outside, bringing her back to her senses.
“Aunt Tao, I’m scared. I don’t want to be exiled. Waaah!”
The cries came from the exile procession. An eight- or nine-year-old girl was being held tightly in the arms of a woman who was nearly forty. She was pale and wailing.
The woman, called Tao Mama, wiped away the little girl's tears while kneeling on the ground and begging the yamen runners.
"Please, sir, let me go with you to the exile. Please, my lady only has me left."
Tao's mother kowtowed repeatedly, and after only a few times, her forehead was bleeding.
Bright red blood flowed down his temples.
The head constable, looking annoyed, impatiently lashed out with his whip.
"You've been reduced to exile, yet you still think you're a pampered young lady? Do you think exile is something you can just decide to do whenever you want?"
You old codger, you're not on the exile list. Get out of here, or I'll whip you to death.
Before she could finish speaking, the whip had already struck Tao's mother on the back.
With one lash, his clothes were torn to shreds, and blood seeped out.
Tao's mother was pale, but she gritted her teeth and hugged the little girl tightly in her arms, protecting her close.
The little girl screamed in fright.
"Please don't hit Aunt Tao, please don't hit Aunt Tao."
After the constables lashed her several times, Tao's mother almost fainted, but she still refused to let go of the little girl.
He gritted his teeth and endured it, while his other hand trembled as he pulled out a few taels of silver and a silver hairpin from his pocket.
Then, using his back as cover, he quickly stuffed it into the little girl's arms.
"Miss... I may not be able to take care of you anymore."
That scene directly entered Li Nanke's field of vision, instantly bringing tears to her eyes.
In the dream, Zisu also endured the pain of being whipped and gave her all the little silver and jewelry she had.
She was exiled, and she didn't know what became of Zisu or where she was sold to. She didn't see any of it in that dream.
For a moment, the scene before me overlapped with the scene of Zisu being whipped in my dream.
Li Nanke felt a lump in his throat and a rush of heat to his head. He opened the car door and jumped out.
The head constable, his face contorted with rage, continued to whip Mama Tao.
“A lowly slave dares to obstruct my official duties. Even if I beat you to death today, the government will not punish me.”
"stop."
A crisp, angry voice suddenly rang out.
The constable turned his head and saw a little girl with a round face and big round eyes walking quickly towards him.
A hint of anger flashed across her fair and rosy face. Her chubby little finger pointed at him and said, "Although she hindered your official business, she doesn't deserve to die."
According to the laws of the Great Chu, even if a master arbitrarily beats a servant to death, it is considered equivalent to murder.
Despite being a beautiful young girl, she spoke clearly and logically, instantly enlightening the onlookers.
"Yes, this mother really dotes on her young master; she's truly loyal."
“Such a loyal servant should not have been beaten to death.”
The constable listened to the discussions of the onlookers, glared at the little girl who barely reached his waist, and his face darkened.
"Whose little brat dares to obstruct our Ministry of Justice's official duties? Get out of the way, or I'll let you taste the power of this whip."
The bailiff brandished his whip, his expression ferocious.
Zisu turned pale with fright and quickly stepped forward to block Li Nanke's side.
He said with a terrified expression, "Sir, we are..."
"You are not worthy to know who we are."
Li Nanke loudly interrupted Zisu, who was only halfway through her sentence.
Zisu was so shocked she almost bit off her tongue, then turned to look at Li Nanke with a bewildered expression.
Girl, what are you saying?
Li Nanke winked at her and shook his head slightly.
The constable looked at the carriage ahead with a disdainful expression, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Do you think I'm stupid? You think you can fool me with just a few words? What are you doing coming here in such a shabby carriage to act like some kind of important person? Bah!"
Having served in the capital for many years, the yamen runner considered himself to have long since developed a keen eye for the ways of the world.
Although the fabric of the girl's clothes was quite nice, the simple carriage was obviously rented casually on the street for a few copper coins.
Such people are mostly from families with a little money but no power or influence; even if you offend them, it won't affect you.
The bailiff brandished his whip and lashed it viciously at Li Nanke.
"Get out of my way."
The whip whistled through the air as it lashed towards Li Nanke. Startled, Zisu turned around and instinctively hugged her tightly.
Li Nanke, however, was not afraid; instead, she let out a crisp cry.
"Snow Eagle".
"Woof woof woof!"
Xueying, who had already jumped off the car with Li Nanke, let out a sharp cry and quickly leaped up, biting the whip in mid-air.
Then he pounced on the constables with swift and precise movements.
"ah!"
The constable screamed and was tackled to the ground.
Snow Eagle stomped its two feet hard on the major blood vessels in his neck, baring its fierce fangs at him.
The constables trembled with fear.
Li Nanke walked over and patted Xueying's head with a smile.
"Good job, Xueying. I'll give you an extra chicken leg when we get back."
"Woof woof".
Snow Eagle, pleased with the praise, stomped its feet even harder.
The constable was so frightened that his whole body tensed up, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.
Li Nanke squatted down, rested his chin on his hand, and pointed at Xueying.
"Sir, you don't recognize me, but don't you recognize it either?"
The constable opened his eyes and took a closer look, and was immediately terrified.
This...this is King Xuan's beloved pet, Snow Eagle.
How could this young girl command the king's beloved pet?
What was her relationship with King Xuan?
Before the constable could figure it out, Li Nanke's voice rang out again.
It was said to Xueying.
"You're lucky. The prince just punished you by not letting you eat for three days, and we found food on our own as soon as we went out."
Although you love eating succulent, tender meat, this is a bit ugly and smelly, but having food is better than having no food at all, don't you think?
After speaking, Li Nanke's round eyes darted around.
Hmm, why does that sound familiar?
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