Uncle Cao understood, "I understand. Those officials and nobles are high and mighty, and they pride themselves on being impartial. If they don't ask someone to personally see this child's plight, I'm afraid they'll kill him with just a few words."
"That's right. When you bring the men back, make a big noise so that all the neighbors know the official is here on business."
Uncle Cao was a little hesitant when he heard this. "But this bookstore has just opened. There's been bloodshed here before, and there are bad rumors about it. It's unlucky. Now the officials are here too. Aren't you afraid of ruining your reputation even more?"
"Reputation is the icing on the cake for the rich and powerful, but for commoners like us, it can sometimes be a deadly barrier. So what does it matter if it's good or not?" Xu Jiang smiled faintly, his eyes bright. "Uncle Cao, it's hard enough for us to survive. Why add more shackles?"
Uncle Cao was stunned, then heard her cunningly say, "When it comes to reputation, those officials have the best reputation. To gain prestige and promotion, they have to pretend to be benevolent and righteous and put on a show. So let's spread the news that they're here, and also spread the news of the child's current plight. Even if they find out he's a runaway slave, even the most selfless and ruthless person will be forced to give him a chance to live."
"I'm going crazy. I'll go get help from the government." Uncle Cao smiled, leaned over and touched the child's head, then stood up to leave when he was suddenly grabbed by a pair of small hands. He looked down and saw that the child had woken up at some point and was looking at him with a pair of dark eyes.
"I'm not a runaway slave." The child's voice was as thin as a mosquito, but the two of them could hear it clearly.
"When did this child wake up?" It looked like he must have heard their conversation.
"Awake?" Xu Jiang leaned over to take a look. "That's good. Doctor Chen is truly a miracle worker."
Uncle Cao sat down next to the child and asked in a low voice, "Child, since you say you are not a runaway slave, can you tell us who you are, where you are from, and why you collapsed outside the door?"
The child looked from Uncle Cao to Xu Jiang, then loosened his grip and tucked himself back into the quilt. He spoke rather pitifully, "My name is Lu Zhen, and I'm from Qingzhou. A flood swept my hometown, and my parents were swept away. So, I came to Beijing with the villagers to look for them. Unexpectedly, I encountered villains along the way who wanted to kidnap and sell me into slavery. I tried to escape many times, but each time they caught me and broke my legs."
After hearing this, Xu Jiang asked with a somewhat strange look on her face, "Did that kidnapper take you to stay at the Yunlai Inn in this district?"
Seeing that the child and Uncle Cao were looking at her in surprise, she continued, "Later, the kidnapper was captured by an official, is that true or not?"
"You...how do you know?" The child looked at her tremblingly, his face full of vigilance.
"Because when he was arrested, I happened to be staying in that inn, in the room next door." It was such a coincidence, no wonder she felt that the child's experience was somewhat familiar.
Xu Jiang was relieved to learn that the child was the one rescued that night. If he wasn't a fugitive, that would be easy. Then she asked, "Weren't you taken away by the police that day? How did you end up on the streets again?"
The child relaxed after realizing she wasn't an accomplice of the kidnapper. "That day, I thought he was going to beat me to death. Luckily, the official saved me. He took me back to the yamen, recorded my confession, and even hired a doctor for me. But after he left, I didn't have money for further medical expenses, so I... walked out on my own."
Xu Jiang didn't believe him, so she put on a stern face and threatened him, "If you don't tell the truth, I will send you back to the government office."
"I..." The child was anxious and wanted to sit up.
Uncle Cao quickly held the man down, fearing he would hurt his foot again. "Don't worry, kid. The boss is just trying to scare you. Talk to us properly, and then we can help you."
The child looked at Xu Jiang timidly and stammered, "They found the relatives I wanted to stay with, but they refused to recognize me, so they wanted to send me back to my hometown... My parents are gone, and my clan members have all moved away and dispersed. There's no one left when I return."
Uncle Cao understood, "You didn't want to be deported, so you ran away from the government office?"
"Yes..." The child looked at Xu Jiang eagerly, "Please don't send me back, sister. Even if you send me back... I will still run away."
Xu Jiang was so angry at the brat that he laughed. "Where are you going with your legs broken? If I hadn't picked you up, you would have died on the street last night and become a wandering ghost."
The child was scolded until his face turned red, but he still did not forget to thank her, "Thank you for saving my life, Lu Zhen will definitely repay you in the future."
"Your name is Lu Zhen?" He was quite sensible and reasonable. Xu Jiang couldn't help but reach out and pinch his face, saying softly, "Take good care of him for now."
"Um..." The child twisted uncomfortably in the quilt, looking at Uncle Cao hesitantly.
"What's wrong?" Xu Jiang thought she had touched his wound. "Did it hurt you?"
"No... no." Seeing that Uncle Cao ignored him, the child said shyly, "I want to go to the toilet..."
…
Xu Jiang walked out of the bedroom, touched his nose, and walked towards the front hall with some embarrassment.
The capital was divided into two counties: Wannian and Chang'an. With Jingdu Street as its central axis, the 84 wards centered on the West Market constituted Wannian County, while the 96 wards centered on the East Market constituted Chang'an County. Both counties were under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Yinfu.
At that moment, in the Wannian County government office, a purple-robed official sat in the seat formerly reserved for the county magistrate, flipping through a booklet. The magistrate and several of his subordinates stood in the hall below, exchanging anxious glances, none of them understanding what this official was doing in the county office when it wasn't even the day for an inspection.
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