This is quite a formidable creature; it takes a month or two, or even a year or two, with it wherever it goes before moving on to a new place.
The reason for changing locations was simple: he had committed a crime in the area and had no choice but to flee.
But this was the most desperate time Davar had ever been pushed. He couldn't even leave the city.
God knows how much he wanted to curse the magistrate's ancestors when he saw that clear portrait at the city gate.
If the county magistrate doesn't let him have an easy time, then he'll naturally teach the county magistrate a lesson.
So he started staking out the county government office, and that's when he noticed that the magistrate had a daughter. Oh dear, this gave him an outlet for revenge.
Then, he got himself into trouble. If you're going to act arrogantly, you might get struck by lightning.
Ren Shan has been committing all sorts of crimes over the years without being caught, which has made him arrogant.
When the county government announced that the rapist had been caught and would be executed on a later date, the relatives of the victims ran to the county government gate and kowtowed again to express their gratitude and sing praises.
He further stated that he would grind the lecherous thief to dust.
Zhao Minggeng understood these people's feelings, but he could not agree with their actions.
After all, once a person has seen blood, they may not be able to control their ferocity in the future.
Because Zhao Minggeng did not exploit the people when he came to Dawar, and he was a truly good official, the people's gratitude towards the government when they had problems increased considerably.
Early in the morning, the yamen received a report from a woman named Zhang Li, who said that her daughter had gone missing the day before and had not returned home all night, and asked the government to help search for her.
Since they've gone missing, we need to find out the details.
“I have always made a living by washing and mending clothes for others. Yesterday, when I returned from delivering the washed clothes to my employer, my five-year-old daughter, Mai Miao, was gone.”
I asked my mother-in-law, and she said that she went back to her room to sleep because she was sleepy after I left.
When I returned, my daughter was gone.
The woman has searched many places but has not found it. She begs the magistrate to grant her request.
After hearing this, Zhao Minggeng felt like cursing.
"When you got home, was the front door open or closed? How tall is Mai Miao? If no one opened the door, could she open it herself?"
Zhao Minggeng asked.
Zhang Li thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"I've never seen Mai Miao open the door and go out by herself. She's usually a very well-behaved child."
Every time I went out, Mai Miao would see me off and then close the gate herself.
The woman knew she never went out casually, which was why she suspected the disappearance of the wheat seedlings was suspicious.
Zhao Minggeng tapped his fingers back and forth on the table.
"Have you searched your home? Including the places your child likes to hide."
Zhang Li nodded again in confirmation.
Now that a case had been filed, Zhao Minggeng was bound to try it, so he led his constables straight to Zhang Li's house.
The most interesting thing is that Zhang Li's mother-in-law, Zhang Song, was very hostile to the yamen runners. If the county magistrate hadn't come in person, she would have complained to her daughter-in-law for reporting to the authorities.
When Zhao Minggeng explained that he had come to investigate the scene, Zhang Songshi's eyes flickered.
If Zhao Minggeng hadn't started interacting with wild animals from a young age, he probably wouldn't have noticed Zhang Songshi's subtle changes.
"Oh, my little granddaughter is just unlucky. As our family's life was getting better, she ran off to play instead of being well-behaved. Now that she's lost, I can't blame anyone else."
It's really that little girl's fault for troubling the adults to make this trip.
Zhang Songshi said.
As soon as he said that, Zhao Minggeng's expression changed.
"Since the case has already been reported to the authorities, it is now under my jurisdiction. What, do you still want to take charge for me?"
"I ask you, what were you doing yesterday while your daughter-in-law, Zhang Li, was not at home?"
Zhang Songshi never imagined that the fire would spread to her own body.
"My lord, I am naturally sleeping at home."
Zhao Minggeng continued to ask,
"Did you go to sleep immediately after Zhang Li left? From what time did you sleep until what time did you fall asleep?"
Zhao Song clan was at a loss.
"My lord, my household does not have an hourglass, so how would I know what time it is?"
Anyway, I start sleeping as soon as my daughter-in-law leaves, and I'm still asleep when she comes back.
"If you don't believe me, ask my daughter-in-law. She knocked on the door for ages before I heard her."
Zhao Minggeng nodded. "Was anyone else at home at the time?"
Zhang Songshi shook her head.
"Where did these other people come from? Don't they need to make a living? During the day, it's basically just this old woman taking care of that little girl."
Others still have work to do.
Zhao Minggeng nodded, then turned to Zhang Lishi and asked,
Did Mai Miao see you off when you left? Did she lock the door?
Zhang Li nodded, "My Mai Miao is the most obedient. Every time I go out, she obediently locks the door."
Zhao Minggeng nodded, "Men, seize Zhang Songshi."
Now everyone is searching this yard. Don't miss a single corner; dig three feet into the ground to find him.
The constables immediately began a thorough search, leaving no stone unturned, not even a single footprint.
When Zhang Songshi heard that she was to be arrested, she resisted desperately, even trying to roll on the ground to resist arrest.
Zhao Minggeng was too lazy to deal with this unreasonable person, so he drew the sword from the yamen runner next to him and held it directly to Zhang Songshi's neck.
"Behave yourself, or I'll send you to the Western Paradise."
Even though Zhang Songshi was illiterate, she knew that Zhao Minggeng's words were not kind.
They immediately cowered. They only felt occasionally tense as they watched the constables search.
"Sir, we've made a discovery!" a constable suddenly shouted. Zhao Minggeng quickly went over to investigate.
At the base of the north wall of the Zhang family's house, there is a patch of soil that looks like fresh soil, and there are traces of dried blood nearby.
At Zhao Minggeng's command, the constables began digging.
The constables dug extremely carefully, knowing that every shovelful might lead to the poor little girl.
When they dug to a depth of half a foot, they didn't find the little girl, but they did find a bag of silver.
A total of ten taels of silver.
Judging from the dampness of the fabric, it can be determined that the bag of silver was buried not long ago.
When Zhang Songshi first heard about the clues, she panicked for a while, but then seemed to have figured something out and showed an indifferent expression.
"What's going on? Zhang Li-shi, based on your understanding of the money coming in and going out of your household over the years, is it possible that your family has this much silver?"
Zhao Minggeng asked.
Zhang Li shook her head.
"Over the years, my family has made a living by doing odd jobs. If we can save a little bit of money at the end of the year, we consider ourselves to be doing well."
How could there possibly be such a large sum of money?
After confirming, Zhao Minggeng looked at Zhang Songshi.
Do you really think I'm a fool?
When Mai Miao went out, she locked the door, and when her mother, Zhang Li Shi, returned, the door was still locked.
Then let me ask you, under what circumstances could a 5-year-old girl disappear without opening the door?
"Don't you dare tell me there are professional crutchmen who can jump around high up."
Upon hearing Zhao Minggeng's words, Madam Zhang immediately nodded, "Your Excellency is truly insightful."
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