Chapter 1095 Implicated
The magistrate's son's personal servant was quite shrewd and worldly-wise. If he accompanied the son to Wuzhou, he would definitely tell the son not to talk to unfamiliar people and that he would never lose his purse.
"Xiao Wu, you can't say that."
The magistrate's son denied the servant's claim. He said he had lost his purse but wasn't sure where he had put it. He had no evidence and it wasn't necessarily the person who had spoken to him who stole it. If the person had only meant well, wouldn't it be a great injustice?
“My lord, that man kept recommending you to dine at He Tai Restaurant; he clearly had ill intentions.”
The servant's face was full of bitterness. His young master was very honest and had been too well protected by his master and mistress. He had never experienced the harsh realities of society and was still a simple-minded person.
The backers of He Tai Restaurant are definitely not ordinary businessmen. How could they dare to sell at such high prices without the support of the government? It is highly likely that this business deal is inextricably linked to Prefect Shen.
“Prefect Shen is a fourth-rank official, the local magistrate of Wuzhou. If the Shen family has a share in the business of Ruohe Tai Restaurant, then Prefect Shen is essentially extorting money from the people.”
Is there no one to restrain officials from acting this way?
Nobody's money comes from thin air, the magistrate's son said with a dark expression, clearly disagreeing.
"Young master, please wake up."
The master was worried about his son's straightforward nature, so he sent him to accompany him. But just as the master had predicted, they encountered trouble.
"This is Wuzhou City. You have come here to discuss scholarship with your classmate, Young Master Zhang."
The servant had to remind his young master that Wuzhou and Yuzhou were not the same city, and had nothing to do with Gaixian. If the young master got into trouble in Wuzhou, the master might want to bail him out but wouldn't be able to.
Furthermore, what does it matter to you, young master, whether He Tai Restaurant is a rip-off or not?
The restaurant's exorbitant prices must have been a long-standing issue, yet it remains incredibly popular. Perhaps those willing to pay exorbitant prices feel they're making a good impression by entering.
One is willing to hit, and the other is willing to be hit; there's no need for you, young master, to intervene and cause trouble.
"Xiao Wu, you are mistaken."
The magistrate's son disapproved of the servant. He was angry not only about the high price of the dishes, but also about the various additional charges, such as tea sets, tea, and tips for the servant.
These miscellaneous coins add up to quite a bit, and the charge is unreasonable.
And last night, he admitted that he had lost his purse and said he was willing to pay for the meal and would never renege on his debt. He also complained about how Tai Restaurant was acting, being unreasonable and arrogant, and tried to beat him up.
If it weren't for his benefactor giving him the money in time, he would have been beaten up.
The master and servant argued until they were red in the face. When they left, the servant was very embarrassed and repeatedly apologized to Qi Heng and Lin Yuesha.
"My wife, I have a feeling that this magistrate's son is likely to cause some trouble."
Qi Heng sat down and said with great certainty.
"Husband, how did you figure that out?"
The servant brought over many gifts as thanks, some of which were local specialties from Gaizhou.
Lin Yuesha was interested in the peach slice cake. She opened it and tasted it. The peach slice cake was thin and sweet and sour, and could be eaten as a snack.
Literati and scholars are often pedantic, but that doesn't mean they are ignorant of human relationships and worldly affairs.
The servant made it very clear that they couldn't and wouldn't be able to handle this matter.
"His eyes, his eyes were full of resentment."
Qi Heng was convinced that it was good for this matter to come to light; it just needed an opportunity.
Taking this opportunity, Qi Heng decided to conduct a thorough investigation, root out all the corrupt officials, and wipe them out in one fell swoop.
"Miss, look! I've bought the most authentic donkey meat sandwiches!"
Qingxing and Qi'er went out for a stroll early in the morning and went to Li Si's house, which was recommended by the innkeeper. Even though they got up early, they still had to wait in a long queue.
Since we were passing through Wuzhou, the two maids bought a few extra items.
"The doctor said that donkey meat is good for replenishing blood, qi, and deficiency."
Qi'er opened the donkey meat sandwich wrapped in oil paper. The sandwich was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the donkey meat was chopped up, making it look very appetizing.
Thinking back to her experience of eating exorbitantly priced horse meat last night, Lin Yuesha picked up a slice of braised donkey meat. Actually, the two tasted similar, and without careful tasting, one could not tell the difference.
"Have you had breakfast? Try some peach slices."
After the meal, Qi Heng went to contact his subordinates, while Lin Yuesha and her two maids stayed at the inn.
Ever since she had eaten the exorbitantly priced horse meat last night, Lin Yuesha had no desire to go out for a stroll. She preferred to stay in the inn, reading storybooks and resting.
Before noon, dozens of government officials suddenly arrived at the inn and kicked the door open.
Who are you?
Qingxing immediately stepped in front and questioned her.
The emperor is incredibly insightful; he could tell from just one glance from the magistrate's son that the other party was about to cause trouble.
The officials arrived so quickly; it seems the young lady has been implicated.
"A question you already know the answer to."
The lead officer waved his hand dismissively, not bothering to waste words with Qingxing, and roared, "Take them away! Take them all away!"
"Is there no law in broad daylight?"
Qi'er rushed out as well, angrily saying, "You think you can just take us away like that? Did we commit a crime while passing through Wuzhou?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Even if you haven't committed any crime, if you recognize the person who committed the crime, don't you need to go to the yamen to testify?"
After the official finished speaking, the others unceremoniously surrounded the three of them, master and servant.
Lin Yuesha thought for a moment. Since no one knew their identities, she should try to keep a low profile to avoid alerting them.
"Alright, you don't need to come and catch us, we'll just go with you."
Lin Yuesha thought the officials would take them to the yamen hall for questioning, but to her surprise, they didn't give her that chance at all and threw her directly into the yamen jail to await trial.
The prison in the Wuzhou Prefectural Government Office was in decent condition; it was still cold and didn't smell bad.
The ground was covered with straw, and Lin Yuesha and her two servants were pushed into it. The officials immediately locked the door.
Qingxing looked around. This ordinary cell couldn't stop her at all, so she put down a cushion with peace of mind.
"What will be the master's expression when he returns from his business and learns that Miss is in jail?"
As Qi'er spoke, she took out a paper package from her sleeve. It contained the braised donkey meat she had bought that morning. She had already asked the vendor to slice it, intending to eat it as a snack, but now she was offering it up.
Lin Yuesha also brought peach slices, and the three of them, master and servant, sat together for a tea party, looking relaxed and content.
"Our benefactors, how did you get arrested?"
In the next cell, the magistrate's son, disheveled and with a smear of blood at the corner of his mouth, smiled bitterly.
Qingxing rolled her eyes. Her young lady was peacefully reading a storybook in her room, so why was she arrested? Doesn't the scholar have any sense of right and wrong? Of course, it was because she was implicated!
"Young master, where is your servant?"
Qi'er saw that only the magistrate's son was in the prison cell, and there was no sign of the servant.
"I disagreed with Xiao Wu, so I went to the prefectural government office to file a complaint against He Tai Restaurant for overcharging. As a result, I was beaten up and thrown into jail."
The magistrate's son wasn't with the servant, so Xiao Wu wasn't imprisoned.
"But how did you all get in here?"
The magistrate's son looked confused, not quite understanding.
"An unexpected disaster."
Lin Yuesha asked succinctly, "What exactly did you say to He Tai Restaurant?"
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