45 Chapter 045
◎Beggar Girl◎
It was the hottest time of July, and the sun was no longer as scorching as before, but at noon, Huang Ding and others were still sweating profusely.
They searched house to house for the suspect, even the toilets were not spared.
During this time, Huang Ding's emotional journey was full of twists and turns. In the county government, Lin Fan always outmaneuvered him, and he harbored resentment, only to suffer from a lack of opportunity to rise above his status.
The arrival of the new magistrate gave him hope.
It's a pity that Lin Fan is so arrogant that he doesn't even take the county magistrate seriously, so he has to continue to avoid his edge.
Until he offended Dongjiao.
But before he could be very happy, the guy got lucky from nowhere and saved the daughter of the prince's mansion. He was valued by King Liang and returned to the county government office.
Huang Ding was filled with sorrow, unable to sleep all night long, thinking that he would never be able to surpass Lin Fan in this lifetime.
However, just seven days ago, Dongjiao sent someone to the government office to report that Lin Fan had assassinated King Liang!
If he has nine clans left for this crime, all nine clans will be exterminated.
The government office issued an arrest warrant, and all the county officials were mobilized to search for Lin Fan and his accomplices.
Huang Ding changed his perfunctory attitude and led his men to conduct a carpet search, vowing to dig out Lin Fan, bring him to court personally, and then watch his head fall to the ground before his eyes.
Seven days passed, the search was fruitless, and the government was in a state of panic.
King Liang was almost buried, but they still hadn't found him. They felt really ashamed and uneasy.
The government even offered a reward, calling on various gangs to participate in the search, and anyone who provided clues would receive a reward.
Huang Ding was proud of his status as an official and didn't want to be outdone by the gang's rogues, so he took his men to look for people day and night.
Today we came to this small town in the southern suburbs, forty miles away from the city.
The town is mostly populated by traveling merchants and is not very popular. Many residents are not at home, and some homes are home to only the elderly, the weak, women and children.
In order to search for the suspect, they rushed around recklessly, regardless of anything. If they found no one there, they would violently break the door lock and go in to search. If they came across the elderly, the weak, women and children, they would rummage through the house without caring whether it was convenient for them or not.
The people are angry but dare not speak out.
The yamen runners searched all the way to the southwest corner, which was even more remote and there were almost no people to be seen.
"Boss, can we really find the person?" The yamen runners under him couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.
Huang Ding glared at him and said, "What nonsense! Of course he can find it. He can't fly."
After saying that, he strode into the alley.
After seven days of recuperation, Luo Qi's injuries were mostly healed. He was able to get up and walk, and looked no different from a normal person.
Before Lin Fan left, he left behind several buckets of fresh river food. He was squatting in the yard processing fish and shrimp when he suddenly heard chaotic footsteps not far away.
It was expected that the authorities would find this place, and they had already made preparations. Someone at the county government office had seen them, and to avoid being exposed, they would disguise themselves every morning after waking up.
He cleaned up the yard, got up and went into the house to report.
Huang Ding's men banged on the door, their faces filled with impatience as they shouted, "The county government is searching for suspects! Open the door!"
After knocking three times, the gate creaked open.
The old woman with half-white hair half lowered her head, bent her waist, shrank her body, and asked cautiously: "What are your instructions, sir?"
"Get out of the way," the yamen runner pushed her away unhappily, "Don't block the way."
She stumbled and fell to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
The yamen runners ignored him and walked into the yard. One group searched the yard while another group broke into the house.
He rummaged through boxes and cabinets, and things fell all over the floor.
Seeing that there was nothing to find in the main room, Huang Ding took his men to the backyard, ordered two of his men to search the side rooms, and went to the main house himself.
"Cough cough." A few coughs were heard from the inner room.
He pushed the door open and a strong smell of medicine hit his nose.
There was a person lying on the bed, wrapped in a quilt and hard to see clearly. He coughed a few times before slowly turning around and asking, "Old woman..."
Huang Ding couldn't help but scream, and bumped into the wall in panic. His head was buzzing, and he wanted to curse but couldn't. He covered his mouth and nose and rushed out of the house.
"Boss, search them all..."
"Hurry up, hurry up!" Huang Ding hurriedly called out to his men, "There's a consumptive man in there!"
The men were stunned for a moment, and then fled out of the yard in panic.
After the men ran away, the old woman who had been pushed down slowly stood up, closed the gate, and came to the main house in the backyard. She smiled and said, "We really fooled them."
When Li Jiuyue saw Lin Fan disguised as an old man that day, she came up with this idea. She borrowed a lot of makeup tools from him and transformed herself into an old woman. Luo Qi then dressed up as a bedridden tuberculosis patient.
People at that time were extremely afraid of tuberculosis. Even if it didn't scare the officials, it would at least make them afraid to search for it for a long time.
When the police came, Xie Mingzhuo and Jiang Qing took Feng Caiyu out through the back door. They both had extraordinary hearing and could easily avoid their search.
When the footsteps of the officers faded away, the three of them returned to the yard through the back door.
The police will not come to the places they have searched again in the short term. If they can avoid them this time, they can have a few days of peace.
There are not many residents in the southwest corner of the town. The place where they live is already remote enough. Further in, there are only a few dilapidated houses and an abandoned sauce shop.
No one has lived there ever since, except for two little beggars who came last night and hid in the sauce shop.
It shouldn't be a big deal.
Xie Mingzhuo returned to his room and continued reading. The others each did their own job, but they still had some concerns in their hearts, wondering whether Yang Yunkai and Lin Fan would be able to enter Bishan smoothly.
Not long after, the sound of messy footsteps was heard outside the courtyard again. It was the returning police, but there seemed to be two more people.
Along with the footsteps, there were sounds of struggling and crying.
"Let go of my sister!"
Huang Ding was holding a person in his hand. He was wearing tattered clothes and had messy hair, looking like a beggar. But if you look closely, you can see that his eyebrows and eyes are particularly delicate. He is actually a young girl of sixteen or seventeen years old.
There was also a boy about ten years old who was grabbed by the collar and lifted up. His limbs were desperately stretching in the air, his eyes full of shock and anger.
"Don't be ungrateful, little beggar. I'm taking you to live a good life." Huang Ding pinched the young girl's chin with a very sticky look in his eyes.
The other yamen runners also laughed obscenely.
Only one person showed reluctance and advised: "Boss, the murderer has not been caught yet. If the county magistrate blames us..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Huang Ding glared at him. "Do you think I'm going to enjoy it all by myself?"
Yamen runner: “…”
"Before leaving, Master Fan specifically instructed me that if I saw a beautiful young lady, I had to bring her back for him to try."
He was tired of playing with the girls in the brothels, so he might as well take the opportunity of the house search to find a few pretty girls and bring them back to have fun with them.
Although my leg injury has not healed, I can still play.
Huang Ding originally thought it was difficult to deal with. Ordinary people did not dare to confront the government head-on, but now that King Liang had just died, this kind of thing could not be done too excessively. If it got out of hand and the prince knew about it, and they didn't catch Lin Fan and were still looking for girls, who knows what kind of punishment they would impose.
But he was just a beggar, and he didn't even have any family to turn to. He was thrown into the backyard of the county government office. No one could help him, and he had to do whatever he wanted to Mr. Fan.
The yamen runner glanced at the shivering beggar girl and continued to persuade her, "These beggars might be infected with some disease. Living so close to a consumptive patient, what if they hurt Master Fan if we take them back?"
That makes sense.
Huang Ding couldn't help but let go of the beggar girl and took a few steps back, fearing that she was really infected with tuberculosis.
"Boss, once we catch the murderer and prove our merit, Master Fan will have any beautiful woman he wants." The yamen runner saw that he was interested and immediately offered him a way out. "How can a skinny beggar be pretty?"
Huang Ding waved his hand: "Okay, I know you have a sister at home, I can't bear it."
Before he could signal his men to let go of the boy, the boy suddenly opened his mouth and bit his men's wrist so hard that blood was visible. The latter screamed in pain and threw the boy away.
The boy's back hit the wall with a bang, and it sounded painful, but he didn't make a sound. He quickly stood up, grabbed his sister's hand and ran.
"Little bastard!" The subordinate was furious and ran after him.
This time she didn't grab the collar, but directly grabbed the boy's neck and lifted him up. The boy's feet were off the ground and his face turned purple.
The beggar girl was extremely anxious and rushed forward to rescue her brother, but was stopped by the other yamen runners with iron bars.
The iron ruler was a weapon carried by government runners, but not all runners were equipped with it.
Anlu County was not a prosperous city, and the county government's treasury was not full, so it could not afford to buy so many iron rulers. Huang Ding and others had only seen them on the waists of the government officials before.
This time they were equipped in order to search for the murderer who assassinated King Liang.
Huang Ding sneered and poked the beggar girl's face with the end of the iron ruler, then moved it to her shoulders and neck, and continued downwards...
It was originally a weapon used to eradicate evil, but now he uses it to molest girls.
The latter had no way to avoid it. Seeing that his brother was about to be strangled to death, he ignored the pain and rushed straight towards the iron bar.
"Boss, why don't we just forget it?" The yamen runner who had just felt sorry for him tried to persuade him again.
Huang Ding was worried that the beggar girl would get sick, so he had given up the idea of taking her back, but the child had bitten someone and he couldn't let her go easily.
A little beggar, just die.
The incident happened outside the yard. Xie Mingzhuo couldn't pretend not to hear it. She couldn't just watch a child die in front of her.
"Go ahead."
Li Jiuyue had been waiting for her instructions. Seeing that she agreed, she immediately brought a basin of dirty water, opened the gate, and poured it out.
With a "splash", the water almost poured onto the yamen runner who was pinching the child.
Frightened, he suddenly let go.
The boy fell to the ground, his body covered in mud and water from outside the yard, and began coughing violently.
The beggar girl ran over and hugged her brother tightly.
"What are you doing, old woman!" The yamen runner came to his senses and glared at Li Jiuyue fiercely.
Li Jiuyue said in a hoarse voice: "I am hard of hearing and didn't hear anyone outside. Please forgive me, sir."
"What a damn bad luck! What a dirty trick!"
Li Jiuyue said humbly: "The water used to wash the old man's body is not dirty."
Huang Ding and others: "..."
"Damn it, this is a consumptive patient's bath water!" The yamen runner was furious and raised the iron bar to hit him, but suddenly he felt numbness in his body and could no longer lift his arms. Even breathing became extremely difficult.
He seemed to be frozen in place, leaving the others confused.
"What are you waiting for?" Huang Ding asked impatiently.
"Boss, help me, I, I can't move."
Li Jiuyue was also surprised, but reacted very quickly and said quietly, "Could it be a ghost?"
"There are no ghosts in broad daylight!"
"Someone died in the sauce shop," she said with a creepy laugh. "The officer just went there. He might have run into someone who died unjustly."
The world was bright and clear, but a few people felt cold under their feet. The coldness was like an icy ghost hand moving up, and they all broke out in cold sweats at the same time.
"Go, go quickly!" Huang Ding was timid and most afraid of ghosts, so he quickly called his men.
Even if it's not a ghost, it's possible that he has contracted tuberculosis.
The yamen runners did not dare to stay any longer and dragged their colleagues who could not move out of the alley together.
The alley suddenly became quiet. Li Jiuyue glanced at the brother and sister, turned around without saying a word, went back to the yard and closed the door.
They are now in a difficult situation. They were already taking risks by making trouble to save someone's life just now. It is not appropriate to get involved too much at the moment.
Unexpectedly, when I woke up the next morning, I found that the vegetables in the vegetable garden behind the house had been stolen!
Last night, Jiang Qing and Luo Qi took turns keeping watch, in the first and second half of the night respectively. If someone had secretly picked vegetables, it would have been impossible for them not to hear it with their good hearing ability.
But when Li Jiuyue asked, neither of them had any recollection at all.
When I think about it carefully, I feel creepy.
Jiang Qing and Luo Qi exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with shame and remorse. Just as they were about to kneel down and apologize, they heard Xie Mingzhuo say softly, "I heard it. Last night around 3:00 AM, it was those two beggars."
The Yin hour is when people are soundly asleep, making it a good time to sneak around, but Xie Mingzhuo is a light sleeper with good hearing, so he is easily awakened.
Luo Qi was puzzled: "I wasn't asleep, why didn't I hear it?"
"You fell asleep." Xie Mingzhuo explained to his shocked eyes, "You just recovered from your injuries and needed sleep to replenish your energy. Besides, the other party used some tricks."
"What method?"
"Drugs."
Luo Qizhi shook his head: "I stayed in the house the whole time, how could I have been drugged?"
"Yesterday, someone tried to attack Jiu Niang with an iron bar, but she couldn't move for some reason. Do you remember?" Xie Mingzhuo saw everyone nodding and continued, "I guess she was drugged. After the child bit her, the drug entered her body through the wound."
Several people: It’s much more reasonable than seeing a ghost.
"But how did Luo Ge get drugged?" Jiang Qing looked at Luo Qi. "He didn't even see those two beggars yesterday."
"The drug must have been planted in the vegetable garden and adhered to the leaves. It was Lao Luo who washed the vegetables last night. Although the powder was washed off with water, you must have inhaled some while picking the vegetables. The dose was light, but you were injured earlier, and you couldn't hold on in the second half of the night and fell into a coma."
Luo Qi scratched his head: "Strange, I don't have any impression at all."
"No wonder I slept so soundly last night." Jiang Qing frowned. "I'll go catch them."
After keeping vigil last night, she ate a cucumber raw before going to bed.
No one had any objection.
When the two little beggars came the night before, Jiang Qing was on guard. When she heard the noise, she quietly woke everyone up. After finding out that they were just homeless beggars, no one paid much attention to them.
The two little beggars didn't go near the vegetable garden all day yesterday, so the medicine must have been applied when they came the night before.
It happened that I didn't go to pick vegetables yesterday morning, and in order to deal with the officials, I didn't have time to cook at noon, so I was tricked in the evening.
This idea may not work.
Not long after, Jiang Qing brought them in one in each hand and threw them into the yard.
Both of them had their hands and feet tied with ropes, their hair disheveled and they fell to the ground, with their heads down and eyes closed, looking like they were refusing to communicate.
Xie Mingzhuo sat in the corridor, a book on his knees. He looked at the two of them for a moment and said slowly, "Answer the questions and I'll let you eat your fill. If you don't, I'll tie you up with stones and throw you into the river."
The girl still didn't move, but the boy quietly opened his eyes a little.
After glancing at them for a few times and then looking at her silent sister, she finally chose to keep silent.
Xie Mingzhuo: "Jiu Niang, A Yu, you guys go make breakfast, A Qing go find some stones, and Lao Luo go back to the house to rest."
Several people responded and left.
The morning light was gradually blocked by dark clouds, and the layers of black clouds looked like towering mountains sitting on the horizon.
The wind mixed with moisture, carrying a hint of autumn, blew into this small town in the southern suburbs and quietly broke into the courtyard.
Xie Mingzhuo lowered his head and quietly flipped through the book in his hand.
She has read this book "Yuyuan Miscellaneous Talks" three times, and gained new insights every time.
The author is a hermit who has been dead for several decades. Although he never held an official position, most of his friends during his lifetime were old friends and elders. The book records many anecdotes about the political achievements of local officials.
As a "newcomer in officialdom", Xie Mingzhuo has benefited a lot.
Some of the views in the book are contrary to her own values, but these contradictory views can also allow her to have a deeper understanding of this era.
Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you eliminate the dross based on the facts.
She could hold her temper, and the beggar girl on the ground could hold her temper too, but the ten-year-old boy couldn't.
He opened his eyes again, carefully moved to his sister's side, and bumped his head against her arm.
The beggar girl opened her eyes helplessly.
The boy blinked his eyes and the beggar girl shook her head gently. The boy was a little disappointed, but still obediently moved his head away and continued to lie on the ground.
The aroma of food gradually spread from the kitchen to the yard.
The boy shrugged his nose, staring straight in the direction of the fragrance, his face full of desire.
After a while, breakfast was ready and Jiang Qing came back carrying the stones.
Xie Mingzhuo stood up and said, "Aqing, it's cool in the courtyard. Let's move the table and chairs out and have dinner in the courtyard."
"Okay." Jiang Qing responded and left, quickly moving out the tables and chairs and placing them in the middle of the yard, neither too far nor too close to the two of them.
Li Jiuyue and Feng Caiyu brought out the food and woke up Luo Qi. They sat around the table and enjoyed their delicious breakfast in front of the siblings.
The breakfast was simple, just some buns and steamed buns with a few stir-fried dishes, but even these simple meals were a fatal temptation for the beggars who had been hungry for a long time.
The boy kept swallowing, looking eagerly towards the table and chairs, and even moved towards this side subconsciously.
The beggar girl couldn't bear to watch it, so she stretched out her tied legs and poked his back as a reminder.
This silly boy, can't you see that the other party did it on purpose?
Of course the silly boy saw it, but he was really hungry. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had a full meal. He would rather die of fullness than continue to starve.
"Oh, what should we do with the leftover vegetables?" Li Jiuyue suddenly said, "They won't last long in this weather."
Xie Mingzhuo: "There's a rhubarb at the entrance of town. Give it to it to eat."
"No!" The boy hurriedly curled up, trying to make himself feel alive. "I'll eat! I can eat!"
Beggar girl: “…”
Five people: “…”
"Puff." Li Jiuyue couldn't help it and covered her mouth with her hands.
Xie Mingzhuo was almost amused by him. After calming down, he said calmly, "You can eat it if you want, but you have to apologize to us and compensate for the loss of the vegetable garden."
The boy turned to look at his sister.
The latter was helpless and couldn't bear to "kill" the expectation in the boy's eyes, so he nodded.
Anyway, it's just an apology and compensation. It was wrong for her and her brother to steal vegetables, so this is what they deserve.
Just don't ask about anything else.
"I apologize. I'm sorry for stealing your food." The boy spoke immediately.
"What else?" Xie Mingzhuo looked at the beggar girl.
The boy hurriedly said, "We shouldn't have drugged her. I'm sorry!"
"Is your sister mute?"
“…”
The boy was stunned, with a hint of sadness in his eyes. He changed his previous eagerness and moved back to his sister, leaning against her without saying a word.
But his growling stomach gave him away.
The beggar girl sighed, raised her eyes to meet Xie Mingzhuo's gaze, and opened her mouth.
"I was the one who gave the medicine and it was my idea. I'm sorry."
As soon as the words came out, several people were stunned.
The voice was extremely hoarse, not like that of a teenage girl at all. Instead, it sounded like rough sandpaper rubbing against wood, extremely unpleasant and harsh.
Judging from their accents, they are not from Huguang, but there are many beggars from other places, which is not surprising.
But judging by the way they talked, they seemed to be educated and their families should have been well-off, but for some reason they became homeless.
"I apologize, and I have to pay compensation," Xie Mingzhuo said calmly, "You stole two eggplants and two cucumbers, and a bunch of water spinach was also missing. According to the market price, you should compensate us three cents. Since the drugging has caused harm to our bodies, you should pay ten times that, thirty cents."
The brother and sister: "..."
The younger brother hesitated and said, "We don't have any money."
"Then I will pay the debt with my own body."
"We don't sell our bodies!" The boy's movements suddenly became violent. "We don't sell our bodies!"
The beggar girl's eyes suddenly became fierce.
"You don't have to sign a contract to sell your bodies," Xie Mingzhuo pointed at the yard. "One month of short-term work will be considered to pay off the debt. Every day you have to clean the yard inside and out, go out to collect firewood, wash vegetables and make firewood. But I will provide food and accommodation. Do you want to work?"
The brother and sister were stunned and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
The treatment was so good that they didn't dare to agree to it.
The beggar girl thought for a moment and asked, "Why?"
"We just need two odd jobs."
The beggar girl looked at them and said, "Yesterday the police were searching for a wanted criminal. You disguised yourself and must be trying to avoid them. You must be the wanted criminal."
Although they were still disguised today, Li Jiuyue's voice was not as old as yesterday, and it was obvious that something was wrong.
Xie Mingzhuo and the others hadn't intended to pretend in front of the two men; that would be exhausting. If they couldn't even control two beggars, there was no point in staying in Anlu any longer; they could simply return home.
"Are you going to file a complaint with the government?" Xie Mingzhuo asked casually.
The beggar girl didn't reply, but the boy shouted, "The government is full of bad people! We won't file a complaint!"
Li Jiuyue pretended to be unhappy: "Why is the government so bad?"
"It's a bad guy!" The boy couldn't utter any curse words, and kept muttering "bad guy, bad guy" in his mouth, and his eyes gradually turned red.
The two sides have not established trust. Even if asked now, the siblings will not tell the whole story. Instead, they will be vigilant and defensive.
Xie Mingzhuo didn't waste any more words and asked again: "Do you want to do it?"
"……Do."
Perhaps she saw that they were on guard against the officials, and because they had kindly saved her and her brother yesterday, the beggar girl did not show strong resistance to them and simply agreed.
The boy's eyes suddenly lit up, and his gaze was glued to the steamed bun, unable to tear it away.
Li Jiuyue and the others felt sympathy, but they could not act on their own without the prince's permission.
"What's your name?" Xie Mingzhuo steeled himself, "I can't call you little beggars. If you don't want to tell me your real name, you can just pick one yourself."
The brother and sister: "..."
I've never met anyone who speaks so bluntly!
The two of them replied obediently.
"Ah Qing, the green of the grass."
"Ah Qing, a chime stone chime."
The pronunciations sound very similar, but they are all pseudonyms and no one cares.
"Ah Qing, go untie them and clean the drug powder off her body." Xie Mingzhuo's eyes were calm, but his tone was serious. "You can't use drugging here without my permission."
Ah Qing knew he was in the wrong: "I'm sorry."
"Don't blame my sister. I was just too hungry. My sister stole the vegetables for me." A blush appeared on Ah Qing's dirty face.
They wouldn't become thieves unless they had no other choice!
"No matter the reason, it's done." Xie Mingzhuo said calmly, "So, you used to have one steamed bun for breakfast, but now you can only eat half one."
Jiang Qing received the signal, picked up a steamed bun, cut it in half, and handed it to the brother and sister.
Ah Qing was very surprised and thanked him repeatedly. He carefully took the steamed bun and started to bite into it with his mouth wide open.
Half is half, it’s better than nothing.
They are such nice people!
Ah Qing looked at Xie Mingzhuo with a complicated expression. People who have been hungry for a long time shouldn't eat too much at once. Steamed buns tend to swell up in the stomach, so one will cause indigestion; half a bun is just right.
I don’t know if this strange sister was simply “punishing” them or if she did it on purpose with this in mind.
She picked up the steamed bun, put it to her mouth, and chewed it slowly.
"After eating, clean up the dishes, sweep the yard, and boil some hot water." Xie Mingzhuo gave instructions and returned to his room.
Judging by the time, Lao Yang and Lin Fan should be back soon.
If all goes well.
Yang Yunkai and Lin Fan mixed into the funeral procession and traveled smoothly all the way to the Bishan area.
During his lifetime, King Liang did indeed mark out an area in Bishan as a possible mausoleum for himself.
Perhaps he had been on guard during his lifetime, but until the team arrived at the tomb, Yang Yunkai and Lin Fan didn't find anything suspicious.
There were no signs that government soldiers had ever lived in the mountains.
The two men didn't want to make a wasted trip, so they quietly left the team while no one was paying attention and went to search the hills near the mausoleum, and they actually found some clues.
In order to avoid alerting the enemy, they did not continue to explore, but left Bishan directly and rushed back to the southern suburbs town overnight.
However, the police were still active near the town, and the two of them wasted time trying to avoid them. When they arrived at their residence, it was already the end of the Si hour.
The aroma of food wafted from the courtyard.
The two were about to climb over the wall, but they stopped at the same time, with surprise and vigilance in their eyes.
Why are there two strangers in my house?!
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