Chapter 269 Asking Beggars for Help
Wan Lao Er also followed Wan Lao Da to the entrance of the alley.
Boss Wan looked at the footprints on the ground. They were all from the same person, but they went back and forth so many times and stopped at the same door. He was confused, so he followed the direction of the footprints to the door of the somewhat shabby courtyard.
"Is anyone there? Is anyone home?" Boss Wan shouted twice, but no one answered. However, his nose was extremely sensitive and he smelled a faint smell of blood.
He pushed the door hard and it opened. What came into view was the body of an old man.
As a constable, Boss Wan wanted to seal off the scene as soon as possible.
"Second brother, go to the government office and report the case. Tell them that a murder has occurred here and a child is missing. The county must be sealed off immediately."
After his madness, Wan Lao Er gradually calmed down. He couldn't just search around like a headless fly. He listened to what Wan Lao Da said and immediately ran towards the yamen.
Boss Wan cordoned off the scene and immediately continued chasing after the tire tracks.
He carefully observed the ruts on the ground and found that they were deeper than before. This meant that the carriage must have been loaded with something after it stopped here. What was that?
Boss Wan thought of the people who had recently come to the county government to report that their children were missing from their homes, and there were about ten of them. Could this dilapidated house be the place where they hid the children?
Boss Wan felt that he seemed to have guessed right. If he could solve this case, he would no longer have to feel that he relied on nepotism to get to the top. Although he had been repeatedly excluded from the yamen during this period, the county magistrate always took him with him when handling cases, and he had also learned a lot of knowledge. Now was the time to put it into practice.
Boss Wan immediately ran after the wheel tracks. Although there were many people on the street today, there were not many people traveling to the border at this time of year, and there were fewer horse-drawn carriages. Moreover, once Boss Wan locked onto the wheel tracks, the other party would not be able to escape even if they wanted to.
This is also Boss Wan's unique skill. When he went hunting in the past, he could chase the prey for a long time without losing it. He relied on the traces and smells left by the prey.
It was definitely impossible for Boss Wan to catch up with the carriage on foot. When he turned around, he saw a businessman leading a horse and asking if there was a larger inn nearby.
Boss Wan strode forward and took out his constable's token from his waist. Since he had only asked for half a day off, Boss Wan hung the constable's token around his waist and prepared to go directly to the yamen in the afternoon.
"Captain, please lend me your horse. Please come to the county government office to pick it up at noon."
After Boss Wan finished speaking, regardless of whether the other party agreed or not, he directly snatched the other party's horse, jumped on it, and chased in the direction of the wheel tracks. It seemed that the wheel tracks were heading towards the gate of the county town.
Boss Wan guessed that this group of human traffickers were about to run away.
He must intercept the person before he leaves the county, otherwise it will be difficult for him to find him once he leaves the county as the roads outside are interconnected.
At this time, Hei San and Hei Si also encountered problems. They had been staying in the county town for several days and had not left the town. They did not know that the county town was under martial law. Those entering the city only needed to be shown a pass, but those leaving the city had to be strictly searched. This was also because too many people had reported the case in the past few days, and Shen Jinyuan had already listed this case as an important case.
"Hei Si, we can't get out today. We have to find another way. The city gate is under martial law. We are checking everyone one by one."
After hearing this, Hei Si quickly and secretly lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out. As expected, he saw the soldiers at the city gate divided into two rows, checking everyone leaving the city one by one, especially the coachmen, who were searched more carefully and even the wheels were not spared.
Hei Si looked back at the eight children in the carriage. The oldest was seven or eight years old, and the youngest was over two years old. They were all tied up with ropes and had their mouths gagged.
"Heisan, go to the abandoned house in the west of the city. It's close to the city wall. I remember there's a hole there. Go out first and wait for me outside. I'll send the child out of the hole and you wait for me outside."
"OK."
As they talked, the two turned the carriage and headed towards the west of the city.
When Boss Wan rode after them on horseback, he saw only a mess of wheel tracks on the ground. Moreover, there were more carriages at the city gate than on the street. There were three carriages in front of him being inspected.
Boss Wan jumped down from his horse swiftly, strode forward and showed his badge.
"I'm a detective. I just found traces of human traffickers and I've been following them all the way. Have you found any suspicious carriages?"
The officers and soldiers shook their heads. "Not yet. There are only a few carriages. Oh, and it seems that one of them turned around and headed west of the city."
The soldier was checking the carriages just now, and he seemed to see a carriage going to the west of the city out of the corner of his eye. He didn't think much about it at the time, thinking that someone was passing by here on business. Now that Boss Wan provided a clue, he immediately told Boss Wan what he had just discovered.
Boss Wan knew without a second thought that it was that carriage. He thanked them and said to the soldiers, "Brother, if anyone comes to ask about it later, just tell them that I chased after them to the west of the city and ask them to follow me immediately."
The officers and soldiers nodded, and Boss Wan immediately rode his horse to chase after them.
After this delay, the carriage that Boss Wan was about to catch up with disappeared again.
The west of the city is a residential area with many signs of life. The wheel tracks could be traced at first, but later they were flattened by many people's footprints, making it difficult for Boss Wan to catch up. At this point, Boss Wan lost the person.
Boss Wan was very upset. If he had been faster, he would have been able to rescue little Fubao.
He punched the wall in the alley, but heard a voice saying, "Master, please be kind and give me something to eat. I haven't eaten for several days."
Boss Wan looked down and saw a beggar. He was dirty and unkempt, and his age could not be seen. He was holding a half-broken bowl in his hand, which was full of dirt.
Boss Wan suddenly had an idea. Why didn’t he think of this?
Although Xicheng District is a living area, there are not many wealthy people here and not many people can afford a horse-drawn carriage. Moreover, there are the most beggars here in the entire county. This is because the wealthy areas in Dongcheng District always have servants drive away the beggars. Over time, there are very few beggars there, and the beggars have all run to Xicheng District.
Boss Wan took out a few copper coins from his waist and said to the beggar in front of him: "Help me do something. If you can do it well, I will give you a reward of one or two taels of silver."
When the beggar heard this, he thought there was such a good thing as pie falling from the sky. He looked at the copper coins in Boss Wan's hand with shining eyes. These copper coins were enough for him to buy several steamed buns, so that he could have a full meal, and also buy a meat bun to satisfy his craving. Moreover, he could get a bonus of one or two taels of silver for doing good deeds. When would such a good thing happen to him?
The beggar agreed without hesitation. No matter what he was asked to do, he would do it as long as he could earn one or two silver coins.
"Uncle, tell me what you want me to do, and I will do it for you."
Boss Wan squatted down and put the copper coin in his hand into the beggar's broken bowl. The beggar heard the crisp clinking sound of the copper coin hitting the broken bowl and couldn't help swallowing his saliva. In his eyes, these were all big, white and plump steamed buns.
"I'm looking for a carriage. There are children in the carriage. It looks like a blue cloth carriage. It's not very big. There are two men. That's about all the information. They are in Xicheng District now. If you can mobilize beggars to find this person, report the information to me immediately. This tael of silver is the errand fee for your brothers, and this tael of silver is for yourself. How about it?"
The beggar smiled and showed his big yellow teeth. Isn't it easy to get the news? They stay in Xicheng District all day long. What gossips in Xicheng District don't they know? From which family passed the imperial examination to which family's wife and man did something in one night, there is nothing they don't know.
Such a deal is simply giving them money.
"Master, don't worry. I promise to find this person for you in less than half an hour."
"Okay, I'll wait for you here. Report back to me as soon as you get any information."
The beggar stuffed a few copper coins from the broken bowl into his arms and ran away holding the broken bowl. Beggars had their own ways of spreading information, and Boss Wan didn't want to interfere. However, today's incident made him realize that when handling a case, he could use all the people and things that could be used. For example, these beggars who looked annoying at ordinary times could be of great use at this time.
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