Chapter 97 Good Deeds
After entering the city, the three of them first found a small restaurant nearby, had a good meal, and then asked the owner where they could get their car repaired.
Although the roof is broken, the rest of the car structure is intact, so repairing the roof will not affect its use.
The shopkeeper came out and took a look at their carriage. He said, "Your carriage looks expensive. An ordinary repair shop probably can't fix it properly. I heard that the owner of the Sun Family Carpentry Shop in Jiangren Lane in the south of the city is very skilled. He can repair any piece of furniture or carriage and make it look like new again."
Xie Shouzheng thanked the innkeeper, the Marquis, and said to Dongfang Qi, "I'm going to take the carriage south of the city to repair it. My lord and my lady, you don't need to follow me, it will waste our time."
Lin Qingyue glanced at Hongyao and said, "Alright, let's go to the Changshi Mansion."
Originally, they didn't have to pass through Donglin Mansion, but because of Hongyao, they took a detour.
Before reaching the Chief Secretary's Mansion, just halfway there, they suddenly saw a huge tent set up on the road in front of the house. It was full of people sitting there, slurping hot soup and wolfing down steamed buns. The whole tent was filled with the aroma of food.
A long queue had formed outside the shed, and the people in ragged clothes stood on tiptoe to look inside, their Adam's apples rolling.
I randomly stopped an old man carrying a bamboo basket and asked him, only to find out that this was a charity shed set up by Mr. Miao. It opens on the first and fifteenth day of every month and provides free food and drink to those who are too poor to afford food.
When Lin Qingyue, Dongfang Qi, and Hong Yao arrived nearby, they heard the steward calling out loudly at the door:
"Everyone line up. There's plenty of food for everyone today. Don't crowd!"
A few well-dressed people also tried to line up for food, but were shooed away by the sharp-eyed steward: "This is for the poor. You're wearing silk and satin, and you look like you've got plenty of food to eat. How dare you try to grab some food?"
The man in silk said, "We are local merchants. We have long heard of Lord Miao's wisdom and would like to come and taste the food of your noble family."
The steward coldly refused: "No, Lord Miao has ordered that alms should only be given to the poor. Go away, go away, don't get in the way here!"
The man in silk was driven away, but he was not angry. He kept praising Lord Miao for his kindness.
Lin Qingyue glanced over from a distance and saw people sitting in the food shed, hugging steamed buns and eating a dish and a soup. There was even some meat in the dish.
While the wealthy enjoyed extravagant meals, life was much harder for the common people. Many families could barely afford a single meat meal year-round. Therefore, many people would rush to eat this meal, even just for the chance to have a serving of meat.
Those in the queue were also praising Master Miao's kindness endlessly. Some even discussed giving him a Wanmin Umbrella.
Before coming to Donglin, Dongfang Qi had secretly investigated Miao Dong's official performance in recent years.
"Miao Dong came from a low-income family and only entered the officialdom in his thirties, thanks to recommendations. Initially, he was only a candidate for a minor official position of the seventh rank. Three years later, he was promoted to the rank of county magistrate of the seventh rank. In another five years, he rose from the sixth rank to the sixth rank... and now he is the Chief Clerk of Donglin, a fifth rank official who can participate in state policy making and holds a position of real power."
Today, the officialdom of Da Qi is controlled by the gentry. Even if people from other classes are lucky enough to enter the officialdom, it is difficult for them to have a path to advancement.
It is extremely rare for a local official like Miao Dong to be promoted from the seventh rank to the fifth rank in just ten years.
Dongfang Qidao said, "His political achievements are mainly due to his popularity among the people. When he was a county magistrate, he often went deep into the countryside to help the poor and needy, and was deeply loved by the people."
"He's deeply loved by the people?" Hong Yao said resentfully, "But his official career was bought at the cost of my sister's flesh and blood! He knew that we sisters had both cultivated into human form and were no ordinary foxes, yet he had the heart to do that! I don't believe a man like that could be a good official!"
"I don't believe it either!" Lin Qingyue said, "How can a man who can even betray his wife be a good person?"
Dongfang Qi said, "What I just told you is what's recorded in his resume. But the Da Qi aristocracy has deep roots and sticks to old rules and regulations."
"Many low-level officials, even if they have excellent political achievements and are well-liked by the people, still find it very difficult to rise up the ladder. In other words, unless there is a special opportunity, political achievements alone are not enough to allow them to rise that quickly."
Lin Qingyue curled her lips and smiled: "So he must have other means."
Hong Yao said, "No matter what his methods are, he is not a good person! I must kill him and avenge my sister and me! But..."
She paused, feeling somewhat discouraged. "I was too impulsive earlier and charged straight at him. I didn't expect he'd be accompanied by two powerful demon hunters. Not only did I fail to avenge myself, I was even injured. After that incident, he must have been even more vigilant and even harder to kill."
Dongfang Qi said, "We need to investigate Miao Dong's affairs thoroughly. I also want to know what secrets he is hiding. Although the salary of the Chief Secretary is not small, it is likely that he has been doing so many good deeds for many years, and the accumulated cost over time is not a small amount of money."
"As a person from the lower class, without a big family to rely on, where does his money come from? But if he is really a good official, even if he made mistakes before, he can't be beaten or killed at will."
Lin Qingyue said, "Can a good official be pardoned for killing his wife?"
Dongfang Qi said, "That's not what I meant. It's just that everything should be done according to the law. If he committed a crime in the past, he could also be handed over to the Xuanjing Division for trial. If the local court can't handle it, it can be transferred to the headquarters in the capital. If they use private punishment at will, the Xuanjing Division will have no meaning in its existence."
At this moment, Xie Shouzheng came from afar in a carriage with a broken roof.
Lin Qingyue asked him, "Why did you come back so soon? Didn't the car get repaired?"
Xie Shouzheng said, "Hey, don't mention it! I followed the instructions of the shop owner and finally found the shop with the best craftsmanship in Carpentry Lane. But it turned out to be closed. They said that his daughter suddenly disappeared a few days ago. The family had no time to work, so they closed the shop to look for her. But..."
He suddenly changed the subject: "...I was at the door and smelled some blood inside!"
“When I realized something was wrong, I went around to the back of the family’s house and climbed in through the window to check.
"There was no one inside. The tables and chairs were all neatly arranged, and the pots and pans were clean. But there was a faint smell of blood in the room, so faint that ordinary people couldn't detect it. It was only because of my sensitive nose that I could smell it."
"I investigated the scene. I'm certain something happened to that family, and it wasn't just a family looking for their daughter. The bedroom, the main room, and the kitchen all reeked of blood. The strongest smell was from the well at the back. I suspect someone drew water from the well after the incident and thoroughly cleaned the house, erasing every trace of blood."
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