Chapter 546 'Door-to-Door Delivery'
Lan Xiyue did not kneel, but only clasped her fists in a martial arts salute, and said in a clear voice: "Your Excellency, my surname is Yue, and I'm also known as Young Master Yue. When I first arrived in your precious city of Jinling, I was targeted by these three thieves who wanted to rob me. Fortunately, I still have some martial arts skills, so I prevented them from succeeding. I have captured these three people and sent them to you for justice!" She was calm and fearless.
A nearby yamen runner immediately stepped forward and shouted, "You rude and unruly commoner! Why don't you kneel before your Lordship?!"
Upon hearing this, Lan Xiyue's delicate brows frowned slightly, and then a just right expression of "pain" and "apology" appeared on her face. She glanced at her legs and said, "Your Excellency, it's not that I'm disrespectful. It's just that... I got hit hard on the legs when I was fighting with this group of bad guys just now. My bones and muscles are sore and numb now. I'm afraid it's difficult for me to perform this kneeling ceremony. I hope Your Excellency will forgive me." As she spoke, she slightly bent her "injured leg".
County Magistrate Liu Haitu's gaze once again fell on the three robbers who were almost no longer human, with tattered clothes, and one of them was even unconscious.
The corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and he muttered to himself: Who is robbing whom? Who is hurting whom? No matter how he looked at it, it seemed as if this "Master Yue" in front of him had unilaterally "ravaged" these three people... But he didn't say this out loud.
At this moment, the legal advisor leaned close to Liu Haitu's ear and quickly reported in a low voice, "Sir, these three are notorious rogues in the city. Liu San, Li Si, and Wang Mazi are used to stealing and causing trouble for the villagers. I'm afraid they have really hit a wall today and met a tough opponent."
Liu Haitu understood and slammed the gavel again: "Bang! The three of you, confess the truth! Did you rob this Master Yue?"
The sober man on the ground (Liu San) was already scared out of his wits, with tears streaming down his face. He was tied up and could only twist and kowtow like a worm: "Sir, please spare my life! Sir, please spare my life! I know I was wrong! I was blinded by greed, and I will never dare to do it again! Never again!" His voice was hoarse, full of fear and regret (mainly fear of the "young master" behind him).
"In broad daylight, in clear view of the world, how dare you commit robbery in the street? You have no respect for the law! Come!" Liu Haitu pronounced the verdict in a deep voice, "Give each of these three men thirty lashes of the cane! Imprisonment for a year! As a warning to others!"
"Sir, please have mercy on me! Sir, please have mercy on me!" Li Si also cried and begged for mercy.
The bailiffs didn't care about that. They rushed forward like wolves and tigers and dragged the three men away along with the bundle of ropes.
Soon, there were dull and painful sounds of beating boards and screams.
Lan Xiyue raised the corner of her mouth in satisfaction, clasped her fists and said, "Your Excellency is very perceptive and solves cases like a god. I admire you!"
"Withdraw the court!" Liu Haitu slammed the gavel, ending this farcical court session.
Lan Xiyue turned around and walked out of the court with brisk steps.
As soon as I stepped over the threshold, I saw a girl in a simple dress standing there.
The girl's gaze was fixed on Lan Xiyue at this moment, her cherry lips slightly parted, her eyes full of surprise and curiosity. She had never seen such a handsome young man with a bit of unruly and evil spirit.
Seeing her staring at him in a daze, Lan Xiyue couldn't help but find it amusing. She stretched out her hand and waved it in front of her eyes, with a hint of teasing smile: "Girl?"
Liu Tianer suddenly came back to her senses and realized her loss of composure. Two red clouds instantly appeared on her fair cheeks and spread all the way to her ears.
She hurriedly lowered her eyes and said in a mosquito-like voice: "I'm... I'm sorry, sir, I... I was rude." There was a shyness unique to young girls in her voice.
Lan Xiyue looked at her embarrassed look, the smile on her lips deepened, with a bit of evil playfulness: "It's okay, girl, just look at me. It won't hurt you to look at my face a few more times. It's not a big loss." After that, she turned sideways and prepared to leave.
"Please... please wait!" Liu Tianer plucked up the courage and called her again.
Lan Xiyue paused, turned slightly sideways, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Miss, is there anything else?"
Liu Tian'er twisted the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes flickering with curiosity: "Excuse me, sir...what brings you to the county government office?" Her gaze subconsciously drifted towards the court, where the sound of the beating board seemed to have not stopped yet.
Lan Xiyue followed her gaze and casually nodded in the direction of the execution with her chin, her tone as relaxed as if she were discussing the weather: "Oh, it's nothing serious. It's just a 'delivery'. Those three clueless little thieves have been brought to the county magistrate."
The smile on the corner of her lips carried a hint of nonchalant arrogance. After she finished speaking, she did not pause, but turned around and strode into the noisy crowd outside the door, leaving Liu Tian'er stunned where she was, staring at the tall figure, her heart beating like a drum, and the aroma of the food in the lunch box seemed to be tinged with a different kind of throbbing.
Lan Xiyue's figure had already merged into the crowd on the street and disappeared.
Liu Tian'er was still staring at the direction where the man left, her eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the crowd of people, chasing the tall figure that she had caught a glimpse of.
Xiao Cui, the maid holding the food box, waited for a long time. Seeing that her mistress was still standing there like a stone waiting for her husband, she couldn't help but smile.
She came closer, deliberately lengthening her tone, and said mischievously, "Miss, come back to life! That figure has long been invisible! With your eyes wide open, how can you even see a flower?"
Liu Tian'er was so startled by this sudden teasing that her whole body trembled. She suddenly came to her senses and subconsciously turned around. Two darker clouds of red instantly flew up on her pink cheeks. Even her small ears turned red. She glared at Xiao Cui in shame and anger: "Silly girl! What nonsense are you talking about!"
That look wasn't so much one of reproach as it was of panic, the feeling of having one's heart pierced. She wrung the handkerchief tightly in her hand and lowered her voice, carrying a touch of melancholy and curiosity that she herself hadn't noticed. "I... I was just wondering, I wonder where this young man came from... In this huge city of Jinling, is there any chance... of meeting him again..."
Xiao Cui looked at the young lady who was distracted and hesitant to speak. How could she not understand?
She laughed even more heartily, her round eyes curved into crescents. She leaned close to Liu Tian'er's ear and lowered her voice, but couldn't hide her joking: "Oh! I finally understand! It turns out that our young lady, who is so picky, doesn't think the young men that Madam likes are not good enough, but she hasn't met the right one! Today, she just met a young man, and he has completely stolen her heart."
She paused deliberately, imitating Liu Tian'er's absent-minded look, and nodded seriously, "Well, no wonder, that young man just now was really handsome. I have never seen such a person in my life!"
"You! If you keep talking nonsense!" Liu Tian'er was mortified by Xiao Cui's blatant teasing, her face burning hot enough to fry an egg. She stamped her foot in shame and anger, not caring about her manners. She snatched the lunch box from Xiao Cui's hand, lifted her skirt, and without a backward glance, hurried towards her father's study in the back hall of the county government office.
That back view, no matter how you look at it, has a sense of fleeing in panic.
Xiao Cui stood there, looking at her young lady's back as she almost "escaped" into the room. She couldn't help herself any longer and burst out laughing. The clear laughter echoed at the gate of the yamen.
She smiled, her eyes darting around, her mind racing: This is truly fascinating! This young lady, looking so aroused, is a complete novelty! I'll have to tell Madam everything when I get home, and have the Master investigate thoroughly through the official channels. Who was that extraordinary young man just now?
If he really is a young man from a noble family... Xiao Cui's smile became even brighter, as if she had already seen her young lady's red thread being firmly tied to that stunning figure by the matchmaker. Who knows, maybe her young lady's good marriage will really fall from the sky!
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