“Please…cough cough cough…please come in…” he replied haltingly.
Lin Qixia thanked him and then went inside.
During this time, she quietly observed Tong Xuewei's condition and was somewhat surprised that he, who seemed to be in good physical condition, was actually so weak.
"If Lord Tong is not feeling well, I can come another day," she said tentatively.
Tong Xuewei coughed and waved to her, clearly disapproving of her leaving like that.
It took him a while to recover. He covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve apologetically and said in a muffled voice, "Sorry, it's an old problem that always flares up in autumn and winter, but it doesn't interfere with anything."
"Tell me why you've come here."
"Oh." Lin Qixia nodded slightly, thinking about the purpose of her visit.
And how difficult her journey to get here was.
Knowing that Lin Qixia had made up her mind, she didn't want to turn back now.
"Then I'll be frank—the purpose of my visit is to accuse the local magistrate, Lord Feng Changchao, of embezzling disaster relief grain and imposing exorbitant taxes!"
Lin Qixia spoke these words with a firm and powerful expression.
Tong Xuewei was momentarily stunned, then immediately became serious: "Are you serious?"
“Every word is true, sir. I have evidence.” With that, she pulled the ledger from her bosom.
If Li Yuan and the others were here, they would be furious to see her pull out the account book right now.
Lin Qixia couldn't help but smile as she thought about how she had completely fooled those people.
Just kidding, she certainly wouldn't hand over the ledger to Cheng Yuerong. Her first choice was actually He Zhilan, who was the most reliable person around her.
But this was too dangerous, and she didn't want He Zhilan to take such a risk, as she wouldn't be able to handle it if danger arose.
On the contrary, she was slightly better off than them, so after thinking it over, Lin Qixia decided to keep the account book with her at all times.
However, Hua Xiaoguo and her friends were foolish; they believed everything she said, which is why she managed to seduce them.
"It records every detail of Magistrate Feng's embezzlement of grain and how he handed it over to local merchants to sell at high prices. It's all irrefutable evidence," Lin Qixia explained to Tong Xuewei as he carefully flipped through the booklet.
Tong Xuewei answered as he read, and after flipping through the booklet for a while, he returned it to her, saying, "I understand."
"I will thoroughly investigate what you have said."
He spoke with anger on his face, but he wasn't actually surprised.
Lin Qixia noticed this and guessed what was going on, so she simply asked, "Did Lord Tong already know that Feng Changchao was acting strangely?"
She even thought that Tong Xuewei might have come to Lichong County specifically for this reason.
“That’s right! It seems that Feng Changchao really deserves to die!” Tong Xuewei said angrily with a stern face.
Seeing him like this, Lin Qixia felt a pang of sadness at the thought of his future fate.
In the original work, the character Tong Xuewei is also very important. He appears here to discover the existence of the male protagonist Li Pei and is Li Pei's mentor.
Tong Xuewei admired Li Pei from the first time they met, and considered him his mentor.
After Li Pei entered officialdom, he was also introduced by him to serve under Li Jinghua, the Left Chancellor of the current dynasty.
Li Jinghua was the one who instigated the extermination of Huo Yanqing's family.
Logically speaking, given Tong Xuewei's position, Lin Qixia shouldn't have sought him out, but he was extremely dedicated to his job and was upright and incorruptible.
In the original novel, her tragic end was due to the exposure of Li Jinghua's true colors, and Tong Xuewei's blind loyalty to him, which led to the male protagonist, who had a sudden realization, personally "sacrificing his own family for the greater good."
Huo Yanqing, who was to some extent driven to the dark side by him, also died because of his mistakes.
Huo Yanqing's "sacrifice" helped Li Pei grow and mature.
This is also the significance of his character's existence.
Thinking of this, Lin Qixia turned around and looked at Huo Yanqing, who was silently guarding the door behind her.
The boy left her with only a slender, lonely silhouette.
"Miss Lin?" Tong Xuewei's voice startled her awake.
Lin Qixia quickly said "Oh," and asked, "What did you say, Lord Tong?"
Tong Xuewei coughed twice and said to her, "Please keep the evidence safe, young lady. Come to the yamen tomorrow to formally file a complaint. I will be waiting for you there, and I will personally handle the case."
"Yes, I understand," Lin Qixia replied, accepting the assessment entirely.
She came to Tong Xuewei to inform him.
As for the formal procedures, they still need to be followed.
With that, she stood up and bowed to Tong Xuewei, saying, "Then I'll take my leave now."
"Miss...cough cough, take care, miss." Tong Xuewei also got up to see her off, even though he was coughing incessantly and had difficulty moving around.
Lin Qixia was surprised that he had no airs at all; in the original work, the author only described him in a few words.
I never expected that the person in front of me would embody integrity, honesty, humility, and politeness so perfectly.
"Thank you, sir, there's no need to see me off." Lin Qixia said to him before walking to the door.
Just as she was about to leave, something occurred to her. "Should I hand this ledger over to the adults first?" she asked, turning back.
At the same time, the ledger should be handed to him.
Unexpectedly, Tong Xuewei waved his hand, "To avoid causing any trouble, you should hand over this booklet to me in front of everyone tomorrow."
"Alright," Lin Qixia finally gave up.
After all, Tong Xuewei must have his reasons for acting this way.
After she turned and left the room, she left with Huo Yanqing.
The night was cool and still, and Lin Qixia felt a chill run down her spine as she walked through the alley.
Lin Qixia stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong?" Huo Yanqing asked her from beside her.
Lin Qixia turned around speechlessly, looking at the red figure limping along with them not far away.
Especially in the eerie atmosphere of the middle of the night, he looked just like a beautiful ghost.
Lin Qixia couldn't help but complain, "Why is this guy clinging to me?"
"You're the one who told me not to kill anyone," Huo Yanqing whispered beside her.
His tone carried a hint of resentment, indicating his dissatisfaction.
Lin Qixia was in a bad mood, so he made her laugh. "I didn't expect you to be so obedient."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and touched the other person's head.
Huo Yanqing's face darkened, and his mood seemed to worsen.
Even so, he did not attack Ning Shi, who was not far away.
After all, Ning Shi posed no threat to Lin Qixia at this moment, and since she couldn't kill him, continuing to fight him would be pointless.
Lin Qixia didn't plan to do that either. After comforting Huo Yanqing, she said, "Let's go back quickly."
Although she didn't want Huo Yanqing to kill anyone, she really couldn't stand Ning Shi's stare anymore.
"Okay," Huo Yanqing replied.
The next second he wrapped his arms around Lin Qixia's waist and said, "Hold on tight."
Lin Qixia, "?"
Soon after, accompanied by her scream, they took off from the spot.
Ning Shi, who was originally following behind them, cursed under his breath upon seeing this, "Damn it!"
Even if he wanted to chase after him, he was too weak to do so because he had been beaten so badly by Huo Yanqing earlier.
He lost track of them.
Ning Shi stood there, a strange smile quickly spreading across his face. He muttered resentfully, "I will definitely find you!"
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