“Although we are complete strangers, you just stole that scarred man’s money bag. Do you really think I didn’t see it?” Jiang Ling said calmly.
Upon hearing this, the man looked away guiltily. He was about to run away when Jiang Shan stopped him.
"Big brother! Big brother! Let me go! Big brother, I'll never do it again!" The man immediately knelt on the ground and kept begging for mercy.
"Jiang Shan, watch your wallet!" Jiang Ling quickly reminded him.
Jiang Shan frowned, reached out to grab it, and sure enough, he grabbed a hand where he had put his money bag. The owner of that hand was the man in front of him.
Grabbed like that, the man looked flustered. Jiang Ling said to him, "Life is tough for petty thieves, isn't it? If you get caught, you'll get a beating at best, and at worst you'll be handed over to the authorities. Can you live a peaceful life like that?"
The man was somewhat taken aback by Jiang Ling's words, so Jiang Ling continued, "How about I point you in the right direction?"
The man was taken aback, his words tumbling out in disbelief, "You...you said that? Really? You're not lying to me?"
“We’re complete strangers, why would I lie to you?” Jiang Ling said.
The man suddenly slapped his forehead. "That's right! Just because we're complete strangers, you might lie to me!"
Jiang Ling was speechless. This man's mind worked really fast. If she were to take him in later, she would have to find someone to train him properly for a while.
“I am An Gongren. If you are often in Yecheng, you must have heard of my name!” Jiang Ling revealed her identity at this moment.
Sure enough, upon hearing Jiang Ling's identity as a lady-in-waiting, the man immediately knelt down in fear.
"I was blind and ignorant, please forgive me!" The man's surprised expression immediately turned into fear and unease.
"Get up. I've never liked dealing with these class distinctions. I'm asking you, what's your name?" Jiang Ling inquired.
"My name is Niu Er. I live in the suburbs of Yecheng. I don't want to do this kind of work, but I have an eighty-year-old blind mother, so I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."
Jiang Ling naturally didn't quite believe Niu Er's words. She looked at Jiang Shan and said to Niu Er, "Niu Er, is what you're saying true?"
"Really! Really! I wouldn't dare lie to you at all!" Niu Er said while kowtowing.
Jiang Ling nodded. "Okay, then would you dare to let us go to your house?"
"Of course I dare not, but I hope you will forgive me, my family is really poor!" Niu Er said.
Jiang Ling nodded, signaling Er Niu to lead the way, while Jiang Shan's eyes were fixed on Niu Er. If Niu Er dared to lie to Jiang Ling, he would definitely let Niu Er experience his power.
However, things did not go as Jiang Ling expected. Niu Er indeed led Jiang Ling to a place that looked extremely dilapidated and shabby, which could be considered a residence.
Stepping inside revealed an even more shabby interior: mud walls, mud floors, thatched roof, and drafts coming from all sides.
"Son! Son! Is that you back?" A short while later, an old man with closed eyes, white hair, and clothes full of patches walked shakily toward Jiang Ling with his hands outstretched.
At this moment, Jiang Ling felt very uncomfortable, and her heart ached terribly.
The old woman's hearing seemed unusually sharp. She stared in Jiang Ling's direction and questioned Niu Er, "Niu Er! Have you gotten into trouble again outside?"
Then, with tears streaming down his face, he said to Jiang Ling, "Grandpa! Grandpa! Niu Er isn't a bad person by nature. If it weren't for this old codger dragging him down, he wouldn't have done this. If you want to arrest him, then arrest him. I'll go with you to see the officials!"
After taking a few deep breaths, Jiang Ling quickly walked to the old woman's side. She held the old woman's hand and said, "Auntie, please don't misunderstand. Niu Er came today to say goodbye. Niu Er has a new job, but the workplace is a bit far away, so he may not be able to take care of you for a while!"
The old woman breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and repeatedly stroked Jiang Ling's face, asking, "Is it true? You can't lie to this old woman!"
Jiang Ling nodded and said to the old woman again, "Auntie! Believe me! I would never lie to you!"
The old woman almost knelt down to express her gratitude. Jiang Ling chatted with the old woman for a while before leaving home with Niu Er.
"You... what do you mean by that, Gongren?" Niu Er asked in shock as soon as he left home.
“Your skills are quite good. If you don’t use them for stealing money, you’d be very popular for magic tricks. I happen to need someone who can do magic tricks. Would you like to consider it?” Jiang Ling said.
Niu Er looked incredulous. He never imagined that his low-class, even petty, behavior would catch the eye of a court lady.
“You can’t lie to me!” Niu Er said tentatively.
Jiang Ling nodded. "Of course, but if you use your skills to target our customers' wallets, then don't blame me..."
"Don't worry, my lady, I... I definitely won't, I definitely won't! But my old mother..." Niu Er said, glancing nervously at his own spot.
"Don't worry about that. I'll find someone to settle your mother in. And since you live so far away from us, I'll give you ten days of leave every month. How does that sound?"
Upon hearing this, Niu Er was overjoyed. He never imagined that he would no longer have to live such a life of fear. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Jiang Ling!
Jiang Ling told Niu Er to get up and gave him some silver. She told him to find a doctor to examine his mother carefully, and once everything was settled, she would have Niu Er come to the inn to find them.
There were people who could ventriloquize, play musical instruments, dance, and now they had found someone who could perform magic tricks. Just as Jiang Ling was thinking about what other talents she should look for, the sound of a gong caught her attention.
Jiang Ling looked in the direction of the gong and saw a man and a woman. The woman was energetically striking the gong, while the man was preparing something not far away.
"Street performers? Jiang Shan, let's go check it out!" Jiang Ling said to Jiang Shan excitedly.
Jiang Ling and Jiang Shan walked relatively quickly and squeezed into the innermost part of the crowd. At this moment, after a while, the gong sounded, and the woman began to introduce herself.
"Fellow villagers, fellow elders, my husband and I have come to Yecheng penniless, so we have come here to perform on the street. We hope that those of you with money will support us financially, and those of you with connections will support us by showing your presence!" As she spoke, the woman began to strike the gong again.
She then walked through the crowd with the gong, and soon some copper coins appeared inside. When the woman walked to Jiang Ling's side, Jiang Ling also took out a piece of silver and placed it on the gong.
The woman was very surprised to see the loose silver coins and immediately clasped her hands in thanks.
Before long, the man and woman began their performance. Although it consisted of basic acrobatics, their nimble movements showed that they had practiced these tricks for a long time.
Jiang Ling watched the two perform until they finished, the acquisition took place, and everyone left.
"You two wait!" Jiang Ling rushed forward when she saw the two preparing to leave.
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