Chapter 457 Hero Plaque
The two people in front, a man and a woman, both wore veils and rode tall horses. They had an extraordinary air about them and were clearly not ordinary people.
"Why are so many people gathered here? Is Zou Mao's father here?" the man asked.
"Yes, I am Zou Mao's father, Zou Laili."
Ji Ruyan looked at the excited, trembling old man in front of her who was about to kneel down, and dismounted at the same time as Lu Qingqing.
"No need to kneel, what happened here?"
"I sold my pork shop and wanted to leave, so these neighbors came to see me off," Zou Laili explained.
The neighbor standing nearby hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Ji Ruyan and Lu Qingqing looked toward the shop, where several people were standing there respectfully.
My intuition is a bit off.
"Qingqing, I think these people are spies again."
It's a feeling that I really dislike, that makes me feel annoyed just looking at it.
Lu Qingqing scrutinized the group of people. They seemed timid and afraid, not daring to look people in the eye, and were well-behaved and had no problems.
But it's different when compared to these neighbors.
Although the neighbors were a little scared, the dog kept glancing around furtively.
Because of curiosity, and also because of openness.
If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.
Those people were acting too deliberately.
“I also think there’s a problem,” Lu Qingqing said.
If she says there's a problem, then there definitely is a problem!
Ji Ruyan's eyes became even sharper.
"I have come on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince to deliver a reward to the Zou family."
"Zou Mao fought bravely against the enemy and protected the people of Ming'an County from being massacred. His deeds have been recorded in the county annals."
In accordance with his last wishes, a pig was given to the Zou family's pork shop.
Additionally, there is a plaque inscribed with the name of a hero, personally written by His Highness the Crown Prince.
A live pig, grunting and squealing, was brought to the front with its four legs tied.
A plaque inscribed with "Family of Heroes" and stamped with the Crown Prince's seal was brought forward.
Zou Laili and his neighbors immediately knelt down, and no one watched the pigs.
We've been watching pigs for decades.
All those eyes were fixed on the plaque.
His Highness the Crown Prince's own handwriting!
What's the difference between this and the Emperor's own handwriting?
This is the highest honor, a glory that will be passed down through generations, and the entire Zou family should feel proud of it.
What merit or ability does his son possess!
He was just doing what a soldier should do.
At this moment, Zou Laili, just like his name suggests, suddenly had energy again!
His back was straight, and his spirits suddenly soared.
His son is just too, too, too successful!
A group of neighbors followed suit, their mouths trembling with excitement.
"I never imagined that Xiao Mao would receive a plaque personally bestowed by the Crown Prince. What a great achievement he has made! Old Zou, you've truly lived a worthwhile life with such a son!"
"It was worth it."
Someone reached out to touch it, but was knocked away by another person.
"Keep your stinky hands to yourself, don't get them dirty!"
"Hehehehe, I won't touch it, I'll just look at it. It would be worth it for me to see His Highness the Crown Prince's calligraphy even once in my life!"
Look at this hook, it's like a sickle; look at this spot, it's so round!
They were whispering to each other...
Ji Ruyan and Lu Qingqing kept their eyes secretly fixed on those people.
The group looked at the plaque with astonishment in their eyes, and immediately huddled together, secretly discussing something.
Finally, they came forward, smiling sheepishly.
“Mr. Zou, we’re so sorry, we didn’t know your son was such a hero. You should stay here, and we can be neighbors from now on.”
“No, it is only right to pay back debts. I, Zou Laili, am an upright man and would never take advantage of my son’s achievements.”
Scarface was annoyed and cursed the old man under his breath for being such a blockhead.
But he felt a sharp gaze fall upon him.
He didn't dare to look up.
Clench your fists tightly.
A chilling voice came from above: "Judging from your accents, you are not from Hanshan County."
Where is your registered residence?
“My lords, we have just settled in Hanshan County.”
"Where did they migrate from?"
“Fanchuan, Huaiyang and other places.”
"Show me your household registration."
Scarface froze.
He heard the sound of a knife being drawn.
So they had no choice but to produce their household registration documents.
Ji Ruyan took it, glanced at it, and then returned it to him.
If the household registration is falsified, nothing can be detected; the only way to check is to go to the original place of residence.
At this moment, the magistrate of Hanshan County rushed over upon hearing the news.
A soldier standing nearby flashed his token: "Third Battalion of the Capital Garrison!"
The county magistrate also knelt down.
Good heavens, no high-ranking official has ever come from Hanshan County before. This one is from the capital.
"Your humble servant..."
He was interrupted before he could finish speaking.
Lu Qingqing stared at the scarred man and said definitively, "You have wounds that are festering and bleeding, and you've used wound medicine."
“Yes, yes…” Scarface suddenly realized he shouldn’t have come closer.
He involuntarily took a step back.
His gaze averted, his brows furrowed for a moment, his hands clenched into fists, and his Adam's apple bobbed—all signs of his tension.
What kind of wound medicine was used?
I bought it at a pharmacy on a whim.
Which pharmacy?
"I bought this a long time ago and forgot about it."
"How much silver?"
"Fifteen taels."
"Too expensive."
ah?
Scarface looked at Lu Qingqing in confusion.
“I said it’s too expensive. This wound medicine only costs eight ounces at the pharmacy.”
impossible!
This wound medicine is better than other wound medicines, and it's more expensive than the fifteen taels of silver he bought before. How could it only cost eight taels!
This woman doesn't understand at all!
Scarface couldn't figure out why Lu Qingqing was asking this, so he simply kept quiet.
"You bought it from Lutai, right? It's a wound medicine produced by Datong Pharmacy. It's only sold in Lutai around here."
Scarface nodded haphazardly.
Then, a cold knife was pressed against my neck.
The others also had knives pressed against their necks.
"What are you doing? What wrong have we done? Even if you are powerful, you can't disregard the law and kill innocent people indiscriminately!"
Lu Qingqing sneered, "Innocent civilians? The wound medicine from Datong Pharmacy is not sold in Lutai at all. Tell me, where did the wound medicine come from?"
"Wound medicine? What wound medicine? I have no idea what it is. Someone gave it to me!"
"Who gave it to you?"
"A friend from the martial arts world!"
"What is your surname and given name? Where is your ancestral home?"
Scarface's eyes darted around frantically, trying to continue making things up.
Lu Qingqing then said, "Are you a friend of the Gu family army? This wound medicine is not sold in any pharmacies in the North; it is only supplied to the Gu family army camp!"
Scarface's pupils widened as he stared at Lu Qingqing. Although he couldn't see her eyes clearly, he felt as if he had been completely seen through.
What kind of person is she!
Why are you asking about wound medicine so much!
"No, that's not it. We just used ordinary wound medicine. We've never heard of Datong brand."
Lu Qingqing was too lazy to say anything more.
With a single glance from Ji Ruyan, the soldier pulled a bottle of wound medicine from Scarface's body.
On the bottle, there is an instruction sheet with the words "Datong" prominently displayed at the very beginning.
"The wound medicine supplied to the Gu family's military camp is different from that supplied to pharmacies; each bottle has a number on the bottom: 110."
Lu Qingqing held up the bottom of the bottle to show that it was indeed from the military camp, not sold in a pharmacy!
Scarface's face turned ashen.
He was wrong!
This woman clearly recognized the medicine from the very beginning!
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