"Look at her, she's panicked, isn't she? She's not saying a word now, take her to the yamen." Ah Kuan's intelligence suddenly came online, and he keenly sensed Hong Xiaoduo's expression, so he raised his voice immediately.
It would be a lie for Hong Xiaoduo to say she wasn't flustered at this point.
What should we say at the yamen? Can we even explain it clearly? The children are still young; who knows, if they get scared once they enter the yamen, they might tell the truth.
Were we unsure if the villain was injured or killed? The authorities can send someone to investigate and find out. He was riding a fast horse, and the distance wasn't very far. If he was injured, she could just pay for medical expenses. But what if the villain demands the children back because of this?
If they find out that the person is dead, then there's really nothing to worry about. Hong Xiaoduo will either be imprisoned or executed later.
It seems to be late autumn now, so will the execution have to wait until next year? She really doesn't know!
She enjoys reading historical romance novels, but while the plots are quite touching and exciting, the captivating aspects are the dramatic twists and turns of the story; she doesn't pay much attention to historical facts.
You can't blame her for that. Who goes to a restaurant and orders a dish without needing to know how many steps it takes, when it was first made, or what family it belongs to? If it tastes good and you like it, that's all that matters.
The seven children panicked when they heard they were going to the yamen. Tianxuan secretly tugged at Hong Xiaoduo's clothes and said, "Mother, why don't you run first and don't worry about us? We'll go out and look for you when everything is alright."
"Oh, aren't you afraid I'll run away and never come back?" Hong Xiaoduo felt warm inside and leaned down to ask him in a low voice.
It wasn't that she was easygoing; in this situation, she still had the mind to joke and tease the child. The truth was, she had neither the inclination nor the means, because she could already see several constables walking by. She was just incredibly unlucky.
Hong Xiaoduo looked at the children and thought to herself, "It seems that our bond as mother and children has come to an end. Fate has separated us!"
"What are you all doing gathered here? Trying to cause trouble?" A constable looked around and spoke up gruffly.
"Officer, you've come at the right time! Arrest her! She's abducting a little beggar!" The onlookers fell silent when they saw the officers. Ah Kuan, as if he had met a savior, excitedly pointed at Hong Xiaoduo and the others to complain.
Tian Shu and the others clung tightly to Hong Xiaoduo's back, while Kaiyang and Yaoguang flanked her on either side, holding her arms tightly.
The constable who spoke seemed to be a leader. Hearing this, he looked at Hong Xiaoduo and the others, then glared at A-Kuan: "Get lost. Stop trying to get close to me, brother. Who's your brother?"
"I deserve to die, I misspoke, it was you, sir." Ah Kuan hurriedly admitted his mistake with a grin.
The onlookers looked at his sycophantic behavior with great contempt.
The head constable ignored A-Kuan and walked over to Hong Xiaoduo, asking, "Did you hear what he said? What did you say? What's going on with those kids?" He pointed at the children.
The constable looked quite fierce, but when he pointed at Tian Shu and the others and asked them questions, he didn't use the word "beggar," which made Hong Xiaoduo relax a little.
"I found them on the road. I took them in because they were small and I had nowhere to put them. As the weather got colder and colder, I bought them each a set of clothes to keep warm."
He was a new clerk at that clothing shop. When we went to the shop, he chased us away, and then the shopkeeper yelled at him.
Later, when we left the clothing store and wanted to find a place where we could go in to eat, he chased after us, hurling insults and threats. He said he'd been fired by the shopkeeper, that it was all our fault, and so on.
He even falsely accused me of trying to traffic them. I... I'm still feeling wronged.
"Officers, since you're from the yamen, why don't you take these seven children back with you? It would be best if you could settle them yourself; it's much better than having them with me." Hong Xiaoduo said timidly, her voice growing more and more aggrieved.
As she spoke, the children around her couldn't help but look up and steal glances at her. Was this still the mother they knew? Why did she suddenly seem so weak?
"What are you saying? You took in a child out of kindness, so of course you should see this good deed through to the end. What is the yamen for? It's not a shelter to clean up your messes. We're too busy catching bandits and maintaining order all day long." The constable immediately refused with righteous indignation, and not only refused, he also lectured Hong Xiaoduo.
"The constable is absolutely right. I also want to keep them with me until we find a suitable place to settle them. But alas, I am a young woman, and it is too difficult for me to do anything outside."
Even if I wanted to take them to an inn, we couldn't because we didn't have travel permits. Sigh, tonight we'll have to take them to sleep on the streets." Seeing that the constable was buying her act, Hong Xiaoduo pressed her advantage and continued her antics.
They deliberately risked saying they didn't have a guide, instead of saying that only the children didn't have one.
Because she could tell that the constable was afraid of getting attached to her, he handed over the seven children to him to take back to the yamen.
Hong Xiaoduo really made the right bet on this.
The head constable was worried about getting caught up in the mess. The emperor, in order to show that he was implementing benevolent governance, took good care of the homeless and begging people under his command and even had relief policies.
The usual approach was to provide food and clothing, but this was only a temporary solution. Later, a minister submitted a memorial suggesting that, in addition to distributing goods, shelters for the poor, elderly, beggars, and homeless people have been established in some areas.
It also encouraged wealthy merchants, temples, and Taoist monasteries in various regions to raise funds for almshouses to take in people who could not support themselves. In return, the local government was required to provide not only food but also firewood.
What's described above is quite simple, but it's difficult for the local government to do. They have to provide rice for cooking every day, two meals a day, and the government has to help with utensils, firewood, vegetables, and other supplies. It's a real headache for them.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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