Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 232 Lantern

"No food!"

A hoe swung past, and the farmer holding the hoe shouted resolutely but numbly.

He became a fugitive and sold himself and his children in order to get food without paying for food. Although I don’t know what the host family told him, it can be said that the county captain came to clean up the land and wanted him to pay the grain again.

"Didn't you pay for the food?" Xue Bai stepped forward and asked: "You have been farming for a year, how much do you pay to your master's family, and how much do you keep for yourself?!"

The farmer obviously didn't understand the reasoning and stared back with a stubborn look. The master told him that he was not registered as a household and was not under the jurisdiction of the county government, so there was no need to be afraid of the county captain.

The hoe was raised high, intending to hit Xue Bai on the head.

Hundreds of people shouted aggressively, hoping to scare away the hairless county captain with their outpouring of public opinion.

"Back off!" Ren Mulan shouted quickly, waving a broken whistle stick.

Xue Bai didn't need to be protected by these children, so he reached out and grabbed the two children standing in front of him.

"The county lieutenant is careful with hidden knives."

The next moment, the wind blew, and someone had already waved a stick at Xue Bai.

Xue Bai was on guard for a long time. He stepped back and immediately ordered: "Take it down."

He wanted to catch Ren Mulan, but he saw the tomboy yelling "Ah" and pounced on the man wielding the stick.

The scene was chaotic, some farmers were frightened and dispersed, while some tough men squeezed in and surrounded Xue Bai and his party.

With a "bang" sound, Jiang Hai kicked the big man in front of him away.

At the same time, Quan Fu had already been hit with a stick. Someone pulled out a dagger and rushed at Quan Fu. They actually thought he was Wang Yi and wanted to kill him in broad daylight in front of the county captain.

With a "bang" sound, Jiang Hai pulled out the horizontal sword and slashed it down, directly removing the big man's arm holding the dagger.

"puff."

With a flash of cold light, the knife penetrated the joint bone accurately, and the arm fell to the ground. Blood spurted out from the wound as big as a bowl, and sprayed on the other man's face, followed by a horrifying scream. .

This was beyond the expectations of all the thugs, and the originally heated fighting scene suddenly stopped.

Ren Mulan was also startled. She was trying her best to put on a fierce expression, yelling and beating people with a broken whistle stick. When she lowered her head and saw that her arms and fingers on the ground were moving, she couldn't help but feel that she was a little beaten. There's a fuss.

"puff."

There was no room for surprise.

Jiang Hai kept moving, slashing with the sword in his hand, directly into the neck of the man closest to Xue Bai, splitting the man's neck in half, and the horizontal knife got stuck on the opponent's neck bone. He raised his foot and kicked the body. fall.

He is neither a rogue nor an official, he is a soldier. He doesn't know how to fight, he only knows how to kill, and he only knows the killing skills of fighting for his life on the battlefield. He pays attention to speed, accuracy and ruthlessness.

"Dead!"

People exclaimed and stopped what they were doing.

Jiang Hai ignored everything else, stared at Xue Xin, and asked, "Still watching?!"

Without saying a word, Xue Xin raised the horizontal knife and stabbed it into the heart of the man who was still rolling on the ground screaming because of his broken arm, killing him.

"Run."

The thugs who had just surrounded them turned around and wanted to run away, but found that at some point, dozens of people had gathered behind them. They were all Xue Bai's men who had been transferred from Luoyang to measure the acres of land.

"Assassinate the imperial official and take it!"

Ren Mulan raised her hand and pointed, shouting: "The blind man! Don't let the blind man escape!"

Yin Liang had seen dead people before, but rarely saw such fresh severed limbs. He felt slightly uncomfortable. He was wondering if Jiang Hai had struck too hard when he turned around and saw a one-eyed man in the distance running towards the river.

"Get him..."

It was too late, the blind man jumped up and jumped into the cold Yishui with a "plop".

Xue Bai didn't care. Guo Ashun died before. He had the patience to see if the blind man died.

After helping Quan Fu up, he ordered the thirteen captured "assassins" to be brought back to the county office for interrogation.

~~

County office, arresting office.

Chai Gou'er took out a wine bag from his arms, handed it to Qi Chou, and said with an apologetic smile: "Commander, don't be angry with your brother."

"Don't touch me. Why don't you eat well with that evil spirit?" Qi Chou shook off the wine bag, "I'm not handsome anymore, I can't compare to others' youth."

"Ha, you are young. Handsome, your baby is as big as Xue Xin, right?"

Qi Chou was amused by this sentence, and finally took the wine bag, took a sip, and sighed: "Guo Lushi's move will give the county captain a warning. Then..."

"came back!"

Suddenly a policeman shouted, and everyone looked out, only to see half of Xue Xin's body covered in blood. He was holding a horizontal knife in one hand and holding a hemp rope in the other. The hemp rope was strung with a row of evil men on the canal. dejected.

Looking back, there were several people carrying a stretcher. There were two corpses on the stretcher. One had his arms removed, and the other had half of his neck broken.

"vomit!"

One of the officers couldn't hold it back and leaned down on the steps and vomited out. The stench was overwhelming.

Xue Xin rolled his eyes and glared fiercely, saying: "Take care of it."

In fact, he usually looks like he is resentful that everyone owes his grandpa eight hundred dollars. But before, others only thought this kid was funny, but today they realized how cruel he really is.

The Shiba Inu burped inexplicably and hurriedly stepped forward to help sweep away the sand to cover the vomit.

"If you don't open the cell door yet, I'm going to use the torture chamber."

"The handsome man wants to be tortured, why don't you go and get the key."

Xue Xin stood there waiting impatiently. His eyes turned and fell on the wine bag in Qi Chou's hand.

Qi Chou swallowed, his throat rolled, and finally handed over the wine bag.

Xue Xin was not polite. He took it and poured it into his mouth. He drank the whole bag of wine in one breath. Still feeling unsatisfied, he took out a small bunch of money from his arms and threw it on the table.

"Bring me some more drinks."

Qi Chou felt embarrassed and stood there with a sullen expression. Chai Gou'er quickly stepped forward to pick up the wine bag and coins, and said with a smile, "I'll go right now, little man."

"There's no rush. Hang up the criminal first."

"Yes Yes."

Chai Gou'er did as he was told, and saw Xue Xin picking through the execution room, picking up a pair of toe clamps and going to the prisoner.

"Ah...ah!"

"Say! Who asked you to assassinate the county captain?!"

Chai Gou'er lowered his head and retreated. He bumped into Qi Chou, and he rubbed his hands coyly, trying to explain a few words.

Qi Chou didn't bother to scold him, and muttered: "Damn, young people don't do things lightly..."

~~

Wei Xie.

Yin Liang glanced outside the door, rushed to Xue Bai's side, and whispered: "It's time for Guo Huan to come over. If he hasn't come yet, I guess he is also confused."

"Let the kitchen bring food first and make more."

"Here."

Ren Mulan and the children were brought in, and they crowded in the dirty room and looked around.

"It's so warm... Qushuai, what is that? It must be a fairy mount."

"That's a wine flask. Take the saddle away to hold the wine, and it comes out of your mouth."

"what is that?"

"Candlestick, stop talking."

Ren Mulan finally calmed down these boys, scratched her legs, and looked up at Xue Bai.

Xue Bai asked: "How do you know it's a hip flask?"

"I've been to Wei's house before, and Wang County Lieutenant gave me food... By the way, Wang County Lieutenant was poisoned. County Lieutenant don't drink the wine they gave me."

"Why did you come to help me?" "Pen'er saw the blind man talking to Gui Gui Chongchong, a person from the county government. I guess the blind man just wanted to do something bad for you, so he was trying to get rid of him."

Pen'er is a ten-year-old boy with a small stature and an ugly tire mark on his face. He added: "He is Sun Tubi's nephew. People say that the county captain is a dog that took pornographic drugs. He gave him numbness." A blind man’s money.”

Xue Bai asked: "Why is your name Pen'er?"

Ren Mulan said: "His parents didn't want him, so they put him in a wooden basin and floated down the Yishui River. He was picked up by the young monk from Xingfu Temple and sent to the health center."

"Is that Tang Xuanzang?"

"Yes, they float children every year, but Tang Xuanzang only has one. I don't know how many float into the Yellow River and feed the fish."

Ren Mulan is cruel and has an indifferent attitude when she talks about these things.

"Which little old monk from Kofukuji Temple?"

"Dead." Ren Mulan said: "The more fields there are for recuperation, the less food is given to orphans, and the more children are sold. The little old monk can't stand it anymore. He is pissed to death by those people. The relics are placed there. If you want to see his relics on the temple tower, you can pay ten coins a time."

"Damn it." Jiang Hai spat while standing outside the door.

Xue Bai asked again: "How can you be so bold, dare to follow the blind man, and dare to rush to protect me?"

"The little old monk died, and Pen'er couldn't survive originally. Fortunately, the disaster relief mission came. Later, the disaster relief mission left, but Wang Xianwei was transferred. Wang Xianwei died, and Xue Xianwei came again. I can't Let the good people die.”

"Aren't you afraid of being beaten to death?"

Ren Mulan patted her chest and said carelessly: "Twenty biscuits cannot buy us as slaves, but it is enough to buy us to work hard."

He asked some more about the situation in the county. To Xue Bai's surprise, these children were very familiar with Yanshi County and knew everything about the dock.

"If you want to secretly attack the county captain, Li San'er must be brave. He has many lives on his hands. Just last year, Deng Axu's family refused to sell their daughter, so Li San'er killed six members of his family. , fell to the thieves in Wuzhi Ridge..."

Wuzhishan, also known as Fuxi Mountain and Fuxi Mountain, belongs to the remaining range of Songshan Mountain. It is outside Yanshi County and at the junction of Henan Prefecture and Zhengzhou. Bandits are rampant.

These thieves occasionally went to Luoshui and the Yellow River to rob boats, but they obviously would not just kill six members of a farmer's family and steal a daughter and leave.

After chatting for a while, the food arrived. There was a roast goose on the big plate, accompanied by scallion pancakes, and the children couldn't help but cheer.

Xue Bai watched them eat while he meditated alone.

From what happened today, it can be seen that Wang Yi actually escaped with some evidence.

The strange thing is, why would these people go to such trouble to find a slave? Are we really afraid that he will present the evidence that they embezzled people's fields and persecuted people to the saint? They just don't seem to care.

For example, Song Mian's attitude when he spoke clearly showed that he looked down upon Guo Wanjin. Although these people cooperated to make profits, they did not necessarily have a deep friendship with each other. It was likely that there was some big interest that tied them together, and it was more than the acres of land in a county. Be big...

"County Lieutenant."

Ren Mulan's mouth was full of oil after eating, and she was gnawing on a goose leg in her hand, saying: "We have eaten yours, and if we need it in the future, just ask."

Yin Liang couldn't help but laugh, and asked first: "What? How can you kids help?"

"Why not?" Ren Mulan said: "I am also one of the commanders on the dock. I have more than a dozen people under me. I am considered a local leader in this three-acre area of ​​​​Yanshi. The county captain is an outsider and has no help. How?"

Before Yin Liang could speak again, the boy who was sitting on the threshold outside, chewing goose meat, ran back and said, "Old man Guo is here."

"Old Man Guo looked at him with a smile. He is responsible for all the bad things in the county. County Lieutenant, you have to be careful."

"Do you still know about Guo Lu?"

"How could I not understand that his family has been living in Yanshi for several generations, and all the fields south of Horseshoe Spring belong to their family..."

~~

Xue Bai asked Yin Liang to take these people to the back and met Guo Huan alone in the front room.

After sitting down together, Guo Huan said with a smile: "The county captain was frightened by some unscrupulous people. It seems that they are very resistant to clearing the land."

"It has nothing to do with the common people. There are some demon thieves who want to assassinate me." Xue Bai said, "I suspect that they are related to the demon thief Liu Hua who assassinated Lishan, and I plan to interrogate them strictly."

Guo Huan was still smiling, but his eyes were not as bright as before.

"County Lieutenant, it's better not to make a big fuss. In the prosperous days of Tianbao, how could there be so many monsters and thieves?"

"It is the duty of the county captain to maintain the peace of the country. Guo Lushi advised me to put things aside...could it be related to the demon thief?"

Guo Huan was stunned and smiled: "Xue Lang is so funny."

He patted his knees and said slowly: "By the way, if Xue Lang takes another step in promotion, he should be appointed as the Chixian Lieutenant, right?"

"I just came to Yanshi, didn't I?"

"You don't have to be rigid about some things." Guo Huan said: "After the New Year's Day, which is the eighth year of Tianbao, after the beginning of spring, the Ming Dynasty will protect Xue Lang as a red county captain. How about it?"

"Oh? Magistrate Lu doesn't think about his own official career, but he wholeheartedly plans for me. I'm grateful."

"The icing on the cake is that Xue Lang was born as a top scholar, has outstanding talents, and has the trust of the emperor. This is unmatched by others. He deserves a promotion, some kind words and recommendations, that's all the icing on the cake."

Xue Bai thought for a while and wondered: "But the errand assigned by the saint..."

Guo Huan was prepared and said: "When the Ming Dynasty asks the Prime Minister, they will make their own arrangements, and Xue Lang will be able to explain."

In this way, all problems seem to be solved.

Xue Bai asked again: "But I heard that Wang Yansiam had a servant, Wang Yi, who escaped with key evidence. What if he reveals the truth?"

Guo Huan was shocked for a moment, shook his head, Yun Danfeng smiled softly and said: "No, no, there is no evidence, and I am not afraid of him exposing it."

After a sentence, he realized that he had made too many mistakes. When he looked up again, he found that Xue Bai was staring at him closely with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Xue Lang, get ready for promotion. I won't disturb you. I'll take my leave."

"I'll send Guo Luo."

~~

When Xue Bai returned to Wei House, he saw that Ren Mulan and others had already eaten all the roast goose and cakes, and even the bones turned white.

"Do you know what evidence Wang Yi has on hand?"

"I don't know, but...if I tell her, can the county captain protect her?"

Once Ren Mulan was full, she regained her vigilance and looked at Xue Bai again.

She didn't say this last time, but this time she believed him even more when she saw that the county magistrate sent people to deal with him.

Xue Bai said: "If there are key witnesses, I can send them to Chang'an."

Ren Mulan then responded: "Sister Apo may know."

"who is she?"

"After we rescued Brother Ayi, we had no money and no medicine, so we hid him with Sister Apo."

"where?"

"I'll take the county lieutenant. The county lieutenant will change his clothes."

……

In the evening, a bell rang.

It's not the drums that call for curfew in Chang'an City, but the bells chiming the time in the temple, which seems very distant.

Xue Bai only took Jiang Hai with him and followed Ren Mulan towards the west of the city.

There are many Buddhist temples in the southwestern corner of the city, giving it a quiet and peaceful feel.

"The health center is in the temple." Ren Mulan raised her hand and pointed at the majestic Xingfu Temple.

But what they were going to was not Kofukuji Temple, but walked into an alley next to Kofukuji Temple.

It was completely dark and it was hard to see in the alley.

Jiang Hai lit a lantern.

"Give me."

Ren Mulan, who was walking in front, turned around and took it, holding a lantern and walking in front.

In this dark little county, it was this humble refugee who finally illuminated the road ahead for Xue Bai.

The faint glow of the fire kept swaying, but it was so bright that it was not blown out by the wind.

(End of this chapter)