Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 239 Stocking up
The moonlight is like water, the sky is quiet, and the chirping of birds can be heard at the foot of the courtyard wall, heralding that midsummer is about to leave.

Xiaocai was full of doubts and said, "Qiu Erlang's character Qiu doesn't start with a dot or a horizontal stroke, so how could he be the murderer?"

"Qiu Erlang is just an ordinary farmer in the mountains. He might be blinded by greed and want to kill for money. Why would he carry a dagger with him? This is totally unreasonable. Qiu Erlang is already crazy and stupid, and we can't get any information from him." Wang Heng took a deep breath: "Although I don't know much about jewelry, judging from the workmanship and color, that gold filigree butterfly inlaid heart must be extraordinary. How can Guangheng, a monk, have such precious jewelry? Even if he was born in a famous family and his family has such a treasure, why would Guangheng play with it in the waterfall viewing pavilion?"

Xiaocai continued, "From what Wuming and the others said, Monk Guangheng must have had great knowledge and good character, but he was killed by such a madman. Was Qiu Erlang a madman? Or did he become crazy because of the mental breakdown after killing someone?"

Wang Heng shook his head and said, "All the causes and consequences seem strange. Well, we have to wait and see what happens in the court of the Jiangning County Magistrate. There may be some connections. Qiu Erlang confessed himself and surrendered himself. The evidence, the dagger and the golden heart, are all there. I don't think there is any injustice. We just need to take the prisoner to the county government for trial."

Wang Heng and Xiaocai returned to the west wing hungry. The dining hall had already been closed, so they could only have some snacks like cakes and pastries.

After a busy day, both of them felt a little tired. They had to rush to Jiangning County tomorrow, so they went to bed early.

Wang Heng remembered that he had to go to Jiangning County Government to look up historical records tomorrow, so he thought it would be better to finish reading Li Xunzhi's "Memories of Hexiang Tower", which could also serve as a corroboration with the official historical records.

Reminiscences of Hexianglou by Li Xunzhi
Less than a month after Yunke left, just as he had said, chaos broke out both inside and outside Jiangning County.

It is rumored that there is a group of bandits who occupy the mountains and rule as kings. For some unknown reason, they gathered in Jiangning County and repeatedly harassed towns and cities, looting and kidnapping, doing whatever they wanted.

Under pressure from the situation, Pu Zhixian of Jiangning County sent archers and infantry from the barracks to suppress the rebellion, but they were defeated again and almost all of their troops were wiped out.

Therefore, County Magistrate Pu did not dare to act rashly and just passively avoided the situation, hoping that the bandits would flee to Lin County as soon as possible.

Thinking of what Yunsheng had said before leaving, I realized that the county town was in great danger, so I rode my donkey into the town and persuaded my mother and my younger sister and brother to go to the countryside to hide for a few days.

Unexpectedly, my mother was still thinking about it, and my sister Huarong flatly refused, saying that the county town was strong and there were many militia soldiers, and there was no place safer than there.

My second younger brother failed the boy's examination and had been practicing business for many years. He had no idea how much money he had lost after closing his business. I politely declined, saying that it would be inconvenient for him to live in Chen's villa.

I knew it would be difficult to convince my family, so I bid farewell to my mother in tears, asking her to prepare more rice for emergencies, and if there was a riot in the city, she should remember to restrain the servants and stay indoors. Seeing my mother's embarrassed expression, I was greatly confused. Could it be that the Li family of Jiangning was so poor?

I feel ashamed in my heart. I am over thirty years old, but I only know how to ask my mother for money, squander my family fortune, and spend my days on reading, swordplay, chess, poetry, wine and flowers. I have never worried about the food, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, or shared any of my mother's worries.

I then went to the county school and received four taels of silver as official fees for the season. Then I returned to the entrance of the old house and agreed with the shopkeeper of Fusheng Rice Shop to deliver a stone of rice to the old house Li Garden every day for three consecutive days, and agreed to pay two taels and one qian of silver.

In the old house, we grow melons and vegetables, and we have rice and vegetables, so we can stay indoors for several months. In my other village, we have two jars of rice, and once the salt is used up, it is enough for four or five people to eat for more than a year.

I was worried that there might be a major epidemic after the war, so I went to the county town's pharmacy and bought some pills and powders, which I brought back to my village for use.

Of the four taels of silver, I still have one tael left in case of emergency. I have always been extravagant, and would never save unless there is a calamity.

After returning to the county town, I have not gone out since then.

There were five people in the villa, including Yu and Fu Niang, Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen, and Fu Niang's maid. My husband and I told them about the worst possible outcome of the situation. The maid missed her family and wanted to return home as soon as possible. Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen had nowhere to go, so they volunteered to serve Yu and my wife.

I asked Mr. Chen to send the little maid back to her mother's home and told her to come back after everything was safe.

From then on, my wife and I never left the villa, but asked Mr. Chen to go to the nearby market to buy some meat and poultry every day.

Dozens of days later, Mr. Chen staggered back empty-handed, bringing back shocking news.

The bandits who had previously been causing trouble in Jiangning County attacked the county town last night. Just when the situation was on the verge of separatism, the county magistrate Pu ordered a strategic retreat, handing over the people of the city to the bandits.

When this group of bandits occupied the county town, the military advisor even issued a notice to reassure the people, saying that they were the vanguard of the new emperor, Prince Yuzhang, who had already established a reign title in Anqing and would ascend the throne soon, and the left wing of the General Pingnan, who was personally appointed by the new emperor. When they occupied the county town, they only collected food, fodder and money from the rich households and would never kill any civilians.

The people were unwilling to believe it. Some of them were smart and fled the city early when they saw the situation was bad. Now the inside and outside are cut off, and I wonder what the situation is like in the county town.

Now countless refugees have sought refuge with relatives and friends, and the news has spread in a panic. Merchants have closed their shops, and people have stayed at home. Some wealthy people have even taken to the lake to escape, fearing that the bandits will come in droves.

I immediately told Mr. and Mrs. Chen not to go out from then on, and that they could just tend to the vegetables in front of and behind the house to fill their stomachs.

That night, both Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen had fallen asleep.

Yu discussed with Fu Niang and felt that it was time to open the barrier left by Yun Sheng, so he took out the jade slip and long-pressed the crane. A purple glow appeared and a net of light rose from the bottom to the sky, covering the surroundings of the villa. Gradually, the purple faded until it was no different from the dark night before.

Yu and Fu Niang felt a little relieved. We burned incense and prayed in front of the portrait of Guanyin day and night, wishing for peace in the world and safety for our families.