Chapter 113: Insider (Part 2)

Taihe County

This is a small county town. Because it is very close to the big city, trade is prosperous and the small city is rich.

There are some patrol soldiers in the county town. These soldiers stroll on the street every day and occasionally catch thieves. When they encounter cases that the constable cannot handle, they will also arrest them. When they are not busy, they are disguised gangsters on the street. Who dares to provoke them?

Even if they were eaten and taken, they could only smile helplessly and dare not stop them.

These wing soldiers are all people with some foundation in the local area. Most of them are from fathers and uncles who work in the yamen, and some people rely on some money to play with sticks. They are considered like thugs. Joining wing soldiers is equivalent to having a layer of protection, which is considered a tolerance that ordinary people cannot afford to provoke.

"Oh no, this group of gangsters are coming again. Let your girl hide behind you. Although they dare not openly touch others, they always tease and talk in the streets. After a long time, how can you, a girl, find her husband's family in the future? People's words are so terrifying! Why don't you let her hide inside?"

Next to the Shaobing Shop on the east side of the street is a butcher who slaughtered pigs. The couple is kind-hearted. They just cut a piece of meat for the customer and collected money. When they became daughter-in-law, they saw a few patrol soldiers coming from the distance of the street and said to the couple selling Shaobing to the neighbors.

The couple who sells sesame cakes are not good-looking, but have a daughter who is fifteen years old and as beautiful as a green girl. At this time, the girl was helping her parents. When she heard the butcher's wife's words, her pretty face turned pale.

"Dad, mom..."

"Hide in quickly. If you don't ask you to come out, don't come out. Why don't you go in quickly!" After hearing this, Shaobing's wife decisively pushed the girl into the shop. The patrol soldiers were getting closer and closer, only a dozen steps away.

At this time, more and more people bought baked cakes. Although the store is small, it is a time-honored brand that has been passed down for generations. The baked cakes are very authentic. It was already morning, and the sun was coming out, and more and more customers were buying around here.

Maybe there were many people here at this time, or maybe they had something else to do, and the patrol soldiers did not turn their attention to this place, but were all gloomy and were just rushing to the road.

"Damn bad luck! I called us again and scolded me! I never scolded Master Zhang before. He was there. He was really a minister! We brothers have become people who were called and drunk!" A soldier spat on the ground and said with a gloomy face.

"Yes, when Master Zhang was there, he was always very generous to our brothers, unlike Master Liu. He had just arrived at the yamen for a few days and the chair under his butt was not hot yet. He never took care of other things. He was urging us around every day!" Another soldier said with a gloomy face.

Mr. Zhang was the previous magistrate and has been dismissed. Now Liu is in office.

"Hey! Mr. Liu just warned of public security according to the above intention. By the way, the difference is different from previous years, so this stability is becoming more and more serious. Who knows this in his mind?"

Everyone knows this. After Wei Yue killed the emperor and ascended the throne, people who were convinced and dissatisfied with him were everywhere, so vicious cases broke out in various places.

Under such circumstances, overwhelming all over the country became the first task. No wonder Liu Magistrate attached importance to the wing soldiers after taking office. This is the strongest force that the county can control.

"So... the previous rumors are true? Those people... are secretly killing officials and rebelling?" Someone asked in a low voice when he heard this.

"No, this kind of thing can be hidden for a while, or even for a lifetime? It is said that it is not ordinary people. They are supported by some aristocratic families and wealthy families, and even supported by the West - you have heard about Han Shaoyun a while ago?" He pointed to the Jingzhou side and said.

"I heard that the county magistrate of the neighboring county is said to die after drinking!"

"I fell into the water after drinking. I heard that I was killed, but I didn't use a knife. I used this method, so the above did not disclose it, but I was closely following the investigation in secret."

"So that's it. No wonder it's really unlucky to urge us!"

"It's just a formality. Mr. Liu scolded me. It sounds like we are. Anyway, I can't blame us if I blame you at that time. Why bother to be serious?"

“That’s right.”

The patrol soldiers spoke and passed by the Shaobing Shop.

Someone remembered the Shuiling Girl, glanced back a few times, and said in a disgusting manner: "I didn't see Shaobing Xishi coming out today!"

"Did you fall in love with a girl? I heard that I planned to ask a matchmaker to say goodbye a few days ago? It's not that I'll pour cold water on you. This girl is handsome, or she's married home. How can you keep her peaceful?"

"I heard yesterday that the emperor has issued an order to expand the palace maids. Five girls will be selected in a county to send them. I am afraid that this girl will not escape this difficulty..."

"Shh! This is not something you and I can control. Be careful that someone will hear it and lose your head!" The emperor they were talking about was Wei Yue.

After forcing the Emperor of Dayan to death, Wei Yue ascended the throne, proclaimed himself the emperor, and established himself in the Wu Dynasty. Jinling became the capital of the Wu Dynasty. I don’t know if he believed the advice of any minister, or because of the bloody palace purge in the palace that day, there were few eunuchs left. Wei Yue approved the expansion of the harem a few days ago and ordered that every county in the Wu Dynasty select at least five girls to send them to the palace, either as female officials or as attendants, without any mistakes.

Speaking of which, for poor families, being able to enter the palace, being selected as a concubine, or becoming a palace maid is also a way out.

But now the emperor of the Wu Dynasty is unpopular, the throne is not right, and he is killed. Not long ago, he just slaughtered all eunuchs in the palace, and even many palace maids have died. How many families can I have to send my daughter to the palace now?

There are constant complaints among the people.

These soldiers spoke and cursed, but they did not forget to walk around with some things along the way. The vendors who took advantage of them could only smile with them. They had to smile and dared not be dissatisfied at all. Even so, a few people were slapped because these people were in a bad mood today.

"Evil bandits! This is simply a group of evil bandits!" As soon as the street came out, two constables standing, one of them was young and very young. Seeing these people's behavior, his face suddenly became ugly. He wanted to go over to stop it, but was grabbed by the older constable behind him.

"Are you stupid again?" The elderly detective who held him almost forty years old, the unique sleekness and helplessness of middle-aged people were fully reflected in him.

The detective patted him on the shoulder and whispered: "It's better to have less than more things. Even the master in the hall doesn't care about things. So what can you do if you pass by? You can beat them by yourself? You are not too big or too little, but if you are beaten by them, you can only bear it. Maybe you will have to pay for it!"

"But they..."

"Hey! This is the way of the world, how can we distinguish it? These people were called tigers on the streets earlier. They used to be gangsters nearby, and they had some people at home, so they didn't do anything? Now they are wearing official skins, at least they are a little restrained. It's not a big deal, so let them go."

Looking at the direction where the group of people left, the young man who had just been a constable for a few days still showed an angry look.

But what Zheng told the old detective was that he was just a small detective, so how could he be with them?

"Uncle Chang, no one cares about such people? The county magistrate doesn't care about it, and no other magistrates do?"

"You know a little about the current situation, how can it be a safe time? People like us still have a way out. Don't look at the master's day by day, the knife is hanging around your neck!"

Seeing that the young detective was silent but not very confident, the older detective sighed and told the inside story: "Do you know that Master Zhang was a bit confused? Although Ma Hu was a fair official, he did not do much on weekdays, but he never openly acted rampant."

"I came from a noble family, and my family had some money, but I didn't take it seriously. The public's reputation was very good, but what happened in the end? Because I was the county magistrate of the previous dynasty, Isn't it that the emperor was punished for twenty years and rushed home?"

"Master Zhang is a literati, how can he bear the 20-scepter? He is so scared that he is now skinny. When it comes to doing something wrong, it is just that the Zhang family is a distant branch of the Zhang family of the aristocratic family. For this reason, he was dismissed from office for no reason. What else can't happen?"

"As for the new Liu County Magistrate Liu, he is the emperor's person, but if... the fate is worse than Mr. Zhang." Speaking of this, the elderly constable sighed and worried about the prospects of Wu Chao.

Once the Wu Dynasty perishes, as a gangster who rebels in the emperor, he is afraid he will not be able to escape.

"Forget it, what are you doing with you? You and I just need to be a good match for this. I don't need to pay attention to anything else. Just remember it, let's go!" Seeing that the companion's face became more ugly, the elderly detective sighed, patted the other party's shoulder, and said.

"Well, I'll listen to Uncle Chang!" Although the young constable still didn't understand, he nodded and said, if he wanted to gain a foothold in the yamen, he still needed the support of this distant relative.

The two walked towards the west of the street.

This street is the main street of the county town, and there are several inns open at the west end of the street, all of which are booming business.

There was a carriage in front of a Dehuifeng Inn, and it stopped at the door.

The carriage had several followers and looked tall. A young man got out of the carriage and was dressed in an ordinary dress, but he gave the two passers-by a few glances.

At the beginning, the two constables did not expect that they just thought that this person was an ordinary passing by and staying in a hotel.

After a look at the young detective, he always felt that the man was a little kind-faced just now. He turned around and looked at him a few times. After turning his face, he immediately looked shocked.

"Uncle Chang, I looked at this guy just now and always felt that he was the second young master of the Hu family..." The young detective hesitated for a moment and stopped.

"The Second Young Master of the Hu Family?" The middle-aged detective frowned. This is the person who escaped and received an ultimatum from the emperor!

"The place where I live is not far from the Hu family's old house. I have seen the second young master a few times. I remember it very clearly. It was him!" Thinking of this, he was about to turn around and go back, but was stopped by his companions again.
Chapter completed!