"Hm, I'm only asking where Liao Ge's daughter is. If I'm satisfied with the answer, that's fine. If not …" Pei Zi Yun was furious as he grunted.
"Liao Ge's daughter? I've never heard of Liao Ge having a daughter! " The man heard Pei Zi Yun's words and narrowed his eyes. Usually, Liao Ge's colleagues would only hand over money and not care about his daughter. He was hesitant.
"Hm, Chen Yuan, let's go!" Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly and prepared to return to the ox-cart. There was no point in arguing with these people. Not only was it beneath his status, it was also useless. He could just ask the bailiffs to interrogate them. If these people really did anything, they could not blame him for being impolite.
Seeing Pei Zi Yun in such a state, the man was enraged. He pounced forward and punched Pei Zi Yun, "Who asked you to make fun of me?"
Seeing the man charging at him, Pei Zi Yun took a step back and used his finger to tap the man's chest. The man fell to the ground and started twitching as he screamed in pain.
The woman saw the man being beaten up and shouted out in fear, "Help! Help! Someone has broken into our house and is assaulting people!"
It was raining heavily, and not many people were outside. Only a few people came out of the house. An old man led a few men and asked Pei Zi Yun fiercely, "Who are you, and why have you come to our Liao Family?"
"I'll ask you again, where is Liao Ge's daughter? Before he died, he asked me to come and see her. What's the situation now that she's gone? " Pei Zi Yun said coldly. He had thought that the little girl had been bullied, but now these people were saying that she was gone.
What's the situation now? If it was these people who did it, Liao Ge would consider it as a family member. Pei Zi Yun did not have such blood relations with them, and thus had to pay for it.
Hearing Pei Zi Yun's words, the old man replied coldly, "You liar, are you here to cause trouble? Liao Ge died outside, and was killed by a thief. He didn't even ask for help. "
The old man shouted, "Go outside and report this to the officials. They're not far away. Surround them, and don't let these liars escape."
Chen Yuan was enraged, and was about to speak when Pei Zi Yun waved him off and laughed coldly.
After a few minutes, a constable came in from outside. He was wearing a straw raincoat and a straw hat. He held a saber in one hand and a chain in the other. He shouted, "What's going on? Who's causing trouble?"
The burly man was helped up by the woman. Hearing this voice, the old man smiled and walked up to him, "Third Master Qian, Liao Ge died while carrying out his duties as the Governor. I didn't expect this man to come looking for trouble in the name of taking care of an orphan. I hope that Third Master Qian can arrest this man and bring him back to be disciplined."
The old man was sensible. He took out a tael of silver from his pocket and handed it to the constable. The constable weighed the silver in his hand. Although it wasn't much, it was still something.
"You're the one causing trouble?" The constable had a ferocious expression on his face, and was about to arrest them. However, when he saw Pei Zi Yun and Pei Zi Yun, he hesitated. Something didn't seem right.
Pei Zi Yun cleared his throat. Chen Yuan then took out a letter and said, "This is my Young Master's letter."
He then heard Pei Zi Yun say plainly, "Before Liao Ge died, he entrusted me to take care of the orphan. Who would've thought that the orphan of Liao Ge had passed away a long time ago. Help me investigate this matter. These people are audacious and dared to lay their hands on the orphan of an official.
If it wasn't for master Top Scorer, you would've escaped this case. You even dared to bribe an official's daughter. "At this point, he looked at the family coldly, and was ready to fight.
When the constable heard the young master's tone of voice, he knew that something was wrong. This wasn't something an ordinary person would say. He took the letter and opened it up. The name on it was High Scholar Pei Zi Yun from Ying Prefecture. His face fell. These constables were all well-informed, and broke out in cold sweat. He then turned around and glared at the old man who had handed him the silver and shouted, "Good. You've committed a crime. You dare to lay your hands on the orphan of an official. If it weren't for master Top Scorer, you would've escaped this case. You even dared to bribe an official.
If not for master Top Scorer, you would have escaped this case. "
Seeing this, the old man's face turned pale in disbelief. He hurriedly shouted, "Your excellency, you've wronged us. We didn't harm the orphan. Your excellency, we didn't."
Even Third Master Qian didn't dare to call him 'Your excellency'. The burly man beside him shouted, "Your excellency, we didn't harm her. We are from the Liao family. My father is the Clan Leader. Liao Ge has died, and this house belongs to our family. We can't possibly leave it outside.
This is legal! "The constable laughed coldly," Legal? The laws of the dynasty forbid anyone from stealing from their family. Do you think you can hide this? Once you enter the yamen, you'll have plenty of time to talk. "
Hearing the constable's words, the entire courtyard fell into a daze, as though a disaster was about to befall them. A young man beside the old man stammered, "Your excellency, I'll talk, I'll talk. My niece isn't dead. She's living a good life in the village!"
When Pei Zi Yun heard these words, he heaved a sigh of relief. He then turned to the young man and said, "Bring us there."
It was said that Liao Ge was a lowly official. He had worked hard his whole life to attain the ninth rank. Although he had some land, it was only thirty mu. As long as he wasn't dead, Pei Zi Yun wouldn't be interested in such a small house and land. When the young lady gets married, she would need a dowry. So what if he gave her a hundred mu?
The most important thing now was to find the orphan. When the young man heard these words, he trembled and didn't dare to reject.
Pei Zi Yun then waved his hands, "Constable Qian, follow me."
Constable Qian was cursing under his breath, but he had no choice but to smile, "Yes yes, I shall follow you."
As he spoke, he was enraged. He then wrapped the chains around the old man's neck and shouted, "Quick, prepare the ox-carts to follow us."
After some time, the two ox-carts sped into the rain and disappeared into the streets.
Suburbs of the prefecture capital
There were a few mud houses that were very small and narrow. There was a bundle of bamboo strips in the corner of the house, and it was filled with all sorts of things. An old female servant was carrying a little girl. Under the dim light of the house, the little girl was so hungry that she was skin and bones. The old servant cried out, "I beg of you, please give us some food. The young lady is starving to death. You can't do this to her. After all, the old master has taken good care of us all these years. How could you do this to her?"
"Hm, one of you is an old man, and the other is a little girl. Both of you should have died long ago. What contribution are you talking about? This little girl made a mistake, and should be locked up as punishment. What's there to eat and drink about? Wait till you guys come out."
"The young lady is still so young, how would she know about such things. It was all because of you that she went to the ancestral hall and knocked over the oil lamp. If not, how would the young lady have made such a mistake? The fields have been given to you, isn't it just for a courtyard?" The old woman saw that the little girl's breathing was getting weaker and weaker, and shouted out loudly.
"Hm, what nonsense are you spouting? You shall receive your punishment inside!" The old woman shouted out into the house, as she spoke, she was munching on melon seeds with the others.
At this point, the thick, dark clouds in the sky shone brightly, and caused the entire house to shake. The old woman couldn't help but shiver.
"Open the door, open the door." At this point, someone was knocking on the door.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." When the door was opened, a gust of cold wind blew in. The person who greeted them was the tribe leader. The moment the tribe leader entered the house, he hurriedly asked, "Where's little Ye? Bring her out quickly."
"Tribe leader, didn't you say you were going to …." Before the woman could finish her sentence, the tribe leader's expression changed, "What do you mean by that? I don't know."
Within the house, the old woman heard the noise outside and grabbed onto the last straw of hope. She then shouted, "Quick, save the young lady. Someone come, someone come."
Her voice was hoarse, as a hand reached out from the window of the wooden house.
Pei Zi Yun shuddered, and didn't want to waste any more time with these people. He pushed the woman aside and walked into the house. Seeing that the door was locked, he drew his sword and slashed it. With a 'ka' sound, the lock broke and fell to the ground.
When he opened the door, he saw an old woman carrying a little child. The child was extremely skinny, and was crying out softly, "Granny, I'm thirsty, I'm hungry!"
Seeing the child, Pei Zi Yun rushed forward, "Are you Liao Ge's daughter?"
The old maid stretched out her hands, "Young Master, yes, please save the young lady. Save the young lady."
Pei Zi Yun stepped forward to receive the little girl. All of a sudden, he remembered the words of Liao Ge before he died, and his face fell. Chen Yuan looked at him and said, "Young Master, give her some water, but she can't eat. I'll go to the kitchen to get some cold porridge. When it's hot, she can drink it, but not too much."
"Go!" Pei Zi Yun said as he dipped his finger into the rain and fed it to the little girl. Like a baby, the little girl sucked on his finger.
There was indeed some cold porridge in the kitchen. He quickly warmed it up and brought it over. Pei Zi Yun fed the little girl, who couldn't even open her eyes. She gobbled down the porridge in huge mouthfuls, and finished it in no time.
"Young Master, you can't give her any more." Chen Yuan said. However, the granny beside him had already finished three bowls of porridge, and was extremely hungry.
Pei Zi Yun handed the little girl over to the granny. He then looked at the Tribe Elder and the two women in the yard. His face was cold. He searched his body and pulled out a banknote and handed it to the constable, "Constable Qian, you have to handle this impartially."
Constable Qian was about to decline when he saw Pei Zi Yun's expression. He then bowed and said, "Yes master Top Scorer, I will handle this impartially."
Pei Zi Yun carried the little girl out. The little girl had eaten her fill, and opened her eyes wide. She then looked at Pei Zi Yun. Seeing Pei Zi Yun walk out, the little girl panicked, "Granny, granny!"
Pei Zi Yun turned around. The old maid didn't know if she should follow him. Pei Zi Yun looked at her. It was all thanks to the old maid's protection. If not for her, Liao Ge's daughter would have died long ago. He then said, "Let's go together. His excellency Liao had entrusted me with this task, and I will not mistreat you."
Pei Zi Yun brought the two of them out. It was raining heavily outside. Pei Zi Yun wrapped himself in his raincoat and climbed onto the oxcart. The old granny was slower, and only climbed onto the oxcart after him.
Pei Zi Yun asked softly, "What's your name?"
The little girl was still afraid, and didn't dare to answer. The old granny then hurriedly said, "Young Master, the little girl's name is Liao Qing Ye."
Pei Zi Yun gently stroked the little girl's hair, "Don't worry. Such a thing will never happen again. I will protect you."
He then turned to the granny, "You are loyal and devoted, and I will not mistreat you. You will be rewarded generously."
The granny heard the constable's words and knew that he was the Top Scorer. She then knelt down on the oxcart, "Many thanks master Top Scorer. I am old, and don't have many days left. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid the little girl would not have made it past tomorrow."
As she spoke, she started crying. Pei Zi Yun looked out at the oxcart, his face was dark and gloomy.
"Third Master Qian?" Seeing the oxcart disappear into the distance, the chief probed. Actually, they had some friendly relations with each other.
"Third Master Liao, you're in big trouble now." The constable revealed a smile that didn't look like a smile. He then counted the banknotes, "Look at this. A hundred taels! "
"His excellency Liao only left behind a few hundred taels? This Top Scorer Pei hates you to the core! "
Hearing these words, the tribe leader's body softened.
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