At the temple fair on Zijin Mountain, the shouts of peddlers were endless. All kinds of street performers were also in full swing. It was a lively scene. Amidst the laughter, an ear-piercing scream suddenly rang out, followed by cries, shouts, and curses that resounded through the sky.
"Trash! All of you are trash! "Inside the Yingtian Magistrate's office, Magistrate Zhang Ruzhi pointed at the bailiffs and scolded them.
Zhang Ruzhi was forty years old this year. He had been Jinling's magistrate for seven or eight years. Because Jinling had many noble officials, he had always been cautious. He did not ask for merit, but only wanted to avoid mistakes. He relied on this "Protective Talisman" to live peacefully until now. Because of the daily pressure, even though he had many wives and concubines, he only had one son and one daughter. His only son was born of his first wife. He was seven years old and had been intelligent since childhood. He was quite fond of him.
In previous years, Zhang Ruzhi would change into casual clothes and take Aiko to the temple fair, accompanied by a group of servants and maids. At the same time, he would instruct a group of yamen runners to disguise themselves and patrol the area to prevent people from disturbing them.
Under such strict precautions, the seven year old child mysteriously disappeared in front of everyone. How could Zhang Ruzhi not fly into a rage?
After searching for four hours, there was still no trace of his child. At this time, the inner courtyard also knew that his child was missing. His mother and first wife had both fainted. Zhang Ruzhi was burning with anxiety. He was so anxious that his mouth was bubbling.
For the entire night, the bailiffs and servants held torches and searched everywhere, disturbing many people and causing them to be unable to sleep. It was not until noon the next day that they finally found a clue. Someone brought the young master's jade pendant to the county magistrate's office to inquire.
"Last night, I drank a few cups of rice wine with my friends. I was so drunk that I just wanted to go home and sleep. When I was halfway home, a person suddenly rushed out of the alley. I was so shocked that I directly sat on the ground. That person glared at me and did not even say sorry. He hurriedly ran away. I was so angry … "
"This jade pendant fell from that person's body. I thought that person bumped into me and did not even say hello. I will keep this jade pendant as my apology. Today, I woke up from my drunken stupor and saw that it was very noisy outside, so I asked around to see if something had happened to us. After asking around, they found out that a seven-year-old child had gone missing, and the officials were anxiously looking for him. When I thought about it, the guy who bumped into me last night seemed to be carrying a seven or eight year old child on his shoulder. Moreover, that person was sneaky. I could tell at a glance that he wasn't a good person. Therefore, I came here with the mentality of trying my luck. I don't know if I can be of any help to you, my lord … "
Zhang Ruzhi hurriedly asked if he had seen the person's face clearly.
Fortunately, the moon was shining brightly last night, and the messenger had seen everything clearly. Even though he was drunk, he could still remember most of it.
Zhang Ruzhi ordered the bailiffs to take the portrait and search around. Finally, they successfully rescued the young master and arrested the kidnapper.
The kidnapper claimed that he had been wronged in court and refused to admit that he had kidnapped the young master. He said that even if he was given a hundred guts, he would not have the ability to kidnap the only son of the Yingtian Prefecture's magistrate who was heavily protected. He had no idea how the young master had appeared in his woodshed.
That woodshed was indeed where he had placed the kidnapped child. However, he had not kidnapped anyone for a long time, so the woodshed had not been used for a long time. He did not even know that there was someone in there. When the bailiffs opened the woodshed and he saw the young master with his mouth gagged and his hands and feet bound, he realized that the situation was serious.
"Someone is framing me!" The kidnapper cried and shouted.
If the kidnapper's words could be believed, then ivory would be spat out of a dog's mouth. Therefore, Zhang Ruzhi did not believe him at all.
According to the law, after kidnapping someone, those who sold them as slaves or servants would be hanged. Those who worked as soldiers would be exiled for three thousand miles. Those who worked as wives, concubines, children, and grandchildren would be imprisoned for three years.
The kidnapper had been in this business for more than ten years. There must have been someone who had been sold as a slave, a performer, or a wife or concubine. It was more than enough to sentence him to death. However, Zhang Ruzhi obviously hated him to the core. He used the fact that he had done evil for many years and harmed countless people as a reason to submit a memorial to the court to have him executed.
"Only by experiencing it for yourself can you understand the feelings of those who have lost their children and wish they could chop the kidnapper into pieces." Shuijing picked up the teacup and blew the tea leaves on the surface of the water. He faintly said, "Isn't this the same as chopping him into pieces?"
"Master is truly a master to be able to come up with such a method. This subordinate admires you." Wen Dongyan was not stingy with his praise. Then, he changed the topic and said, "Master, why didn't you tell the Yingtian Prefecture's magistrate's fortune in advance? That would have shown your ability."
Shuijing rolled his eyes at him. "Should I have told him that he was about to lose his child? Or should I have told him the location of the kidnapper? The former is purely asking for a beating. As for the latter, all officials are suspicious. I don't know what he would think! I don't want to be a busybody. "
Wen Dongyan smiled and narrowed his eyes. "Isn't this very interesting? Anyway, they can't hit Master. "
Shuijing snorted twice. Anyway, he was not the one who would be beaten. It was easy for him to say that.
"Madam Feng has already brought her daughter back. This subordinate took a look at her from afar. That girl is indeed very intelligent. Not only is her appearance good, but her temperament is also outstanding. No wonder the kidnapper wants to raise her for a good price. "
Madam Zhen Feng also did not expect to find her daughter so quickly.
After she left the Feng family, she did not dare to stay in the county for long because she was afraid that her family would catch up with her. But when she reached the outskirts, the lush flowers and trees in the day looked very gloomy and frightening under the night sky. She was scared and did not dare to go forward. She found a dilapidated Guan Yu Temple and rested for the night. It was not until dawn that she continued her journey.
She did not know if it was because the first half of her life was too miserable and God wanted to make it up to her. She just saved a woman on the side of the road who sprained her ankle and met a benefactor.
That woman was called Jinniang and was the nanny in charge of a caravan. She heard that Madam Zhen Feng knew some needlework and was going to Jinling, so she kindly kept Madam Zhen Feng as a needlewoman. In addition to food and accommodation, Madam Zhen Feng also received a monthly salary of one tael of silver.
In fact, even if Madam Zhen Feng did not have money, she was willing to do it. She had not traveled for a long time. The last time she traveled was when she came to Da Ruzhou from Gusu. But at that time, she was accompanied by her husband and two maids, so she did not feel anything. Now she was traveling alone and had a lot of money with her. She could not help but be afraid. Her heart kept beating like a drum. She was afraid that she would die on the way to Jinling before she arrived. Now that she could travel with a caravan, it was definitely much safer than traveling alone.
Moreover, she was not afraid that the caravan would do anything to her. Although the people in the caravan dressed plainly, the workmanship of the cloth was exquisite. Even if her Zhen family had not encountered a disaster, she would not have been able to wear such clothes. Although she did not know where this caravan came from, she was sure that it was either rich or noble. Moreover, she was already old and looked older than her actual age. Who would be interested in an old woman? Even if she was sold, she would not be worth much. Thinking of this, Madam Zhen Feng felt a lot more at ease.
She followed the caravan all the way to the Yangtze River. She abandoned the carriage and took a boat. After more than a month on the river, she finally arrived at Jinling. Because the caravan wanted to do some business in Jinling, she continued to do needlework in the caravan. She wanted to save more money for her daughter.
When she was not working, she would take the portrait and ask around Jinling. She asked the accountant of the caravan to help draw the portrait according to her memory. However, Jinling was big and there were many people. She was prepared for a long battle. Her only worry was that her daughter would leave Jinling before she could find her. At that time, she would be unable to find her daughter in the vast sea of people.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, the government arrested an experienced kidnapper and rescued several children who had not been sold. Madam Zhen Feng went to the government office with great expectations and fear.
Although her daughter was only five years old when she was kidnapped and was now ten years old, her appearance had changed a lot. However, the rouge mark between her eyebrows that was the size of a grain of rice allowed her to recognize her immediately.
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