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Zhang Ruzhi was in his forties this year, and he had been the magistrate of Jinling for seven or eight years.
Because Jinling had many noble officials,
He had always been cautious,
He did not seek merit, but to not make mistakes,
He relied on this "protective talisman" to live safely until now. Due to 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 he was smart and could read since he was young, so he was quite fond of him.
In the previous years, Zhang Ruzhi would change into casual clothes and take his beloved son to the temple fair, accompanied by a group of servants and maids. At the same time, he ordered a group of yamen runners to disguise themselves and patrol the surroundings to prevent blind people from disturbing them.
Under such strict protection, the seven-year-old child inexplicably disappeared in front of everyone. How could Zhang Ruzhi not be furious?
After searching for four hours, there was no trace of the child. At this time, the backyard also knew that the child was missing,
His mother and first wife both fainted,
Zhang Ruzhi was even more anxious, and his mouth was bubbling with anxiety.
For the entire night,
The yamen runners and servants all held torches and searched everywhere, disturbing many people and causing them to be unable to sleep at night. It was not until noon the next day that they finally found a clue.
Someone took the young master's jade pendant to the county yamen to inquire.
"I drank a few cups of yellow wine with my friends last night,
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, giving me a big fright, and I directly sat on the ground. That person glared at me, didn't even say sorry, and hurriedly ran away, making me so angry … "
"This jade pendant fell from that person's body. I thought that person bumped into me and didn't even say hello, so I kept this jade pendant as my apology. Today, I woke up from my drunken stupor and saw that it was noisy outside, so I asked around to see if something had happened to us. After asking around, I found out that a seven-year-old child was 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. At first glance, I could tell 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 was wronged in court and refused to admit that he was the one who 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 did not know how the young master appeared in his woodshed.
That woodshed was indeed the place 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 inside. 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 things were 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, if they sold the person as a slave, they would be hanged. If they sold the person as a soldier, they would be exiled for three thousand miles. If they sold the person as a wife, concubine, or child, they would be imprisoned for three years.
The kidnapper had been in this business for more than ten years. There must have been people who had been sold as slaves, actors, or concubines. It was more than enough to sentence him to death. However, Zhang Ruzhi clearly hated him to the core. He used the fact that the kidnapper 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 personally experiencing it can one understand the feelings of those who have lost their children and wish they could chop the kidnapper into pieces." Shuijing picked up his teacup and blew on the tea leaves on the surface of the water. He faintly said, "Isn't this the same as chopping the kidnapper into pieces?"
"Master is truly an expert to be able to come up with such a method. This subordinate admires you." Wen Dongyan was not stingy with his praise. Following that, he changed the topic and said, "However, Master, why didn't you read the fate of that Ying Tian Mansion's magistrate in advance to show off your ability?"
Shuijing rolled his eyes at him. "Don't tell me to tell him that he's about to lose his child, or to read his kidnapper's location? The former is purely asking for a beating. As for the latter, all officials are suspicious. I don't know what he'll think! I don't want to be a busybody. "
Wen Dongyan smiled until his eyes turned into crescents. "Isn't this quite interesting? In any case, they can't hit Master. "
Shuijing snorted twice. In any case, he wasn't the one to be hit. It was easy for him to say it.
"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 does she have a good appearance, but her temperament is also outstanding. No wonder the kidnapper wants to raise her for a good price. "
Madam Zhen Feng also didn't expect to find her daughter so quickly.
After leaving the Feng family, she didn't dare to stay in the county for long because she was afraid that her family would catch up with her. However, when she arrived at the outskirts, the lush flowers and trees during the day looked very gloomy and terrifying under the night sky. She was scared and didn't dare to go forward. She found a dilapidated Guan Yu Temple to rest for the night and continued her journey until dawn.
She didn't 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 foot and met a benefactor.
That woman was called Jinniang. She was a nanny in charge of a caravan. When she heard that Madam Zhen Feng knew some needlework and was going to Jinling, she kindly kept Madam Zhen Feng as a needlework maid. In addition to food and accommodation, Madam Zhen Feng also received a monthly salary of one tael of silver.
In fact, Madam Zhen Feng was willing to do it even if she didn't have any money. She hadn't traveled for a long time. The last time she traveled was when she came to Da Ruzhou from Gusu. At that time, she was accompanied by her husband and two maids, so she didn't think it was a big deal. Now, she was traveling alone and had a lot of money with her. She couldn't help but be afraid. Her heart kept beating like a drum. She was afraid that she would die before she reached Jinling. Now that she could travel with a caravan, it was definitely much safer than traveling alone.
Moreover, she wasn't afraid that the caravan would do anything to her. Although the people in the caravan were dressed plainly, the cloth was made with exquisite craftsmanship. Even if her Zhen family hadn't encountered a disaster, she wouldn't have been able to wear such clothes. Although she didn't know where this caravan came from, she was sure that they were 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 wouldn't 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 work as a needlewoman. She wanted to save more money for her daughter.
When she wasn't working, she would take the portrait and ask around Jinling. She asked the accountant of the caravan to draw the portrait according to her memory. However, Jinling was a big place with a lot of people. She was prepared for a protracted battle. Her only worry was that her daughter would leave Jinling before she could find her. At that time, she would really be unable to find her daughter in the vast sea of people.
Unexpectedly, after a few days, the government arrested an experienced kidnapper and rescued several children who hadn't been sold yet. 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 instantly.
Zhen Yinglian was very young when she was kidnapped. Other than her name, she had already forgotten what her parents looked like and where they lived. However, when she saw Madam Zhen Feng, perhaps because the mother and daughter were connected, she felt a particularly familiar and intimate feeling. She unconsciously called out "Mother". The mother and daughter suddenly hugged each other and cried together. It was very sad to see them.
The fortune-teller nodded slightly.
The middle-aged man understood and walked to the first chair on the left and sat down.
"Master, you've worked hard. Did you happen to meet that person today? "
The fortune-teller glanced at him and put down the teacup. He snorted and said, "Someone should have reported to you what happened today. You know, but you still came to me to be an eyesore. Look at you. If you want to laugh, laugh. Be careful not to get sick. "
"Master, you must be joking." The middle-aged man gently waved the goose feather fan with one hand and stroked his beard with the other. "Master was called … by those boorish men. This subordinate is very indignant." Although he said that, his eyes were curved. He was obviously in a good mood.
The fortune-teller rolled his eyes. He didn't believe the words of a person who liked to laugh at him.
Sooner or later, I'll shave off that eyesore of yours, he thought to himself.
Feeling a trace of "malice", the middle-aged man's smile deepened. "Master, how do you want to deal with these people who spoke nonsense?"
"I'm not the kind of person who takes revenge. As usual, throw these people into the Xishan mine to work as coolies. If they have the strength and time to bully the common people, it's better to work harder to serve the imperial court. When they're done, release them. "
Although they were called coolies, they were actually just regular workers who worked in the mine that was run by the state. In addition to providing them with food and shelter, they also received a considerable salary every month. However, for people like them, when they first entered the mine, they might suffer because they didn't obey the rules. Secondly, their salary wouldn't be given to them. Instead, it would be sent to their parents, wives, and children. Once their bad habits were eliminated and they no longer harmed the village, they would be allowed to choose whether to return to their hometown or continue to work here. Of course, there were holidays at this time. They had to let the old and young reunite, right? Even if these people all chose to return to their hometown, there was no lack of coolies in the mine. There was no lack of evil people in this world.
This wasn't the first time this kind of thing was done. The middle-aged man nodded in understanding. "Master is wise. This subordinate will send people to investigate their family situation."
"Also, show my token to the county magistrate here. This matter should be over soon. I don't want to get involved in any unnecessary trouble before that. "
The middle-aged man smiled slightly when he heard this. He twisted his beard and said, "Master doesn't want to go to the prison for a spin? This is a rare opportunity. "
"For a spin?" The fortune-teller raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at him with a smile that wasn't a smile. "How about I send you in to experience it? From the imperial prison to the prison in this remote county, you can choose whichever one you want. "
The middle-aged man's expression was very calm. He waved his goose feather fan steadily. "If that's the case, it's not bad. This subordinate can also take this opportunity to rest."
The fortune-teller's smile suddenly froze. He gloomily glared at him and didn't say anything else.
It was a good thing that his subordinates were too capable, especially someone like him who was too lazy to care about such mundane matters. But if this person didn't do it, then it would be a disaster for him.
The middle-aged man saw his gloomy expression and restrained himself. He changed the topic and said, "When the county magistrate sees master's token, he probably won't be able to sit or stand in peace. He won't be able to eat or sleep at night."
The fortune-teller coldly said, "This person is a parasite of the country with no regard for the law. He doesn't want to be a good official for the country and the people. He only wants to exploit the people. A cheap brother-in-law of a mere county magistrate dares to be so arrogant. It's no wonder that those people dared to act like that. These scum, one day, I will let them know the consequences of taking a salary from the imperial court but ruining the reputation of the court. "
The middle-aged man chuckled, "This subordinate believes that master already has the title of 'Bloodthirsty Prince'?"
"Are you here today to anger me?" The fortune-teller unhappily said, "Don't you know that this master hates hearing this bullshit title the most? If it weren't for that muddle-headed scoundrel, this master would have been the most outstanding among the free and unfettered princes. "
The middle-aged man lowered his eyes. It wasn't good for him to comment. Because this so-called muddle-headed scoundrel was referring to the current emperor emeritus. Although the emperor emeritus had already abdicated and didn't have any real power, he still needed to show respect as a subject. Even if the emperor emeritus didn't have many aspects worthy of respect. But in the entire country, the only person who could reprimand the emperor emeritus was his master. The youngest prince during the reign of the founding Emperor Zu Shengwen, Shuijing.
Shuijing's birth was considered a big miracle back then.
Emperor Zu Shengwen and Empress Tai Mu had deep feelings for each other. Even if he put on the dragon robe and ascended to the throne, he never had the thought of not throwing away the chaff and filling up the imperial harem. Even if there were many beautiful daughters of aristocratic families who had coincidentally met the emperor emeritus in the imperial garden, Empress Tai Mu was still the only one who stood out in the harem until the emperor emeritus passed away.
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