This was an anti-theft badge,
The purchase ratio was less than 50%, and the anti-theft time was 24 hours
After searching for four hours, there was no sign of the child,
At this time, the backyard had already heard the news of the child's disappearance. His mother and wife had both fainted, and Zhang Ruzhi was even more anxious,
His mouth was bubbling with anxiety.
For the entire night,
The yamen runners and servants were all holding torches and searching everywhere,
They were so disturbed that many people could not sleep at night,
It was not until noon the next day that there was finally a clue,
Someone came to the county yamen with the young master's jade pendant to inquire.
"I drank a few more 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,
It gave me a fright,
I directly sat on the ground. That person glared at me,
He didn't even say sorry,
He just ran away in a hurry,
He made 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,
I'll keep this jade pendant as an apology gift from you. Today, I woke up from my drunkenness,
I saw that it was noisy outside,
So I asked around to see if something had happened to me. After asking around, I found out that a seven-year-old child had disappeared, and the officials were looking for him anxiously. 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,
And that person was sneaky,
One look and I could tell that he wasn't a good person. "So I came over with the mentality of trying my luck. I don't know if I can help you, sir..."
Zhang Ruzhi hurriedly asked if he had seen the person's appearance clearly.
Fortunately, the moonlight was bright last night, and the person who came to report the news saw it clearly. He could roughly remember it in his drunkenness.
Zhang Ruzhi ordered the yamen runners to take the portrait and ask around to search. 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.
The woodshed was indeed where he had placed the newly abducted children. However, he had not gone out to abduct 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 words of a kidnapper could be believed, then ivory would come out of that 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 three thousand li; those who worked as wives, concubines, children, and grandchildren would be apprenticed 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, performers, or concubines. 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 personally can one understand the feelings of those who have lost their children and wish that they could tear 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 cutting him into pieces?"
"Master is really a master. You can actually 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 squinted 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 not bad, 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. However, when she arrived at the outskirts, the lush flowers and trees in the day looked very gloomy and scary under the night sky. She was afraid and did not dare to go forward. She found a dilapidated Guan Yu Temple to rest for the night and continued her journey until dawn.
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. She 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 needlework maid. 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 any money, she was still 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 feel afraid. The small drum in her heart kept beating. 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 took the portrait and asked around Jinling. She asked the accountant of the caravan to help her 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 not be able 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 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.
Zhen Yinglian was very young when she was kidnapped. Apart from 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.
Unfortunately, Zhen Shiyin was only good at looking at flowers and bamboo, drinking wine and reciting poetry. He was not good at farming and other things. Now that he had to do everything himself, he suddenly became flustered. He did not manage to sort things out in one or two years and only became poorer and poorer. Later, he ran away with a limping Taoist priest.
The most pitiful one was Madam Zhen Feng. First, she lost her daughter. Then, her family was in trouble. Her father was a person who even cheated her daughter and son-in-law. The husband and wife, who were originally very close, suddenly became estranged. Later, even her husband disappeared.
In just three years, she had encountered these great changes. She was already very strong that she did not immediately jump into a well. However, this was not the end. After Zhen Shiyin left, Feng Su took back the poor land and the broken house. Madam Zhen Feng had no choice but to go to the Feng family with her two maids. The three of them, master and servant, worked day and night to earn some money, which could be considered as their expenses in the Feng family. Even so, the Feng Family still complained about it every day.
Not long after, one of her maids, Jiao Xing, was asked by the new county magistrate, Jia Yucun, to be the second wife. Jia Yucun was a poor scholar who lived next door to them when they lived in Gusu. He only had money to go to the capital to take the exam because of Zhen Shiyin. Now that he was the county magistrate, not only did he help take care of Madam Zhen Feng because of Zhen Shiyin's kindness, but he also colluded with Feng Su to take Jiao Xing away from Madam Zhen Feng. Feng Su benefited from the money and won Jia Yucun's favor. Unfortunately, Madam Zhen Feng only got four bolts of brocade, which were all taken away by her sisters-in-law.
Not long after, Madam Zhen Feng's elder brother followed suit and took her other maid as his concubine. This made Madam Zhen Feng a thorn in her sisters-in-law's side. Madam Zhen Feng wished she could drive them out with a broom. Her elder brother was happy that Madam Zhen Feng could divert his wife's anger. He was very happy to have two wives.
As for Madam Zhen Feng, because she cried all year round, her eyesight was not good. Feng Su complained that she did less work every day and did not earn as much money as before. Therefore, he let her be molested by his daughter-in-law.
Not long after, other than doing some needlework every day, Madam Zhen Feng ate and wore the same things as the Feng Family's servants. The ten taels of silver for the fortune-telling was exchanged with the needlework she secretly made. No one in the Feng Family knew about it. Otherwise, they would have already plundered it.
Shuijing's fortune-telling booth had been open for several days, but Madam Zhen Feng was the first one to spend money on a fortune-telling. Therefore, even though no one knew what they talked about, the news that she spent ten taels of silver for a fortune-telling quickly spread throughout the county in less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn. Naturally, the Feng Family also knew about it.
Madam Zhen Feng looked at the room that looked like a swarm of locusts. Her face was calm, without any sadness or anger. She just stood in the corner like a block of wood, motionless.
Her father, Feng Su, was sitting on a bench by the door, smoking a pipe. His two sons and two daughters-in-law were rummaging through boxes and boxes. They took out their clothes one by one and shook them twice, afraid that they would miss a copper coin.
After an unknown amount of time, the four of them finally stopped. They walked to Feng Su, panting. When they passed by Madam Zhen Feng, they glared at her fiercely. The eldest son of the Feng Family lowered his head and said, "Father, we've searched three times, but we haven't found a single coin."
Feng Su knocked his pipe on the ground, looked at Madam Zhen Feng, and said earnestly, "My dear daughter, our family has been in a bit of trouble recently, and we can barely feed ourselves. Why don't you take out all the money you have stashed away and help us get through this difficult time? Think about it carefully. You don't have any children. You have to rely on your brothers and nephews for your old age. Although our family is not as rich as your former husband's family, we can still provide you with food and shelter. If you leave here, not to mention whether you can survive, you won't even have someone to send you off when you die. "
The eldest daughter of the Feng Family said sarcastically, "I don't think sister-in-law cares about these things. She wants to spend ten taels of silver for a fortune-telling, but she doesn't want to give us a copper coin. Sure enough, a married daughter is like spilled water. How can she be of the same mind as us? "
The second daughter of the Feng Family said, "Big sister, I don't want to scold you, but how many fortune-tellers have you seen over the years? The news of you bringing misfortune to your husband and daughter has been spread far and wide. We wanted to find a man for you to marry so that you could have a stepson to send you off when you die. Who would have thought that when the man heard it was you, he was 100% unwilling? Later, Head Lai Zhang of the west of the city was willing to marry you, but you didn't want to. We didn't force you to marry, did we? We wholeheartedly worshipped you, but you turned around and gave ten taels of silver to the fortune-teller. Our hearts are cold … "
Madam Zhen Feng finally moved. She lowered her head and bit her lips so hard that they almost bled.
Head Lai Zhang of the east of the city was a famous old scoundrel. He ate, drank, whored, and gambled. He had already beaten three women to death. He wanted to marry her only because he wanted someone who could cook for him and be beaten by him. Three taels of silver. For only three taels of silver, she was almost sold off by her maiden family. If she hadn't threatened them with death, they wouldn't have given up three taels of silver. Since then, she began to secretly save money so that she wouldn't be sold off by her family.
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