Chapter 212

Mother Xue sold off all her assets and rushed to Guiyang City with her daughter. Along the way, she asked around and found out that the highest authority in charge of prisons in Guizhou was the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau. After entering Guiyang City, she asked for directions and rushed to the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau.

Shui Wu's complexion became more and more haggard. She looked sadly at her mother, who was originally kind and even somewhat cowardly. At this moment, she was blinded by hatred and had become so unfamiliar. Her heart was in extreme pain, and she could not help but sob and beg, "The people who killed Father were from the Yang family. They died at the hands of Ye Xiaotian, which is equivalent to Ye Xiaotian avenging Father. Why are you so stubborn and insist on taking him to court? "

Mother Xue looked at her daughter coldly, that cold and stubborn gaze with a trace of madness. Mother Xue said word by word to her daughter, "What did your father say before he died, have you forgotten? Do you believe in your father's words or his? "

Shuiwu cried, "I …"

Mother Xue said hatefully, "If not for him, your father would still be alive and well. He is the one who caused your father's death, so he must pay with his life! "

Shuiwu cried, "Mother …"

Mother Xue ignored her and turned to stop a passerby. Her frosty face quickly became amiable and even humble, "Excuse me, may I know how to get to the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau?"

Shuiwu stared blankly at her mother who was like a completely different person, her eyes gradually filled with despair, "Mother has gone mad, mother must have gone mad …"

Guizhou's Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau was a provincial level yamen and was the face of the imperial court in Guizhou. Therefore, the yamen was built in a rather grand manner, with green bricks on the ground, lions guarding the door, and dragons illuminating the walls.

Mother Xue pulled Xue Shuiwu's hand to the entrance of the yamen. She, who would usually lower her head when she saw the village chief, now puffed out her chest and raised her head, rushing over with large strides.

At first, the four yamen runners with sabers didn't notice this disheveled and unkempt old woman with dull eyes. Only when they saw her walk straight toward the yamen entrance did the four of them realize something was wrong. Immediately, two of them went up to her and blocked her way with their sabers. In a stern voice, they shouted, "What are you doing?"

Mother Xue looked left and right, asking the two guards with a puzzled expression, "Sir, this is the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau's yamen, right?"

One of the bailiffs said in a bad mood, "Nonsense! You can't even see such a big sign hanging there? "

Mother Xue immediately smiled, "Sir, since this is the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau's yamen, how come … there's no drum?"

The guard was stunned, asking curiously, "What drum? This isn't an opera troupe, what drum? "

Mother Xue made a drumming motion, saying, "A drum to complain. Without a drum, how can this commoner woman complain?"

The guard laughed heartily, saying, "Preposterous! What do you think this place is? This is the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau! "

Mother Xue seriously said, "That's right, this is the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau. This commoner woman has come to complain of injustice."

The guard impatiently said, "Shoo shoo shoo, the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau will receive complaints. Who did you hear this from? I think you've watched too many opera dramas! Go back to whichever county you're from and complain to the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau. If the common people all came to the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau to complain, even if our master had a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, he would still die of exhaustion. "

Mother Xue said, "Sir, this commoner woman has already gone to the prefectures and counties, but they are covering up for the criminal and are not willing to investigate the murderer. This commoner woman bears a blood feud, but has nowhere to go and no one to appeal to. Left with no other choice, I came to the Guiyang prefectures and beg you, Sir, to help this commoner woman report to the master. "

When the guard heard that the prefectural magistrate was unwilling to accept her complaint, his heart skipped a beat. Why isn't the prefectural magistrate handling her case? It can't be some chieftain's stubbornness that caused a murder case. If a chieftain committed a crime, it will be equally troublesome for my Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau. My Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau doesn't accept complaints directly from the common people, so I can't take on this task. If the master feels stifled in his heart, it will be my turn to be at the end of my rope.

Thinking of this, the guard's face turned stiff and he shouted, "Go, go, go! If there was a grievance lawsuit, it had to go through the prefecture or county. If he doesn't accept it the first time, you can sue him again. How can you jump ranks and sue? If the prefectural magistrate isn't willing to uphold justice for you, then you should sue the prefectural magistrate. If you want to sue the prefectural magistrate, you should go to the administrative magistrate's yamen. "

Mother Xue was startled. "Ah? Sue the magistrate? "

The guard said, "Go! Hurry up and go! If you keep blocking here, I'll have to charge you with obstructing official business. Go, go, go. "

The bailiff shoved and shoved Mother Xue far away before returning to his post. Mother Xue stood still and stared blankly at the back of the guard. She couldn't help but feel sorrowful. She had gone through untold hardships to rush over from Tongren, pinning all her hopes on the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau. She hadn't expected that the Disciplinary and Investigation Bureau wouldn't accept a commoner's lawsuit and would just brush her off. The world was so big. Was there really no place to redress a grievance?

The more Mother Xue thought about it, the more bitter she felt. Shuiwu took the opportunity to persuade her, "Mother, let's return to Tongren."

Mother Xue pushed her daughter away and wailed, "Goddamned Ye Xiaotian, you ruined my family. I have an irreconcilable grudge against you! Heavens, even the magistrate isn't willing to redress a commoner's grievances. What do you expect an old woman like me to do? I beg you to strike that bastard with lightning! "

Many passersby on the street felt that something was wrong with the old woman's sudden wailing and incomprehensible words. They all moved to avoid her, afraid that she would suddenly go crazy. Among them was a green-robed man who had been walking slowly. When he heard the name "Ye Xiaotian," he immediately stopped.

He stood by the side of the road with a manservant, quietly listening to Mama Xue's cries and curses. Mama Xue pointed at the sky and wailed, speaking incoherently for a long time. Only then did the manservant make sense of what she was saying. When he understood what Mama Xue was complaining about, the manservant's eyes lit up.

He turned his head and whispered a few words to the manservant, then smiled in Mother Xue's direction and turned to leave. The manservant walked over and said to the crying and cursing Mother Xue, "Old lady, my master heard your wailing just now. Please come back with me. My master wants to listen to your case in detail. If there is indeed a grievance, my master is willing to redress it for you!"

When Mother Xue heard this, she was like a drowning person suddenly grasping at a life-saving straw. She didn't even ask who the old master was before she exclaimed, "F * ck! I'll go! I'll go with you right now! "

Mother Xue excitedly followed the manservant, not even caring about Shuiwu. Afraid that something might happen to her mother, Shuiwu hurriedly chased after them. The three of them hurriedly walked for a while before they saw a majestic yamen not one bit inferior to the one from the Disciplinary Bureau.

Raising her head, Shuiwu saw a plaque on the lintel of the door: "Guizhou Chengzha Administrative Envoy Division." The manservant stopped walking and said to Mother Xue, "My master works in this yamen. Come with me and enter from the corner door. Be careful on the way and don't speak loudly."

Mother Xue only hoped that someone would take over her lawsuit, so she agreed to it obediently. Seeing that the manservant had led them to the Administrative Envoy Division yamen, Shuiwu knew that he wasn't an evil person. Only then did she relax. Seeing her mother follow the manservant into the corner door, Shuiwu had no choice but to follow them in.

The manservant led the mother and daughter pair not through the yamen's main entrance, but along a small, winding path at the corner of the yamen. Passing through several side rooms and courtyards, they suddenly appeared in a secluded courtyard. There was a sign hanging on the door, on which three large characters were written: 'Grinding Division'.

The manservant led the two into the main hall. Inside, there was an official sitting on a high seat. He was about thirty years old, had a clear and bright appearance, and wore a green robe. Mother Xue had once worked as a servant girl in the capital, so although she didn't have much experience, she could still tell the difference in rank from the official's robe. This person was wearing a green robe, so he should be an eighth or ninth-rank official. But at this moment, she had already lost her mind and didn't care about this person's rank. Rushing forward, she kowtowed and said, "Just and honorable master, I beg you to redress the grievances of this common woman!"

The official didn't expect Mother Xue to kowtow as soon as he entered the door. He hurriedly walked around the desk and personally helped her up. With a face full of happiness, he said, "There's no need for the elderly to be concerned about status here. Just now, this official was on the road and heard that you seemed to have a huge grievance. This official has always been the best at upholding justice. Don't be anxious, sit down and slowly explain. "

The official finished speaking and ordered the manservant to serve tea. He invited Mother Xue to sit and let her start from the beginning. Mother Xue added oil and vinegar to the story of how Ye Xiaotian rushed to her house in the rain but was chased away by her husband, how he left and returned, and how he argued and killed her husband.

Shui Wu, who was standing at the side, heard that her mother was not telling the truth. Several times she wanted to interrupt but was stopped by Xue Mu's stern voice. The official laughed and nodded his head, saying, "I understand. This person's proposal failed, so he masked his face and killed you. He wanted to get rid of your husband so that no one would interfere and then he could marry your daughter."

Mother Xue clapped her hands and happily said, "Master is wise! Just like that, he hated my husband for not marrying my daughter to him and wanted to kill my husband. At that time, wouldn't a lonely old woman like me be at his mercy? But I don't believe this evil. I must avenge this enmity! "

The official thought for a moment and said with a smile, "This official does not care about the prison. If I rashly stand up for you, I will inevitably be suspected of overstepping my authority and arouse the fear of my colleagues. How about this, I'll write a letter and introduce you to a good friend of mine. His name is Li Qiuchi, and he's the number one litigation master in Guizhou. You can ask him to help you and hand over the case first. I'll help you with the administrative commissioner's side, and I'll definitely let you meet the administrative commissioner. "

Mother Xue was moved to tears and repeatedly thanked him, "Good, good, good! The Heavens have eyes, the Heavens have eyes. If this blood feud can be avenged, this common woman will definitely build a long life memorial tablet for Master. I will burn three sticks of incense every morning and evening and kowtow every day. "

The official chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Elder is too serious."

Mother Xue wiped her tears and said gratefully, "I still have not asked, Master, you are …"

The official smiled and said, "This official is the Guiyang Prefecture's Imperial Mill Department's Imperial Mill, Xu Boyi!"