Chapter 376

The rain was heavy at first, but then it slowed down. It continued for the whole night. In the morning, the clouds stopped and the rain stopped. The bright sunlight formed two beautiful rainbows on the hillside. The two rainbows crossed each other like a colorful arch bridge.

Ye Xiaotian packed up and went to the snack bar in front of the street to have a bite. Then he, Su Xuntian and Li Yuncong went to see Patrol Inspector Luo with Magistrate Hua's order. Ye Xiaotian didn't go to the Patrol Office directly. Instead, he bought a few bags of snacks on the way and went to the place where Luo Xiaoye's mother, Madame Ye, lived.

Previously, Ye Xiaotian refused to pretend to be Dianshi Ai and was forced into a corner by Magistrate Meng and others. He did not go to Madam Ye's house because Madam Ye's son, Luo Xiaoye, was also one of the officials who agreed to let him pretend to be Dianshi Ai.

Although Ye Xiaotian helped Madame Ye, it wasn't enough for Patrol Inspector Luo to go against the entire Hulu County's bureaucracy for him. In that case, there would be no value in revealing this relationship ahead of time.

Now that he had agreed to pretend to be Ai Feng, there was no conflict of interest between him and Patrol Inspector Luo. To a certain extent, Patrol Inspector Luo still had to cooperate with him to ensure his own interests. Under these circumstances, it was the best time to reveal this relationship. Ye Xiaotian hoped to maintain a good relationship with Patrol Inspector Luo to create the best conditions for him to escape from Hulu County.

In a sense, Ye Xiaotian, the imposter, wasn't a puppet that could be manipulated by others. In this aspect, he was better than Magistrate Hua.

Regarding Hua Qingfeng, Magistrate Meng and the Registrar Wang had always maintained absolute vigilance. They did not allow him to get involved in anything. This was because once he broke through the resistance around him and directly came into contact with the people below, he would soon be able to establish his own team and then fight for power with Magistrate Meng and the Registrar Wang.

On the other hand, Ye Xiaotian, the fake Warden, posed no threat to them. Therefore, they could rest assured in delegating the authority to Ye Xiaotian to command the constables and citizens of Hulu County. County Magistrate Meng and the others needed to hide his real identity. Therefore, in the eyes of the officials and the people of Hulu County, he was the real Warden. Under such circumstances, he could, of course, wield considerable power, and this created more favorable conditions for his escape.

Yes, since the day Ye Xiaotian agreed to pretend to be the Warden, he had been planning to temporarily surrender and wait for a chance to escape. Apart from the vague sense of crisis, he didn't have any greater ambition.

When the First Emperor of Qin toured the world, Xiang Yu, a nobleman of the Chu State, said, "He can be replaced." Liu Bang, the Pavilion Master, could only sigh, "A real man should be like this." Different statuses and starting points led to different imaginations of the future.

For Ye Xiaotian, who knew that he couldn't pretend to be the Ai Dian Shi, and staying in Hulu County would be a big trouble sooner or later, escaping successfully, conquering the heart of Shuiwu and the mouth of Shuiwu's parents, and bringing them back to the capital was the biggest dream and ambition of Ye Xiaotian, who was at the bottom of the social ladder.

Therefore, visiting Patrol Inspector Luo today was not only related to his current job, but he also wanted to take this opportunity to befriend Patrol Inspector Luo. The Inspection Office was set up on the main roads between Guanjin and Tianjin, inspecting passers-by, cracking down on smuggling, and arresting thieves. Even if Luo Xiaoye wouldn't help him escape, it would be good to know more about the checkpoints and defenses set up by the Inspection Office from Luo Xiaoye.

Madame Ye was surprised to see Ye Xiaotian. However, the last time Ye Xiaotian appeared, he was just a passer-by to Tongren. This time, he became the Warden of Hulu County, which was very troublesome to explain. Therefore, Ye Xiaotian simply used the well-known excuse of "visiting incognito" as his explanation.

When Madame Ye heard that Ye Xiaotian was the Warden of Hulu County, and that he was a colleague of her son, she was even happier. She hurriedly asked her neighbor's son to go to the Inspection Office to call her son back, and then prepared food and wine to entertain the guest.

When Luo Xiaoye returned home, she was surprised to see "Ai Dian Shi". When her mother explained that Ye Xiaotian was the person who escorted her home during the battle, Luo Xiaoye's attitude towards Ye Xiaotian became more intimate.

However, when Luo Xiaoye heard Ye Xiaotian explain the purpose of his visit, he couldn't help but frown. He pondered for a while, then said: "Ai Dian Shi, you're new here, so you don't know the local situation. It's not good for us to get too involved in the affairs of the tribes, especially the sons and nephews of the chieftains. Their identities are more sensitive.

I won't hide it from you, although they are also people of Japan, they don't pay taxes, and they don't accept forced labor. Even in the law, they have their own set of rules. Chieftains can atone for their crimes according to the 'local customs'. Even if they kill someone, they can settle the matter by paying a sum of money.

When there's a dispute between them, it's also a custom that has been passed down for thousands of years. If one side is killed, his family can seek revenge in the future. There has never been a need for the imperial court to intervene. It's not reasonable for the Inspection Office to send troops. If we're not careful, we'll bring great trouble to ourselves. "

Although Ye Xiaotian had already begun to try to understand the difference between this place and the Central Plains, but after listening to these things, Ye Xiaotian, who was born under the emperor, still felt it was a little unbelievable.

He thought for a moment, then said: "Brother Luo is right, but the problem at hand is that their dispute arose because of Professor Gu's lecture. The sons and nephews of these tribal leaders also have the identity of a county student. If they fight here and something happens to them, will their families and tribes take the opportunity to make things difficult for the imperial court and make some unreasonable demands? If that's the case, it'll be a big deal. "

"Haha …"

Luo Xiaoye smiled faintly and said: "You, asking you to come to me should be the idea of County Magistrate Meng and Register Wang, right? Why don't you think about it, since the consequences of this matter are so serious, why do they still want to stay out of it? Why did they ask you to come to me? "

Ye Xiaotian slowly said: "They asked me to come to you, of course they have their wishful thinking. If we can successfully stop the students from fighting, they, as our immediate superiors, will naturally be given credit. If we fail to mediate and cause a big mess, they can shirk their responsibility. "

Luo Xiaoye looked at Ye Xiaotian with some surprise. She thought Ye Xiaotian didn't understand the reasoning behind this. Luo Xiaoye said: "If that's the case, why are you so enthusiastic about this matter? Why drag me into the water? Won't it be better to sit back and let nature take its course? "

If Ye Xiaotian was the real Ai Dian Shi, Luo Xiaoye wouldn't say that because it was his duty. However, Ye Xiaotian was an impostor, so ignoring it was not a dereliction of duty. Therefore, Luo Xiaoye couldn't understand why Ye Xiaotian came to find him even though he knew he was being used.

Ye Xiaotian's voice was very slow, but his expression was very serious: "Brother Luo, I don't want to care about those messy reasons behind it. To be honest, I've always been here. Did the robbers from the neighboring county's murder case escape to our county? What does it have to do with me? Shi, was it a crime of passion or revenge? Who is the murderer? It's best if we can catch him, but if we can't, I won't bother.

From an official point of view, you know best what kind of official I am. I muddle along, and I'm in the right. From a personal point of view, I'm not related to them, and I'm too lazy to put in 120% of my energy to help them catch the murderer.

But the decisive battle on the Wong Tai Sin Ridge is different! It hasn't happened yet. I can ignore the things that have already happened, but if I turn a deaf ear to the things that have yet to happen, and let them happen, then I will be an accomplice, and that will be a little unreasonable. Who can I be unreasonable to? "

Ye Xiaotian lightly patted his chest. "And here!"

Luo Xiaoye looked at him strangely, as if she just met him.

Ye Xiaotian smiled and said, "I think, even if I have to hit the bell every day, I have to hit it a few times, right? I don't care what those bastards are planning. They have their own selfish motives, but I can see that they really don't want anything to happen to the sons and nephews of the tribal chiefs in Hulu County. Since they pointed me to Brother Luo, it must be because Brother Luo has a better way of dealing with this matter than them. That's why I'm here! "

Luo Xiaoye didn't say anything. He was silent for a long time, then he picked up the wine pot and filled his cup. He drank it in one gulp, then picked up a pig's ear with his chopsticks and started chewing. For a moment, the room was silent. Li Yuncong and Su Xuntian, who sat at the same table as him, also looked at Ye Xiaotian with a strange look in their eyes. This official, who wasn't even an official, had shocked the minds of these muddle-headed officials today.

After a while, Aunt Ye, who was sitting cross-legged on the seat of honor, had been drinking wine and listening to them with a smile, said, "Little Ye, I am a woman. I don't understand what you two brothers are talking about. I don't understand the twists and turns of the official road, so I'm just listening. It seems that the young masters of the chieftains' families are fighting, right?

Speaking of which, all the officials here are afraid of them. Even the imperial court doesn't want to provoke them, but our Luo family isn't afraid of them. Although according to our ancestor's teachings, our army has never intermarried with the local tribes, to ensure that the imperial court's sabers and soldiers will always be in our Han people's hands, so that we can wholeheartedly defend the border for the imperial court, but after all we have lived here for so many years, we shouldn't always treat ourselves as outsiders.

We have settled here since the time of Taizu. It's true that we are Nanjing people, and we can never forget this. We have to remember where our ancestors came from. But don't forget that we are also people of Gourd Ridge, and we have been here for many generations.

We, the descendants of the garrison troops, have to survive here generation after generation. You are the leader of the garrison troops. If you stay out of everything, will those chieftains care about us? Then won't our Luo family's descendants be bullied?

What do they call you? The chieftains of the mountain tribes are called chieftains, and you are a local official. Why do you have the word 'local'? Just because you were born and raised here, and you are a hereditary official! You are an honest child, but if you are too honest, you will inevitably be bullied. It's not that I don't know anything about your Inspection Office, it's just that I have never asked you … "

Luo Xiaoye's body suddenly trembled, and she cried out involuntarily, "Mother …"

Madame Ye interrupted her, "You are not young anymore, and you are also the leader of the garrison troops. As a woman, I can't help you much. If I still insist on standing up for you, won't others laugh at me? Let's not talk about this. Think about it yourself. If you don't have any prospects, then hurry up and marry a daughter-in-law, and give birth to a grandson for this old woman. "

Luo Xiaoye's face turned red. Madame Ye picked up a cup of strong liquor and downed it in one gulp, and said in a heavy tone, "If you don't stand up for anything, there will be a day when no one expects you to stand up for anything. At that time, even if you want to stand up, you won't have the chance. This time, help your brother, and also help yourself, ah? "

Luo Xiaoye lowered her head and pondered for a long time. She ferociously drank another cup of liquor, and suddenly raised her head. With red eyes, she said to Ye Xiaotian, "Tomorrow, we will meet on Wong Tai Sin Ridge!"