As they walked in and out of the city gate, a few soldiers who were not on duty were joking with a newspaper.
"There it is again."
"And hijacked so much money."
"Hey, speaking of Mo Tu"
They stopped talking and turned to look at the person next to them. Although the person next to him was leaning against the wall with his arms folded and seemed to be lazily basking in the sun, what was different from the other resting soldiers was that his eyes were always staring at the city.
People coming in and out of the door.
"Zhang Yuan." A soldier waved the newspaper in front of his eyes, "I remember that you were dismissed because of the Mo disciples. Look, now another Mo disciple has committed a crime."
Zhang Yuan raised his hand and waved away the Di newspaper in front of him, not even interested in reading it.
"It's not surprising." He just stared at the city gate without seeming to blink, and said coldly, "If there is one, there will be two. If there is one, there will be learning. If you don't get rid of one thief, there will be endless thiefs."
While they were talking, a group of official servants came running from the city gate, wrapped in cloaks and equipped with all equipment on horseback. It looked like they were foreign servants.
When passing the city gate, they did not stop and rein in their horses.
"Touer Zhang." One of the officials shouted.
Zhang Yuan's eyes fell on this official, and he saw that he was the official he had led in Jingzhao Mansion.
Not just one, but three of them.
They jumped down with excitement in their eyes: "Boss, we"
"Don't call me boss, I'm guarding the door now." Zhang Yuan said and smiled.
"We haven't changed our habits yet." A police officer laughed and said hurriedly, "What do you think we are going to do?" Without waiting for Zhang Yuan to ask, he took the initiative and said, "We are going to urge the local government to arrest Mohists."
Zhang Yuan yelled, and the city gate guard next to him was busy holding up the newspaper and talking about it, "This is it." "It's pretty fast." "The imperial court is going to inspect it?"
The officer nodded: "Yes, His Majesty ordered Dali Temple to investigate this matter, and Liu Siqing sent manpower to supervise the matter."
As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Yuan again.
"Boss, we still remember your story, so we took the initiative to ask for this job."
This kind of foreign work is not a good job. It is difficult to deal with local officials. If you don't do the job well, you will be scolded when you come back. And it is very dangerous to arrest the murderer.
Zhang Yuan finally looked solemn, cupped his fists and saluted: "It's been a hard journey."
Several officers smiled and returned the courtesy. Since they were busy with official duties and it was not convenient to chat, they said goodbye to Zhang Yuan, mounted their horses and galloped away.
Zhang Yuan watched and leaned against the city wall again to stare at the people entering and exiting the city gate.
Torches lit up the small mountain village, and the sound of dogs barking, mixed with the footsteps of horses, this noise, and the official robes and military robes brought great comfort to the villagers who had just suffered a disaster.
"How to dress"
"What did they say."
"How many people are there in the group?"
After listening to the villagers' cries and checking the casualties, the officers and soldiers gathered in front of the leader.
"We only injured a few people, but didn't kill anyone," said an officer and soldier.
"Each household only robs a part." Another officer said, "If you say you want to help other weak people, so that everyone will not feel sad, you are doing good deeds."
The leader laughed when he heard this and cursed: "Robbery turned into doing good deeds. What nonsense!"
"Is this the style of Mo Tu?" the officers and soldiers also asked with strange expressions.
"Anyway, the information given above describes it like this." The leader said while holding the document and reading it by the torch, "Wear straw sandals, dress simply, and claim to be a chivalrous and righteous man."
After reading it, I also curled my lips, it is really a weird sect.
He put away the paperwork.
"Can I ask which direction you went?"
The officers and soldiers nodded.
"Would you like to search nearby?" An officer and soldier thought of something and pointed not far away, "I remember there is a group of bandits on the top of the mountain here."
The leader looked in front of him: "Those bandits, I know that they were encircled and suppressed last time, and there were not many left. They were frightened, so they dared to go down the mountain and steal chickens, ducks and sheep."
At present, it is important to complete the matters assigned by the court.
That was a Mohist. The emperor asked about it and the Dali Temple supervised it.
And as mentioned above, those Mohists are extremely good at disguise, especially those working in restaurants and tea shops.
Restaurants, tea shops and craftsmen all gathered in the city.
"You guys." He pointed at a group of officers and soldiers, "Go over there and warn those bandits."
As for the other troops, don't waste them here.
The leader waved his hand and said, "Others, follow me."
As the noisy people and horses left, the small mountain village fell into night again, and the barking of dogs gradually subsided. Occasionally, the wails of the injured and the sorrow of relatives could be heard.
Although he was not killed, being injured is a huge disaster for the poor villagers, especially as the main breadwinner of the family, and with half of their savings taken away, it is still unclear whether the old and young can survive until spring.
The winter nights are so cold that no one can sleep.
An oil lamp was on in a family at the entrance of the village. A young woman came in holding a bowl. An old woman was sitting in the room, and there was another person lying on the bed.
"Mother," the woman said softly, with a strong nasal voice, "the medicine is ready."
The old woman got up and walked to the bedside, calling out: "Ah Shui, it's time to take medicine."
There was a man lying on the bed, facing inward and saying in a low voice: "Thank you, ma'am, no need to take medicine, I'm fine."
The old woman sighed: "How can you not take medicine? You were seriously injured and just got beaten again. You can't be careless."
"Those thieves" The man turned around suddenly, his eyes unable to conceal his anger under the lamp.
"I know you want to save the villagers, but you really can't fight with them." The old woman advised, "They just want to steal things. If you are angry, they will kill people."
"Brother Ah Shui, don't worry." The woman said, "The officers and soldiers have already come to investigate. I heard that it was an order from the imperial court. Those Mo disciples have committed heinous crimes and will definitely die a good death."
The man held himself up, his eyes full of anger: "They are not."
The words reached his lips and he swallowed them again. I don't know if it was because he was weak or something happened, but he also fell back.
The old woman and the woman hurriedly helped and asked, while the man closed his eyes and took a few breaths to calm down.
"Okay." He said, "I'll take medicine."
The old woman and the woman breathed a sigh of relief and gave the man medicine. The woman asked the old woman to rest while she stayed here.
To rest, that is to say, a board was set up on the other side of the room, and the old woman went to lie down. Due to her old age and fright, she was exhausted and fell asleep quickly.
The woman sat in front of the brazier, mending shoes and socks by an oil lamp.
"Miss Chuntao." The man on the bed suddenly called softly.
The woman quickly put down her needlework and went over to ask, "Brother Ah Shui, what's wrong with you?"
The man was lying on the bed and said, "You and my aunt saved me, but I haven't been able to repay you yet."
"There is no need to repay you. When you were lying on the river beach, anyone who saw you would save you. This is human nature." The woman said softly.
The man was silent for a moment.
"I haven't been able to repay you yet, and now I have to trouble you." He said, "I may also bring you danger."
The woman looked at the man on the bed. Although he looked haggard and bloodless, his eyes still had a sharpness that was different from ordinary people.
She clenched her hands and said, "Say."
It's the first lunar month and the cold wind is still as sharp as a knife.
There were not many people in the town early in the morning. Pedestrians were all tightly wrapped in their robes. A country girl wearing a headscarf was huddled in the corner. It seemed that she had been slowing down for a while before she had the strength to walk.
"Selling shoes, shoe soles, thousand-layer shoe soles, straw sandals," she whispered, holding a basket.
Various shoe soles were hung on the basket, swaying as the village girl walked around.
However, the business was not very good, and no sales were made until the sun rose. Rich people disdain this kind of thing, and those without money would rather do it themselves.
The village girl walked almost all over the city, but finally she couldn't walk anymore. She found a corner and squatted down to rest, taking out the cold thick flour pancakes and eating them slowly.
"That eldest sister."
Suddenly a female voice shouted from the alley opposite.
The village girl looked over blankly and saw a woman standing in front of the door, holding a vegetable basket in one hand and picking dried vegetable roots. She looked over and waved again.
"How do you sell those shoe soles?" the woman asked loudly, "Come here and let me take a look."
There was finally a business, but the village girl didn't run over happily immediately. She was still a little nervous, so much so that the dry biscuits got stuck in her throat and she almost choked.
The woman seemed a little strange and asked in a loud voice: "Aren't you selling the soles of your shoes?"
The village girl took a deep breath and carried the basket over: "For sale, for sale."
"I'll take a look at it if you want to sell it," the woman said, wiping her hands on her apron. "There are so many children at home, and they are growing up so fast. It's really hard to cope with the many spring activities."
The village girl lowered her head. It was her first time selling. She was very unskilled. Her voice was nervous and timid: "Yes, it's my craftsmanship. They are all very strong."
Like all women when shopping, they dig out all kinds of shoe soles in the basket, look left and right, and pinch them here and there, vowing to spend the least money to buy the best ones.
The village girl let her carry it, and suddenly the woman's hand was holding a straw sandal, and it fell on a piece of grass knot and rubbed it unintentionally. The village girl lowered her head as if on fire.
A woman's voice came to my ears.
".You did this very delicately. What do you want?"
The village girl felt her ears buzzing, and her mouth was speechless for a while.
The next moment, the woman smiled and said: "I mean, you have put a lot of thought into it, but what price can these straw sandals cost?"
After saying this, the village girl still lowered her head and said nothing.
It seemed not, so the woman put down her straw sandals and picked up a pair of cloth shoe soles: "I'd rather buy more expensive cloth."
Before she finished her words, the village girl raised her head, clutched the corners of her clothes tightly with her hands, and said, "Money is priceless if you are on the road. I have something to say in Nantang."
The woman was startled for a moment, then a smile appeared in her eyes. She held her shoes in her hand and tapped them three times in front of her: "Please tell me."
When night once again enveloped the mountain village, the village girl Chuntao stepped into the house.
The man on the bed heard her coming in and struggled to get up
"Brother Ah Shui, please lie down quickly and don't move." Chuntao said hurriedly, showing the basket to the old woman with excitement, "Mom, all the shoe soles are sold, I bought lard."
The old woman said yes repeatedly, took the basket and looked at it: "It's really quite a lot, there's no shortage of meat and fish for half a year." She carried it and walked out, "I'll cook it."
After she went out, Chuntao looked at the man on the bed. The excitement on his face under the dim light had not yet dissipated.
"I found it and gave it to you." She whispered, taking out a small straw knot and handing it over, "Take a look at it, right?"
She handed it over, and the man raised his left hand to take it.
"I'll bring the lamp over," Chuntao said.
The man said no, touched the knot in his hand, nodded and said, "That's right."
Chuntao sat down with a sigh of relief: "Great, I'm really afraid of admitting my mistake." After saying that, he asked again, "Then will your family come to pick you up?"
The man smiled: "No, what I told them is more important matter, and I will continue to trouble you."
Chuntao couldn't help but smile: "No trouble, no trouble."
The old woman's voice sounded outside the house, "Chun Tao, come and serve the food."
Chuntao responded loudly and went out happily.
The man lay on the bed and held the knot in his hand. He had done his best, and the rest was up to others.
At the roadside inn late at night, many people were resting and the stable was busy. Two people were squatting next to the haystacks and looking at the notes in their hands by the light.
"It turned out to be a fake by thieves." One person whispered, "I knew that the government was investigating, but I didn't think much about it."
The other person nodded: "Yes, after all, it is not uncommon for the government to arrest Mohists."
They Momen are inherently guilty.
I just didn't expect that the government would go into such a big fight this time because some bandits did evil and blamed it on their Mo clan.
"It's really disgusting!" One person threw the wooden fork in his hand on the ground, "I'm going to eradicate those bandits."
The person next to him sighed: "How are you going to eradicate this? You can only control horses, you can't fight against bandits, let alone the government."
The government is now arresting Mohists. They don't care if they are true or false. They want to arrest the false ones, but even more if they are true.
It is very dangerous to be attacked from both sides.
The man also let out a long sigh: "It's really a disaster."
He walked over and picked up the wooden fork. There was nothing he could do. He could only spread the news to all directions, and there was a hero who could solve the Momen's crisis.
Cars and horses were galloping, and people from all directions converged on the capital. After verification, they passed through the city gate and walked in the bustling capital.
However, the visitor didn't care to enjoy the beautiful scenery. He asked around all the way and found an alley in front of a house.
"Brother Guo, open the door quickly." He jumped off his horse and shouted loudly.
Old man Guo opened the door, looked at the man standing at the door, and said with a smile: "Isn't this the shopkeeper Qiao from the gold and silver shop? Why are you here?"
Shopkeeper Qiao laughed and said: "Our boss has business dealings with the capital and asked me to come over and take a look. When she heard that I was going to the capital, Mrs. Dong asked me to help check on Miss Qixing, and she also brought a big bag of food."
Aunt Guo also greeted him with a smile and urged Brother Guo to take off the baggage carried on the horse.
"Why did you bring food?" she said, "Mrs. Dong, don't worry, there will be no hunger in the capital."
The neighbor on the side came out, saw this scene, laughed and joked: "No matter how good the food in the capital is, it is not as good as the flavor of my hometown. Your boss really misses you."
As a neighbor, I couldn't hide my identity. I was asked about it on the first day I moved in.
Aunt Guo also got acquainted with the neighbors and said with a smile: "Our boss is really good." She also opened her bag and picked some dried vegetables to send to the neighbors, "and try the flavor of our Xucheng."
Everything inside and outside the alley became lively.
Shopkeeper Qiao was led to the backyard.
"Quick, drink some hot tea to warm yourself up." Qing Zhi offered him some tea.
Shopkeeper Qiao smiled and thanked her: "Miss Xiaoqing, there is no need to be busy." He looked at Qixing who was standing aside and took out the newspaper, "This is the latest news."
On the surface, he was carrying things for Linglongfang, but on the inside, he was carrying news for Xitang.
Qing Pheasant put the tea on the table, retreated and waited outside the door.
"Is everything okay at home?" Qixing asked, opening the letter and newspaper to read.
Shopkeeper Qiao nodded and shook his head: "I'm fine at home, but I don't know if something is wrong."
This is strange to say.
"Miss Qixing, please read the letter, Mr. Wei wrote on the letter."
Qixing's eyes also fell on a name on the letter.
Huo Lian.
"He." She seemed surprised, "He actually came to Xu Cheng?"
And also.
Her eyes moved down to see what was coming next.
Shopkeeper Qiao said at the side: "Secretary Cao has been keeping an eye on the yamen, and he is sure that Du Cha Si really didn't investigate anything. It seems that he is just passing by to stay overnight, but everyone is still uneasy, fearing that there is a threat to Miss Qixing."
Qixing had finished reading the letter, his expression returned to calm, and he smiled: "No, it's okay."
No? It's okay? Is she so sure? Shopkeeper Qiao was stunned for a moment.
"He is indeed not passing by to stay overnight." Qixing explained to him without saying much, "It's something else, don't worry."
Shopkeeper Qiao heard something. Why did she feel that Qixing knew Huo Lian? How did she know it was something else? What else?
However, seeing that Qixing obviously didn't want to talk more, Shopkeeper Qiao could only press down on curiosity and just remind him anyway.
"Oh, by the way." He thought of something and took out another narrow strip, "There is another piece of news."
And? Qixing took it.
"But it's not ours, I met it on the road. A Mohist sent a message saying that there were thieves pretending to be Mohists to do evil." Shopkeeper Qiao said, "This alarmed the emperor, who ordered Dali Temple to supervise local governments to investigate strictly.
.”
Qixing looked at the letter. Urgent letters like this were very short, with only a few words, the location where the incident was discovered, and the source of the letter.
Qixing's sight fell at the end, Nanmo Mengxi was long.
"In this world, in addition to being condemned by the government, our Mo family is also being imitated by evil people," Shopkeeper Qiao said. It's really a complicated feeling that can't be described in a word.
"Momen is guilty. He used this identity to commit crimes, allowing us to add guilt to crime while they were free and easy." Qixing said, "I know, and I will solve this matter."
solve?
Shopkeeper Qiao was stunned again.
He just saw the news and brought it to remind Miss Qixing to be careful in the capital. After all, she had just kidnapped a prisoner from the government.
How to directly say that we want to solve it? How to solve it?
"Of course, it is to punish the evil and prove the punishment severely." Qixing said, gently flicking the letter in his hand, and the narrow strip fell into the charcoal basin and turned into ashes.