Hua Rujin lay on the bed with half-closed eyes and clearly heard the sound of the door being pushed open, followed by footsteps.
"Young lady, did you drink the morning dew?"
"Drink, drink, I watched with my own eyes as the young lady drank the morning dew."
Hua Rujin heard the conversation between the old woman and the old housekeeper at the door, and then closed her squinted eyes tighter.
"I'm afraid someone doesn't want the young lady to be buried safely tonight. Listen, everyone will follow me to Huangli Gang."
The old housekeeper went to the couch and looked at Hua Rujin, who was sleeping soundly. When he saw that there was nothing strange about him, he led everyone out of the house.
...
It was dark at night, and the urgent letter sent by the horse from Beijing, which was eight hundred miles away, arrived at the Yamen of Jingzhou Prefecture.
The prefect, Wen Yuming, was sleeping deeply when he suddenly heard a loud noise and learned that an urgent official document had been delivered. He opened it with fear and fear, only to see the word "arbitrary" printed on the letter stamped with the official seal. He was frightened.
Sweat broke out on his forehead, and he was completely sleepless for a while. While he was getting dressed in a hurry, he ordered the official: "Prepare the sedan... no, prepare the horses, and go to Jianglingcheng County Government immediately."
...
At that time, the Jianglingcheng County Government Office was brightly lit.
It's long past the time to go off duty, but officials at all levels and down to the concierge are all detained in the Yamen, working overtime for no apparent reason.
The county magistrate, chief registrar, dianshi and several minor officials were waiting in the lobby. They waited for a long time with complaints, only to see the new magistrate arriving late.
Ye Chengguan wore a dark black gown today and walked to the hall with calm eyes and sat down slowly.
Looking at the confused eyes, Ye Chengkuan said solemnly:
"The county has recently found some clues about the missing girl in recent years. It was a flower-picking thief. This person's agility cannot be underestimated. According to reliable information, he will appear on Huangli Gang in the south of the city tonight. There is no curfew in the city tonight on Chinese Valentine's Day.
If this thief breaks into the city and causes trouble, Lu Dianshi, please go there immediately with all the county officials and make sure to catch the culprit."
Before Lu Xiuyuan could answer, the county magistrate Tang Haoran was the first to raise a question: "Huangli Gang is the ancestral cemetery of the Dou family. I heard that today is the auspicious day for the death of the young lady of the Dou family. Wouldn't it be disturbing the souls of the dead if the county government officials went there rashly?"
It’s probably not good to falsely accuse the government of deliberately disturbing the people and disrupting villagers’ weddings and funerals.”
Knowing that Ye Chengguan had arrived at the Yazhong, Liu Cheng, who hurried over, hurriedly wiped his sweat and echoed: "It is indeed true, County Magistrate Ye, since the case of the Dou family has been closed, and the daughter of the Hua family has voluntarily sacrificed her life, your Excellency should
Let go of your obsession and stop embarrassing the Dou family."
"What you two said is wrong."
Ye Chengguan said in a cold voice: "Because today is the auspicious day for the young lady of the Dou family to die, the government should protect her. If someone robs the bride, won't Mr. Dou have to rejoice in vain?"
"I think Magistrate Ye has ulterior motives, right?"
Liu Cheng glared dissatisfied: "This Jiangling City not only has the county government office, but there is also a prefect government office not far away."
"This county knows the geography and culture of Jiangling City, and knows the location of the government offices at all levels. There is no need for Mr. Liu to remind you."
Ye Chengwei looked at him with stern eyes: "I would like to ask Mr. Liu, the official approval document for promotion to residence has been arriving in this county for many days. Why is Mr. Liu hovering here and what is his purpose?"
"I......"
Liu Cheng was speechless for a moment.
Tang Haoran, on the other hand, calmly and calmly interjected: "Sir, the Dou family matter is currently in a turmoil. If it is not settled earlier, it may cause more trouble, and it will be difficult for the magistrate to explain it."
Just as he finished speaking, an old Shen's voice came in from outside the hall: "What should I explain to this government? In recent years, there have been many missing people in Jiangling City. Finding out the truth and explaining it to the people is the best explanation for this government.
"
When everyone heard the news, they saw Wen Yumin, the prefect with a big belly, walking in hurriedly with two young boys.
"I have met the magistrate."
Everyone panicked and quickly bowed their heads to worship.
But Wen Yuming's figure walked straight towards Ye Chengguan in the hall, and said with great enthusiasm: "Oh, Magistrate Ye, brother Ye, I just returned from inspecting the neighboring counties and scattered prefectures, and I heard that Magistrate Ye started to carry out thorough inspections as soon as he took office.
I am very pleased to investigate the backlog of mysterious cases in Jiangling City, and have come here to express my praise."
"The magistrate is responsible for the duties of the lower officials. Please take care of them."
Ye Chengguan didn't know the purpose of this person's visit. After bowing his hands in a neither humble nor overbearing manner, he looked at Lu Xiuyuan again and urged in a cold voice: "Lu Dianshi, hurry up and go."
Just as Lu Xiuyuan was about to move, Liu Cheng and Tang Haoran glanced at him.
"Master Prefect, tonight..."
Before Liu Cheng could say anything, Wen Yuming cast a stern look at him: "Master Liu, you should not continue to stay in Jiangling City at this time."
"I will go back to my hometown now and go to Beijing immediately tomorrow."
With a look of sincerity and fear on her face, Liu Cheng replied unwillingly, and had no choice but to turn around and leave.
Seeing the situation, Lu Xiuyuan called on the police officers and hurried to Huangli Gang in the south of the city.
"You, you, you, all go. As a county official, you should share the worries of the superior officials."
Wen Yuming pointed at Tang Haoran, Chief Secretary Dou Yiheng and others, and scolded them severely. Everyone followed Lu Xiuyuan out of the county office with a grimace.
"Brother Ye, you have worked hard these days and have accomplished a lot. Go back and rest early tonight. Let them take care of the county government affairs. You don't have to do everything yourself. As the head of a county, you have to keep your body tight. That's it.
Only then can we better make decisions for the people of the county."
Wen Yuming showed concern on his face: "Besides, your father is living alone at home. Brother Ye has been studying abroad for many years. Now that he is on the gold medal list, in addition to serving the court loyally, he also has to perform more filial piety."
"Thank you, Lord Magistrate, for your sympathy. I will resign."
Ye Chengguan was full of confusion about the sudden change in the attitude of the prefect, but he had no intention of studying the matter in detail at this time. He just vaguely guessed some clues, said goodbye to Wen Yuming, went to the stables, took the horse, and rode away towards the west of the city.
Seeing that it was getting late, Ting'an did not send a signal, which showed that Miss Hua's family had not left the house yet, but the Dou family's funeral procession had already left the city. Where did Dou Yue plan to send the people?
Thinking of this, he galloped all the way, and when he was far away from the county government office, he suddenly turned south into a secluded alley, found a quiet place, hitched the horse behind the wall of a house, took his sword and stepped on the eaves of the house.
He walked closer to the familiar compound.
Finally, the figure landed lightly on a roof.
...
quiet night
Hua Rujin lay on the bed and listened to the movements around her, but the silence in the room was terrifying. Thinking of the white shadow that attacked her last night, she felt goosebumps all over her body.
While she was pondering, she was about to open her eyes and take a look at her surroundings, when suddenly the ground began to shake violently around her.
After a brief swaying, before she had time to react, she clearly felt that her whole body and the bed were falling rapidly.
"Is there an earthquake?"
With a look of astonishment on her face, she quickly opened her eyes and looked around. Only then did she realize that she and the entire bed were falling into the abyss. The rapid downward momentum caused her entire body to immediately lose its center of gravity.
"Could this be the legendary man sleeping on the bed and the pit coming from the ground?"
It’s really hard to guard against.
Seeing that the cracked floor was about to close again, Hua Rujin gritted her teeth and straightened her legs, pushing upward with all her might.
The moment he stretched out his hands, a pair of long, powerful, well-jointed hands quickly grabbed him.