"My Lord has an order. The Governor is here this time to thoroughly investigate the unjust cases and show consideration for the people's sentiments. You businessmen who usually have some 'deals' with me in private cannot keep what is on the surface. I want to take it back to the government for safekeeping."
!”
The young detective's intention was very obvious. The butcher and his wife understood immediately, but they also looked embarrassed.
Those accounts they usually submit are all "livestock sales" written by Qin Jianghuai. People who don't understand can't understand it, but the county master is someone who knows and receives benefits, even if it says pigs, cattle and sheep.
, you can also know the corresponding number of boys and girls and their ages.
But secretly, the couple kept a secret account of their usual financial dealings with the county magistrate. They were also afraid that the magistrate would turn his back on him after receiving the money. When the situation was really over, it would be a life-saving asset!
But the county boss is not a fool. If they dare to spare a hand, he will condone it. As long as these people are still under control, there is no threat at all even if the accounts are in their hands!
"My lord, we...we already had a deal with each other last time...and you also know that there have been bandits in the village recently..."
The woman deliberately hinted that this was an unfamiliar face after all, and maybe she had misunderstood something and made the extra trip.
It didn’t take long since the last bill collection. A lot of money must have been collected, and all the accounts have been handed in... Logically speaking, the county magistrate should not collect the bill again so soon!
But the young detective did not give up. He drew out his long knife and put it against the woman's fat neck.
"You mean, Master, I have a bad memory? I got the time wrong? Is that right?!"
He had a fierce look on his face, and the knife in his hand was shining with silver light, which almost scared the woman to death.
The butcher was also frightened by this battle. He did not ask about the excessive official duties for a while. He rushed into the bedroom in the back room and fiddled with it for a while. Qin Jianghuai even heard the sound of broken porcelain.
The man walked up to the young detective with a bound account book and looked at the big knife still on his mother-in-law's neck, not daring to express his anger.
"Master, this...this is the account book you want..."
The policeman grabbed the account book and flipped through it carefully. Sure enough, it recorded the population flow and transaction items, as well as the county magistrate's share of the money collected each time!
A satisfied smile appeared on Nan Shu's face, he neatly put away the long knife, put away the account book and then scolded -
"You and your wife should not do business in the county in the near future! Don't bring anyone with you! If you still have inventory in hand, move it to the location as soon as possible to avoid leaking the news!"
The butcher and his wife bent over and said yes again and again. It wasn't until Nanshu's disguised policeman left that they sat down on the ground.
"He's just a bitch who's running for the county magistrate! He just has a knife and acts arrogantly everywhere!"
There was a blood mark on the woman's neck. She covered the wound and was in shock. The young man just now obviously really wanted to kill her with a knife!
"But he is right. The governor is a high-ranking official sent by the imperial court to parallax. We must quickly move the 'animals' to another place to lock them up. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, we won't be able to chop off ten more heads!"
The couple had never avoided Qin Jianghuai in normal times, but they were frightened at this moment and did not care whether the boy was present.
Anyway, now that he can't see, his normal access to the yard is already the limit, what kind of trouble can he make?
You can also ask this blind man to cooperate when necessary. He is now a parasite in the family. He can't do much work and can't find a good wife. It's better to drag Qin Jianghuai into the water and start a human trafficking business together!
The boy sat at the dining table, slowly stopped moving his hands, and still said nothing.
He also felt that the yamen servant's behavior just now was abnormal, but no matter what the other party's reasons were, now he had created an excellent opportunity!
Now find the right time to follow them out and you will find the place where the abducted children are being held!
The supply of goods that this couple usually has in and out of their accounts is very large, and they should not be able to transfer it in a short time. As long as they put their minds to it, Qin Jianghuai will have more than one opportunity!
"Well, today you go get the key. Wear some heavy clothes at night, sprinkle some water on it, and make it dry. There have been many deaths recently, so you don't want to be lit by will-o'-the-wisps!"
The woman had already made her decision and got up to put away the dishes. Seeing that Qin Jianghuai was no longer in the back room, she let out a loud voice and told her husband to get ready.
The butcher responded and went into the bedroom to pack his things, cursing and complaining.
The boy clung to the wooden door outside the inner room. After hearing this, his plan gradually took shape.
Will-o'-the-wisps only appear near cemeteries, and it is said that they are caused by the ghosts of the dead.
The blue will-o'-the-wisp flickers in the dark night at midnight, following the actions of passers-by... Although his eyes are invisible, if he follows the dense light source of the will-o'-the-wisp, he will not be easily discovered by them, nor will he be left behind.
Leave traces!
Rushing back to his room in three steps at a time, Qin Jianghuai made a decision in his heart and his steps became firmer.
He lay silently beside the narrow window of the earthen house. When he could still see, there was a large field of bones opposite.
Although the butchers usually do not slaughter livestock, once the villagers in the village kill chickens, ducks, pigs, or dogs, they will throw the bodies and skeletons to them for disposal. Over time, more and more bones accumulate here.
He did not dare to touch human corpses. Even his sister, who usually collected corpses from people, had warned him not to offend the corpses of the deceased.
His sister, who also kept company with will-o'-the-wisps in the cemetery all day long, told him that in fact, these will-o'-the-wisps emerged from the corpses of dead people, and they only followed people because they were light and not something scary.
Now I can only take a gamble and hope that the ashes of livestock can also bring out will-o'-wisps!
He washed the clothes at home, picked up some bones, smashed them and burned them into ashes, and then added them to the laundry!
The ashes mixed in the clothes have been diluted and will not burn directly...but there must be a lot of will-o'-the-wisps following them!
When the couple went out to transfer the abducted children, he followed them for a distance. Even if there was danger, he had no choice but to do so!
Thinking of this, Qin Jianghuai put his hands on the edge of the earthen window and pushed it out with all his strength.
After stumbling a few times, he could feel the rugged animal carcasses piled on the ground under his feet.
There are still many flies flying in the air, making a noisy buzzing sound, but Qin Jianghuai has no time to pay attention to these now.
Resisting the urge to feel nauseated, he began to look for bones that were almost completely rotten. He picked some bones of suitable weight and size and put them in his arms. After making sure that they would not be discovered, he turned them over with difficulty.
The butcher and his wife were still packing their things. Qin Jianghuai hid the bones he had picked up and stuffed them into the small hole he had just dug under the earthen kang today.
"Sister...I won't hold you back...I made an oath!"
He hid the bones silently and covered them with hay. The boy's eyes were clearly invisible, but his eyes became more and more discerning.
"The Governor has come all the way! Luo is really disappointed to welcome you from afar! You are disrespectful and disrespectful!"
Huo Yin forced himself to keep the majestic expression on his face, and with a hint of coldness, he sat swaggeringly on the nanmu chair in the main hall of the county master's home, looking around, with a look of disdain in his eyes.
The furniture is all made of pear wood to nanmu, the main hall is lit with fine sandalwood, and the carpets on the floor are made of fine silk and satin from texture to material, not to mention the antiques and antiques placed throughout the main hall.
Various jade stones.
Is this the county magistrate’s home? It’s not even worthy of being called the prefect’s home!
The plump middle-aged man's temples are already graying. He has a kind-hearted look and a simple and gentle smile. It's really hard to make people feel bad at first glance, but Huo Yin makes him want to vomit!
If nothing else, he can directly see the color of people's souls. This is a gift from him who inherited the divine power of the imperial family's ancestral hall.
The color of this man's soul is like the stagnant water of a swamp, and it is still radiating disgusting and disgusting calculations.
He is plotting against his subordinates, plotting against his people, and plotting against the common people who work hard to pay the corvee taxes!
Now you even want to plot against him who is disguised as the governor! How disgusting!
"It doesn't matter, I'm not the governor. The governor just came to the county today. He disguised himself in disguise and paid a private visit in the county seat. As the accompanying priest, I was specially ordered to go to the county magistrate's house to inform him first!"
There is something in Huo Yin’s words——
"It seems that your county has really simple and honest folk customs, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, which makes the governor who has integrated into the county people never want to leave!"
"Don't dare, I just fulfill my duty as a parent official. The people live and work in peace and contentment, which is also my lifelong pursuit. How can I dare to show off my achievements in front of you..."
Although his words were harsh, the fat magistrate did not take Huo Yin's words to heart. He just used some nonsensical polite words to deal with it, but he was extremely disdainful in his heart.
He was already in his fifties, but this so-called priest looked eighteen years old, and his face was as young as fifteen or sixteen years old.
What kind of plans and schemes can a child like this have? Even if he did, how could he be able to hide it from someone who has experienced officialdom for a long time? Ridiculous!
The "businessmen" who do business with him are all carefully selected, and most of the things they do will not be true to the facts. The governor's efforts to get clues from the mouths of those fools are in vain!
So what if I say it? Without tangible evidence, even the governor cannot ignore the king's law! And those unscrupulous people who dare to come forward to testify will never be able to gain a foothold in the county again!
"Dad! What happened to you today..."
The county magistrate's son Luo Qian greeted his father at the top of his voice when he entered the door, but when he saw Huo Yin sitting in the main hall, he was stunned for a long time by the boy's celestial appearance. The more he looked at it, the more flawless he looked, and his Adam's apple appeared
He squirmed subconsciously.
If his father hadn't stood respectfully in front of him, he might have rushed forward to have a good "communication" with this beautiful young man.
Facing Luo Qian's obviously coveting eyes on Huo Yin, the county magistrate also changed his expression and scolded——
"Hurry up and salute! This is the priest accompanying the governor! You are the noble person in the ancestral hall who you can look at with your eyes!"
Only then did Luo Qian come to his senses and hurriedly knelt down under his father's warning gaze.
"Little citizen Luo Qian, I am ill and have been resting for a while today. I am unable to go out to meet the priest. I hope you won't take it personally!"
Ignoring Luo Qian, Huo Yin looked at the county magistrate in a domineering manner.
"Your Majesty, you have such a big air. What kind of official position is the governor? As the priest accompanying the governor, I am also the priest of the temple. I am just sick. I am not missing an arm or a leg. Don't take offense if you don't go out to greet me! Yes!
What’s the point!?”
Huo Yin rarely gets angry. Even if ordinary people look at him with that kind of look, he won't care too much about it.
But the man in front of him really made him angry!
The color of his soul is not only filthy, but also glowing with red light! No less than the red light of the murderer!
What does this mean? It can only mean that this well-dressed man has killed many people! The resentment of these people has been accumulated on him, and it is very likely that they are the ghosts of the missing girls!
We really are not a family, we don’t enter the same family!
The father plots against the people, and the son oppresses the daughters of the people. It is really a good family with a loving father and a filial son!
I usually travel with Nan Shu in the human world. Although I have seen many dirty souls, no one can compare to this pair of father and son!
This was also the first time he agreed to Nanshu to help him deceive, because one of the women killed by this beast was the daughter of Nanshu's benefactor.
Otherwise, as a priest, how could he
The county magistrate also clearly felt that Huo Yin was angry. He scolded Luo Qian for being a bastard, and then stared at his son kneeling on the ground——
"Today you have slighted the priest. To show your respect for the priest, I will fine you half of your monthly salary and give all of it to the ancestral temple in the county to make incense money!"
Of course Luo Qian didn't care about the so-called halving of monthly money. Anyway, he had room and board at the government office, and his father took care of his daily business, so there was no big expense.
As for those women, they were not bought with money. If they are damaged, they will not cut off the source.
"My son understands, then I will not disturb my father and the priest's discussion of important matters, and I will take my leave first!"
The guy with the evil aura on his body finally disappeared, and Huo Yin felt that his breathing became much easier.
And the county magistrate was still looking at him eagerly, surely wondering when the "governor" who was still wandering outside would arrive.
He couldn't answer this question directly. Nan Shu and Qin Yugu had left. Huo Yin didn't know what he would do, but it was definitely related to the investigation of missing persons.
In this case, he absolutely cannot let these people know where Nan Shu is now.
Just when Huo Yin was thinking this, the familiar voice of the young man sounded at the door of the government office.
"Priest! Did you find anything?"
Nan Shu spoke extra loudly. He changed into clean and decent clothes, and his voice completely returned to the clear and clear appearance of a young man.
As for the disguise of the detective's clothes, he had long ago destroyed them completely, and he always carried the ledger with him. Something as important as that could be very useful at a critical moment.
Before Huo Yin came back to his senses, the young man walked up to him energetically, stretched out his hand to hook Huo Yin's neck, and then winked at Luo Qian, who was still walking outside.
"Ahem!"
Huo Yin coughed twice, remembering the plan he had agreed with Qin Yugu before, and his expression suddenly became serious.
"Lord County Magistrate, the reason why this priest came here to visit you before the Governor is because there is something I want to tell you!"
His unusually solemn expression forced the county magistrate to raise his voice. It didn't look like he was joking.
"The priest said it doesn't matter, as long as Luo can help, I'll do it without any hesitation!"
It was also Huo Yin's first time to lie, but Nan Shu was holding his neck next to him. If his performance was not good, he didn't know if his snacks for the next three days would be guaranteed!
Although he has many treasures, he can easily be deceived by outsiders. If Nan Shu hadn't been relaxing on these things, Huo Yin, a "prodigal son" who is ignorant of the world, would have become a pauper long ago because he was unfamiliar with commodity prices.
In short, he must listen to Nan Shu now, otherwise it will be difficult to maintain his life in the future!
"Actually, when I was observing this place on the official road more than ten miles away from the county seat, I vaguely saw a sinister aura lingering over the government office. I was worried that there was something evil here, so I specially divided my troops with the governor. I came here first.
Explore the situation!”
What Huo Yin said was so true that Nan Shu couldn't believe it.
After all, this guy is usually very simple-minded and doesn't bring any change with him when he buys things. Did he talk to that girl and make his head clear?
Magistrate Luo was also a superstitious person, and he still looked a little confused when hesitating. Upon seeing this, Nan Shu bumped Huo Yin's chest with his elbow and whispered a few words in his ear.
"...Yes! Mr. Ling said he was feeling ill, but was he hit by a ghostly thing last night? It damaged his body?"
This was naturally told to him by Nan Shu, but it was naturally more convincing if he, an "uninformed" priest, said it.
We have to thank Qin Yugu for his whim at the time, otherwise there would be no basis for saying there was a problem here.
Magistrate Luo also knew that his son bumped into a girl who was possessed by a female ghost last night. He obviously didn't expect that Huo Yin could see such a secret thing from the person he met for the first time today, and his face immediately turned pale.
"It's true! My son was hit by someone when he was teaching a maid last night. That person seemed to be possessed by a demon! The scream was quite sad!"
He didn't think this matter could be used to make a fuss by these two people, so he went on talking about it.
Huo Yin wanted to continue speaking, but Nan Shu pinched his waist hard and shut his mouth instantly, his face suddenly turned ugly.
As a result, the county magistrate became even more nervous. He thought it was a situation that even the priests could not handle, so he quickly leaned over and begged them for advice.
"Master Priest! Aqian is my only son. My wife passed away early. I hope the priest can use his magical powers to prevent the evil spirit from taking away my son's life!"
Only then did Nan Shu loosen his grip. Taking advantage of the fact that the county magistrate was kneeling down and unable to see their expressions, Huo Yin glared at him fiercely and followed Qin Yugu's instructions and spoke -
"The evil thing came to the young master alone. It is very likely that the feng shui here is not right... The address of the county government can be moved..."
He must be talking nonsense, that's not his purpose anyway, and he doesn't think the county magistrate will agree.
Huo Yin didn't know how much money it cost to repair the courtyard, but it must have cost a lot of people's money and a lot of time. A profit-seeking person like the county magistrate would definitely not be willing to part with it!
"No way! This is the old site of my Luo family's ancestral home. How can I change it at will?"
As expected, the county magistrate immediately denied the proposal and knelt down even harder.
"I am willing to give five hundred taels of silver to the ancestral hall every year for the maintenance and repair costs. I hope the priest can come up with an expedient solution. The cost will be borne by me alone!"
Both of them were disdainful, and Huo Yin finally revealed his purpose.
"It's not impossible! We will use the whole county's efforts to hold a heaven-sacrifice ceremony in the eastern suburbs in three days. We will invite parents and officials from Linxian County to come and watch it. There will be thousands of tables of wine, meat and food, all kinds of colorful earth, and dancing girls.
Singers will perform sacrificial music for the gods, and everyone in the county will wear red!"
Anyway, Huo Yin wanted to make the cost of holding the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony more expensive. Nan Shu said that Qin Yugu had another plan and would definitely get the county magistrate to agree.
Then it is the best choice to set more conditions now and wait for the big head to be cut!
"We still need three hundred and thirty-three boys and girls each. With the help of the pure spiritual energy of the children, we can wash away the evil spirits from your body. This can also ensure that the county magistrate's home will no longer be invaded by evil spirits. From now on, the family business will prosper and will last for generations!"
In a small county like this, in normal times, it would not be impossible to collect some children on the edge of the county to make up this number, but now most of the children have either been abducted or live in villages far away in the mountains. If you want to make up a total of six in three days,
One hundred and sixty-six people, it’s simply impossible!
But this county magistrate really wanted to ward off disasters for his son, and he was willing to spend 500 taels of snowflake silver that far exceeded his annual salary every year. Huo Yin didn't think he would care what the people thought!
As for the wine, meat, food, and five-color soil, they are all making it more difficult for him. It doesn't matter if they are collected by force. When the time comes, he will spit them out intact!
And this meat and wine will naturally become the meal given to them by the people!
Everyone wears red clothes, which raises public anger to the next level. Red clothes are bright and difficult to dye, so the price is high. Ordinary people simply cannot afford to wear bright red clothes.
If the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony makes such demands, the more intense the public's indignation, the greater the possibility of them achieving their goal!
If no one comes forward to testify against the father and son in the end, then even if they can present all the evidence, they can still deny it!
Water can carry and capsize a boat. Since they are squeezing the people like this, let them feel the anger of the lower class people!
"Isn't this... a bit too much..."
The county magistrate raised his head and looked into Huo Yin's serious and innocent eyes, but could not say that the cost was too high.
"Your Excellency, you can refuse. I have no friendship with you, and this is not a disaster for the Luo family. I watched the sky last night, and the disaster star was shining above the county. If your Excellency does not agree, something even more terrible may happen.
occur!"
The cost of holding sacrifices was still unacceptable to the county magistrate. He struggled for a long time and finally became depressed.
"Thank you for your sympathy, sir. I feel that this is God's will. If we tamper with it, we might get retribution. This is a disaster in Aqian's life. If he can survive this time, it will be a blessing. If he can't survive it,
No one else is to blame!”
Huo Yin's brows knitted together, but quickly recovered under Nan Shu's reminder.
He never imagined that this man would rather allow his son to be haunted by ghosts and die than pay these extraneous things in exchange for the peace of his family.
It’s really selfish to the extreme! It’s disgusting!