Xicheng Market has just opened, and the long street is gradually becoming lively.
The vendors selling steamed buns on the street shouted loudly, and the steamers stacked high emitted steaming white steam.
A thin young man wearing a light gray robe that was almost white after washing passed by. Looking at the big white bulging bun, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
"Sir, would you like two? Meat buns that have just come out of the cage!" the vendor greeted enthusiastically.
The young man touched the empty money bag at his waist and walked away silently.
The vendor secretly made a sound, and just as he was about to look away, he felt that something was wrong with the man.
The man lowered his head and glanced at the people passing by.
The hawker frowned at this.
He has been selling steamed stuffed buns at this stall for generations. No one has ever seen him before. The look in his eyes and his demeanor make people feel like he is up to something!
as expected--
The man was walking with his head lowered and bumped into a young man in brocade clothes.
"Hey, let me tell you how you walk!"
The servant next to the young master scolded him.
"It doesn't matter." The young master didn't care. He glanced at the servant and told him not to say anything.
The master and servant continued to walk forward.
The hawker saw a hint of sapphire blue faintly exposed on the young man's sleeves——
"Mr. Zhou, your wallet has been stolen!" the vendor reminded urgently.
This young master is the only son of Zhou Yuan, a member of the nearby Qingyu Fang. The Zhou family is kind-hearted and well-known in the surrounding area as a family that accumulates good deeds - anyone who sees it must warn him!
When the young master heard this, he quickly touched his waist.
...The money bag is indeed gone!
"It's the man just now!" the servant shouted loudly: "There is a thief, let's catch the thief!"
When the young man heard this, his expression changed and he immediately ran away.
Suddenly everything became agitated and noisy.
Seeing that many people were chasing the little thief, the bun vendor said "tsk tsk" twice.
It's not good to steal from anyone, but I chose Master Zhou's wallet. Isn't this an intentional attempt to get thrown into prison?
A group of big men chased the young man, and on the way they met the Xicheng Bingma Si Limu who would appear in Qingyufang Waipun Street at this time every day.
"What's going on with all this commotion!"
"My lords, someone is stealing in the street! It's the person in front who went to the shop!"
The leader's expression changed.
Stealing on the street?
Their Military and Horse Department is usually responsible for catching thieves and public security in various parts of the city. How dare someone commit theft under the jurisdiction of their Xicheng Military and Horse Department under the clear sky and in broad daylight?
"Sir... I just saw that he seemed to have a dagger on him!"
I don't know who made the noise in the crowd.
This statement immediately caused another commotion.
The commander immediately chased after him with his men.
It's okay to break into Qingyu Fang with a dagger!
If a noble person in the house is injured, if they are investigated, it will be their army and horse department who will bear the responsibility!
As the thief ran along, he bumped into a servant of a house who was sweeping outside the gate. His foot slipped and he fell to the ground with a "plop".
The woman was so frightened that she dropped the broom in her hand.
The little thief gritted his teeth and endured the pain and got up. When he looked back, he saw that the soldiers from the Soldiers and Horses Division were about to catch up. There were two more houses in front of him, and he saw that it was a dead end with no way to go -
In a panic, the little thief saw that the courtyard door of the house on the side in front was unlocked, so he pushed the door open and got in.
The people from the Military and Horse Division quickly caught up and followed him into the courtyard.
The courtyard is elegantly decorated, but no one is there at the moment.
The commander led people to search around the courtyard for a while, and suddenly heard a sound like porcelain being accidentally broken coming from a room in the south.
“Go check it out!”
The little thief must have hidden in that room!
At this time, a young man dressed as a servant just walked outside the gate of the other courtyard. Seeing this scene, he was almost heartbroken with shock.
He went out to buy things early in the morning as usual, and rushed back without delaying for a moment. Everyone on the road was saying that there was a thief nearby, so he listened to the excitement along the way with great interest——
But what is going on with these people surrounding the courtyard at this time!
And before he went out...he clearly locked the courtyard door!
"Get out of the way, get out of the way!"
The servant suddenly pushed open the door to the people watching on the outside and ran towards the courtyard.
When he looked closely, he saw a group of people wearing military uniforms already outside the study room, their faces turned pale with fear.
"This is my master's private house, how can you break into it without any reason?"
The servant dropped the things in his hands, ran over quickly, and stopped him outside the study.
Fortunately, he is cautious enough and even locks the study room before going out.
Even the master of the house didn't know that the young master had done this. In order to avoid leaking the news, he was the only one who stayed here these days. However, this matter was kept secret and nothing went wrong. How could the soldiers suddenly come today?
Masi people!
The commander showed the token with a cold face.
"We saw with our own eyes that a thief broke into this place. We are on official business. Please open the door and let us go in to search for the suspect."
"What kind of thief...I never saw it!" The servant was so panicked that he didn't care much and still blocked the door: "This place is locked, how could a thief enter? You must have seen it wrong!"
"Sir, this window has been opened by someone, and the person must have jumped into the house through the window." A soldier said.
"Thank you for your cooperation in handling the case -" the commander's tone sounded a bit coercive.
The servant, who was already covered in cold sweat, hesitated and said: "My master never likes others to set foot in this study... The master is not here. I don't have the key, so I can't be the master."
If it was really just ordinary thieves hiding here, it would be okay to let them go in and search. He didn't want to stop him like this, which would create suspicion.
But there is something fishy about this matter!
If there is something strange, it means that there will be variables - and he simply cannot afford such variables!
"Isn't this clear obstruction of official duties!"
The people who came in were hurling accusations at the foot of the stone steps.
One woman even speculated: "...Maybe he is in the same group with that little thief, so he is hiding him!"
"That's right... Speaking of which, this family is very mysterious. No one comes here on weekdays, but at night you can occasionally hear the movement of cars and horses... Could it be that they are doing some shady things behind the scenes?"
"It's probably because there's something wrong in my heart that I don't dare to let people see it!"
"Yes, isn't it just a study room?"
Hearing these words, the servant became furious, his face changed again and again, and he yelled at the nagging women: "How bold! Do you know what my master is, how dare you make things out of nothing and slander me!"
The mother-in-law spat out the melon seed peel with disdain: "What is your identity? You should tell us and let us listen!"
The servant's words came to his lips, but he didn't dare to say them anyway, and his face turned red and white.
"It doesn't matter if you don't have a key—someone comes and cuts the lock!" the commander ordered immediately.
