Chapter 21: Tang Ju's Troubles and the Beggar Girl
County government office.
The duty room of County Magistrate Tang Ju.
It was past noon. Tang Ju was frowning as he flipped through official documents, one volume after another. There were three dishes and a soup on the table. That was his meal, but he didn't touch it until it was completely cold.
Princess Lanling went to Youzhou to take charge and would pass through Yingzhou. This matter had already put a lot of pressure on him, but a murder case happened ...
Boom boom!
There was a soft knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Tang Ju paused slightly, put down the documents and took a sip of strong tea.
"Your Excellency the Governor, the county magistrate, the chief clerk, the county lieutenant, and Captain Lin have arrived." The voice of a clerk came from outside the door.
"Come in." Tang Ju was shocked.
Four people entered one after another.
The county magistrate, the chief clerk, and the county lieutenant were relatively calm.
Captain Lin was trembling all the time and kept his head down.
After the greetings, the county magistrate and others first reported on the matters under their respective jurisdictions, such as customs, taxes, etc. There were no problems, and Tang Ju nodded slowly.
Finally it was Captain Lin's turn. He took two steps forward, still keeping his head down and not daring to speak.
Tang Ju's face darkened, and he asked, "Captain Lin, how is the progress of the city wall murder case ? Has the murderer been arrested?"
"Reporting to the governor... the crime happened at the city wall, late at night, and there were no witnesses... and the murderer was very skilled and did not leave any clues..."
"Just tell me what you found out?" Tang Ju's face darkened again.
"No...no progress..."
"Waste!" Tang Ju was furious. He slammed the table and stood up, his goat beard shaking.
Captain Lin was so scared that he knelt on the ground, repeatedly saying "I am incompetent" while secretly praying that his savior Tang Shujing would arrive as soon as possible.
The county lieutenant stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Please calm down, sir..."
Tang Ju sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples, and said in a deep voice: "If the murder case is not solved, if Princess Lanling holds us responsible, we will lose our official positions. How can you teach calm down?"
The county magistrate, the chief clerk and others looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Dad!" At this time, a crisp voice came from outside the door.
Before everyone could react, the door was pushed open with a creak, and a heroic girl with long legs rushed in.
Tang Ju was stunned for a second, then with a stern face, he scolded: "You are so unruly, impetuous, and noisy. What are you doing?"
"Daddy, please calm down. I know you are worried about the murder case on the city wall, so I came here to do my best to help." Tang Shujing turned her head to glance at Captain Lin and raised her eyebrows.
Captain Lin felt relieved. It felt great to be protected by his big brother.
Tang Ju's expression softened.
Although the county magistrate and others had some complaints about Tang Shujing, the case was of great importance, so they turned a blind eye to it.
"Dad, why haven't you eaten yet?" After all, she was her own daughter, and she noticed the cold food on the table at a glance.
"I have no appetite. I can't eat."
"Dad, although work is important, your health is also important..." Tang Shujing advised softly.
Tang Ju sighed softly. Although his daughter was not very serious, she knew how to care for others, which made him feel warm inside...
Wait, Tang Ju suddenly looked up and said happily: "I have an idea, let's see if it is feasible."
"Please speak, Mr. Ming."
“Reward!”
Tang Ju stood up and said loudly: "Post a notice. If anyone can provide clues to this case, I will..."
Tang Ju felt a pang of pain, "I will personally reward him with 1,000 taels! Not only that, I will also treat him as a guest of honor!"
"Dad, where did you get the one thousand taels?" Tang Shujing's beautiful eyes, clear as black and white, were filled with surprise.
"Guest of honor?" The county magistrate and others had different focuses.
The county magistrate's guest of honor means that this person is under the protection of the county magistrate and can do whatever he wants in the county.
Tang Ju comes from a prominent aristocratic family, and is a direct descendant of the royal family. Although the family has weakened over the years and has been completely crushed , it is enough for him to live a comfortable life by relying on this big, thick leg.
The county magistrate and the chief clerk looked at each other and shook their heads, saying, "No, Your Excellency, this is absolutely not allowed. If we post a reward, it will surely be known to the whole city. This case... is better kept secret!"
Tang Ju was stunned for a moment, then nodded slowly, his expression a little unnatural, "Yes, it is better to keep this case secret."
Princess Lanling's inspections were more severe than those in the capital. In order to keep their official positions, some local officials would often cover up certain thorny matters, such as unsolved murder cases.
Although Tang Ju is wise, he is not a rookie in officialdom. If this case cannot be solved, I am afraid this is the only method he can resort to.
After discussing for a while, they still had no clue, so the county magistrate, Captain Lin and others left the duty room one after another.
Tang Shujing was worried about her father's health, so she heated up the food herself and urged him to eat, but Tang Ju was under too much pressure and had no appetite at all.
"Stinky tofu!" Tang Shujing's eyes lit up, "Dad, do you want to eat stinky tofu?"
"This..." Tang Ju's mouth suddenly became salivating. The stinky yet fragrant taste was indeed very special. He wanted to eat it, and his brows couldn't help but relax.
But when he touched his clean purse, his brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again.
Tang Shujing saw him touching his purse and said with a smile, "As long as Dad has an appetite, your daughter can treat us. Dad, wait a moment, I'll be back soon!"
A quarter of an hour later.
Tang Ju ate the smelly yet fragrant stinky tofu, and his appetite was whetted. He even finished all the food that he hadn't touched for a long time.
With his stomach filled, his mental state improved a little.
But then the pressure like Mount Tai approached again.
"Who is that cunning killer? Where is he hiding?" Tang Ju murmured.
…
In the city.
A certain street.
A short, thin beggar girl, wearing patched coarse linen clothes and with disheveled hair, was walking on the stuffy street when she suddenly fell backwards and fell to the ground.
"Where did this little beggar come from? Is he dead?" Passers-by on the street quickly gathered around and pointed.
"He must have fainted because of hunger and thirst..."
“…”
About ten feet away, Su Xian walked towards him leisurely with brisk steps.
The stinky tofu business was extremely popular. In just one morning, a lot of copper coins were earned. It was Su Xian's first "dividend" and he received a full one thousand coins!
With a huge sum of one thousand coins in his pocket, the first thing he did was to go to the building and have some fun.
...restaurant.
He wanted to eat a big meal to celebrate the fact that he had gained a foothold in the evil ancient times and had solved the problem of food and clothing.
Su Xian, who was in a good mood, walked briskly through the crowd of onlookers, and the conversations of passers-by came into her ears automatically.
Um?
Su Xian took a few steps back and also moved over.
He looked carefully at the little beggar lying on the bluestone street, his lips dry and chapped.
"This scene looks a little familiar."
Su Xian reacted quickly. When he first came through, wasn't he lying on the street with dry and chapped lips?
None of the onlookers offered help.
Su Xian hesitated for a while, then saw a restaurant on the street. He walked over, took out a penny, and said to the waiter, "Bring me a bowl of water. I'm in a good mood today, so I want to do something good!"
"Okay!" It's easier to get things done if you have money. The waiter quickly brought clean water in a coarse porcelain bowl.
