in2ebook Chapter 154 Imperial Envoy
Chapter 154 Imperial Envoy
When Lu Linlang heard that Mr. Qiao, whom she was familiar with, was also harmed by this group of people, she frowned. These people did not behave like imperial envoys at all, but more like robbers.
"Hasn't anyone doubted the authenticity of these so-called imperial envoys? They did this, and no one else resisted?" Lu Linlang felt that it was possible to deceive one person, but what was going on when the entire county was deceived?
"Hey, who knows? We just don't think it's like that. But some people say that the county magistrate who ruined the family and the prefect who wiped out the whole clan, those people came on behalf of that person. They are very powerful. When they arrested a few businessmen, some people cheered. But later they saw how powerful they were, and then they were scared.
A while ago, a merchant's son actually said they were abusing the law and that they were definitely fake, but in the end, he still obediently took the money. I heard they even produced the imperial seal, and even the county magistrate confirmed that everything it said was true. Even the county magistrate didn't dare to intervene, so how could we dare to say anything? We can only wait for them to cause trouble in the next county before we can stop.
The waiter shook his head with a helpless expression. Xing'er gave him a few copper coins. The waiter thanked him repeatedly before leaving.
"Sister, this matter is not simple. They actually have the seal of the imperial envoy, but I haven't heard that the imperial envoy was arrested. Maybe the news has not been released yet." Several people analyzed together.
"Well, this matter is definitely not simple. You must do what I asked you to do properly. We can't just pretend nothing happened. Let's get this matter cleared up first."
The next morning, the shopkeeper reopened the door. Lu Linlang went downstairs to have lunch and saw the shopkeeper talking to several businessmen around.
"Boss, why are you sighing? What happened?" Another person living in the inn came over and asked.
"Hey, maybe you haven't heard yet? Last night, another businessman was arrested. The money they took from his family wasn't enough. I heard that when they went to search his house, they happened to find a very beautiful concubine in that family. She was molested right away. Unable to bear the humiliation, she actually jumped into a well and committed suicide.
A life has been lost, and now we dare not let our wife and daughter go out. These people have become so crazy. Girl, you are pretty, it is best not to go out, otherwise you will be in trouble if you encounter anything."
"When will this end? We small business owners are living in fear all day long. If we don't open the door, we won't make any money. Food and oil, salt and water all cost money. If we open the door, we are afraid that one day the poison will come to our homes.
I've already told my family that if they capture me, for the sake of my family's livelihood, I won't offer money for ransom. So be it. It's a knife wound to the head, and it's a knife wound to the head. At worst, I can give up my life, but I can't let my family end up begging on the streets."
"Isn't that Mr. Qiao? Hey, in order to have a son, he donated a lot of money to the county to build bridges and roads. He finally got a son, but now he has to beg for food with him. What a sin."
As everyone was talking, they saw Mr. Qiao and his son going out to beg for food. They were both wearing very tattered clothes with patches on top of patches. It was obvious that they were someone else's old clothes.
Mr. Qiao was limping, leaning on a bamboo pole, holding a broken bowl in his hand, begging for food along the way.
"Mr. Qiao, come here. This is the leftovers from last night. Please eat it. We can hardly protect ourselves now. We need to help you one day at a time. Haven't you checked your foot yet?" The shopkeeper asked the waiter to bring out a bowl of rice that was left over from last night and called Mr. Qiao over.
"Thank you, thank you, son, thank the shopkeeper quickly." Mr. Qiao saw that the rice in the bowl had not been touched at all, and guessed that he said that on purpose. Afraid that he would feel embarrassed, he quickly brought his son over, kowtowed first, then took the rice and let his son eat first.
His son only ate a small bite and gave the rest to Master Qiao: "Dad, you eat it. We will take the rest back for Mom to eat."
"Good, good, my son has grown up, and his father is blessed." Master Qiao wiped his tears and poured the rice into a cloth belt without eating, preparing to take it back home for his old wife to eat.
"Mr. Qiao, it really is you. We haven't seen each other for a long time. I didn't expect that our meeting would be like this. Please come in. I'll treat you to today's meal." Lu Linlang almost didn't recognize him when she saw his current appearance.
"You are Miss Lu, right? Why are you here at this time? Listen to my advice, Old Qiao, and leave quickly." When Mr. Qiao saw Lu Linlang, it had been several years since they last saw her. He didn't expect that Miss Lu was still as charming as ever, but he had become so miserable.
"Don't worry, Master Qiao. I already know the situation. I originally thought I'd stop by here to catch up with you, but I never expected it to be like this. Come in quickly. I'll treat you to dinner today, and I also need your help."
Lu Linlang continued to persuade, and the shopkeeper saw that Lu Linlang actually knew Mr. Qiao, and she invited him warmly, so he also persuaded Mr. Qiao to come in.
"Boss, please tell the kitchen to prepare something light. They may not have eaten meat for a long time, and they can't eat something too greasy all of a sudden." Lu Linlang asked the shopkeeper to help pass on the message. Seeing that he was really sincere in treating them, the shopkeeper agreed and went to the kitchen to give the instructions himself.
"Ms. Lu, how can I help you in my current condition? My son and I thank you for your hospitality. If there is anything I can help with, I will definitely do it." Lu Linlang did not say what kind of help she could provide. She just let the two of them eat first, and bought them lunch boxes so that they could take the leftover food back to their families.
I also asked someone to buy several steamed buns. These things can be stored better than others, so they can be eaten for a few more days when I take them back.
"Mr. Qiao, I do have something I want to ask you. Please come with me and we'll talk upstairs." There were many people in the lobby, so Lu Linlang didn't ask here.
After going upstairs, Lu Linlang asked him about those so-called imperial envoys. When Mr. Qiao heard about the imperial envoys, the fear in his eyes could not be deceived. He trembled as he told him about his experiences during those days.
"If I didn't write to my family asking for money, they would torture me. It was the first time in my life that I experienced such torture. I couldn't stop trembling at the thought. I couldn't bear it any longer, so I took the money to save my life.
They also sent people to watch over me at all times. If I dared to commit suicide, I would be punished again. My foot was injured in there. When I first got out, I had to recuperate for a long time. My daughters at home gave me money to hire a doctor and spent a lot of money on medicine. It was only then that I felt a little better, but my foot was still injured.
We also thought about escaping, but you probably don't know that the road to the provincial capital is guarded by people. Anyone who dares to go there will be arrested once they arrive at the provincial capital. I heard that a man sent his son to the provincial capital to file a complaint, but not long after, what came back was one of his son's ears.
Later, we didn't dare to do it anymore and could only pray that they would leave quickly. You should be careful when you go out. Although they have never harmed passing merchants, who knows when they will go crazy? Someone died last night.
Miss Lu, please listen to my advice and leave here quickly."