Chapter 15 I Went to See Him

  The county lieutenant took out the documents and explained his identity to the village headmen, it turned out that this person was surnamed Zhao named Jie, who had just been transferred to this place as a county lieutenant, and had rushed to take office all the way, but unexpectedly lost the official seal in this shop.

  Ding Yuluo asked Feng Da, who was standing aside, "From here to Linqing County Government and back, even if we ride fast horses, it will take at least a day. If we wait for the county magistrate to gather all three classes of yamen runners and catchers, and then come here leisurely, it won't be just three days and two nights. How can she wait that long?"

  Seeing that the entire inn was surrounded by Zhao County Magistrate, she discussed with Liu Shiyi, Chen Feng, Yang Ye and Li Shouyin. These people could deal with some small officials in the countryside, but when they saw the formal officials of the imperial court, they were already timid, how could they come up with a good idea? In desperation, Ding Yuluo took out a 500-tael silver note and rushed to see Zhao Jie, the county magistrate.

  Zhao County Magistrate summoned the robust men from the town to conduct a thorough search of each room, not even letting a single cockroach escape. He himself sat in the guest room, gritting his teeth and puffing out his cheeks as he meditated. When he heard that Ding Yu had requested an audience, he was momentarily unclear about her intentions, so he let someone bring her in.

  Ding Yuluo met with County Magistrate Zhao and hastily stepped forward to pay his respects, saying: "County Magistrate, sir, I am a humble citizen of the Ding family from Ba Prefecture. This time, we are transporting grain to Guangyuan for military use, which is an urgent matter. As for the loss of your official seal, I dare to guarantee that my family will not be involved in it. The Ding family's transportation of military grain is also a service to the imperial court, so please, sir, have mercy and lift your noble hand to let our carts pass. I, Ding, am willing to stake the entire fortune of the Ding family from Ba Prefecture as guarantee, and at the same time, leave someone behind to await your inquiry until the truth is revealed." As he spoke, a silver note was quietly handed over.

  Zhao Jie lost the official seal, and now it seemed that he couldn't even become a county magistrate. At this moment, everyone looked like a thief to him. How could he just give up? He coldly sneered: "Are you going to use the Guangyuan army to pressure me? Even if the Guangyuan army is powerful, they can't control the head of the Linqing County Magistrate. As for the Ding family of Ba State, I've heard of them before. If this were an ordinary matter, I would be willing to give you face and help you out. But now that my official seal is lost, my future prospects are at stake. How can I let you off? Not a single person can leave until my seal is found, no discussion."

  Ding Yuluo repeatedly asked, the anxious and irritated Zhao County Magistrate suddenly became violent, slamming his fist on the table and shouting: "The Ding family is wealthy and powerful, how could they have a woman transport grain? I think you're a woman disguised as a man, and with so many strong men accompanying you, it's very suspicious. If you continue to make noise, this magistrate will confiscate your grain carts and throw you into the great prison. We'll investigate thoroughly and release you when we get to the bottom of it!"

  Ding Yuluo reluctantly nodded and retreated, seeing the expectant eyes of Liu Shiyi and others. At this time, the villagers were searching house by house in the back, and those who had been searched were waiting for news at the restaurant. The restaurant was quiet, and after a while, the owner of Changfeng Wine House came out with a worried face. Everyone asked: "Master Qiu, has the thing been found?"

  Qiu Lao Shi shook his head and sighed, "Not yet, they're still searching. Zhao's face is terrifying, I don't dare to stay behind anymore. From the tone of Zhao's voice, it seems like he wants to wait for the official investigation team to arrive until this case is thoroughly investigated."

  The young man with peach blossom eyes sitting next to him was eating a bun, and upon hearing this, he said in a gloomy tone: "It's all said that you, Old Qi, are honest and simple-minded, but I don't think so. If we're talking about delaying our journey, everyone here is anxious, except for the shop owner, who would be delighted by this. Look, look, this plate of buns, it's almost as expensive as last night's four dishes, you've raised your prices at just the right time."

  Qiu's face turned red and his ears were burning as he stuttered to explain: "Officer, you really are wronging me. Last night, the town suddenly had over a thousand people arrive, and they ate all the meat and vegetables my small shop had stored up. This morning, there was really nothing else left, just these buns, steamed batch after batch, but still not enough to go around... raising the price is also an unavoidable move."

  At this time, the young man in the green cotton gown couldn't sit still anymore. He slapped the table and stood up, saying: "How can this be? As an official for a term, governing a region, one should bring benefits to the people. But this county magistrate hasn't even taken office yet, and he's already putting on airs like a high-ranking official! Just because he lost his official seal, he wants everyone in the inn to wait here? If the seal can't be found in a day, I'll have to stay here for a day; if it can't be found in a lifetime, I'll even get married and have children here!" After speaking, he turned around and was about to leave the shop.

  He had just arrived at the door, when two militiamen holding spears blocked his way and shouted: "Halt! By order of the County Magistrate, no one is allowed to leave until the official seal is found!"

  "Get out of the way!" The man in the blue cotton robe raised an eyebrow and said proudly, "I am Qin Yiyun, the young master of the Qin family from Taiyuan. In this northwestern region, no matter where I go, I can come and go as I please, who dares to stop me?"

  Everyone present who had traveled far and wide knew of the Qin family in Taiyuan. As soon as they heard he was the young master of the Qin family, there was a sudden stir in the tavern. However, upon closer inspection of his attire, the crowd revealed skeptical expressions. The Qin family in Taiyuan is as wealthy as royalty; would their young master venture out looking so shabby? Wouldn't he even bring a single servant or attendant?

  The person who opened the door was also taken aback, and after looking at his appearance, he too sneered repeatedly, clearly not believing his words. The two men argued at the door, while Ding Hao coldly observed from the side and quietly asked Feng Da: "Old master, is the Qin family of Taiyuan very influential?"

  "That's natural, the Qin family of Taiyuan Prefecture, the Li family of Guangyuan Prefecture, and the Zhe and Tang families of Pingyuan Prefecture are the four great aristocratic families in the northwest. The Qin family ranks third among the four great families, with horse trading as their main business, and they are so rich that they can rival a country. They associate with kings, princes, generals, and other high-ranking officials. If this person is indeed the young master of the Qin family, even the governor of our Ba State would have to treat him with the utmost respect... However, looking at his appearance, he's really stretching it a bit too far."

  Ding Hao listened and turned his gaze towards the self-proclaimed Qin Yiyun, a hint of contemplation in his eyes.

  At this time, the Qin Gongzi and the doorkeeper had already fallen out, the doorkeeper was furious, and ordered two militiamen to come forward and capture him. Qin Yiyun smiled coldly on his face, suddenly took a step back, reached into his robe and pulled out two small brooms, flipped them with both hands, and danced them like windmills. In just a few moves, he broke through the spears of the two militiamen, dodged low, and heavily struck the two militiamen's shins with the small brooms, causing them to cry out in pain and fall to the ground.

  Qin Gongzi sprang up again, nimbly leaping into the air, and with a flick of his wrist, the two small brushes "brushed" down to his ribs, where he stood proudly. Ding Hao's eyes widened in amazement: this Qin Gongzi was almost as good as Bruce Lee reincarnated!

  It turned out that the small broom used by Qin Gongzi was actually a pair of nunchucks. The broom is a colloquial term in Northwestern folklore, and its official name at the time was called Panlong Stick. There are two sizes, large and small, the large broom is called the Large Panlong Stick, and the small broom is called the Small Panlong Stick. However, the Panlong Stick at that time was not like the later nunchucks, with two sections of roughly equal length, but rather one section slightly longer and one section slightly shorter.

  This weapon was created by Zhao Kuangyin, the current emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, who has been in power for less than ten years. Since he became the Son of Heaven, his unique weapon, the Panlong Staff, and his expertly wielded fist technique have become popular throughout the land. Many young martial artists practice the Zhao-style Long Fist and the Panlong Staff, but few can master them as skillfully as this person.

  As soon as the subordinate was eaten, the household head let out a whistle and immediately seven or eight sturdy men rushed to the entrance, with the first few holding spears and the last few surprisingly drawing bows and arrows. The people of the northwest region are fierce and brave, and every young man practices martial arts. If they were allowed to shoot their arrows at such close range, Qin Gongzi wouldn't have been able to dodge them. Seeing this situation, he suddenly froze, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

  Five long spears thrust forward, surrounding him, and then the household chief stepped forward to take away his broom. County Magistrate Zhao heard the news and came out from behind, he didn't believe Qin Yiyun's self-reported identity at all, but coldly said: "You're in a hurry to leave, and you have a deadly weapon with you, it's very suspicious, catch him for me, I'll interrogate him personally."

  The furious Qin Gongzi was tied up by several strong men and taken away. Zhao County Magistrate looked at the people sitting in the wine shop and said, "You people had better behave yourselves for this official. Whoever dares to be disobedient and commits a crime under my jurisdiction, I will make him suffer! The hearts of the people are like iron, and the law is like a furnace. Once you fall into my hands, I will make it difficult for you to take another step!" After finishing speaking, he walked out with big strides.

  Ding Yuluo sat at the table, looking at the six officials who were at a loss for what to do. In despair, he muttered to himself: "What's good about this? What can be done about this? Father entrusted such an important matter to me, but I... actually caused this kind of trouble. If we delay any further, the Ding family... will be ruined because of me..." As he spoke, two lines of clear tears streamed down his face.

  On another table, the handsome young man with peach blossom eyes sighed: "It's a big New Year's Day, and I've encountered such an unlucky thing. Forget it, forget it, it seems that I have to stay here for a long time. Look at this house full of bitter gourd faces, who still has an appetite to eat?"

  He stood up and picked up the plate of buns, shouting: "Waiter, bring a pot of tea to my room."

  "Sit down, where are you going? The backyard hasn't been searched yet." A militiaman shouted immediately, and the man had no choice but to sit back down again.

  Ding Hao calmly observed the people in the restaurant, seeing that someone's gaze flashed slightly, just about to turn his head and say something, when he suddenly saw Ding Yu's tears falling, and couldn't help but be stunned. He was just about to speak when Ding Yu had already bitten her lip and stood up, Ding Hao hastily followed suit and asked: "Eldest sister, where are you going?"

  "I'll go see County Magistrate Zhao again."

  "Miss, that official seal is related to County Magistrate Zhao's future career. Are you confident in persuading him to let our family of over a thousand people leave first?"

  "I...I...", Ding Yuluo hesitated for a long time, suddenly her legs went soft and she fell back onto the stool.

  Ding Hao gazed at her desperate face and suddenly said: "Eldest miss, why don't I go see him instead?"

  "Who?" Ding Yuluo, Liu Shiyi, and Li Shouyin all looked up, staring at Ding Hao in surprise. Feng Dapeng and Zhu Zong'er were even more shocked, with Zhu Zong'er quietly tugging on his sleeve and whispering: "Ah-Dai, that's...that's the County Magistrate, not even the young mistress can match him, what are you trying to do by confronting him? You'll get a beating..."

  Feng Da Zhang said, "Xiao Ding, you've gone and it's probably not going to work out. Don't force the issue now. Now we can only hope that this Qin Gongzi is indeed the thief who stole the official seal, so we won't be delayed for too long..."

  Ding Hao shook his head and smiled lightly: "The problem is, that Qin Gongzi has a 90% chance of being the real deal. If we don't do anything and just wait like this, by the time the truth comes to light, we won't even need to go to Guangyuan, we can just go back to Bashu and wait for death."

  Ding Hao finished speaking, adjusted his clothes, and calmly walked to the small gatekeeper guarding the back door of the restaurant. He slightly bowed and said in a loud voice: "Trouble the gatekeeper to inform County Master that Ding Hao from Bashan has an audience and requests to see him!"