northernbook Chapter 27 Rescue (2)
Chapter 27 Rescue (2)
When Steward Tao and Lin Ziping's carriage arrived at the entrance of the county government office, Lin Ziping lifted a corner of the curtain to look outside.
Torches had already been lit outside the county government office, and a large crowd had gathered under their glow. The torches crackled and popped, and the sounds of people talking filled the air.
"I heard that the child who went missing during the Lantern Festival has been found."
"Thank God, these children have really suffered terribly. Has the kidnapper been found?"
"They caught him, but unfortunately the gang leader escaped. They're currently searching for him throughout the city."
"It's such a pity. This leader deserves to be torn to pieces. So many children. It seems that the abducted children are not only in our county, but children have gone missing throughout Huaizhou."
"Yes, most of them are children from wealthy families."
"Tsk tsk, how do you know so much?"
"Hey, my neighbor's uncle's nephew's niece's uncle works in the county government."
"You're just bragging. You think you can pick and choose who you're taking care of, even when it comes to picking up girls and holding babies?"
"You still don't believe me? Although we can eat our fill now, don't you think that it's a better way out for poor families' children to be bought into wealthy households as maids or servants? It's much better than toiling in the fields for food."
"What kind of talk is that? What parent would be willing to leave their child?"
"Sigh, judging from your clothes, you must be from a wealthy family. Haven't you heard of poor people selling their lives in times of chaos and working like cattle in times of prosperity?"
"Why are you saying all this? Look! A carriage is entering the county government office. This must be the family whose child has been lost."
……
People made way for the yamen runners to lead the carriage through the crowd and into the county government office.
County Magistrate Ji and Commander Xu sat in the seats of honor, while Lin Zhong sat to the left of County Magistrate Ji. Other people were also seated in the county office.
Lin Ziping stepped forward and bowed.
Magistrate Ji waved his hand and said, "Tell the yamen runners what you know, and you can go home."
Lin Ziping thought for a moment and asked, "May I ask, Magistrate Ji, how is Magistrate Ji? What about the other five children?"
Everyone else in the county office turned their attention to Lin Ziping. Magistrate Ji pondered for a moment and said, "We already have news. You don't need to worry. You may leave."
After hearing this, Lin Ziping did not ask any further questions. He bowed and followed the yamen runner away.
"Lord Ji, Commander Xu, my son Ping has been found. I, Lin Zhong, will not trouble you any longer and will take him back now." Lin Zhong stood up, bowed to Magistrate Ji and Commander Xu, and took his leave.
After thinking for a moment, Magistrate Ji looked at Commander Xu and, seeing that Commander Xu did not speak, said to Lin Zhong, "Thank you for your great help these past few days, Master Lin. There are other matters later that require your son's cooperation, and I hope that you will not interfere."
Lin Zhong: "I, Lin, will definitely cooperate fully!"
After saying this, he nodded and took his leave.
After Lin Zhong left, Magistrate Ji said to the others, "Your children have been found. After cooperating with the yamen runners for questioning, you may leave on your own."
Before long, everyone in the county government office had left.
After telling the yamen runners about what happened after he was taken away by human traffickers during the Lantern Festival, Lin Ziping walked out of the county yamen, where Lin Zhong was already waiting.
"Uncle, thank you for your trouble." Lin Ziping bowed to Lin Zhong and said.
Lin Zhong helped Lin Ziping up: "It's good that you're back. You've suffered. Let's go home."
"Uncle, I wonder how the other five children are doing now?" Lin Ziping asked after thinking for a moment.
“Magistrate Ji and Commander Xu have already sent people to search, so there’s no need to worry. After all, Magistrate Ji’s son is among them,” Lin Zhong said as he led Lin Ziping onto the carriage.
Lin Ziping felt that these words were a bit strange, but after thinking about it carefully, they made some sense. Seeing that Magistrate Ji's expression was still very calm, he figured that Ji Xun should be alright. Putting Ji Xun's matter aside, he got into the carriage and headed towards the Lin residence.
Inside the county government office, only Magistrate Ji and Commander Xu remain.
Commander Xu walked to the door, looked around to make sure no one was there, closed the door, and asked Magistrate Ji, "Was that Lin Zhong's nephew just now?"
At this moment, Magistrate Ji was somewhat absent-minded and replied, "Yes, his name is Lin Ziping, and he is currently a student at the Moshan Academy."
Xu Qianhu lowered his head and pondered for a long time without speaking. He turned around and saw the absent-minded look on Ji Zhixian's face. He smiled and said, "It's my fault. Ah Xun has just been found. Ah Lian should spend some time with his sister-in-law and nephew."
"Ziming, don't tease me. Right now, Ah Xiu only has that brat in her eyes. How can she see me?" Magistrate Ji waved his hand with a smile, then said seriously, "Thank you very much, Ziming, for helping me find Ah Xun this time."
Commander Xu said, "Even if Lord Zhou didn't make arrangements, given our relationship, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing! Besides, it was Ah Xun's quick thinking and intelligence that drew our attention and allowed us to find him in time. Have you told Lord Zhou about the situation in Qingyang?"
"As soon as Ah Xun found him, he immediately sent the news to the capital. He must have received the news by now." Magistrate Ji stroked his beard, looking pleased.
Commander Xu hesitated before asking, "Have you told the magistrate about Lin Zhong's matter?"
County Magistrate Ji shook his head: "He wasn't the only one who left the palace at the time. Moreover, I've inquired and found that Lin Zhong was just helping with affairs in the Imperial Household Department. He had never even seen that person's face. As for whether his nephew was brought out of the palace by Lin Zhong, we can't confirm it now. We need to have substantial evidence for this kind of thing. After all, too many people are paying attention to this matter, so we should be cautious."
Commander Xu said, "You're right. No one dares to speculate on what the person in the palace is thinking. They're currently under your jurisdiction, so you should be careful."
"Thank you for your advice, Brother Ziming. Although Lin Zhong was unremarkable in the palace and did nothing special, he did come from the palace after all, so he might have other connections." Magistrate Ji cupped his hands in thanks to Commander Xu.
"Alright, go check on your sister-in-law and nephew. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning, so you don't need to see me off," Xu Qianhu said, taking a sip of water.
"You're leaving tomorrow morning? Are you in such a hurry? How about we cook a couple of dishes tonight and have a drink together? It's been a long time since we've gotten together," Magistrate Ji said, trying to persuade Commander Xu to stay.
"There's plenty of time in the future. It's best to be careful in this situation. Besides, I received a message from the military camp telling me to return immediately. We'll meet again another day. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Go see your sister-in-law. Goodbye." After saying this, Commander Xu opened the door and left.
As Magistrate Ji watched Xu Qianhu's departing figure, he seemed lost in thought. After a while, he got up and walked towards the backyard.
When Lin Ziping returned to the Lin residence, Granny Liao had already arranged for hot water and food to be prepared.
After taking off his clothes and sitting in the bathtub, he felt extremely comfortable. After washing up, drying his hair, eating hot porridge, and lying in bed, he felt as if he had been reborn. The days in the cave seemed like a dream. With his mind relaxed, Lin Ziping quickly fell asleep.