I'm afraid you'll be widowed

Xianghai Town is 28 miles away from the capital city. It is not far, but not close.

Although Pei Gong joined Jinyiwei as the Chief Banner Officer, he has a few small banners under his command.

But after all, going to Xianghai is not a good thing to do, and the subordinates in the area do not meet Pei Xuan's requirements of "being a man with his tail between his legs", so Pei Gong just travels lightly and meets Fang Cenxi early in the morning. Go to the city gate.

It was Pei Gong's first official business trip, and he had seen his partner's two brushes yesterday, so he made a question first: "We are going to Xianghai, should we greet the county government first? Then check the detailed case files?"

Fang Cenxi only looked indifferent, as if he had other plans.

"No need, I have gone through all the case files yesterday, I have made an inventory of suspicious points and anomalies, and I have also known the context of the case."

"I'll talk to the third master in detail on the way."

Pei Gong couldn't help but look at the person in front of him carefully again.

Fang Cenxi in front of him was clearly just a judge.Others who achieve this position are either nodding and bowing errands to seek promotion for the vice-deputies of the temple, or they are dawdling when they have no hope of official career and start to find ways to do it.

However, Xiaofang is a judge who can take the lead alone, with a steady demeanor, reliable handling of affairs, and does not make people think twice.

Pei Gong couldn't help but sigh softly, Pei Xuan really is his big brother, he really thought of everything for him.He found such a reliable person to take him with him, and the purpose was to let him come to Xianghai for a show, and he was really happy to serve as a foil.

After leaving the city gate, the two rode their horses straight to the north.

After running for about an hour, they stopped at the side of the road for a tea break.

"The horse rides well." Pei Gongxin stepped off the horse, with a bit of undisguised admiration in his eyes, "It's better than the two left and right temple officials of your Dali Temple."

Fang Cenxi smiled.

"The six arts of a gentleman are not surprising." It is understandable that he can ride a horse with the number of rites, music and archery, and he can ride a horse.

Seeing that Fang Cenxi finished tying the horse, Pei Gongcai became official again.

"It should be more than ten miles away from Xianghai Town. I think we can make it before dark."

The waiter at the tea shop was busy calling the two of them to take their seats. Hearing Pei Gong's words, he yelled again: "The two guest officials are going to Xianghai Town? What are you doing for a living?"

"Still going to Xianghai to do business now? Say goodbye, there are beggars everywhere."

Fang Cenxi glanced at Xiaoer lightly, and asked with a light smile, "The autumn harvest is just over now, and there are no natural disasters, why are there beggars everywhere?"

Xiao Er couldn't help scratching his head when he heard this: "We don't know about that."

Fang Cenxi became interested after hearing this.

He picked up the tea poured by the second servant, and started chatting carefully again.

Pei Gong was also twirling peanuts to join in the fun.

The current one or two months is the busy autumn harvest, and the people who pass by here are all farmers who are rushing back to their hometowns to harvest the fields and dry grain.

But this year it's the opposite, fewer people leave Beijing, but more and more people come to Beijing, and most of them come to beg for food.There are waves of displaced people, at least a dozen or twenty.

Xiao Er said clearly: "Guess what? When I asked those beggars, they all came from Xianghai Town. Isn't this just a coincidence?"

"Xianghai has the most beggars."

Fang Cenxi lowered his eyes slightly, resting his chin thoughtfully.

After Pei Gong finished sipping the salted tea in the teacup, he felt that the tea smelled like swill, so he couldn't help frowning slightly.

He just felt as if he would be soaked in the smell of swill if he sat down any longer, so he couldn't help urging: "Fang Pingshi said before leaving the city that he would explain the case in detail, so now tell me about the Xianghai Town case?"

"We've already drank this tea, so we have to hurry earlier to be safe."

Fang Cenxi recovered his senses with raised eyebrows, and then smiled belatedly.

He took a sip of the cold tea slowly, and his demeanor seemed only elegant.

Speaking of the similarity of the case, Fang Cenxi deliberately lowered his voice: "Speaking of which, it is not an unheard of major case. It is the county government of Xianghai Town who lost the money that was paid for land tax this year."

"The official bank was stolen, but the county government has never been able to find it. Xianghai is not far from the capital, so Jingzhong paid attention to this case and asked to investigate it."

It was supposed to be the harvest market, restaurants open, and everyone laughing for dinner, but the streets of Xianghai were empty.

There are occasional shops lighting up lights everywhere, but there are no crowds in front of the shops that should be coming and going.

The cold wind of late autumn was blowing, and the fallen leaves rolled around them and the horse behind them, which looked extremely bleak under the shadow of the obscure sunset.

Pei Gong couldn't help shivering, it was really the first time he saw a town as desolate as in the legend, and he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

But Fang Cenxi only looked around, without any expression on his face.

The two of them were going to find a place to stay and drink horses first, and then make other plans.

Just before he took a few steps, a black figure suddenly appeared on the empty street, and crawled to Pei Gong's feet with a "plop".

Pei Gong was startled and staggered.

He took a deep breath and subconsciously raised his foot to kick, but Fang Cenxi stepped back and said, "Don't move."

Hei Ying immediately raised his dirty face and begged in a childish voice: "Young Master, please do me a favor."

"My lord, please do me a favor, let's send it away."

Fang Cenxi lowered his head, his eyes were all fixed on the little beggar.

The child looked to be less than ten years old, wearing ill-fitting clothes, with a dirty face, looking sloppy, he was obviously the "little beggar" who was begging for food from the waiter at the tea shop in the afternoon.

Fang Cenxi squatted down, looked into the little beggar's eyes, took the little beggar's arm and pulled him up; "Don't kneel, stand up and talk."

The little beggar stared blankly at the person in front of him. He was neatly dressed, but he didn't just kick him away like others.

He didn't dare to move at that moment, he only dared to follow Fang Cenxi's wishes.

Seeing this, Fang Cenxi had his usual gentle and refined smile on his face again: "Don't be afraid, I'll buy something for you, okay?"

The little beggar nodded again and again, imitating the adults and bowing their hands, but imitating four different faces: "Thank you very much, sir, thank you very much, sir."

"Good luck, sir."

Fang Cenxi touched the purse from his cuff, took out more than a dozen cash and put it at a stall selling cooking cakes not far away, and looked it over carefully.

"Wrap the remaining scallion pancakes for me."

The autumn harvest is just over now, which is the most productive time of the year.

The scallion pancakes on the pancake stalls on the street have just come out of the pan, and they are still steaming.

The scallion oil is salty and fragrant, and the pastry is crispy.

The fragrance wafted faintly from the paper bag, causing the little beggar to salivate and stare at his hand.

But Fang Cenxi was not in a hurry to hand out the cake, instead he turned his eyes slowly and leaned down again.

"Listen to me, this is not a charity given to you for nothing, you have to exchange it with me."

"I'll ask a few questions, and you'll answer me a few, in exchange for a few cakes, how about that?"

The little beggar nodded repeatedly.

"Where is your home? Why do you come out to beg for food?"

"My family used to be a farmer in the countryside. We only came to the town to beg for food because we ran out of grain this autumn and had no food to eat."

"Where are your parents? There is no natural disaster this year, so why are you running out of food?"

"My father died two years ago, my siblings were starving to death, and my mother was also begging in the countryside. The government lost money and caught thieves everywhere, and the village chief forced each family to hand over money to prove their innocence. "

"The grain storage is going to come to the next year, how can your family be willing to hand over the grain so easily?"

"If you don't pay the food, you will be arrested. Several people in the village have been arrested..."

……

……

The more Pei Gong heard it, the more he felt unbearable.

He grew up in rich clothes and fine food, even though his elder brother and father are not considered popular in front of the emperor now, they have never let the children and sisters in the mansion experience what it is like to be "poor".

Pei Gong never imagined that Xianghai Town at the foot of the capital would be in such a miserable state.

He simply took out a silver box and threw it into the little beggar's hand calmly.

The little beggar felt that he was hit by something that fell from the sky, and he didn't want to take a closer look, and was almost startled.

That's real money.

Even when it's dark, it still shines beautifully.

Fang Cenxi also handed a stack of wrapped scallion pancakes to the little beggar: "If it gets colder every day, take this money and go home and buy some winter clothes."

The little beggar knelt and kowtowed, and finally left with gratitude.

"In Xianghai Town, there is still a big problem." Fang Cenxi looked at the desolate street, thinking secretly, and looked at Pei Gong, "Mr. Pei, we can't go directly to the county government. In this county If you go for two more days, I'm afraid there will be even greater gains."

Pei Gongshun shunned the horse's mane, and when he thought that he was just a decoration to play the mascot, he naturally had no objection.

He nodded calmly: "All I have to do is listen to Fang's comments."

"The news of our coming to Xianghai, I think the county government will know soon." Fang Cenxi thought for a while, "I have to trouble the third master to cover up his identity, so let's listen and watch more."

"It's better for you to put the knife away. As for the dental plaque and official certificate, I will put it away for the third master. Let's not reveal it easily."

Hearing this, Pei Gong agreed with it, and without delay, handed over all the things to Fang Cenxi to put in his carry-on luggage.

The two found an inn, and seeing that it was getting late, they stayed first.

The inn in the town is simple.

Pei Gong looked at the rough sheets that seemed to be stained with oil, and couldn't help frowning in disgust, with only doubts like "Is this a place where people live?" in his eyes.

Seeing this, Fang Cenxi immediately said with empathy: "If the third master really has trouble sleeping, I'll go to the store to see if there are any new sheets, and call them to come and replace them with a new one."

"Thank you." Pei Gong nodded.

Fang Cenxi smiled meaningfully: "Third Master, you are welcome."

After saying that, Fang Cenxi gently closed the door and went downstairs to leave.

Pei Gong recalled the whole day's itinerary, even being a foil to Fang Cenxi was exhausting enough, and it was inevitable that he would fade away a little tired.

He saw that the rough-bodied porcelain kettle and teacups were barely clean, so he poured himself a cup of hot water and sipped it.He didn't want to drink three glasses of water, but Fang Cenxi still went and never returned, he couldn't help but be puzzled.

Yawning, Pei Gong put down his water glass, and was about to take a look when he heard footsteps approaching outside the door.

He instinctively pricked up his ears, calmed down and judged the actions outside the door, and immediately knocked down the first two who kicked in.

Unexpectedly, the owner of the inn followed him and pointed at him and shouted: "My lord, it's him."

"It's him who wanders around the street asking questions. His behavior is suspicious. He must have something to do with the thief who stole official money."

Pei Gong lowered his brows slightly and sneered coldly.

"Jin Yiwei handles the case, who dares to stop you?"

The crowd froze in their tracks, momentarily stunned by his identity and caught in a dilemma.

The innkeeper boldly asked again: "You said you are Jin Yiwei, do you have proof?"

Only then did Pei Gong glance at the luggage subconsciously. Unexpectedly, the package containing the official card was no longer on the table, and even the knife that he never left his body was gone.

Before Pei Gong recovered from his daze, a group of people had already rushed into the guest room.

Seeing that Pei Gong was speechless, the leading yamen servant made up his mind to draw out his knife and give an order.

"What are you still doing in a daze? Why don't you take this thief back to the county government prison, and wait for your lord to go to court tomorrow?"

The author has something to say:

Master Xiaofang: Sit in the game and go you: D