On the 22nd year of the Tianqi period, on the Lantern Festival, a grand lantern festival was held in Shi'an County, Jiangzhou, as in previous years, and it was very lively. The people put on new clothes and went to the streets to watch the lanterns. The eldest daughter of Zhang's family in Hulu Lane was asked by her stepmother to guard the door at home. She sat on the stone pier at the entrance of the alley, watching the crowd coming and going, and watching the children chasing and playing. Everyone was holding lanterns in their hands, and everyone was smiling.

A dragon dance team came and the street was even more crowded. Zhang Rongniang saw Feng Siniang fall to the ground, and then a lame old lady walked over and helped Feng Siniang up. Then the two disappeared from her sight.

The next day, the Feng family reported the case and his daughter disappeared.

In February, Jiang Ying, the daughter of the Jiang family in East Street, disappeared.

In March, another girl disappeared. It was not until this time that the people in the county town felt that the situation was serious and everyone was in danger. Anyone with a girl in the family was not allowed to go out, or even closed their doors, and the entire county town was silent.

This is not the worst. In early April, due to several heavy rains, a landslide collapsed in the wild boar forest outside the western suburbs outside the city. Mountains rushed into the villa of Princess Ning and Prince Ning who were resting in Shi'an County. While everyone was clearing the mound of soil, a body with broken limbs was dug out. It is said that Princess Ning fainted on the spot. It was proved that the body was the third missing person, Zhao Hui, a 16-year-old girl from the Zhao family, and she was three months pregnant.

The whole city was in an uproar.

The girl disappeared, was pregnant without marriage, died tragically in the wild boar forest, and scared Princess Ning.

Celebrities from various townships wrote to the yamen to demand strict handling, and even alarmed the yamen of the prefecture and ordered the case to be solved within a time limit.

Although Shi'an County is not a big county, it has convenient transportation, beautiful scenery, rich resources, and simple folk customs. It is a perfect town of fish and rice, attracting many retired officials and nobles to live in seclusion here. Since this, everyone's attention has been placed on the newly appointed county magistrate Hu Yingquan.

The county magistrate Hu could rely on were the constables in the yamen. The pressure was issued one by one, and the chief inspector Li Gongming led everyone to investigate day and night, and had not returned home for several days.

His only daughter, Li Huaixiu, is only eleven years old this year. Because her mother was dying of childbirth when she gave birth to her, Li's father did not marry her again. The father and daughter have been dependent on each other for their lives. Huaixiu was very worried about her father, so she made a basket of mutton buns early in the morning and wanted to send them to her father.

When passing by the Zhang family, I heard Aunt Qian scolding Zhang Rongniang again.

"You are a money-losing guy who asked you to wash the dishes and break them. What else can you do? I think you were deliberately against me. This is my dowry. I must beat you to death today... If you have a strong horoscope like you, you will defeat your biological mother to death, and you may even kill your father and our whole family that day... God, what kind of evil did I do? I have raised a disaster."

Aunt Qian is Xu Xuan of Uncle Zhang Gui. Since giving birth to a son, she has either beaten or scolded Zhang Rongniang. Zhang Rongniang is one year older than Huaixiu. Both of them have lost their mothers since childhood, but their fates are completely different.

Huaixiu was held by my father in the palm of his hand, and Zhang Rongniang was the extra one of the Zhang family.

The scolding became more and more intense, Huaixiu couldn't help but stop and shouted at the Zhang family gate, "Dad, you are back."

Suddenly, the scolding stopped, Huaixiu smiled, no one in the whole county knew her father's name. Her father once warned Aunt Qian that she would take her into jail if she beat Rong for no reason.

Being a constable is really impressive! Huaixiu has had this ambition since she was a child. My father said that there is a six door in the capital, which is in charge of criminal affairs in the world. There is a female constable in the yamen. She hopes that she can enter the six doors one day.

But Brother Song missed such an opportunity.

Brother Song came to Shi'an County two years ago. At that time, a group of water bandits fled into the county town and happened to be met by Brother Song. He assisted the then county magistrate Wang Zhong and arrested the bandits. Later, he helped Lord Wang solve several cases. Lord Wang was promoted to three levels in a row and was transferred to the capital last year. Lord Wang originally wanted to recommend Brother Song to enter the six doors, but for some reason, Brother Song refused. He seemed to be more willing to stay here as an ordinary constable.

Why did Brother Song refuse? Huaixiu didn't understand. She always felt that Brother Song had a secret.

The door opened with a "creaking" sound. Rong Niang came out with a basin of clothes. She didn't say hello when she saw Huaixiu. She walked silently towards an inland river outside the alley. Huaixiu walked with her. Seeing that she was wearing thin and old clothes, her cloth shoes were torn, and the frostbite on her face and hands had not yet disappeared, she took out two buns from the food box, "You haven't eaten yet, let's give this to you."

Rong Niang did not respond, and Huaixiu didn't find it strange. She was so kind that she never cared about people and did not play with friends in the alley. After ten years of neighbors, Rong Niang had never said more than ten words to her.

"Zhang Rongniang."

As soon as the two arrived at the entrance of the alley, Zhang Xiaoren's voice came from behind. He was Rong Niang's half-brother. He sucked his nose and said, "My mother said, let you finish washing clothes and go to the wild boar forest to chop wood. My father said, let you go and go back quickly. It's not safe recently. My mother said, you'd better die outside."

Huaixiu frowned when she heard this, Rong Niang was speechless. Zhang Xiaoren saw the bun in Huaixiu's hand and his eyes lit up, so he ran over to grab it. Zhang Xiaoren was two years younger than Huaixiu and was extremely strong, but he was clumsy. Huaixiu practiced martial arts with her father since she was a child. When she swept her legs, Zhang Xiaoren fell to the ground.

"Wow!" Zhang Xiaoren cried, "I want to tell my mother."

Xiucai Huai is not afraid.

Seeing this, Rong Niang quickly pushed Huaixiu away, helped her brother up and patted the dust on him, but Zhang Xiaoren spitted at her, "Zhang Rong Niang, you are dead." He said that, and ran to the house quickly.

Huaixiu is very sorry, "I'm sorry, don't be afraid. If your mother hits you again, you will report my father's name."

However, Rong Niang glared at Huaixiu and didn't appreciate it.

Huaixiu was bored, but she carefully wrapped the two buns in a veil and put them in her basin, "Remember to eat while it's hot." Then she looked for a fork in the road and headed towards the county government. Rong Niang picked up the buns and was about to throw them away when she saw a lame old lady walking towards her, she was so scared that she didn't dare to move.

The old lady smiled very kindly, "Little girl, is this Hulu Lane?"

Rong Niang nodded subconsciously.

"Do you know where the Zhang family is?"

Rong Niang asked tremblingly, "Which Zhang family, there are many surnames Zhang here."

The old lady said, "Zhang Gui family."

Rong Niang stuttered, "The alley...the last room is."

"So good." The old lady took out a candy and put it in Rong Niang's hand, then limped away.

The Shi'an County Government Office is located in the city, and it is a courtyard with two entrances. Everyone in the yamen knows Huaixiu. Huaixiu waited for half a cup of tea before seeing a group of constables who were going out to come back.

"Xiao Huaixiu, I'm sending buns to your dad again."

"Haha... we have a good taste. After being tired for a day and a night, we finally have a hot meal."

More than a dozen yamen runners surrounded Huaixiu and went to grab the buns from her food box. Huaixiu held the food box in her arms, "No robbery, one for each person, only Brother Song and my father are two."

"This is unfair." The yamen runner Zhou Cheng teased Huaixiu, "We have no objection to your father having two buns, but why did Song and Yuan ate two?"

"Brother Song teaches me kung fu." Huai Xiu said.

"We will teach you kung fu, too." Zhou Cheng smiled.

"You are not as good as Brother Song," Huai Xiu said.

Zhou Cheng smiled and said, "I think you think he is more handsome than us."

"Haha..." Everyone started to cheer.

Uncle Hua came over to give Zhou Cheng a tremble, "I am not aware of my words, and the little girl is bullying me, get out of here, this is the bun made by Huaixiu for her father, what are you going to have to do with you?" Then he smiled and said to Huaixiu, "Xiuer, give me two of them."

The yamen runners rolled their eyes.

Huaixiu didn't see her father and Song Yuan, "Hey, where is my father?" She asked Song Yuan with embarrassment.

Uncle Hua sighed, "The county magistrate has called him."

Huai Xiu was happy, "Have the case been solved?"

Uncle Hua smiled and said, "I caught a suspect, Wang Xiucai who lives in Qian Street."

"It must be the credit of Brother Song." Huaixiu threw the food box to Uncle Hua, "I'll go and have a look." Uncle Hua stopped him, "Don't go."

"Why?"

Uncle Hua said, "You still think that you are the magistrate of County Wang. Now this magistrate of County Hu is different."

“What’s the difference?”

Zhou Cheng took over the conversation, "I am so happy with the achievements and eager for success."

Uncle Hua reminded, "Be careful that disaster comes from the mouth."

The yamen runner Chen Jin said while eating buns, "Zhou Cheng is right. We found out the affair between Wang Xiucai and Zhao Hui, but there is no evidence that Wang Xiucai killed Zhao Hui, and he himself did not admit it. But the magistrate of Hu said that he was the murderer. Seeing that the deadline was coming, how could he not be in a hurry?"

Huaixiu asked, "Brother Chen, how did you find out about Wang Xiucai?"

Chen Jin said proudly, "When we checked Zhao Hui's house, we found a love letter in her pillow, which was written by Wang Xiucai, and I discovered it."

"Look at how proud you are." Uncle Hua attacked, "Why didn't you notice it when the person disappeared?"

Chen Jin said, "Who can check it so clearly without a death?"

Several of the constables laughed.

Huaixiu asked, "What is the motive for Wang Xiucai to kill someone?"

Chen Jin smiled and said, "Oh, our little Huaixiu also knows the motive for murder."

"Speak quickly, speak quickly." Huaixiu urged.

Chen Jin said, "Wang Xiucai wants to marry into Jia Yuanwai's family. County Magistrate Hu believes that this is his motive for murder."

"I understand. Wang Xiucai was afraid that his affairs with Miss Zhao would affect his future." Huai Xiu asked again, "Then why did he say that Wang Xiucai was not the murderer?"

Chen Jin said, "When we went to catch him, he didn't know that Zhao Hui had a child, and he didn't even know that she was missing and dead. His shocked look didn't look like a lie."

Huaixiu asked: "Everyone in the city knows it, why doesn't he know?"

Chen Jin said, "Wang Xiucai has been studying behind closed doors for nearly a month and will go to the state capital to participate in the imperial examination next month. He has no idea what happened outside. His family and neighbors can testify, so he has no time to commit the crime. He is just a nerd."

Zhou Cheng said, "A nerd can still do adultery?"

Chen Jin laughed and said, "I'm intriguing, who can stand it..."

As soon as the words fell, Uncle Hua burst into tears, "There is a girl here."

The yamen runners often stayed together, stumbled on classes or said something dirty. Huaixiu had long been used to it, and she said seriously, "You guys keep going."

Several people laughed, "What to continue?"

Huai Xiu said, "What do you think of Brother Song?"

Chen Jin said, "The personal relationship is true, but the murder is untrue."

Huaixiu clapped his hands and said, "Brother Song must be right, but now there are only Miss Zhao's affairs, what about the other two missing people?"

"Huaixiu, you're messing around again." As he was speaking, Li Gongming strode over.

"Dad." Huai Xiu happily greeted her.

Li Gongming stroked his daughter's head and blamed him, "Didn't you tell you not to go out? Why are you running around again?"

Huaixiu said coquettishly, "My daughter misses her father, and her daughter makes buns for her father to eat." As she said that, she took two buns and handed them to her father. Li Gongming was helpless, "My father received the buns, you can go back quickly."
To be continued...