As the sun rises, accompanied by the sound of morning drums, the clear sky in Chang'an changes from gray to orange, then from orange to red, and is finally coated with a layer of dazzling gold, spreading its brilliance all over the land of Yongzhou.
In Andefang, Chang'an City, the twenty-three lanes near the lake were completely silent. Occasionally, one could hear the call of an oriole, which was then hidden in the emptiness of everything.
Li Kuo got up early, and after briefly washing up, he lit the stove and threw three or two pieces of firewood into the stove, sparking a little bit of fire. The young man felt vaguely uneasy, but he couldn't tell what he was worried about.
He just felt like something big was about to happen, which made him feel so tight that he couldn't breathe.
He sighed softly and was hesitating whether to visit Xia Nan Jiyun and his envoy today when he heard a burst of hasty footsteps. Before Li Kuo could get up, his neighbor Chen Xiaoliu had already run up to him out of breath.
, big beads of sweat slid down his neck to the front of his clothes, leaving a huge sweat stain.
"Brother Xiao Qi, something serious has happened. I went to Aunt Sun's house this morning and saw that Dezi was kidnapped by the county government. You should think of a way quickly. You are the only one who can save him now!"
He drank from the white porcelain bowl on the crime table, but he didn't realize that the well water was very cold in the early morning. He was so aroused that he choked and coughed.
Li Kuo glared at him angrily, patted his back helplessly, and pretended to be slightly angry: "When will you change this irritable temper? My mother is still resting. She has always been in poor health."
, if you wake me up, I will have to skin you."
Chen Xiaoliu, however, had a look of disapproval on his face. He shrugged slightly and said softly: "I don't believe that Brother Xiaoqi is willing to hit me. You are such a smart-mouthed person. If I really have a problem, you still have to die in a hurry!"
Li Kuo was rendered speechless by Chen Xiaoliu's words. He patted the young man on the back of his head and cursed with a smile: "You are the only one who understands my temper. Tell me, why did Dezi get into trouble with the government? He has not always behaved himself.
?"
Sniffling, Chen Xiaoliu replied: "I don't know the specifics, but I went to his house this morning and saw Dezi being locked up by a group of government officials. Judging from the direction, he should be heading towards Wannian County Government Office.
Already."
Li Kuo frowned slightly and thought. Dezi always behaved in a low-key manner and never argued with others about the merits of a matter. How could he have provoked people from the county government and be tied up in court?
Seeing Li Kuo's silence, Chen Xiaoliu thought that he had lost his bearings, so he stamped his feet anxiously, with a cry in his voice: "Brother Xiaoqi, you should think of a way. Among the brothers, you are the one with the most ideas."
, knowledgeable. Dezi has entered the Yamen this time. We poor people dare to touch that place. Last time Mr. Li Sanye was drunk and wandering around Hu Min Street, he was discovered by the patrolling Yamen and dragged to the Yamen, but
I was sentenced to 20 yuan by the county magistrate. I heard from the older generation that those officials only care about money. If you don’t have three melons and two dates, you can’t even think of getting out of that place!"
Li Kuo was a little irritated by him, and waved his hand and said: "Don't worry, we haven't even figured out the matter yet and we can't analyze it objectively. Besides, it's not like we don't know Dezi's character, his temperament is
Even with his courage, he would never dare to provoke anyone from the Yamen."
"But, but, I'm afraid that he got kicked in the head by a donkey and did something stupid. We can't watch him suffer in the yamen!" Chen Xiaoliu said anxiously, his cheeks flushed.
"Then we have to figure out what happened before we can think of a solution. Well, I'll go find some friends in the government later to find out what he did. If the matter is not serious, I guess the bell will ring at dusk today.
He can stand beside you and me without knocking three times." Li Kuo shook his head helplessly and said softly.
After Chen Xiaoliu got the promise, he felt at ease. He thought for a moment and said, "Why don't I go with you? There are many people who can help each other. I can't just sit at home and watch Brother Xiaoqi busy!"
Li Kuo patted his good friend's shoulder lightly and scolded with a smile: "Who said you can sit at home idle? Here is half a tael of silver. You can take it to Zhouji Pharmacy to grab some medicine. Just follow the prescription given by Dr. Chen last time.
Please don’t save me any money if I get the prescription!”
Chen Xiaoliu was stunned when he saw so much money. He stared at Li Kuo doubtfully and said in a trembling voice: "Brother Xiaoqi, where did you get this money? Could it be...
"
Li Kuo glared at him angrily and sighed: "It's a long story. Anyway, it's better to steal than to rob. You kid, hurry up and grab the medicine for me, whining like a girl."
"
"Hey, hey. I'm going, I'm going." After saying that, he ran towards the courtyard gate. Chen Xiaoliu finally felt at ease. Brother Xiaoqi is a very good person. He said that this money will come
The path is right, there is no need to worry about it!
Seeing his friend's figure disappear in the alley in an instant, Li Kuo felt a little bitter in his heart. If Liu Zi's temperament does not change, he may suffer from this sooner or later. He turned to the desk and turned off the stove fire, took a bowl of cooked corn porridge, and took out
Two pieces of wild vegetables were covered with a plate and placed on the small table in the outer room, so that the mother could see the food she had prepared as soon as she got up. After finishing everything, she straightened her clothes and picked up a piece of wild vegetables.
Mo, he lightly locked the courtyard door and left home.
Chang'an is not deserted in the early morning. There are vendors on both sides of the street who have set up stalls and sell food at the top of their lungs. The yamen who are on patrol beating gongs and the Jinwu soldiers who are on guard duty are mostly looking for yokan and the biscuits stalls to devour them first.
After filling his stomach, he stretched out with satisfaction, leaving three or two pieces of meat to walk away under the grateful eyes of the vendor.
Li Kuo didn't have time to pay attention to this. He always felt that there was something behind Dezi's arrest. Although Dezi's family was slightly better off than himself and Xiaoliu, at the end of the day, he only had a field consultant in the Ministry of Industry.
How could my cousin who was working as an errand bring trouble to the court and be arrested by the Yamen?
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Li Kuo felt a headache, lightly hammered his forehead, and walked quickly towards the Wannian County Yamen. Dezi's nationality was under the Wannian County system, so he should have been taken into custody by Wannian County.
And Uncle Sun is the county's chief catcher, so his words carry some weight, so he must be able to bring his friend back with some benefits.
The Wannian County Government Office is located in Xuanyangfang, which belongs to the north of the city. Li Kuo walked along Qixiamen Street for half an hour before he saw the county government's plaque. There were a few scattered people gathered under the cowhide drum in front of the government office.
The scholar, probably afraid of disturbing the county magistrate's sweet morning dream, was hesitating whether to go up and play drums.
Li Kuo walked quickly to the yamen gate, bowed his hands to the two yamen guards guarding the door, took out dozens of pieces of meat from the sack, and said with a smile: "Two brothers, thank you for your hard work. I will use the money to buy some wine to keep away the cold."
The weather in early spring is suddenly warm and then cold, so please don’t freeze yourself."
When the two officers saw someone bringing coins to their door early in the morning, they were very happy, but their expressions did not leak out as they said: "My county magistrate has always been honest and upright, and his administration is also strict and fair. If you have anything to do, just ask."
"Let's see if we can tell you something." Although the two of them said this, they had already put the coins in their sleeves, for fear that Li Kuo would take the opportunity to take them back.
Although Li Kuo despised the two men's behavior in his heart, he had to say with a smile: "What are you talking about, two eldest brothers? The two eldest brothers are dedicated to the public and have ensured the security of our Wannian County. We deserve this filial piety. It's just that this time I
I am not here to see the county magistrate, but to see Mr. Sun. I would like to ask the two eldest brothers to inform you that Li Kuo has come to pay homage to Sun Shishu."
When the two officers saw that Li Kuo was actually the nephew of their immediate boss, their lips were filled with smiles and they said harmoniously: "This little brother turns out to be looking for Mr. Sun to talk to him, so I will go and pass the news.
"After saying that, he turned around and walked quickly to the inner hall.
After about half a cup of tea, Mr. Sun walked out quickly. His dark circles under his eyes and his withered face made him look exhausted.
Smiling bitterly at Li Kuo, Mr. Sun shrugged and said, "Yesterday I accompanied the county magistrate to Beili for a drink and came back a little late. I was so tired that I couldn't recover. Kuo'er, you go find Uncle Sun.
What's the matter?"
Although he knew that Sun Captou would never go to drink flower wine last night, Li Kuo couldn't explain it clearly and just laughed and said: "How about Uncle Sun and Kuo'er go to have a cup of tea together? It's okay to stand here for a while."
Someone is going to poke Kuo'er's spine and scold me for neglecting my elders."
Sun Captou looked at the yamen servants around him and realized that it was not convenient to talk here, so he gave a few instructions to the left and right, and walked with Li Kuo to a teahouse diagonally across from the yamen.
After entering the teahouse and finding a seat by the window, Mr. Sun held up his hands and said, "Okay, your kid came to the Yamen to see me early in the morning just to treat me to tea. If you have anything to do, just tell me right away."
Well, what do you have to do with your Uncle Sun?"
Li Kuo saw Sun Captou's sincere words and thought of his care for him. He was moved and said loudly: "Uncle Sun, the main reason I came to you this time is to beg you. Please see if you can help me with my virtue."
I'll take care of it with you. I've brought all the money to take care of it, so I won't embarrass you!" After saying that, he raised his bulging robe, fearing that the other party would misunderstand that he wanted nothing more.
But Capt. Sun was startled. His left hand holding the tea cup shook slightly, and the tea spilled all over the floor.
Frowning slightly, Sun Captou asked in confusion: "Is the Dezi you are talking about Feng Deen?"
Li Kuo nodded quickly and said: "Even he, I don't know what trouble he got into but he was caught by the Yamen people. I think you must have a way to rescue him."
Sun Captou shook his head and said helplessly: "If this is the case, then your Uncle Sun is really powerless. Because he is not in Wannian County Government at all, and the wanted order for his arrest was issued by Mr. Jing Zhaoyin himself.
I'm afraid you have to go to Jingzhao Yin Yamen to find it!"