Mu Luo stood by the window with his hands behind his back, his face gloomier than the sky.
Yesterday he asked Chang'an to send Su Liang five thousand taels of silver notes, and the "return gift" he got was a piece of fresh pork. He ordered his servants to make it into a dish, but found it tasted ordinary. It wasn't the meat that was the problem, it was the cook's skill.
.
Therefore, Mu Luo told Chang'an last night that he planned to go to Sujiacun today to see how good Feng Shui was, which made Ningjing and Su Liang reluctant to leave. The point is, he went, and for the sake of five thousand taels,
Su Liang would always save a meal.
I just didn't expect that something big happened in the county jail cell.
Mu Luo openly acted as the county magistrate and secretly investigated iron ore smuggling. The latter recently had a major clue. Someone is anxious.
The walls of the cells were collapsed by humans, and the prisoners on death row who escaped were all helped by others.
Su Liang told Hu Er that the fact that Su Xingzhe was too weak to run out, let alone go far, was not a problem.
Originally, even if the wall collapsed, the prisoners bound by iron chains would not be able to get out.
The fact is, no matter whether those death row inmates want to get out or whether they can get out, there will be people who will "help" them.
And the most troublesome thing is, what on earth are the people behind the scenes going to do to "help" those death row inmates...
Chang An hurried in and reported, "Master, another house in the south of the city reported a crime. Before dawn, someone climbed over the wall and robbed money. They also killed two people."
The coldness in Mu Luo's eyes became even stronger, "Has the reward order been issued?"
Chang An nodded, "Following the master's instructions and providing clues to assist in the arrest, we will be rewarded with five hundred taels of silver. If we directly capture a death row prisoner and send him back, we will be rewarded with one thousand taels of silver. There must be a brave man under such a heavy reward!"
In Bei'an County, this is definitely a rare reward.
Mu Luo shook his head, not optimistic about this.
In broad daylight, the rain was not heavy, but in Bei'an County and surrounding villages and towns where the news had been received, every household closed their doors, and most shops on the streets were not open.
No one went out, and the reward notice was posted, but only a few people saw it.
The officers and soldiers divided into several groups, went door to door to investigate, and at the same time verbally informed them of the large reward.
But after half a day, none of the death row inmates, who had been severely tortured in prison and were very weak and could not run far, was found.
From last night to noon today, there were five murder cases in the county town. They were all cases of robbery and murder, and they happened in five different places.
The number is the same as the number of escaped prisoners.
If people who don't know the inside story encounter this incident, they will inevitably be dissatisfied with the newly appointed county magistrate.
Regarding this, what Mu Luo was worried about was not what the people thought, but that if innocent people died, his political opponents, such as the second prince, would inevitably make a fuss about it.
If in the end he worked so hard to solve the iron ore smuggling case, but because he couldn't even act as a county magistrate, causing heavy casualties to the people under his rule and being criticized, he would die of grief.
…
On a rainy day when the city was under martial law, Su Liang and Ning Jing's carriage appeared at the city gate, which was a bit unexpected.
After ordering the carriage to stop, the officers and soldiers who came to check came closer and saw Ning Jing's face clearly, and were stunned, "But Mr. Ning?"
As the head of this year's college examination, with an extraordinary appearance and temperament, he has been walking around the county a few days ago, so many people know what Ningjing looks like.
Ning Jing lifted up the rain hat and asked what happened.
The officers and soldiers knew that he had a strong background and did not dare to offend him, so they talked about the death row prisoner who escaped and committed a murder.
"Try not to walk around outside. If you have any clues, please inform the county government!"
Ning Jing nodded, put down his bamboo hat again, and drove the carriage forward.
He and Su Liang left Sujia Village and came to the county town after hearing about this from Hu Er.
It was raining, so it was inconvenient to walk or ride a horse, and his sudden disappearance from the village could easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings, so he drove a carriage into the city.
"Five death row prisoners, five robberies and murders, and the murderers all managed to escape. It must have been planned by someone. If nothing else, how could Su Xingzhe have the ability to do this?" Su Liang's voice came from the carriage.
She thought that it was probably not the death row prisoners who really caused the murders and panic. They were just used as tools and cover.
He met the officers and soldiers entering the city in Ningjing and reported the matter to Chang'an. Chang'an mentioned it when he saw Mu Luo again.
Mu Luo stared, "We were looking for him!"
"Please go down and invite Mr. Ning to come over!" Chang'an said.
"If Su Liang is with him, call him over too." Mu Luo ordered.
…
Ning Jing and Su Liang arrived at their home in the county town and were planning the next thing when they heard a knock on the door.
"Master Ning, my master has invited me!" Chang'an came straight to the point. Seeing Su Liang appear in the corridor, he said loudly, "Master, please come over, Miss Su!"
Su Liang was a little surprised. Even if Mu Luo wasn't in a hurry, he wouldn't have the time to talk to them about less urgent matters.
The two of them followed Chang'an to the county government office, and Mu Luo lived in the house behind them.
As soon as I entered the door, I saw seven or eight people kneeling in the rain and kowtowing. Their faces were all blurred, and it was impossible to distinguish between tears and rain.
The sound of rain was intertwined with sounds of crying and begging, which made people feel sad.
Chang'an was also a little dazed. He didn't know what was going on with these people, so he hurriedly led Ning Jing and Su Liang away.
The door was open, and Mu Luo was sitting in the shadows, holding a piece of letter paper that was half wet from the rain in his hand, his face gloomy, like the ink on the paper that was smudged.
"Master, Mr. Ning and Miss Su are here." Chang An said respectfully.
Mu Luo looked over, put down the letter in his hand, and waved his hand for Chang An to go out.
Chang'an went outside, closed the doors and windows, frowned at the people kneeling in the courtyard, called a guard to the corner, and asked in a low voice.
"They came just after you left. They are the family members of the top three talents in this academy examination."
"The three scholars set out together to Qianshan Academy in the provincial capital yesterday, but they were all arrested!"
"The three families received a letter from the kidnapper. It was written by the three scholars themselves and had bloody fingerprints on it."
Chang'an frowned when he heard this, "What did you say in the letter?"
The guard looked ugly and said, "I want to use my master's head in exchange for the lives of those three scholars."
In the room, Mu Luo showed the letter to Su Liang and Ning Jing and asked them what they thought.
"The three scholars who set out yesterday, no matter how slow they walked, would not be able to catch up with the death row prisoners who escaped last night. Not to mention that they first committed a murder in the city, then went out to arrest people, and then delivered a letter to the three families early in the morning."
Su Liang said, "Someone planned this. Mr. Mu didn't ask for our help, right?"
Mu Luo nodded, "Yes."
Su Liang was puzzled, but Mu Luo looked at Ning Jing, "Let me ask you again, did you get Xing Yusheng's brand? Is it really just that he happened to be in Bei'an County and you met by chance?"
It was Su Liang who answered, "Actually, that brand is for me."
Mu Luo frowned, "What do you mean? Explain clearly."
"Prince Xing is seriously ill and is recuperating at Qiu Ming Villa. We only met because of the former county magistrate's daughter Huang Wan'er. I treated him and the sign was a thank you gift." Su Liang said.
It's not to clear up the relationship with Xing Yusheng, it's just the way it is.
Mu Luo knew about Huang Waner because he asked Chang'an to investigate Xing Yusheng's activities in Bei'an County. It was after Su Liang went to the county government to report Huang Waner that they had contact with Qiu Ming Villa.
You can definitely match up with Su Liang.
Otherwise, Ruo Ningjing would have been from the Beijing Palace long ago and would not have signed up only half a month before the exam.
"I thought Ningjing was Xing Yusheng's good friend, but it turned out to be you." Mu Luo rubbed his forehead, "You are so kind to Ningjing."
Su Liang guessed Mu Luo's reason for looking for them. The iron ore smuggling case might have something to do with King Beijing. And the troubles that occurred in Bei'an County from last night to now must be related to the smuggling case that Mu Luo wanted to investigate.
Mu Ruoruo suspected that Ning Jing had a close relationship with the Prince of Beijing, so he came to him and asked Su Liang to come too, because he must have wanted to have a good "talk".
But Su Liang didn't ask. And Ning Jing couldn't speak, so he wouldn't speak.
When Mu Luo learned about the whole story of their relationship with Xing Yusheng, he no longer explained why he was looking for them.
"Do you have any solution to the current matter?" Mu Luo asked.
Ning Jing stood up and said, "No, farewell."
Su Liang reacted and stood up quickly, "Master Mu, we can't help you, so we won't bother you." After saying that, he chased Ning Jing away.
Mu Luo had a dark face and looked at the two people holding umbrellas and leaving with a look like "Don't look for them if you have nothing to do. It's best not to look for them if you have something to do. I don't have time."
Chang'an came in and said, "Master, what should we do about the three scholars?"
It would be really troublesome if the top three candidates in Bei'an County's college examination were all killed.
Mu Luo said coldly, "I have sent people to mobilize troops, but I'm afraid it will be too late."
The person behind the scenes knew Mu Luo's identity, and it was impossible for him to exchange his life for the three scholars. Even if the three scholars were still alive, they would not live much longer.
After arriving in Bei'an County, the secret investigation has not encountered much hindrance.
Mu Luo only found out today that he hadn't found anything before and the people behind the scenes were watching.
As soon as he found important clues, something happened here.
Whether it is related to King Beijing cannot be confirmed at the moment. Mu Tao hopes that Ning Jing is a disciple recruited by King Beijing, so that he can get something useful by instigating Ning Jing.
The families of the three scholars were still crying and begging Mu Luo to save them. One woman fainted.
Mu Luo asked Chang'an to find a place to accommodate them. He looked at the dark clouds gathering in the sky and finally realized the difficulty of this errand.
…
Ning Jing came by car. After walking out of the county office, he got into the car and asked Su Liang to drive.
The carriage slowly left, and Su Liang asked in a low voice, "What should I do?"
They are here to catch the prisoners on death row, but they cannot openly cooperate with Mu Luo because there are some secrets that cannot be exposed to Mu Luo.
"Find a secluded place." Ning Jing said.
Su Liang understood, and drove the carriage into the nearest alley. When she spoke again, she heard no answer, so she opened the curtain, and Ning Jing had disappeared.
Su Liang didn't look for him either, knowing that he must have discovered something or thought of a way.
She drove alone through the alley, returned to her home in the county town, closed the door, and waited for Anping to return.
After about an hour and a half, Ningjing came back.
He took off the raincoat he found somewhere and threw it into the backyard.
Su Liang handed over a cup of hot tea. Before she could ask anything, she heard another knock on the door.
It was still Chang'an. Seeing Su Liang open the door quickly, he looked behind her again and saw Ning Jing sitting by the window drinking tea.
"Master Mu, do you have any new orders?" Su Liang asked.
Chang'an quickly looked away, cupped his hands and said, "The three scholars were found half an hour ago! The head catcher was bribed. Yesterday, he sent the three scholars out of the city on behalf of the county government, put medicine in their food, and killed them.
He brought it back secretly and hid it in his home."
Su Liang was surprised, "How did you find it?"
"The catcher suddenly said that he had a stomachache and wanted to go home, but his neck was broken in front of his home! After receiving the news, we rushed over immediately. We did not find the murderer in his home, but found three scholars and many unknown origins.
Property." Chang'an looked happy, "Master said that the head catcher returned home on his errand, and he might have planned to kill the three scholars and destroy their bodies."
"It's too dangerous. I don't know which hero will take action in time." Su Liang sighed.
She knew in her heart that Chang An would suddenly appear, and Mu Luo must be suspecting that the two of them were involved in the arrest and murder.
"Yes." Changan nodded.
"Iron ore smuggling is hugely profitable, and the money is so exciting that the arrester may not be the only one being bribed." Su Liang thought, and reminded Chang'an, "You might as well check on the jailer who was on duty in the cell but was not killed last night."
Chang'an looked shocked, "There are two injured who survived... Say goodbye!"
Seeing Chang An riding his horse and leaving in a hurry, Su Liang closed the door and returned to the room.
She didn't need to ask, she knew that Ning Jing must have guessed that someone in the county government was bribed and involved, and at this time, those "ghosts" would inevitably kill people.
And Ningjing can use his special ability to discover the perpetrator.
Fortunately, the three scholars are still alive. Ning Jing must have determined their location before he started killing people. Even the arrester's sudden return home was all caused by Ning Jing secretly doing something.
"Didn't you agree to let me fight? You can handle it yourself." Su Liang sat down.
Ning Jing closed the book and said, "He confessed to someone."
"Who? I'll catch him." Su Liang felt like he had a job.
Ningjing's thin lips parted slightly, "Me."
Su Liang:......
"The purpose of framing you is to make Mu Luo think that the mastermind behind this is the Prince of Beijing?" Su Liang thought quickly.
Ning Jing nodded, "The fifth house in Yumin Lane in the west of the city, there are two old locust trees at the door. Let's go."
"Is that the person behind the arrest?" Su Liang asked.
Ning Jing nodded, "Be careful."
Su Liang's expression turned serious, "Okay, I'll go check out the situation. Don't you want to go?"
Ning Jing shook his head, "I'm tired."
Su Liang silently returned to the room, changed into men's clothes that she had never worn before, covered her face with a cloth, put on a bamboo hat, opened the back door, made sure there was no one around, and walked out quickly.
After a while, Ningjing went out again and headed west.