Chapter 237 - 237 Capture (1)
237 Capture (1)
Zhou Jia paced back and forth in the room. “Where did they come from? Could they have originally lived in Great Yong? Sigh! Ruyi isn’t here. Otherwise, I would get Ruyi to follow them and see where they live!”
Mr. Qian suggested, “Sir, I think you can send Lieutenant Yu to investigate. Although he’s a little muddle-headed, he hasn’t made any mistakes in official matters. Why don’t we wait for General Zhong to send scouts down the mountain and follow them?”
“Alright, then call County Lieutenant Yu over. I’ll talk to him and inform the officials guarding the city to interrogate suspicious people.”
“Yes, Lord Zhou” Mr. Qian went to County Lieutenant Yu’s room and saw him lying drunk on the bed in the room. Mr. Qian looked at the inebriated County Lieutenant Yu and shook his head before leaving the room.
When he returned, he told Zhou Jia about County Lieutenant Yu’s drunkenness in the booking room. He sighed and said, “How did this person become like this? He gets drunk every other day. How can he be seen in the government office?”
Zhou Jia thought for a while and instructed Mr. Qian, “This can’t go on. Tell Mr. Tu to go and comfort County Lieutenant Yu. Also, get someone to keep an eye on County Lieutenant Yu in the future. Don’t let him cause trouble.”
Mr. Qian sighed and said, “That’s the only way.”
Xiao Shan returned to the inn and saw that the hunters had disappeared. Ah Dong said to Xiao Shan, “Brother Xiao Shan, those people said they were going to sell goods just after you left. I saw them walking towards the city gate, but they haven’t checked out yet, and they haven’t taken all the fur away.”
Xiao Shan told Ah Dong what Zhou Jia had said. Soon, two constables dressed as merchants came and stayed next to the hunter’s guest room.
When it was almost dark, snow fluttered down like goose feathers. The world became white and misty. Li Yu stood in front of the window and looked at the courtyard that was gradually covered in a layer of white. Old Madam Liu and Aunt Zhang were afraid that after the snow fell, they would weigh down the straw curtains on the warm shed. They went to the front office to find two bailiffs to set up the wooden boards. After that, they gave some of the prepared Sachima to the bailiffs before heading back to rest.
Li Yu waited for a while. Seeing that Zhou Jia had not returned, she knew that he might be busy with work again. She went to bed and picked up the yarn to weave.
Zhou Jia, Mr. Qian, and Shi Dian brought the bailiffs to West City to check. The people living in there were all poor families. The houses in this area were all thatched houses. They might collapse after a heavy snowfall.
Zhou Jia brought his men to the area and instructed them to sweep the snow diligently. They had to be more alert at night to prevent the snow from piling up on the roofs and causing casualties.
When the commoners saw Zhou Jia braving the snow to check on their houses, the director took the lead and bowed gratefully. “Master County, thank you. We will be careful. Please go back!”
“Alright, everyone, be careful. Report to the county office as soon as there’s a situation.” Zhou Jia brought a few people back to the county office and instructed the bailiffs to take turns on duty. If there was a situation, they should quickly report it. Zhou Jia’s love for the people was obvious to everyone in Qingchuan. The bailiffs also supported Zhou Jia and agreed to Zhou Jia’s instructions in unison.
When Zhou Jia and Mr. Qian returned to the back office, Auntie Zhang and Old Madam Liu hurriedly poured the hot water on the stove for him. After Zhou Jia washed up, he returned to the house and saw that Li Yu had fallen asleep under a blanket. There were also children’s socks that were being knitted by the side. Zhou Jia picked them up and placed them in his hand. He felt that they were only half the size of his palm and looked cute.
Zhou Jia gently adjusted the blanket on Li Yu, causing her to stir. Li Yu looked at Zhou Jia in a daze and smiled gently. “You’re back! Is the snow still falling? I wonder how Sir and Ah Wei are doing on the mountain?”
Zhou Jia got into bed and pulled the blanket over Li Yu’s shoulders. He comforted her softly, “It’s still snowing but Sir and Ah Wei should be fine.”
“Yes!” Li Yu kissed Zhou Jia on the chin and fell asleep on her side. Zhou Jia looked at Li Yu’s sleeping face and was secretly worried about Mr. Wen and Yang Wei. It was snowing so heavily that the two of them probably wouldn’t be able to go home for a while. He wondered if the two constables he had sent out had found out the true identities of those hunters.
In the inn outside the city, three muscular men with big mustaches and a delicate-looking man were sitting around the bed.
They discussed in low voices. A man with big eyes, a flat nose, and thick lips said, “Big Brother, we’ve been here for so long to investigate, but we haven’t found out where the garrison of Qingchuan is stationed. I think there are no more than 200 soldiers in the city. Why don’t we sneak into the county office and control the county magistrate? Qingchuan City will fall into our hands.”
A cross-eyed man echoed, “That’s right! Big Brother, I’ve checked. The county magistrate is a weak scholar. His wife is pregnant. There are only a few old women at home and a crippled old man guarding the door. We’ll sneak in and control the county magistrate’s wife. The county magistrate would have to listen to us for the sake of his wife and children.”
The delicate-looking man retorted, “Ah Cai, the two of you are thinking too simply. Look at those civil officials. Which one of them doesn’t have three wives and four concubines? If their wives die, they can remarry. If their children die, someone else can still give birth to them. Besides, the child is still in her belly. How can he have feelings for the child? You’re delusional to want to use his wife and child to control him.”
The cross-eyed man glanced at him. “I’ve long heard that this county magistrate doesn’t have a concubine and treats his wife very well.” The cross-eyed man smiled at the other man. “Brother, tell me what you think.”
The man called Big Brother had thick eyebrows and big eyes. Seeing that they were all looking at him, he thought for a long time and said cautiously, “Ah Cai and Chun Sheng’s plan can be considered. We can’t enter the city now. Let’s go to the city tomorrow to investigate carefully. If it works, we’ll take action tomorrow night. It’s getting late, let’s all go rest!”
The constables in the next room, Tu Hui and Ding Man, each held a bamboo tube against the wooden wall of the guest room and listened for the sound of voices next door. Unfortunately, the voices were too soft and the language was slightly different. They could only hear them mention the county magistrate, his wife, the old woman, and a few muffled words intermittently. After a while, there was a rustling sound and there was no movement. The two of them listened for another quarter of an hour before they heard snoring and grinding teeth from next door. They looked at each other and returned to the bed to lie down.
At midnight, the snow finally stopped. The next morning, Tu Hui found that the people next door had already gotten up and were about to go out. Tu Hui said to Ding Man, “Brother Man, go back and tell Lord Zhou what you heard last night. I’ll follow them.” Ding Man nodded and left the inn to return to the government office.
When Ding Man returned to the county office, he saw that Zhou Jia had not arrived yet. He went straight to the back office to ask to see Zhou Jia. After Yu Niang reported Ding Man’s request to see Zhou Jia, she brought Ding Man in. Upon seeing Zhou Jia, Ding Man told him what he had heard last night. “Sir, they spoke very softly. They are definitely not hunters. Sir, let’s capture them and bring them back.”