"If she is from the sect, then her life experience and everything are fake. She has spent so much effort just to stay by my side. What do I have that is worthy of her going to such great lengths?"
"Currently, my subordinates cannot give a reasonable explanation, but there must be an internal logic that we don't know about. This requires you to pay more attention in your future life."
Hearing Tu Fengsan's words, Chu Ming couldn't laugh or cry.
The fog that originally surrounded him has not dissipated, and now a bigger mystery has fallen on him. I don't know whether it was his misfortune as an ordinary little clerk that he was so "favored" by fate, or whether it was the misfortune of those who arranged it.
Chu Ming was working in the government office as usual. Just before noon, his door was pushed open by a policeman.
"Hello, Master Chu."
"Captain Wu, what do you want from me?"
The person who came in was "Wu Ergou", the policeman from the yamen. He was originally an orphan and wandered around the county all day long, making a living by begging and stealing.
Somehow, he fell under the eye of "Wu Changqing", the old yamen policeman, who adopted him as his adopted son and kept him by his side to train him.
Wu Changqing never married and had no children, so before he died, he used all his connections to arrange Wu Ergou into the county government and became an official policeman.
It's just that the bad habits Wu Ergou developed when he was wandering are hard to change. After Wu Changqing's death, there was no restraint, and his true colors as a villain were exposed.
Wu Ergou is not only a lustful gambler, but also often bullies his colleagues. Because he is alone and ruthless, ordinary government officials in the yamen are afraid of him.
He didn't dare to treat Chu Ming too much. Because he was worried about his status and family background, he usually took advantage of Chu Ming's kindness to defraud him of a small amount of money.
"Master Chu, are you busy? I heard that you were ill a few days ago, so I came here to check on you."
"Captain Wu, please be considerate. It's nothing serious. I'll just take care of him for two days and he'll be fine."
Wu Ergou sat down on the chair and started chatting with Chu Ming all over the world.
While Chu Ming was sorting out the official documents at hand, he was dealing with Wu Ergou at random.
"Master Chu, to be honest, I have encountered some difficulties recently and would like to borrow some silver from you for emergency purposes."
"I wonder how much Agent Wu wants to borrow?"
"Just fifty taels will do."
"Fifty taels?"
Chu Ming also did not expect that Wu Ergou would open his mouth this time.
"That's right, it's fifty taels."
After hearing Chu Ming's question, Wu Ergou became even more determined.
"I don't have that much silver to lend you."
Chu Ming's mood became cold at this time, and he refused Wu Ergou's unreasonable request for the first time.
"Master Chu, if I hadn't been at the end of my rope, I wouldn't have spoken to you like this, but now that I have found you, I, Wu Ergou, will still lend you the money."
Chu Ming looked at Wu Ergou, who was very different from usual, suspiciously. Why did he think that he would lend him this silver?
You must know that the annual income of an ordinary Xikou family in Hedong County is only ten taels of silver. A catcher like Wu Ergou only earns two taels of silver a month. Fifty taels of silver is not a small amount of money. .
Seeing the doubtful look on Chu Ming's face, Wu Ergou continued, "Let me tell you clearly, this silver is my life-saving money. I, Wu Ergou, am a single person and cannot compare to your family's big business. Fifty taels of silver is right for me." It’s nothing to you, just think of it as buying peace for yourself and your family.”
Chu Ming heard the obvious threat in Wu Ergou's words and looked at the crazy look in his eyes. He hesitated for a while and then said, "After nightfall, come to the Chu Family Restaurant to find me."
"Thank you Master Chu. When I get through this crisis, I will definitely find a way to return the silver to you."
Looking at Wu Ergou's leaving figure, Chu Ming was a little curious, who was threatening him?
It was just getting dark, and Wu Ergou was walking restlessly in his yard. If he didn't really have no other choice, he didn't want to offend Chu Ming too much.
Chu Ming has an excellent reputation in the county. Everyone from top to bottom dislikes him. Even the county magistrate admires him very much.
Even if the Chu family wanted to cause trouble for him simply by relying on its own power, he would not be able to go around in vain.
Just thinking of the terror of those people, he didn't regret his choice at all during the day. Compared with Chu Ming's possible revenge and the methods of those people, Wu Ergou was more willing to face Chu Ming.
Just when he was thinking wildly, his vision suddenly went dark and he fainted. When he opened his eyes again, Wu Ergou found himself in a strange room. A young man was sitting in a chair, looking at him indifferently. Looking at him.
"Master, please have mercy on me! It's all because I was obsessed with lust and couldn't control myself, but for the sake of my many years of service to you, please spare my life."
Tu Fengsan looked at Wu Ergou who was kneeling in front of him with a mischievous look, and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me where you went wrong, and I will spare you as promised."
"I violated the rules set by the gentlemen and ruined the chastity of the woman who was being transported. This time I was blinded by lard. I hope that the gentlemen will spare me because I have never made any mistakes in so many years. This time."
"Human smuggling and trafficking?"
"You are not the boss of the Mad Dog Gang."
Only then did Wu Ergou realize that Tu Fengsan was not the group of people he thought.
It's no wonder that Wu Ergou mistook Tu Fengsan for a member of the Mad Dog Gang. The murderous aura revealed in this young man was stronger than any member of the Mad Dog Gang he had ever seen.
Tu Fengsan did not respond to Wu Ergou, but walked slowly in front of him and crushed all his fingers one by one with his feet.
Wu Ergou began to scream like a slaughtered pig.
"If you yell again, I will cut out your tongue."
Hearing Tu Fengsan's words, Wu Ergou quickly closed his mouth, and the impact of huge pain instantly soaked his clothes.
"Tell me everything you know. If there is a lie in the middle, you will be punished a hundred times more severely than before."
Wu Ergou believed Tu Fengsan's words deeply and told everything he knew, not daring to hide anything.
After Tu Fengsan finished his explanation, he asked a few more targeted questions. After confirming that they were correct, he cut his throat with a sword.
Wu Ergou reluctantly covered his neck and fell into a pool of blood.
Chu Ming deliberately stayed in the restaurant until late at night before leaving. Along the way, he met the watchman and the soldiers on patrol who all greeted him warmly.
"Why did you come back so late again?"
"It's nothing, it's not a matter in the yamen. Uncle Fu is getting older, so I went to the restaurant to see him. The two of us had a drink, and then we came back late. It's my fault that Yu Niang is worried."
"As long as you're okay, I'll prepare hot water for you. After washing, you can go to bed early."
"Thank you madam!"
The relationship between the two maintains a superficial harmony. In the past, only Du Yuniang was acting alone, but now Chu Ming has also joined the ranks of "actors", but this "wonderful" family has maintained an unexpected balance.
The next day, Wu Ergou's body was found in a ruins somewhere in the city.
Due to his unpopular behavior in daily life and the fact that he had no relatives, there were rumors that he owed a large gambling debt and could not repay it, so he was killed by someone else.
The county government also used this as an excuse to hastily close the case.
"He Tou, do you understand this matter so well?"
"When did Chief Chu become interested in handling the case?"
Looking at Chu Ming with a concerned look on his face, He Jian couldn't help but tease him.
Seeing He Jian's unconcerned look, Chu Ming pulled him into his public room.
"What are you doing in such a mysterious manner? If this reaches the ears of my wife, it will be difficult for He to explain it."
Chu Ming saw that he still had an unserious look on his face, so he told He Jian everything about Wu Ergou coming to him yesterday. After listening, He Jian's face gradually became serious.
"Who else have you said these words to?"
"There is no one else but you."
"Then just keep these words in your stomach and just pretend that Wu Ergou didn't come to see you at all yesterday."
Seeing that Chu Ming still had a puzzled look on his face, He Jian asked angrily, "What is your usual ideal?"
Although he didn't know why he would ask him irrelevant questions in such a serious situation, Chu Ming still replied honestly, "Live a stable life with no worries about food and clothing."
"Wu Ergou's death was strange. Judging from your conversation, it was obvious that someone was threatening him behind the scenes, and these people were probably the ones who killed him. Do you want these people to notice you?"
He Jian's words were like an enlightenment that awakened Chu Ming. He hurriedly bowed and saluted, "Thank you He Tou for reminding me. I'll express my feelings to you guys at the Chu Family Restaurant tonight. Please don't refuse."
Seeing that Chu Ming finally understood the stakes, He Jian finally felt relieved.
But he turned down Chu Ming's invitation. Even if the county government had planned to close the case, a lot of official paperwork still had to be done. A series of documents such as the case closing report were still indispensable.
"Save it for now. When you have free time, you must make up for it. Just don't deny it then."
"Don't worry, we won't be drunk until you finish handling this matter."
Looking at He Jian's retreating back, Chu Ming couldn't help but complain in his heart, "Life is like a play, it all depends on acting. I act at home and at work, and I have almost forgotten my true self."
"But the drama is really enjoyable!"
After nightfall, in Chu Ming's room at the Chu Family Restaurant, he listened to the news Tu Fengsan got from Wu Ergou.
"Mad Dog Gangyi is in the business of transshipment and human trafficking?"
Hedong County is adjacent to Lishui and has many branches of rivers extending to the west. Because of the dense network of rivers, it has attracted the attention of many illegal businesses.
"Most of the people the Mad Dog Gang is responsible for transshipping are young women. They are only responsible for the Hedong County area. As for the final destination of these women, it is estimated that even the Mad Dog Gang doesn't know, let alone Wu Ergou."
