Chapter 285: First Volume _ Chapter 285: Gao Ming's Hometown

First Volume _ Chapter 285: Gao Ming's Hometown

Faced with Zhou Yufu's loud rebuke, the woman naturally did not dare to argue back.

Zhou Yufu turned and cupped his hands toward Qin Feng, arguing his case: "Lord Qin, this woman is clearly addicted to abusing children. Now that her evil deeds have been exposed, she spreads falsehoods to confuse the public, attempting to hoodwink you, my lord. This commoner suggests that the three-strike punishment should continue, to severely punish this wicked she-devil!"

Qin Feng paid no heed to Zhou Yufu, his gaze lingering all the while on the mother and son. His stern rebuke earlier had merely been to provoke the woman into speaking the truth.

As for the child abuse, it was naturally pure fabrication.

Besides, the woman was skin and bones, her cheekbones jutting high, her eye sockets sunken — all symptoms of long-term malnutrition.

Though the mother and son were a shocking sight, Qin Feng inwardly cried out that something was very wrong.

This was Pingyao County City, and judging by the size of the courtyard, the woman's family was absolutely a well-to-do household locally. Even if the world were in chaos, even if times were hard, how could they possibly not even have enough to eat?

The inside story here had likely already exceeded Qin Feng's understanding.

To get to the bottom of it, Qin Feng did not pass judgment on the spot, but shifted the topic: "Whether this woman is spreading falsehoods or there is some other hidden truth, we need not delve into it now. Tomorrow morning, when court is opened for trial, the truth will naturally be revealed before all under Heaven."

Having said this, Qin Feng called Shu Feng and Xiao Xiangxiang to his side, pointed at the mother and son before him, and said softly: "Take them back to the Wine House, give them some water and food, and look after them well."

Qin Feng's mind was crystal clear — the waters of Pingyao County ran deep, so deep that even County Yamen officials could drop dead in the street at any moment. If the mother and son were left here, they would absolutely not live past tomorrow.

Qin Feng stuffed the five-tael ingot in his hand into the woman's grip, intending it for her future expenses. But the woman was actually staggered by the weight of a mere five-tael ingot — she was weak to such a degree.

Seeing that Qin Feng was actually shielding the mother and son, Zhou Yufu's gaze grew ever more sinister, and he demanded in a low voice: "My lord! Don't forget that Three Ten Thousand Taels of silver must go into the treasury!"

This was plainly a threat against Qin Feng.

But then again…

Qin Feng feared threats least of all. He turned his head to look at Zhou Yufu at once, a deep smile playing across his face: "No rush. It's merely Three Ten Thousand Taels of silver. If anything goes amiss, this official will make up the difference from his own pocket. As for whether that Three Ten Thousand Taels of silver is enough to cover Pingyao County's Grain Tax shortfall, that will have to wait until this official has finished his investigation."

Zhou Yufu silently clenched his fists. He had assumed that once Qin Feng accepted that Three Ten Thousand Taels of silver, he could rest easy. Who would have thought another ungrateful wretch had appeared!

Zhou Yufu smiled instead of growing anxious: "Good, good, good. When court convenes tomorrow, this commoner will have a fine look at the lord's abilities."

Qin Feng reached out and patted Zhou Yufu on the shoulder, saying softly: "Don't worry. When the time comes, you won't be allowed not to come."

Qin Feng took the mother and son and turned to leave.

On the way here, Zhou Yufu had run before horse and behind, the very picture of attentiveness.

On the way back, the country gentlemen and clerks who had accompanied them had all vanished without a trace.

Qin Feng paid it no mind. Returning to the Wine House, he did not rest, but called Shu Feng to his side: "Come with me out for a trip later."

Shu Feng, sharp as ice and snow, immediately understood Qin Feng's deeper meaning: "Is the young master worried that the night will be long and dreams many, and that that dog Zhou Yufu will destroy the evidence under cover of darkness?"

Qin Feng shrugged, unimpressed: "Pingyao County has had no County Magistrate take office for three whole years. Any evidence that needed destroying has long been destroyed. I just feel that tomorrow is bound to be very lively, and I probably won't be able to get away. So while I can, I'll go out and have a look around."

The Li Clan brothers, who had been standing guard nearby, exchanged a glance.

Li Zhang cocked his head at Li Lang and gave him a look.

Li Lang took the hint, strode over to Qin Feng with arms akimbo, and said with a look that was nothing short of contemptuous: "Hey, Qin-something, I'm coming with you, so you don't get beaten to death on the road."

Although Qin Feng and Li Lang could not stand the sight of each other.

Relying on Shu Feng alone was indeed hard to guarantee complete safety. Jing Qianying was highly skilled in martial arts, but unfortunately had to stay behind to protect Elder Sister and Second Sister.

Now that Li Lang had volunteered, even though Qin Feng was inwardly put off a hundred times over, he smiled on his face and gladly agreed.

Before leaving, Li Zhang pulled Qin Feng aside, glanced around to make sure there were no spies, and only then said mysteriously: "Brother Qin, do you truly not know how deep the waters of Pingyao County run?"

Hearing this, Qin Feng grew interested: "How so? The Young Master has long resided in Fuyun County, and without stepping outside can know all the affairs of Heaven?"

Li Zhang rolled his eyes at Qin Feng and said peevishly: "Didn't I already tell you? Don't worry about your three elder sisters. Even if this Young Master is a lecher, I'm not so low as to poach from my own people."

Seeing Li Zhang declare his stance once more, Qin Feng's guard was finally lowered, and his tone softened considerably: "Then I must trouble the Young Master to enlighten me."

Li Zhang did not beat around the bush: "Pingyao County itself is nothing to speak of. What matters is that Zhou Yufu. If I recall correctly, this man was once a Servant in Grand Commandant Gao's household. Later, for reasons unknown, he was sent back to Pingyao County. Officially, it was said he was returning to look after Grand Commandant Gao's old mother. In truth, however, he was amassing wealth on a grand scale, and was channeling some of the dirty Silver Money from Jingzhong through his own hands back to Pingyao County."

At first, Qin Feng had assumed that Pingyao County was merely suffering from internal strife. He had not expected there to be a connection to Grand Commandant Gao.

No wonder that Zhou Yufu could lord it over all in Pingyao County. Now it made sense.

But Qin Feng found it strange, and asked in a low voice: "I was sent to Pingyao County precisely because Grand Commandant Gao was pulling strings behind the scenes. Even if he were a fool, he wouldn't send me to his own hometown to poke holes, would he? Isn't he afraid I'll dig something up?"

Li Zhang grinned: "Brother Qin, such naive words don't sound like they came from your mouth. Since Gao Ming sent you here, naturally he isn't afraid you'll uncover anything. On the contrary, many things that are inconvenient to handle in Jingzhong can be done without scruple right here in Pingyao County."

So that was how it was.

Qin Feng finally understood the Evil Scheme of that Old Fox, Grand Commandant Gao.

Sending him to Pingyao County meant he had never intended to let him return alive.

Moreover, Pingyao County had been thrown into utter chaos by Zhou Yufu. No County Magistrate had taken office for three years, and the County Yamen was a mere shell. In this "ownerless land," should anything go wrong, there would be no witnesses. Even if His Majesty were enraged in the future and sent men from Jingzhong to investigate, they wouldn't find a damn thing.

It seemed that Old Fox was planning to get serious.

Having seen through the inside story, Qin Feng instead relaxed. With a target in mind, he had a direction to exert his strength.

Qin Feng's gaze toward Li Zhang shifted slightly, and he teased: "I wouldn't have expected the Young Master to know so much about the outside world."

Li Zhang gave an awkward smile: "My father is advanced in years and has nothing left to fight for, so he's content to stay cooped up in Fuyun County. I don't want to be like him, trapped in that godforsaken place for the rest of my life."

Qin Feng had actually been quite grateful to Li Zhang for the warning, but upon hearing these words, his mood grew heavy once more…