208 Capture
Seeing that her daughter had agreed, Madam Hu got into the carriage in satisfaction.
Hu Feng’er was thinking about how to tell her master when she got back. After thinking for a long time, she could not think of a good excuse. The cart arrived at the county office.
After entering, Hu Feng’er said to the two women following her, “You two go ahead! You don’t have to follow me!” The two women bowed and turned to leave.
Hu Feng’er went to County Magistrate Zhu’s study and called out sweetly at the door, “Master, are you busy? Feng’er will help you grind the ink, okay?”
County Magistrate Zhu nodded from inside the house. Hu Feng’er walked into the study happily. She picked up the inkstone and started grinding it. She looked at County Magistrate Zhu and said coquettishly, “Master, take a break! Why don’t I give you a massage!”
Magistrate Zhu was probably in his thirties. He had a square face and looked dignified.
Magistrate Zhu hugged Hu Feng’er. “In a few days, Madam will be here. When the time comes, don’t come to the study to look for me. Remember to greet Madam every day in abiding by the rules, understand?”
Hu Feng’er looked at County Magistrate Zhu and leaned into his arms timidly. She hugged his neck and said coquettishly, “I’ll do whatever you say! I won’t let you work hard!”
County Magistrate Zhu smiled in satisfaction. “Yes! I know you’re obedient! What do you want? Master will buy it for you!”
Hu Feng’er kissed Magistrate Zhu and placed her hand on his chest. She said coquettishly, “There’s something I want to ask Master for help with!”
County Magistrate Zhu looked at Hu Feng’er’s charming appearance and rubbed her soft body. He whispered, “Baby! Master is listening!”
Hu Feng’er blamed Li Yu and the others for Hu San being beaten up on the farmstead. She added fuel to the fire and looked up at County Magistrate Zhu, with teary eyes. “Master, my brother was watching the long-term workers work on the farmstead. Someone really caused trouble on purpose and crushed his hand bones. The doctor said that he can’t be cured! Master, please send someone to arrest that audacious thief!”
Magistrate Zhu looked at Hu Feng’er’s sobbing face and said, “Alright, Master will send someone to capture that bold dog.”
Hu Feng’er smiled happily. “Thank you, Master. Hurry up and give the order! Otherwise, she will run away!”
“Alright, little vixen!” County Magistrate Zhu stood up and instructed the bailiffs outside. He turned around and entered the house. He hugged Hu Feng’er and rolled on the couch.
When the bailiffs outside heard that the brother of their master’s beloved concubine had been beaten up, they all seemed to have been injected with vigor. They didn’t care that it was already late and rushed towards Clearwater Town with their sabers.
Li Qing and Yu Niang drove the cart and called the Xu brothers to West Mountain Village. At the old village chief’s house, Li Yu said to Xu Chun, “Master Xu, it’s getting late. Please stay here with Ah Qing for the night. We’ll go to the county office tomorrow morning.”
Xu Chun cupped his hands and said, “Madam, let Young Master Ah Qing return to the inn with you. The two of us will stay here.”
Li Yu smiled and shook her head. “Ah Qing still has to help the villagers write a complaint. Bring that Squire Hu over!”
The Xu brothers replied respectfully, “Yes, Madam.”
When the villagers and Squire Hu saw how respectful the Xu brothers were to Li Yu, they thought to themselves, Could this woman be telling the truth?! Could she really have some official title?
The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. What if she was what she claimed to be? He had already occupied those fields and even got someone to chop them up and feed them to the dogs! The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. He trembled in fear.
The more the people from West Mountain Village and East Mountain Village thought about it, the happier they were. Now that they have a backer, they were not afraid of the Hu family anymore.
Xu Chun brought Squire Hu to the central room and kicked his leg. “Kneel down.”
Squire Hu’s knees went weak and he knelt down. Li Yu looked at him coldly and said, “Hu, what method did you use to occupy my family’s fields? Hurry up and confess!”
Squire Hu glanced at Li Yu and rolled his eyes. He lowered his head and argued, “I didn’t occupy any fields. I spent money to buy those lands!”
“Hmph!” Li Yu snorted. “Where are the contracts if you said you bought them? Which broker did you buy them from?”
Squire Hu raised his head and said, “There’s no need for a broker. The lands I bought were ownerless and I bought them from the government office!”
Li Yu took out the Zhou family’s title deeds and slammed them on the table with a bang. She snorted. “Ownerless lands? Look at what these are. The villagers of the village have been here for generations. Do you actually dare to say that they’re lands without owners? Tell me! Who helped you get the title deeds!”
When Minister Hu saw Li Yu take out the title deeds, he trembled in fear. He gritted his teeth and insisted, “I didn’t occupy the fields. I bought those lands!”
Li Yu walked up to Minister Hu and stepped on his fat hand. Looking at him, he trembled in pain. “Don’t you often bully others like this? How does it feel? You and your son brought servants to bully the commoners and were disrespectful to me. You even said that you were the emperor’s father. I think you’re planning a rebellion! Xu Chun, report all of this. Tell them that the county magistrate of Qingshan County instructed his concubine’s father to rebel! Let Ah Qing write a note and let him sign it!”
Minister Hu gritted his teeth and looked at Li Yu hatefully, unwilling to speak.
“Yes, Madam.” Xu Chun grabbed Squire Hu and dragged him out. Squire Hu shouted, “You’ve wronged me. I was just saying casually. I’m not rebelling!”
Li Yu smiled calmly and said, “You can even turn a field with an owner into yours. What else can’t you do? You might even be a spy sent by Great Qi!”
Squire Hu shouted in fear, “I’m not a spy! I don’t dare to rebel! I don’t have title deeds for those lands. I just saw that there was no one farming on them after the disaster, so I went to occupy them. Thinking that those people who fled the famine haven’t returned in a few years, they must be gone. So I declared the lands to be mine!”
Li Yu sneered and increased her strength. “Since the land isn’t yours, why didn’t you return the land to the villagers when they came back? You even ordered the servants to cripple them and let your son do whatever he wanted in the village!”
Minister Hu curled up into a ball in pain and cowered. “Can’t I return those grains to them?”
“That’s easy for you to say. You have to return it with interest. Also, you have to pay for the medical bills for the assaults you ordered.” Li Yu looked at Xu Chun. “Xu Chun, bring him down to sign first.”
When Madam Hu and her son returned to Clearwater Town, the butler ran over in a panic and reported, “Madam, those guards have run away, and Master and the servants haven’t returned!”
“What! Do you mean to say father hasn’t returned yet? Something must have happened. Mom, my father must have been captured by them!” Hu San was anxious. “Quickly call the others to save father!”
Madam Hu glared at the butler and said, “Yes! Hurry up and call the others to snatch the master back!”
“Young Master, Master has brought everyone over. There’s no one at home.” The butler looked at the two of them with a frown.
Hu San thought of his sister, who was a concubine in the county office. “Mother, have you discussed it with Sister? Will the county magistrate send someone over?”
Madam Hu hesitated and said, “Your sister promised me that she would tell the county magistrate, but I don’t know if it will work!”
208 Capture
Seeing that her daughter had agreed, Madam Hu got into the carriage in satisfaction.
Hu Feng’er was thinking about how to tell her master when she got back. After thinking for a long time, she could not think of a good excuse. The cart arrived at the county office.
After entering, Hu Feng’er said to the two women following her, “You two go ahead! You don’t have to follow me!” The two women bowed and turned to leave.
Hu Feng’er went to County Magistrate Zhu’s study and called out sweetly at the door, “Master, are you busy? Feng’er will help you grind the ink, okay?”
County Magistrate Zhu nodded from inside the house. Hu Feng’er walked into the study happily. She picked up the inkstone and started grinding it. She looked at County Magistrate Zhu and said coquettishly, “Master, take a break! Why don’t I give you a massage!”
Magistrate Zhu was probably in his thirties. He had a square face and looked dignified.
Magistrate Zhu hugged Hu Feng’er. “In a few days, Madam will be here. When the time comes, don’t come to the study to look for me. Remember to greet Madam every day in abiding by the rules, understand?”
Hu Feng’er looked at County Magistrate Zhu and leaned into his arms timidly. She hugged his neck and said coquettishly, “I’ll do whatever you say! I won’t let you work hard!”
County Magistrate Zhu smiled in satisfaction. “Yes! I know you’re obedient! What do you want? Master will buy it for you!”
Hu Feng’er kissed Magistrate Zhu and placed her hand on his chest. She said coquettishly, “There’s something I want to ask Master for help with!”
County Magistrate Zhu looked at Hu Feng’er’s charming appearance and rubbed her soft body. He whispered, “Baby! Master is listening!”
Hu Feng’er blamed Li Yu and the others for Hu San being beaten up on the farmstead. She added fuel to the fire and looked up at County Magistrate Zhu, with teary eyes. “Master, my brother was watching the long-term workers work on the farmstead. Someone really caused trouble on purpose and crushed his hand bones. The doctor said that he can’t be cured! Master, please send someone to arrest that audacious thief!”
Magistrate Zhu looked at Hu Feng’er’s sobbing face and said, “Alright, Master will send someone to capture that bold dog.”
Hu Feng’er smiled happily. “Thank you, Master. Hurry up and give the order! Otherwise, she will run away!”
“Alright, little vixen!” County Magistrate Zhu stood up and instructed the bailiffs outside. He turned around and entered the house. He hugged Hu Feng’er and rolled on the couch.
When the bailiffs outside heard that the brother of their master’s beloved concubine had been beaten up, they all seemed to have been injected with vigor. They didn’t care that it was already late and rushed towards Clearwater Town with their sabers.
Li Qing and Yu Niang drove the cart and called the Xu brothers to West Mountain Village. At the old village chief’s house, Li Yu said to Xu Chun, “Master Xu, it’s getting late. Please stay here with Ah Qing for the night. We’ll go to the county office tomorrow morning.”
Xu Chun cupped his hands and said, “Madam, let Young Master Ah Qing return to the inn with you. The two of us will stay here.”
Li Yu smiled and shook her head. “Ah Qing still has to help the villagers write a complaint. Bring that Squire Hu over!”
The Xu brothers replied respectfully, “Yes, Madam.”
When the villagers and Squire Hu saw how respectful the Xu brothers were to Li Yu, they thought to themselves, Could this woman be telling the truth?! Could she really have some official title?
The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. What if she was what she claimed to be? He had already occupied those fields and even got someone to chop them up and feed them to the dogs! The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. He trembled in fear.
The more the people from West Mountain Village and East Mountain Village thought about it, the happier they were. Now that they have a backer, they were not afraid of the Hu family anymore.
Xu Chun brought Squire Hu to the central room and kicked his leg. “Kneel down.”
Squire Hu’s knees went weak and he knelt down. Li Yu looked at him coldly and said, “Hu, what method did you use to occupy my family’s fields? Hurry up and confess!”
Squire Hu glanced at Li Yu and rolled his eyes. He lowered his head and argued, “I didn’t occupy any fields. I spent money to buy those lands!”
“Hmph!” Li Yu snorted. “Where are the contracts if you said you bought them? Which broker did you buy them from?”
Squire Hu raised his head and said, “There’s no need for a broker. The lands I bought were ownerless and I bought them from the government office!”
Li Yu took out the Zhou family’s title deeds and slammed them on the table with a bang. She snorted. “Ownerless lands? Look at what these are. The villagers of the village have been here for generations. Do you actually dare to say that they’re lands without owners? Tell me! Who helped you get the title deeds!”
When Minister Hu saw Li Yu take out the title deeds, he trembled in fear. He gritted his teeth and insisted, “I didn’t occupy the fields. I bought those lands!”
Li Yu walked up to Minister Hu and stepped on his fat hand. Looking at him, he trembled in pain. “Don’t you often bully others like this? How does it feel? You and your son brought servants to bully the commoners and were disrespectful to me. You even said that you were the emperor’s father. I think you’re planning a rebellion! Xu Chun, report all of this. Tell them that the county magistrate of Qingshan County instructed his concubine’s father to rebel! Let Ah Qing write a note and let him sign it!”
Minister Hu gritted his teeth and looked at Li Yu hatefully, unwilling to speak.
“Yes, Madam.” Xu Chun grabbed Squire Hu and dragged him out. Squire Hu shouted, “You’ve wronged me. I was just saying casually. I’m not rebelling!”
Li Yu smiled calmly and said, “You can even turn a field with an owner into yours. What else can’t you do? You might even be a spy sent by Great Qi!”
Squire Hu shouted in fear, “I’m not a spy! I don’t dare to rebel! I don’t have title deeds for those lands. I just saw that there was no one farming on them after the disaster, so I went to occupy them. Thinking that those people who fled the famine haven’t returned in a few years, they must be gone. So I declared the lands to be mine!”
Li Yu sneered and increased her strength. “Since the land isn’t yours, why didn’t you return the land to the villagers when they came back? You even ordered the servants to cripple them and let your son do whatever he wanted in the village!”
Minister Hu curled up into a ball in pain and cowered. “Can’t I return those grains to them?”
“That’s easy for you to say. You have to return it with interest. Also, you have to pay for the medical bills for the assaults you ordered.” Li Yu looked at Xu Chun. “Xu Chun, bring him down to sign first.”
When Madam Hu and her son returned to Clearwater Town, the butler ran over in a panic and reported, “Madam, those guards have run away, and Master and the servants haven’t returned!”
“What! Do you mean to say father hasn’t returned yet? Something must have happened. Mom, my father must have been captured by them!” Hu San was anxious. “Quickly call the others to save father!”
Madam Hu glared at the butler and said, “Yes! Hurry up and call the others to snatch the master back!”
“Young Master, Master has brought everyone over. There’s no one at home.” The butler looked at the two of them with a frown.
Hu San thought of his sister, who was a concubine in the county office. “Mother, have you discussed it with Sister? Will the county magistrate send someone over?”
Madam Hu hesitated and said, “Your sister promised me that she would tell the county magistrate, but I don’t know if it will work!”
