Hidden in the court

Chapter 113: Xiaoji, you are 8

The mulberry fields were tended by hired workers, some of whom were from outside Chang'an and some from within the city.

Xie An then took Suo Wei to the Agriculture Department, where he met the same adult from yesterday.

"Sir, this is the information I compiled about our enemy, and I now suspect that the person who poisoned us is among the mulberry farmers I hired."

As Xie An spoke, he handed the stack of papers in his hand to the adult.

"Oh, that's perfect. We have also found out that the two people in your mulberry field were the ones who poisoned the place, and we are planning to arrest them."

The gentleman took the paper, flipped through it casually, and then spoke to Xie An solemnly.

Xie An was a little dazed. It had only been less than half a day, how come they had found out this?

The official saw through his thoughts and said proudly, "Sir, you can trust us in the Agriculture Department, especially when it comes to a major matter involving nearly a thousand acres of land. Don't worry, we promise to find out who is behind this within five days."

After getting the promise, Xie An felt a little more at ease, and the people from the Agriculture Department quickly rushed to Sangtian and arrested the two young hired farmers without saying a word.

"Where do these two people come from?" Xie An asked Suo Wei who was standing beside him.

Suo Wei turned to look at the old man standing next to her. The old man quickly replied, "I hired these two in the city. I saw that they were young and strong, so I paid them the highest wages. But they didn't seem to pay much attention when they were working, but I didn't think of firing them. I didn't expect... they actually poisoned me!"

Xie An patted him on the shoulder as a consolation.

The two youths were taken to the Agriculture Department for questioning.

"Tell me! Why did you poison someone else's land? Don't you know that destroying land without permission is illegal in our dynasty? You will be sent to jail!"

The official shouted sternly, shocking the two young men in the hall.

"Your Excellency, you are wronged. We two are from the south and just want to make a living. We really don't know what laws your dynasty has!"

The two young men begged for mercy and kowtowed violently, but unfortunately their heads hit the solid blue brick floor and they couldn't make any sound.

"You don't know, but you dare to poison other people's land without knowing it! Tell me, who ordered you to do this?"

The two young men just said they didn't know, saying they came from the south and were hired by an old man to look after the mulberry fields. But half a month ago, someone found them and gave them a large sum of money to spread lead on the land.

"Yes, yes. We two brothers didn't dare to work on thousands of acres of land during the day, so we could only work at night. It took us half a month. I don't know anything else. Sir, please forgive us!"

The two young men wanted to explain, but were ruthlessly interrupted.

"Shut up! I want to ask you, what does the person who asked you to poison look like, and what is his identity?"

"Identity? I don't know."

“I just remember that it was a man.”

“I remember he was a middle-aged man…”

The two of them spoke one sentence each, leaving the official speechless. These two guys are simply the best. They know nothing when asked, and it's as if they didn't say anything. Just these two people managed to irrigate the entire thousand acres of land in just half a month. Where did they get the energy?

"It seems that I need to help you recall the past. Come here, give me twenty strokes of the cane first.

Just as he finished speaking, two burly and aggressive men walked in from outside, each holding a wooden board in their hands.

Before the board fell, one of the men lying on the ground suddenly seemed to have thought of something important and shouted loudly: "Sir, please spare my life! I remember..."

Hearing this, the official nodded slightly and waved his hand to signal the two men to stop. Seeing this, the two big men immediately took a step back.

"Hurry up and tell me!" the official urged.

"That man has a long face and a mustache..." the man answered tremblingly.

"anything else?"

The man rolled his eyes and muttered, "No more..."

After hearing this, the official sighed deeply, shook his head helplessly, then waved his hand and said, “Come on, continue fighting.”

At this moment, another man suddenly spoke up: "Sir, please spare my life. I still remember that man's clothes had embroidery on them..."

"Oh?" A glimmer of hope flashed in the official's eyes, and he asked hurriedly, "What kind of embroidery is it? Is it real?"

"Really? It's so lifelike." The big man answered truthfully.

After hearing this description, the official began to think. He felt that this embroidery must not be a local craft in Chang'an, because the folk embroidery craftsmanship in Chang'an has the characteristics of simple images and bright colors, which are not lifelike. Then, there is only one possibility - this person must be from the southern region.

"Okay, take them both away and lock them up for the time being." The official gave the order decisively.

The person was taken away, and he looked at the papers on the table that Xie An had sent him.

"Come here, go and secretly check these houses to see if there is anyone with a long face and a mustache, whether he is a family member or a shop assistant. Don't alert the enemy."

Zhouji Cloth Shop

A man with a long face and a mustache appeared in the backyard of the cloth shop.

Seeing him come out, the shopkeeper shouted sternly.

"What are you doing out here? Go back now. Didn't I tell you to stay out of the spotlight?"

The long-faced man said helplessly: "I think you are too cautious. It has been half a month. I think there is no way to find out. Besides, I have been staying in the room and have not seen the sun for half a month. It will be okay to walk around in the yard."

"That won't work either. Go back here."

After scolding and kicking, he finally drove the man back to his room.

"Sir, there is something wrong with the weekly diary. There is a room in the backyard of the cloth shop that has been closed all the time, but someone sent food in. This afternoon, a man came out of it. He had a long face and a mustache."

"Is this true?"

"It's true."

"Go and catch him immediately. Surround Zhou Ji first, don't let him run away!"

In less than half a day, the man with the long face was taken to the Agriculture Bureau.

"Sir, I haven't done anything wrong, why are you arresting me?"

"You are so bold, and you still want to quibble. Half a month ago, you were the one who sent someone to poison someone else's field, but now you say you are innocent. Could it be that someone is instructing you?"

This immediately shut up the long-faced man. Obviously, he couldn't betray the Zhou family. After all, although he and the Zhou family didn't share the same fate, if he betrayed the Zhou family, his own family would be implicated, and the Zhou family in the south would not let his family go. So, he could only grit his teeth and refuse to admit it.

"It was me who did it. I didn't like that kid in their family, so I hired someone to poison him."

No one can believe such a lame excuse.

"The one with the 80,000 yuan! So you plan to fight till the death?"