Chapter 1

The shop assistant was the first to regain his composure, thinking that this person was part of the same group as the man in the purple robe. He hurriedly smiled and said: "Our stewed knife fish is truly a unique delicacy in the surrounding ten miles, prepared with ham broth, chicken broth, and bamboo shoot broth, making it exceptionally delicious"

The merchant in the purple robe spoke with a slight tremor in his voice: "Who exactly are you?!"

As she spoke, the lady beside her sensed that something was amiss, trembling as she cautiously moved to the side. Suddenly, a flash of chopsticks appeared, and a sharp pain shot through her right little finger. She looked down to see her little finger firmly pinched by the bamboo chopsticks, unable to move.

They have a large carriage; we can take the carriage back, no need to ride on horseback and get covered in dust again. The person in the melon-shaped hat, holding a wet cloth, said, "I have hardly gotten off the horse in the past three days; I feel like I'm about to fall apart from all the jolting."

I am concerned that if this matter gets out, I will not even be able to keep my job. I cannot possibly kill both of you to silence you just for this money

Although the merchant in the purple robe could not see what the person in the melon-shaped cap was holding, he felt a vague sense of unease in his heart. He gripped the edge of the table with one hand and fixed his gaze on them: "Who... who exactly are you?"

The father referred to by Yang Yue is Yang Chengwan, who is not only the head of the Six Doors but also the direct superior of Jin Xia and Yang Yue. All of Jin Xia's skills, including her martial arts and tracking abilities, were taught to her by Yang Chengwan. For Jin Xia, Yang Chengwan is both a mentor and a father figure, and she cannot defy him.

"How do you know I am in a monthly deficit?" the little hat muttered to itself, "My brother's private school tuition is due again, and last month I even bought a basket of charcoal for the teacher, leaving me with no surplus at all"

I said, Master Xia, could you please give a shout next time you throw someone down?" The tall man, dragging Cao Ge, said to the man in the melon-shaped cap with irritation

These silver coins exceed the bounty by more than ten times, so I humbly ask the official to show mercy and spare my wife and me

The melon-shaped cap looked at her with a smile that was not quite a smile: "Qi Qiu, or should I now call you Cao Qiu?"

Having finished a simple grooming, I put away the wooden comb. This summer, with nothing to do, I gazed longingly at the stack of banknotes, sighed, and then sighed again, causing Yang Yue to break out in goosebumps.

This summer, with tears in her eyes, she looked at him and said: "I have an elderly mother who is eighty years old, and below me..."

While munching on the melon rind cap, he did not forget to give a thumbs up, mumbling in praise: "This fish is delicious"

The caped hat let out a cold snort and remarked: "Although that maid has a similar figure to yours, she is still a maiden, and the subtle differences are quite significant. Do you think I cannot tell the difference?"

"Your mother is not even forty, so be careful when you say that, or she might break your legs." Yang Yue did not even glance at her.

Cao Ge and his wife both trembled simultaneously, their faces turning as pale as paper

The wet towel brushed against her cheek, revealing her originally fair and delicate skin. The melon rind cap was casually removed, and from within her bosom, she took out a wooden comb dipped in water, re-styling her hair and braiding it up.

Yang Yue nodded slightly: "Your leg is fine, but my father will break my legs. For the sake of my legs, I can only ask your esteemed elder to grieve in silence."

The melon rind cap was in no hurry at all, calmly continuing to eat the vegetables. Upon seeing the disheveled appearance of Qi Qiushi, it shook its head and sighed: "You conspired against your husband, eloped with Cao Ge, and now it seems he treats you no better than this."

The melon-shaped cap let out a hum; her real name was Yuan Jinxia, and she was eighteen this year. Two years ago, she entered the public service by chance. Her companion was named Yang Yue, who was two years her senior. The two of them were both working at the Six Doors in the capital.

"At the Six Doors of the Capital, someone has asked me to bring you something." The melon-shaped cap man reached into his bosom, his oily hand rummaging around, and produced a roll of paper, handing it to the guest in the purple robe.

I am starving to death!

After he finished commenting on the dishes on the table, the little hat made of melon peel had already finished eating. He asked the waiter for some tea to rinse his mouth, and then requested the waiter to bring a basin of water to wash his face

Upon seeing a stack of silver notes, the melon-seed cap on his head gleamed with excitement. He neglected his meal and reached out to take the silver notes, counting them carefully, even counting them back and forth twice, and joyfully exclaimed: "Three hundred and twenty taels!"

"Wait!" The melon peel cap called out to him, measuring the size of the bowl filled with rice with his gaze, "Bring... six more bowls of rice!"

Not only did the shopkeeper stand in a daze, but even the merchant in the purple robe and his wife were equally stunned, unable to comprehend the situation for a moment

The little cap tilted to one side, pondering the possibility of this matter seriously, hesitated and said: "... it shouldn't be possible, right?"

Footsteps echoed at the staircase, not from a shop assistant, but from a tall figure dragging along a limping Cao Ge, whose injury was uncertain—whether it was a sprained ankle or a broken leg

I will be there shortly, I will be there shortly

This summer, with great righteousness, I said: "My esteemed mother understands the greater good and knows that I endure humiliation and bear burdens for the sake of five pecks of rice. It is not a problem to say she is eighty, or even if one were to say she is eight thousand years old."

"This time it wasn't me who dropped it, truly, it was him who jumped down by himself." The little hat with a melon rind pointed at the dishes on the table with chopsticks, "You must be hungry, come and eat quickly."

On the second floor of the Xi Tong Restaurant, the waiter attentively served a dish of stewed knife fish, smiling as he said: "Esteemed guests, this stewed knife fish is a specialty of our establishment. Please give it a try; if it is not to your liking, feel free to slap my face."

No, no, no, that is not what I meant. I just did not expect that there would also be women among the Six Doors.

Naturally, he did not dare to offend them, and the shop assistant hurriedly went downstairs.

You do not know him

The lady seemed reluctant to defy her husband, and did not say much more, lowering her head to eat with her chopsticks

This stewed knife fish... First, use a sharp knife to scrape the fish fillet, then pluck out the bones. The tall individual took a piece of fish and chewed it a few times, saying, "It must have been stewed with ham soup, chicken soup, and bamboo shoot soup. Although it is delicious, it seems to overshadow the main ingredient, which is the fish itself. In fact, this knife fish is already very flavorful; it only needs to be marinated with honey wine, added with light soy sauce, and then steamed to perfection"

The person sitting next to the lady wore a melon-shaped cap, dressed in a plain blue robe, presenting an appearance typical of the common folk. However, his face was covered in dust, and he looked travel-worn. As soon as he sat down, he took a pair of bamboo chopsticks from the chopstick holder, wiped them haphazardly on his sleeve, and then picked up a bowl of rice, shoveling it into his mouth. Occasionally, he wielded the chopsticks with great speed, quickly grabbing several mouthfuls of dishes, eating in a gluttonous manner

Upon seeing this object, the shop assistant immediately retreated with understanding

The melon rind cap chewed thoughtfully and wondered, "Why is there no thorn?" While speaking, he picked up several more chopsticks of stewed knife fish and stuffed them into his mouth

The shopkeeper smiled and said: "The knife fish has many bones, so first use a sharp knife to scrape off the fish fillets, and then extract all the bones with pliers."

The merchant in the purple robe raised his hand to stop her from speaking further, using his chopsticks to poke at the knife fish: "It is better to be cautious. Don't you love eating fish? Go ahead and eat."

Cao Lang! Qi Qiu Shi saw Cao Ge unexpectedly fleeing on his own and called out anxiously

Cao Ge was in such pain that he cried out, while Qi Qiushi, having been hurt by him, turned her face away, picked up her bowl, and began to eat, pretending not to hear.

The cap with a brim raised an eyebrow: "What, is it not possible?"

In the small town of Shierwan, taking advantage of its river mouth, schools of knife fish come here to spawn every spring. The locals, needless to say, and travelers passing through, when they sit down to rest and have a meal, also make sure to taste the delicious knife fish

She said softly: "Dayang ... ... "

After a moment's effort, the waiter brought two bowls of rice upstairs. Just as he placed them on the table, he felt a gust of wind sweep past him, and in the blink of an eye, a person appeared out of nowhere and sat down next to the merchant in the purple robe and his wife

Just then, the waiter trembled as he brought up six bowls of rice. He handed two bowls to the tall man, kept two for himself, and then placed one bowl of rice in front of each of the Cao couple. Seeing that neither of them moved their chopsticks, he urged, "Hurry and eat! It will take another two days to get back to the capital from here. If you don't eat now, you won't be able to complain about hunger on the road later."

The merchant in the purple robe, accustomed to the attentiveness of these waiters, was impatiently about to wave his hand to dismiss him. After a moment's thought, he instructed, "Tell the groom that we need to set off tonight and to ensure the horses are well-fed."

The chopsticks scraped a few times at the bottom of the bowl, gathering all the remaining rice grains into his mouth. Only then did the man in the melon rind cap put down the bowl, wipe his mouth with his sleeve, and frown as he glared at the merchant in the purple robe, directly scolding: "What were you thinking all this way! Just relying on your bulk! It has caused me to travel for several days without even having a warm meal..."

I wish I could, but unfortunately my father..." The tall man sighed, took a piece of tofu, and sighed again, "Tofu should be soaked in well water three times to remove the beany smell; this tofu has only been soaked twice at most, how can it be served? And this stir-fried bamboo shoots..."

As soon as the merchant in the purple robe unfolded the document, his expression froze—this was a wanted poster, prominently featuring his own likeness: Cao Ge, male, 42 years old

Before the words had left his mouth, Cao Ge had already jumped down without looking back

Qi Qiu struggled a few times, but helplessly found that the bamboo chopsticks were gripping him very tightly, just like iron pliers

The shopkeeper cheerfully said: "Alright! I will pack some roadside snacks for you, so you will have something to munch on during your journey, won't you?"

Qi Qiushi displayed an expression of indignation: "Qi Xiucheng is not dead?"

Seeing that there was no room for turning back in this matter, Cao Ge no longer hesitated. He was originally sitting by the window, and while the straw hat was still in a daze, he stood up, climbed over the railing, and stepped onto the roof tiles. After taking a few steps forward, he prepared to jump down

The wealthy merchant in the purple robe finally came to his senses and, unable to contain his anger, said to the shop assistant: "What is going on here?! Where did this person come from, is he eating for free?!"

Yes, yes, yes, it is not a matter of respect, please accept it, Your Excellency

Rarely seen, often regarded with curiosity

Qiqiu sat there in a daze, not uttering a word

Qi Qiu felt unbearable pain and could only sit down in despair, his face showing a look of sorrow and suffering

Yang Yue swiftly tucked the banknotes into his bosom: "First keep them with me, and once we return to the yamen, I will register them in the ledger."

The person wearing a melon-shaped hat leaned forward, comparing his appearance, and nodded, saying: "The drawing is quite similar. Judging by your features, it seems that your nose tip hasn't developed well, as there's too little flesh. What do you think?"

You truly do not mind the trouble

Cao Ge's heart had just risen with a glimmer of hope, yet he saw the melon-shaped cap take on an expression of boundless melancholy.

At this moment, the melon rind cap has already eaten seven or eight more bites than him, with a mouth full and saying: "You say you... why not be a chef instead of a constable."

"You... are you a girl?" Qi Qiu was taken aback, having originally thought she was merely an exceptionally handsome young man.

The melon-shaped cap slapped the object in his hand onto the table, a heavy copper token with the word "Capture" embossed on it, clear and distinct.

The shopkeeper was also taken aback and hurriedly wanted to drive the person away

You two are quite ruthless, eloping and even killing your own maid, beheading her and dressing the headless corpse in the attire of the Qi Qiu family before placing it in Qi Xiucheng's home, attempting to frame him for murdering his wife. " The melon-shaped hat shook its head twice, " After all, you were once a couple; even if you have fallen in love with someone else, how could you be so malicious?

Sit down! said the melon-skin cap, while slightly flipping the hand holding the chopsticks, bending her little finger backward.

The lady sitting opposite the merchant in the purple robe slightly frowned, looking at him with a mix of complaint and affection: "Why do we still have to travel at night? We are already quite far from the capital, I want to..."

With his mouth still chewing incessantly, the man in the melon rind cap freed one hand and pulled out an object from his bosom, blocking it in front of the shop assistant without even looking: "... ... No admittance for idle people."

Cao Ge trembled as he took out a small stack of banknotes from his pocket, consisting of notes worth twenty taels each and fifty taels each, and slowly placed them on the table