Chapter 2

You have finally returned! It was just a matter of capturing two criminals, yet it took five days. At such a young age, how can one afford to be idle all day long...'' Tong Yu shook his head in dissatisfaction, ''Is this really Cao Ge and Qi Qiu Shi?''

Seeing Tong Yu reach out to grab Cao Ge, Jin Xia felt a bit uneasy

"Yang Tou said you went to the yamen to look for me several times, what is the matter?" Jin Xia asked him

In front of Yang Chengwan, Jin Xia restrained his temper, bowed, and respectfully said: "Boss"

Tong Yu pulled Cao Ge over with irritation. Qi Qiushi had a bad fate; due to eloping with Cao Ge, he was regarded as an accomplice and was taken away along with him

"No! Of course not," smiled Jin Xia.

Yuan Yichao made a shushing gesture, pointing towards the inner room, and said in a lowered voice: "Father has gone to sell tofu, and Mother is sleeping inside. She went to Xinfeng Bridge last night to sell marinated dried tofu and returned very late."

The sound of the bed board came from the inner room, as if someone had turned over. Immediately after, a voice was heard: "Xia'er, are you back?"

Hurry up

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen was momentarily taken aback before frowning and saying, "Alright, you should go wash up and change your clothes; they are almost spoiled. I have always said that a young lady should not be a constable, it is both arduous and thankless, and it does not suit you at all. If you and your father had listened to me back then and married you off to the Sun family who makes pastries in the east of the city, at least the two families could have supported each other. Do not be misled by the Sun family's recent misfortunes; this year they are selling peach blossom dumplings and their business is thriving, and they even bought a shop at Xinfeng Bridge. I have always said that a young lady should not be a constable, it is both arduous and thankless, and it does not suit you at all. If you and your father had listened to me back then and married you off to the Sun family who makes pastries in the east of the city, at least the two families could have supported each other. Do not be misled by the Sun family's recent misfortunes; this year they are selling peach blossom dumplings and their business is thriving, and they even bought a shop at Xinfeng Bridge. If you had married into their family back then, you might have been living the life of a young mistress by now, rather than being in this situation. Do you know that Sun Jixing's wife is already pregnant? What do you say...

Yang Chengwan said lightly: "It is good that everyone has returned safely. Your younger brother has asked about you several times; you should go back and see him."

As the summer is about to become tumultuous, Yang Yue hurriedly intervened, saying: "Captain Tong, Cao Ge has just been apprehended for a serious crime and has not yet been brought to trial. It would be better to wait until the case here is concluded and a verdict is reached before sending him over." He has always been a magnanimous person, reluctant to stir up trouble, and is aware that Tong Yu's actions are those of a petty person. Having offended him, he is bound to be secretly schemed against in the future.

He has four sons

This summer, Shan Shan said: "I didn't... I didn't receive the silver. As soon as the person was caught, they were taken to the Northern Town Pacification Office."

It is indeed true, but who has the ability to go to the Jinyiwei to demand money? This summer, she did not dare to look her in the eye, lowering her head to gently scrape the small depression in the ground with her foot

"It's nothing, I was supposed to get up anyway." Yuan Chen put on a gray-brown long coat and first glanced over Jin Xia, asking, "Was the journey alright? You weren't hurt, were you?"

Unfortunately, Tong Yu did not grasp this sentiment at all

According to her original temperament, she should have kicked Tong Ge three meters away at this moment. However, after two years of making a living in the yamen, she also understood that she should restrain her temper. It is best not to offend those with higher official ranks if possible. Although her monthly salary of two taels of silver was somewhat meager, it was still a considerable amount of shiny silver.

The suspect has been taken away before being brought to justice, haven't we made this trip in vain? This summer feels very distressed, originally saying that capturing Cao Ge would come with additional rewards, had I known it was all in vain, I would have saved some effort.

I crouched under the window and listened for a while; this time, my mother had her eyes set on the third son of Mr. Yi.

After a moment, the door creaked open, and a young boy with a new hairstyle and a brown round-neck shirt greeted her joyfully: "Sister! You are back!" He was none other than Yuan Yi, her younger brother.

She gritted her teeth in anger, watching helplessly as Tong Yu handed the person over to the Jinyiwei. The leader of the Jinyiwei had his back to her, revealing only his tall stature but obscuring his face, while Tong Yu's sycophantic expression was clearly visible.

This summer, I reached out and brushed his short hair a few times, while walking inward and asking, "Has anyone been bullying you lately?" In the small courtyard, a heavy stone mill was stationed on the west side, and there was a row of sauce jars in the corner, with the lingering smell of beans pervading the air all day long

Yang Yue sighed: "At least he didn't say anything wrong with this statement, offending the Jinyiwei means that no one will have a good time."

As she passed by the candy store, her steps faltered slightly. She took out the remaining coins on her person and counted them. After a moment of hesitation, she ultimately counted out three copper coins to purchase a small bag of amber candy, which she tucked into her pocket.

Upon hearing this, Jin Xia raised her eyebrows slightly and fixed a vigilant gaze on Yuan Yi

Two days later, this summer, Jin Xia and Yang Yue escorted Cao Ge and Qi Qiu back to the capital. Upon entering the Six Doors, they intended to hand over the prisoners to the Ministry of Justice for custody, when they unexpectedly encountered the head constable, Tong Yu. Having been in public service for five years, Tong Yu was adept at flattering and ingratiating himself with his superiors. Despite his lack of significant achievements in such a short span, he had managed to secure the position of head constable.

"Tong Butou!" Yang Chengwan greeted Tong Yu, "Is there something you need?"

This summer, it was harshly stated: "In the realm of law and punishment, three judicial offices are sufficient. Why then create the Jinyiwei to impose interference? What purpose do the three judicial offices serve if they are rendered virtually meaningless?"

Is there a shortage of money at home again

Unfortunately, Tong Yu is indeed quite bothersome

"What you said is rather inappropriate. We are the ones toiling away down here, working hard and worrying. After much effort, we finally brought these two individuals back to face justice, yet in your words, they have become accomplices." Jin Xia forced a couple of dry laughs. In her view, suppressing her temper and lowering herself like this was already quite humiliating.

Upon hearing the words "Beizhen Fusi," Cao Ge turned pale with fear and instinctively recoiled, saying, "No, no... I won't go..."

Mother's words are nothing but clichés, and this summer has long since grown accustomed to them. She retreated quietly, made a face at Yuan Yi, and went to the kitchen to boil water in preparation for her bath

Looking at her frail yet insufficiently brave younger brother, Jin Xia let out a sigh of regret this summer. She recalled that in her youth at his age, she had already become the leader of all the children on Xifeng Street, with numerous victories to her name. There were often challengers from neighboring streets, all of whom she defeated thoroughly. Although she had received her fair share of beatings from her parents for fighting outside, she understood well that to rise above others, one must endure some hardships.

Although Tong Yu and Yang Chengwan were both captains, Tong Yu had always felt that a cripple like Yang Chengwan should not hold such a position, as it truly brought shame to the Six Doors. He let out a heavy snort: "These two wanted criminals are suspected of treason and collusion with the enemy; they are wanted by the Jinyiwei. I was just about to deliver them, yet your two disciples are obstructing me in every possible way..."

Since you last dealt with the three boys from the pork seller, they have not dared to tear my books again

... ...

Yang Yue hurriedly reached out to cover her mouth, but Jin Xia nimbly dodged.

Yuan Chen's face brightened, and he immediately reached out his hand towards her: "You mentioned earlier that this criminal is important, and that there would be rewards for capturing him. Perfect, give me the silver from the reward, as I need to hurry to the street to buy congratulatory gifts for the Dong family."

Yuan Yichao pouted in the room and said softly, "My mother asked me to come and ask when you will be back."

With one hand pushing aside Tong Yu and the other forcefully pulling Cao Ge behind her, she managed a stiff smile and said: "Captain Tong, the criminal was tracked down by Da Yang and me after several days of hard work and hardship. We finally managed to capture him, and he hasn't even been handed over to the Ministry of Justice yet. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to just say 'take him away' with a single word?"

Bypassing the bustling market, I turned into a narrow alley. The first half of this alley resembled a crooked gourd, with the entrance being as narrow and small as the mouth of a gourd. However, once inside, it opened up unexpectedly. After passing through the first gourd belly and traversing a short, narrow path, I arrived at the second gourd belly

"Caught it..." This summer stammered.

Yuan Yi opened it and saw that it was amber candy, complaining, "I am already this grown up, sister, why do you still treat me like a little child to coax."

This summer, feeling dejected, I turned back and cast an annoyed glance at Yang Chengwan: "Boss, you are being too lenient with him. Which side is he really on? He can just ignore the cases of the Six Doors and hurriedly send people away; who doesn't know he is trying to curry favor with the Jinyiwei"

Yuan Chen was taken aback for a moment, then said: "The Northern Town Pacification Office should give you the money, after all, it was you who captured the person!"

"If you don't want to eat, then forget it," this summer reached out to grab, "I'll keep it for myself"

This summer, I raised my eyebrows in shock: "Mr. Yi?! Is it... is it your master?"

He reached out to stop her, saying: "Perfect, just hand the person over to me. Cao Ge is also involved in another case of treason and conspiracy, and must be sent to the Northern Pacification Office for interrogation. You have just returned, looking disheveled; go wash up quickly, and I will take the person over for you."

Mr. Yi is indeed the private tutor of Yuan Yi, and he has three sons, all of whom are scholars, representing a genuine family of literary distinction. This summer, she simply cannot understand how such a family could possibly take an interest in her

How can that be allowed! Who would dare to delay the Jinyiwei? You two should stop the chatter, otherwise, if you offend them, no one will have a good day.

This summer, she had never been fond of him, forcing herself to put on a polite smile on her face, and pulling Cao Ge to continue walking inside.

You ... ...

This summer, I sighed while pressing my forehead, and suddenly recalled the stack of silver notes that Cao Ge had given me earlier, which made me feel even more melancholic

This summer, he finally left in a hurry

This month, Dong Dadu, who collects stall fees, is marrying his daughter-in-law, and his mother insists on sending a congratulatory gift

Indeed, I have been thinking about my family, and I have heard that my younger brother has come several times. I do not know if there is something important. This summer, I looked towards Yang Yue and, feeling uneasy, reminded him: "If there are no rewards, then so be it, but you must make sure to get the business trip allowance back. You must not mess up this important matter."

"My young master, please calm down! One cannot speak so recklessly." Yang Yue tapped her on the head.

This summer, gazing out of the window of the inner room, I sighed inwardly and took out the bag of amber candy from my pocket to hand it to Yuan Yi

Blocked by her hand, Tong Yu's expression darkened slightly: "I tell you, this is a person of the Jinyiwei. Those who deliberately delay will be regarded as accomplices. Can you bear the consequences?"

Yang Chengwan spoke, and this summer I dared not defy him, so I loosened my grip and walked away in anger

As he was speaking, the constable Yang Chengwan limped over from the corridor, his broadsword swaying lightly at his waist. Yang Yue hurriedly stepped forward and called out, "Father"

Yang Yue nodded helplessly

The Northern Town's Supervisory Office is in charge of the Imperial Prison, also known as the Brocade-clad Prison. In today's world, it is widely known that compared to the Ministry of Justice's prison, if the Ministry of Justice's prison is considered heaven, then the Imperial Prison is akin to the eighteen layers of hell. Once one enters the Imperial Prison, there is no hope of survival. The punishments within are brutal, and those imprisoned endure all manner of suffering, often leaving them physically mutilated.

Yuan Yi quickly dodged, swiftly stuffing a piece into his mouth, while wrapping the remaining ones and tucking them into his bosom

Unfortunately, the glorious era of this person came to an end along with her childhood. In the days that followed, she sighed with a sense of melancholy and then asked, "... Have father and mother not returned from selling tofu?"

Yes

This summer interrupted him and urgently argued: "The person is someone we just captured."

This summer, I arrived at a weathered wooden door on the east side of the gourd belly, pushed it, but it would not budge, so I knocked.

Yuan Yi nodded slightly

Has the person been caught

Uh. This summer, as I stepped into the house, I saw Yuan Chen getting up. "Mother, did I wake you up?"

Boss! This summer is filled with indignation

Stop being verbose, quickly bring me the person

Yang Chengwan raised his hand to stop Jinxia from speaking further and said calmly: "I just saw that there are already the Jinyiwei waiting outside, you should quickly hand over the person to Captain Tong."

Sister, there is one more thing... Yuan Yi came into the kitchen, helping her scoop water, with a mysterious expression on his face. "You can't blame me for not telling you—two days ago, Mother invited the matchmaker Wang over."

This summer, Cha Yi said: "I remember he married his daughter-in-law last year, so why is he marrying again?"

In the spring, as the trees burst into bud, the capital is bustling with life, and the crowds are lively and animated. On both sides of the road, various shops display a dazzling array of goods. In the noodle shop, there are butterfly noodles, slippery noodles, and palm-shaped noodles, among others; in the pastry shop, one can find baked buns, flatbreads, silver threads, and oil cakes, among others; the more exquisite pastries include chess cakes, domino cakes, thin and crispy pastries, and peach blossom dumplings, among others. This summer, the aroma of various foods mingles together, and one moves briskly through the crowd.

This summer, after following a few steps behind, she saw him lead two people around the wall screen. Under the old pine tree in the side hall, she could vaguely see the bright red flying fish attire, confirming that the Jinyiwei had indeed arrived. She had just entered the city, and they had followed closely behind, leading her to suspect that there were Jinyiwei spies at the city gate, who must have been aware of their arrival as soon as they entered the city