Chapter 8

Old Master Qian is somewhat troubled, "This dog... is difficult to handle, could it be that it came from some noble family? If it were just a noble family, that would be fine, but what if it is from an official household? A few heads would be enough to be chopped off, wouldn't they?"

"All the ones you picked for me are bad, not a single good one." She pointed at his hand, "Let go, do you think you can force a sale under the emperor's feet?"

She has lived here for five or six years and has already forgotten how it was back when the gate was first opened. Only in the midnight dreams does she retain a fragment of the memories from the time of prosperity. Her father was an official and seldom at home, so her impression of him is not very deep. She only remembers her mother, who was very fair-skinned, wearing a short jacket of emerald green with gold threads, and a skirt adorned with a two-inch wide hem, embroidered with silver threads depicting magpies perched on branches. In winter, she would hold a small enamel hand warmer, standing outside the flower-laden gate, directing the servants to move the flower pots. She looks in the mirror and sees that she has inherited her mother's fair complexion, which does not tan easily. The people in the yamen have given her a nickname, "Little White Face." A needle is pinned to her cap, and many times she has taken it off to pierce her earlobes, which have now grown full. With a sigh, she pins it back, lamenting the suffering endured in childhood. Rubbing two rapeseeds against her earlobes, she wonders how long it will take to pierce them; now it seems wasted.

Summer is particularly difficult for Ding Yi, as she cannot dress like men with bare chests. She must wear her clothes tightly and bind her chest with a strip of cloth, only to loosen it at night, revealing a chest and back covered in prickly heat. Everyone knows how uncomfortable prickly heat can be. It itches, and even though she tries to scratch through the fabric, it is truly torturous. Throughout the entire summer, she has been a regular at the pharmacy, buying forsythia to dispel toxins, consuming it like candy, chewing one piece a day. She also has to wash with a decoction of purslane, which can alleviate the symptoms a bit, and once the prickly heat has scabbed over, it will eventually heal. Throughout the entire summer, she has been a regular at the pharmacy, buying forsythia to dispel toxins, consuming it like candy, chewing one piece a day. She also has to wash with a decoction of purslane, which can alleviate the symptoms a bit, and once the prickly heat has scabbed over, it will eventually heal.

When she rolled her eyes, she said, "I want to pick only the good ones; who would I sell the bad ones to?"

If you don't want to be picky, then so be it. Just do as you see fit. They started putting things into her bag. It's not that they weren't being selective; he was still picking from inside. In the end, upon closer inspection, everything was either infested with worms or rotten. This felt a bit deceitful. Ding Yi frowned and said, "Why are you only giving me the bad ones? I'm not spending money to buy worms. Your business practices are quite unscrupulous."

She did not know how it was dealt with later; the dog certainly had to be hidden, but she did not know where. She was afraid of being blamed by her master upon his return, so it was taken to another place. In fact, this time Xia Zhi suffered a bit of a loss, as the one who was brought back was a dog lord, who was unwilling to eat any meat and had to go hungry. There was no choice but to serve it beef and cornmeal. Once its ears and tail were well taken care of, and it was willing to help her, she would gradually recoup her losses.

The mind becomes chaotic in an instant, "The Seventh Prince's people? Why is that?"

"That won't do, I cannot expend my efforts in vain." Summer Solstice handed the knife to Qian Er, "It's too late to regret now; if something goes wrong, I'll take the blame. Is that acceptable?"

Ding Yi felt that this matter was too risky. He did not have time to stop him, but he still needed to advise him a few words: "If the meat is lost, it's lost. At worst, let it take a nap. If it is really taken away and caught by someone, it would be terrible! This is not a local dog; how many families do you see raising smooth-coated ones? If the owner investigates later and traces it back to us, we would be causing trouble for the master."

The Zhao brothers plan to stand on the shore, "As ordinary citizens, we do not have dealings with the authorities, who can we trust to go for us!"

It was quite noisy, during the sultry days, everyone was restless, and voices were raised higher than ever. The surrounding residents came out to watch, trying to mediate by saying, "Let it go, let it go, what’s the big deal?" The vendor selling apricots was quite aggressive, ignoring the advice of others, sizing up a petite woman, deliberately bullying her, insisting that she pay up. "I used to be a butcher, slaughtering cattle and sheep as if it were a game. You think you can mess with me here? I’ll take care of you."

On this day, I set out early to take a ride to Tongrentang to buy medicine. On my way back, I passed by Baishu Hutong and encountered someone selling apricots under the shade of a tree. A large lotus leaf was spread out on the sieve, with bright yellow apricots laid out, which made one's mouth water just by looking at them. The young girl, after all, still loved to eat, but usually pretended to be tough and composed. However, there were times when she would let her guard down. With the master present, she would buy some first to show respect. He would glance at them and say, 'Go ahead, eat, you all eat.' The master was not one to take offense, but it felt inappropriate for the disciples to indulge while holding the offerings. Over time, she became more considerate and simply stopped buying them. This time, she went to Miaofeng Mountain and would return the next day, planning to bring some back to enjoy with the summer solstice. Although the summer solstice was a real tough guy, he also loved these little snacks.

Upon hearing this, the people nearby began to stir, saying, "That's just right; he is a student of the butcher, a top disciple of Wu Datou from the Shuntian Prefecture. You two should have a match and see who is more formidable, the butcher or the executioner"

With a combination of coaxing and intimidation, the Zhao brothers quickly left the alley heading east. She stood at the street corner to collect her thoughts, her heart racing with anxiety. Last time, she had nearly been killed by the Seventh Prince, and now, Xia Zhi had once again fallen into his hands. The Seventh Prince muttered that Wu Changeng took on these two disciples just to compete with him, and in the end, it would inevitably implicate their master.

He grabbed her firmly, "Is that not the case? Are we playing with men? I am selecting one by one for you here, and after I finish, you won't want any?"

"That depends on how much effort you all put in." Ding Yi turned around to close the door, walking away while saying, "I need to go out and think of a solution. You all shouldn't be idle either; don't wait until tomorrow, because that won't work. Who knows what kind of suffering Xia Zhi might be enduring inside? If he can't hold on and ends up exposing you all, it will be too late to cry then."

The yamen also experiences peak and off-peak seasons. When the weather is pleasant, there are more crimes; when it is too hot, one can hardly catch their breath after taking a few steps, and there is no inclination for robbery. Therefore, compared to spring and autumn, winter and summer are somewhat better. The officials do not hold court, and the yamen runners sit at the bottom of the corridor, drinking tea and chatting idly, discussing the affairs of various households, and the day passes by.

Ding Yi brushed off her arms, feeling quite unlucky; she not only missed out on the apricots but also ended up in a mess. When she tried to argue a bit more, the other party had already shouldered their burden and left, leaving her with no place to vent her anger. She decided to go home, wash up, and wait for the summer solstice to prepare dinner for her.

Ding Yi hurriedly followed along, running with his head down, and upon entering the alley of Tongfu, he heard the sound of gongs ringing out from Dengshikou Street, thumping loudly; it was already the second watch of the night

I inquired about the price, and with a defiant attitude, I tried to negotiate. However, the other party refused, stating, "This price is a flat rate, no negotiations allowed."

It is advisable to persuade from the side, "Do not get into legal trouble over a dog, just let it go."

Those who keep dogs know that in Beijing, families that raise hunting dogs are not ordinary. Unlike Pekingese, which are the pampered dogs held in the laps of ladies, hunting dogs are different. These dogs are wild, love to stir up trouble, and can even kill a cat if they encounter one. The gentlemen of the household, with an eagle perched on their shoulders, ride out on horseback to hunt, with such dogs running ahead. Therefore, one must not act recklessly, as it could lead to trouble

Just as I was looking for a comb to style my hair, the door was knocked loudly, "Little Tree, come out quickly, something big has happened!"

Xiazhi smacked his lips, "Surely it won't be released again, I went through so much trouble to get it."

She was startled and, upon opening the door, saw the Qian brothers from the west room. Pointing outside, she said: "Your senior brother, Xia Zhi, has been captured by the men of Prince Qi. They are currently taking him to the royal palace. Hurry and think of a way to rescue him!"

"How should I speak?" She was furious and emptied the rotten apricots from her pocket, "Fine, you keep them for yourself, I don't want them either."

As soon as she heard it, she flared up, "Don't be like that, Huazi still has two wealthy relatives, if you don't want to face the consequences, I can report you! The dog ears were cut by you, and the dog tail was chopped off by you, where do you think you can escape to?"

On the summer solstice, all thoughts are focused on catching the badger. How could one let the fat meat slip away? One does not take her words seriously, "What is there to fear? At this point, if you don't steal it and someone else discovers it and takes it away, then we would be at a loss! This is how you are, always hesitating and unable to achieve great things... Oh dear, oh dear, it has fallen down, the medicine from Qian Da is really effective!" He rubbed his hands together, turned his head to look at her, "Are you afraid? If you are afraid, stay here to support me, I will go."... Oh dear, oh dear, it has fallen down, the medicine from Qian Da is really effective!" He rubbed his hands together, turned his head to look at her, "Are you afraid? If you are afraid, stay here to support me, I will go."

On the summer solstice, early in the morning, he connected with the two brothers from the West House, poured them two pots of wine, and asked them to help take care of this dog. Upon seeing it, Mr. Qian felt a pang of jealousy and asked, "Where did this come from?"

Calculating this way is too profitable, and once the decision is made, not even ten oxen could pull it back. It is advisable to think about letting them stop wearing the hats; why should a good dog be treated so poorly? However, no one listened to her. With a swift motion, she turned her back and did not dare to look, returning to her room dejectedly.

Xiazhi took a couple of sips of tea and said, "I caught it in that patch of fragrant grass, where no one is watching, just left to roam freely. I was worried it might turn its nose up at the pork, but to my surprise, it wasn't picky at all; after sniffing for a long time, it still took the bait"

It is indeed urgent and troubling; at this moment, it is too late to feel regret. Looking at the attitude of the Qian family brothers, it is truly quite unreasonable. One of them turned back and said in a low voice: "Enough, what is this about you two and them? Haven't you drunk the wine of the Summer Solstice? Did he not offer you the opium seeds? Since he said he would bear it, he will definitely not expose you. But can you all calmly watch him die? Everyone, get moving, and find someone outside to think of a solution. My master is not here, and I have no leads... Since he said he would bear it, he will definitely not expose you. But can you all calmly watch him die? Everyone, get moving, and find someone outside to think of a solution. My master is not here, and I have no leads..."

The man, tall and slender, held two legs in each hand, wrapped his arms around, and hoisted the dog by its neck. He came quietly and left quietly, his feet moving swiftly, resembling a clown on stage, crouching as he darted forward, passing by her while calling out, "What are you looking at? Aren't you leaving?"

It is said that the executioner may not necessarily intimidate others, but the name of Wu Chang-geng certainly does. When mentioning Wu Da-tou, there are few in the Four Nine City who are unaware of him. In his youth, he mingled with all walks of life, touching upon various aspects. Upon hearing this, people would have to yield, their hands would be withdrawn, and they would not resort to greetings or forced smiles, at the very least, the commotion would not escalate further

"Why? It's still for that dog! I told you that kind of dog should not be touched, but he wouldn't believe it. Now he's in trouble... We had a prior agreement; if something happens, he takes the blame. Don't come looking for us with all sorts of excuses." Zhao Da kept saying it was bad luck, "This dog is the favorite of the Seventh Prince. He usually doesn't like to be tied up; when tied, it bangs its head against the wall. That day, it was out playing with the Fifth Prince, and as a result, it ran into you two..."

As the sun sets and no longer shines into the courtyard, people come to life. Some prepare to set up their stalls, others start a fire to cook, while some gather firewood and move coal balls. The lively atmosphere of life in the courtyard wafts into Dingyi's room along with the cooking smoke

Hey, this is about dragging someone into trouble! Qian Er, with a sullen expression, thought for a long time, "My great-aunt's family is a third-class household; should we ask them to help? Just to be clear, we can't guarantee it will work, after all, we are dealing with a prince. As for us, we will help wherever we can, but if we can't rescue them, you can't blame us."

What should we do now? Who would pay attention to this troublesome matter by seeking the governor? Perhaps we should look for the undersecretary and ask for their assistance. The Wang family of the侯门 is strict and imposing; even if one wishes to enter and bow, there must be a way to do so.

Qian Er hesitated, muttering to himself: "A dog is a good dog; generally, a local dog can catch at most five or six badgers in one night. If it goes into action, the number will double."

The man was full of courage and quite bold, precisely in this situation. He was indeed timid, ultimately not daring to move, staring in astonishment as he slipped past. In the bustling shop, no one paid him any attention; he hid behind the door threshold, reached out to grab the dog, and pulled it over by its fur.