Ding Zhutou instructed his subordinates to thoroughly check the tunnel, and sent people to inquire about the news around the exit, and then took Ling'er to the front restaurant. When passing by the big kitchen, he heard a commotion inside, Ding Zhutou stopped and shouted inside, "Who is making noise?" ”

After a while, the two officials escorted a young man out, and the young man shouted while struggling: "Let go, let go, I want to see my mother!" Let go, I want to see my mother! ”

Ling'er recognized at a glance that the young man was the second brother Bai who was hiding behind the bowl and basket before, and he had just mixed up with the officials and actually forgot about him! The two servants kicked the second brother Bai in the crook of his knee and pressed him to the ground: "Don't be noisy, be honest!" ”

Ding Zhutou glanced at Second Brother Bai: "What's the matter?" ”

"Boss, this kid is hiding in the dishwashing yard and sneaking around, I don't know when he came in!"

"Uncle Ding, this is my cousin, he must be worried about me and came in to look for me! Cousin, hurry up, when did you come in? Why don't you call me? Ling'er stepped forward and winked at him and tried to pull him up.

The two officials looked at Ding Zhutou inquiringly, and when they saw that he didn't say anything, they naturally let go. Second Brother Bai stood up and glared at Ling'er and complained: "Don't run around, don't run around, if you lose it or be caught by bad people, how can I explain to your father and mother when I go back?" ”

Ling'er twitched the corners of her mouth, pretending to be embarrassed and said, "I know, cousin, I won't be in the future!" By the way, I was originally playing in the tree, but this Uncle Ding asked me to come down, and Uncle Ding promised to take me to see your mother! Right, Uncle Ding? ”

Ling'er blinked her clear eyes and looked at Ding Zhutou expectantly, and Ding Zhutou pondered for a moment: "Come with me!" ”

Second Brother Bai immediately looked happy, "Really? Can I really see my mother? ”

Ling'er pulled him and motioned him to follow him, and several people entered the restaurant in front of him under the leadership of Ding Zhutou. As soon as they walked through the door, the tense atmosphere in the restaurant made them tense involuntarily.

I saw that in the huge lobby, the tables and stools had been cleaned aside, and all those who worked in the restaurant, whether they were shopkeepers or errands, were all gathered in the middle of the lobby, squatting on the ground, and a circle of mighty officials with knives stood around. Ling'er is strange, why are they all men? Not a single woman?

Ding Zhutou came in and swept around, walked to the counter and said to a middle-aged man who was sorting out the paper: "Master, I'm sorry, please make a special trip, these people's confessions have all been recorded?" ”

"Well, it's almost!"

"What does the master think?"

Ding Zhutou said...... Are there any of them who are accomplices of bandits? This one... Before the county magistrate didn't pass the court, it was possible for anyone, but it could also be anyone, this is not certain, hehe! ”

Ding Zhutou snorted: "The master is reasonable, but the people in this restaurant, plus the women and maids on the second floor, and the family members on the other side of the Yan family's old mansion, want to take them all back to the court for interrogation, I'm afraid it's unlikely, I don't know if the master has a way to have both?" ”

"This ......" The master stroked his beard and stared at Ding Zhutou for a while, the light in his eyes flashed, and he smiled: "I think with Ding Zhutou's ability, this time I can't go in vain, if there are clues about the bandits, and I can confirm the innocence of these people, naturally there is no need to take them back to the hall."

But just in case, it's best to say hello to the town and village, and let them pay attention, before this case is concluded, these people can only stay at home, and are not allowed to go out without authorization, let alone go far away, otherwise they will be treated as fugitives! Ding Zhutou, you see... How does this work? ”

Ding Zhutou thought about it with his hands around his chest, and said with a smile: "Good, very good!" is worthy of the master, it is really the best of both worlds! Someone, go and find me the mayor of this town, the mayor of the nearby village, and the governor of the village, and send another notice out, and if anyone is detained, ask his family to bring the silver to get it, and sign the deed to ensure that he will not commit any crime and not go out of the house before the case is closed! ”

"Yes!" A servant next to him gave his hand to receive the order, "Chief, how much silver should they bring to get it?" ”

"Well...... this" Ding Zhutou glanced at the master: "Master, according to the laws of the imperial court, how much silver is appropriate for this situation?" ”

The master rolled his eyes, "Hehe, this depends on the actual situation, a light hundred wen is enough, if the suspicion is serious, ten taels is not too much!" ”

Ding Zhutou stroked his chin and thought about it, beckoned to whisper a few words to the official next to him, and the official bowed and took two of his subordinates out.

Second Brother Bai was not interested in their conversation at all, his eyes kept searching around, and his expression was a little anxious. Ling'er took his hand to appease him a few times, and finally waited for Ding Zhutou to finish discussing with the master, Ling'er pulled Latin's head and sleeve: "Uncle Ding, why haven't you seen my aunt?" ”

Ding Zhutou looked down at the two of them, and beckoned the bearded man behind him: "Old Hu, you take them there!" ”

Ling'er and Second Brother Bai followed the bearded man upstairs, and sure enough, they saw that there were also a few women and maids on the second floor who were working in the restaurant with knives and all gathered together, and Second Brother Bai found his mother at a glance, and ran over: "Mother! ”

Aunt Bai, who was surrounded by the crowd, raised her head when she heard this, and was startled when she saw Second Brother Bai, and quickly stood up: "Second baby, why are you here?" You... You were also arrested by the official? ”

The guards were about to step forward and pull the two apart, but the bearded man waved his hand, and the officials retreated. A woman in the crowd pleaded: "Official, we are only here to work and make money, and we really don't know any bandits!" Please leave us alone! ”

"Yes, yes, sir, how could we, the female generation, collude with the bandits? There are old and young in our family, and if we don't go back to the house, there will be no one to take care of us, so please ask the official to spare us! ”

"Ask the official to let us go!"

One opened, and the other women gathered around and begged, and even pulled their beards to wipe their tears! The bearded man was dazed by them, and shouted several times: "I know, I know, you let go first!" ”

But no one listened to him, and the women wept and cried, and the bearded man was annoyed, and he pulled out his waist knife and let go of it with a loud roar, and the hall suddenly fell silent, and the women fell to the ground in fright.

The bearded man took a few steps back, trying to stay away from the group of women, and muttered, "Women are so troublesome!" ”

Then he said loudly: "Our leader has ordered a notice to be posted, so that your family can bring money to keep you out!" But you heard clearly, if you let you go, you'll be fine! Before this case is concluded, you must stay at home, and you must not leave the village or town without authorization, let alone go far away, otherwise you will be treated as fugitives! Do you understand? ”

The women were silent for a moment, and one of them said, "Official... Sir, you... You mean I... Can we go home? ”

The bearded man waved impatiently: "Yes, yes! As long as your relatives come to pay the money and get people, you can go! ”

"Great, great!" The women stood up happily and congratulated each other with joyful faces. However, some women were worried and asked timidly: "Official, that... To pay... How much does it cost to go? ”

"I don't know, I don't know, ask the master!"

Ling'er saw that Aunt Bai and Second Brother Bai were talking happily, and wanted to go over to say hello, but she was afraid that Aunt Bai would recognize her, so she quietly went downstairs and silently followed Ding Zhutou's side. Ding Zhutou walked around with his hands on his chest, watching his subordinates help the master busy sorting out the confession records, screening the so-called 'suspects', etc., until he turned around twice and found Ling'er following behind!

Ding Zhutou frowned and looked at her: "Boy, have you seen your aunt?" ”

"Well, yes! Thank you Uncle Ding! ”

"Then what are you doing with me?"

Ling'er smiled flatteringly: "Hehe, Uncle Ding, let's... I've known each other for a while, can I ...... Make a friend, huh? ”

Ding Zhutou was stunned for a moment, then laughed, stretched out his hand and pulled Ling'er's face and said, "Stinky boy, you really know how to make inches!" My Lao Ding's friend is not so easy to do, you are such a little doll, tell me, what do you want to make friends with me? ”

"I ...... I'm smart and come up with a lot of ideas! ”

"You?" Ding Zhutou looked her up and down, clasped his hands on his chest and shook his head: "Boy, do you know that our county master loves talents the most, and he has raised more than a dozen literati talents, they all have flexible brains and a lot of ideas, why do you need this hairy boy?" ”

"Uncle Ding, it's not right for you to say that, although I am small, I know a lot, not to mention that although those literati have many ideas, they are the protégés of the county master, not yours! I'm just a friend of Uncle Ding, and my ideas are naturally all for Uncle Ding's sake, and I don't want you to raise Uncle Ding! How, Uncle Ding? ”

Ding Zhutou stared at Ling'er with his hands on his chest and thought for a long time, and suddenly smiled: "You kid is a little interesting, okay, I'll recognize you as a little friend, but you have to tell me first, and what do you want me to do for you?" ”

Ling'er was stunned, and the careful thoughts in his head turned around, if he said that he stuck to Ding Zhu's head and had no desire and no request, people would definitely not believe it, and if it was a difficult thing, people would not agree. So she pretended to squirm and blushed and said:

"Hehe, Uncle Ding, actually... In fact, Xiaoyou really has something to ask for, that... That one...... My aunt's family is not well-off, my uncle is sick and needs to take medicine, my second cousin is an apprentice in a carpenter's shop and has not yet graduated, and my third cousin is studying in a school, so even if they have to come up with a hundred yuan to protect people, I'm afraid it will be ......."

Ding Zhutou said: "That's it?" ”

"Yes, yes, Uncle Ding, can you ......"

"Hehe, it's a trivial matter! Come, go upstairs and tell them to let the woman with the surname Bai go! ”

The subordinates promised to go upstairs, Ling'er pretended to be very grateful and thanked Ding Zhutou for a while, and then asked tentatively: "Uncle Ding, are you going to go to the Yan family's ancestral house in a while?" ”

"Yes, there is still a group of maids to deal with over there, what, you want to go too?"

"Yes, yes, Uncle Ding, let me go with you, okay? Maybe I can help you with some ideas! ”

"You're going? Boy, there's blood over there, aren't you afraid? ”

Ling'er straightened her chest: "Man, big man, bleeding without tears, what is there to be afraid of!"

"Haha, good! Good! I just love it! Let's go, come with me and have a look! Ding Zhutou patted Ling'er on the shoulder hard, laughed and walked to the door. (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation, monthly pass, your support, is my biggest motivation. )