The Li family has been farming and reading heirlooms since their ancestors.

Although Li Xiucai's father did not pass the examination, he was also the teacher of this Nanxinzhuang private school before his death.

Li Xiucai is a young man, who took the hospital examination at the age of fifteen and won the top prize.

Three years ago, when Shuntianfu was in the autumn season, he was originally a popular candidate for the middle lift, but who would have thought that he was preparing for the exam, and his father passed away due to a sudden illness.

This time, Qiu Yu couldn't catch up.

Together with the marriage with Zhao Hongyu, it had to be postponed.

Now that it is easy to survive the three-year filial piety period and usher in the autumn of Jiajing's 40th year, Li Xiucai is afraid that there will be any more variables, so he packed his bags early and wants to enter Beijing for the exam more than half a month in advance.

Miao County belongs to Tongzhou Prefecture, and is adjacent to the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, it stands to reason that it is only half a day by boat to reach the Datong Bridge Wharf outside the Dongbian Gate.

But Li Xiucai was so seasick that he was really unaccustomed to waterways.

So I had to discuss with the Wang family next door, and Wang Shouye drove the family's mule cart [no carport] to send him to Beijing to take the exam.

That morning, most of the people in the village had heads and faces, and even Zhao Bantou's father and daughter rushed over from the county seat.

Earnestly, it was sent several miles out of the village.

But who would have thought that the sky was not beautiful, and when he went out, the sky was still clear, and Li Xiucai had just been on the road for half an hour when there was a shower.

At that time, Wang Laohan felt that it was not a good sign.

As a result, just after noon, Yang San, a merchant in a neighboring village, sent back Li Xiucai and Wang Shouye, who were unconscious, saying that they had picked them up on the side of the road, and all the mules and horses and luggage they had with them were gone.

…………

Hearing this, Wang Shouye saw Zhao Bantou stop, and couldn't help blurting out, "Are they...... Uh, are there any wounds on me and Lee Sang-gong or any signs of poisoning? ”

After speaking, I saw that there was something wrong with the eyes of everyone looking at them.

It's not good, it's out of line again!

Wang Shouye regretted it in his heart, and originally made up his mind to pretend to be stupid, but in the end he still couldn't hold back.

At this time, I heard Zhao Bantou say: "I never thought that you were a bricklayer, and you were so careful-in fact, I carefully examined it the day before yesterday, but there were no wounds on your body, let alone signs of poisoning." ”

After a pause, he added, "By the way, when you were sent back, your clothes weren't the same as they were in the morning. ”

Changed clothes?

The person who stole the mule cart and luggage obviously wouldn't be kind enough to change them into clean clothes.

In this way, the two should have taken the initiative to change their clothes.

And in general, no one is stupid enough to change their clothes while getting drenched in the rain.

Thinking of this, Wang Shouye first glanced at Zhao Hongyu, saw that she was staring at him with burning eyes, hesitated for a moment, then turned his head and asked, "Dad, how far can our mule cart run in half an hour?" ”

Anyway, the bottom has already been exposed, and if you deliberately pretend to be stupid and stay out of the matter now, you will only anger this yellow-haired girl in vain.

Since it is also a knife to stretch out her head and shrink her head, Wang Shouye is too lazy to hide it anymore - if she can really save Li Xiucai, she will not be able to take revenge again, right?

"Our mule is old, but this road is all official roads...... "Wang bricklayer counted with his fingers for a long time, and then gave the answer: "It should be more than twenty miles, no more than twenty-five miles at most." ”

Wang Shouye turned his gaze to Zhao Bantou again: "Zhao Bantou, is there a place nearby where I can shelter from the rain and change clothes?" ”

"Yes!"

Zhao Bantou said, took out a yellowish piece of paper from his sleeve, and then put his chin on Wang Shouye's body, and the official next to him immediately stepped forward and sent the paper to Wang Shouye.

Wang Shouye took it in his hand and looked at it for a while, but it turned out to be a simple map.

In addition to Li Xiucai's route to Beijing, it is also marked with Nanxinzhuang, Liuliqiao, and the county seat of Miaoxian, as well as the Si [SI] ditch river that connects the latter two.

After Wang Shouye finished reading the map, Zhao Bantou continued: "There is only Liuli Bridge near that that that is suitable for sheltering from the rain and changing clothes - I went to Liuli Bridge today, and I did find the footprints of the two of you under the bridge, but I asked people to search inside and out for most of the day, and I searched all over the water and on the shore, and I didn't find anything strange." ”

It turns out that he has thought of it a long time ago!

is also, at least he is also the head catcher of a county, even if he is not as good as the criminal police of later generations in terms of professionalism, he always has at least the ability to reason logically.

"Will it be ......?"

Just when Wang Shouye was slightly hit, Wang Bricklayer on the side suddenly said in a trembling voice: "Could it be that the water ghost did it?" Later, Zhao Ye, there are many people you have brought, and they don't dare to show their heads again? ”

"It shouldn't be some water ghost."

Zhao Bantou shook his head resolutely: "The Zhigou River has been short of water all these years, and the deepest place is only more than two feet deep, and there is only one and a half feet near the Liuli Bridge, how can it be a dead person who drowns?" ”

One and a half feet is converted into modern units of measurement, which is about forty-five centimeters, a depth that even a three-year-old child can't drown.

But......

Just by the slippery touch of the monster, it did look like it came out of water.

Seeing that Wang Shouye was thoughtful, Zhao Bantou suddenly asked, "Wang family boy, what did you remember?" ”

"This ......"

Wang Shouye was still hesitating, whether to pretend to have a nightmare and tell the story of the monster invasion, and suddenly saw Zhao Bantou standing up.

"It's okay if you can't remember it now."

I heard him say undoubtedly: "Follow me to Liuli Bridge, and Bacheng will remember everything!" ”

As he spoke, he resolutely ordered: "Ma Biao will go to set up the car, Sanli will carry his uncle out, let's go!" ”

The two officials received the order in unison.

But then, one of the officials respectfully asked, "Do you want to go to the king's house and gather all the brothers?" ”

Li Xiucai is not only a county student, but also the head of the high school case, and this time there was an accident in Beijing to rush to take the exam, so it is naturally impossible for the county to send only such a few people to investigate the case.

In fact, at this time, there were more than 20 officials, white servants, and helpers stationed in Nanxinzhuang.

"No need."

Zhao Bantou shook his head without thinking about it: "What Wang Bricklayer said just now also has some truth, maybe it is because there are too many people who go that the evil people dare not show their faces." ”

The servant nodded, turned and hurried away.

The other official walked to the bed, carefully picked up Li Xiucai, and prepared to carry him outside.

"Wait!"

Seeing this, Zhao Hongyu hurriedly stopped him and said suspiciously: "Dad, are you really planning to take Li Xianggong to Liuli Bridge?" But he ...... right now."

"It's because he has become like this that he can't delay!" Zhao Bantou interrupted his daughter's words, and said: "Girl, your girl's body is too heavy, stay here and wait—rest assured, there is a father on his side to protect him, and nothing will happen." ”

As he spoke, he grabbed the ghost head knife on the table, and greeted Wang Shouye again: "Wang family boy, let's go." ”

This is resolute, and it doesn't give people a chance to refuse at all - not to mention that Wang Shouye can't find a reason to refuse for a while.

Or......

Just go with him to Liuli Bridge to have a look?

It would be a good thing for me to find out the origin of that monster.

Thinking like this, Wang Shouye nodded in response.

"Wait!"

The bricklayer on the side was anxious, and asked repeatedly: "What about Daoye Liu?" Where is Liu Daoye! Please ask him to make a move, you don't have to bring a hairy boy to be much stronger?! ”

"You hired the liar, right?"

Zhao Bantou sneered and said disdainfully: "Mother, take a few broken talismans drawn by ginger juice, and dare to deceive my daughter!" If it weren't for the sake of accumulating blessings for his uncle, Lao Tzu would have locked him back in the county and eaten prison with Wu Blind and Zhou Magu! ”

After speaking, he waved his hand: "Okay, don't go with you, you old fool, Jingte Niang will make trouble for Lao Tzu." ”

Where is the king bricklayer?

was about to kneel down and beg immediately, but fortunately, Wang Shouye was quick and helped him in time.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

Wang Shouye pretended to smile lightly: "With Zhao Bantou to protect me, what other danger can I have?" You can wait at home with peace of mind, and maybe when I come back, I will remember everything. ”

Wang Bricklayer was sad and had to say something, but Zhao Bantou was impatient to wait, and directly forced him back with a ghost head knife, and it was not to be said that he picked up Wang Shouye and went outside.

Ma Biao had already led the carriage to the mouth of the alley at this time.

Seeing that the official called Sanli carried out Li Xiucai, he hurriedly stepped forward and carried the 'old white face' to the car.

After Li Xiucai was settled, the two hurriedly got out of the car to invite Zhao Bantou.

Zhao Bantou shook his head and said: "Sanli, you and the Wang family kid are guarding your uncle inside, and I will sit outside with Ma Biao." ”

The two of them were stunned when they heard this, but they didn't question anything, but turned their heads and shouted and urged, letting Wang Shouye get into the carriage for the second time.

This has to be changed to a muddy nightmare, maybe I think that the other party understands his 'initial recovery from a serious illness'.

But in Wang Shouye's eyes, suspicion suddenly rose.

This posture ......

It's like you're trying to prevent yourself from running halfway?

But he had already agreed, so how could he run away halfway?

Could it be that there is something unspeakable in this?