Li Shi said: "Ignorant child, you sacrifice your life to save my son, it is a lifelong friendship, what about being a brother?" Li Mao thought to himself: "I'm just worshipping my brother, and I'm not going to be a son-in-law, what am I hypocritical?" So she agreed, and the old lady was overjoyed, so she asked her to check the almanac, choose an auspicious day, and sent the little girl Qingmo to take Li Mao to bathe and change clothes.

After Li Mao's resignation, Xue Rong asked the old lady: "He saved his son, just thank him, why bother to worship any brother, such a person is unknown, I am afraid that it will affect my Xue family." Xue Rong's intention to say this was only to test, he had already had the intention to envelop after seeing Li Mao's good kung fu, but the Xue family was a big family with many rules, and he was afraid that his mother would not agree, so he made a temptation.

The old lady smiled: "This good family, you don't have to be suspicious. Then he said, "Let me ask you, how are the three people in the forest who kidnapped you capable of?" ”

When Xue Rong heard this, his face blushed, and he sighed: "They are all barbaric and fierce people, and they didn't even have time to draw their swords." The old lady said: "You have no backhand power in front of the robbers, but he is one against three, what kind of courage is this?" Wouldn't it be nice to have him by your side? You have a loose temperament, good at reading, a book angry, if you enter the court to be an idle official, it is okay, but to do what the county order, this kind of herdsman official is actually the most difficult to do, there is arrogance, thorn history, there are indigenous tycoons who sit on the ground and take root, my Xue family is considered to be the top duty in Baoding, the county does not dare to look at each other, if you encounter that arrogant and rude disobedience to control, what should you do? ”

Xue Rong's face sank after saying this, and Li said again: "You have the intention of making meritorious contributions, how can my mother not agree." However, the officialdom is sinister, and the slightest carelessness will end up as a ship capsizing and people will die, how can it be careless? Lao Gu is old, his spirit and muscles are not as good as before, Qingmo is childish again, there is no one around you who has ever believed in it and can afford the scene. ”

Xue Rong nodded and said, "I understand, let my mother bother." ”

As he was talking, a young woman of twenty-five or sixteen years old arrived at the hall, wearing a lake silk skirt, with a fair and round face and a graceful demeanor, but it was Xue Rong's wife Wei.

Wei is from the Chang'an family, although the Xue family is also a prestigious family in the river, but it is not as famous as the Wei family, after the Wei family married into the Xue family, relying on the power of the mother's family has always been arrogant, and he went straight in without the help of his subordinates.

Xue Rong's face was a little ugly, and he was about to scold, but Li secretly pinched his arm and gave him a look, asking him to be patient.

Wei Shi hurriedly saluted the old lady and said in horror: "Da Lang is in danger in the forest, has he ever been injured?" Xue Rong said with a dark face: "Are you looking forward to me being injured to be comfortable?" Wei Shi was a little afraid of her husband, so she didn't dare to answer, so she walked behind the old lady with a gentle move, put her hand on the old lady's shoulder, and muttered: "Mother, you see that Da Lang said this, and the concubine is also worried about him." ”

The old lady patted her hand and smiled comfortingly: "You don't have to pay attention to him, he was frightened by the thief, and he didn't look good when he saw anyone." Wei got the support of the Li family, snorted at Xue Rong like a demonstration, and turned his worries into joy: "I heard that there were three thieves in the robbery, and before the righteous man came to the rescue, Da Lang had already fallen into the Tao, but I don't know how much gold and silver he lost?" ”

When she said this, her eyes were staring at Xue Rong, and the words gold and silver were deliberately bitten very hard, as if they meant something.

The old lady scolded lightly: "It's good that people come back safely, money and property are all external things, and if you lose it, you lose it, what does it matter?" Li knew in her heart that Wei's question was not about money, her intention was to go to Xue Rong's concubine Yun Niang, Yun Niang is bright and moving, she is an authentic beauty, who doesn't salivate when she sees it? How can it be justified to fall into the hands of thieves this time?

When Xue Rong returned to his mother, he hid the section on Yun Niang's humiliation, although Li was like a mirror in his heart, he pretended to be deaf and dumb and did not delve into it, and at this moment the conversation was provoked by Wei, and the old lady could only continue to pretend to be confused. She was afraid that Webster would continue to entangle, so she changed the conversation and asked Webster: "Da Lang will go to Caozhou as an official, will you go?" ”

Wei Shi was slightly dissatisfied with the old lady's pretending to be confused, and was about to resume the conversation, but was blocked by this question, she couldn't help but hesitate, she didn't want to go to Caozhou, since she married into the Xue family at the age of sixteen, the relationship between husband and wife has not been harmonious, rather than guarding her husband every day, it is better to be out of sight.

Moreover, Baoding is thousands of miles away from Caozhou, how can I stand the pain of bumps? And what her husband did was just a county order from Qipin, and he couldn't be majestic if he wanted to, but he was laughed at by the local tyrants. But if you don't go, one is that the boudoir is unbearable and lonely, and the other is unwilling to get married for ten years without any willingness, and after a while, Wei Shi responded: "If the concubine goes to Caozhou with Dalang, who will flatter her in front of her mother?" ”

The old lady said: "Let Yun Niang stay, your little couple has been together less and more since they got married, and they are all divided, this time I am in charge, you go to Caozhou together, if you can't bring back a few grandchildren for me at the end of the three-year term, don't enter my door." ”

Wei Shi said coquettishly: "Whether you can hold your grandson or not, whether the concubine says it alone or not, it depends on what Da Lang says." Li said: "He dared to break my Xue family's incense, see if I don't break his legs." Wei covered his mouth to eat and laugh, because he saw that her husband had a dark face and frowned, and made a sad face, his heart suddenly became angry, and he replied in a hard voice: "Mother commands, and the concubine obeys her fate." The concubine accompanied the eldest man to Caozhou, and if she couldn't bring back a grandson to you after three years, the concubine would have no face to enter the Xue family, so she simply shaved her hair and became a sister-in-law. ”

Li scolded with a smile: "Sure enough, my mother doesn't want him as a son, so I simply sent the two of you to become a monk together, so that you can be a companion." The amused Webster giggled and chanted Amitabha Buddha, saying that he had blasphemed the Buddha.

……

Li Mao took a hot bath comfortably, changed into clean clothes, and was sitting and drinking tea, but saw a young man in a long shirt and the village leader leading three soap-clothed officials into the small courtyard.

The young man is Xue Rong's younger brother, named Xue Fang, Li Mao had seen him when he first arrived in Xuejiazhuang, Xue Rong had a very close relationship with this fellow brother, and when he learned that his brother was in danger in the forest, Xue Fang hurriedly thanked Li Mao with a big salute, saying that he was not resigned, and afterwards he was busy going to the village and the patriarch to discuss the aftermath.

The deep affection of the Xue brothers and the shrewdness and ability of Xue Fang left a deep impression on Li Mao.

At this moment, he brought three dukes over, Li Mao was a little surprised, he looked left and right, and saw that the back window was open, outside the window was a green and glorious vegetable field, and a few bamboo fences were outside the dense forest, which was a good way to retreat.

Li Mao had a bottom in his heart, and he was on guard, wanting to see what was going on with these three dukes.

Xue put his feet in the courtyard, said a few words to the village and the three dukes, and the four of them looked at the scenery in the courtyard, Xue took a big step to the hall, bowed to Li Mao, and said: "There is something to let Engong know, in the afternoon, a certain and the village are taking people to the forest to tie up the three thieves, but they are not going to be a step late, and the three of them are let the wild wolves gnaw to death." When there was a murder case, the local government could only report to the official, but now that someone from the government has come and the body has been inspected, I need to ask Engong a few words. But please rest assured, Zhu Mingfu, the county hall, is a close friend of his brother, and he is foolproof to maintain it. ”

Li Mao was secretly taken aback: he just shot out to knock out the three thieves who robbed the road, and he was not tied up afterwards, so he could wake up in a moment and a half, why was he gnawed by a wolf?

Then I thought: This may mean that good and evil will be rewarded in the end, and if you do too much injustice, you will kill yourself.

Secretly glanced at the three soap-clothed officials, all carrying waist knives, with iron rulers, iron chains tied around their waists, an old official with gray sideburns carrying a wooden box on his back, and a bundle of straw paper on the belt iron ring, although the three of them were serious, their faces were not vicious, and the accompanying village was also smiling and calm.

Li Mao had no doubt in his heart, and invited the three dukes into the main hall to serve tea, the old official opened the wooden box, took out the paper, ink, pen and inkstone, and prepared to record, Xue Fang secretly told Li Mao: "Yun Niang's humiliation can be concealed, and I have already said hello in the county." ”

The three dukes asked about the whole of the case, asked Li Mao to draw a confession, and suddenly got up and said that he would take Li Mao back to the county government to await trial, Xue Fang hurriedly begged: "Please Rong Engong live in the village, and Xue Rong will accompany Engong to receive the crime when the Ming Mansion opens." ”