Chapter 454: Letter of Inquiry
The governor of Jingzhao was sleeping soundly at midnight last night when Xie Xingchuan and his men knocked on the yamen door loudly.
Although Xie Xingchuan was young, he was the only son of General Xie. This time he came to the capital to receive rewards on behalf of the generals from the border towns. It is said that the emperor praised him again and again.
With such a status, Jingzhao Prefecture Yin did not dare to neglect, and Xie Xingchuan was completely determined to live in the Yamen, so even if it was a trivial matter such as interrogating a family thief, Jingzhao Prefecture Yin could only bear the urging look of the other party. , interrogation was conducted overnight. .
"Sir, my father has always been strict in running the army. If he knew that something like this happened in his mansion, he would definitely be like the younger generation and ask you to deal with it sternly." Xie Xingchuan said.
The Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture naturally understood that there must be privacy in the general's palace, but he naturally thought that Mrs. Xie only had one son, Xie Xingchuan, and there must be no overnight feud between mother and son.
Even though Nanny Xie was his wife, Jin Zhaofu Yin didn't take it too seriously. After all, Xie Xingchuan was the future of the General's Mansion, and he was happy to betray Xie Xingchuan.
"General Xie is fair and strict, and he is worthy of being a role model for our generation. In this case, the three members of this family stole three thousand taels of property from the master's house. According to this court's agreement, the three of them will be punished with a hundred sticks and a journey of thousands of miles."
Xie Xingchuan hurriedly said: "My Lord enforces the law impartially, I admire you!"
When Grandma Xie and her family heard this punishment, they immediately cried for father and mother.
"Master, if a hundred sticks are used, will my great treasure still be alive? Please, for the sake of our husband and wife's many years of service, please let the child go!" Grandma Xie begged in tears.
The couple's son, Dabao, was captured from the gambling house by Xie Xingchuan last night.
He may indeed not know where his parents' money came from, but all of his parents' money was spent on him, so neither Xie Xingchuan nor Jingzhao Fuyin felt that he was innocent.
"It's really hateful to have an unworthy child and bring trouble to the parents!" Jingzhao Prefecture's Yin sighed with emotion. He even wished he could increase the punishment for Dabao.
Xie Dabao is the only son of the couple, and he got the gambling problem from somewhere. The more money he loses, the more money he loses. As a result, the couple spends all their time making money from the Xie family to make up for their son's losses.
"Sir, Madam Xie sent someone to deliver a post." Someone came over to deliver the item to Jingzhao Prefecture Yin, conveying Madam Xie's request by the way.
The governor of Jingzhao glanced at Xie Xingchuan.
Xie Xingchuan said loudly: "Sir, does my mother also want to be dealt with harshly?"
As if grabbing a life-saving straw, Nanny Xie said eagerly: "Madam will definitely save me! She won't abandon me for a little bastard like you!"
Grandma Xie's life and death were now at stake, and she did not continue to hide this huge secret.
The governor of Jingzhao was embarrassed that he was involved in the messy affairs of the Xie family, but at the same time he was lamenting in his heart that the Xie family was so bright on the outside but there were so many messy things on the inside.
Xie Xingchuan's expression remained unchanged and he said, "Sir, no one's face is as important as the law of the country."
Jingzhao Prefecture Yin had already made a verdict. After all, Mrs. Xie's post was sent too late, so he finally chose to uphold the verdict.
Aunt Xie's face was ashen and she kept cursing Xie Xingchuan: "Little bastard, if you treat me like this, my wife will not let you go! Even if our whole family is a ghost, we will not let you go!"
Jingzhao Prefecture Yin couldn't help but frown when he heard such deep hatred. He waved his hand and asked the official on the side to gag all the mouths of Nanny Xie and her family.
After Xie Xingchuan confirmed that the family of three could not stand up, he did not go back to Xie's house after leaving the yamen, but went straight to Gu's house.
"My son, what's wrong with your eyes? Didn't you sleep last night? There are such big dark circles!" Zhang Yuniang could tell that her son was not in good condition at just one glance.
Xie Xingchuan nodded and said, "I was busy catching mice last night and didn't sleep well."
Zhang Yunniang watched him eat two bowls of chicken noodle soup and wanted to eat a third bowl, so she quickly stopped him.
"You have to catch up on your sleep later. It's easy to get into trouble if you eat too much and sleep. You have to walk around the yard three times before going to sleep. Remember?" Zhang Yunniang warned.
Niu Niu held Xie Xingchuan's hand at the side: "Brother, I will walk with you!"
Xie Xingchuan obeyed his family's instructions honestly and walked around the yard three times before entering the room specially prepared for him by the Gu family.
The quilt in the room seemed to have been exposed to the sun recently, and you could smell the sun while lying on it.
As soon as he lay down, Zhang Yunniang knocked on the door and came in.
Seeing her son putting on the mask, Zhang Yunniang said: "It's so uncomfortable to wear a mask while sleeping. Mom is not an outsider."
Xie Xingchuan hesitated and finally took off the mask, but he didn't dare to look at Zhang Yunniang.
Although they were mother and son, they had been separated for too long, and Xie Xingchuan was already so old. It was still a little awkward for his mother to enter his room at this time.
"Mom, do you have anything to tell your son?" Xie Xingchuan asked.
Zhang Yuniang couldn't help but feel sad when she heard this. Gu Zhao would never talk to her like this. Xie Xingchuan always said "order" when he opened his mouth. She couldn't help but think, does Mrs. Xie often tell her son what to do?
She suppressed the doubts in her heart, sat beside Xie Xingchuan's bed, and said softly: "Niuniu is so old, but she still likes to listen to me singing ballads to coax her to sleep. Azhao and Ayan couldn't sleep before, and it was the same."
Xie Xingchuan suddenly felt as if he was wrapped in something warm. He had also heard his comrades in the border town mention that their mothers sang ballads to coax them to sleep when they were young.
In Xie Xingchuan's memory, he seemed to always lie alone in a big bed when he was young, surrounded by darkness. He was afraid before, but he got used to it later and let it go.
Xie Xingchuan also thought that he didn't need these things, but when he heard Zhang Yunniang humming softly, he fell into a sweet dream before he knew it.
Zhang Yunniang sat by the bed, watching Xie Xingchuan's brows finally relax, and then looked at the criss-crossing scars on her son's face, her heart felt like being pricked by a needle.
She stretched out her hand, wanting to touch, but was afraid of disturbing her son's sleep. After a long time, she turned around, wiped the tears on her face, and then tiptoed out of the room.
Gu Mingda asked outside the door: "Are you asleep?"
Zhang Yunniang nodded.
"I really don't know what he has been through these years. I don't know if it's my illusion, but I always feel that he has a hard life." Zhang Yunniang said softly.
Gu Mingda was also upset and said, "Don't worry, I have asked someone to take gifts to the border town to send a letter to ask about General Xie's past."