tallest building

Chapter 112 Hard to Hold On

“You came back a little late, otherwise you would have seen Shao Si,” Wen Mingqian told Zhang Ma.

"What?! That bastard Shao Si has been caught?!" Zhang Ma immediately perked up upon hearing this.

"That's right! That bastard is such a coward, he just spilled the beans like beans from a bamboo tube as soon as he got here..." Sang Er spoke quickly, recounting the whole story of Shao Si in one breath.

"That damned man!" Zhang Ma gritted her teeth in hatred. "Why didn't I run into him? I'd rip his guts out, his heart, his liver, and his lungs and stir-fry them!"

Zhang Ma hated him to the core.

“Master has already taken him to report to the authorities,” Wen Mingqian said. “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Go and tell the kitchen to prepare some food.”

When Zhang Ma heard that things had made great progress, she was no longer as worried as before, and she even felt hungry.

As for Gong Xu, he went straight to the home of Shu Shang, the prefect of Bodu, and explained the matter. Prefect Shu immediately ordered a case file to be prepared. He also issued a warrant that very night, sending constables to Ma Daguang's outer residence to arrest him.

Ma Daguang's mistress had never seen anything like this before. She trembled like a leaf in her undergarments, her legs too weak to stand, so she had to kneel.

The officer's sharp shout startled her, and she blurted out everything she knew.

"He... he once said that if there is any real emergency, one can go to the Zhao Prince's estate near Hai'er Well in the southwest of the city to find him, but one should not go there unless there is a reason."

Although the city gates were closed at this time, they could be opened with the order of the Prefect of the Capital.

Gong Xu was worried, so he naturally followed along, and the group rode their horses out of the city.

Because it was the estate of the King of Zhao, none of these people dared to act rashly.

It should be understood that even when handling cases, one cannot easily offend powerful figures, let alone a royal relative like the King of Zhao who wields immense power.

Therefore, the lead constable instructed the old servant guarding Ma Daguang's outer residence: "Have you remembered everything I told you? If you say anything wrong and mess things up, you will be an accomplice!"

The old man quickly replied, "Don't worry, officer. I will make sure to explain things clearly and bring him out safely."

They let the old man go in and bring Ma Daguang out. Once they left the village, it was no longer Zhao Wang's territory, so arresting people would no longer be taboo.

By this time, everyone inside had naturally gone to sleep, and the old man had to call for a long time before someone opened the door.

"You old geezer! Did you come to announce a death in the middle of the night?" The person who opened the door couldn't help but curse as soon as he saw the old man.

Since they weren't from the Prince of Zhao's household, there was no need for them to be polite.

“Young man, please calm down! I am a servant of Master Ma Daguang. I have come out to find our master because of an emergency at home,” the old man said, following his instructions.

"What time is it? The city gates have been closed for several hours. How did you get out?" the man couldn't help but ask suspiciously.

"I came out when the city gate was open, but my old eyesight is failing and I went to the wrong place. I ran around all night before I finally found it." The old man said with a smile, "Please, have a good word for me. There is an urgent matter at home that can't wait."

The man grew impatient with his pleas, and thinking that he was just an old man and there was nothing to be wary of, he said, "Go in and find him yourself! Who has the patience to run errands for you? Go north into the courtyard, there's a room with a light on, they're drinking and gambling there! Go in and see if he's there, if not, just ask him which room he's sleeping in."

The old man quickly thanked him, picked up the lantern, and walked in unsteadily.

Sure enough, Ma Daguang was among the gamblers. He had slept enough during the day and had something on his mind, so he simply spent his time at the card table. Unexpectedly, his old servant came looking for him. Naturally, he was surprised, but not wanting to ask too many questions in front of everyone, he simply asked, "Why are you here?"

"Grandpa, you should go back quickly! Something's happened at home," the old man said in a low voice.

Ma Daguang had no choice but to get up and say to everyone, "I have to go out for a bit, you guys have fun first."

As the old man went out the door, he stopped him in a secluded spot and asked, "What are you doing here in the middle of the night? How did you get out of town?"

"Don't ask yet, sir. The young mistress and young master have come along and are outside. They just can't come in right away," the old man said. "Let's talk about it after they've all met them."

Ma Daguang indeed stopped asking questions and followed him outside.

It was dark at the time, and the lantern could only illuminate three or four steps away; the area in front of and behind was almost completely dark.

The gatehouse lights were off, and Ma Daguang and the old man stumbled out of the gate, just as they were about to see where the carriages and horses were parked, when they were suddenly tackled to the ground.

Before he could utter a sound, the crowd quickly covered his mouth and tied him up, carrying him away from the King of Zhao's estate like a pig.

Ma Daguang was jolted so hard he was dizzy and disoriented, and finally stopped in the middle of nowhere.

"Ma Daguang, you've been caught." The officer grabbed Ma Daguang by the hair and shone a lantern on his face as he spoke.

"Officers, I have always been law-abiding and honest. You must have mistaken me for someone else." Ma Daguang was not about to give in so easily.
Gong Xu couldn't help but slap him across the face: "Open your dog eyes and see clearly! Tell me where you hid my son?!"

“Ma Daguang, you don’t need to lie anymore. If we didn’t have solid evidence, how would we have found you? Shao Si has already abandoned you. You’d better explain yourself now to avoid suffering.” The officer pulled Ma Daguang off his horse.

His hands and feet were tied, so he could only fall straight to the ground. He felt as if his internal organs were about to be shattered, and he dared not breathe for a long time.

Unfortunately, the officer was wearing riding boots and stepped on his waist.

Ma Daguang has a bad back; years of drinking and womanizing have almost completely ruined his health.

If the other party exerts force again, my back might break.

"Please have mercy, officer! I'll tell you everything." Ma Daguang's mind worked relatively quickly. He knew that refusing to talk wouldn't make much difference, and he just wanted to suffer less.

"Then just say it straight, no tricks." The officer lifted him up again.

“Young Master Gong is currently being held in the cellar in the backyard of Xuanmiao Temple. I’m acquainted with the Taoist priest there, and I told him I’d leave some things there and pick them up in a few days. Cough cough…” Ma Daguang couldn’t help but cough as he spoke. “I’ll take you there! They’re being guarded by the Lu Dumb Father and Son, and they only listen to me.”

It's very close to Xuanmiao Temple, less than three miles in total.

When we arrived there, the east was already beginning to lighten.

Ma Daguang knocked on the back door with practiced ease, walked around the kitchen, and went to the southwest corner of the Taoist temple. This was a vegetable garden, and the cellar was built in the small house to the north of the vegetable garden.

The group entered the house and found the cellar lid open.

Ma Daguang carried the lantern down, and upon looking around, his brows twitched in dismay.

There was no one in the cellar!