A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 148 He Guizhou

Ruan Fengshan changed into new clothes, sat in a blue wool sedan, and walked into the county government office at dawn.

From the information Zhou An got from torture, it was he and the leader of the Ku Ming Gang, Yu Wenlong, who were responsible for this. As for the yamen runner who released the sky lantern and gave the secret signal at the South City Gate, his name was He Guizhou, and he was Yu Wenlong's childhood friend.

The cross-shaped sky lantern means that gold is leaving the city and everything is going as planned!
A sky lantern means that things have changed, evacuate quickly!
Knowing that the person involved in this matter in the county government was just a small chief of the city gate yamen runners, Ruan Fengshan finally felt relieved of the worry that had been in his heart.

If the people involved in this matter were too deep in the county government, he would not pursue it further. But if it was just He Guizhou, how could he tolerate him?
Seeing that it was already dawn, He Guizhou yawned at the window of the duty room where he stood. From the window, he could see the official road outside the south gate of the city.

There were only a few pedestrians on the clean official road, like black dots...

"It seems that things are going smoothly..." He Guizhou said to himself as he glanced at the sky lantern at his feet.

He carefully checked everyone who left the city last night and did not find anyone suspicious. There was nothing unusual at this time, so it seemed that the cart of gold leaving the city had been taken.

Just then, there was a noise outside. It was the team of yamen runners who were changing shifts.

He Guizhou immediately flashed out of the duty room, patted the leader of the shift change team, and said with a smile: "Old Guo, thank you!"

"What are you thanking me for? Isn't it common to change shifts? Everyone has urgent matters to attend to!"

"After class tonight, I'll treat you to a drink!" He Guizhou said with a smile.

"That's great!" The yamen runner named Lao Guo said happily, "I've been getting drunk these days!"

The two chatted for a while, and He Guizhou was about to go home and wait for news from Yu Wenlong, but at this moment, Yang Zhen suddenly came with a few constables and arrested He Guizhou.

"Yang Zhen, we are brothers who see each other every day. What are you doing?" He Guizhou shouted at Yang Zhen.

Yang Zhen clasped his fists and said, "Chief He, I am just following orders. Please forgive me if I have offended you!"

"Obey orders? Whose orders?"

"Your Excellency!" Yang Zhen shouted.

He Guizhou's face changed when he heard this!
"Take him away!" Yang Zhen shouted to the detectives, then rushed into the duty room, glanced around and looked towards the corner.

Yang Zhen walked over, picked up the sky lantern that had not been released yet, and walked out of the duty room quickly.

Yang Zhen led the constables to escort He Guizhou directly to the lobby.

When He Guizhou arrived at the lobby, he saw Shen Yanliu sitting behind a large desk with a gloomy face, while Ruan Fengshan was sitting on a throne chair just to the right of the desk.

He Guizhou's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

When Shen Yanliu saw He Guizhou, he shouted coldly, "He Guizhou, do you admit your guilt?"

He Guizhou's eyes rolled around, and he immediately knelt down and said, "Since I took over as the leader of the city defense, I have been too lazy and neglected to discipline the yamen runners under me! If there are any mistakes, please punish me, the county magistrate!"

Shen Yanliu was so angry at He Guizhou's evasive and nonsensical attitude that he laughed and glanced at Yang Zhen behind him. Yang Zhen threw the Yi Zi Sky Lantern in his hand in front of He Guizhou.

"Let me ask you, what is the secret code of this word sky lantern?" Shen Yanliu said coldly.

"Secret code?" He Guizhou made a surprised expression and said, "This is my subordinate. I made the sky lanterns a few days ago during the Grain Full Festival. But I left this one in the duty room and forgot to release it..."

Shen Yanliu slammed the gavel and angrily said, "He Guizhou, you still dare to talk nonsense? Tell me! Are you and Yu Wenlong childhood friends? How did you plan this?"

He Guizhou was a little panicked when he saw Shen Yanliu directly pointed out Yu Wenlong. At this moment, Ruan Fengshan suddenly said: "The cross-shaped sky lantern means that the gold has left the city and everything is going as planned! The one-shaped sky lantern means that things have changed and we need to evacuate quickly! He Guizhou, is that right or wrong?"

When He Guizhou saw Ruan Fengshan, he suddenly revealed the secret code that he and Yu Wenlong had agreed upon beforehand, and his legs immediately went weak.

"You are also aware of my methods. Do you want to torture me before I confess?" Shen Yanliu suddenly looked at He Guizhou with cold eyes and said.

When He Guizhou was met with Shen Yanliu's gaze, his heart trembled suddenly. Shen Yanliu's torture was even more cruel than Jie Daohan's.

He Guizhou knelt on the ground, kowtowed like a chicken pecking at rice, and said: "County Master, I was bewitched for a while. Yu Wenlong promised me five thousand taels of silver and asked me to release a sky lantern. He said nothing would happen... I was also deceived by him... County Master..."

Shen Yanliu showed a disgusted expression on her face. She looked at Yang Zhen and said, "Take him away! Skin him! Parade him through the streets!"

"Yes!" Yang Zhen clasped his fists and waved his hand. Two constables rushed in and pulled He Guizhou, who was as limp as noodles, down.

Ruan Fengshan slowly stood up, clasped his fists towards Shen Yanliu, and said, "Thank you, Your Excellency, for seeking justice for me!"

"Manager Ruan, you don't have to be polite. Your report is also to help me clean up the mess, so that there won't be such a bad apple hidden in the government office, and people will think that I, the county magistrate, condoned it."

Ruan Fengshan could naturally hear the bad intention in Shen Yanliu's words, so he immediately said with a smile: "You, the county magistrate, have always loved the people like your own children, and your laws are strict! Who dares to gossip about it?"

Shen Yanliu sneered and said, "The cause of this incident is still within the Yuanshun Escort Agency. As the saying goes, trouble begins within the family. Manager Ruan, you must be careful!"

"Yes... yes..." Ruan Fengshan's forehead was covered with cold sweat, and he said, "Ruan will definitely learn from this lesson and conduct a thorough internal investigation!"

"That's great!" Shen Yanliu saw that Ruan Fengshan's attitude had softened and his stern expression had eased a bit, so he said, "Shopkeeper Ruan, I have some freshly picked Poria cocos tea here. How about we go to the back hall and have a cup?"

"Thank you, Your Excellency! You are very busy with official duties and I dare not bother you any more! I will take my leave!" Ruan Fengshan said as he left the hall with a worried look on his face.

When Shen Yanliu saw Ruan Fengshan retreating, she flicked her sleeves and went to the back hall.

Duan Rong slept until after noon. He let out a breath, feeling relaxed all over. He hugged the blanket and hummed happily.

Duan Rong lay on the bed for a long time before he got out of bed, picked the boogers from his eyes, and went to the well to wash up with the wooden basin in the corner.

In his dream, he had completely forgotten the afterimage of the Blue Star...

Isn't this just like an adult missing his childhood? Can he go back? If he can't, why bother missing it?
After washing up, Duan Rong stretched his body, then walked out of the escort agency, ready to go to the street to eat something. Although he missed the food in the canteen of the Central Courtyard, it was already past lunchtime.

Just as Duan Rong reached the door of the escort agency, the doorman Ma Wentao suddenly jumped out, greeted Duan Rong, and stuffed two pears into Duan Rong's arms, saying that they were freshly harvested pears and asked Duan Rong to taste them.

That enthusiasm made Duan Rong stunned.

Duan Rong was eating a sweet and crisp pear while walking on the street. Recalling Ma Wentao's expression, he said, "It seems that Ma Wentao is really grateful to me. After all, the wealth of their family depends on that little kid Ruan Jing..."

If Ruan Jing was really gone, it would probably not be long before Ruan Fengshan would send this doorman away. After all, the sight of something would make one sad, so why keep an old friend in front of him and make himself unhappy?

Duan Rong ate two sesame cakes and a big bowl of beef soup on the street, with plenty of chili oil and vinegar. He was so satisfied!
After eating this meal, Duan Rong immediately felt like he was fully revived. The light joy emanating from his mouth and stomach lingered in his body for a long time...

Duan Rong returned to the escort agency, picking his teeth with a thin branch while walking unsteadily. As soon as he reached the martial arts arena, a guard came over and shouted, "Master Duan, the boss wants to see you in the Juyi Hall in the backyard!"

Duan Rong spat out the scraps of meat and immediately asked, "What's the matter?"

"I'm just guarding outside the door, so I don't know what is being discussed in the hall." The guard rolled his eyes and answered without a single mistake.

(End of this chapter)