Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 319 The Missing Guo Guo'er
May Maitreya Buddha protect you!

May the ancestors of the Chang family bless you!

"With the descent of the enlightened king, peace reigns throughout the land."

In one of the courtyards of the former residence of the Darughachi of Jiqing City, a woman named Lan, dressed in fine silk and satin, was devoutly offering incense to the newly made ancestral tablet of the Chang family.

She was truly devout; her eyes shone with light.

He devoutly burned incense, watching the incense sticks emerge, shaped like lotus flowers, and his whole body was beaming with joy.

"Our ancestors are above us."

The Lan family treasured it like a precious gem, displaying Chang Yuchun's gold double sword honor medals to the ancestral tablet door.

"Chang Yuchun, son of the Chang family, was trusted and respected by the Ming King, and rose to the rank of deputy general, commanding over ten thousand troops and holding the title of commander of various camps."

"By our ancestors, the Chang family has produced a prodigy!"

After burning incense, Lan Shi came to the courtyard with satisfaction.

Jiqing - now the Ming King has renamed this place Jinling.

Jinling City is the most famous city in Jiangnan. It is much larger and more prosperous than Gaoyou City.

The city contained countless residences belonging to officials of various ranks of the Yuan court, as well as wealthy merchants.

These people have all been buried by now, and their houses are naturally disposed of by the Red Turban Army.

The living conditions of the military dependents who were resettled were far better than when they lived in Gaoyou City.

Back then, each family had their own room, and several families shared a courtyard.

Even so, it's still a fight, and it depends on the skills of each family's men to snatch a house in the city.

Once they entered Jinling City, each family had their own courtyard, and they no longer had to compete with others for land.

Lan had originally planned to buy a few maids and servants, but Chang Yuchun, who rarely came home, told her that the Ming king had abolished slavery.

From then on, there were no maids or servants, only hired laborers.

Moreover, King Ming only had two concubines serving him. Why should we, his subordinates, have a whole host of servants?
Isn't this just trying to sow discord between the Ming King and the King of Heaven?

There weren't many people in the Lan family. Her husband, who was too eager to advance in his career, spent all his time in the military camp, and her younger brother was just a messenger for the King of Ming. They didn't even hire any laborers.

After tidying up, we went to visit and have a meal in the neighboring courtyard.

She no longer cooks; she spends all her time going to Ma Xiuying's house next door to freeload.

Given the relationship between the two companies, it's not a big deal at all.

"Sooyoung~ Sooyoung~~"

Something's strange today. Ma Xiuying, who's always punctual, isn't home.

"Where did you go?" As soon as Madam Lan turned around, she saw a distraught Ma Xiuying staggering towards her.

She rushed forward to help her up, asking, "Good girl, what happened?"

Ma Xiuying, her face deathly pale, burst into tears.

"Guo'er~ Guo'er is gone~~"

Lan Shi's heart skipped a beat.

"Don't worry, don't worry, we're here, we'll definitely find it."

She shouted loudly, and soon many military dependents rushed over.

Under the Yuan Dynasty, the most luxurious and largest mansions in almost every city belonged to the local Darughachi.

After all, he was an inspector, wielding the power of impeachment and oversight, and could also mobilize the military. His status as a "leopard license plate" driver in the five outer counties was absolutely immense.

Lin Dao's camps were all set up in government offices, and he himself never pursued pleasure.

This enormous mansion, divided into courtyards, served as the residence for the families of a group of high-ranking military officers.

The only exception was Ma Xiuying.

She is the captain of an emergency rescue team, her younger brother is Lan Yu's errand boy, and her younger sister Guo'er doesn't have a proper job and just runs around and plays around all day.

When the military dependents learned that Guo'er was missing, they were immediately thrown into an uproar.

Even those who aren't usually that close to each other are filled with righteous indignation at this moment.

The reason is simple: it affects the interests of their entire group.

Today she's a girl, tomorrow she might be a member of their family!

The military dependents quickly mobilized, first thoroughly searching the residence, and then going outside to search.

"That's no use!"

Lan instructed people to take care of the distraught Ma Xiuying, while she and a few close friends hired a carriage to go directly to the military camp.

Military dependents rarely come to the military camp on their own initiative; if they do, it must be because something really happened.

Upon learning the news, Chang Yuchun put aside his military duties and went out of the camp to meet him.

Women were absolutely not allowed to enter the camp.

"Is there such a thing?"

Chang Yuchun was greatly surprised.

The residence of the military dependents was the safest place in Jinling City, apart from the residence of the Ming King.

He thought about it carefully and immediately instructed, "Without the Ming King's military order, I cannot mobilize troops."

"Go to the government office immediately and find Lan Yu."

Lan Shi also realized that in addition to her outstanding husband, she also had a capable younger brother.

She rushed to the government office, identified herself, and asked someone to announce her arrival.

Looking impatient, Lan Yu yelled in her hoarse voice, "I'm so busy~~~"

Lan Shi grabbed his ear and immediately made Lan Yu behave.

Upon learning of Guo Guo'er's disappearance, Lan Yu hurriedly ran to report to the Prince Ming.

He also knew that the Ming King treated Ma Xiuying's family differently.

Just like the residence of the Darughachi, only the families of the commanders could live there, but Ma Xiuying's family was able to live there, which was obviously a sign of special treatment.

"Gone?"

Lin Dao, who was planning to enter Jungun Prefecture, frowned as he put down his pen. "Have you searched the surrounding area?"

"Yes," Lan Yu replied cautiously, "I've searched, but I couldn't find it."

Lin Dao looked up at Guo Tianjue, who was looking anxious, and ordered the city to be sealed off!

"Arrest and interrogate all the leaders of the city's corrupt officials and scoundrels!"

The battle had just ended, and we hadn't even had time to deal with these scumbags when they unexpectedly jumped out to court death.

The disappearance of a young girl is nothing to worry about; just go and find those city scoundrels.

Whether entrusted by someone or acting on their own, they are inevitably connected with them.

Constables and yamen runners are a joke in the face of the army. An army that receives orders moves with incredible speed.

Before nightfall, all the leaders of the city's foxes and rats were captured together.

Torture and interrogation do not exist in the military.

Pick one of the girls by the hair and ask him where the girl he grabbed is.

In the blink of an eye, within three breaths, he swiftly brought down the knife.

He then grabbed the second person by the hair, held the knife to the back of their neck, and continued to interrogate them.

In the past, these gangsters from the five outer counties were incredibly powerful and influential. In the eyes of the people of Jinling City, they were powerful figures whose mere presence could shake the entire city.

But now, even their backers have been buried by the armored soldiers, and they tremble like chicks before the armored soldiers' sharp blades.

This method of inquiry quickly yielded useful information.

When the Red Turban Army entered the city, all the monsters and demons in the city quieted down.

In recent days, as restrictions have gradually eased, some people have been eager to take advantage of the bargains.

Even with so many wealthy families in the city falling into ruin, it's possible that some of their female relatives are left to wander outside.

The women of these wealthy families were very popular with the guests.

The ones who carried out the act were beggars who could be found all over the city; one of their traditional businesses was to slap flower sellers.

At that time, Guo Guo'er went to the yamen to find Guo Tianjue and ask for money to buy snacks at the department store.

Although Ma Xiuying bought her food, she kept a close watch on her, not letting her eat too much, worried that she would be known for her good appetite and it would be difficult for her to find a husband in the future.

As a result, after leaving the area patrolled by soldiers, on this short road leading to the government office, he was slapped away by a beggar.

Lin Dao looked at the anxious Guo Tianjue and said, "Take some men and go find them."

As Guo Tianjue hurriedly went to find the person, Lin Dao's gaze swept over the group of city foxes and rats, "Chop them all up."

The soldiers immediately obeyed the King's orders.

A group of people were pulled by their hair, their necks exposed, and they screamed in fright.

Some people are protesting, saying it was done by a beggar, and it has nothing to do with us.
"This time it was done by a beggar."

Lin Dao rarely gave them a reply: "The evil deeds you have committed are no less than those of beggars."

In the modern world, the scoundrels and opportunists have all become more restrained; they are all busy making money.

But the city foxes and temple rats of ancient times were truly wicked and committed all sorts of evil deeds.

Extortion, forced buying and selling, and charging fees are all child's play.

They took money from wealthy people, kidnapped women, attacked and killed enemies, forced women into prostitution, pursued debts to the point of ruin and death, broke into homes and robbed people, and committed any evil they could think of.

They are found in almost every city.

The larger the city, the more of these people there are.

Lin Dao was already planning to deal with them, and now it was a convenient opportunity.

"Clean up the city thoroughly," Lin Dao instructed Shi Nai'an. "Kill those who deserve it, don't be soft-hearted."

These words startled Shi Nai'an for a moment before he bowed and accepted the order.

As he went out to run errands, he was still thinking to himself, 'Is the King of Ming subtly pointing out that I've been too lenient?'

'But when I take action, I know I have to splash water first~'

'Understood, I must be ruthless!'

'Slay them all!'

I thought that was the end of it.

Unexpectedly, another unexpected event occurred.

"no one?"

Lin Dao, who was reviewing the battle plan to attack Gunzhou, put down his pen again. "What does 'nobody' mean?"

Guo Tianjue gritted his teeth, "When they learned that Guo'er was a military dependent, they dared not take her in and resold her instead."

"Where did you go?"

"Suigetsuan."

Lin Dao also laughed, "Since you know the place, why don't you go and find it?"

Guo Tianjue hesitated, "After all, it's a pure Buddhist sanctuary..."

The Red Turban Army believed that Lin Dao was the reincarnation of Maitreya, which involved Buddhism, so they had no choice but to come to him for advice.

"You're too young."

Lin Dao shook his head and stood up. "Let's go and take a good look at this filthy Buddhist site!"

Upon exiting the gate, one sees the people from Yangliu Tower, bound and kneeling in the courtyard.

After glancing at it, Lin Dao, who was passing by, instructed Luo Guanzhong, "Chop them all down."

"All the workers in the building were chopped down."

"The owners behind the scenes have also been eliminated."

“All the three-room houses and two-room houses in the whole city were disposed of together.”

Luo Guanzhong was not a moral gentleman either; his teacher was Shi Nai'an.

Deeply influenced by his master, he also acts quickly, accurately, and ruthlessly.

Since the King of Light has ordered the killings, then let's kill them all!
Arriving at Shuiyue Nunnery, Guo Tianjue ran up and knocked on the door.

When a nun came out and saw so many soldiers, she was terrified.

"This is a sacred Buddhist site; please do not disturb it."

After saying that, he actually closed the door.

"After you get back," Lin Dao instructed the bewildered Guo Tianjue, "go and collect your ten strokes of the military rod."

Guo Tianjue dared not argue and bowed to accept the order.

Lin Dao looked at Lan Yu and said, "Go and teach him how to do things, and set an example for him."

"Leader!"

Lan Yu strode forward and kicked the door.

I couldn't kick it open; it was bolted shut from the inside.

"Break open the door!"

With a hoarse voice, Lan Yu shouted, "Charge in and arrest everyone!"

"Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"

(End of this chapter)