Ita Era

Chapter 137 Visit
Ding Shi looked up and saw everyone staring at him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Kill the princess and frame the bandits. Use their power to avenge the princess and get the gentry and landlords to donate money and goods. Pick two examples, accuse them of disrespecting the imperial family, confiscate their property, imprison them, and give a bribe to the superior, who will then send someone to judge their crimes."

Wang Meng: "How can I accuse you of disrespecting the royal family?"

Ding Shi said, "A mourning hall must be set up for the death of the princess. Those who worship the princess without permission can be suspected of being accomplices of bandits. We will be notified that those who do not worship the princess are disrespectful to the royal family. We will find a few bandits, torture them into confessing, and falsely accuse Manager Liu and the Wang family of harboring bandits to enhance their own power. We will confiscate their property and let the officials make the judgment."

Ding Shi said, "This way we'll have money, grain, and manpower. Otherwise, how could we possibly accomplish so much with just a few dollars in the yamen? Besides, what innocent little guy gets any treats? We have to make a fuss. The bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish. If we have the chance, we might even consider assassinating the emperor and overthrowing the Great Shrimp Dynasty."

Yu Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "I think it's possible. We must lay the foundation within 48 hours. I need to determine the proportion of corvée labor, the amount of funds to be invested, and the person in charge of river repair."

After Ding Shi opened his mouth, all sorts of ingenious ideas came out on stage.

For example, instead of repairing the river embankments, we only dredge the river channel, deepening and widening it, and then we don't care if the downstream areas suffer.

They impersonated bandits to rob wealthy households.

The corvée labor was incorporated into the army, temporarily expanding the number of soldiers to a thousand, so as to eliminate the mountain bandits with an absolute numerical advantage.

Chu Yu took notes of everyone's suggestions to prepare for the next careful planning and action.

With so much to do, everyone quickly ate lunch and went about their own business.

The seven people were divided into three units. Su Su and Ding Shi belonged to a separate unit, and their tasks were not closely related to the others. The other five people needed to coordinate and cooperate. Now it all depended on Yu Yuan and Chu Yu's abilities; could they stir up trouble in Yong'an County with limited resources?

Ding Shi's personal evaluation focuses on solving cases, and his performance directly affects the security level, which in turn affects the tribe's evaluation. The system has only given Ding Shi one case: the disappearance of Daya. Ding Shi must rescue Daya.

Solving cases is also divided into different levels. The best outcome is to catch the suspect and rescue Daya. If you fail to rescue Daya, your evaluation level will drop by one.

After lunch, Ding Shi teleported to Peach Blossom Village, rode an electric scooter around, and the villagers automatically ignored the scooter's presence thanks to advanced technology, pointing out the location of Daya's house.

Daya's family consists of three thatched huts. Compared to most houses in the village that use roof tiles, Daya's family's standard of living is not high.

Ding Shi knocked on the door but received no answer. He pushed it open and found the courtyard gate ajar, so he went inside. Chicken droppings were everywhere on the sandy ground, and there wasn't much firewood under the makeshift shed. Ding Shi picked up an axe, tested the blade, and found it to be quite dull. In contrast, the machete beside him was very sharp.

What does this mean? It means that the family used a machete, not an axe, to chop wood. Further speculation suggests that the woman was the one chopping the wood.

There are five people in Da Ya's family. Chen Er Gou is Da Ya's father, Zheng Shi is Da Ya's mother, and besides Da Ya, there are two other children, Er Ya and Gou Dan. Er Ya is 13 years old and Gou Dan is 8 years old.

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and a woman with graying temples entered, carrying a large basin in her hand and a basket on her back, seemingly having just returned from washing clothes by the river.

Ding was wearing the uniform of a constable from the yamen. The woman was only stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up with surprise and she asked, "Sir, have you found Daya?"

Ding Shi replied, "Not for now. I came today to check the case details with you."

The light in Zheng's eyes disappeared.

Since a man and a woman alone together cannot be in the same room, Madam Zheng opened the courtyard gate and invited Ding Shi to sit down in the courtyard. She went to the kitchen to boil water, but Ding Shi said that water was fine. So Madam Zheng filled a large bowl with tea and handed it to Ding Shi.

Zheng sat down to one side and chopped firewood with a wood-chopping knife while answering Ding Shi's questions.

Ding Shi said, "Da Ya left Peach Blossom Village at six in the morning. If it's 20 li, she should be able to reach Peach Tree Village before noon. Even if she rests several times along the way, she should be able to get there by the afternoon. Right?" Since they shared a common language, the setting of time was eliminated, and the kneeling ceremony was no longer required.

Zheng: "Yes."

Ding Shi said, "You think it's normal that Da Ya didn't come back that day."

Zheng said, "As you said, it would be too rushed to make it back and forth in one day."

Ding Shi asked the first question: "Did you tell Daya to come back that day?"

Zheng: "I didn't."

Ding Shi said, "According to the transcript you provided, Da Ya did not return that day, and you mistakenly believed that she stayed overnight at your parents' house. In other words, you thought that Da Ya should have returned that day, but she did not."

Zheng did not understand.

Ding Shi said, "Da Ya left at six in the morning. Leaving so early is obviously to ensure Da Ya returns that day. Otherwise, why would she travel so early when it's still dark at six?" The sun rises at 6:30.

Zheng shook her head: "I didn't think that much about it."

Ding Shi nodded and said, "I have another question. What did Daya have for breakfast? Did she bring any dry food to eat on the road?"

After stammering for a moment, Zheng said, "She ate mixed grain porridge this morning and brought two mixed grain cakes with her."

Ding Shi: "We need to cook mixed grain porridge, which requires more than an hour's advance preparation. Eating at six o'clock and leaving means we have to get up at four in the morning to cook. Is there any reason for leaving at six o'clock to let Daya have lunch at your parents' house?"

"Yes," Zheng added. "As the adults have seen, our family's conditions are very poor compared to others in the village. The child's maternal grandmother's family is better off. After not seeing her for half a year, the grandmother will definitely take better care of her granddaughter when she suddenly sees her again."

Ding Shi nodded and asked, "So, are you sure Daya brought multigrain biscuits? And drank multigrain porridge before leaving?"

Confused, Madam Zheng asked, "Sir, what does this have to do with Daya's disappearance?"

Ding Shi replied, "Of course it's related."

Zheng: "What relationship?"

Ding Shi: "Am I the adult, or are you? Answer my questions. If you lie again, you'll spend a few days in prison." Although the position of Dian Shi was the lowest of the nine ranks, it was a court official carefully selected by the Ministry of Personnel and appointed by the emperor.

Madam Zheng hurriedly waved her hand, saying in a flustered manner, "This humble woman dares not. As you said, Da Ya did not eat breakfast and did not bring any grain cakes. She set off at six o'clock in the morning."

Ding Shi nodded and asked, "What do you think? Do you think it's appropriate for a child to walk 20 li (10 kilometers) on an empty stomach?"

Zheng remained silent.

Ding Shizhen was annoyed. He took out his 40-meter-long sword and roared, "What do you ask? Answer me! Is it that hard? You won't listen to nice words, do you have to make me lose my temper?"

People are just like that. When Ding Shi got angry, Zheng Shi spoke smoothly: "Yes, it was the child's father who said that Daya should get up early and set off early so that she could make it to my mother's house for lunch."

Ding asked, "Did Daya get up by herself at six o'clock in the morning?" Zheng replied, "Yes."

Ding asked again, "Where were you and your husband? Were you up at that time?"

Zheng replied, "My husband got up first and saw Daya washing her face. He told Daya to hurry up so the sun would come out and she could get some sun."

Ding Shi knew what was going on and asked, "Your husband doesn't usually get up this early, does he?"

Zheng started to stammer again.

Ding Shi stood up: "Let's go, we'll give you a set of tortures at the prison first."

Madam Zheng hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, saying, "My lord..."

Ding Shi slapped Zheng Shi to the ground: "Either talk now, or come with me." Ding Shi's weakness: lack of patience. To put it nicely, he wants effective dialogue and doesn't want to waste his time on things he's not interested in.

Zheng got up, covered her face, and said in a hurried and fearful tone, "The child's father basically never comes home; he lives outside."

Ding Shi asked, "Did Da Ya go home on the day she disappeared?"

Zheng nodded: "Yes."

Ding Shi asked, "Where does he live?"

Zheng replied, "I live at Widow Wang's house in the west of the village."

Ding Shi said, "Take me to find Chen Ergou."

The Wang family's house was worlds apart from the Zheng family's. Not only did the house have blue brick walls, but the several rooms were also tiled, and the firewood was piled up to the brim.

A burly man was chopping wood while talking to a beautiful, charming woman. Ding Shi glanced at Widow Wang from outside the door, then at Zheng Shi… Sigh, on one side was a charming beauty, on the other a haggard, white-haired woman. If it were him, he would also choose Widow Wang. One must be strong oneself to succeed. True strength comes from one's own abilities. If men are reliable, pigs will fly.

Before Ding Shi could utter a sound, Zheng rushed in and started fighting with Widow Wang. The reason: Widow Wang was wearing her gold bracelet, which was Zheng's dowry and the only valuable thing she owned.

Widow Wang was no match for Zheng and was thoroughly beaten to the ground. Chen Ergou immediately intervened, pulling Zheng aside and demanding, "What's wrong with you? Get out of here!"

Zheng refused to listen and made a scene, insisting on hitting Widow Wang. Then Chen Ergou beat her up.

Ding Shi ignored these trivial matters and sat on a wooden stump to watch the commotion. The reason he didn't help Zheng was that Zheng's target was Widow Wang.

Whether it's a story about a vixen or catching someone cheating, in many cases the wife and the mistress end up together. Ding Shi believes the betrayer is the core of the problem.

After they finished arguing and fighting, a group of people gathered at the door, and the people who were there to smooth things over finally arrived. These people were mostly elders, and they would definitely scold Chen Ergou a couple of times. Chen Ergou then took the opportunity to pull Zheng Shi away.

However, with Ding Shi present today, the story did not unfold completely. Ding Shi said, "Chen Ergou, come with me."

Chen Ergou: "Sir, why are you arresting a commoner like me?"

Ding Shi said, "Let's talk about it at the county government office."

Chen Ergou refused: "I'm not going."

Ding Shi kicked Chen Ergou into the woodpile with a side kick. What era is this? Feudal society! If I, an official, order a commoner like you to come with me to the county government office, would you dare not go?
At this moment, some villagers who were on good terms with Chen Ergou, hiding in the crowd of onlookers, chimed in, saying, "Are you sure you want to help Chen Ergou? Talking about interests is worse than talking about the law. If you stop me from taking Chen Ergou away today, I will bring a lot of people to arrest Chen Ergou tomorrow and treat you as an accomplice."

Without a household registration or travel permit, you're not even eligible to be a fugitive.

Thus, Ding Shi successfully took Chen Er Gou away. Since Chen Er Gou couldn't use the teleportation array, Ding Shi used his electric scooter to transport him to the county government office.

Ding Shi grabbed Chen Ergou by the back of his collar and took him to the prison, instructing, "Give him a set of tortures, and don't pay attention to what he says in between. I'll be back in an hour. Don't kill him, I still need to question him."

Chen Ergou said urgently, "Sir, I confess, I confess everything. I sold Daya."

Ding Shi: "I didn't believe a single word you said before the torture." That's right, Chen Ergou confessed that he sold Daya, but he would cover up many details and facts in order to exonerate himself.

Ding Shi ordered, "Initiate the torture." Seeing the constables begin, Ding Shi turned and left to go to the toilet, take a bath, and then visit his other friends.

Upon entering the Zheng family home, Ding Shi deduced that there was definitely something wrong with Daya's family. A troubled family losing a child likely stemmed from family issues. Through detailed questioning, he uncovered Chen Ergou's unusual behavior, thus confirming Chen Ergou's involvement in Daya's disappearance.

Who does this dog system look down on? Anyone who has watched even half an episode of Detective Conan can solve this kind of small case with ease.

……

The county government office was divided into inner and outer courtyards. The inner courtyard was very large and was the main residence of the county magistrate. Generally speaking, the county assistant magistrate and others had residences outside or lived in the outer courtyard.

To highlight the unique characteristics of the feudal era, the system assigned the county magistrate two servants, one steward, and four maids—yes, maids who could share a room with the emperor. In addition, the assistant magistrate, county clerk, registrar, education commissioner, and clerk were all appointed officials by the imperial court, so they were each assigned a maid or servant. The servants were given to the female officials, and the maids to the male officials.

The servants and maids weren't particularly beautiful or handsome, but they generally had regular features and could be described as pretty and delicate. These servants and maids all had indentures, belonging to the lowest rungs of the social hierarchy. In some dynasties, their masters could kill them, and in others, they had to pay a fine to the government after being killed.

Ding Shi was happy to be waited on. He gave the order to boil water for a bath, and hot water was ready in no time. The maids also washed his clothes and everything else, trying their best to please their master. In conclusion, 711-Eleven is still the most convenient; after all, you've already paid for it, so there's no psychological burden in using it.

Ding Shixian wandered over to Yu Yuan and Chu Yu's office. Chu Yu was busy on her laptop arranging corvée labor. She needed to decide how many households would be assigned one person for corvée labor, the positions to be filled, and the timing of the labor service, in order to prepare for the possible floods next summer. She also needed to avoid the busy farming season.

In addition, she also needed to formulate the treatment for corvée laborers. Some corvée laborers would receive some pocket money and a day off, while others would have very dangerous positions and needed improved treatment. The county government's funds were currently limited, so they would deduct whatever little they could.

Yu Yuan traveled to the three towns to meet with the town mayors and village chiefs to discuss the issue of corvée labor. In the afternoon, he would visit the princess with red clothes and gifts to explore the possibility of assassinating her. After repeated discussions, it was decided that the princess, this scourge, had to die. Without her, many things could not be accomplished, especially since she held Yu Yuan's political achievements in her hands, and his fate depended entirely on her words.

Su Su is setting the exam questions. The questions for the beginner level are relatively simple, with a total of five questions. The first question is to write a poem. The second question is similar to a fill-in-the-blank question, requiring students to extract a passage from the Four Books and Five Classics. The third question is to recite a passage from the Four Books and Five Classics or other books. The fourth question is the most important, requiring students to extract a passage from the Four Books and Five Classics and understand its meaning, similar to writing an essay. The fifth question is an arithmetic problem, requiring students to elevate their understanding of mathematical principles.

Su Su poured Ding Shi a cup of tea and said, "The key is the essay. If you write a good essay, as long as the other things aren't too bad, you can make the list. Here's a suggestion."

Ding Shi thought for a while and said, "Lao Tzu said to repay injustice with kindness, and Confucius said to repay injustice with justice and kindness with kindness. Both of them are sages. Let the candidates write an essay on this topic."

Su Su wrote down, delighted: "You're so naughty, I like it, hehe. Anyone who dares to say anything bad about Lao Tzu or Confucius is breaking the rules." Relatively speaking, Confucius is even more ruthless; you can't even mention his name.

(End of this chapter)