Since the ancestors, the Li family has passed on family through farming and reading.

Although Li Xiucai's father failed to pass the exam, he was also the tutor of Nanxinzhuang Private School during his lifetime.

Li Xiucai was the first to be a young man. At the age of fifteen, he was the first to take the college entrance examination.

Three years ago, during the autumn examination in Shuntian Prefecture, he was originally a popular candidate for the examination, but whoever wanted to prepare for the exam was that his father passed away due to an acute illness.

This time, Qiuwei can't catch up.

As well as his marriage with Zhao Hongyu, he had to delay it.

Now that I finally survived the three-year filial piety period, I ushered in the autumn examination of the 40th year of Jiajing. Li Xiucai was afraid that there would be any more changes, so he packed his luggage early and wanted to go to Beijing for the exam half a month in advance.

Qiang County is affiliated to Tongzhou Prefecture and is adjacent to the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. It is logical that if you take a boat for only half a day, you can reach the Datong Bridge Wharf outside Dongbianmen.

But unfortunately, Li Xiucai was so seasick that he was really unaccustomed to water.

So he had to discuss with the Wang family next door, and Wang Shouye drove his mule cart [no carport] and sent him to Beijing for the exam.

That morning, most of the village was well-known, and even the father and daughter of Zhao Bantou rushed over from the county town.

He was earnest and sent to the village several miles away.

But who would have thought that the weather was not good? It was still clear when I went out. It took only half an hour before a sudden rain started on the road.

At that time, Old Man Wang felt that it was not a good sign.

As a result, just after noon, Yang San, a businessman from the neighboring village, sent back Li Xiucai and Wang Shouye, who were unconscious, and said that they had picked it up on the roadside, and that they had nowhere to be seen.

…………

Hearing this, Wang Shouye saw Zhao Bantou stop and couldn't help but blurt out: "They...uh, are there any wounds or signs of poisoning on me and Xianggong Li?"

After saying that, everyone looked at him with something wrong.

Not good, it's out of line again!

Wang Shouye was very regretful and had made up his mind to pretend to be stupid, but in the end he couldn't hold it in his arms.

At this time, I heard Zhao Bantou say, "I never thought you were a bricklayer, and you were so careful. In fact, I checked it carefully the day before yesterday, but there were no wounds on your body, and there were no signs of poisoning."

After a pause, he added: "By the way, when you were sent back, your clothes were not the same as you wore in the morning."

Have you changed your clothes?

Those who stole mule carts and luggage obviously would not be kind enough to change them into clean clothes.

In this way, the two of them should have changed their clothes on their own initiative.

Generally speaking, no one is stupid enough to change clothes while getting wet in the rain.

Thinking of this, Wang Shouye glanced at Zhao Hongyu first. Seeing that she was staring at her with a burning gaze, he hesitated for a moment, then turned around and asked, "Dad, how far can our mule cart run in half an hour?"

Anyway, they have already revealed their true feelings, and now they deliberately pretend to be stupid and stay out of the matter, they will only anger the yellow-haired girl for nothing.

Since she stretched her head and shrank her head, she was too lazy to hide her weakness. If she could really save Li Xiucai, she would not be able to repay her kindness with her, right?

"Our mule is old, but it's all the way..." Wang Wujiang calculated for a long time before giving the answer: "It should be only twenty miles, no more than twenty-five miles at most."

Wang Shouye turned his gaze to Zhao Bantou again: "Zhao Bantou, is there any place nearby where you can shelter from the rain and change clothes?"

"have!"

Zhao Bantou said, and took out a slightly yellow paper from his sleeve, then he pointed his chin at Wang Shouye. The yamen runner next to him immediately stepped forward and delivered the paper to Wang Shouye.

Wang Shouye took it and looked it up, but it turned out to be a simple map.

In addition to the route Li Xiucai entered Beijing, the above marks Nanxinzhuang, Liuliqiao, Qianxian County Town, and the sigou River connecting the latter two.

After Wang Shouye finished looking at the map, Zhao Bantou continued: "There is only Liuli Bridge nearby for hiding from the rain and changing clothes - I went to Liuli Bridge today. I did find footprints of you two under the bridge, but I asked someone to search inside and out for most of the day, and searched all the water and shores, but I didn't find anything strange."

It turns out that he had thought of it for a long time!

Yes, he is still the captain of a county after all. Even if he is not as professional as a criminal policeman in later generations, he still has the minimum logical reasoning ability.

"Will it..."

Just as Wang Shouye was slightly hit, Wang Wajian on the side suddenly said tremblingly: "Can it be the water ghost? Later, seeing that you have brought many people, they dare not show up again?"

"It shouldn't be a water ghost."

Zhao Bantou shook his head flatly: "The Shugou River has been short of water for many years. The deepest place is only two feet deep, and it is only one and a half feet near Liuli Bridge. How can it be flooded dead?"

One and a half feet into modern units of measurement are only about forty-five centimeters. This depth is probably even a three-year-old child who cannot die.

but……

Just as the slippery touch on the monster's body, it really seemed to come out of water.

Maybe when he saw Wang Shouye thinking, Zhao Bantou suddenly asked: "Boy Wang, what have you remembered?"

"this……"

Wang Shouye was still hesitating whether to make a nightmare and tell the story of the monster's invasion, but suddenly he saw Zhao Bantuo rise up again.

"It doesn't matter if you can't remember it now."

He heard him say unquestionably: "When I go to Liuliqiao with me, I will remember everything!"

As he said that, he ordered again: "Ma Biao will take the car, Sanli will carry the son-in-law out, and we will set off now!"

The two yamen runners accepted the order in unison.

But then, one of the yamen runners respectfully asked for instructions: "Do you want to go to the Wangli family and gather all your brothers?"

Li Xiucai was a county student and a senior high school student. When he went to Beijing for an accident this time, he naturally couldn't send only such a few people to investigate the case.

In fact, there were more than twenty yamen runners stationed in Nanxinzhuang at this time, and the gangs were idle.

“No need.”

Zhao Banto shook his head without thinking, "What Wang Wajiang said just now is reasonable. Maybe it's because there are too many people going there that evil spirits dare not show up."

The yamen runner nodded and turned around and hurried away.

Another yamen runner walked to the bed, carefully helped Li Xiucai up, and prepared to carry him outside.

"Slow down!"

Seeing this, Zhao Hongyu hurriedly stopped him and said suspiciously: "Dad, do you really plan to take Xianggong Li to Liuli Bridge? But now..."

"It is precisely because he has become like this that he cannot delay it!" Zhao Bantu interrupted his daughter and said seriously: "Girl, your girl's body is too yin, so stay here and wait for a long time - don't worry, with her father protecting him, nothing can be decided."

As he said that, he grabbed the ghost-headed knife on the table and greeted Wang Shouye again: "Boy Wang, you're leaving."

This decisive and decisive way does not give anyone a chance to refuse - not to mention that Wang Shouye could not find a reason to refuse for a while.

or……

Just go to Liuliqiao with him to have a look?

It would be a good thing for me to really find out the origin of the monster.

Thinking of this, Wang Shouye waited to nod and respond.

"etc!"

Wang Wajiang, who was standing beside him, was anxious and asked repeatedly: "Where is Master Liu? Where is Master Liu? Is Master Liu? Is he going? I don't have to bring a young boy to him?!"

"You invited the liar?"

Zhao Bantuo sneered and said disdainfully: "My mother, I will dare to trick my daughter into the head with a few broken talismans drawn by ginger! If it weren't for the sake of accumulating blessings for my son-in-law, I would have locked him back to the county and had a jail time with Blind Wu and Zhou Magu!"

After saying that, he waved his hand with great force: "Okay, don't follow me like you, you are so confused. Jing Te's mother is causing trouble for me."

Where can Wang Wujiang be willing to follow?

He immediately knelt down and begged, but fortunately Wang Shouye was quick-witted and he supported him in time.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

Wang Shouye pretended to be relaxed and said, "With Zhao Bantou protecting me, what else can I have? Just wait at home with peace of mind. Maybe when I come back, I will remember everything."

Wang Wajian was worried and still had to say something, but Zhao Banto was impatient and forced him back with a ghost knife. Without any explanation, he pulled Wang Shouye out.

Ma Biao had already led the carriage to the entrance of the alley at this time.

Seeing the yamen runner called Sanli carrying Li Xiucai, he hurriedly came forward and worked together to carry the "old white-faced" to the car.

After Li Xiucai was placed, the two hurriedly got out of the car and invited Zhao Banto.

Zhao Banto shook his head and said, "Sanli, you and the Wang family boy are guarding your son-in-law inside, and I will sit outside with Ma Biao."

Both of them were stunned when they heard this, but they did not question anything. Instead, they turned around and shouted and urged Wang Shouye to get on the carriage the second time.

If you want to change this to a confused person, you might think that the other party appreciates his "recovery of a serious illness".

But in Wang Shouye's eyes, suspicion suddenly arose.

This posture...

It seems like being guarded against escaping halfway?

But I had already agreed just now, so how could I escape halfway?
Chapter completed!