Love Lock

Chapter 46 Unlucky Zhang San and Li Si

Aunt Qin's name was Qin Yanran. She was originally a courtesan who later married into the Zhenguo Duke's mansion and became the concubine of Zhao Zun's father, the former Zhenguo Duke.

For the first two years after the former Duke of Zhenguo and the old lady got married, the old lady's belly remained empty.

The old lady felt she had let down the Zhao family, so she offered to arrange for the Duke of Zhenguo to take a concubine so that the Zhao family could have a male heir.

Whether it was because Qin Yanran's marriage brought good fortune or because Qin Yanran was particularly lucky for the old lady, less than two months after she entered the household, the old lady discovered she was pregnant and gave birth to Zhao Zun.

A few years later, the former Duke of Zhenguo had the opportunity to return from the border. After Qin Yanran became pregnant, the old lady also became pregnant as if in a rush. She gave birth to a daughter, and the old lady immediately gave birth to another daughter, Zhao Ling'er.

When the former Duke of Zhenguo was alive, Qin Yanran respected her grandmother and was honest and dutiful. The family lived in harmony. Later, Zhao Zun went to the border and the former Duke of Zhenguo died in battle. It was as if the sky had suddenly fallen for the family.

Qin Yanran seemed to have changed overnight, no longer the honest and obedient woman she once was. She began to engage in palace intrigue, vying for control of the household affairs, bribing servants, and making things difficult for the old lady and Zhao Ling'er at every turn.

Her words were sharp, her actions cunning, and her domineering and mean-spirited nature was on full display, plunging the old lady and her daughter into misery.

They not only had to face the pain of losing loved ones, but also had to endure the bullying and oppression from concubines. The atmosphere at home became tense and oppressive.

Although the old lady was the wife of a military general, she did not know martial arts and had a gentle personality. She often lamented that marrying Qin Yanran was like shooting herself in the foot.

In order to avoid worrying her son who was far away on the border, and in order for her daughter to find a good husband in the future as the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's family, she had to muster up her courage over the years to deal with the concubines and do her best to protect the last peace of this family.

Now that their son has returned safely, the mother and daughter finally have someone to rely on.

……

Late at night, the heavy snow that had been falling for three days gradually stopped, with only the biting cold wind still howling.

Along the edge of over 800 mu of wasteland in Qingshui County, a wall made of stone and concrete has been built. On the wall, several solar lights reflect the white snow covering the ground, emitting a gloomy, pale glow.

At this moment, the captain of the first-year team, along with more than 20 members of the team, were patrolling the wasteland in three groups.

Dark and windy nights always evoke the most primal fears and curiosities deep within people's hearts.

Two figures peered out from the shadows outside the wall, like ghosts in the night, their eyes gleaming with greed and unease.

These two were the servants that Wei Dabao had sent out to gather information last time.

"Third brother, are you sure those farmers came here in their horse-drawn carriages?" the lean, cunning-eyed man asked in a low voice.

“No mistake, Brother Li Si. I’ve been following them back and forth for two days now, but I’m too scared to ride in a carriage. I’ve been hiding and following them from a distance.” The other man, known as the Third Brother, was beaming with excitement.

"Have you found out what's inside?" Li Si asked again.

Zhang San shook his head and pointed to the wooden gate in the distance. "I can only see thatched huts inside from afar, nothing else. When the farmers go in, they have to line up at the gate to have their identities verified."

"This whole area is wasteland. Why would farmers build such a high wall to farm there? What could possibly be inside?" Li Si squatted down by the wall, stroking his chin, his eyes full of curiosity.

"It shouldn't be farming, right? Look, what's hanging on that wall looks like a luminous pearl." Zhang San pointed to the solar-powered lights hanging on the wall in the distance.

Li Si stood up, stepped out of the shadows, and stood on tiptoe to look at the top of the wall. Sure enough, there was a luminous pearl hanging there, which looked dazzlingly bright even from a distance.

Li Si suddenly became excited. This wasteland actually uses luminous pearls as oil lamps for lighting? What extravagance! Perhaps there are even more precious gold and silver treasures hidden inside.

"Let's go, tonight we two must sneak in and find out what's going on." Li Si suppressed his excitement and nudged Zhang San with his elbow.

Just as the two were preparing to investigate further, a beam of bright light suddenly pierced the darkness, accompanied by a crackling sound of electricity. The two were instantly knocked to the ground, unable to move.

It turned out that the patrol team had been secretly watching them for a long time.

"Hmph, do you think I'm some kind of rock? How dare you cause trouble right under my nose!" The captain of the first-year team sneered, then he and his men tied up the two men and took them to the county government office that very night.

If you were to ask what Magistrate Luo Hai of Qingshui County values ​​most right now, it would undoubtedly be the project on that barren land that could bring him significant political achievements. If the project succeeds and allows Qingshui County to develop, then his promotion will naturally be within reach.

He had already instructed everyone in the county government that anything concerning the wasteland, no matter how small or how late, should be reported promptly.

So when the men of the big team brought the stunned Zhang San and Li Si to the county government office in a horse-drawn carriage, Luo Hai, who was still asleep, got up immediately upon receiving the report, put on a thick cloak, and rushed to the front hall.

"what happened?"

Upon entering the lobby, Luo Hai saw two people lying on the ground like dead pigs.

"Reporting to you, sir, these two men tried to sneak into the pig farm late at night, but we caught them," the captain of the first-year team said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"How dare you!" Luo Hai roared, storming up to the two men and kicking them hard. "You bastards, daring to cause trouble? And wearing night clothes, you're definitely not good people."

"Sir, what should we do with these two people?"

The captain of the first-year team also showed a hint of anger. His brothers no longer had to risk their lives on the battlefield. Following Miss Han, they finally had a safe and easy job, and now someone dared to take away their livelihood.

If Miss Han hadn't said that such matters had to be handled by the county magistrate, they would have killed the two men on the spot.

"What should we do? Hmm..." Luo Hai frowned, deep in thought.

Before leaving, Miss Han repeatedly instructed that the matter of the pig farm should be kept secret for the time being. If the two men were punished and released, the story of the pig farm would inevitably become the talk of the town sooner or later.

After much deliberation, Luo Hai decided that it would be best to have them disappear for a while.

"Take them into custody temporarily and keep them under strict guard. Don't let a word of it leak out. Just pretend they've disappeared," Luo Hai said in a deep voice. His voice, though not loud, carried an undeniable authority.

"Yes!"

The guards on duty in the government office received the order and dragged Zhang San and Li Si out like dead pigs.

Luo Hai then turned to the captain of the first-year team and said, "The pig farm is very important to Qingshui County. From now on, anyone caught trying to sneak in or infiltrate should be quietly locked up in jail. Absolutely no word of this can be leaked, understand?"

"Yes!"

The captain of the first-year team nodded vigorously. The pig farm was important not only to Qingshui County, but also to them, his brothers.

(End of this chapter)