Chapter 38 A new storm Ⅶ

　　After Huang Qin returned to the prefect's mansion to report to He Muxian about the unexpected events of the day and the interrogation of Hou Xiaobao, Miss He listened attentively before dismissing it with a wave of her hand, indicating it was of no concern.

　　Having dealt with the day's affairs, Xiao Wen arrived at the main hall. It turned out that several carts of medicinal herbs had been inventoried, and she had come to bid farewell. The sisters-in-arms had always shared a strong bond, and at the mention of parting, they were reluctant to let go. He Muxian understood the stances of her Fourth Martial Uncle and Fourth Senior Sister. Regarding the Seven Families, both father and daughter rarely voiced their opinions, much less involved themselves in their affairs. If it weren't for the sake of Shen Huan, the Fourth Senior Sister would never have lent a helping hand.

　　The two engaged in a lengthy conversation until the wee hours of the night. The next morning, they saw each other off at the mansion gates. To ensure everything went smoothly, Huang personally selected mansion guards to escort the caravan.

　　Just as they finished seeing off their guest, a messenger arrived to report.

　　"Reporting, the craftsmen in the west of the city have stopped work."

　　Recalling the heavy rainfall a few days prior and the dispatch of craftsmen to repair damaged houses, she asked, "Who's in charge of this?"

　　"He Chong found the workers," came the reply.

　　"I see," she acknowledged.

　　Returning to the mansion, she sought out Steward He Chong to inquire about the situation. The butler He Chong was also troubled by this matter and was contemplating whether to bring it up when Miss He came to ask. Now that she had inquired, he had no choice but to answer.

　　In the western part of the city, over a dozen households had been affected by the disaster, with three households suffering the most severe damage. He Chong had first dispatched food and supplies before finding craftsmen to repair their dwellings.

　　Everything had been proceeding smoothly until an unexpected incident occurred at Huang's house. Nearby residents know that he is a scoundrel and has a problem with stealing things. Whenever the craftsmen visited his home, they would either find their tools missing or discover that money had been stolen, forcing them to halt work. The most frustrating aspect was that no one had ever caught him red-handed in the act of stealing.

　　With the craftsmen refusing to continue work, Huang became even more unruly, shouting that the prefect's mansion was neglecting him while attending to others and hurling insults and vulgarities at everyone.

　　After gaining a thorough understanding of the situation, He Muxian concluded that this case was different from what Huang Qin had encountered. Those assisting the Third senior brother were, after all, the leaders of a mountain stronghold, and there was no need to resort to using someone like Huang.

　　"Alas, let's just give him some money to get rid of him," she sighed.

　　He Chong pondered for a moment before acknowledging that there was no better solution.

　　"I suppose that's the only way," he conceded.

　　"Uncle He, to avoid any further complications, I want you to handle this personally," she instructed.

　　"Of course," he agreed.

　　He Chong took the necessary items and gathered a few servants before setting out for the western part of the city. Upon arriving at the dilapidated walls and courtyard, his expression turned sour. Not far from the rundown structure, two carpenters sat on the ground, sulking, while two masons leaned against a tree, silent. Three laborers sat together, looking dejected.

　　As soon as they spotted the steward, they all hurried over.

　　One of them complained, "He, you're finally here. Look, my trowel has been replaced with an old one."

　　Another chimed in, "Take a look at my money pouch. There were ten copper coins, and now there are only four. What's going on here?"

　　Yet another added, "Everything's fine when we go to other people's houses, but whenever we come to his, something always goes missing, and we can never catch him."

　　"I understand, I understand. How about the other households?" the steward inquired.

　　"We've finished all the other work, except for his. Steward, I say we should just forget about him. This kind of person isn't worth our time. He's a nuisance alive and will only pollute the ground when he's dead," grumbled one of the carpenters.

　　As the steward was gathering information, the voices rose, presumably loud enough to be heard inside. Suddenly, the gate creaked open, and a man emerged with a smile, stepping out of the dilapidated courtyard.

　　"Is this Steward He? What a pleasant surprise to have you here! I am Huang Xiaoer. Allow me to greet you, Steward."

　　His appearance caused the others to take a step back, unwilling to even look at him. The steward sized him up for a moment before asking, "Aren't you Huang?"

　　"Yes, yes... Steward, you must help me resolve this matter. Look, they're refusing to work at my place but are happily working everywhere else. What am I to do?" Huang pleaded.

　　He Chong had come prepared and took out his money pouch. "I've heard that things keep going missing whenever they come here. How about this? I'll give you three silver coins to handle the repairs yourself. If you agree, I'll pay the craftsmen and send them away. You can take the money and be on your way."

　　Huang's eyes lit up as he realized that stealing from the craftsmen ten times wouldn't amount to as much as receiving a single reward from the prefect's mansion steward. He agreed eagerly.

　　"That sounds wonderful!" he exclaimed.

　　He Chong tired of dealing with the situation, didn't bother saying much. He counted out three silver coins and handed them to Huang.

　　With a delighted grin, Huang returned to his humble abode.

　　The craftsmen were relieved to learn that they no longer had to work for him and inquired about when they would receive their wages before bidding farewell.

　　One of the young servants, feeling unwillingly, asked, "Steward, is that really how we're going to handle this?"

　　"What do you propose we should do?" the steward countered.

　　"This kind of person is insatiable. He won't stop until he's been taught a lesson," the servant suggested.

　　"The more you engage with him, the more he'll push back. It's best to avoid this area and steer clear of him in the future," the steward advised before leading them back to the mansion.

　　On their way back, the steward felt a thirst and stopped at a teahouse for a drink. As he was about to pay, he was startled to discover that the ten silver eagle coins he had taken from the mansion were now gone, replaced by only seven copper coins.

　　No one had seen Huang make the switch, and they didn't know when the coins had been stolen. The steward slammed the table in anger, exclaiming, "How dare he steal from me!"

　　The servants, seeing their master's reaction, immediately tensed up and prepared for action.

　　"Steward, let's teach him a lesson," one of them suggested.

　　Another servant covered the tea money while the rest followed the steward back to the rundown courtyard. This time, the steward didn't stop them, and they returned after roughing up Huang and retrieving the seven silver coins.

　　They recounted the whole incident to the steward, who listened with satisfaction. However, as they were making their way back to the mansion to report to Miss He, they received news that the Trial Office had sent someone to summon the steward. Apparently, Huang had filed a complaint against him, accusing him of leading a violent attack against an innocent civilian.

　　The steward, still fuming, nearly stamped his foot through the floorboards. He immediately followed the officer to the Trial Office.

　　Upon arrival, they found a crowd gathered outside. Pushing through the throng, they arrived at the main hall, where two curtains were drawn on both sides. Behind the curtains stood ten soldiers, while in the center of the hall, Zhou Ge presided over the trial, with someone taking notes beside him.

　　In the hall, a beaten and bruised figure stood defiantly, and those present recognized him as Huang Xiaoer.

　　The officer from the Trial Office announced, "The defendant He Chong has been brought before the court."

　　The steward, seeing Huang Xiaoer, felt his anger rise again and took a step forward, only to be restrained by others.

　　Zhou Ge gently rapped his gavel and began the interrogation. "Is that He Chong before the court?"

　　"It is I," the steward replied.

　　"Do you recognize this man?"

　　"I do. His name is Huang Xiaoer, also known as Huang."

　　"He accused you of leading people to commit murder and beating him, but is there such a thing?"

　　"Yes!"

　　Huang pointed to the bruises: "Sir, look at it, look at it." ”

　　"Steward He, why are you beating people?"

　　"Sir, this kid is the most inauthentic, the wall of the house was damaged by the rain, Miss He kindly asked me to find someone to repair it, the craftsman always lost things when he went to his house to do things, in order to solve this matter, I took out three silver coins for him to repair by himself, but I never expected that the remaining seven silver coins were replaced by him for seven copper coins, I was angry, and found someone to beat him."

　　Zhou Ge heard it clearly, and the people outside didn't hear it badly, so there was no need to guess, most of the things were the same as what the butler said.

　　After hearing this, Huang plucked his chest and said: "Sue me for stealing?" What about the evidence? ”

　　In the crowd, one person came to a man: "Second master, my business is done; It's up to my brother. ”

　　The man pursed his lips and squinted his inverted triangular eyes: "Did you do other work?" ”

　　"Look at what you said, you assigned it, can I not care? After inquiring clearly, the third brother is in Hutou Mountain, Xu Town, and the sixth senior sister has never been out of the house. ”

　　"Phew, that's my third brother, that's my sixth senior sister; Palm mouth. ”

　　"Yes, yes...How to say it today? ”

　　"Let's put aside the matter of the sixth senior sister, let's see what ability this kid has to be a inquisitor."