Meng Anci finished school a little later than usual today. He rode his Black Grand Marshal home and, as he passed the quiet area on West Street, he vaguely heard the sound of a child crying.
"You're lying to me, you're not Anzhi Hall's housekeeper at all."
Meng Anci's expression hardened. He pulled on the reins, dismounted, and followed the sound of crying. It was a side house, with few people living around it.
The man's voice gradually became clearer, "Little brat, follow me, Liu San, and I'll guarantee you a life of luxury. Why bother going to the Anzhi Hall?"
Meng Anci peeked through the crack in the window and saw a man, half-undressed, chasing a baby around the room. The baby was crying and shouting, "You liar! I'm going to report you to the authorities!"
"Report to the authorities? Do you even know where the yamen is?" Liu San rubbed his hands together with a lewd expression and leaned closer to Xiao Huzi. "Good boy... after I've had my fill of pampering you, I'll sell you to the south. That's better than going to the Anzhi Hall."
Xiao Huzi was cornered against the wall with nowhere to hide. He bent down and tried to crawl between Liu San's legs, but Liu San grabbed his arm tightly and lifted him up, leaving him on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Xiao Huzi turned pale with fright and screamed desperately, "Help!... Murder!... You perverted bastard, you're taking off my clothes...!"
Liu San fiercely covered Xiao Huzi's mouth, saying viciously, "Say it again and I'll kill you." Before he finished speaking, he saw a boy reflected in Xiao Huzi's eyes.
Startled, he turned around abruptly, but before he could see who it was, he was struck hard on the head with a stick.
"Ah..." With a scream, Liu San clutched his head. After seeing Meng Anci's face clearly, he laughed, "The local deity is truly divine; I've actually met two wonderful people in one day!"
Liu San stared greedily at Meng Anci's face, but before he knew it, Xiao Huzi had dashed out of the house, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Help! Someone's going to die!"
He was a small, disheveled man, frantically knocking on doors from house to house, looking utterly pathetic...
Inside the house, close combat ensued.
Liu San tried to escape, but Meng Anci blocked the door. Seeing that the secret was about to be exposed, he decided to go all the way. His killing intent surged, and he reached behind him and suddenly drew a short blade.
He held onto Meng Anci tightly.
Meng Anci felt a burning pain from the necklace around his neck. He gripped the stick tightly, his eyes fixed on Liu San like hooks. In the blink of an eye, the short blade was pressed straight against his chest.
Meng Anci dodged to the side, then swung his stick and slashed hard at Liu San's wrist. With a crisp crack, the bone shattered, and the dagger clattered to the ground.
Liu San let out a bloodcurdling scream, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat pouring down his face, and he stared at Meng Anci with venomous eyes.
"You little brat, you dare hit me! You want to die?" Liu San clenched his other fist and slammed it down hard on Meng Anci's face.
"Woof..." With a roar as rough as a ferocious beast, Liu San was instantly sent flying, crashing heavily against the wall and sliding to the ground like mud.
When Xiao Huzi rushed in with a stick in his hand, he happened to see this scene. The stick fell to the ground with a thud. He looked at the dog, then at Liu San, and then at Meng Anci.
The little brain got stuck...
Meng Anci tied Liu San up tightly, securing one end of the rope to the saddle. After lifting Xiao Huzi onto the horse, he then mounted himself.
He said to the neighbors who came to help, "Thank you all for your help! I'll go to the government office to report this right away. If the constables come to question me, please tell them the truth."
After saying this, he turned his horse around and dragged Liu San straight to the government office. Liu San's clothes were torn instantly as he was dragged on the ground, and his body left a trail of blood on the official road.
Along the way, he attracted a lot of attention, with uninformed onlookers gossiping, "This young man is too cruel... How can he drag people like that? Even a good person would be dragged to death."
"Look at that back, it's a bloody mess, and there's blood all over the road."
"Indeed! This young man... looks like the young master of the Anzhi Hall... Tsk tsk... He's so young and already so disregards human life, what will he be like when he grows up, bringing disaster to the country and its people?"
Ignoring the crowd's condemnation, Meng Anci dragged Liu San straight to the government office. Xiao Huzi had long forgotten the fright he had just experienced and was filled with the novelty and excitement of riding a horse.
She touched the horse's mane with her little hands, looked down at Dahuang, and occasionally clung to Meng Anci's arm while turning her head to argue with people on the street.
"You only saw him suffer, did you see me? I almost died... cough cough cough..."
The wind was filling his stomach. Xiao Huzi swallowed hard and yelled, "What do you mean by 'treating human life like dirt'? If your son is arrested, taking off your son's clothes isn't treating human life like dirt!"
Someone pointed at Xiao Huzi and said, "Shameless!" Xiao Huzi retorted fiercely, "I was bullied and I can't even cry out? Who's shameless? It's the bullies who are shameless!"
Xiao Huzi cursed and swore, turning his head to look behind the horse, "That rascal isn't lost, is he? Don't let him get away!"
Meng Anci helped him steady, "Don't worry... he can't run away."
When the yamen runner saw Meng Anci dragging someone over, he exclaimed in fright, "My little ancestor, what has happened?"
At home, Xiao Huzi was often called "Little Ancestor." Thinking the gatekeeper was talking to him, he pointed at Liu San and yelled, "This scoundrel claims to be the steward of the Anzhi Hall, and he made me go with him. He even stripped my clothes off..."
The gatekeeper, having heard this, understood immediately. He summoned the constables to bring Liu San into the main hall and then reported to Lord Su.
When Su Wenqian took the stage, Liu San had already been woken up by being splashed with water. His head was fuzzy and he couldn't remember how he had fainted. He subconsciously looked up.
Su Wenqian, dressed in a crimson official robe, sat solemnly behind his desk, his eyes sharp as a leopard's, staring intently at him.
Liu San was so frightened that a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
Cold sweat seeped into his wound, the pain sending shivers down his spine, and he instantly snapped back to reality. His heart skipped a beat—how did he end up in a courtroom?
Before he could figure it out, a clear, youthful voice rang out.
"My lord... this man impersonated the manager of the Anzhi Hall, abducted children, and committed despicable acts..." Meng Anci's voice was sharp as he recounted the whole story.
Upon hearing this, Su Wenqian's anger grew. He sent someone to notify the families of the three parties to come to the scene. About 45 minutes later, Wang Jinlian rushed in in a panic.
She grabbed Xiao Huzi and burst into tears, "You brat... where did you run off to? Did you scare me to death?"
When Tiger's father saw his son's clothes torn and half of his cheek swollen and bruised, his heart ached as if it were being stabbed with needles. He wished he could tear Liu San to pieces.
Once everyone was present, Su Wenqian began the formal trial, " Liu San, what else do you have to say!"
Liu San, regaining his senses, cried out in protest, "Your Honor, this child came with me of his own accord, saying he wanted to beg for food at the Anzhi Hall. I only... I only took him there for a meal!"
"Eating?" Su Wenqian sneered, pointing to Xiao Huzi's torn clothes and the bruises on his face. "Does eating require tearing a child's clothes? Does eating leave such slap marks?"
Meng Anci, please recount what you saw!
Meng Anci forward, his voice clear yet piercing, "I saw with my own eyes that this person was pinning Xiao Huzi down on the kang (heated brick bed) and committing indecent acts."
He said, "Follow me, Liu San," and "I sold him to the south." He abducted and abused young children, and when I discovered this, I even tried to kill him to silence him.
His words not only confirmed the crime but also elevated the nature of the case.
Liu San was filled with rage, wishing he could tear Meng Anci apart on the spot.
At this moment, Constable Wang had been investigating, returned, followed by four or five witnesses. They immediately identified Liu San as having committed misconduct and murdered him to silence him.
Su Wenqian said no more and pronounced the verdict in court, " Liu San abducted children, attempted to rape them, and committed attempted murder. He is guilty of multiple crimes, and the circumstances are extremely heinous. He is sentenced to immediate execution by beheading. He will be imprisoned first, and the case will be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for review!"
Upon hearing the verdict, Liu San turned deathly pale and collapsed to the ground. He cried out for mercy, but Constable Wang dragged him away.
Tiger's parents pulled their Xiao Huzi to kneel on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing to Su Wenqian, "Thank you so much for your justice... thank you so much for your justice!"
Su Wenqian slammed his gavel, "The case is closed, court adjourned."
mighty...