I fell through the tunnel and brought my family to live a good life

Shen Xiao stood in the corridor of the inn, looking at Tang Wenhao's closed door, feeling heavy in his heart. He sighed softly and turned to walk towards his room.

In the afternoon, Tang Wenhao knocked on Shen Xiao's door. He told Shen Xiao to stay in the inn first while he went to the county government office. He was still unwilling to give up and planned to go and ask.

"I decided to go to the county government office." Tang Wenhao's voice was low and powerful. "I still don't want to give up. I want to go and confirm the matter about Yuanyuan in person."

Shen Xiao was worried when he heard this, but he also understood Tang Wenhao's decision. He nodded and said softly, "But Wenhao, how do you know if Sun Yingying and Chen Yuanyuan are the same person?"

Tang Wenhao took out a scroll from his arms, which was a portrait of Chen Yuanyuan. He explained: "Before coming to Licheng, I specially prepared this portrait, hoping to make it easier to recognize her."

moment.

In front of the county government, two armored yamen runners were standing upright. When they saw Tang Wenhao approaching, they immediately came forward vigilantly and asked, "Sir, what can I do for you?"

Tang Wenhao bowed slightly and treated them politely: "My two elder brothers, I am from Qicheng and I am here for personal matters. I want to find someone who may be related to a case in your county. I have a portrait in my hand, which may be able to help me."

As he spoke, he slowly unfolded the scroll in his hand. The face of the woman in the painting looked even more vivid in the sunlight. The two yamen runners looked at each other with a hint of surprise in their eyes. One of the older yamen runners asked, "Sir, what is your relationship with the person in the painting?"

Tang Wenhao took a deep breath, temporarily suppressed his emotions, and told the truth: "Brothers, I fell in love with this woman. However, later my family told me that she was a wanted criminal. I couldn't accept this fact, so I came to Licheng specially to find out the truth."

The yamen runners had complicated expressions on their faces when they heard this. They turned their backs and whispered a few words, and then one of them turned around and went into the county government office to report. Not long after, he came back and said to Tang Wenhao, "Sir, I just told the county magistrate about this matter, and he asked you to come in and talk."

Hearing this, Tang Wenhao nodded to the yamen runner and said gratefully, "Okay, please lead the way."

Following the guidance of the yamen runners, Tang Wenhao walked through the heavy wooden door of the county yamen and headed to the backyard. Inside the county yamen, ancient trees towered to the sky, and houses were neatly arranged on both sides of the stone road, each of which exuded solemnity and dignity.

The county magistrate was sitting at his desk, holding a brush in his hand, and was about to review official documents. When he saw Tang Wenhao come in, he put down his brush, looked up and sizing up the visitor who had come from afar.

"Are you the young man holding the portrait?" The county magistrate's voice was steady and powerful, revealing unquestionable authority.

Tang Wenhao bowed slightly again, bowed respectfully, and introduced his family name, "Yes. County Magistrate, I am Tang Wenhao from the Tang family in Qicheng. I came here for a private matter and would like to verify something with you."

As he spoke, he unfolded the scroll in his hand again and handed it to the county magistrate.

The county magistrate took the scroll, looked at it carefully, frowned slightly, and seemed to be thinking about something.

"This woman's appearance is very similar to Sun Yingying, the wanted criminal our county was trying to capture three or four years ago. Mr. Tang, what is your connection with her?"

Hearing this, Tang Wenhao felt an indescribable bitterness in his heart. He bowed deeply again, his voice trembling a little: "Sir, the woman in the painting is my lover, named Chen Yuanyuan. We met and fell in love three years ago, but were forced to separate due to family obstruction. At that time, a female corpse was fished out of the dock. The clothes were the same as those I gave to Yuanyuan. I mistakenly thought that was her, and from then on, I had a rift with my parents. It was not until recently that I learned that my parents opposed it because they sent people to Licheng to inquire. Chen Yuanyuan was the wanted Sun Yingying. At that time, my parents were afraid that I would be sad, so they did not tell me the truth. Now that I know this, I want to find out the truth."

The county magistrate stared at Tang Wenhao. His deep eyes seemed to be able to see into people's hearts. He was weighing the truthfulness of Tang Wenhao's words. The room was silent, with only the occasional sound of birds singing outside the window, intertwined with the two people's slight breathing.

"Mr. Tang, your feelings are deeply pitiful. But based on just a portrait, it is difficult to determine whether the person in the painting is the same person as the wanted criminal. What's more, the case involving Sun Yingying is serious. She has been on the run for a long time and her whereabouts are mysterious. Our county has tried its best but has not been able to capture her." The county magistrate's words revealed a bit of caution.

"My Lord County Magistrate, I am not here to see the woman in person. I just want to know her situation and confirm whether my former lover is the murderer Sun Yingying."

The county magistrate did not answer Tang Wenhao directly, but asked him, "Young Master, you just said that you are from the Tang family of Qicheng. The Tang family is a prestigious family that started out as merchants. Since you are from the Tang family of Qicheng, do you have any proof?"

Hearing this, Tang Wenhao took out a letter from his bosom and respectfully presented it to the county magistrate: "Sir, this is the letter my father asked me to bring to you before he left. You will know it after reading it."