Female-to-male: I live on farming

The news of the murder in the City God Temple spread like wildfire in the city. Lei Zhong went to the City God Temple, which had been blocked by the government. He asked people around him for news, and there were many different opinions.

However, Lei Zhong was sure who the deceased was. He had heard of his name before. He was the leader of all the beggars in the city. Somehow he suddenly died in the City God Temple.

After learning the news, he ran to the gate of the government office and waited for a long time. Finally, he caught a lone yamen runner. He gave him five taels of silver and finally learned the whole story from him.

The deceased was named Lai San. This morning, his followers waited for him for a long time but did not see him coming back, so they went to the City God Temple to look for him. Unexpectedly, they found him dead in the Temple, having died from excessive blood loss after being hit hard on the back of the head.

The beggar immediately ran to the government office to report the matter. The officer found a small piece of torn cloth in the dead man's hand. Based on the traces of fighting in the ruined temple, he speculated that the cloth belonged to the murderer.

But the cloth was so ordinary that it could be found everywhere in clothing stores, and they had no idea what it was.

But someone suddenly slipped a letter into the government office, saying that they knew who the cloth belonged to, and that the deceased had once attempted to steal melons from Qin Ke's melon field, but was beaten up.

With the intention to commit a crime and evidence in hand, the officers immediately went to Qinghe Village to arrest people.

After listening to Lei Zhong's story, Lu Youqing frowned and asked, "My husband was with us last night. How could he be the murderer? Those officials didn't even investigate the truth?"

"Yes, I have never met the boss and that guy named Lai San, so how could he kill someone?" Li Nanqiao also found it unbelievable.

Lei Zhong looked at Lu Youqing with a heavy face, his tone sad and angry: "They know that they don't care whether the person they caught is the murderer or not, they just want to close the case as soon as possible. It doesn't matter whether it was done by Lang Jun, as long as they tamper with the closing statement, then it is Lang Jun's doing."

"This is simply taking human life lightly!" Li Nanqiao was filled with righteous indignation and clenched his fists: "Isn't this a case of no justice?"

Heavenly principles? What are Heavenly principles?

Lu Youqing suddenly lowered his head and laughed softly.

But that laughter always makes me sad.

"Since the government acts in this way, there must be room for maneuver, right?" Lu Youqing had long felt deeply desperate about the state of the world. The high and mighty court was like this, and so were those officials who abused their power.

If the superiors set a bad example, the officials below will naturally become corrupt as well. In this case, she doesn't have to pin her hopes on those officials anymore.

Lei Zhong has lived in the city for many years and has heard about the way things are done there. He asked a friend he knew before to act as a middleman to inquire: "I have inquired. According to the previous standards, if you want to get someone out of prison, you need five hundred taels."

At this point, he changed his tone and said in a deep voice: "But they said that the case committed by Langjun is of great importance. If we want to get Langjun out, we need five thousand taels!"

"Five thousand taels!" Li Nanqiao exclaimed. When she first heard about five hundred taels, she thought the government was corrupt and greedy, but she knew that her family could afford it. But five thousand taels, that's five thousand taels, how could they possibly come up with that!

Lu Youqing stroked his sleeves with his fingertips and said coldly, "I think the officials must know something about our family situation, so they dare to ask for such a high price."

The rest of the wealthy people had many backers and complicated connections, so the government did not dare to offend them easily. And people like them who had money but no roots were the easiest targets to control.

Lu Youqing thought that just relying on a secret report and a piece of cloth without any evidence would not be enough to make them make such a big fuss. It was probably because they knew about their family situation from the beginning and took advantage of it to make some money.

Even if she knew, what would it matter? Lu Youqing closed her eyes silently. All the account books and money in the family had passed through her hands. She knew without looking through them that there was not that much money in the family.

The money earned from selling watermelons and ice cream in recent days is no more than two thousand taels. Even if all the current properties in the family are sold, it will be difficult to raise five thousand taels of silver.

Seeing the embarrassment on Lu Youqing's face, Li Nanqiao suddenly stood up and ran out.

"Madam, what is she doing..."

Li Nanqiao acted quickly. Her home was not too far from Qin Ke's home, so she ran back panting with a jar in her arms in a short while.

"My wife, I have saved some money in recent days. Although it is not much, it is my sincere gift." Li Nanqiao poured the jar onto the table, and the silver and copper coins in it scattered all over the table.

Qin Ke and Lu Youqing treated her well. She was used to being frugal, so apart from spending money on her mother's medical treatment and medicine, she saved the rest of the money.

Seeing this, Han Qi hurried back to his room and took out his private money.

The master and the lady did not treat him as a servant. Not only did they give him a monthly salary, they also gave him some tips when they were busy.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. A person's true character is revealed in times of adversity. Lu Youqing sighed in his heart. Looking at their worried eyes, he said softly, "I shouldn't have taken your money, but..."

"My lady, please don't say anything. If it weren't for you and my husband, I would still be worried about having enough food and clothing."

"Yeah," Lu Youqing nodded, knowing that there was no need to say more words of thanks, it was enough for her to remember the friendship in her heart.

"Madam, how much of the five thousand taels of silver are left? What should we do next?" Han Qi said cautiously.

"Let me think about it." Lu Youqing pursed her lips and locked herself in the study room under the worried eyes of several people.

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

On the other side, Qin Ke, who was chained and pushed into a cell by the officials, did not know the reason until the county lieutenant from the government came in with documents.

He felt it was ridiculous, and stood in the cell and questioned, "I don't remember finding the evidence you mentioned in my house. Besides, my wife and I had a drink and a meal with Shopkeeper Song from Caiyue Tower last night, and we didn't go to the City God Temple at all. I have a solid alibi, you..."

Before he could finish his words, the officer standing behind the county lieutenant came up and knocked him to the ground with one punch. Then, fists fell on him from all directions.

He couldn't resist and could only curl up his body to protect his head.

"All right."

After a while, the county lieutenant waved his hand, signaling them to stop.

The officers then stopped and returned to his back. The county lieutenant was a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, thin, with a shrewd and cunning look in his eyes and a thin beard under his nose.

He slowly squatted in front of Qin Ke, grabbed Qin Ke's messy hair, looked at his stubborn expression, patted his cheek, and smiled maliciously: "I advise you to be more sensible. For those who enter this cell, I have the final say on right and wrong. If you want to live, you should obey me. Otherwise, you will be punished with more than a dozen punishments in the cell, and you will be skinned alive."

Qin Ke only felt a burning pain all over his body. Whether in his previous life or after traveling through time, he had never suffered such humiliation.

After the county lieutenant and a few others left, Qin Ke lay on his back on the damp, bumpy ground, looking at the dim and narrow cell, the walls of which were covered with stains and blood.

"I'm too naive! I'm too stupid! Hahaha..." Qin Ke couldn't help but laughed softly, his laughter was filled with endless sadness and irony. He laughed louder and louder, and his laughter echoed in this empty and quiet cell.

His laugh gradually became hoarse until a violent cough erupted from his throat.

He has lived in the civilized era for too long and has never correctly understood this era.