My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 238 - 127: A World Without Thieves

Chang’an.

North City.

Li Nuo and Zhao Wu had arrived at a dilapidated residence, and just as Zhao Wu pushed the door open, over a dozen figures dashed out from the rooms inside.

They were children, the eldest being around eleven or twelve and the youngest appearing to be only four or five years old.

Upon seeing Zhao Wu, the children immediately surrounded him.

"Brother Wu!"

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"Brother Wu, you’re back!"

"Brother Wu, who is this big brother?"

...

Zhao Wu looked at the children and gently patted the head of the oldest boy a few times, handing him a bag of coins, and said, "Hong, Brother Wu has some matters and will need to leave Chang’an for some days. You’re the oldest, so I’m leaving these brothers and sisters in your care. Spend this silver sparingly..."

Brother Wu was usually very busy, and the boy didn’t think much about it, only asking, "Brother Wu, where are you going?"

Zhao Wu didn’t answer the question and instead looked at the children and asked, "While I’m away, you all must behave. Do you remember what Brother Wu always tells you?"

"Remember, no stealing, no robbing, no cheating!"

"Earn money with your own hands!"

Among the crowd, a slightly older girl said, "Don’t worry, Brother Wu. Lian and I earn ten cents a day washing clothes for others!"

Another young boy spoke up, "I found a household where they throw lots of food in the barrel outside their back door every day, sometimes even whole chicken legs!"

"I’ve got a job emptying bins, earning twenty cents a day!"

...

The children swarmed around Zhao Wu, chattering and buzzing as Zhao Wu smiled and patted each of their heads.

A moment later, he walked out of the yard, closed the gate behind him, and said to Li Nuo, "My lord, let’s go."

Li Nuo asked, "Did you join the Thief Sect to support these children?"

He had noticed that although the children were dressed in plain coarse cloth, their clothes were neat and clean, and several younger children, plump and healthy, clearly had been well fed.

Zhao Wu looked back and said, "I was an orphan myself, often hungry and cold on the streets. When I saw them homeless, I couldn’t bear it and took them in..."

He looked at Li Nuo and asked, "My lord, how would the government judge someone like me?"

Li Nuo said, "Typically, the stewards are sentenced to three years of imprisonment and exile for three thousand miles, in addition to fifty lashes."

Zhao Wu shuddered upon hearing this.

However, he soon recovered, rationalizing that although the children were young, they had a shelter and the older ones could earn some money. Even if they had to eat worse than before, they were not likely to starve to death.

Li Nuo’s tone shifted and added, "However, considering your significant role in destroying the Thief Sect, you can be spared from exile and lashing. The three years’ imprisonment cannot be avoided, but there’s a chance for redemption through service, if you are willing..."

...

By the time they reached the Ministry of Justice, Zhao Wu still felt like he was dreaming.

He pinched his arm hard once more to confirm it wasn’t a dream.

Initially, he had recruited young Song into the Thief Sect to have a backup.

Unexpectedly, the Thief Sect was no longer a Thief Sect, but the backup had proved reliable.

Although he still faced three years of imprisonment, he could reduce his sentence through good behavior, likely getting out within a year.

During this period, he could even leave the jail during the day and even find time to see the children.

The only difference from before was that he had to return to the prison at night.

But that was not a problem at all.

He had slept in worse places; a prison cell was much better than sleeping on the streets.

Li Nuo entered the courtyard of the Ministry of Justice and saw Li Anning standing outside the government office.

Although Zhao Wu had other uses to Li Nuo, he was still a prisoner at the moment and needed to be sent to the prison first.

Before Li Nuo had a chance to speak to Li Anning, Zhao Wu bowed deeply and respectfully said, "Greetings, madam!"

Li Anning was taken aback, then turned to look behind her.

Two figures emerged from the government office.

Li Nuo looked up with a surprised expression.

He quickly walked over, asking in astonishment, "Wife, what brings you here?"

Song Jiaren glanced at Zhao Wu, then softly said to Li Nuo, "I took Mumu out for a walk, and she said she wanted to come to the Ministry of Justice to find you, so I brought her here."

Song Mu’er blinked and nodded rapidly, saying, "Ah yes, yes, I wanted to come here to find Brother Li Nuo. I wanted to see what you do here during the day..."

Li Nuo led Mumu into the government office, turning to Li Anning and said, "Well, this one is a steward of the Thief Sect. Let’s get him to the prison first, I’ll catch up on his sentence in a bit..."

Li Anning, walking Zhao Wu into the great prison of the Ministry of Justice, heard Zhao Wu curiously ask, "Miss, aren’t you and... Lord Li husband and wife?"

Li Anning responded coolly, "Didn’t you just hear him call someone else wife?"

Even hearing it with his own ears, Zhao Wu still found it hard to accept.

Truth be told, he had secretly watched the couple for a few two-hour periods.

They seemed such a sweet pair.

It made him want to find a woman to settle down with.

To think it was all fake...

If even this was not real, he wondered what in this world could be true.

As for the woman he had just called wife...

She didn’t seem like it, not in the slightest.

Not even one-twentieth as much as this young lady.

Zhao Wu bowed his head, a bit regretful, and said, "I thought you two were really married, seeing how well-matched you appeared. So, she isn’t like that, huh..."