Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 1131: Fire

"We’re here, we’re here, Kid Song, hurry and knock on the door!" Grand Old Master Liu shouted to Squad Leader Song as soon as he saw the outline of the Tong Residence.

Squad Leader Song is from Prefecture City. When he was a child, he often went to the Liu family’s wine shop to get wine for his father, so he has known Grand Old Master Liu since he was young. However, as the years passed, the Liu family’s wine shop was squeezed out and is now a powder shop owned by the Tong family.

"Alright, I’ll knock right away, don’t rush, sir." Squad Leader Song responded, instructing Constable Liu, "Da Liu, take five brothers to the back gate of the Tong Residence. If you see the Tong family sneaking people out through the back, immediately hit the gong to notify us."

The Tong family is a wealthy household in Prefecture City, with over a hundred guards in their employ. Even government officials are no match for them, so if they do encounter them, hitting the copper gong to signal is the best strategy.

"Got it, I’ll take the men there." Constable Liu immediately called on five officials and headed towards the back gate of the Tong Residence.

Squad Leader Song jogged for a while and finally arrived at the Tong Residence, raising his hand to form a fist and knocking on the main gate: "Open the door, open up quickly!"

He shouted repeatedly five or six times, yet no one responded.

Squad Leader Song frowned. He had shouted so loudly that anyone who wasn’t deaf would have heard. Why wasn’t the Tong Family’s gatekeeper responding?

Squad Leader Song wasn’t a fool; he clearly understood the gatekeeper of the Tong family was pretending not to hear, so he shouted, "Open up quickly. I’m with the Shi family. Young Master Shi left something at your place. It’s a small golden lock left by Mrs. Shi for Young Master Shi while she was alive, and he’s worn it for many years. But tonight, he realized it was missing after returning to the mansion. Magistrate Shi is very concerned and sent me to ask about it tonight at the Tong’s."

He added, "Hurry and open the door, what’s going on with your family? Daring to obstruct someone from the Lord Magistrate’s household?"

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper of the Tong family responded, asking, "Are you really a servant from the Magistrate Shi’s residence? Do you have any proof? Don’t lie, or the Tong family won’t be polite to you!"

Housekeeper Tong had already instructed the gatekeeper: tonight, with many matters at hand, if they heard someone calling at the gate, they shouldn’t respond rashly. If necessary, they should first clarify the person’s identity.

"Bah! Who do you think you are, daring to question us from the Shi Mansion? Just because your Third Young Master achieved second place in the college examination, do you think your future is endless, and you start to show off, even disregarding the Shi Mansion?" Squad Leader Song shouted, "Hurry and open the door! I’ll just take the little golden lock from the guest room where the Young Master slept and leave. I won’t stay a moment longer at your Tong’s!"

The gatekeeper, upon hearing this, started to wonder—this person even knew that Young Master Shi slept in their guest room tonight, could he really be from the Shi family?

Afraid to offend the Shi family, the gatekeeper hesitated for a moment and opened the door for them.

As soon as the door opened, Squad Leader Song and a group of officials rushed in.

With a swift motion, Squad Leader Song drew his knife and placed it directly against the gatekeeper’s throat, demanding, "Where is Liu Wenqing? Grand Old Master Liu and his grandson accuse the Tong family of murder. Hand over Liu Wenqing immediately!"

The gatekeeper realized he’d been deceived, but with the knife threatening his throat, he dared not make a sound.

The Tong family’s gatekeeping is a two-person job, and the other gatekeeper, hearing this, quietly slipped away, intending to inform Elder Tong. However, he was spotted by an official, who tackled him to the ground.

Frightened, the gatekeeper exclaimed, "What are you doing? This is the Tong family, you can’t just barge in and arrest people—mmm mmm mmm!"

Afraid he would yell, the official covered his mouth and sneered, "Trying to tip someone off? Dream on. Listen, it’s best to cooperate and take us to see Liu Wenqing. If anything happens to him, your Tong family will be ransacked!"

Bah, as if the gatekeeper was scared. It was just a small Liu Wenqing; how could he oppose the Tong family?

But the gatekeeper neither resisted nor cooperated. Squad Leader Song laughed in anger: "Alright, alright, the Tong family is truly audacious, not even putting the government’s officers in their eyes."

Liu Wenqing spoke, "Squad Leader Song, I heard from Tong San that the Tong family has a Punishment Room in the right wing where they punish their own wrongdoers. Let’s check there directly."

"Alright, lead the way, let’s go straight in." Squad Leader Song realized the Tong family wouldn’t surrender easily. If they delayed any longer, Liu Wenqing and Old Master Liu Er might be whisked away by the Tong family. If they couldn’t find anyone later, the Tong family could claim innocence and counter-accuse the officials of harassment.

"Got it!" Liu Wenqing replied, taking the lead and heading with Squad Leader Song towards the Punishment Room courtyard. But they had barely covered ten meters when Housekeeper Tong, leading a group of guards, blocked them. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Stop, what are you doing barging into the Tong family in the dead of night?" Housekeeper Tong was quite angry, his old face flushed with rage, pointing at Squad Leader Song, "Squad Leader Song, what do you intend to do? What crime has the Tong family committed for you to come cause a scene? Aren’t you afraid we’ll report you to the government office?!"

Squad Leader Song produced a handheld letter from Magistrate Shi, "Look closely, this is a search warrant written by Magistrate Shi himself, stamped with the government office seal. Liu Wenqing disappeared while at your Tong Residence. Now that there’s been a formal complaint, we are naturally here to search the premises. Get out of the way!"

Backing off was impossible; Housekeeper Tong led the guards to form a human wall, blocking Squad Leader Song: "Even with a search warrant, the Tong family can’t just be searched. How about this, you all wait in the guest hall, and this old servant will tell the master. Let him come to see you and discuss this matter personally, how about it?"

Old Master Liu Er has already left his fingerprint on a confession; as long as Elder Tong Er deals with Liu Wenqing quickly, and Old Master Liu Er claims Liu Wenqing took his own life out of guilt, then the government office would be powerless against the Tong family.

"You dog slave, get out of the way, you’re just trying to stall us!" Grand Old Master Liu couldn’t hold back anymore, cursing Housekeeper Tong and dragging Liu Wenqing forward.

But the human wall formed by the Tong family’s guards was impenetrable for the grandfather and grandson.

Squad Leader Song was furious, yelling, "Is your Tong family trying to defy the government office?!"

Housekeeper Tong replied respectfully, "Squad Leader Song is joking. Our Tong family is an honest, law-abiding family, we’d never dare defy the government. However, the Tong family is not a rural household; there are women here too. How can we just let officials storm in? What if the women are startled? Let’s sit down first and wait for the master to come out and discuss things."

But if Liu Wenqing doesn’t die, Elder Tong won’t show up.

Squad Leader Song hadn’t expected the Tong family to be so bold, blocking them from entering despite the search warrant.

Fortunately, luck was on their side. As they were at a loss, a sudden blaze of fire erupted from the back courtyard of the Tong family. The location was...

"Housekeeper, it’s not good! The storage room in the back courtyard is on fire!" cried the guards. Judging by the direction of the fire, it seemed to be the room storing antique calligraphies and paintings. If the expensive antiques burned, the Tong family would suffer significant losses.

Seeing the raging fire, Housekeeper Tong inwardly cursed—those storerooms were two-tiered: the upper level contained precious antiques, but the lower level held things that should never see the light of day. If Squad Leader Song and the officials were still here when they discovered it, the Tong family would be finished!