Chapter 16: The Constables Arrive

"Look at her, she's panicking now, isn't she? Speechless, right? Take her to the yamen!" A-Kuan, suddenly sharp-witted, sensed the shift in Hong Xiaoduo’s expression and raised his voice.

Hong Xiaoduo would be lying if she said she wasn't panicking.

What could she say at the yamen? Would anyone believe her? The children were still young; if they were frightened after being taken inside, they might spill the truth.

Was the villain she had fought truly dead or just injured? The yamen could easily send someone to investigate. They had fast horses, and the location wasn't far. If he was only injured, she could pay the medical bills, but would the children then be reclaimed by that villain?

If they found out the man was dead, she wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. But would she then be imprisoned or face execution in the autumn?

It seemed to be late autumn now—did she have to wait until next year for an execution? She truly had no idea.

She loved reading historical fiction, but while the plots were moving and thrilling, she had never paid attention to actual ancient customs.

Then again, she couldn't be blamed for that. Who, when ordering a dish at a restaurant, feels the need to understand how many steps go into its preparation or its historical origins? It was enough that it tasted good and she enjoyed it.

The seven children grew anxious upon hearing they were to be taken to the yamen. Tianxuan tugged secretly at Hong Xiaoduo’s sleeve: "Mother, why don't you run away? Don't worry about us; when things settle down, we’ll come find you."

"Oh, so you aren't afraid I'll run away and never come back now?" Hong Xiaoduo asked, her heart warming as she leaned down to whisper to him.

It wasn't that she was carefree or had the luxury of joking with the children in such a situation. It was simply that worrying was useless, especially since she had already spotted several constables walking toward them. Her luck was just that rotten.

Hong Xiaoduo looked at the children, thinking that it seemed their fate as a family had reached its end. Heaven had willed them to part.

"What are you all gathering here for? Trying to cause trouble?" A constable scanned the crowd and barked fiercely.

"Officer, you've come just in time! Arrest her! She’s kidnapping these little beggars!" Upon seeing the constables, the onlookers fell silent, but A-Kuan, as if meeting a savior, pointed excitedly at Hong Xiaoduo and her group to lodge his complaint.

Tianshu and the others pressed tightly against Hong Xiaoduo’s back, while Kaiyang and Yaoguang clung to her arms on either side.

The constable who had spoken appeared to be the leader. He glanced at Hong Xiaoduo and the children, then glared at A-Kuan: "Get lost. Don't try to get familiar with me. Who's your 'big brother'?"

"This little one is dead wrong, I misspoke. My apologies, Officer," A-Kuan stammered, his face twisting into a fawning, oily grin. The onlookers looked at his bootlicking demeanor with utter contempt.

Ignoring A-Kuan, the head constable walked over to stand beside Hong Xiaoduo. "You heard what he said? What do you have to say for yourself? And what’s the story with these children?" He pointed to the group.

The constable looked stern, but when he gestured toward Tianshu and the others, he did not use the word "beggar," which made Hong Xiaoduo feel slightly more at ease.

"I found them on the road. Seeing how young they were and that they had nowhere to go, I took them in. With the weather turning cold, I bought each of them some clothes to keep warm."

"That man over there is a shop assistant at the clothing store. When we went inside, he drove us away, and his manager scolded him for it. Later, when we left and were looking for a place to eat, he chased after us, hurling insults and threats. He kept blaming us for being fired by his manager—it was all nonsense."

"He’s slandering me, claiming I’m kidnapping them. I’m the one who feels wronged here."

"Officer, since you are from the yamen, why don't you take these seven children back with you? It would be for the best if you could provide for them; surely that would be better than staying with me." Hong Xiaoduo spoke timidly, sounding more aggrieved with every word.

By the end, the children beside her couldn't help but look up at her in surprise. Was this really the mother they knew? Why had she suddenly become so weak?

"That’s a fine thing to say. You had the kindness to take them in, so naturally, you should see it through to the end. What do you think the yamen is? We aren't a shelter for cleaning up your messes. We’re busy enough catching bandits and maintaining order all day long," the constable retorted righteously, refusing her request and lecturing her in the process.

"The Officer is absolutely right. I, too, wish to keep them with me until I find a suitable place for them. But, alas, I am just a young woman, and it is very difficult to make a living out here. I couldn't even find an inn to stay at because I lack travel permits. It looks like we'll have to sleep on the streets tonight." Hong Xiaoduo, seeing that the constable was biting the hook, pressed her advantage.

She deliberately risked mentioning the lack of travel permits, but left it ambiguous as to whether only the children lacked them or she did as well. She had realized that the constable was terrified of being burdened with the seven children.

On this point, Hong Xiaoduo had guessed correctly. The head constable was indeed worried about being saddled with them. The current Emperor, in his desire to be seen as a benevolent ruler, took great care of the homeless and destitute, even implementing relief policies.

Usually, this involved providing food and clothing, but it was merely a stopgap measure. Later, officials suggested establishing shelters for the elderly and the homeless in certain districts. They encouraged wealthy merchants, temples, and Taoist shrines to host those who couldn't support themselves, with the local government providing grain and firewood.

It sounded simple in theory, but for local officials, it was a headache. Providing daily meals, utensils, and firewood was a constant struggle. In recent years, with natural disasters, war, and widespread poverty, the number of beggars had surged. The authorities were ordered not to evict them, but they lacked the capacity to house them all. Consequently, they usually turned a blind eye to the wandering refugees.

As long as the beggars didn't cause trouble on the streets, no one bothered them. If he were to drag seven beggar children back to the yamen, his superior would surely be furious, and he might lose his job.

Anxious to get away, the head constable was fretting when he saw someone beckoning him from outside the crowd. He walked over.

"Brother Jinhu, what’s going on? What happened?" the man, who was middle-aged, asked.

Jinhu sighed and briefly explained the situation. "Say, Wanquan, don't you run an inn? Why don't you let them stay there for the night? It won't be for free; the young lady has money—didn't you see she bought new clothes for those kids? Your business hasn't been great, and you have empty rooms anyway. Just let them stay one night; a communal bed will do. At worst, it’s just a bit of cleaning up tomorrow."

Wanquan frowned slightly. "Is that so? Business is slow, but at least it's quiet. If I let them in, I'm afraid of attracting trouble."

"Oh, stop it. You can tell that to someone else, but do you really think I'd believe it? I won't say anything else, but who would dare cause trouble at your inn? Come on, don't play coy. If you don't agree, I'll take them to stay at Old Yang's place instead," Jinhu threatened with a glare.

"Alright, alright! If Brother Jinhu is asking, then let them come with me," Wanquan quickly agreed with a smile.

With that settled, the constable, Jinhu, beckoned to Hong Xiaoduo. She assumed it wasn't bad news and walked over, a string of beggar children in tow.

Once they were close, Jinhu pointed to Wanquan and said, "This is the owner of the inn. For my sake, he’s letting you stay the night. Go on now, and tell them not to make a racket; there are other guests at the inn."

They could stay at an inn? That was wonderful.

"Many thanks, Officer! Quick, children," Hong Xiaoduo said, gesturing for Tianshu and the others to show their gratitude.

The seven children said in unison: "Many thanks, Officer! May you be kind, live a long life, make a fortune, and have many children!"

Hong Xiaoduo realized something was wrong—that had gone off-track—and quickly signaled them to stop. She then happily followed Wanquan away, no longer worried that A-Kuan would try to stir up more trouble.

Since the constable himself had helped settle her accommodation, if A-Kuan still couldn't read the room and continued to pester the officer, he would only be inviting his own misfortune.