Chapter 171: Caught
Wang An was stunned. This logic was so... rigorous!
Seeing that one leg had been dragged into the Shuntian government office, Wang Anzhi turned around and shouted to Ergou, "Ergou, hurry to my house and wait. If you see Eunuch Wei or my cousin, tell them to come to the Shuntian government office to rescue me!"

Ergou had been frightened out of his wits, but he seemed to come to his senses when he heard Wang An's instructions. He nodded hurriedly, and then Wang An disappeared from his sight.

With a bang, the prison door closed. The two bailiffs who arrested Wang An laughed and looked at each other.

One person said, "We are so lucky today. Not only did we get five taels of silver for nothing, but we also caught a water fish. We can give it a good scare, and there will be some benefits when his family comes to fish him out."

The other man didn't feel proud for long, and suddenly asked worriedly, "Brother Yang, I just heard Shuiyu calling out 'Eunuch Wei', could it be the eunuch in the palace?"

"That Wei Zhongxian, isn't he called Eunuch Wei?"

The yamen runner named Yang Bage sneered and said, "Look at this wretch, he looks so miserable, how can he know any eunuch in the palace?"

"Not to mention Wei Zhongxian, he was a man who could cover the sky with one hand. Even though he has been defeated now, it is not something a coward like this can associate with."

"I think you probably heard it wrong."

The bailiff scratched his head and said with an embarrassed smile: "Hehe, I got infected by this stupidity!"

The two smiled at each other again, then left the cell with a laugh.

Ergou hurried back to Wang An's house and happened to meet Yun Zhao who had just returned from the coal warehouse.

Yun Zhao saw Er Gou's panicked face and that he was running out of breath. He was surprised and asked, "Brother Er Gou, what happened to you? By the way, where is the master? Didn't you two leave together?"

Ergou stuck out his tongue and exhaled, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Yun Zhao had no choice but to wait for him to catch his breath, feeling vaguely uneasy.

After Ergou had finally caught his breath, Yun Zhao heard a sentence that made him feel like he was struck by lightning.

"Master...Master, he was arrested by the bailiffs!"

Yun Zhao felt as if he was struck by lightning. He felt a black screen in front of his eyes and was about to faint on the spot.

Ergou quickly reached out to help her, and said with a bitter face: "Sister Yun Zhao, you can't get into trouble now!"

Yun Zhao paused for a moment, then asked in panic, "What happened? Why did the master get arrested by the government?"

But at this moment, a surprised and angry voice sounded beside the two of them.

"What? Brother was arrested by the government!"

…………

"Anyway, this is what happened. Master Tang, what do you think we should do?"

In the front garden, Ergou asked after he told Chongzhen how Wang An was captured.

Chongzhen looked strange and confirmed, "You mean, brother was first chased by a profiteer, then blackmailed by a yamen runner, and then because he called the yamen runner a grandson, he was arrested and thrown into the Shuntian Prefecture jail?"

Wang Chengen was laughing and crying at the side and said, "Young Master Tang's day was really... bizarre and tortuous."

Although Wang An usually had a common air, in Chongzhen's eyes he was a rare master, almost as good as Zhuge Liang and Liu Bowen. However, after listening to what Ergou said today, Chongzhen couldn't imagine how Wang An spent his day.

This is like Zhuge Liang and Liu Bowen being chased and hacked by soldiers. They finally escaped, but were stripped naked because they cursed the hungry people who were extorting them.

This is such a disgrace!
Ergou nodded, also feeling a bit socially frustrated.

However, Yun Zhao didn't care about all that and knelt down to Chongzhen on the spot.

"Master Tang, the master always says that you have a wide network of contacts and great abilities. You will definitely be able to rescue him, right?"

"The master is so delicate and tender, how can he endure the suffering in prison!"

Chongzhen heard this and did not bother to complain about Wang An. He immediately stood up and said, "Don't worry. How can I turn a blind eye to my brother's misfortune?"

After that, he looked at Wang Chengen beside him and said, "Let's go and save people!"

Yun Zhao and Er Gou wanted to go along, but Chongzhen kept them at home because he needed to find someone to help and it was inconvenient to take them with him.

Yun Zhao was still a little worried, but Er Gou was much more rational and agreed immediately: "The relationship that Young Master Tang is looking for must be some high-ranking officials. It would be inappropriate for two of us servants to follow him."

Yun Zhao then reluctantly sent Chongzhen and the other man out the door, and only returned to the mansion anxiously after their backs disappeared.

However, after Chongzhen walked a long way, he turned back to make sure Yun Zhao was not looking at him. Then his face darkened and he said angrily: "Under the feet of our Ming emperor, there are unscrupulous merchants who rob others' property in broad daylight, and there are police officers who extort and arrest people at will!"

"Humph, I think Liu Zongzhou, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, doesn't want to do this job anymore!"

Wang Chengen bowed his head and advised: "Your Majesty, calm down. Lord Liu is a man of integrity. Perhaps he has just taken over as the governor of Shuntian Prefecture and has not had time to clarify the matter."

Chongzhen also knew that what Wang Chengen said was true, but his little Liu Bowen was actually locked up in Shuntian Prefecture Prison. What would he do if he developed resentment towards the Ming court from then on?
As they were talking, a luxurious carriage and a dozen disguised Jinyiwei appeared beside them.

Wang Chengen immediately helped Chongzhen get on the carriage. When Chongzhen was about to get into the carriage, he suddenly stopped and turned back to a leading plainclothes guard and said, "Go and check for me, that thing called Tian...Tian..."

Wang Chengen quickly replied, "Tianbao Pawnshop."

"Yes, check carefully for me what the background of Tianbao Pawnshop is. They dared to use a substitution trick to rob my brother's property. They are simply damned!" Chongzhen said angrily.

The Jinyiwei immediately clasped his fists in acceptance of the order, and left quickly with two Jinyiwei.

Chongzhen's carriage headed towards Shuntian Prefecture Yamen.

Chongzhen did not enter Shuntian Prefecture with a big fanfare. Wang Chengen simply came forward and showed the token from the palace. The strong guards at the gate immediately invited Chongzhen and his entourage into the lobby to sit for a while, while Wang Chengen immediately went to inform the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, Liu Zongzhou.

After a while, the sound of footsteps was heard.

Liu Zongzhou, who was over fifty years old, looked at Chongzhen and the other man in the hall with some nonchalance at first, but when he saw Chongzhen's appearance clearly, he was so scared that he immediately fell to his knees.

Fortunately, Wang Chengen rushed out two steps, supported Liu Zongzhou and said, "Master Liu, there is no need to be so polite. My young master is just a commoner. How can he deserve such courtesy from you?"

Liu Zongzhou was also a smart, capable and insightful person. Upon hearing that Chongzhen was going on a secret tour, he immediately gave up the urge to kneel down, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and slapped the person behind him who was reporting.

(End of this chapter)