In Nanzhou Prefecture City, three horses traveled along the city streets.
Strictly speaking, riding horses within the city was forbidden. If you brought a horse inside, you could only lead it by the reins and walk it slowly along one side of the street.
Of course, that rule didn't apply to Qian Bochou. This was one of the things he was in charge of.
"Brother Jiang, don't take this the wrong way, but riding at a gallop would've taken just an hour. We spent half a day trudging along." Qian Bochou complained. "At this rate, next time I'll just take you myself, so we don't waste time..."
Jiang Yun shook his head repeatedly and smiled. "I can't keep troubling Constable Qian every time. I'll go on my own."
The three of them soon returned to the area near the Nanzhou Prefectural Office.
Qian Bochou went straight back to the office. He needed to report on the mission to Lord Vice-Prefect and collect the hundred taels of silver, which he'd then have to hand over to Jiang Yun...
He couldn't help groaning inwardly. He'd gone through all that trouble and hadn't gotten a single benefit out of it.
Jiang Yun and Xu Xiaogang, meanwhile, went to the doorway of the Heaven-class room at Nanmanju Inn.
Jiang Yun knocked. Xu Suwen's voice came from inside. "Come in."
He pushed the door open. Xu Suwen was making tea, while Jiang Qiaoqiao sat beside her, looking rather downcast.
Jiang Yun walked in with a smile and asked, "What's wrong? Who upset my Qiaoqiao?"
But Jiang Qiaoqiao turned away, unwilling to look at him.
Huh, that was strange. As far as he could remember, the girl had never acted like this before.
He cast a puzzled glance at Xu Suwen.
Only then did Xu Suwen speak. "We ran into Liu Xudong today..."
After explaining what had happened, she asked in a low voice, "Did you really promise him that you'd marry Jiang Qiaoqiao off to him as a concubine?"
By the time Jiang Yun heard the whole story, a surge of anger had already risen within him.
After the trouble Liu Xudong had caused, no one knew what might become of Jiang Qiaoqiao's reputation.
The importance of a woman's reputation in this world went without saying.
Jiang Yun hurriedly raised a hand and said solemnly, "I swear before the Three Pure Ancestors! I never said anything of the sort! If I've told even a single lie, may the heavens strike me with five thunderbolts!"
Whatever the original host had said had nothing to do with him, so he had no qualms about swearing an oath.
"The Three Pure Ancestors?" Xu Suwen's brows knitted slightly, as if she'd never heard the name before.
At that moment, a smile appeared on Jiang Qiaoqiao's face. She knew Jiang Yun wouldn't do such a thing, but Liu Xudong had spoken as if it were true, and she couldn't help feeling worried.
Seeing Jiang Yun swear, the clouds on Jiang Qiaoqiao's face cleared.
"Whew." Jiang Yun asked in a low voice, "Where's Liu Xudong?"
"He was sent to the dungeon."
Jiang Yun's expression darkened. "I'm going to see Constable Qian."
With that, he turned and left.
As soon as Jiang Yun was gone, Xu Xiaogang hurriedly shot Xu Suwen a look. "Sis, there's something I need to tell you right away."
Xu Suwen glanced at him in surprise, then told Jiang Qiaoqiao to rest in the room.
She went outside with Xu Xiaogang.
Seeing how anxious he looked, Xu Suwen asked, "What happened to you in Beihu County?"
"It's like this..."
Xu Xiaogang didn't dare hide a thing. He told her the whole story, step by step, exactly as it had happened.
When he finished, Xu Xiaogang lowered his voice. "If I'm not mistaken, Prince Su's Mansion may be colluding with evil cultivators..."
"Sis, what do you think we should do? Should we report this to our superiors?"
Prince Su's Mansion had been enfeoffed in Nanzhou Prefecture for three hundred years.
The emperor in the capital might be only distantly related to them, but at the end of the day, they were still members of the imperial clan.
For members of the imperial clan to collude with evil cultivators was absolutely taboo in His Majesty's eyes.
Xu Suwen seemed much calmer. She said evenly, "There's no need to report it for now."
Xu Xiaogang immediately grew anxious. "Sis, we can't do that. The Imperial Guards are His Majesty's personal guards. If we know about this and don't report it..."
Xu Suwen's voice remained steady. "I know what I'm doing."
With that, she pushed open the door and went back inside to keep chatting with Jiang Qiaoqiao.
Xu Xiaogang sighed. He knew his sister's temperament; there was no use trying to persuade her.
At the Nanzhou Prefectural Office, Qian Bochou had just left Lord Vice-Prefect's room, a pouch of silver in his hand.
A full hundred taels!
Too bad it would soon belong to Jiang Yun.
At that thought, he hurried back to the courtyard where he lived.
He'd give it to Jiang Yun tomorrow.
Even if it wasn't his, surely he could at least sleep with it in his arms for one night and enjoy the feeling.
As soon as he entered the little courtyard, he saw Jiang Yun, who'd been waiting there for quite some time.
Jiang Yun sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, eyes closed as he rested. At the sound of footsteps, he opened his eyes and smiled. "Constable Qian..."
Qian Bochou forced a smile, regretfully stroked the pouch in his hand, then held it out. "Well, Brother Jiang, I was just about to come find you. Here, this is a hundred taels of silver. Count it carefully."
"I also mentioned to Lord Vice-Prefect that you were interested in working for Nanzhou Prefecture."
"Lord Vice-Prefect was delighted. He said our Nanzhou Prefecture Office is just short of a capable man like you, someone who can deal with evil spirits."
Jiang Yun nodded, then took the pouch and opened it to look inside.
A hundred taels of gleaming silver was an enormous sum for him and Jiang Qiaoqiao.
He took out ten taels and handed them to Qian Bochou with a smile. "There's something I'd like to trouble Constable Qian with."
"Come on, you and I are brothers. Just tell me what you need. No need for all this." Qian Bochou said that, but quickly pocketed the ten taels of silver.
"It's like this. As you know, I used to know quite a few scholars. One of them is in the dungeon now. He was just arrested, and his name is Liu Xudong."
Qian Bochou rubbed the silver in his hand and grinned. "I thought it was something serious. This is nothing!"
"If he's a friend of yours, Brother Jiang, I'll have him released in a moment..."
Seeing the misunderstanding, Jiang Yun hurriedly waved his hands. "I mean, don't make things too comfortable for him in there..."
Jiang Yun wasn't a cruel or ruthless person. He considered himself fairly tolerant and kind to others.
But that was only as long as they didn't set their sights on Jiang Qiaoqiao.
She was the only family he had.
Qian Bochou frowned and lowered his voice. "Brother, our Nanzhou Prefecture Office is a place that upholds the law. We can't just abuse torture..."
"I'll give you another ten taels."
After pocketing the silver, Qian Bochou slapped his thigh and sighed. "Brother Jiang, you're really putting me in a tough spot..."
With the silver in hand, Qian Bochou was surprisingly efficient this time. He hurried to the dungeon and found Liu Xudong already bound.
He was completely clean, with no sign of having been tortured.
"Why hasn't this man been interrogated?" Qian Bochou asked, frowning at the constable beside him.
The constable hurried over. "Captain, when this man was brought in, he'd already signed his confession. The evidence is conclusive. What's left to interrogate him about?"
"He signed a confession?" Qian Bochou said, momentarily taken aback, as he accepted the written confession and evidence.
He would've been better off not looking. His expression shifted even more when he read it.
That bastard had even provoked Xu Suwen?
Was he arrested by Lord Xu?
Qian Bochou raised his voice. "Brothers, we're pulling an all-nighter! This man slandered and extorted the Imperial Guards. I suspect there's an even bigger conspiracy behind it. Don't go home until we've gotten it out of him!"
There's one more chapter. I'll write it after dinner and should be able to post it before eight.
Before you continue