"Becoming the top scorer would probably cost quite a lot," Jiang Qiaoqiao said, earnestly holding up her fingers to calculate how much silver it would take to buy the title.
Jiang Yun couldn't help shooting Xu Suwen a look, silently thinking, Why'd Miss Xu have to bring that up?
Xu Suwen smiled and said, "To become the top scorer, you need real talent. In the end, His Majesty personally sets the questions for the final examination."
To her surprise, Jiang Qiaoqiao's first reaction was to ask, "Then how much silver would His Majesty charge?"
Growing up, Jiang Qiaoqiao had seen countless corrupt officials.
Not a single person in the entire Nanzhou Prefecture Office was clean.
In her eyes, being an official meant lining your pockets.
And the Emperor had to be the biggest pocket-liner of them all.
Xu Suwen lightly tapped her on the forehead. "How could His Majesty possibly take bribes? All beneath heaven belongs to the sovereign. Everything is His Majesty's already—what would he need silver for?"
"Then this might be a little tricky," Jiang Qiaoqiao said with a pout.
"All right, it's getting late. Let's turn in early."
Back in her room, Jiang Yun didn't go to sleep. Instead, she sat meditating, regulating her breath and quietly cultivating.
She had to raise her strength as soon as possible. She couldn't keep treating Xu Suwen and her younger brother like reservoirs of Magic Power, relying on the two of them to cast spells every time danger struck.
Besides, neither of them had ever practiced Daoist Arts, so the power of their spells was greatly diminished.
For the next half a month, Jiang Yun rarely went out, spending nearly all her time meditating in her room.
As for Jiang Qiaoqiao, she carefully put away the eighty taels of silver. Early the next morning, she went back to collecting clothes to mend, or gathering dirty laundry from wealthy households and washing it by the river.
Xu Suwen had come to protect Jiang Qiaoqiao, so naturally she had to stay by her side the whole time.
But when she saw Jiang Qiaoqiao's petite frame carrying a huge bundle of clothes, she couldn't possibly just stand by and do nothing.
So she actually helped Jiang Qiaoqiao carry a heap of dirty laundry to the river, then joined her in scrubbing it.
Jiang Qiaoqiao knew Xu Suwen was a woman of noble status and insisted she could manage on her own.
But Xu Suwen wouldn't relent, so Jiang Qiaoqiao could only hand her some of the clean clothes.
Back in the courtyard, Xu Suwen even picked up a needle and thread and learned how to mend clothes from Jiang Qiaoqiao.
Xu Suwen couldn't help thinking, If Father and the rest of the family knew about this...
They'd probably set off firecrackers to celebrate.
Ever since she was little, her family had wanted to raise her into a proper lady, teaching her music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and mending clothes.
But she preferred martial arts and had no interest in sewing. Her mother had tried to persuade her many times.
Her mother had said that even if she didn't do it now, she'd still have to mend clothes and do laundry once she married into her husband's family.
Xu Suwen hadn't taken her mother's words to heart.
And now, fate had played a cruel joke on her.
After half a month, the Magic Power inside Jiang Yun had begun to show some results.
Jiang Yun calculated that she could probably use Lightning Palm Strike two or three times.
For just half a month's progress, that was already quite good.
On the morning half a month later, Jiang Qiaoqiao and Xu Suwen went out to collect clothes as usual.
Jiang Yun was cultivating cross-legged when footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. It was Qian Bochou.
"Brother Jiang! Hahahaha!"
Qian Bochou's hearty laughter rang out from far away.
Jiang Yun opened the door and smiled. "Constable Qian, what brings you by today?"
Qian Bochou held a uniform in one hand and took out a silver coin with the other, offering it to her. "Here's your salary."
"My salary?" Jiang Yun took the coin, puzzled.
"I put you on the rolls half a month ago."
"This is your uniform. Try it on."
Jiang Yun took the uniform and invited Qian Bochou inside. She poured him a cup of hot water, then asked, "Constable Qian, just say what's on your mind. There's no need to be so formal with me."
Qian Bochou took the hot water and shook the snow off his clothes. "The new year's coming, and the Prefect had been in a pretty good mood."
"But over the past half a month, seven people have gone missing in our North City."
Qian Bochou wore a pained expression. "If the missing people were ordinary citizens, that'd be one thing. But the people living in North City are all high-ranking officials and wealthy families."
"With people disappearing one after another, the Prefect's under a lot of pressure."
"And when he's under pressure, our lives get harder too."
Jiang Yun pondered for a moment, then asked slowly, "North City? If I remember right, Prince Su's Mansion is there, isn't it?"
"Constable Qian, don't you know what's really going on?"
At that, the worry on Qian Bochou's face deepened. He sighed. "Brother Jiang, do you think I don't know?"
As he spoke, Qian Bochou glanced toward the courtyard entrance. After making sure no one was there, he said, "It could well be the mansion that's taking people, but what can I do?"
"The Prefect told me to solve the case."
"It's not like I can lead a team into Prince Su's Mansion and search it."
Jiang Yun frowned. "Then what do you need me for?"
Qian Bochou forced a small smile and winked. "I was thinking... maybe we could ask Miss Xu to take a look."
Jiang Yun smiled bitterly. "I'm afraid I can't help with that."
Qian Bochou was worried too. He couldn't help cursing inwardly: If you're going to abduct people, then abduct them.
Grab ordinary citizens, and you can just pin the crime on some local ruffian.
But the wealthy and powerful in North City aren't so easy to fool.
Meanwhile, a thin layer of snow covered the eaves of Prince Su's Mansion.
The mansion sprawled across a vast area, its perimeter stretching three li. Its buildings were grand in scale and imposing in appearance.
Tall walls surrounded it, with four gates. The gate towers were roofed in blue glazed tiles, and the doors were painted red and studded with gilded copper nails.
Each gate was guarded by the mansion's own personal troops. Ordinary people wouldn't dare go anywhere near.
A dense stench of blood filled a dungeon within the mansion.
Tang Wanxin, with her sweet and charming appearance, stood before a butcher's table. Beside her lay an assortment of finely crafted, razor-sharp blades.
She was covered in blood, and many bottles and jars sat nearby.
Inside some of them were several bright red hearts.
Strangely, two of those hearts were still beating.
A man lay on the bed, his abdomen split open, yet he was still alive. His limbs were bound to the table.
He struggled, but couldn't move. All he could do was watch as Tang Wanxin removed his heart.
After taking out his heart, Tang Wanxin reached into a jar, pulled out another heart, and placed it inside his body.
Then she stitched his belly closed. But before long, the man's eyes widened, and he quickly breathed his last.
"Still no good?"
Footsteps sounded from the back of the dungeon. Xiao Jingyuan covered his nose as he walked in and said gravely, "My father won't last much longer."
Tang Wanxin turned around and slowly narrowed her eyes. "The hearts of ordinary people still won't work. But those two Imperial Guards are different. Their hearts might be suitable for the prince."
Xiao Jingyuan frowned and said coldly, "Don't think I don't know what you're planning. If they were ordinary Imperial Guards, I could send someone to capture them in secret."
"But they're different. We can't touch people with their status."
"Think of another way."
Tang Wanxin narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "What about that man called Jiang Yun? Shall we capture her and try?"
Xiao Jingyuan shook his head. "I know the Tang Mansion was destroyed, and all your hard work went with it. But now isn't the time for revenge. Do you understand?"
"My father can barely hold on. If he dies, you won't survive either."
Tang Wanxin spread her hands and sat down on a bloodstained chair nearby. "Didn't you specifically gather information about him a few days ago?"
"After he fell seriously ill, he seemed to become a different person."
"There must be some secret behind it."
"Maybe his heart will work. Trust me!"
Xiao Jingyuan narrowed his eyes and said gravely, "You don't have much time left."
Before you continue