Outside the government office.
With Jin Shanyao behind his back and his chin slightly raised, he stared at the gatekeeper, "Your master really says he won't see me???"
The gatekeeper stared intently at the setting sun on the horizon. "My lord has decreed that the Jin Shanyao after the sun has set."
"Said by name?"
Jin Shanyao in disbelief. She had always been able to come and go freely at the government office; why was she suddenly being barred from entering?
"Yes... Miss Jin, please return!" The gatekeeper's tone left no room for argument.
Jin Shanyao her eyes in thought, "Here's what we'll do: let me in, and if Su Wenqian asks, just say I changed my name..." After saying that, she walked past the gatekeeper and went inside.
The gatekeeper quickly blocked her way, saying with difficulty, "Miss Jin, no matter what you call me, it won't work. The master said that all matters concerning you must be handled at noon."
"It has to be noon?" Jin Shanyao head, her eyes growing increasingly confused.
The gatekeeper nodded.
"OK..."
Jin Shanyao and went around to the back courtyard of the government office. Knock, knock, knock... "Open the door, I..."
A reply came quickly from inside the door, "Miss Jin, please go back. My master said..."
"Alright, that's enough... I'm going to find your mother."
"My family said it won't work no matter who you ask; they don't accept clients after sunset..."
"Okay, okay, just stop yelling," she said, adding that if everyone on the street heard her, they'd think she was incredibly annoying.
Jin Shanyao paced back and forth at the back gate of the government office, completely baffled. Everyone was getting along so well, so why was she suddenly ignoring him?
Unable to understand, she decided to ask for clarification. So she climbed over the wall into the courtyard and, familiar with the place, arrived at Su Wenqian's study. Then she thought that Su Wenqian probably didn't want to see her.
Knocking on the door was clearly not going to work, so he went around to the back of the house and gently opened the window a crack.
Su Wenqian felt a chill run down his spine, his body tensed involuntarily, and his eyes darted around the room. Just when he thought nothing was wrong, the wind behind him grew stronger, accompanied by the creaking of the wooden windows.
He instinctively gripped the talisman, stiffened, and slowly turned his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a woman in white, her hair disheveled, slowly climbing in through the window.
Startled, Su Wenqian let out a howl and grabbed an inkstone to smash it against the female ghost's head. However, as the inkstone swung through the air, his wrist was suddenly gripped by the female ghost, rendering him unable to move.
The fear reached its peak as the female ghost slowly raised her head, her black hair parting to reveal a fair and beautiful face.
Jin Shanyao head in disbelief, " Su Wenqian, what grudge do we have? You hit me on the head with an inkstone!"
Su Wenqian's temper flared. He threw down the inkstone, grabbed the Jin Shanyao with both hands, and forcefully pulled the person in through the window.
His face turned ashen. "Are you crazy, Jin Shanyao? What are you doing climbing through my window in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Jin Shanyao got angry too, "I wanted to use the door, so open it for me... I need to talk to you, but I don't know what's wrong with you refusing to see me, so I thought I'd come in through the window."
She rarely showed consideration for others, but she was met with a barrage of insults.
Su Wenqian was so angry he couldn't speak. "What do you want from me so late at night? Can't we talk about this at noon?"
Noon, noon, it's noon again... Who's at noon?
Jin Shanyao pointed outside the door, "Go and call your mother here."
"What does that mean..." Su Wenqian was stunned. He climbed through his window to look for his mother late at night.
Jin Shanyao didn't argue with him, "Just call me when I tell you to, stop with all the nonsense..."
Su Wenqian really wanted to strangle Jin Shanyao. He shouted irritably at the door, "Go and invite the old lady over. Tell her her dear sister has arrived."
A voice answered from outside the door.
A moment later, Old Madam Su rushed over. As soon as she entered the room, she grabbed Jin Shanyao's hand and asked with concern, "Why didn't you come to see me when you got here?"
Jin Shanyao glanced at Su Wenqian, " Lord Su won't open the door for me."
Before she could finish speaking, Old Madam Su slapped Su Wenqian on the head and angrily said, "You only have this one friend, and you're keeping him locked up outside. What do you want?"
Su Wenqian's head buzzed from the blow. His mother came from the Aristocratic Clan military generals. Although she didn't go to the battlefield, she knew martial arts and her strength was extraordinary. The back of his head was probably swollen.
Jin Shanyao advised, "That's enough, don't make things difficult for the child..."
Old Madam Su was still furious. What could she do about Su Wenqian's inflexible nature? " Yao'er, is there something you need from me?"
Jin Shanyao Old Madam Su up and down, and seeing that she was in good spirits, she smiled and said, "I have something to discuss with Lord Su. I called you over mainly because I missed you. Have you been sleeping well lately?"
"I'm doing well..." Old Madam Su, waving her Jin Shanyao and chatting casually, "I was just thinking of buying a few more talismans from you!"
My younger brother grew up in the military, constantly exposed to the dangers of battle, and his hands are now stained with the blood of his past. Now that he's older, he's developed a chronic illness.
In her last letter, she said she couldn't sleep well at night and wondered what was wrong with me. She also kept waking up from nightmares, which made me feel sorry for her.
And my nephews are following in their father's footsteps, living on the edge of danger every day, surrounded by peril.
As an elder, I always have a weight on my mind; I really can't put my mind at ease.
So I want to buy a few more talismans for sleep, protection, and warding off evil spirits, and send them to the father and son. That will put my mind at ease."
Jin Shanyao smiled and watched her quietly until she had finished speaking, then handed her a cup of tea.
"If you miss home, go back and visit."
Old Madam Su laughed, "You silly child, my son is here, where can I go?" She took a sip of tea, and seeing Jin Shanyao still sitting there, she said, "Why don't you draw me a talisman?"
"Alright, I'll draw it for you right away," Jin Shanyao, taking out a piece of paper from Su Wenqian's brush and ink and spreading it on the table.
He asked solemnly, "Madam, what type do you want?"
Old Madam Su smiled, "Six sheets each for sleep, to ensure peace, and to ward off evil spirits."
Jin Shanyao her hand and drew twenty talismans for her. "These two are for you. Keep them close to your body. You're getting old, so don't always think about others. Think more about yourself."
Old Madam Su felt a warm glow in her heart. Her family treated her very well, and her daughter-in-law was impeccable. But what she truly cherished was Jin Shanyao's concern.
She put away the talisman, called out to the old nanny, and the old nanny came in carrying a money box. Su Wenqian silently closed his eyes...
Old Madam Su didn't even look at the amount, grabbed a handful and stuffed it into Jin Shanyao, saying, "Good child... this old woman thanks you."
Jin Shanyao's gaze paused slightly, then she forced a smile, "No need to thank me, you're my confidant..."
Seeing that Su Wenqian's eyes were still closed, she couldn't help but feel angry. She stepped forward and pried open Su Wenqian's eyelids to make sure they were looking into each other's eyes.
He said, "Don't always stay cooped up in the study. Spend more time with your mother. Are those official documents and books more important than your mother?"
Su Wenqian was caught off guard and met a pair of large eyes. Suddenly, he felt that being a prefect was pointless. "Miss Jin, please let go of your hand and state your purpose..."
"Ouch..." Su Wenqian received another slap on the head. Old Madam Su glared at him, "Speak more politely to Miss Jin..."
Su Wenqian was speechless! He was so impolite! What kind of prefect would act like this???
Jin Shanyao to Old Madam Su, "You're getting impatient... Can't you talk to the child calmly?"
His gaze fell on the lifeless Su Wenqian. "One of my servants on my estate is sick; it's the plague."
Upon hearing this, Su Wenqian's expression turned serious. "Is it serious?"
"It's alright..." Jin Shanyao took out a prescription from her bosom and handed it to him, "Although it's just a minor plague, we still need to be careful. Make sure every household has some of the medicine on the prescription."
Oh, by the way, none of my servants have left the estate, so the epidemic shouldn't have spread.
After carefully examining the prescription, Su Wenqian bowed respectfully to Jin Shanyao, saying, "Thank you for informing me, Miss Jin."
His meritorious service in solving cases these past few times was entirely due to Jin Shanyao's help. However, this girl had no respect for hierarchy and was quite the type to grab a ghost by the neck and shove it in the prefect's face.
Jin Shanyao her hand, "Alright... enough with the formalities. Just unlock the gate for me, that's all!"
Old Madam Su asked, puzzled, "What is access control?"
Jin Shanyao lightly, " Lord Su told the gatekeeper not to let me in after sunset, probably to avoid attracting ghosts."
Old Madam Su glared angrily at Su Wenqian and shouted, "You look like a ghost to me..."