Fan Er walked into the house, completely bewildered, and saw Jin Shanyao staring blankly at the doorway.
"Master... I'm back."
Jin Shanyao her head and said "Oh," her mind filled with thoughts of... Oh no, she'd said the wrong thing again, making a girl cry.
It's hard to be a person, and it's even harder to be an understanding person.
Her gaze fell on Fan Er. "You're back. How's the investigation in Jing'an Prefecture going?"
Fan Er hurriedly said, "The one who died was Bai Yunjin, the owner of Cloud Brocade Workshop... I heard he died suddenly, Cloud Brocade Workshop has been sealed off by the government."
I learned that the Bai Household goes to the government office every day to inquire, hoping to catch the murderer as soon as possible, but unfortunately the government hasn't made any progress.
" Bai Yunjin..." Jin Shanyao murmured. This person had bought talismans here a month ago, and at that time, Jin Shan noticed that Bai Yunjin's face was dark, a sign that his time was coming to an end.
Zhou Xiaosi came over with a cup of tea and handed it to Fan Er, asking, "Was Bai Yunjin sick, or did she take any medicine before she died?"
Fan Er picked up the teacup and took a full sip, then handed the teacup back to him, wiped his mouth, and said, " Cloud Brocade Workshop has been sealed off by the government. I spent some money to find out from the night watchman at the Bai residence."
It is said that Bai Yunjin was strangled to death by a ghost... Before he died, his limbs were wrapped with countless silk threads, and there was no sign of struggle, but...
At this point, Fan Er took a breath, "The official information is that Bai Yunjin had trouble sleeping and bought jujube seeds at a pharmacy before he died. The pharmacy owner has been detained, and he confessed that the source of the seeds was Anzhi Hall."
Zhou Xiaosi's anger flared up, "Bullshit... Our jujube seeds are the best in the whole city. From harvesting to processing, everything is strictly controlled. There's no way there could be a problem."
Fan Er said urgently, "Of course I know it's not our family's problem. But the government has already confiscated all the jujube seeds and account books from the pharmacy."
Now, we can't even find out who bought this medicine. I've been running around Jing'an Prefecture for three days, but I haven't found a single clue.
Zhou Xiaosi said angrily, "I didn't find out why you came back."
"I was just afraid of delaying my master's business."
"Alright... stop arguing. It's already quite good that Fan Er found out all this..." Jin Shanyao said, taking out three taels of silver from her money box and giving it to Fan Er.
"You've worked hard these past few days, go back to the estate and rest for a few days..."
Fan Er hesitated, "Master... I can't take this reward. I didn't get any useful information; I feel guilty."
"What are you thinking... If you hadn't told me, who would have known that Bai Yunjin was strangled by silk threads? You did a great job... Take this, keep it safe, and when I find a girl I like, I'll propose marriage to her."
Fan Er blushed, took the reward money, and chuckled twice. "Well, if there's nothing else, Master, I'll be going now."
Jin Shanyao hand.
After Fan Er left, Zhou Xiaosi was so anxious that his face turned red and his neck bulged. "Master... how can we explain this clearly?"
Meng Anzhi walked in from the backyard. "We have a shipment record as proof. Both parties inspected the goods and confirmed they were correct before releasing them. I'm afraid it's their own improper storage that's causing the problem, and they're trying to shift the blame onto us."
Jin Shanyao chuckled, "Don't worry... you've all forgotten that I can perform divination and summon spirits; no one can frame me."
The idea that jujube seeds can kill people is utter nonsense. She wanted to see if it was a person causing the trouble or a ghost.
Three days later, Zhou Yan, the prefect of Jing'an Prefecture, personally paid a visit.
He sat in the lobby with a somber face, sipping his tea from his teacup.
He said casually, " Lord Zhu... I've come here for two things. First, to bring my people back. Second, the medicines from the Anzhi Hall have killed people; I need to take Jin Shanyao back with me."
Zhu Huaizhang, not expecting the problem to be with the medicinal herbs, sneered, " Lord Zhou, you jest. What business does Qingzhou Prefecture have with your people?"
Thump... Zhou Yan slammed his teacup down on the table, his face displeased. " Zhu Huaizhang, don't play dumb with me... A few days ago, my constables came to investigate a case, and you arrested them on charges of human trafficking, didn't you?"
Zhu Huaizhang seemed to suddenly realize something, "Is the person you're talking about named Fang Rui?" He then quickly shook his head, "No... According to Lord Zhou, there should be a cooperation document between two prefectures handling a case. I didn't see one..."
Zhou Yan knew he would ask this, and a surge of frustration welled up in his chest. " Fang Rui was carrying a warrant for assistance in the investigation. Didn't you know that?"
Zhu Huaizhang... "The government office has been too busy lately and hasn't had time for an interrogation. How about this... I'll bring the person here so you can see if he's the one you're looking for."
After saying that, he ordered Constable Wang his men over. Soon, the six men were brought to the main hall. They had been eating and sleeping in the prison cells, and their bodies smelled so bad that they could be smelled from a distance.
Upon seeing Zhou Yan, Fang Rui instinctively stopped, his face paling even more. "My lord... I have failed in my duties."
Suppressing his anger, Zhou Yan turned to Zhu Huaizhang and asked, "Can I take him away now?"
Zhu Huaizhang nodded. "I'll organize the case files. You just need to sign them and you can take your men away."
Zhou Yan stood up, his anger rising, " Zhu Huaizhang, don't go too far..." If this matter is filed, it will be recorded permanently, which will affect his promotion.
Zhu Huaizhang remained unmoved. " Lord Zhou, I've acted according to the rules and laws. Is there anything wrong with that? Why are you yelling at me like this? Don't forget, we hold the same rank."
Zhou Yan was rendered speechless by the retort. He stared intently at Zhu Huaizhang, gritting his teeth, "Fine... well done. I've come all this way without ever visiting your family."
Lord Zhu, please take good care of them... especially the two young masters. I heard they transferred to the Green Mountain Academy. With the provincial examinations just around the corner, they must take good care of themselves. Don't let them break their arms or legs so they can't participate in the exams."
Zhu Huaizhang stared directly into Zhou Yan's eyes without flinching. " Lord Zhou, do you know who the most terrifying person is?"
A mocking glint flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes, but he ignored him.
Zhu Huaizhang said emotionlessly, "The most terrifying people are those who have no attachments... If any member of my Zhu family suffers an accident, no matter who did it, I will only do one thing from now on, and that is to fight you to the death."
Zhou Yan hadn't expected him to be so assertive. Further arguing was pointless. He tossed out the investigation document, " Lord Zhu, stamp it... I'm taking this Jin Shanyao with me today."
"No..."
Zhou Yan thought he had misheard and sneered, " Lord Zhu, who prides himself on following the rules, have you already forgotten that this is a document for assistance in the investigation? If you don't stamp it, don't blame me for submitting a memorial to impeach you."
Zhu Huaizhang sneered, "I don't trust your character, Manager Anzhi Hall. I'll personally lead the way, Jin Shanyao."
"What do you mean? You're going to Jing'an Prefecture?"
"Yes, according to the laws of this dynasty, I have the right to be present in cases involving two prefectures. Besides, Jin Shanyao is no ordinary person; she is related to the tax revenue of the entire Qingzhou Prefecture. I cannot easily hand her over to you."
After Zhu Huaizhang finished writing the case, he asked the assistant magistrate to give it to Zhou Yan for signature and fingerprint. Zhou Yan stared at the densely packed words, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
He picked up a pen and wrote his name, then pressed his fingerprint on it, his sinister gaze falling on Zhu Huaizhang.
" Lord Zhu actually dared to go to Jing'an Prefecture, so he must have some ability... Then I'll wait for you at the city gate tomorrow," he said, flicking his sleeves and turning to leave the government office.