It takes a whole day to travel from Willow and Poplar County to Qingzhou Prefecture, and the two little ones were full of excitement when they first set off.
One minute they'd ask their aunt if they were almost there, and the next they'd gather together to count sparrows.
But as I walked and looked around, I found that the scenery was all pretty much the same, and even the sparrows flying by looked like the same flock.
The novelty wore off, and the chattering stopped. In the end, only two little heads remained, resting on the cat and dog, gazing at the sky.
Ah, blue sky and white clouds... how boring.
Su Wenqian kept turning back, afraid that he would Jin Shanyao away and make it disappear, but every time he turned back, the oxcart was following behind at a distance.
He lifted the carriage curtain and said to the coachman, "Speed up."
The coachman responded, cracked his whip in the air, and the carriage sped off instantly.
Su Wenqian kept his eyes on the oxcart the whole time, and it kept up no matter how fast the horse-drawn carriage went.
Su Wenqian was amazed and developed a strong interest in the old ox.
By the time they arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture, it was already dark.
The government office was brightly lit. The assistant prefect, having been informed, quickly came out to greet them and whispered a few words in Su Wenqian's ear, causing Su Wenqian to frown.
"Miss Jin, please proceed to the main hall for discussion."
Jin Shanyao followed Su Wenqian toward the government office. The two little ones rode on the cat and dog, looking around curiously. The two who had been drowsy just moments before were now full of energy.
What an eye-opener! This prefectural government office is much bigger than the county government office. The constables and yamen runners are dressed better than those in the county government office, and the courtyard is also bigger.
They are visiting others, and others are visiting them.
The passing yamen runners all widened their eyes; aren't cats and dogs most afraid of carrying heavy loads?
They were able to support two children; not to mention the younger one, the girl must have been seven or eight years old.
Why is such a big kid sitting on a dog? And look at that big dog, it's a whole height taller than a normal dog, and that civet... that must be a civet.
To the astonishment of the crowd, the three entered the main hall.
Su Wenqian spoke first, "Miss Jin, I'm afraid you won't be able to rest. The magistrate just said that another box of tribute has been lost."
Three boxes were lost in just a few days. Could there be a mole within the government?
However, this was not Jin Shanyao's business. She just wanted to finish quickly so she could take the two children to bed, knowing that sufficient sleep was essential for growing taller.
She didn't want her two little ones to turn into short, scrawny children ten years from now.
Su Wenqian led Jin Shanyao to the government treasury. Along the way, Jin Shanyao observed the green plants, flowers, trees, and even the birds flying in the sky.
Upon arriving at the treasury, Jin Shanyao inquired about what had been missing that day, what time it was discovered that it was missing, and who was guarding it. Although Su Wenqian was only tentatively answering, he still carefully provided the answers.
The head constable, hiding in a corner, curled his lip. If all cases require consulting fortune tellers, what's the point of having them?
Jin Shanyao didn't look at the reactions of the crowd, but slowly released her Spiritual Power to connect with the surrounding flowers, plants and trees. In late April and early May, some plants were just sprouting.
Fortunately, there were several pine trees in front of the treasury gate. She directly plunged her Spiritual Power into the soil, one meter, two meters, three meters, wrapping it around the pine trunks and roots and directly invading her memories.
Pine trees are not the first plants to awaken in spring, but they are the most alert plants throughout the winter, able to see anyone entering or leaving the government office.
Following its memory, the Jin Shanyao slowly expanded its Spiritual Power range, covering the entire government office, and then extending outwards until it stopped in front of a mass grave.
After using her Divine Sense to inspect the offerings and determine their location, Jin Shanyao quickly withdrew her Spiritual Power.
He opened his eyes and said to Su Wenqian, "Counting east from the chaotic graveyard outside the city, it's the seventh grave."
The mass grave was a scene Su Wenqian hadn't expected. It took him a long time to recover before he said to the head constable, "Quickly go to the location Miss Jin mentioned and see if the offerings are there."
The constable was very unhappy. Solving cases is all about evidence. He wouldn't listen to him but to the fortune teller, and he even wanted five hundred taels of silver... Lord Su really has too much money to burn.
Even if the constables were unwilling, they had no choice but to lead the men to the mass grave.
Su Wenqian, "Miss, I've asked the prefect to prepare some food. Let's eat while we wait." They had been traveling all day and hadn't had a hot meal yet.
Jin Shanyao her head, lifted the two children off the cat and dog, then took out two ginkgo nuts and fed them to Dahuang and Xiaoli. When the three entered the main hall, the food was already laid out.
Su Wenqian, "Miss Jin, please sit down," and then gestured to the maid to serve soup. "It's still chilly in early spring, have some soup to warm yourself up."
The white fungus and lotus seed soup was soft, smooth, and sweet, and tasted delicious. Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci's eyes sparkled as they sipped it slowly. Only when they saw Su Wenqian and Jin Shanyao their chopsticks did they pick up their own chopsticks to eat.
It was the first time the two had dined at the same table as the prefect, and they were a little nervous, something they would never have dared to imagine before.
Meng Anci subtly observed Su Wenqian's every move, silently comparing him in his mind. Lu Chi's, and his sitting posture was not as proper as Lu Chi's.
Lu Chi eats quickly and steadily; when he tries to snatch dumplings from him, his wrist doesn't even tremble. Judging from this, Lord Su's manners aren't all that great.
Thinking this way, I felt much more relaxed.
He had just picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs when he suddenly heard a shout from outside, "Sir, there are no offerings at that mass grave. That woman is a fraud."
Meng Anci's hand trembled, and the sweet and sour pork ribs fell back onto the plate. He subconsciously looked at Jin Shanyao.
Jin Shanyao slightly surprised, then picked up the piece of spare rib she had just eaten and put it into Meng Anci's bowl.
Meng Anci stared at the ribs in his bowl, but before he could eat, the head constable stormed in.
He first bowed to Su Wenqian, then pointed at the Jin Shanyao and said, "You liar, the seventh grave in the chaotic cemetery outside the city has no offerings at all."
Su Wenqian's smile faded. He didn't look at Jin Shanyao, but said to the constable, "You must be mistaken."
"Impossible! I was afraid I'd made a mistake, so I searched the entire cemetery, but I didn't find any offerings. Sir, this woman is a fraud. Throw her in the dungeon immediately!"
Upon hearing that they were to be thrown into the dungeon, Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci jumped up in fright, staring at the constable like little leopards. Jin Shanyao took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth.
"Are you full?"
Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and then quickly nodded.
Jin Shanyao and said, "Please continue eating."
Seeing her calm and composed, Su Wenqian was somewhat puzzled. "Miss Jin, what do you think of this matter?"
He was also apprehensive, his mind racing with thoughts that nine out of ten divinations were inaccurate.
Jin Shanyao at the constable, "Go out and close the door."
The head constable was taken aback at first, then his anger flared up. Just as he was about to question her about her meaning, Su Wenqian said, "You can go out for a bit."
The head constable glared at Jin Shanyao turned and left the house.
" Lord Su, please wait a moment."
Just as Jin Shanyao released her Spiritual Power, someone outside shouted, "Hey, that cat and dog ran away! Should we go after them?"
"They've already disappeared in a blur, go after them."
"But the one inside."
"That's a fraud."
Dahuang Xiaoli chased the Spiritual Power out of the city. Two streams of Spiritual Power appeared like lightning above the mass grave, and then the surrounding plants began to tremble.
In a short while, this Spiritual Power merged with that of Xiaoli and Dahuang.
Following the signs, we found the offerings directly, and then we heard someone shout, "Dog, dog..."
With Jin Shanyao, she withdrew her Spiritual Power, revealing a sarcastic smile. It turned out that someone had gotten wind of the situation and moved the tribute. There was a traitor within the government office.
Su Wenqian kept looking at her, and only dared to speak when she opened her eyes, "So, did you find it?"
"Found it, I'll go with you this time."
Su Wenqian was skeptical, but when he heard the Jin Shanyao, his anxiety eased somewhat.