Sizhou Sixteen

"What did you say? Those official silver coins were a deal between you and Su Zirui?"

A loud bang was heard from the inner courtyard of the Sizhou Baiyan Gang branch. A capable middle-aged man passing by was rarely startled. He glanced at the calm old butler beside him and continued to practice his swordsmanship.

The day after the brawl in the forest, Qin Zhi took her back to the Baiyan Gang's Sizhou branch. At this moment, they were in the study in the inner courtyard.

Qin Zhi rested his long legs on the mahogany desk, his hands resting on the back of his head, and said leisurely, "Of course, if the old man hadn't been tricked into taking the order, we wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess."

Why are these big guys always being tricked? Bai Yong's boss also said he was tricked into accepting orders to steal babies. Aruo curled her lips in disdain.

"What commission did the gang take at that time?" Aruo remembered that time when they were escorting the convoy. Yanhong's body was smashed down there, and the spices on her body made her vomit blood. It was also the spices that made her suspicious. If even she noticed it, Su Zirui couldn't have failed to investigate. No wonder he wasn't surprised that Yanhong had returned from the dead.

"The old man was tricked into accepting this order. Who would have thought that those corrupt officials who embezzled the disaster relief funds would actually entrust the Baiyan Gang to deliver them? Qin Shuang and I can't swallow this, but the situation in the capital has changed, and we dare not act rashly." Qin Zhi changed his posture, supporting his chin and speaking slowly, "Since you happened to be returning along the way at this time, I changed the river transport route and came around to Sizhou to meet you."

"Who is the corrupt official?" Aruo's mind was a little confused. "Zhu Jiazhen?"

Qin Zhi smiled coldly, not having any good feelings towards these officials who buried their consciences. "Maybe he is one of them."

"A gang crime? That's right, I guess few people can keep such a large sum of money alone. Then why did Yanhong smash Zui Haitang on the stage?" What Aruo didn't quite understand was why several times seemed to be related to her.

Speaking of this, Qin Zhi looked sympathetic.

In fact, Zui Haitang's death was indeed an accident, but she was smashed on the stage because there was a Su Zirui under the stage who was sent by the emperor to investigate the disaster silver, and he had already found out the route of the Baiyan Gang's transportation of goods.

The Ministry of Justice is in charge of the criminal justice system of this dynasty, and the government office itself is a subordinate unit of the Ministry of Justice. When a murder occurred in Sizhou, Su Zirui had no choice but to take charge. This way, those people would have time to arrange more things.

The prefect Zhu Jiazhen was unaware of Yanhong's actions and wanted to make Aruo a scapegoat to fool the Ministry of Justice. However, he did not expect that Aruo was an old acquaintance of the actual boss of the Ministry of Justice. He was directly taken to the official post station for isolation, which also gave Qin Zhi another possibility of escape.

"So, you had already reached a consensus with Su Zirui when you came to the official post to see me for the first time?" Aruo held his chin with both hands, his eyes blank.

"Qin Shuang and I just want to get rid of this order as soon as possible. Rather than letting corrupt officials take away the government silver, it's better to give it to Su Zirui. As a condition of cooperation, he promised to protect you here and not touch the Baiyan Gang at all."

"So he... is still protecting Yin after all." Aruo couldn't describe the feeling, only a tightness in his chest. Shaking his head, thinking of Yanhong, he suddenly asked, "Did Zhu Jiazhen do this to Yanhong? Aren't they in the same group?"

"Who knows? This is a very complicated matter." Qin Zhi was also unable to make sense of it. He glanced at the clueless Aruo. He didn't mention that based on the clues he had found so far, Yanhong was clearly not one of these gangs. It was true that Yanhong had killed Zui Haitang, but the body was indeed a temporary arrangement by Zhu Jiazhen to create a murder scene. As for why Yanhong faked her death, and why the body was placed to hit Aruo...

"Zhu Jiazhen must have used Yanhong's fake death in order to destroy the cooperation between me and Su Zirui. After all, if something happened to you, the Baiyan Gang and the Ministry of Justice would become enemies." Qin Zhi could only guess this.

I'm afraid it's not that simple. How much does Zhu Jiazhen know about Yanhong's origins and the master behind her? Aruo didn't dare to say anything. Suddenly, he remembered Fang Shouren he met in the Fang family's secret room. "Do you know that Fang Shouren is fake?"

"You have to ask me about this." A clear voice came from outside the door. The study door was kicked open and a majestic figure rolled in smoothly.

He really rolled away, because the person accidentally tripped when he stepped over the threshold and fell unhindered at Aruo's feet.

"Fatty, there's no need to be so polite." Aruo was startled and wanted to laugh but was embarrassed.

"Aruo, why don't you help me up?" The fat man climbed up aggrievedly and adjusted his belt which was a little tight.

"Who... are you?" Aruo tilted his head in confusion.

"Hahahaha." Qin Zhi laughed out loud without giving any face. It was worth his repeated warnings to Ning Caixin not to tell Aruo about Fatty Fang.

Fang Jingsheng was a little unhappy, rubbing his chin which was almost lost, and said, "It's me, Fang Jingsheng."

"Fang Jingsheng?" Aruo looked at him, then turned to look at Qin Zhi, who was grinning uncontrollably. "That sickly, sinister, beautiful young man, Fang Jingsheng?"

Fang Jingsheng brushed his hair shyly and bowed shyly, "It's me."

The memory of the deeply poisoned, intelligent and calm young man with a rosy complexion, and the delicate and beautiful young man in front of him, whose face was round without a single angle, and whose eyes were squeezed by flesh until they were only squinting... Aruo's mouth twitched, and he said with a look of understanding, "No wonder Xiaoman would rather be a constable than the wife of Mr. Fang."

Damn, I knew this girl was the most ruthless. Fang Jingsheng clutched his chest in pain, his expression grim, "You're always exposing someone's weaknesses... You're still so sharp-tongued even after not seeing you for a few years."

The most painful thing for Fang Jingsheng in the past three years is that the girl he likes is so focused on her career that she doesn't even look at him.

Aruo made a face and said, "Your father has been replaced, and you still have the mind to eat so much fat."

"That old man let the wolf into the house himself. When I returned from Shu a year ago, he had already been replaced." The other party's imitation skills were too good. If his father had not shown enough grief on the anniversary of his mother's death, he would not have suspected this. Of course, outsiders have always believed that his father's dislike for his first wife was also a flaw.

Fang Jingsheng was quite helpless. His home was turned upside down after just one trip to Shuzhong. If he hadn't reacted in time and found the secret room after many twists and turns, and discovered so many things that shouldn't be there, the consequences would have been unpredictable.

"Besides, didn't I persuade Lao Xue to defect and ask him to help me keep an eye on my stupid dad and prevent anyone from killing him?" He didn't even think about the fact that he had to fight alone and it took him a lot of effort to find someone who was not really a bad guy and persuade him to defect to help.

"Are you talking about that sloppy doctor?" Aruo felt that the man did not need to be persuaded to defect and could be hired by paying more money.

Fang Jingsheng nodded. He was not only a doctor, but also his informant. It was just that the man hadn't had a chance to provide any clues before the incident was over.

"Did you go to find Fang Jingsheng after meeting Su Zirui? Were you the one who delivered the official silver to the Fang family?" Aruo played with the pipe of the pot, and took a sip from the spout proudly under Fang Jingsheng's expectant eyes.

Qin Zhi shook his head. Under Fang Jingsheng's resentful gaze, he pulled out another cigarette holder from his pocket and took a sip. Fang Jingsheng, who hadn't been offered a cup of tea despite being a guest, silently squatted down to see if there was a third pot.

The process was more tortuous than expected. Qin Zhi was attacked as soon as he arrived in Sizhou. Not only was he almost mistaken for a bandit, but the official silver was also mysteriously replaced with pebbles.

Although he anticipated this, he hadn't anticipated the other party's omnipotence. Aruo was imprisoned as a murder suspect, forcing him to attempt a prison break, only to be foiled by the evil spirit from the Ministry of Justice. Su Zirui, after testing him, offered him a message, and despite his frustration, Qin Zhi had to accept it. Unexpectedly, despite the combined efforts of the two forces, Aruo was still poisoned, leaving Qin Zhi practically on his knees. Fortunately, Li Xiaoman found a master who uncovered the clues and saved her life, allowing him to focus on finding the missing government silver.

"Those official silver coins were originally hidden in the Fang family. Fang Jingsheng contacted me after he found out that Su Zirui and I were investigating." But by that time, Su Zirui had already found the secret room of the Fang family.

"In the end, I was the first one to find that batch of official silver." Aruo finally understood why Su Zirui was in such a good mood when he visited Fang's house at night. It turned out that after searching everywhere for it, it was finally found without any effort.

That night she originally wanted to ask Fang Jingsheng for help, but ended up helping them a lot. Even Fang Jingsheng's reason for looking for Su Zirui and Qin Zhi became legitimate.

The Ministry of Justice really had to give her a reward.

"Not only did you find the official silver, you also found my real father." Fang Jingsheng smiled honestly, with a gleam in his eyes. It was worth it that he endured for so many years before taking action.

"Then what? Su Zirui will join forces with you?" Aruo tilted his head in confusion.

Qin Zhi nodded. "We created some accidents to replace the official silver while Fang Shouren wasn't paying attention. Then we spread the news that the White Flame Gang had found the official silver and were going to transport it somewhere else. In fact, I had already told Uncle Zhong to ship the official silver to Old Su, Su Zirui's father."

It's true that having someone in the court makes things easier. No wonder Qin Shuang continues to secretly support some qualified poor students. Qin Zhi initially thought she was looking for a way out because she despised her husband's weakness.

"No wonder you weren't at the branch those days." Aruo was wondering why something had suddenly happened in the gang, and why it was so serious that he and Zhong Bo had to leave without a trace. You know, Qin Zhi would definitely not leave her alone. If he dared, Qin Shuang would kill him. "You trust me so much."

"Su Zirui promised to protect you completely. This is the only way I can do, as the situation is urgent. But I've reserved some help for Xiaoman to secretly protect you." As for why he didn't give it to Aruo, it was mainly because Lord Su had asserted that Aruo would be restless without help. Qin Zhi felt that this made sense.

"What about the Dali Temple?" Was Lin Ziyan here because of the emperor's order?

Qin Zhi and Fang Jingsheng exchanged a smile, then gloated, "Him? Since it's been confirmed that corrupt officials were involved in the disaster relief money, it's only natural that the Dali Temple took over. We spread the word that we were going to transport the official silver, but in reality, it was Fang Jingsheng who commissioned the Baiyan Gang to transport the Fang family's treasures, intending to lure out the person behind the scenes who panicked when they discovered the official silver was being transported. Who knew that Lin Ziyan would get wind of it and come over to intercept us transporting the fake official silver? He just happened to run into the fake Fang Shouren who had discovered our whereabouts. The Ministry of Justice had been hoping to catch them both in one ditch."

Speaking of this coincidence, Qin Zhi and Fang Jingsheng both burst into laughter.

"And then you just left it alone?" Aruo was curious.

"They are gods fighting, mortals like us dare not interfere." Qin Zhi said slowly, with a nonchalant and dandy attitude.

The situation was really a bit confusing. Lin Ziyan discovered that the official silver he had snatched with his life was actually the treasure of the Fang family. He didn't know how ugly his face would be. Aruo suddenly felt a little sympathy for him.

However, looking back at the incident, her poisoning was something no one had anticipated. No wonder Yanhong was so eager to take her away afterwards; someone must have been worried she'd get caught up in the government silver case and become easy cannon fodder. Aruo lowered her eyes. The scent on Yanhong...she could probably guess who had sent her there.

"Who, then, embezzled all that government money?" The person behind the scenes had created a fake Fang Shouren and seemingly colluded with the prefect, Zhu Jiazhen. They were even planning to kill Su Zirui, the son of an official. He must be someone powerful. However, it was unknown what role Yanhong... or that person, played in all of this.

"When they return to the capital, I imagine there will be a reshuffle in the imperial court." To be able to get their hands on government funds for disaster relief, this person is not only greedy, but also powerful, or perhaps has greater interests at stake. Fang Jingsheng narrowed his eyes and smiled innocently, "The Su family father and son are not easy to deal with. They must have a backup plan."

"Okay, there's nothing for us to do next. Let's go back to Yangzhou." Qin Zhi didn't want to take care of these complicated official affairs. He stretched out his hands and lay on the table, saying boredly.

"Leaving so soon? What about reminiscing about the past?" Fang Jingsheng was the first to object.

"The Sky Lantern Festival is in five days. Let's wait until after the Sky Lantern Festival to leave." Aruo also lay on the table and said pitifully.

Now that the Yanhong and Guanyin cases had been resolved, she should be safe in Sizhou. Aruo felt a little sorry that she hadn't been able to catch up with friends or go out for a stroll since returning.

"I don't want to stay here for a moment. I haven't found any clues about who is behind Yanhong. It's too unsafe here. The right thing to do is to go back quickly." Yangzhou is the Qin family's territory after all. There is a complex interpersonal network everywhere. The other party will have to think twice before taking action.

It's just that you don't know, Aruo blinked, not wanting to say too much. She didn't want to care about Yanhong's back, but whether Zhu Jiazhen had any relationship with that person was more troublesome.

"Just five days." Aruo had come to Sizhou specifically for this annual event. She wasn't worried about the debts, and that person wouldn't make a move on her anytime soon. Wasn't it better to just let things take their course?

"Let her celebrate the Sky Lantern Festival before she leaves." Fang Jingsheng lay down, occupying all the remaining seats at the round table. "We parted ways after the Sky Lantern Festival three years ago. Let's celebrate the festival three years later before we part ways."

Qin Zhi and Aruo looked at each other and laughed.

Three years ago, after they caused a scene at the Fang family’s wedding, they parted ways on the second day of the Sky Lantern Festival.

"Forget it, let's just celebrate the festival." Qin Zhi shook his head helplessly and poked her forehead. "Now that the case is closed, don't provoke that evil spirit again. No matter what Yanhong's purpose was, she is dead, and the fake Fang Shouren has been caught. You have nothing to do with him anymore. I heard from Xiaoman that he went on a killing spree that day and truly lived up to his name as Yama Luo. Let's see if you dare to yell at him."

When had she ever yelled at Su Zirui? Aruo glared at him angrily, but unfortunately it had no power, instead it sounded like a coquettish scold. "I won't go out these few days, wait until the actor Zhang finishes rehearsing the play, okay?"

Qin Zhi nodded with satisfaction.