Sizhouwu

No matter what Su Zirui was thinking in his heart, these things did not bother Aruo at all.

Aruo had no suspicion of being a criminal at all. After coming to this world, her mental toughness had been tempered to the point where she could remain calm in the face of adversity. In her mind, she had simply moved to a new place to settle down.

Within two days of moving into the inn, she and Cai Xin had basically figured out the structure of the entire place. They knew that there was a mute grandmother in the kitchen who cooked delicious meals. The two sweet-talking women even asked for the convenience of using the kitchen.

Plates of pastries were served on the table. The sweet aroma of the food and the morning light pouring down from the roof tiles made people feel happy.

Beili was very uncomfortable when he stepped into the side hall of the official post station early in the morning and saw such a lively scene. After all, this place was usually used for walking.

"Constable Li? Why are you here?" Beili walked over and found Li Xiaoman sitting at the table in his constable uniform. He asked with a little surprise.

"Lord Beili, Aruo and the others said they would treat me to breakfast, so I came here." Li Xiaoman stood up and saluted, explaining calmly, without caring what this place was used for before.

"Breakfast, please?" Beili looked at the table. There were all kinds of cakes, noodles, and porridge. Each one was small in size but quite rich. He couldn't help but smile. "Xiao Caixin, did you move the breakfast stall to the official post station?"

"Good morning, Beili, please sit down and eat something. This time, thanks to your help." Cai Xin put down a bowl of soy milk with a smile and asked Beili to sit down.

"You guys, be careful that the master may be unhappy." Beili took the noodles and reminded.

He didn't mind, but his own master never liked noise. Of course, if he knew about it, he would probably just give him a cold shoulder. Generally, his master didn't pay much attention to harmless things.

Aruo took a bite of the red bean cake and blinked, saying, "Lord Su has a broad mind and won't care about such trivial matters."

"Aruo, do you know the name of our master? You are so disrespectful." Seeing her confused look, Beili could only sigh that ignorance is fearlessness.

"Indeed, the title of the living Yama Luo is also very famous among the detectives." Although Li Xiaoman belongs to a local government office, it is still part of the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice. If it is a case related to Sizhou, he will cooperate with his colleagues in the Ministry of Justice, so he also has an understanding of the actual boss who is in charge of the Ministry of Justice.

Hearing their words, Aruo couldn't help but recall what the neighbors in Chunfengli had said. "Beili, it's said that your master once single-handedly slaughtered a famous bandit group in Jiangnan, skinning the leaders alive? Blood flowed like a river, and the scene was turbulent. Is that true?"

Bei Li nearly spit out a mouthful of soup when he heard this. "How is that possible? Your Excellency was ordered to investigate the Jiangnan officials for collaborating with the enemy. Later... he collected enough evidence and sentenced them to beheading according to the law. Your Excellency is not a bloodthirsty person. Why would you peel off someone's skin?"

"Then why is there such a rumor?" Aruo was curious.

Having lived through two generations, she had a certain amount of experience judging people. In her experience with Su Zirui, while he was always sarcastic and had a cold air about him, he wasn't a bad person. He hadn't even taken her rudeness seriously, so she was always, intentionally or unintentionally, testing his limits. Even though she'd warned herself not to act impulsively, sometimes that handsome face really did deserve a beating.

"I guess the battle that year was really brutal, and the master was also seriously injured. In order to prevent the remnants from breaking into the prison, the master supervised the execution despite his injuries. Dozens of people were beheaded that day, and there must have been a river of blood. Maybe the local people spread the story by word of mouth, and it became like this." Beili said vaguely while drinking porridge. He really didn't want to talk about this bloody topic early in the morning.

"Then Lord Su doesn't care about reputation?" When Cai Xin first heard this, she had thought this Lord Yan Luo was a big, strong, and ferocious warrior. Although he was counted among the Four Princes of the Capital, perhaps they judged him by his ability, not his appearance.

"My master always said that paying too much attention to rumors was a waste of time, and he had no time to pay attention to those things." In fact, given his master's appearance, there was no way he could be related to Yan Luo. It was just that those people had heard rumors and had preconceived notions. Once they saw the real person, they would not believe those rumors.

"So what you mean is that your lady is still unmarried at the age of 22 because of rumors?" Aruo shook her head in disapproval. The worst thing about this man was that he didn't know how to be gentle with women. Back then, he either threw her into the pond or dragged her off a cliff. The women in the capital were delicate, and which noble lady had such a strong life to suffer such hardships?

Aruo, out of consideration for their friendship, didn't say that it was only after Su Zirui solved the baby case that she felt he wasn't that bad. Before, she had always thought he was rude and arrogant, his words were unpleasant to the ear, he relied on connections and was pretentious, and he had no manners...

"Miss Qi, if you don't know how to use idioms, then don't use them..." A quiet voice suddenly came from above her head. Aruo turned around and saw Su Zirui, wearing a light blue round-necked brocade robe, standing behind her with a look of disgust in his eyes.

"Morning, Lord Su. Would you like breakfast?" Aruo smiled and placed a plate of chrysanthemum cake in front of him, secretly thanking herself for not saying what was in her heart.

"Sweet?" Su Zirui raised his eyebrows slightly, his tone slightly cold.

“It’s sweet and delicious.”

"No need, take your time eating." Su Zirui said, turned around and left.

"Wait," Aruo grabbed his sleeve, "Master Su, I made this specially to thank you."

Su Zirui lowered his eyes to glance at her hand that was holding his sleeve, "You don't feel sick of eating sweets so early in the morning."

"You don't understand. Eating sweets makes you feel better. It's the perfect way to start a beautiful day." Aruo let go of his sleeve, spread out her fingers, her eyes watering. "I burned my fingers making this for you. Just make do with it and have a bite."

Although she got burned because she was too impatient to take the food out of the pot, it was because she was making this, so the principle is the same.

The round fingertips were a little red, indeed like burns. Su Zirui looked down at her expectant face and said reluctantly, "Okay, let's make do."

The noodles that Beili was biting suddenly broke, and a few drops of soup splashed into the bowl. One of the drops fell on the back of his hand holding the chopsticks, burning it a little painfully.

Staring with wide eyes at his father who elegantly picked up a piece of chrysanthemum cake and put it into his mouth politely, Beili glanced at the girl who was smiling with her hands on her face without leaving a trace, and silently lowered his head to slurp the noodles.

He clearly remembered that adults don't like sweet things.

"Aruo, you are not allowed to eat that." After Cai Xin greeted Li Xiaoman, she saw Aruo's chopsticks fall on the fermented rice balls out of the corner of her eye and warned him.

"Why? This looks delicious." Kitazato was confused.

"This has alcohol in it, and she can't touch it." Cai Xin moved the fermented rice balls in front of Li Xiaoman, "Xiaoman, this is for you. If she touches her with even a drop of alcohol, her whole body will turn red and hot and she will feel very uncomfortable."

"Is there such a thing?" It was the first time that Beili heard of it. People who couldn't drink much had seen it, but turning red after just one drop of alcohol was too lame.

"Some people have special physiques and their reactions will be stronger than others. When we were handling cases in Liangang before, we also saw people get pockmarked after eating a bite of shrimp." Su Zirui was not surprised. He had seen even stranger cases.

"That's right, it's a physical problem." Aruo smiled indifferently, poured a cup of tea in front of Su Zirui, just enough to relieve his greasiness.

Su Zirui paused for a moment, lowered his eyes and smiled faintly.

The morning light was gentle, with occasional soft laughter, delicious pastries, and pleasant people. Even those who were used to being sarcastic became a little gentler in the morning light. Aruo suddenly felt that today was a beautiful day.

"Sir," the yamen runner walked into the side hall, holding the sword at his waist and performing a standard salute, "there is a visitor outside, looking for Miss Qi."

"Me?" Aruo tilted his head and asked doubtfully, "What kind of person?"

The yamen runner saw Su Zirui looking over and said respectfully, "It's a young man who said he's an old acquaintance of Miss Qi."

When Cai Xin heard that it was a young man, her face fell. She looked over with a sour look on her face, "Aruo, what kind of romantic debt have you been getting yourself into out there again?"

"The one who came to my door was not a woman, so there is no debt to speak of." Aruo replied as a matter of course.

The others pondered these words, their expressions becoming odd.

"It seems that Miss Qi likes to play around with people." Su Zirui glanced at her indifferently.

"Alas, besides me, you have other old friends in Sizhou... I thought you came for me." Li Xiaoman put down the bowl in his hand, turned his head away and said quietly, frowning with a hint of sadness.

Aruo patted Li Xiaoman's shoulder calmly and said, "Don't take it too seriously. I'm just a bird without legs. I won't stay for anyone. Besides, the person who comes to me may not be an old acquaintance. It may also be..."

Wait, young man?

Aruo's expression suddenly changed, and he stood up hurriedly, "I'll go take a look."

As he quickly walked around the corner, he saw a young man in a pale blue robe, looking up at the plaque hanging at the gate with boredom. Aruo paused, and instantly had the urge to cover his face and turn away. Considering the man's temperament and IQ, Aruo resignedly ran over, "Qin Zhi, why are you here?"

Qin Zhi grinned when he saw the person. His handsome face, starry eyes, sharp eyebrows, and flying eyebrows exuded a free and easy aura. "Xiao Ruoyu, I'm here to pick you up."

The urge to slap his handsome face was so strong that she never thought Qin Zhi was so stupid.

"You idiot," Aruo continued, hooking one hand around his neck and dragging him away from the guards on either side of the door, cursing in a low voice, "You didn't get caught last time, but now you're walking into a trap? Are you that interested in the Sizhou Prison?"

This person was the instigator of the prison break that night and was also one of Aruo's confidences in this dynasty.

Qin Zhi bent down to cooperate with her, letting her hold his neck obediently. He whispered, "I'm escorting goods to Sizhou. I was anxious when I heard you were in jail... Besides, it was my carelessness last time. Now I'm officially here, right?"

"Didn't you leave your brains behind in Yangzhou? Su Zirui's almost exposed your past, and you still come here?" Aruo was amazed at his intelligence. "Don't you think there aren't enough troubles here?"

"How could I? Do you think I do? It's because of this time..." Qin Zhi felt that his brain was insulted and tried his best to defend his IQ.

"Qin Zhi?" Cai Xin saw them both looking conflicted as she stepped out of the door. "Is it really you? Why are you here?"

This sentence sounded familiar. Qin Zhi broke free from Aruo's hand, crossed his arms and greeted her with a smile. He looked meaningfully at the handsome man who was walking slowly behind Caixin, "Little Caixin, who is this?"

Cai Xin turned around and found that the people who had eaten breakfast had followed her out. She quickly pointed at them and said, "This is Lord Su and Lord Beili from the Ministry of Justice. They..."

"What?" Before Cai Xin could finish, Qin Zhi's face changed drastically. He grabbed Aruo's arm and tried to pull her back. "Ministry of Justice? Aruo, run quickly, or your evil deeds will be discovered!"

Aruo was caught off guard and was nearly dragged down by him. Fortunately, someone grabbed her right arm in time, allowing her to steady herself. He kicked him angrily, "You're the one who's doing this! I'm a law-abiding person!"

Seeing him grimacing and crying out in pain, Aruo turned around. Su Zirui, who was holding her arm, looked at her coldly with an expressionless face. She couldn't help but stammer, "I really didn't do anything wrong, Master Su."

"It seems that you have a criminal record." Su Zirui raised his eyebrows slightly, mocking her guilty look.

"No, no, no, Lord Su, don't believe him, he's joking." Aruo shook his head repeatedly.

"What are you kidding? You've caused enough trouble...ah!" Qin Zhi was kicked on the shin by Aruo. The pain was so severe that he couldn't speak for a moment.

Su Zirui watched them quarreling coldly. After Qin Zhi calmed down, he looked up at the man whose smile faded. "Young Master of the White Flame Gang, I have long heard of your great name."

"No, no, am I famous? Even the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice has heard of me, haha." Qin Zhi touched his chin and said to Aruo quite complacently, "Look, I've been wandering around for a few years but I'm still not famous. Hurry up, pack up and come back with me." As he said that, he pulled her to his side.

"Wait a minute, Miss Qi is related to the Wanxingban murder case in Sizhou. She can't go with you." Su Zirui said indifferently. He didn't hold her hand hard, but he kept her firmly by his side.

"She is not a criminal, why should we force her to stay here? Besides, she will be in my Baiyan Gang branch. If Lord Su has evidence or has anything to ask, just come over." Qin Zhili said confidently.

Su Zirui looked at Aruo, "Miss Qi."

"Yes." Aruo suddenly had the illusion that her name was called in class, and subconsciously looked at Qin Zhi.

"Qin Shuang has been waiting for you for two months, and her patience is almost gone." Qin Zhi raised his hand and poked her forehead, his tone a little gloating, "You don't want her to come and arrest him personally, do you?"

Let Qin Shuang take action himself... Aruo suddenly felt a chill and shook her head repeatedly, looking at Su Zirui, but was chilled by the coldness in those eyes. She couldn't say anything and looked over his shoulder at Cai Xin behind him.

Cai Xin received the distress signal and couldn't help but want to go forward, but Li Xiaoman and Beili each held her shoulders and held her in place. Li Xiaoman handed over the melon seeds in his palm and smiled.

Cai Xin silently touched two of them and studied them carefully, as if the melon seeds would bloom into a brilliant yellow-petaled flower in the next moment.

What a bunch of bastards, Aruo glared at them.

Qin Zhi raised his eyebrows and looked at Su Zirui calmly, who was not giving in at all.

In Aruo's mind, Su Zirui and Qin Shuang were definitely the scarier ones. Looking up at the two men, each captivated by their gazes, Aruo was about to break free and let them meet, but a soft and pleasant voice came from behind him.

"Senior Brother?"

Everyone looked over and saw Qi Qi helping a very beautiful woman get off the carriage.

"Why are you here?" Su Zirui frowned slightly.

This sentence sounded familiar. Aruo and the others looked at the woman, but the woman's eyes fell on the hand holding Aruo.

"I have nothing to do today, so I asked Brother Qi to take me to the official post station." The woman walked gracefully to Su Zirui's side and naturally took his arm. "Why are you all standing at the door?"

Aruo looked at her hand on Su Zirui's arm, then she reacted and broke free from the two men holding her hands. She smiled and said, "It seems that Lord Su also has visitors today. Then we won't..."

Su Zirui glanced at the person beside him. The woman's smile froze and she subconsciously let go of his hand. He put his hands behind his back and said indifferently, "This is the daughter of my mentor, the late Grand Tutor Liu. She came to Sizhou to visit relatives."

"The late Grand Tutor, Master Liu Ze? Master Liu, known as the greatest scholar of this dynasty?" Aruru was slightly surprised. He smiled at the woman, his tone somewhat excited. "I really like Master Liu's travel notes. I've read 'Xishan Qitan' several times. Miss Liu is indeed extraordinary, both beautiful and intelligent."

"Thank you, Miss Yurong, for your compliment." Liu Yurong blushed slightly and bowed.

"Ruo girl?" Before they could finish, a male voice came from the side.

Aruo and others looked over and saw a middle-aged man in a blue cloth robe. He had an ordinary face with a slightly scholarly air. He wore a headband of the same color and carried a bamboo box on his back.

"Actor Zhang? Why are you here?" Aruo felt that this sentence was very familiar.

"Didn't you say you'd finish writing the ending with me in a couple of days? I saw I had nothing else to do, so I came to see you." Zhang, the actor, stroked his beard and looked at the group of people with interest. "I didn't expect it to be so lively at the entrance of the official post station."

Isn't it? Aruo looked around, clapped his hands suddenly, and said with a smile, "How about we have breakfast together?"

Qin Zhi couldn't help but laugh out loud. He raised his hand to rub Aruo's head, then pushed her to the side and looked directly at Su Zirui, who had an expressionless face. "As long as you're okay, that's enough. Then let's get down to business. Today, on behalf of the White Flame Gang, I'm here to meet Master Su. I have something important to discuss."

"In that case, please." Su Zirui made a decisive gesture and turned to walk into the official inn first.

Aruo was slightly stunned, and quickly pulled Qin Zhi, "What do you want to talk about?"

No matter how you think about it, it doesn't seem right. A government official and a gangster, what topics do they have in common? What's more, Qin Zhi just staged a prison break right under everyone's noses.

Qin Zhi looked at her with pity and said seriously, "Since you live here now, I have to pay you a visit and give you a gift or something, lest you do something stupid again and get kicked out, which would be embarrassing."

"roll!"

"It's time for me to go on patrol, Aruo. I'll find you later." Li Xiaoman had seen enough of the show, bowed calmly, turned around and left in a leisurely manner.

Cai Xin enviously watched her leave openly, and stammered, moving on tiptoe, "I'll go get ready too..."

"Xiao Caixin," Aruo pulled her hair and smiled brightly, "Let's talk about what it means to watch someone die without helping them."

If she can't handle those two men, can't she handle a small cabbage heart?