Chapter 375 Why is Prefect Tang here?

"I find you two to be of exceptional bearing and appearance, unlike those of people from Jinzhou City. May I ask, if I may..."

I was really curious about the relationship between this group and the county magistrate, and I was about to ask them a few questions when Zhu Yue drew his sword and threatened me.

"I've said it before, don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

The sword was pressed against his neck. The cold blade had barely touched the fabric when it sent a shiver through him. The fawning smile on his face froze instantly, and the words he was about to say caught in his throat.

He could clearly feel the coldness emanating from the sword, seeping into his bones through his skin. Cold sweat trickled down his face, dripping onto his clothes and leaving a small wet patch. He didn't even dare to breathe loudly anymore.

"I know, I know, calm down, calm down." The dried goods shop owner chuckled, tentatively pushing the sword away with his finger. "Hahaha, why don't you gentlemen wait here for a moment? When the county magistrate comes, he will give me a secret signal, and you can observe from behind this screen."

"Um."

The dry goods shop owner pushed the sword away, then quickly moved away from Zhu Yue, before retreating with his servant.

Sheng Sheng said to Xie Yunyang, "Brother, this county magistrate is really cautious. I heard from the boss that the magistrate's office changes hands several times before the goods finally arrive at the magistrate's office. Goodness, he's so cautious, it would be troublesome even if he wanted to do something wrong. Besides, no one would associate this magistrate with the word 'corruption'."

"Yes, that's how it is." Xie Yun rubbed his temples, still wondering where the county magistrate's money came from.

There are no famous wealthy merchants in Jinzhou City. Jinzhou City is indeed a small city. The richest man in Jinzhou City would not be ranked anywhere else.

Therefore, Xie Yun-yang believes that the possibility of collusion between officials and businessmen is unlikely.

But if someone doesn't give him money, what other way can he get more silver?

There was no time to think further, because voices could be heard outside, and the people in the cubicle all heard the commotion.

"One, two, three, four, five...?"

"Going up the mountain to fight a tiger?"

Sheng Sheng: "..."

Is this the secret code the dry goods shop owner was talking about?

After a moment of silence, the dried goods shop owner chuckled, then suddenly raised his voice, deliberately speaking very loudly, "They're finally here! Everything's ready!"

Xie Yun glanced at Zhu Yue, who immediately understood and walked out of the cubicle.

A few seconds later, Sheng Sheng heard the door slam shut, followed by a man's tense questioning voice.

Zhu Yue smiled kindly at the man, then drew her sword: "My young master invites you."

man:"……"

Could you put the sword down first?

After bringing the people in month by month, Xie Yun-yang then kindly indicated that as long as he could help them find the next person to resell them, he would be fine.

The man glanced at the sword at his neck, tears welling up in his eyes. He had no choice but to nod, even if he didn't want to.

After repeating the same trick several times, Zhu Yue finally managed to replace the last person who delivered the goods to the steward of the county magistrate's office. After disguising himself, he followed the steward into the house with the dried goods from the shop.

The housekeeper had no suspicion about Zhu Yue's unfamiliarity with him, because the matter had been handled by several people, and the person delivering the goods was different each time. The housekeeper simply assumed that Zhu Yue was the person who was supposed to deliver the goods to his door.

The steward led him to the kitchen, pointed out several locations, and instructed him: "Put those mushrooms over there, and those over here. Don't put them in the wrong places. These things are more precious than your life. If you accidentally make a mistake, the county magistrate will hold you responsible!"

"yes."

Zhu Yue silently put the things away, and then, while the butler was distracted reprimanding the other servants who were busy in the kitchen, she casually rummaged through other places.

Only after confirming that the place was still the same as when he came yesterday, and that everything was still there, did Zhu Yue feel relieved.

Since all the evidence is there, there's no need to look for any more.

They had already investigated the background of this county magistrate. He was just over thirty years old and did not come from a wealthy family. It was impossible for his family to have money to spend.

Since they were not yet married, there was no question of using the county magistrate's wife's dowry to spend money.

Reassured, Zhu Yue stopped wasting time, got up, and quickly knocked out and tied up the butler.

Afterwards, he didn't care about the other terrified servants in the kitchen, and dragged the person to the front hall.

As he walked month by month, he was surrounded by servants who watched him all the way.

As they passed through the second corridor, a servant finally realized what had happened and went to inform the magistrate.

"Oh no! Oh no! A thief has broken into the manor! The steward has heroically sacrificed his life!"

When Zhu Yue dragged the person to the front hall in a very cool and arrogant manner, the "people-loving" county magistrate finally made his appearance.

The county magistrate was only in his early thirties, had a good appearance, and a reputation for loving the people. Anyone who saw him would say that he was young and promising.

"How dare you! Who are you? Do you even know where you are?!"

Zhu Yue threw the man to the ground, revealing a smug smile. She stepped on the steward's butt with one foot and provocatively said, "Instead of worrying about you, the county magistrate, you should worry about how to hide those valuable things in the kitchen."

The county magistrate was greatly alarmed and sneered, "What are you talking about?"

Zhu Yue didn't reply to him. Instead, he walked to the table, picked up the teapot, and smelled it. "Oh, this is top-quality Longjing tea. It must cost about twenty taels of silver per cake, right? So Magistrate Nong likes to drink Longjing tea?"

Magistrate Nong narrowed his eyes: "Guards, seize this person who is spouting nonsense!"

"stop!"

The county magistrate paused, then turned around angrily: "Who is it? One troublemaker isn't enough, who else has come?"

As soon as he finished speaking, upon seeing the person's face, the magistrate's arrogant demeanor immediately vanished.

"The...the Prefect?"

What could Prefect Tang be doing here?!

Prefect Tang stood with his hands behind his back, while Xie Yunyang followed discreetly behind him, holding Shengsheng's hand, his expression indifferent.

"Magistrate Nong, you've made quite a show of force. It's just a guest who casually took a sip of tea, and you're already going to torture and arrest him?"

Sweat instantly soaked the lining of the official hat on the magistrate's forehead. He hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, his voice weaker than before: "This humble official... this humble official saw that this person was talking nonsense and was afraid that he would tarnish the reputation of my county magistrate's office, so I thought I should..."

"Shut up anyone who can see through your thoughts first?" Prefect Tang interrupted him, his gaze falling on the pot of Longjing tea on the table, his fingertips lightly tapping the surface. "Disgraceful? Heh, I remember this tea was a tribute bestowed upon me by the Provincial Governor last month. How did it become your daily tea, Magistrate of the County? Tell me, whose salary supports this 'daily'?"

Magistrate Nong's face turned deathly pale, his knees buckled and he almost collapsed to the ground, unable to even finish his sentence: "Your Excellency, please understand, this...this is a misunderstanding, this humble official..."