The old woman couldn't continue speaking; she just started crying so hard she was exhausted.

The dog felt sorry for her and handed her a handkerchief, saying, "Grandma, don't cry, wipe your tears."

They are now going out disguised as poor people, so they can't offer much help. Besides, in this situation, every family is pitiful, and we can't just help this one family, otherwise there will definitely be conflicts among the neighbors.

Therefore, he can't help anyone.

All they could do was find out the truth and get the court to compensate them for their losses.

The old woman took the handkerchief and wiped her tears. Lu Baichuan then asked, "Do you know what they were doing in the mountains? How could someone have died? Are you sure it was the government recruiting people? Don't be fooled."

"It's true that the government is recruiting people; they've posted notices! But we don't know what for. We heard it's because of a landslide, and the families affected will receive two taels of silver as compensation. Although it's a bit little, it's still better than this natural disaster. So many people died at once, and the government can't come up with that much money, so they're refusing to acknowledge the responsibility!"

The old woman sighed heavily. Although it was wrong to measure her son's life with money, the deed was done and there was no better way. The living still had to make a living, but what could they do without money?

Lu Baichuan asked, "Isn't anyone going to the government to make trouble? So many lives have been lost; we can't just let this go!"

He acted very angry, speaking out for the workers.

"What's the use of causing trouble? Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be beaten to death on the spot! How dare we go against the government? Sigh!"

That's why they're so distressed; a human life has been lost, and they're just letting it go like that.

They were unwilling to accept it, but there was nothing they could do.

"Old man, don't be too sad. I heard that the imperial court has sent people over. I've heard that the current emperor loves his people like his own children and will surely give you justice."

Lu Baichuan offered a few words of comfort, and the old woman nodded, continuing to wash clothes. The father and son then left the place.

Around 3 PM, the father and son left the city and headed up the mountain.

"Father, are we not going to investigate anymore?"

"Cha, but I have to go to the prefect's residence. It's too dangerous for me to take you. You stay with your mother and wait for me in the tent."

He can be taken along for things that aren't too dangerous, but not for things that are too dangerous, since there are too many unforeseen things that can happen.

Although the dog was a little disappointed, he didn't act spoiled. He was starting to understand things and didn't want to be a burden on his parents.

Jiang Jiuniang was really bored being alone on the mountain. When she saw them finally return, her eyes lit up with joy: "How was the harvest?"

"It's basically confirmed that there's a problem in those mountains, but I'll have to go to the prefect's residence tonight to find out the specifics. As it stands, the prefect is in charge of things like recruitment."

Lu Baichuan told Jiang Jiuniang about the information and analysis he had obtained. Jiang Jiuniang nodded and said, "Then eat something and go to sleep, otherwise you won't have any energy tonight."

If Lu Baichuan were alone, he could stay in the city right now and not have to come back, thus conserving some of his energy.

But since he had his dog with him, he had to be sent back to prevent any accidents from happening in the city.

Jiang Jiuniang felt sorry for him and told him to wash off the special effects makeup and go to sleep.

It's still early, so I feel very refreshed when I wake up in the middle of the night.

So as not to disturb Lu Baichuan's sleep, Jiang Jiuniang went outside the tent to sit and read with her son.

After reading for a while, Gou'er couldn't concentrate on the book, so he found paper and pen to record his and his father's experiences that day.

Seeing that he had only recorded the events without his own summary, Jiang Jiuniang asked him to add his own summary.

After writing it down, he carefully put it away and then said to Jiang Jiuniang, "Mother, compared to you and Father, I am really far inferior."

"How so?"

Jiang Jiuniang didn't rush to refute him, but wanted to hear his thoughts.

The dog counted on its fingers, "I wasn't calm enough when things happened. I got so angry when I heard those people talking that I almost rushed out, but Father stopped me. Later, when we went to the city to investigate, I had no clue where to start or what to ask, but Father was very at ease and got the information out of me with ease. Father knew where to investigate what, but I wasn't very clear about that, and I didn't behave as well as Father."

The more he talked, the less confident he became, and he felt a bit dejected. When would he be able to become as clever and quick-witted as his father and mother?

After he finished speaking, Jiang Jiuniang said, "Son, listen to your mother. Being impatient for quick success is not advisable. You can't rush things. You can't look at this matter that way. The reason why your father and mother can consider things so thoroughly is because we have suffered losses in many things. We have accumulated experience time and time again. How could we not remember the lessons learned in blood?"

“But you are different. You are still young and haven’t experienced much. You will have to learn from your father and me, so it will be slower. But for your mother, it’s amazing that you have such abilities at such a young age. You can learn to summarize and apply what you’ve learned just by going out with your father. You’re really great. Never try to become fat in one bite. Only by taking it one step at a time can you learn something solid.”

When it comes to educating children, Jiang Jiuniang may not have much experience, but she is very patient.

She had no one to teach her when she was young and got herself into all sorts of trouble. Back then, she thought how wonderful it would be if someone could give her some guidance. Now, she is so patient with dogs because she wants to make up for her broken and neglected childhood.

"I understand, Mother. I will learn and observe more, and I will not be impatient for quick success."

After each time she comforted him, the dog would feel much better. When he saw that there was no firewood left, he would happily run to the side to find some.

That night, while Jiang Jiuniang was sleeping with the dog, Lu Baichuan went down the mountain.

The city gates were already closed, but that was no problem for him; he easily got in.

Perhaps due to the natural disaster, there weren't many people on night watch at the prefect's residence. Lu Baichuan wandered around inside but didn't see many people; they were all ordinary servants with no martial arts skills.

This can only mean that either the prefect is incompetent and has nothing of importance at hand, so he doesn't value it.

Either they are incredibly audacious and not afraid of being investigated at all, or they feel that since the person is still on the way, there is no need to hide in advance?

However, these are all just his guesses. Whatever the reason, he needs to find out the truth before making any decisions.

Lu Baichuan sneaked into the prefect's study and actually made quite a few discoveries.

This confirmed one of his conjectures—that the people from the imperial court were still on their way and that they were confident that Prince Jing would die. They didn't bother to hide many things; even the letters between him and the prefect of a neighboring city were casually placed in a small box on the table.

My darlings, I need to explain why my updates have been a bit slow lately. I've been taking traditional Chinese medicine to regulate my body, and I also got scratched by a cat and am getting a rabies vaccine. With both things happening at the same time, I feel drowsy and lack energy every time I take the medicine. Please forgive me. But I'll definitely write the 150,000 words I need this month, don't worry. Also, my new book has been signed and will be available soon. It's a historical fiction, I wonder if you'll like it, hehe~