"I won't ask anymore. You can tell me later if you want." Qiu Zeyu didn't really want to pry into anything; as long as she wasn't a bad person, that was fine. The fact that she was hiding things now probably meant he didn't trust her enough. She would naturally tell him when she wanted to later!
Lan Yamei's prepared ramblings were useless, like punching cotton. Mu Qiang was something ingrained in human nature, and she was getting impatient. Staring at the other person, she finally managed to stammer out, "Oh!", forgetting what she was supposed to do.
…
Even before the ship docked, the scene at the pier was quite impressive. Besides Lord Liu of Lin'an Prefecture leading his officials at the forefront, there was also a large crowd of onlookers.
"What's going on?" Lan Yamei asked.
"It seems we know what we shouldn't know." Qiu Zeyu said this while giving Murong Xingchen a meaningful look.
With a crash, the ship docked at the pier. Lord Liu hurriedly came over and greeted them, saying, "Lord Murong, you've worked hard! You two have both worked hard! You've handled this mission beautifully, and the higher-ups are very pleased. Please come with me, please come with me."
"Lord Liu, you've worked hard. Please!" Murong Xingchen cupped his hands in a polite gesture and replied.
Lan Yamei wasn't a government official and didn't want to get too involved, so she didn't follow along.
Lan Yamei mounted her horse, and Qiu Zeyu also planned to leave together, but Lord Liu stopped her, saying, "The Emperor is still waiting for you."
Lan Yamei smiled and said to Qiu Zeyu, "Don't worry, I'll be fine." Qiu Zeyu could only open his mouth and say, "Okay, be careful on the road." After the group clasped their hands in farewell, Lan Yamei rode away.
The constables were working tirelessly, hauling over a dozen cartloads of stolen silver to the mysterious mansion. The crowd of onlookers was buzzing with discussion and couldn't be dispersed. The news of the counterfeit silver had become the talk of the town in Lin'an.
The group could only try to dispel the rumors while hurrying away.
Lan Yamei didn't return to Longyang Town immediately. She was seething with anger and was determined to find that black dot and the white-bearded old man!
The shop was still there, just closed for the day. Without hesitation, Lan Yamei dismounted, kicked the wooden door open, and a startled waiter inside stumbled. Lan Yamei grabbed a bench, and with a side kick, smashed the wine jars on the counter to pieces. She then smashed a few more tables and chairs before heading to the backyard.
Because of the commotion, seven or eight onlookers quickly gathered at the entrance. Lin'an had been incredibly lively these past few days; normally peaceful and harmonious, the city was bustling with activity. These past two days had been filled with news: one minute someone was secretly making counterfeit silver, the next the emperor had arrived in Lin'an, and then someone was using the opportunity to overturn a case and report corrupt officials. And then there was this commotion—smashing shops in broad daylight—so everyone was eager to see what the fuss was about.
Lan Yamei went inside, determined to find the old man from that day. The onlookers followed her in, eager to see what would happen.
Soon, Lan Yamei found the waiter, who was trembling with fear. Before she could even interrogate him, he confessed, "It has nothing to do with me. I'm just a lowly errand boy. They all ran away a long time ago, only telling me to guard the shop and not to open it for the time being."
"So you knew all this!" Lan Ya Mei was so angry she gritted her teeth. How could someone so cute like her do this to her!
"I know a little bit, but not all of it. But I've never done anything immoral or immoral, it has nothing to do with me." The waiter trembled, and it seemed he was telling the truth. Although Lan Ya Mei was both angry and resentful, she couldn't bring herself to make things difficult for this unrelated person.
"Who is your boss? What about that old man with the white beard from the other day? Tell me everything you know, and I won't make things difficult for you."
"Our boss's name is Nanfang Nan. Judging from his accent, he's from the capital, but I don't know exactly where." The waiter seemed to be telling the truth. "That white-bearded old Taoist priest is someone the boss invited from Mount Shura. He's called Xuyu Daoren. I don't know what's wrong with the shop these past few days. A few days ago, the boss gave me a few instructions and then never came back. We don't know where the old Taoist priest went either! Everyone in the shop seems to have disappeared. Only I am here to guard the shop."
Xiao Er didn't seem to be lying, so Lan Ya Mei didn't make things difficult for him. She just kicked the fish tank in the yard and smashed it, cursing, "They ran away so fast!" before storming off.
Lan Yamei had heard of Mount Shura before. When business was bad, Aunt Guan often mentioned that they should go to Mount Shura to pray for wealth and peace. But because she was short of money and the journey was too far, she had never gone. Today, she heard the name of Mount Shura again, and it seemed that she would not find these evil people unless she went to investigate.
Shura Mountain was a well-known mountain in this era, just like Mount Hua and Mount Huang are now! Lan Ya Mei simply asked a passerby for directions and found out. Two hundred li was a long journey, and fearing she'd go hungry, she bought a few sesame cakes and headed straight for Shura Mountain in Ziyun Town!
They rode at full speed, leaving Lin'an without resting, and did not encounter any more large towns. After passing through about ten villages, it gradually got dark. They traveled a few more miles before dismounting in a relatively large village.
Traveling in the dark wasn't difficult, but the saddle was too stiff, making her backside unbearable. Most families in the village had already gone to bed, with only a few still keeping their oil lamps lit. Lan Ya Mei led her horse to a house with a relatively large courtyard and called out over the wall, "Fellow villager, excuse me. I'm a traveler on my way to Shura Mountain. Could I stay the night at your house?"
The door opened, and a beam of bright light shone onto the courtyard gate. An old man strode out, opened the wooden gate, looked the newcomer up and down, and asked, "Young lady, are you all alone?"
Lan Ya Mei was startled. Ever since she was fooled by the white-bearded old Taoist priest, she now felt that no old man was a good person. She took a step back and said nervously, "Old man, it's not convenient for you."
The old man noticed Lan Yamei's nervousness and said, "To be honest, there are only my grandfather and granddaughter left in my family. We are all alone and rely on each other. It may not be convenient for you to find a place to stay. However, I have a younger sister who lives up ahead. She has a large family. Why don't I take you there to stay?"
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir!" It was a dark and windy night with swirling clouds, so continuing on the way was not an option. They had to wait until dawn to set off, so they agreed to the old man's suggestion.
The old man went back inside and gave his grandson a few more instructions before coming out again and leading Lan Yamei to his sister's house.
The old man was frail and elderly; although his voice was loud, he was quite hunched over. Lan Yamei secretly compared him to the white-bearded old Taoist priest, who was indeed much more robust.
The old man took two steps, then turned around and asked, "Young lady, are you going to Mount Shura?"
"Grandpa, how come you guessed it so accurately?" Lan Yamei had nothing better to do and was curious about the grandfather and granddaughter's affairs.
The old man chuckled twice and said with a devout expression, "It's only about sixty li from here to Mount Shura. Many pilgrims from afar will stop here to rest for the night before continuing their journey."
"So that's how it is!"
After walking a few steps, the two arrived at a secluded courtyard. The old man gestured for Lan Yamei to wait, then knocked on the door and called out, "Little sister, are you asleep?"
Upon hearing the voice, the person inside the house responded with a shout, "Brother, is that you?" As soon as the voice faded, the lights in the house came on.
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