Before leaving the palace, Ji Zhaoxi went to see Xiao He.
"Sister Xiao He!"
Ji Zhaoxi brought a lot of food and clothing to the Cold Palace.
Xiao He was no longer as young as before; she had a few more wrinkles around her eyes, but her expression was also much more peaceful.
Xiao He's eyes curved in a smile. She reached out to pat Ji Zhaoxi's head, only to realize that the girl was now taller than her.
Ji Zhaoxi bent down, and Xiao He smiled and patted her.
"You've grown taller again."
Every time they met, it seemed Xiao Xizi had grown quite a bit taller.
"Sister Xiao He, how have you and Her Highness the Noble Consort been doing lately?"
Xiao He smiled and said, "Although it is a bit more impoverished than before, it is actually not bad. I planted some things in the courtyard, and Her Highness really enjoys eating them."
She looked at the fully grown Ji Zhaoxi and felt a wave of emotion. When she was little, she always thought Xiao Xizi looked so much like a girl, and it turned out she actually was.
"Sister Xiao He, if there is anything you want, just tell the guards at the door, and they will come find me," Ji Zhaoxi said with a serious face.
Xiao He smiled and nodded.
To be honest, she hadn't expected Ji Zhaoxi to come see her. She hadn't really helped her much; those things she did were just in passing.
Yet, she visited even more frequently than the Second Prince.
After Ji Zhaoxi left, Xiao He carried the things into the house.
The Noble Consort was at the door with a small trowel, learning how to grow vegetables. However, she had never succeeded; many of the things she planted had died.
Xiao He called out from the window, "Your Highness, come in quickly! There are pastries you like."
The Noble Consort immediately dropped the small trowel and replied, "Coming!"
The carriage wheels rolled over the road, making a rhythmic creaking sound. Surrounded by mountains, the mighty procession continued to advance.
Inside the spacious carriage, the light was somewhat dim. The carriage swayed back and forth, and Xiao Yanchen clung to Ji Zhaoxi as if he had no bones.
They were surrounded by guards and the imperial army, and the inside of the carriage was incredibly quiet.
"Xiao Xizi." Xiao Yanchen's eyes were red, and he looked at Ji Zhaoxi with a gaze full of accusation.
He hugged her waist tightly, his nose affectionately rubbing against her skin. His breathing grew increasingly rapid, and his scalding hot breath blew directly into Ji Zhaoxi's collar.
Pinned in the corner by him, Ji Zhaoxi found it hard to breathe. She glared at him angrily, but afraid that the people outside would hear, she could only scold him in a low voice, "Are you here to repair the dam or what?"
He had been pestering her the entire way.
Not professional at all.
Scolded by her, Xiao Yanchen looked a bit wronged, his gaze lingering clingily on her lips. "Kiss."
Ji Zhaoxi couldn't escape his nuzzling at all, and her own breathing began to quicken. Wherever she tried to hide, Xiao Yanchen would follow and rub against her, simply refusing to let her get away.
Seeing her constant refusal, Xiao Yanchen's voice sounded very sad. "Xixi, I am so scared right now. What if I don't do a good job this time? Will Imperial Father scold me? Second Brother will definitely bully me again..."
Xiao Yanchen looked at Ji Zhaoxi with eager, pleading eyes.
Ji Zhaoxi's face flushed bright red. She cupped his face and kissed his forehead.
"Kiss my eyes, okay?" Xiao Yanchen started nuzzling again.
Ji Zhaoxi could only kiss his eyes as well.
Xiao Yanchen pushed his luck. "Xixi, can you kiss my cheek? I feel like my heart doesn't hurt as much anymore."
Ji Zhaoxi whispered, "If your heart hurts, you should go find an imperial doctor."
Xiao Yanchen pretended not to hear and just looked at her pitifully.
Even after she kissed his cheek, Xiao Yanchen was still not satisfied.
"Xixi, I want to kiss..."
"No, you don't!"
"I want to..."
The guard waiting silently at the door: ...
He had been waiting for a long time. He had called out twice, but no one answered.
Although there was no sound inside, he felt it was better to wait a bit.
Sure enough, after a while, Xiao Yanchen lifted the carriage curtain and asked calmly, "What is it?"
The guard lowered his head, pretending not to see Xiao Yanchen's disheveled appearance. "Seventh Highness, the magistrate of Nanjing County sent someone over to ask if you would like to stay at the government office. They said everything has been prepared."
"No need. Go directly to the post station."
"Yes, sir."
When the officials of Nanjing County learned that Xiao Yanchen was not staying at the government office but had gone to the post station instead, their expressions turned rather ugly.
To be honest, the imperial court had sent people down several times before, but this was the first time someone was so uncooperative.
"Have the items been sent over?" The magistrate furrowed his brows tightly.
Why was there still no reaction?
A servant whispered, "My Lord, we sent them over, but the items were thrown out. The Seventh Prince's side has already started checking the accounts."
The magistrate's face instantly darkened. "What accounts are they checking? Haven't the account books already been given to them?"
The servant's voice grew even quieter. "The Seventh Prince's people said they want to investigate it themselves."
The magistrate's expression was incredibly grim. This Seventh Prince was coming in aggressively, all for their tiny Nanjing County?
"Gather a few men and come with me to meet this Seventh Prince."
"Yes."
Nanjing County was very humid. Thick dark clouds pressed down heavily, and there was a gloomy chill in the air.
Ji Zhaoxi sat in the post station. Xiao Yanchen draped a thicker outer robe over her and rubbed her somewhat cold hands.
The others nearby kept their heads down, pretending not to see this scene.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at the messily altered and forged account books on the table and frowned.
"These people mixed in a large amount of yellow mud to cover up the deficit. If right now..."
Before Ji Zhaoxi could finish speaking, a dense clatter of horse hooves suddenly rang out outside the post station.
Leading the group were several officials from Nanjing County, their faces now revealing a fierce glare. They brought over two hundred soldiers and completely surrounded the post station.
"Seventh Highness," the magistrate said from horseback, looking at him with a fake smile. "I am afraid the account books in your hands have recorded some things incorrectly. For the sake of Your Highness's safety, please hand the books over to this official for verification."
The expressions of the others on horseback looking at Xiao Yanchen were also highly unfriendly. The atmosphere in the air instantly froze.
Just then, the air was directly sliced open by a sharp blade.
"Ahhhh—"
The magistrate, who had been clamoring on horseback, was suddenly yanked backward and smashed heavily onto the bluestone pavement.
A guard stepped on the back of his neck, pressing a dagger against the magistrate's throat. "Insolent!"
Immediately after, from the originally empty corridors and crevices, countless imperial guards surged out. Hundreds of arrowheads aimed directly at the soldiers in the middle, blocking their escape route.
Holding the account book, Xiao Yanchen spoke in a mild tone, "The magistrate arrived just in time. Master Detective Ji from the palace happens to have discovered some strange things."
Master Detective Ji herself coughed lightly in embarrassment.
"Lin Dazhong, Magistrate of Nanjing County, embezzled twelve thousand taels of allocated funds," Ji Zhaoxi's voice echoed in the post station.
"The Prefect of Nanping withheld the commoners' rations and even sold burnt rice at high prices to the disaster victims."
With every sentence Ji Zhaoxi read, the bodies of the officials on horseback trembled a bit more.
They looked at Ji Zhaoxi in disbelief. Where did this Master Detective Ji come from? Why hadn't they heard of her before?
Outside the ring of soldiers, some refugees curiously gathered around.
The next second, the magistrate's severed head rolled right to the feet of the commoners.
The air instantly fell silent.
The old woman standing at the very front: ...
She never expected that one day, her enemy's head would actually fall from the sky.
She couldn't resist giving it a kick.
Damned corrupt official!
The guard sheathed his sword and melted back into the shadows.
