Looking at the two lines of wheel tracks in the snow, Lan Xi pondered for a moment before mounting his horse and riding forward at a slow pace.
One after another, he picked up over a dozen unusually small potatoes. Some were almost completely covered by the white snow, impossible to spot without looking closely.
The wheel tracks disappeared at the intersection, along with horseshoe prints, all turning in from the small path on the left.
Lan Xi gazed into the distant woods; past there lay the imperial estate.
To drop so many along the road meant the carts were fully loaded. Transporting potatoes right after the diplomatic mission had left...
Weren't they supposed to be kept for seeds? Why transport so many at a time like this?
A group of people emerged from behind the woods, seemingly all wearing armor.
Wanting to dispel the doubts in his mind, Lan Xi dismounted and waited by the side of the road, intending to ask them a few questions.
As they drew closer, he could see there were about twenty people.
Two were on horseback while the rest walked. Their armor was exquisitely crafted, unlike that of ordinary soldiers.
From a distance, Chang Shiming noticed a man leading a horse at the intersection, and suspicion inevitably arose in his heart.
He seemed to be looking in their direction. Could it be that the Shuobei State diplomatic mission had left someone behind?
Chang Shiming clamped his legs tightly around his horse's belly, speeding up to reach Lan Xi.
He was just about to ask a question when he noticed the potatoes in Lan Xi's hands. His expression instantly changed.
"Officers—" Lan Xi had barely spoken when he saw the leading general draw his sword and swing it at him.
His face paled drastically. He grabbed the longsword hanging from his saddle and began to defend himself.
"What are you doing? Attacking me for no reason!"
Blades clashed. Chang Shiming's face was ashen, his dark eyes glaring like Guan Gong.
"Who gave you the nerve to steal potatoes from the imperial estate? Men, take him down!"
At his command, the other nineteen soldiers drew their swords in unison, pointing them at Lan Xi and surrounding him.
Hearing the man's words, Lan Xi's mind went blank.
He shouted in disbelief, "You're making baseless accusations! When did I ever steal potatoes?"
Chang Shiming lifted his chin, gesturing toward the potatoes that had fallen to the ground when Lan Xi drew his sword.
"Do you take me for a blind man? If these aren't potatoes, what are they?"
"To sneak into the imperial estate to steal, you've got a lot of nerve. Who sent you?"
Lan Xi glanced down at the potatoes on the ground, then looked back up.
He raised his voice, "I am a steward from the manor of County Princess Linghui. I picked these potatoes up on the road."
Chang Shiming froze. "A servant from the manor of County Princess Linghui? What are you doing out here in the heavy snow?"
Lan Xi pointed to the main road on the right. "I was on my way to our estate and just happened to pass by."
"If I had stolen these potatoes, why would I stand here waiting to be caught when I saw you coming?"
Seeing no trace of guilt on Lan Xi's face, Chang Shiming gradually calmed down.
The man had a point. If he really had stolen the potatoes, he would have fled the moment he got his hands on them. He wouldn't be standing here waiting to die.
But why would there be potatoes on the road?
Thinking of this, Chang Shiming sheathed his sword. "Where did you pick them up? Take me there."
Seeing this, the others also lowered their weapons.
Lan Xi pointed to the road on the left. "Just down this road, for about three miles. I followed the wheel tracks all the way here."
As he spoke, he untied the cloth bag hanging from his saddle and opened it for the other man to see.
"I picked all these up. They're frozen solid like blocks of ice."
Chang Shiming looked down at his feet. Sure enough, there were two lines of wheel tracks on the ground.
He nervously waved his hand and ordered loudly, "Search the area! See if there are any more on the ground."
Watching these men frantically bending over to search for potatoes in the snow, the doubts in Lan Xi's mind suddenly vanished.
So, the potatoes from the imperial estate had been stolen; they weren't being transported by the Court of the Imperial Stud.
Chang Shiming and his men found many more potatoes along the road—a significant amount.
For a moment, all the imperial guards felt as though the sky had fallen.
The Emperor had ordered them to guard the imperial estate, yet someone had stolen the potatoes right from under their noses. How were they going to explain this?
"You, take nine men and return to the imperial estate immediately. The remaining nine will follow me along the wheel tracks to find the potatoes."
Now that things had come to this, they had to recover the stolen potatoes.
Watching their swift and decisive departure, Lan Xi stood there for a moment in thought. Then, he turned, mounted his horse, and prepared to head back to the city to inform Song Jinzhao first.
Inside the County Princess's manor, Song Jinzhao was sitting on the heated brick bed, discussing medicine with Song Shixue.
Seeing Lan Xi return, one felt surprised while the other felt delighted.
It hadn't been long at all. How had he returned so quickly?
Noticing the snow on his clothes, Song Shixue instinctively looked toward the door. "It's snowing?"
Lan Xi nodded. "It just started when this humble servant entered the city."
With that, he cupped his hands toward Song Jinzhao. "County Princess, the potatoes from the imperial estate have been stolen."
Song Jinzhao placed the medical book in her hands onto the table, frowning as she stared at Lan Xi.
"When? How much was stolen?"
Lan Xi answered with absolute certainty, "Just today. At least a cartload."
He slowly recounted the entire process of discovering the stolen potatoes, then shared his own thoughts.
"Although these potatoes were frozen solid, they weren't covered by snow. It started snowing last night but stopped before dawn, so they must have been dropped today. Moreover, the wheel tracks were fresh."
Song Jinzhao asked, "Did you see any wheel tracks when you left the capital this morning?"
Lan Xi furrowed his brows in frustration. "This humble servant was in too much of a hurry at the time, and the sky was still a bit dark. I didn't pay attention to whether there were wheel tracks on the ground."
At this very moment, about a mile away from the city walls, Chang Shiming stood with his hands on his hips.
He stamped his feet in frustration as he looked at the crisscrossing wheel tracks on the ground.
"Heading north goes into the city, while heading east or west leads to neighboring cities. We haven't found any potatoes on the ground for a while now. Which road did they take?!"
The snow was falling heavier now. Everyone's faces were flushed from the freezing cold, and their jaws trembled as they spoke.
"My Lord, how about we split into three groups? They were driving carts; if they entered the city, the city guards would definitely remember them."
Chang Shiming rubbed his freezing face with his hands.
"Then we'll split into groups of three. The remaining person must return to the palace immediately to report the matter to Commander Fan. This is of grave importance; the Emperor must be informed at once."
The nine men replied in unison, "Yes, sir."
Snowflakes drifted into their mouths. Everyone's hearts, along with their backs, were freezing cold.
If they couldn't recover the potatoes, they would be doomed.
Upon learning that the potatoes had been stolen, Fan Guanshan rushed straight to the imperial study to inform the Emperor.
Hearing the news, Xiao Chengjing slammed his wolf-hair writing brush heavily onto the desk, sending ink splattering halfway across the imperial study.
"Send people to search immediately! You must recover the stolen potatoes."
"The Shuobei State diplomatic mission left only a few days ago, and their people are still within the borders of the Dongzhao Kingdom. This matter is definitely tied to them."
"Summon Wu Jianzheng for an audience at once!"
