February twenty-seventh, the beginning of spring.
The weather had yet to warm, and the spring breeze carried a chill, rustling the willow branches that had already sprouted tender buds. The carriage drove south, heading for Lingnan, passing through Xiling.
Xiling Commandery was surrounded by towering mountains. In earlier years, the people here lived by hunting, so they all wore a conspicuous headscarf at their waists. This way, even if they met with disaster in the mountains, their chances of survival would increase. Even if they died, their identities could be discerned by the headscarf.
"Young Master, Master, we've arrived."
The carriage stopped before the city gate. Xuan Yi turned and spoke to those inside.
A slender hand lifted the curtain, revealing a delicate and handsome face.
Nan Shiying alighted from the carriage and looked up at the city walls before her. The walls of Xiling Commandery were five meters high. The green bricks and gray tiles were slightly simpler than those in the capital, yet they possessed a thickness that seemed immersed in history.
Xiling Commandery, once a wild land. Before Lord Liu became the Minister of the Central Secretariat, he had served as the Prefect of Xiling Commandery. It was also because of Lord Liu Wanjun that this place now enjoyed such prosperity.
Liu Wanjun, Xiling Commandery, the Ghost煞 Sect.
Could the clue that had gone cold at the Liu residence have been the work of the Ghost煞 Sect?
"Xiao Jiu, you didn't even wait for your father."
A voice from behind interrupted Nan Shiying's thoughts. The deliberately emphasized word "father" caused Nan Shiying to raise an eyebrow. A brilliant smile bloomed on her face. She turned and looked at the Poison Old Man, who seemed addicted to playing the role of her father, with a smile as radiant as could be. The Poison Old Man shivered inexplicably, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Xuan Yi, holding the horse's reins, silently lit a candle for the Poison Old Man.
The procession entering the city stretched from the gate to a roadside tea stall. Every person who passed was meticulously searched by the guards.
Nan Shiying walked towards the tea stall, ordered a pot of tea, and asked the proprietor to casually serve a few plates of dried fruits. The roadside stall did not have any fine tea, and the dried fruits were merely sunflower seeds and dried fruit. The proprietor placed the dried fruits and the teapot on the table, smiling apologetically, "The stall is simple, this is all we have."
"It's fine!"
Nan Shiying waved her hand, took a sip of tea. The tea was dry and bitter, old tea from last year, and broken leaves at that. She put down the teacup and picked up a piece of dried fruit. The fruit was still edible.
Seeing this, Xuan Yi took out tea from his bag. Nan Shiying stopped him and beckoned to the proprietor. The proprietor had been keeping an eye on them and, seeing the distinguished guest beckoning, quickly walked to the table.
"What can I do for you, honored guest?" the proprietor asked, bowing respectfully.
This young master, at a glance, was unlike these common folk. Although his attire was simple, an air of nobility emanated from him. Most of the customers at his stall were rough people, and even the occasional scholar was a poor student with barely a coin to his name. The proprietor had never served such a distinguished guest and was unconsciously a bit flustered.
Xuan Yi took a piece of broken silver from his pocket and placed it on the table. From the moment the silver was produced, the proprietor's gaze followed it involuntarily. Nan Shiying smiled and picked up the silver, placing it into the proprietor's hand.
"How long has your tea stall been here?"
Clutching the silver, the proprietor's heart pounded. Hearing the question from the generous patron, he quickly replied, "More than ten years. This humble stall has been here for over ten years."
"Have you always been this strict with your inspections?" Nan Shiying pointed at the long line to enter the city. The proprietor shook his head, "It wasn't this strict before. It's because... before the New Year..." As he spoke, the proprietor subconsciously lowered his voice, "after our Prefect was assassinated, entry and exit have been this strictly inspected."
Nan Shiying uttered a timely "Oh," as if piqued by the proprietor's words, her curiosity ignited. "Your Prefect is dead?"
The proprietor nodded. He glanced around, saw no one paying attention, lowered his voice again, and leaned in conspiratorially, "To tell you the truth, the person who assassinated the Prefect once had tea at my stall."
Nan Shiying's eyebrows twitched slightly. Xuan Yi fixed his gaze on the proprietor.
The Poison Old Man silently drank his tea, as if he hadn't heard anything, merely observing the surrounding scenery.
"Is that true? I see many customers coming and going from your stall. Can you remember every single one?" Nan Shiying expressed doubt.
Seeing that there were few customers at the moment, the proprietor pulled over a stool and sat down. "Honored guest, you may not know this, but the reason I remember those few people so vividly is that they inquired about the scholar who had committed suicide by jumping into the river. That's why I have a deep impression of them. After the Prefect was assassinated, wanted posters were plastered all over the city. How could I not recognize them?"
"So that's how it is!"
Nan Shiying suddenly understood.
She subtly glanced at Xuan Yi. Xuan Yi took out another piece of broken silver. This time, he directly tossed the silver to the proprietor. The proprietor fumbled to catch the silver, thanking her with a beaming smile.
The tea and dried fruits on his table were only worth a few copper coins. These two pieces of broken silver were equivalent to his tea stall's income for a year. How could he not be happy? Hearing that the noble young master was again curiously asking about the scholar, the proprietor wished he could pour out everything he knew.
Regarding the scholar, it was strange, he had seemed to evaporate into thin air, never appearing in the city again. Some said he had jumped into the river under the cover of night, others said he had left this place of sorrow. In any case, rumors abounded. The proprietor not only recounted the scholar's tragic experiences in detail but also told of his disappearance.
Mei Sha?
Was that the woman who attacked Jvde Manor that day and fled, abandoning Chi Sha?
Luan Wencheng and the others had inquired about this matter before entering the city. And after Luan Wencheng and his group were declared wanted, the scholar had vanished as if from thin air. There must be a connection between these two events.
Nan Shiying popped a piece of dried fruit into her mouth, chewing it slowly, appearing very satisfied as if she had heard an amusing story. Xuan Yi immediately rewarded the proprietor with another piece of broken silver, nearly having the words "not short of money" branded on his forehead.
The proprietor tucked the silver into his pocket and glanced at the still unmoving procession to enter the city. He said to Nan Shiying, "If you don't wish to queue, you can give the guards a few pieces of broken silver. You can use the inner city gate and won't have to wait."
Nan Shiying's eyes lit up, and in her good mood, she had Xuan Yi reward him with another piece of broken silver.
The Poison Old Man's teeth felt rather dry from drinking tea.
Why wasn't this prodigal spending her entire silver pouch on this proprietor?
Following the proprietor's method, Nan Shiying and the other two soon entered the city. Perhaps due to the surrounding mountains, the terrain here was somewhat steep. After entering the city, there was a long slope, an uphill path. Wooden houses lined both sides of the slope. Crossing the slope, they were truly considered to have entered the city.
The three first found an inn to stay in. Although their destination was the Medicine King Valley in Lingnan, there was no harm in staying in Xiling Commandery for a couple more days.
She wondered how the newly appointed Prefect was faring. Was he being constrained?
In Xiling Commandery, where sectarian forces manipulated government affairs, the position of Prefect was likely held with great trepidation.