The people in the prefectural office bustled about, completely oblivious to the two little buns.
"Little village child, take the token and go in. Just explain the situation to them..." Xiao Jinheng said.
It was inconvenient for him to reveal his identity.
Everyone inside and outside the imperial court knew that the little prince had been sent away years ago. If he were to show his token to the officials now, it would surely arouse suspicion...
He was afraid that the wicked factions would target Xiao Jinheng, and that would be a big problem.
"Alrighty!~" Little Xi Tian nodded. "Don't wander off, you're so small, it's easy for someone to snatch you away!"
Xiao Jinheng: "..."
Was he an object?
To be snatched away just like that? In broad daylight, under the heavens, was there no law?
Little Xi Tian patted the token in her satchel and walked towards the prefectural office's workroom.
Xiao Jinheng sighed inwardly, turned around, and picked at the yellow mud on the wall...
Unbeknownst to him, the moment he turned, a tall and imposing man with a long sword at his waist and a cape fluttering behind him brushed past him.
Behind the man followed six or seven guards clad in soft armor, all looking heroic and robust.
This man was none other than Marquis Pingyang, Gu Mingyan...
He had come to the prefectural city this time to meet someone.
In order to obtain the blueprints from the neighboring country, Gu Mingyan had dispatched his most astute and skilled dark guards.
He was thrilled to hear that the blueprints were already in hand.
He had planned to greet Magistrate Qin at the prefectural office, but unexpectedly, the man wasn't there. He heard he had gone out to look for two children...
Gu Mingyan was puzzled. Whose children were lost that Magistrate Qin would personally go out to find them.
Xiao Jinheng picked at the wall for a while, then suddenly turned around. He looked in the direction the group of men had left, a hint of absentmindedness in his eyes.
How strange, the leader looked just like his maternal uncle!
Tall, with a straight and upright posture, even his gait was very similar...
Xiao Jinheng was about to chase after them to get a closer look, when Little Xi Tian returned. "Ahhh, I'm so mad! Those people didn't recognize the token at all and chased me out!~"
She realized that this token was only useful in the imperial palace.
Very few people recognized it, only a select few officials...
For example, Prefect Chen and Magistrate Qin.
"Then there's no other way!" Xiao Jinheng glanced again at the group of men who had ridden away on horseback. "It seems we can only wait outside the Magistrate's mansion!~"
"You brat, your token is useless. Why don't we sell it and buy meat buns to eat?" Little Xi Tian winked at him.
Xiao Jinheng frowned. "Eat, eat, eat, all you think about is eating..."
This token held immense significance for him.
Even if he were to be sold, he wouldn't let anyone lay a hand on the token.
Little Xi Tian giggled. "Look how angry you are, I'm just teasing you!~"
Hmph, she loved seeing the brat get flustered and angry.
It was too much fun...
So the two little buns arrived at a butcher shop. The street, which had been empty a moment before, was now occupied by a sheep.
"Brat, look quickly, there's a sheep!" Little Xi Tian pointed at the large sheep with an exaggerated expression.
Xiao Jinheng: "..."
Little demon!
Little Xi Tian led the sheep into the butcher shop. "Shopkeeper, can you help me slaughter a sheep?"
She and Xiao Jinheng had been drifting on the small boat for too long, eating only fruit. Now that they had finally landed, she was determined to have roasted and stewed lamb.
The shopkeeper glanced at the large sheep. "The processing fee is fifty copper coins, and all the offal belongs to me..."
Little Xi Tian twitched her lips. You're really ripping me off.
The offal alone would be worth quite a bit of silver if sold.
It tasted great stir-fried or in soup.
"Shopkeeper, are you trying to trick us because we're small?" Xiao Jinheng questioned.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you saying, little ones? Who's tricking you?" The shopkeeper's eyes widened, and he brandished his cleaver. "You're so small and you're out selling sheep. This sheep was probably stolen from somewhere..."
"Believe it or not, I'll report you to the authorities and have you arrested!"
Xiao Jinheng gritted his teeth upon hearing this.
It was like an eagle falling into a chicken coop, worse than a gosling.
When had he ever endured such humiliation?
"Shopkeeper, we only want one leg of the lamb. We'll sell you the rest of the meat!~" Little Xi Tian said crisply.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up at this.
A sheep this large, including the offal, could yield at least sixty to seventy catties of meat.
"Deal. Name your price!" The shopkeeper picked his teeth with a sharp knife.
Little Xi Tian didn't know how much silver a sheep would fetch after one leg was removed, so she looked expectantly at Xiao Jinheng.
"Two taels!~" Xiao Jinheng quoted directly.
The shopkeeper gasped, his gums bleeding from the sharp knife. He spat out a mouthful of phlegm.
"Two taels of silver? Are you kidding me?" The shopkeeper rubbed his mouth. "After removing one leg, it's a total of nine hundred wen. If you want to sell it, bring the sheep in. If not, go ask somewhere else..."
This price was quite reasonable.
In a county town, a large sheep would sell for about one tael of silver.
Although Little Xi Tian knew she was being ripped off, filling her stomach was more important.
"Alright, deal. Give us the money first!~" Little Xi Tian extended her small hand.
The shopkeeper took a sip of cold water to rinse his mouth, turned around, untied his money bag, and pulled out a piece of broken silver...
"Here!" He tossed the silver over.
Nine hundred wen was nine hundred copper coins, which would be a long string when threaded together, heavy and inconvenient to carry.
So, using broken silver was much more convenient.
After a series of bleating sounds, the large sheep met its demise.
The shopkeeper began to skin, gut, and bleed the sheep. After much effort, he finally managed to remove one leg...
"May I ask, how do you plan to eat this lamb leg? Stewed or roasted?" the shopkeeper asked, holding a smoking pipe in his mouth.
"If you're roasting it, I have charcoal here. I can sell you a few pieces at a discount!~"
Little Xi Tian shook her head. "No need, goodbye!"
She had charcoal and a grill. Later, she would go with the brat to the Magistrate's mansion to roast the lamb leg...
The two little buns, carrying the lamb leg together, ambled away from the butcher shop.
Meanwhile, inside the Magistrate's mansion.
The butler invited Yun Erman and Sister Hua to the main hall, instructed the servants to prepare tea, and brought out two plates of pastries.
"Please help yourselves. The Magistrate is not in the city at the moment. If he doesn't return tonight, please feel free to stay," the butler said with a smile.
Yun Erman looked at the pastries on the table. He didn't want to eat these things and asked, "Do you have any food or anything?~"
He and Sister Hua had been living rough, eating only large fruits and dry steamed buns, without a speck of meat. Now they were extremely craving it...
The butler slapped his forehead. "Oh, how forgetful I am! Come here, quickly, quickly instruct the kitchen to prepare food, the best of the best!~"
Yun Erman sat in the main hall for a while, drank two cups of tea, and ate a piece of pastry.
Sister Hua was very reserved. She ate quietly without making a sound, and drank water without slurping.
Yun Erman walked to the entrance of the main hall with his hands behind his back and suddenly smelled the aroma of roasted lamb.
Oh my, just smelling it made his mouth water.
The butler was truly hospitable, actually roasting lamb skewers for them...