After passing through two states and three counties, the patrol team finally arrived at the main city of Yunzhou - the White Emperor City.

The name of the White Emperor City has a historical allusion. It happened more than 1300 years ago during the previous dynasty. Yunzhou experienced a severe drought, and the land turned barren for thousands of miles.

The people had no harvest and lost their livelihoods.

That year, a strange beast came from overseas. It resembled a deer, covered in white scales, with a pair of antlers on its head, hooves like a horse, and a snake tail.

Wherever it went, dark clouds gathered, and heavy rain poured down. This beast wandered around Yunzhou for over a month, filling up the water reservoirs and revitalizing the dried-up rivers and lakes, resolving the drought in Yunzhou.

The imperial court believed it was an auspicious beast and named it the White Emperor.

Xu Qi'an looked at the majestic silhouette of the White Emperor City and smiled as he asked, "So, is this legend true or false?"

Governor Zhang, who was talking about this historical event, nodded and said, "It should be true; otherwise, it wouldn't be recorded in the history books. Severe droughts and floods are common occurrences, and historians wouldn't fabricate history for that. However, since then, no one has seen the auspicious beast, the White Emperor."

It's obviously a demonic beast from overseas, maybe even a sea creature. Perhaps it came to Jiuzhou for sightseeing, but seeing the severe drought in Yunzhou, it didn't like it and decided to change the environment... Xu Qi'an analyzed from a scientific perspective while saying, "You have a great insight, sir."

After speaking, he continued to gaze at the city walls, and a poem came to his mind: "Leaving the White Emperor amidst colorful clouds, returning to Jiangling a thousand miles away in a day. Monkeys on both banks never cease their cries, as the light boat has already passed through countless mountains."

"A thousand miles to return in a day... That's too extravagant. If it were me, it would probably take me today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the thirty-first day of the month to be willing to return," Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

He couldn't help but recall the travel advertisements he had seen before, encouraging white-collar workers to fly directly to Thailand after work on Friday, enjoying a carefree day, and returning to the country on Sunday.

Everyone was becoming a modern Li Bai.

The guards at the gate of the White Emperor City stopped the group, but after checking the official documents issued by the imperial court, they respectfully allowed them to enter.

After entering the city, Xu Qi'an looked around in all directions and saw many pedestrians carrying swords and sabers among the bustling crowd.

The Great Feng had strict control over weapons. From the state government to the county government, no one was allowed to carry a sword while walking in the city, except for special professions like escorts.

However, even escorts were only allowed to carry weapons when they were on a mission.

"Is this a characteristic of Yunzhou?" Xu Qi'an muttered to himself.

At this moment, Governor Zhang lifted the curtain and said to Xu Qi'an, "Ning Yan, have someone send these merchants back home. They don't need to return the goods for now. Let the merchants take the account books and come to the post station tomorrow to verify and collect the goods."

Xu Qi'an's mind stirred, "What about Zhao Long's goods?"

Governor Zhang replied, "Naturally, they will be sent back to their owners. Since Zhao Long and the escorts were all killed, the families of the escorts should be compensated. Now that Zhao Long is dead, returning the goods can be considered as compensating for their losses."

Xu Qi'an gave a thumbs up, "Governor, you are truly a good person."

Governor Zhang frowned upon hearing this, "Why do you say that?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Xu Qi'an turned his head to find Song Tingfeng and informed him of the matter, instructing him to handle it.

"Why should I run errands?" Song Tingfeng protested, "It's like I'm your subordinate. We are clearly equals."

Xu Qi'an turned his head and shouted, "Governor, Song Tingfeng is making excuses and being evasive. Deduct his silver."

Song Tingfeng hurriedly said, "I'll go, I'll go."

Then he turned to find Zhu Guangxiao, informed him of the matter, and instructed him to handle it.

Zhu Guangxiao complained, "Didn't Xu Ningyan ask you to do it?"

Song Tingfeng said, "Xu Ningyan, Zhu Guangxiao is making excuses and being evasive."

"..." Zhu Guangxiao didn't say anything and turned his horse's head, calling a few Tiger Guard soldiers to handle the matter.

The two scoundrels huddled together and sighed, "Guangxiao is truly a hardworking and honest person."

"Yes, yes, whether it's in bed or in official business."

...

Command Headquarters.

Yang Chuannan, in his forties, was a dignified and upright scholar. He also had another identity, a fifth-grade warrior.

Yang Chuannan was born into a family of military officers. He was talented and enjoyed practicing martial arts and reading books. In the 12th year of Emperor Yuan's reign, he became a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination). Due to his family's deep knowledge of military affairs and his familiarity with military books, he obtained a position in the Ministry of War.

In the 16th year of Emperor Yuan's reign, he was assigned to Yunzhou. Due to his achievements in suppressing bandits, he gradually rose to the position of Commander. He became one of the three most powerful figures in Yunzhou.

While sitting in the hall handling official affairs, Yang Chuannan suddenly looked up. After a few seconds, the sound of footsteps approached, and a woman wearing light armor walked in without any officials stopping her along the way.

She had a tall figure, a sword hanging from her waist, and a silver spear on her back. She had a sharp and delicate face, with beautiful features, but she didn't appear weak. On the contrary, she exuded a strong aura.

In addition, she tied her long hair high in a ponytail, revealing a smooth and beautiful forehead.

"The Governor has arrived in the city," she said as soon as she entered, getting straight to the point.

Yang Chuannan paused for a moment and nodded slightly, "I know."

"That damn Emperor Yuan, always cultivating immortality, wanting to become an immortal even as an earthly emperor. It's simply wishful thinking," she cursed without restraint.

"Miaozhen!" Yang Chuannan frowned.

Li Miaozhen sneered, "I'm not living off the imperial grain."

She leaned her silver spear against the wall, sat cross-legged on the tea table in the guest area, took off her sword, and placed it horizontally on her knee as she asked, "If the Governor is here, you have to hand over the military power. That's the rule of the Great Feng. What are you going to do?""Since it's the rule, of course we can only follow it," Yang Chuannan said.

Li Miaozhen nodded. "I will help you."

Yang Chuannan glanced at her and shook his head helplessly. "There are so many people in the martial world willing to serve you. It's not a waste. Feiyan, I owe you a favor, but be mindful. There is Jiang Lvzhong in the team, a fourth-grade official. Once he leaves the martial world, he will become a hero."

Li Miaozhen didn't care. "What's there to be afraid of? Before the third grade, they can't withstand the tactic of overwhelming numbers."

...

"The food in Yunzhou is a bit numbing and spicy. They like to use spices, but I don't like the cuisine here... Eating spicy food all the time, won't you get hemorrhoids?"

In the inn, Xu Qi'an ate the steaming hot food and complained in his heart.

The lobby was filled with Nightwatchers and Tiger Guards. One table could accommodate eight people, barely enough.

There were four inns in Baichi City, and this one was the largest, with a large courtyard and two adjacent three-story buildings. There was one innkeeper and seven innkeepers.

For safety reasons, Yang Yingying also had to stay at the inn. She sat alone at a table, quietly eating.

The figure of the young woman was plump and enticing. When she sat down, her dress clung tightly to her buttocks, outlining her curves.

Xu Qi'an noticed that Song Tingfeng was staring at the woman's buttocks, so he kicked him under the table. "What are you looking at?"

After scolding him, Xu Qi'an also took a few glances.

"What's wrong with looking? Everyone is looking," Song Tingfeng whispered.

Men are like this. When they see a beautiful woman, they can't help but look a few more times, unable to control their gaze. Unless their wife is by their side, they can resist with great willpower.

"I won't look anymore, so I won't feel uncomfortable," Song Tingfeng muttered.

Just now, Zhang Xunfu had already given the order that during their time in Yunzhou, they were not allowed to go to the Official Brothel Sector or leave the inn unless they had a mission.

Xu Qi'an raised his hand and squeezed it hard.

"What are you doing?" Song Tingfeng asked in confusion.

"This is called the Unbreakable Grip. You can learn it privately," Xu Qi'an said with a smile.

After finishing their meal, Zhang Xunfu invited Xu Qi'an and Jiang Lvzhong to his room for a discussion. As a former imperial censor, Zhang Xunfu looked at the two experienced Nightwatchers and said:

"Due to the banditry in Yunzhou, the ban on knives has been lifted. Therefore, it is actually safer at night than during the day because the curfew is strictly enforced."

"Jiang Jinluo needs to be protected by my side at all times. As for the investigation, I will temporarily assign it to Ning Yan. You can freely deploy the Nightwatchers in the inn."

... Fine, I've become a tool. Xu Qi'an looked at Zhang Xunfu without saying a word.

Zhang Xunfu explained, "In the first few days, I have to socialize in various ways. I also need to get a feel for the Yunzhou officialdom."

Alright... Xu Qi'an accepted this reason. "Understood, I will do my best."

Zhang Xunfu nodded in satisfaction and asked, "How do you plan to handle the case?"

"I will first go to the prefectural yamen to obtain Zhou Min's posthumous belongings, and then go to his house to take a look," Xu Qi'an said.

"Do you not need to exhume the body for examination?" Zhang Xunfu frowned.

"I'll wait for you to ask that," Xu Qi'an smiled. "It has been more than half a month since his death. The decomposed skin is swollen and can burst with a poke. You can drink the foul-smelling corpse water to your heart's content."

Jiang Lvzhong's face turned black, and Zhang Xunfu began to retch.

"In that case, I'll take my leave," Xu Qi'an slipped away.

Leaving the room and going downstairs, he gathered the four Nightwatchers, Song Tingfeng, Zhu Guangxiao, and a familiar Nightwatcher, as well as six Tiger Guards. They mounted their horses and hurried to the prefectural yamen.

Zhou Min was an official appointed by the imperial court. When an official appointed by the imperial court passed away, the prefectural yamen was responsible for examining the body and confirming the cause of death. For officials like Zhou Min, whose family was not in the local area, the prefectural yamen also had to take care of their belongings and wait for the family or the imperial court to collect them.

Xu Qi'an controlled the speed of the horse and occasionally glanced at the geomantic map of Baichi City given by the innkeeper. After nearly an hour of searching, he finally saw the gate of the prefectural yamen.

"According to the rules of the officialdom, these belongings are usually kept for three-tenths of their value, and the greedy ones may even take up to half. I wonder how much of Zhou Min's belongings will be left," Tang, the familiar Nightwatcher, sighed.

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Xu Qi'an had never heard of this hidden rule before, and his face darkened. "Is there any punishment in The Great Feng's laws for such incidents?"

"Of course there is," Tang said. "Depending on the value of the embezzled property of an official appointed by the imperial court, the punishment can range from fifty strokes of the cane to dismissal, corporal punishment, and fines."

Xu Qi'an nodded and suddenly asked, "Is it the same for Nightwatchers?"

"How dare we? Wei Gongming has forbidden it. Besides, we Nightwatchers are different from these officials. The Nightwatchers in the same group fight side by side and have a close relationship when going to the brothels. If anyone dares to embezzle, their brothers won't agree," Tang explained.

Song Tingfeng nodded with a smile. "That's right. If anyone dares to embezzle your compensation, I will definitely make them pay with their lives."

There's something off about what you said... Xu Qi'an couldn't be bothered to comment on this squinty-eyed guy.

After entering the prefectural yamen and revealing their identities, a seventh-grade official in a blue robe came out to greet them, introducing himself as the prefectural experience.

"To prevent theft by servants, all of Zhou Min's belongings are stored in the yamen's warehouse."

The experience, who was in charge of receiving, disbursing, and managing the warehouse, led Xu Qi'an and the others to the warehouse, holding a heavy bunch of keys in his hand. He skillfully found the right one, opened the iron door of the warehouse.

Among Zhou Min's belongings were calligraphy and paintings, clothing, antiques, writing brushes, ink, and paper. Xu Qi'an carefully examined each item.Upon seeing only thirty taels of silver left behind, Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice, "Master Jing, this doesn't seem right. Master Zhou is a sixth-rank official who has been in office for more than twenty years. Even if he saved one tael a year, there should be more than this."

"Sir, that's actually twenty taels." The Prefecture Master chuckled.

You dare to argue with me?

Xu Qi'an stared at him, "Embezzling the inheritance of an official appointed by the court, depending on the value of the property, the punishment ranges from fifty strokes of the court rod to dismissal and a fine."

Zhou Min was a Nightwatcher's undercover agent. He had died in the line of duty, and his family back in his hometown was still unaware of the bad news. A dead person cannot be brought back to life, and Xu Qi'an couldn't do anything about that. But he could ensure that the deceased's property was preserved and returned to the family as much as possible.

And he should do so.

What a greenhorn... The Prefecture Master was an old fox. He spread his hands helplessly and said, "Perhaps Master Zhou was addicted to beautiful women or had other pastimes, spending money like water. In any case, this is all that's left of his property."

He had a fearless and mocking smile on his face.

As for the inheritance, the Prefecture Yamen had the first say in the matter. They could claim any amount they wanted. If you don't agree, why don't you ask the dead to come back to life?

Xu Qi'an pointed to his waist token, "Do the officials in Yunzhou not recognize the Nightwatchers?"

The Prefecture Master scoffed, "The Nightwatchers supervise all officials, of course I've heard of them."

So you've only heard of them but never experienced them... You lack the Nightwatchers' brutal beatings... Xu Qi'an kicked the Prefecture Master's lower abdomen directly.

Bang...

The Prefecture Master's fat body flew back and hit the wall, causing dust to fall. He curled up in pain like a shrimp, his facial features twisted together. After a few seconds, he let out a groan.

Xu Qi'an drew his knife and placed it on the back of the Prefecture Master's neck, looking down at him condescendingly, "I came to Yunzhou with the Inspector General to investigate a case, and I have the authority to act as I please. Even if I kill you, the Inspector General can cover for me. Do you believe me?"

The Prefecture Master gasped for breath, emphasizing in disbelief, "This is the Prefecture Yamen."