There is a god in the sky

Chapter 414 Leaving the City

"The magistrate of Tongzhou County has been murdered, and the county treasury has disappeared. The Emperor has ordered me to personally lead a team to investigate."

After Xiao Ji finished packing his luggage, he had someone invite Shen Lan over.

Although Shen Lan was promoted, she was still working in the Criminal Investigation Department, but she was no longer in charge of autopsies.

But this time, Xiao Ji wanted to take her with him.

"His Majesty suspects that this incident was deliberately orchestrated by the remnants of the Tong family, and that they may have other plans in store."

Moreover, if the treasury silver is not recovered, the people of Tongzhou will have to pay heavier taxes in the coming year.

What I mean is, you should come along too. You're observant; you might spot clues that others haven't.

“Okay,” Shen Lan readily agreed.

This time, not only did the Ministry of Justice dispatch officials, but the Emperor also specially sent a contingent of imperial guards to accompany them, also to protect the safety of Xiao Ji and the others.

Li Ye was leading the team, and with him there, Shen Lan felt much more at ease.

The day we left the city was the Little New Year, and it was snowing heavily.

"Although Tongzhou is nearby, the case is complicated, so I'm afraid I won't be able to come back for the New Year."

"That's fine. As long as we can solve the case successfully, it will be a great achievement. Maybe we'll even get a promotion when we get back."

"It's just too cold. Traveling on a day like this is really a hardship."

"Lord Xiao is considerate of everyone and allows us to drink. After taking a sip, we feel much warmer."

"Take it easy, or you'll fall off your horse and die if you drink too much."

Shen Lan sat inside the carriage, holding a book in her hands—laws left over from the previous dynasty.

After the establishment of the Da Xi Dynasty, the laws were revised three times, from strict to lenient, and from rough to detailed, which can be regarded as a reflection of the country's strength and prosperity.

"It's getting dark, don't read too much, it'll hurt your eyes." Xiao Ji handed her a cup of hot tea.

The carriage was warmed by burning charcoal, with hot tea and even lukewarm snacks, so there was no feeling of cold at all.

Shen Lan rubbed her eyelids. "I feel like my eyelids keep twitching."

Xiao Ji took the book from her hands, "Rest for a while, your eyes must be too tired."

Shen Lan lifted the curtain, and a gust of wind and snow rushed in.

"The snow is really heavy."

"Yes, the situation in Tongzhou is probably not good right now. We need to be prepared to evacuate at any time."

Shen Lan asked in surprise, "Are you worried about a rebellion in Tongzhou City?"

They brought several hundred men; they should be able to handle it as long as they don't encounter rebels.

"The Tongzhou County Magistrate had only been in office for a short time and probably hadn't fully taken control of the county government yet. The reason for his death is still uncertain."

"In that case, should we leave some troops outside the city to provide backup?"

"Alright."

Xiao Ji knocked on the window and said to the outside, "Let's find a place to rest."

Li Ye sent men ahead to scout the way. They learned that there was a village a few miles away, so he led his men toward the village.

Villages along the official road usually cater to passersby. When a convoy enters the village, the village chief immediately leads a group of people to greet it.

This group looks like they belong to the government.

The village chief glanced at the seemingly endless procession and felt a surge of apprehension.

"Sir, there are too many of you. Longgu Village has only a little over a hundred households, and we're afraid we can't accommodate you all. There's an inn ten miles ahead, what do you think..."

"We won't stay overnight. Just find a place where there's no wind or snow for us to rest. We'll bring our own food."

The village chief led them into the village.

“Our village’s ancestral hall is quite large; it should be enough for us to rest.”

Upon entering the ancestral hall of Longgu Village, Xiao Ji summoned Li Ye to discuss countermeasures.

If we need to leave people outside the city to provide support, we need to carefully discuss how many people to leave and where to station them.

The villagers brought hot water, and everyone roasted the dry food they had brought and ate a meal with the hot water.

Li Ye, biting into a pancake, marked a spot on the map. "This is a necessary passage to and from the county government office, and it's also a temple. Perhaps we can borrow it."

"To be honest, I stayed at this temple when I went to the capital, so I am quite familiar with the area."

In that case, it is indeed a good place to hide.

After about half an hour, the snow gradually stopped and the wind subsided.

Someone came and asked, "Sir, the weather has improved a bit, shall we set off now?"

Xiao Ji replied without looking up, "Send someone to the forward post station to tell them to prepare food and hot water. We will arrive before dark."

The man was puzzled.

It's only past noon; how could we possibly travel ten miles before it gets dark?

"The roads are slippery due to the snow, so we don't need to rush. Let's rest for another half hour before setting off."

The man accepted the order and left.

Li Ye looked at Xiao Ji with suspicion.

"You don't seem to be in a hurry at all, but what are you waiting for?"

“Of course, I sent people to Tongzhou beforehand to find out what the situation was like inside before I could enter the city.”

Li Ye originally thought this was just a simple task; all he had to do was protect Xiao Ji and the others.

Seeing Xiao Ji's cautious demeanor, he realized that he had underestimated the task.

“If it’s dangerous, you shouldn’t have brought Shen Lan along.”

Xiao Ji paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and said, "Her career path is more difficult than anyone else's, which is also a good opportunity to make merit. Others would love to have such an opportunity."

Li Ye never thought Shen Lan liked being an official.

They had planned to leave the capital, but now they seem to have settled down here.

Li Ye is a very simple person.

If you can't figure it out, don't think about it. He can ask again when he has another chance.

Moreover, he felt it didn't matter where he was, as long as he was with his family.

If you ride a fast horse, you can reach Tongzhou from the capital in a day.

But it took them three whole days to walk this stretch of road.

The next day at noon, Sui Feng met up with them and brought the latest news from Tongzhou.

"The county government office was deserted, and everything had been moved out. It is said that after the county magistrate died, the bandits killed many officials and yamen runners, and then emptied the warehouse."

That night, whether it was local residents or someone else, they ransacked the county government office, leaving not even a single table behind.

"How are the people doing?" Xiao Ji asked.

"There were hardly any people on the streets, and most of the shops were closed. I went to several inns, and they were all empty. It seems that the people are still in a wait-and-see mode."

"Has no trace of the bandits been found? Has anyone seen them leave the city?"

“Because we are from out of town, no one answers whenever we ask about this, but I have a feeling that they are still in the city.”

If the bandits had all left, the people wouldn't be so anxious that they wouldn't dare to leave their homes.

Xiao Ji made the same conjecture.

But this makes things a bit complicated.

Their group was conspicuous and would be discovered as soon as they entered the city.

The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. We don't even know what their true purpose is. If we rush in headlong, we might never come out.

"Suiying is still in the city investigating. We agreed to meet at the Wuhu Inn in Tongzhou City tomorrow. If there is any new information, I will send someone to spread the word."

He left after delivering the message with the wind.

As planned, Xiao Ji assigned fifty imperial guards to remain outside the city and another fifty to ambush south of Tongzhou City.

If the number of bandits is small, they might take the opportunity to pursue, and there's a high probability they'll flee in that direction.

After making these arrangements, Xiao Ji changed his clothes, purchased a batch of grain from the village, and disguised himself as a grain merchant to enter Tongzhou County.