There is a god in the sky

Chapter 66 Leaving Jianzhou City 4

"Young Master, you must take good care of yourself!" Guan Shu shouted loudly.

Fu Qingyan waved to him, and only after the person had gone far away did he climb into the carriage to read.

After being scolded awake by Xiao Ji, he asked Xiao Ji for a box of books, intending to spend the rest of his journey with books.

So what if his father doesn't like scholars? As long as he passes the imperial examination, he can become an official through his own efforts, just like his cousin, and become a true man.

Only by becoming stronger can I protect my mother from harm.

If she comes to her senses in the future, I am capable of taking her away from the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

Shen Lan discovered that Fu Qingyan seemed like a completely different person.

He quieted down, sometimes sitting in the carriage for half a day without making a sound.

During her break, she heard about the Fu family from Xiao Ji and learned about the conflict between the father and son.

Shen Lan hadn't expected that the relationship between her and her son had reached a near-freezing point.

"Is it too late for him to start studying hard now?" Shen Lan expressed her doubt.

The imperial examinations of this era were no less difficult than the college entrance examinations of the previous life; truly, only one in ten thousand could pass.

"He's smart and has loved reading since he was a child. If he can be patient and study hard for a few years, he has a great chance of succeeding."

Shen Lan looked at him curiously, "Lord Xiao, how did you manage to become the top scholar at such a young age?"

"It's naturally due to my exceptional talent!"

Shen Lan gave a thumbs up, "Lord Xiao is very capable. I'm sure your name will still stand in the annals of history a thousand years from now."

Xiao Ji thought of the case he had wrongly judged and sighed, "It could also leave me with a bad reputation for eternity."

He opened his notebook, which contained his notes on the Wu family massacre.

"Why is the sir still looking at this case?"

Xiao Ji rubbed his forehead and told her about his verification from last night.

He wasn't afraid of others knowing he had made a wrong judgment; what he feared was being wrong without even realizing it—that would be truly embarrassing.

Shen Lan wasn't too surprised.

"The murderer was ruthless, killing the baby with a single blow. He couldn't possibly be someone who didn't know martial arts. In fact, he must have been very skilled in martial arts to be able to use his internal energy to shatter the baby's brain."

Shen Lan drew a picture on the ground with a twig.

Xiao Ji watched for a while and found that she had drawn Lu Yaxuan's appearance with just a few strokes.

“If the murderer is not Lu Yaxuan, then the real culprit must have some kind of relationship with him, a relationship that the authorities have not been able to find out.”

“I sent people to continue investigating, but it wasn’t so easy to find out after leaving Jianzhou City.”

"not necessarily."

"Oh? What do you say?"

Shen Lan analyzed, "The Wu family are just merchants. Those who can make enemies are all business people. Merchants are concerned with profits. Except for situations like the Luo family, there is no need to wipe out an entire family."

Families like this are unlikely to have the ability to seek revenge, so the root cause of the Wu family's massacre probably lies with Liu Engui.

"You mean... there might be more cases like this in the future?"

After all, Liu Engui's in-laws were not limited to the Wu family.

The Wu family isn't even considered a close relative of the Liu family.

Shen Lan closed her eyes and quickly went through the list in her mind.

If the next person to die is someone from the list, then she really can't afford to take any chances.

"My lord, which route should we take from Jianzhou to the capital? Will we pass through Jiangzhou?"

Xiao Ji took out a map and showed it to her, pointing out several prefectures that they would have to pass through. "When I am transferred back to the capital, the escorting officers and soldiers will be handed over in Jiangzhou Prefecture, so Jiangzhou is a must-go place."

A name came to Shen Lan's mind: Yu Yuanwang, formerly the county magistrate of Qingmu County, is now the prefectural judge of Jiangzhou Prefecture.

"Sir, you might as well investigate whether Lu Yaxuan has any grudge against the Liu family."

To say that it was a deadly feud stemming from Wu Jiaojiao is somewhat of a stretch.

Xiao Ji fell into deep thought.

What exactly is hidden in this fog?

"My lord, it's time to set off. We should be able to reach Xikou Post Station before dark."

Sui Feng carefully put away the water bag and then led over Shen Lan's white horse. "Miss Shen, the next stretch of road is easier. Would you like to ride it for a while?"

"Okay." Shen Lan wiped the portrait off the ground and walked towards the horse.

Fu Qingyan couldn't sit still while riding the horse and tried to get off several times, but Xiao Ji pushed him back with the whip.

"Remember what you said. I will test you on what you have learned today tonight."

Fu Qingyan had no choice but to settle down and study.

Shen Lan was bold and genuinely liked the horse, so she wasn't afraid at all when she mounted it.

Xiao Ji rode beside her on horseback and asked her to name her beloved horse.

"What's the name of Lord Xiao's horse?" Shen Lan asked curiously, looking at the chestnut-colored steed he was riding.

The phrase "handsome and dashing" doesn't seem out of place at all when applied to a horse.

Xiao Ji patted his horse and said with a smile, "This is a purebred Akhal-Teke horse from the Western Regions, named Hongzao."

"What?" Shen Lan thought she was hallucinating.

"You heard right, it's called red date. Well... when I was little, I didn't understand, and when I saw it, I thought I saw a red date."

Later, I got used to calling it that and became too lazy to change it.

Shen Lan was particularly curious about the psychology of a horse.

Red Dates breathed on the white horse she was riding and proudly raised its noble head.

Not to be outdone, the white horse tried to butt it with its head, but being much shorter, it looked more like it was rubbing against the other horse.

Shen Lan had a flash of inspiration and came up with a name, "Let's call it White Jade."

"White jade and red dates, they sound like they're from the same family."

Xiao Ji explained the key points of riding a horse to Shen Lan, and after a few tries, she was soon able to trot the horse.

Sui Feng praised, "You're right, sir. This girl is truly exceptionally intelligent."

Xiao Ji withdrew his gaze, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. "You forgot? Sui Ying said that Miss Shen might be skilled in martial arts."

"Nonsense. He thinks everyone he sees knows martial arts. Maybe Miss Shen just grew up in the countryside and is more agile."

"maybe."

Whatever it may be, Shen Lan, this exceptional talent, will one day shine brightly.

Before sunset, the group arrived at Xikou Station.

"This is the outskirts of Jianzhou Prefecture, and the conditions are rather poor. Miss Shen, please make do for the night," Sui Feng said as he helped her down from her horse.

Shen Lan had already noticed that the post station was surrounded by wilderness, all alone, and looked like a shady inn.

"I'm fine with it, but I'm afraid Mr. Fu won't be used to living here."

Among their group, the real pampered guest was Fu Qingyan, who even complained about this and that when he went to relieve himself halfway through the journey.

Fu Qingyan happened to hear this and awkwardly touched his nose.

There were two women in the group. If he was even less capable than a woman, it would be a laughing stock.

So he didn't need the soldiers' help and jumped straight down from the carriage.

"Young master, watch your step..."

Fu Qingyan raised his foot with a dark face, and under his foot was a puddle of dog poop that he had just stepped on.

The soldiers driving the carriage suppressed their laughter, but because Fu Qingyan had given him a tip, they went out of their way to get him boots to change into.

Shen Lan and Xuan'er laughed so hard they couldn't stand up straight. They covered their noses and walked into the post station, then their laughter came to an abrupt end.