Yinshan Record

Chapter 330 Where Did This Crab Come From? Undercurrents Are Rising
The imperial guards who came to visit were naturally Shi Chibao's trusted confidants.

To be honest, this imperial guard had a very good impression of Xiao Su, the criminal investigator. In fact, most of the imperial guards in the entire Cizhou Criminal Investigation Bureau liked Xiao Su very much.

It's not that they were all captivated by Su San Gongzi's personal charm, but rather that the Imperial Guards naturally preferred subordinates with real talent.

What are hard goods?

The real skill lies in one's cultivation, in facing a formidable opponent. It's about whether to leave your brothers behind to cover your retreat, or to step forward and tear that opponent to pieces.

The Imperial Guards weren't afraid of death, but none of them would mind living a few more days.

Xiao Sulixing has already proven his competence in Tian'an County, and now he has established himself as a key figure in the elixir of immortality.

This is the best proof.

With such a superior, the imperial guards could gain more prestige and influence in Cizhou.

So the guards stood respectfully at the door, watching as the head steward of the Su family pushed open the vermilion gate studded with sixty-four large brass nails and came out carrying a small food box.

"Thank you for waiting. This is a note from Commander Shi."

Su Fu skillfully pulled a folded piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it back to the guards waiting at the door.

At the same time, he also lifted the food box.

"My young master said that we should take the contents of this room to Commander Shi for a look, saying that Commander Shi will understand once he has seen it."

"Thank you for your hard work, Chief Steward."

The imperial guard was overjoyed, knowing that he had fortunately not messed up his mission this time. He quickly took the food box and headed towards the imperial guard's office.

The sun is rising, and the clouds are shrouded in mist.

Shi Chibao, dressed in a brocade robe, stood in the yamen and slowly practiced his breathing exercises.

He followed the path of the martial arts scholar, and his daily, meticulous work never stopped. It was through this kind of diligent work that Commander Shi was able to achieve the sixth rank of cultivation step by step, and gradually worked his way up to the position of Chief Officer of the Cizhou Judicial Command.

After completing his practice, the guards standing by quickly served him tea, and Shi Chibao rinsed his mouth.

They walked towards the deacon's hall.

The centurions on duty today were already in their places, each with a food box beside them containing side dishes, savory porridge, meat and vegetable steamed buns, as well as various fruits such as cheese, according to their individual tastes.

In fact, most of the Baihu people have cultivated to the point where they can consume qi, and Gini can do so simply by absorbing the essence of heaven and earth.

However, the cravings brought from the womb had long become a habit. Since the food was provided by the government anyway, eating a few bites was fine.

Just as Shi Chibao returned to check the files, a centurion put down his half-eaten crispy fried dough stick, picked up a silk handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and came up to greet him.

"Reporting to the Chief Justice, Xiao Su has replied."

"Ok?"

Shi Chibao raised an eyebrow; at least this little Su has some sense of responsibility.

If he continued to hide at home and remain silent, Shi Chibao felt it necessary to go and pay him a visit.

Shi Qianhu, in any case, did not believe the nonsense about Madam Xue injuring Su Che.

We're all just trying to make a living in Cizhou, so who doesn't know who?
It's simply that this person wants to find some peace and quiet.

"You saw him. How is he?"

"We didn't see the person, and your note was returned untouched."

Hey, this young Su, so young and from a prestigious family, how come he has no willingness to take the blame, no, no willingness to take responsibility?
Shi Chibao shook his head inwardly.

"However, they also brought back a box, saying that the chief judge would recognize it at a glance. We dared not open it without permission, so we put it on your table."

I knew it at a glance? All I knew was that he was a slippery crystal monkey.

"Then let's not leave it there. Let's see what brilliant ideas Xiao Su Lixing has." Shi Chibao waved his hand and had someone open the food box. Inside was a shell still containing crab meat and crab roe.

What does this mean?
Shi Chibao looked at the shell. Was it a reminder that crab season was approaching?

However, after a moment's thought, Shi Chibao understood Su Che's meaning.

"Tell me, what does he mean by this?"

Commander Shi summoned several centurions to discuss the matter. After guessing the meaning, he sat down in his chair, closed his eyes, and pretended to doze off.

"The crab roe is slightly reddish, so it must be from the Canglang River. Does Xiao Su Lixing mean that the matter of the Prince of Wuling is related to the Canglang aquatic tribes?"

"Why didn't he release a fish? There are still a few days until the crab season. Perhaps he wanted to remind us that it's not time to move forward yet."

"The court is already discussing how to handle this. If we don't push things forward, how can we explain it? In my opinion, we should use a more elegant interpretation. Crabs are also called 'sideways-walking heroes' or 'gutless gentlemen.' I'm afraid that Su Lixing means that we should put our minds at ease and go ahead with it."

"That's as good as saying nothing at all..."

His men chattered incessantly, and Shi Chibao waved his hand dismissively.

"Okay, okay."

The group immediately stopped their pointless analysis and waited quietly for Shi Chibao to speak.

"I'd like to ask you all, what is the maiden name of Chief Secretary Wang's wife?"

“Wang Changshi came from the Langya Wang clan, and his wife was a noblewoman from the Chenjun Xie clan.”

"This crab is the same as that Xie. Does he mean to find the Prince of Wuling, or should he start with Madam Xie?"

Shi Chibao ordered his men, "Don't just stand around! Have you found out where Madam Xie is?"

"not yet."

"Then let's hurry up and look for it."

Shi Chibao shook his head. He had a feeling that the disappearance of the Prince of Wuling might really be related to Xiao Su.

The imperial guards enjoyed their meal and played a guessing game, but most people in Cizhou were not so lucky.

The ancient evil dragon's return to the sea brought with it a massive cold wave, causing almost complete crop failure. Countless elderly people and children froze to death in the cold wave; this was a natural disaster.

Aside from natural disasters, the taxes due to the imperial court were still paid in full. At the same time, there were also cruel officials and unscrupulous merchants who extorted and plundered, and local tyrants and bullies who coerced and lured people, forcing them to sell their ancestral property and even sell their children.

After a natural disaster, there will inevitably be a man-made one.

The imperial court was in the mood to inquire about the safety of the Prince of Wuling, but had no time to care about the lives of ordinary people.

In chaotic times, human life is less valuable than grass, but in prosperous times, how much more precious is gold than grass? Moreover, the Great Liang Dynasty is far from a prosperous era, but only a few steps away from chaos.

However, no one cared or paid attention to these things, so much so that everyone took them for granted.

It seems that life should be like this.

Anyway, as long as I grit my teeth, it seems I can still get by.

Unfortunately, after the natural disasters and man-made calamities, a major epidemic awaited the people of Cizhou.

The evil dragon returned to the sea, seizing and plundering by trickery and force. Countless new graves have appeared on Cizhou, the land that was raised by the great magic of Zhongyuan and Huangtian Daoshou, not to mention the roadside corpses lying along the official roads, outside the city gates, and in the fields.

A plague swept in from south to north.

This time it's quite fair. No matter if you're rich or poor, noble or lowly, what kind of doctor you seek, or what kind of medicine you get, you'll just have to endure it until you die.

Of course, there is another group of people who are also busy.

(End of this chapter)