You rascal, stop right there!

That night.

"Bai Shizhao. Since everything is ready, let's set off right away?" said the old eunuch Gu Xiaoyu to the two men in red.

Bai Wan raised his chin slightly and returned the greeting politely.

"Thank you, Eunuch Gu." He sighed slightly. It is better to be a gangster and not have to observe such etiquette.

At the gate of the palace in the capital, there were about five guards with swords waiting for him. This was the so-called favor given to him by Emperor Jiaxing.

Bai Wan looked at these burly men and indeed took a step back.

Finally, in order to ease their embarrassment, he said, "I don't care what you were called before, from now on I will call you one, two, three, four, five."

The five guards had heard of the reputation of this eccentric painter before, so they could only respond in silence.

Bai Wan, dressed in red, walked along the bluestone road. She glanced back at the prosperous city walls of the capital and felt as if she were in another world.

Just as he was about to leave, another man in red official uniform stood not far from the city wall and looked at him quietly.

For a moment, the air was filled with shock, making people feel a little embarrassed.

For the sake of the other party's reputation, Bai Wan had to signal Ling Shumo that they should meet in a corner under the city wall, and gave a few instructions to the others.

Ling Shumo looked at him and sighed, feeling really worried.

"Just got off court?" Bai Wan seemed a little guilty.

The person on the other side was silent: "You left your things and left without saying a word to me?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to say too much." Bai Wan laughed bitterly.

The man opposite had a pair of eyes that sparkled with coldness: "I know why you gave me the scroll, and I know why you came here. It's just that..."

When their eyes met, they understood each other's intentions.

Bai Wan knew that he understood and smiled calmly, "Are you just worried that I will never come back like I did six years ago?"

Ling Shumo paused. He was frightened by the indifference and cunningness in the man's eyes.

"You'll come back, won't you?"

From childhood to adulthood, he has encountered such a person who has given him headaches and made him miss him.

"As a minister, it is difficult to disobey the king's orders."

Bai Wan looked at the person opposite her and smiled deeply, "Since my heart is with you, I will bring myself back intact."

When he came to his senses, Ling Shumo's palm seemed to be quickly scratched by someone's fingers, like a passionate kiss.

There were so many people around the palace, and people's gossip was scary. The two of them could only hide their love in the dark of their sleeves, and both of them understood.

"Bai Shizhao, thank you Minister Ling for coming to see me off!"

Bai Wan stopped, raised his sleeves, saluted properly, and then took a step back.

"See you later." He smiled and added quietly.

"This time, I will not lose!"

Different from the ruffian before, this time he really became polite and indifferent.

Then the man got on the carriage and never looked back.

Because the last time he left, it was he who smiled at Brother Zichen in the carriage, which made people regret for five years.

Ling Shumo raised his head, his palms becoming increasingly hot, as if they were branded with this man's aura.

He looked at the man in official uniform walking into the sedan chair in front of him, his eyes gradually becoming complicated and full of affection.

If it weren't for the fact that he still had various official documents and responsibilities in the Ministry of Rites and the court, people would even want to go with him.

I hope to resolve Li Xiang’s issue as soon as possible so that we can resign and retire together.

"lets go!"

The escort driver said respectfully: "Yes——"

Bai Wan got into the car calmly and then pulled aside the curtain: "I really don't want to see this scene. Why does it feel like a nightmare?"

The distance between Beijing and Jiangzhou is actually even longer. If Baiyun City and Zhengzhou are in the northeast, then Jiangzhou is in the remote northwest.

Just as Bai Wan had expected, the closer the carriage got to Jiangzhou, the less populated it became, and they were forced to travel slowly for several days.

The people on the carriage looked at the approaching provincial capital and said, "Bai Shizhao, we will be in Jiangzhou soon."

There was also a young man in the car wearing ragged clothes, looking a little bewildered: "Boss, thank you for bringing me back to Jiangzhou. But my mother, uncles, sister..."

Bai Wan's eyes darkened, and he said unhappily, "Boy, I only know that it is better to live a miserable life than to die a good death. It is definitely not a casual thing for a person to keep his life."

The boy's name was Lin Fan, about fifteen or sixteen years old. He looked childish and thin, so according to convention, he still had to call Bai Wan the eldest.

He was the son of the woman who sought justice at Li Simeng's birthday banquet. Almost all of those people died, and only this one was saved.

This time when I went to Jiangzhou, I also sent this skinny bean sprout back to my hometown.

As soon as they entered Jiangzhou City, they were shocked by the scene before them. It seemed that the fertile fields nearby were dry, and the land was cracked and stretched as far as the eye could see.

Bai Wan's face looked strange, as if he had seen the same scene six years ago.

Then, he pretended to be calm and tightened the corner of his clothes in his hand, with some sweat on his forehead.

"Bai Shizhao, are we going directly to the Li family garden?" asked the sword-wielding guard Ayi.

Another guard said, "Otherwise, let's go to the nearby art studio and buy some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. We also need to buy some paperweights."

Lin Fan smiled bitterly: "Boss, there are actually only a few shops selling pens, inkstones, and paper in the entire Jiangzhou City. You might as well go directly to the Li Mansion."

Bai Wan leaned forward slightly and held the package tightly in her hand.

This Jiangzhou cannot be compared with Baiyun City.

The so-called ordinary people mostly struggled to make ends meet. Especially in a place like this where disasters occurred, how could there be so many literati and scholars and study rooms and painting studios? Except for the wealthy families, it was even more impossible for anyone to pretend to be cultured and buy calligraphy and paintings.

Therefore, Bai Wan had no choice but to send Lin Fan back to his hometown in Jiangzhou. Not far from the cracked field, there was a simple thatched house.

The two old men in the thatched cottage paused. When they saw the young man returning, they couldn't help but feel tears in their eyes.

Especially the old lady couldn't hold back her tears, she wiped her tears and steadied her voice: "It's good that Fan'er is back, it's good that he is back."

They knew very well that more than a dozen people in the village had gone to the capital, and now only one had returned, and they already knew what had happened.

"Grandma, we didn't succeed. Mother and uncles..." His tone gradually turned into sobs.

Bai Wan couldn't bear to see such a sentimental scene, and couldn't help herself any longer: "Now that your grandson is back, it's a good thing for you to be together."

After saying this, he bowed and saluted, looking like a handsome young man.

Only then did Old Lady Lin see the red-robed scholar: "Who is this?"

Lin Fan lowered his head: "This is Bai Shizhao from the capital. He saved my grandson."

The person on the opposite side looked at him carefully and seemed to have no idea how this weak-looking scholar could save anyone.

Bai Wan smiled, but quietly said: "No, I'm just a ruffian. I just want to take in a younger brother. If you want to repay me, you can give me six steamed buns, or take us in for a few nights."

The sword-wielding guards around could not help but look at each other.

There are actually people so shameless as to ask for free food and accommodation.

Old Lady Lin's smile faded, and she said calmly, "I only have three thatched houses here. There are six of you, so I'm afraid it's not enough."

Bai Wan chuckled: "It's okay, we can make a bunk bed."

"That's not what I meant." Old Lady Lin nodded slightly. "Master Bai, I can see that you are not feeling well and have been sweating. It would be better for you to stay in a room by yourself."