The funny counterattack of traveling through time and space and becoming a vicious female supporting

Chapter 51: Strange Inspection

Everyone stood nervously at the gate of the Shen family compound, watching another wave of strangers arrive on horseback. The Shen family compound had been incredibly bustling lately, with three waves arriving over two consecutive days. The first wave was Lu Ling'er, Gu Yichen, Mo Xian, Xuan Ping, and Xuan An, and the second was Mo Yan. So, who was the third wave?

"Officers, check! Everyone, bring your passes! Someone attempted to murder the prefect yesterday. Today, we're conducting a full-scale search! Check!" The four officers were dressed in imperial uniforms. The leader looked a little different; he must be the head constable. This was Lu Linger's first time seeing ancient officers. She felt their aura was very strong, indeed quite domineering.

Gu Yichen quickly took out the pass he'd bought that day from Liu Da, the steward of the charity cemetery, and handed it to the captain. "We've made it in time, or we'd be caught completely off guard." This was all a carefully orchestrated strategy by Lu Ling'er. The false news about the prefect's murder yesterday was intended to test whether he was truly imprisoned, or simply to lure them out.

Gu Yichen's expression remained calm, revealing no flaws. Mo Xian quickly brought out a few bowls of cold tea from the kitchen and handed them to the four officers. The officers expressed their gratitude. Although they were there to investigate a case, traveling to the deserted outskirts of the city in the middle of summer was indeed tiring.

After finishing his tea, Captain Zhang asked, "Doctor Shen hasn't been back for a while. Your passes all say the surname Shen. What's your relationship?"

Gu Yichen bowed politely: "Shen Li is my father, my name is Shen Kang, this is my wife Shen Lin, and my two younger brothers Shen Yan and Shen Xian. These two are my twin sons, Shen Xuanping and Shen Xuanan, meet your Excellency."

"Where's Doctor Shen? Why hasn't he returned, and instead you're here?" Captain Zhang continued to inquire. He felt something was odd about this family, but he couldn't pinpoint what. The pass was genuine, and quite old; it clearly wasn't issued today. However, their composure was indeed puzzling.

"Father went back to his hometown to take care of our elderly mother and won't be back until after the Mid-Autumn Festival. He asked us to come here because we want to arrange for our two children to attend the Six Arts Academy in the prefectural capital," Gu Yichen explained. Lu Linger added, "The academy is in Nanyang Prefecture. It's an important and prestigious academy. Many officials from the Hanlin Academy have studied there."

A popular saying at court was that "only Hanlin scholars can enter the cabinet," a key official appointment convention. This system stipulated that only Jinshi (Jinshi) scholars who passed the imperial examination and entered the Hanlin Academy were eligible to serve in the cabinet and hold high-ranking positions. While this system guaranteed the quality of officials, it also sparked controversy, with some arguing that it limited the career opportunities of talented officials who failed to gain admission to the Hanlin Academy.

Gu Yichen was suddenly surprised at his understanding of these things and didn't know how he knew so much.

Captain Zhang and the other officers inspected the situation and found nothing amiss. They then told Gu Yichen and the others to be careful, as the suburbs had been experiencing unrest recently. Meanwhile, Captain Zhang brought good news: Shen Li had just purchased the land in the back mountain, and the title deed had been processed. They could go and retrieve the title deed for Shen Li, and the back mountain now belonged to the Shen family.

"Okay, since everything is correct, we'll take our leave. Be careful." After Captain Zhang finished speaking, he led the officers away and rode back to the city.

"Yichen, do you think they believe us?" Lu Linger breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down on the stool. She had been a little worried. After all, it was her first time facing the police. If Captain Zhang found something wrong with the pass, it would be troublesome.

"I'm half-believing and half-doubting, but don't worry. In a few days we will go to the government office to get back my father's land deed, and by the way, settle our family here. Liu Da should be able to handle the government files in the next few days." Gu Yichen explained confidently.

Mo Yan had nearly taken action earlier, but Mo Xian stopped him, signaling with his eyes to let Gu Yichen handle it. They had just settled in and didn't want to be forced into hiding so soon. Furthermore, given their status, they could enter the city at any time to investigate the prefect's plan to kill Gu Yichen and Lu Ling'er.