An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

There are quite a few high-ranking officials stationed in Jian'an City now. In addition to local officials, there are several dignitaries from the capital who have mixed up, plus the one from the East Palace. He can be beaten to death with just a few words.

Who knows who he'll offend today? The chief yamen runner's feet are shaking just thinking about it.

Jian'an has a long coastline and is a place where all kinds of people gather. Officials come and go, each with their own background and power.

This yamen runner might be able to act tyrannically in a small place under normal circumstances, but when facing the possible powerful people, his confidence was instantly drained.

The faces of those high-ranking officials appeared in his mind, and each of them seemed to be observing him with cold eyes, which made him shudder. He realized that he might have gotten into big trouble, and his heart was filled with regret and fear.

He immediately turned around and left, completely forgetting that the young lady hadn't spoken yet and not knowing whether she would forgive him. His actions were almost instinctive, and he just wanted to escape this dangerous place as quickly as possible.

He didn't dare stay a moment longer, fearing that saying one more word would put him in even deeper trouble. His steps were hurried and frantic, completely disregarding etiquette and manners, and he only wanted to escape from this place of trouble.

Suddenly turning around, the fleeing yamen runner was hit in the chest, causing a sharp pain. He didn't even dare to cry out, just covered his chest. Without seeing anyone clearly, he nodded and bowed, "Please spare my life, my lord. I'm so sorry, so sorry." He was almost kneeling.

"How dare you! You knew there were women on the second floor, yet you still dared to come up and ram me. I think you don't want to live anymore."

As soon as these words were spoken, Jing Chunxi looked in surprise at the two young masters of the Tao family who were wearing black brocade robes and white jade hairpins on their heads. They suddenly came out to cheer, which was inexplicably funny.

There was a hint of surprise in her eyes. Perhaps she didn't expect that someone would stand up to support her in such a situation. She was indeed very brave.

Jing Chunxi burst out laughing, but then quickly regained her composure. She feigned indignation, then complained in a coquettish tone, "Brothers, that bastard almost broke into our house and even had the audacity to slander the imperial officials and speak nonsense."

The words "big brother" and "second brother" made the brothers Chengrui and Chengzhi feel comforted. They looked at Jing Chunxi with eyes full of fatherly and brotherly love.

Cheng Rui's desire to protect his sister was overflowing, and he shouted again: "Where did this little follower come from? It seems he doesn't want to live anymore. Ah Qi, why don't you kick him down quickly? If he dares to look at the young lady again, his eyes will be gouged out and fed to the fish."

Cheng Rui's tone was filled with contempt and anger, and his words were full of threats, making everyone present feel his majesty. The yamen runners didn't dare to say anything to those around him, and lowered their heads in guilt.

Ah Qi's face darkened when he heard that. He grabbed the yamen runner by the back of his collar, but did not use much force. He let him stumble down on his own, just wanting him to leave in a mess.

The yamen runner's original arrogance was gone. He had long since become dusty and grimy. He was still thankful that the young master didn't kick him into the river to feed the fish. He just felt lucky to have escaped with his life.

Ah Qi walked down the stairs with a smile, muttering in his heart: Young ladies and gentlemen, you are really good at acting. If you had known this would happen, you should have taken the people to your second floor as soon as they got on the boat, so that we wouldn't have to worry about not being able to cope.

When the ship started moving again, Chongsan beat his chest and stamped his feet, feeling extremely regretful.

If he had known that the young lady would act like this, he could have easily passed the test. Why would he have wasted so much wild boar meat and a large bucket of fish? He stood by the boat, watching it slowly sail away, his heart filled with regret.

It was because of Chongsan's generosity that Tangshuang didn't speak to him for three whole days, and even gave him a few glares when they met, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

When everyone saw this, they covered their mouths and laughed.

……

Over the next five days, the boat's speed increased significantly. The boatmen seemed to sense the urgency of time, perhaps realizing they were getting closer to their destination, or perhaps feeling the urgency of everyone on board. They paddled more vigorously and quickly.

The boat left white streaks on the river, as if chasing the pace of time. The scenery along the way quickly passed before my eyes, and the checkpoints in Shaxian, Nanping, Gutian and other places were also left behind one by one.

With the experience of passing the checkpoint for the first time, everyone was no longer panicked, but faced it calmly. Everyone felt more calm in their hearts and less anxious on their faces.

The inspections at the checkpoints became increasingly smooth. At the checkpoints at Shaxian and Gutian, the yamen runners didn't even board the ship; they simply collected a pass and let us pass. This smooth process made everyone breathe a sigh of relief, as if they saw the light of hope for the journey.

"Miss, the yamen runners in Jian'an County are much better than those in Jiujiang County. I think these yamen runners are very well-behaved." Chuntao couldn't help but sigh, with a hint of relief in her tone.

"Master Tao must have dealt with those corrupt officials before we even arrived." Frost also echoed, with a hint of ridicule in her tone, and she was still praising Tao Jin's methods.

The three of them chatted animatedly in the room, Chuntao and Tangshuang being particularly enthusiastic, always taking the credit for everything on Tao Jin's head. They seemed to have become accustomed to Tao Jin as an all-powerful supporter, and they would always think of him unconsciously when they encountered problems.

However, Jing Chunxi disagreed. She frowned slightly, feeling that this statement was too one-sided. She asked softly, "When you passed the docks in the previous counties, what differences did you find with Jianning County?" Her voice was low, but it carried a hint of seriousness, as if reminding them not to take it lightly.

Since there were more supplies in Jianning County, and Jing Chunxi, Xiaoman and Tangshuang secretly went fishing again, and the water tank was secretly filled with well water twice, no one got off the boat for five days.

For safety reasons, the boatman would park the boat near the town every night, so when he stopped, he could still see the situation at the dock and the shore.

After reminiscing for a moment, Chuntao frowned and said, "Is the population of Jian'an County relatively small? There weren't many people at the docks along the way, and I didn't see anyone buying or selling things." There was a hint of doubt in her voice, as if she was trying to make sense of this unusual scene.

Tang Shuang thought about it for a moment, then suddenly slapped her head and said, "Why aren't there any boats docking at this pier? Are the residents staying home? Not even going to the other side?" There was a hint of surprise in her voice, as if she had discovered something important. She looked at Jing Chunxi, her eyes full of confusion.

Jing Chunxi asked again, "Did you see any boats sailing on the river?" Her voice remained calm, as if guiding them to discover the problem themselves. The two thought for a moment and shook their heads.

Chuntao said, "Miss, this doesn't make sense. It feels so weird!" There was a hint of confusion in her tone. This scene was beyond her understanding.

"But there are a lot of people picking tea on the mountain, right?" Jing Chunxi asked.

These past few days, she'd been paying special attention to the mountains. There were many mountains along the way, and tea trees dominated the landscape from the foot of the mountains to the mid-mountains. From the boat, she could see tea pickers from afar, especially in the early morning.

The tea pickers wore golden bamboo hats or white veiled caps, making them particularly visible. Their figures moving among the tea trees looked like a part of the mountain scenery.

"Is every household rushing to pick tea? No one has time to go out. But, is there so much tea to pick?" Jing Chunxi muttered to himself, with a hint of doubt in his voice.

The three of them fell into deep thought. This situation was too strange and they couldn't figure out why. They just felt that it was a little unusual.

This strange calm left them feeling vaguely uneasy. There were no boats at the dock, and aside from the occasional official vessel or two, no other vessels sailed on the river. It was as if the entire Jian'an County was shrouded in an invisible force, leaving people feeling oppressed.

However, the busy scene of tea picking on the mountain seems out of tune with this strange scene, as if it is a deliberate cover-up.

There must be something hidden behind this calmness, but they are unable to see the truth yet.

Jing Chunxi gazed out the window at the distant mountains, thinking silently in her heart. She knew that they were about to enter the core area of ​​Jian'an County, and everything here seemed so unusual.

Tao Jin came here early. Did he already know the truth?

Jing Chunxi had expectations but also worries. This worry had been with her since she knew Tao Jin was the prince of Yan.