Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The government officials arrived quickly. After the coroner went down into the cave to examine the body, he preliminarily determined that the person had likely starved to death.

The constables carried the two corpses up and placed them in the courtyard. By this time, a crowd had gathered around the courtyard, and the neighbors who had been staying at home during the winter had all come out to watch after hearing the commotion.

"Oh, isn't this Old Zhu and his wife?"

"Yes, didn't he say he went to his daughter's? How could he be dead?..."

"I was wondering why he left without saying a word. We used to call out to each other when we went out to buy groceries. How come he just left without a second thought this time? Who would have thought he would die!"

"It must have been his nephew who did it. There couldn't have been two people. I didn't think his nephew was a good person at first glance."

"Shh... keep your voice down, don't let that person hear you."

When the neighbors saw the two bodies lying in the yard, they started talking amongst themselves. Two of the older women who were close to Aunt Zhu couldn't help but shed tears. Xia Yu could clearly see that one of them was the older woman who had been chatting with her earlier.

The two men tied to the tree went limp when they saw two corpses being pulled out of the hole; they were like rag dolls, unable to be supported. In the end, they were half-carried and half-lifted away by the constables.

Xia Yu and the others also went to the government office. Since it involved lives, they needed to explain why they were in this courtyard.

At this moment, in the post station, Grand Tutor Li was discussing matters with other members, holding the documents sent by the Russians, when Murong Fu entered and said to Grand Tutor Li...

"Grand Tutor, someone just reported that Young Master Zhang, Miss Zhang, and Young Master Shen are involved in a murder case and are currently at the county government office."

Upon hearing this, Grand Tutor Li hurriedly grabbed the documents from the table, stuffed them into his sleeve, put on his cloak, and strode out.

"Grand Tutor, be careful of the slippery road." Murong Fu saw him so anxious and worried and reminded him from behind, afraid that the old man would fall and he would not be able to report back to the Emperor.

The remaining few people looked at each other in bewilderment. The documents had been taken away, and the mastermind had also left. They now sat there seemingly with nothing to do.

“We’ve been here for two days and haven’t even left this inn yet. Why don’t we go out and take a look?” Zhou Wenqing suddenly suggested, looking around.

"Where does Lord Zhou wish to go?" asked a man surnamed Ma.

"How about we go to the county government office?" Zhou Wenqing suggested.

"..." Upon hearing Lord Zhou's suggestion, everyone fell silent. Should they go to the county government office now? Did they really want to help, or just want to watch the spectacle?

As for Li Taifu, under Murong Fu's escort, he saw several children coming out of the yamen as soon as he arrived at the gate.

"Changyun, what happened?" Grand Tutor Li asked hurriedly.

"We were walking down the street today when we were robbed by a few people. They caught two of them, but one escaped. We asked the two robbed men to take us to the robbed man's house, and there we found a hole in the ground with two corpses inside." Changyun briefly explained the whole story.

"Oh, I see. It's good that you're alright. It's getting dark, so let's go back." Hearing the whole story, Grand Tutor Li breathed a sigh of relief.

As he sat in the carriage, Grand Tutor Li took out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the sweat that had seeped from his forehead due to his anxiety. However, this action accidentally pulled out the document, which floated lightly onto the carriage floor.

Xia Yu bent down to pick up the paper from the ground and inadvertently glanced at the words on it.

"&%￥￥%%......." Xia Yu read the words aloud unintentionally. Shen Luo and Chang Yun on the bus were already used to her behavior.

After reading the document, Xia Yu turned to look at Grand Tutor Li, about to speak, but saw him looking at her with a strange expression.

"Grandpa Li, what's wrong?" Xia Yu asked curiously.

"Xiaxia, do you know Mao Ziwen?" Grand Tutor Li asked excitedly.

"Well, when I was little, I fell and broke my head once. In my dream, I met an old man with a white beard. He taught me many things, including this Russian language. I only realized today when I went out on the street that I was learning Russian in my dream." Xia Yu repeated what she had told Shen Luo and the others, basically attributing everything to the old deity in her dream.

"Excellent, excellent! This is a blessing from heaven for our great nation! It's fate! Hahahaha..." Li Taifu's laughter echoed from inside the carriage. Their voices weren't quiet, and Murong Fu, who was guarding the carriage, naturally heard what they were saying. He never expected that the usually quiet Miss Zhang would have such an extraordinary encounter.

Back at the post station, Grand Tutor Li immediately summoned everyone to discuss the matter. Before they arrived, he specifically inquired about the contents of the document. Xia Yu's translation was roughly the same as Zhang Shucheng's. However, Grand Tutor Li understood that Xia Yu's wording and translation were significantly more fluent.

Once everyone else arrived, they discovered several young girls in the room. Although they didn't know why she was there, everyone recognized her. Some people were unhappy that the Grand Tutor had sent such a young girl to listen to important national affairs, but no one wanted to be the one to speak up and offend anyone.

Xia Yu was aware of her position, so she simply sat there quietly and listened without saying a word. She had already conveyed the clerk's message to Grand Tutor Li, and judging from the contents of the letter, this negotiation shouldn't be difficult.

The next day, the ministers from both sides met for the first time at the agreed place.

The other side arrived with eight officials and several soldiers as guards, and it was clear that one of them was of the highest rank. His clothes were the most luxurious, covered in fur and adorned with numerous medals.

Suddenly, a man with yellow skin and black hair caught Xia Yu's attention. He was following behind a group of people, and judging from his skin color, he should be a Dahuai, but he was following behind the Russians. Xia Yu couldn't figure out the man's identity for a moment.

After the officials from both sides were seated opposite each other, the yellow-skinned man stood up and introduced the Russians to Xia Yu in Dahuai.

'So it was a translation,' Xia Yu thought to herself.

After his introduction, Xia Yu learned that the man in the middle, whose clothes were covered in medals, was actually a prince of Russia, which, in Chinese terms, would be the emperor's brother. The others were all counts or viscounts, all holding titles. Xia Yu wondered if present-day Russia was equivalent to Tsarist Russia in Chinese history. If so, then the people from Russia were all of high status, indicating that they attached great importance to this meeting between the two countries.

Next, the translator introduced the officials to the other side in Russian. Everyone's eyes turned to Zhang Haoran.

His face flushed red instantly, but despite the fact that it involved matters between the two countries, he suppressed his embarrassment and stood up to introduce the officials and their titles in the delegation.

Upon hearing his introduction, not only did the other party show some dissatisfaction, but even Xia Yu frowned. The main members of this delegation did not hold high official positions, generally at the third, fourth, or sixth rank.

Zhang Haoran's introduction was quite simple, only mentioning "Lord XX," his status within the delegation, and his official rank. Compared to the princes and counts from the Russian side, the positions held by the Dahuai delegation seemed rather insignificant.