She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

Upon hearing this, Geng Qingsong was struck dumb, his face drained of all color, and his eyes widened in disbelief: "What? Officials? Seizing the weaving workshop? How is this possible? I knew nothing about this!"

His voice trembled slightly with shock, and his body swayed involuntarily, clearly deeply affected by the news.

Shen Man was also taken aback by this sudden turn of events, but she quickly calmed down and stared intently at Geng Qingsong, trying to discern the truth or falsehood in his words from his expression.

Meng Zhuo reacted quickly, leading his men to protect Shen Man behind them, watching the doorway warily, ready to deal with any potential dangers.

After a moment of stunned silence, Geng Qingsong walked outside as if waking from a dream, muttering to himself, "I have to go and see what's going on. There must be some misunderstanding."

But he had barely taken a few steps when the officials had already swarmed into the weaving workshop.

The leading official, with a stern expression, shouted, "Geng Qingsong, someone has reported that you are hiding contraband in your weaving workshop. We are here on the orders of the county magistrate to seal off your workshop. No one is allowed to move!"

"Your Honor, I am innocent! My family's weaving workshop has been in business for over a hundred years. We only have silk thread and cloth inside. What contraband could we possibly have?"

"You dare disobey the magistrate's order? Get out of the way immediately, or I will arrest you for interfering with law enforcement!"

Geng Qingsong froze on the spot, his lips trembling slightly. He wanted to explain but was speechless for a moment. He just kept shaking his head, his face full of despair and helplessness.

Shen Man frowned. The officials had to come at the exact moment that Geng Qingsong was about to sell the weaving workshop to her. It was such a coincidence.

She stepped forward and said to the officer, "Sir, I am currently discussing the transfer of the weaving workshop with Master Geng. What is this so-called 'concealment of contraband'? Could you please give us an explanation?"

The officer glanced at Shen Man and said, "We are also acting under orders, and the specific details still need further investigation. If you are not involved in this matter, you'd better not interfere with our work."

At this moment, the workers in the weaving workshop also stopped what they were doing, watching this scene with fear and whispering among themselves.

The accountants looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Meng Zhuo said to Shen Man in a low voice, "Man'er, this situation is a bit complicated. Let's not act rashly and wait and see."

Shen Man nodded slightly. She knew she had to be careful at this moment, but she was wondering if someone was deliberately trying to sabotage her plan to acquire the weaving workshop.

Just as everyone was at a stalemate, Geng Qingsong seemed to suddenly think of something. He forced himself to calm down and said to the official, "Sir, may I go and get some of the weaving workshop's account books and correspondence? These may prove my innocence."

The officer thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Go quickly and come back quickly, don't try anything funny."

Geng Qingsong hurriedly turned around and walked into the house, his steps slightly unsteady.

As Shen Man watched Geng Qingsong's retreating figure, her doubts deepened.

She whispered to Meng Zhuo, "Uncle Wang, I feel there's something strange about this. The weaving workshop is usually well-run, and Geng Qingsong doesn't seem like the type to hoard contraband. Could it be that someone is deliberately framing us, trying to interfere when the weaving workshop changes hands?"

Meng Zhuo's expression was solemn, and he replied in a low voice, "Man'er, your concerns are not unfounded. I have already instructed my men to keep a close watch on the surroundings. If anyone is indeed causing trouble, we will not let them succeed."

A short while later, Geng Qingsong hurriedly came out carrying a stack of account books and documents. He handed them to the official and said anxiously, "Sir, these are all records of the weaving workshop. I have always been law-abiding and please investigate thoroughly."

The official took it, glanced at it casually, but didn't say much.

At this moment, an accountant quietly approached Shen Man and whispered in her ear, "Miss, I have briefly looked at the accounts of this weaving workshop before and found nothing unusual. If there were any hidden contraband, there should have been some clues."

Shen Man's heart stirred, and she became even more convinced that there must be a hidden story behind this.

The officials began searching the weaving workshop, ransacking it, while the workers could only watch in fear.

Shen Man, Meng Zhuo, and the others stood aside, their eyes fixed on the officials' every move.

Suddenly, a constable exclaimed from a corner of the weaving workshop's backyard: "Sir, there's a package here!"

All eyes immediately turned to him. The officer took out a package from a hidden corner, opened it, and found some armor of unknown origin inside.

The laws of the Crimson Flame Kingdom explicitly prohibit ordinary people from privately possessing armor. This is because armor, as an important piece of military equipment, could potentially cause unrest or even war if it falls into the hands of those with malicious intentions.

Anyone who dares to challenge this law will face severe punishment without exception.

Upon seeing the armor, Geng Qingsong's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. He cried out in a shrill voice, "This is absolutely not my doing! Someone must have framed me! Sir, you must investigate this thoroughly!"

The officials ignored his pleas. The lead official, with a cold expression, shouted, "Geng Qingsong, now that you have the evidence against you, what else do you have to say? Such contraband appeared in your weaving workshop; you cannot escape your guilt!"

Shen Man's doubts grew stronger. She knew that although Geng Qingsong was not a gentleman, he was not so foolish as to openly hoard armor in his own weaving workshop.

She stepped forward and said to the officer, “Officer, I have been observing this weaving workshop for many days and have never found any abnormal signs before. Moreover, Master Geng is only interested in transferring the weaving workshop to me. How could he make such a big mistake at this time? Please investigate carefully and do not be deceived by treacherous people.”

The officer glanced at Shen Man and said, "Miss, don't meddle in other people's business. There is already solid evidence in this case, and we will handle it according to the law."

Meng Zhuo gently tugged at Shen Man's sleeve and whispered, "Man'er, this matter is probably beyond our control. Don't be too aggressive, lest you bring trouble upon yourselves."

Shen Man nodded slightly, but her gaze remained fixed on the armor, trying to find some clues.

She felt that the style and material of the armor were somewhat familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before.

Just then, Geng Qingsong seemed to suddenly remember something. He struggled to his feet and said to the officer, "Sir, I remember now. The Gu family's weaving workshop sent people to my workshop to pick up goods the other day. Now that I think about it, it must have been them! They must have wanted to frame me so they could take over my weaving workshop!"

The officer sneered, "Hmph, don't try to fabricate stories and escape punishment."