Chapter 252: Then let's go reason with him

Tuan Tuan found it amusing and squeezed up beside Xiao Ran, and the two sat together in the middle.

A rapid rustling of footsteps came from outside the door.

Zhao Squad Leader burst in with a group of constables, and on seeing the scene inside, he was both shocked and angry: "How did you get out? How dare you trespass the public hall!"

Xiao Ran straightened his collar and said, "Summon your magistrate to appear at once!"

Zhao Squad Leader let out a sneering laugh as if hearing the world's biggest joke: "You little rabbit brat have read too many stories? Bring them down!"

The constables were about to step forward when a black silhouette descended from the sky, landing with a "Thud" in the center of the hall—it was Xiao Er, who had returned.

He placed a black iron box on the desk and said, "Miss, the ledger is here."

Xiao Ran's eyes lit up; he seized the startled wooden bench and gave it a "Clap!" "Both the culprit and the loot! Hurry and summon the magistrate to the hall!"

Zhao Squad Leader's complexion changed abruptly, and he barked, "How dare you steal the official's property! Execute them without mercy!"

"Who dares to be so brazen, howling in the public hall?"

A middle‑aged man in official robes with a goat‑style beard hurried in; it was the local magistrate Huang Lianfa.

He had been resting in the back hall, but the startled bench and the clamor roused him; stepping out, his beard trembled with anger: "Who is making such a ruckus? Ah! My ledger… my box!"

He stared fixedly at the iron box in Xiao Ran's hand, his complexion turning white in an instant.

Xiao Ran swung the box proudly and said, "Hey, you recognize it? Then tell me what's inside."

Huang Lianfa forced himself to stay calm: "They are merely some of my private belongings. You all trespassed the public hall and stole official property, Zhao Squad Leader—act now!"

"Private belongings?" Xiao Ningxun stepped forward, took the box from Xiao Ran, opened it, and pulled out a thin booklet, flipping through it casually.

"This year Ma Daqiang's travel expenses: first day, thirty taels; second day, fifteen taels…"

"January eighth, Zhao Squad Leader took fifty taels…"

"January twentieth, the Provincial Administrator received three hundred taels…"

With each line he read, Huang Lianfa's and Zhao Squad Leader's faces grew paler.

When he reached the phrase "Provincial Administrator," Huang Lianfa could no longer hold back and shouted, "Fake! All fake! This ledger is forged by you! How dare you deliberately frame an Imperial Court official! What exactly are you?"

Xiao Ran had been waiting for exactly that sentence.

He leisurely drew his Nine Prince's dragon‑patterned golden seal from his chest and, with a "Bang," flung it onto the court desk.

"Open your dog eyes and look closely," Xiao Ran lifted his chin, finally getting his moment of grandeur! "See who I am!"

"Clang—" the waist‑knife in Zhao Squad Leader's hand clattered to the ground.

His legs gave way, and he fell to his knees, trembling like a sieve: "Prince… Prince?"

Huang Lianfa stared fixedly at the token, and with a thud he knelt: "Magistrate humbly presents himself before the Nine Prince; I am unworthy of your arrival, my crimes merit ten thousand deaths!"

Tuan Tuan turned her head and glanced at Xiao Ran: "So you're that valuable too!"

Xiao Ran gave her a little nose‑twist: "You just found out!" Then he sat upright, humming, "You let bandits plunder the people and profit from it, indeed a crime worthy of ten thousand deaths!"

Cold sweat streamed down Huang Lianfa's face, his lips trembling as he pleaded, "Magistrate truly has a grievance, Your Highness! That Ma Daqiang, he is a member of the Western Ridge Horse Gang!"

"Your Highness has just arrived here, unaware of the situation. The Western Ridge Horse Gang is entrenched in the Xibei mountains, controlling the vital horse routes. I am but a humble magistrate, truly compelled by their oppressive power, forced to act."

He knelt, voice and tears mingling, as if he alone were the victim: "These were forced upon me! If I disobey, I fear— I fear my life would already be in jeopardy!"

"What a 'forced to act'!"

Xiao Ningxun's face flushed with anger as she stepped forward: "The horse gang are jianghu folk; you are an Imperial Court official, the parental figure of countless locals!"

"If you truly find this difficult, you may report to the prefecture, request troops to encircle and eradicate; would the Imperial Court just stand by?"

"If you are a righteous official, you could shut the city gates tight and rigorously examine travel permits; what could they do to you?"

His gaze burned like a torch, fixed on the trembling Huang Lianfa, each word a dagger: "But you have done nothing!"

"Not only did you do nothing, you turned the authority granted by the Imperial Court into a blade for their profiteering!"

"You hide behind your official robe, letting them charge ahead for you, oppressing the good, while you sit safely in the office, stuffing piles of silver into your purse!"

"Is this what you call 'a grievance'?"

These words, like a sharp blade, tore Huang Lianfa's veil of shame to shreds.

He could no longer hold himself up, collapsing limp on the ground, his face ashen.

Tuan Tuan clapped her hands, looking at her own Third Brother with admiration: "Third Brother is awesome!"

Xiao Ran exclaimed joyfully, "Well said!"

He straightened his back, producing his princely authority: "Men! Arrest this corrupt official along with that Zhao Squad Leader, and detain them both! I will report to Father Emperor before issuing further punishment!"

The constables surged forward, dragging the mud‑like Huang Lianfa and Zhao Squad Leader away.

When the dust settled, Xiao Ran felt a burst of vile energy expelled from his chest, exhilarated beyond measure.

Lu Qi walked to Tuan Tuan's side, bowed low and whispered, "Lord Master, this Western Ridge Horse Gang is no ordinary group."

"Hmm." Tuan Tuan, watching the two scoundrels being dragged away with glee, said, "Hmm?"

"The magistrate just said that the money‑collector Ma Daqiang is a member of the Western Ridge Horse Gang."

"The Western Ridge Horse Gang controls over sixty percent of the overland freight in Xibei, its influence tangled like roots, and in this region it is truly the top snake among snakes."

"Almost all merchant caravans trying to enter or leave Xibei must go through them."

He paused briefly, lowering his voice further: "What the Princess (Commandery) wants to investigate, even the 'iron‑wire wood' used for crossbows could very likely be linked to them."

Tuan Tuan's eyes lit up instantly: "Uncle Lu, let's go find that Ma Daqiang and ask him!"

Lu Qi was startled: "Huh? Go ask directly?"

Tuan Tuan replied naturally: "Yes! Otherwise what?"

Lu Qi said, "Generally, according to jianghu rules, one tracks and investigates covertly…"

Tuan Tuan, with a puzzled face, said, "That's so slow! Just go ask directly, why not!"

Lu Qi: "……"

Lord Master, why don't you follow the usual logic?

Alright, since Lord Master has given the order, let's go!

Lu Qi went to clarify Ma Daqiang's whereabouts: "Lord Master, Ma Daqiang's group usually gathers in a small tavern."

There is no time to delay, so the party set off at once.

On the road, Lu Qi gave everyone a brief explanation of the Western Ridge Horse Gang.

"The current leader of the Western Ridge Horse Gang is called Xie Guzhou."

"He places great importance on reputation; the rules he sets are absolute."

"The Western Ridge Horse Gang was originally just a minor gang in Xibei, but under his hand it has achieved its present status."

"Precisely because of that, his methods are extremely ruthless and harsh; anyone who dares to break his rules or tamper with his goods meets merciless retaliation, often resulting in the annihilation of an entire family."

The others were startled by his words.

Lu Qi glanced at Tuan Tuan, choosing his words carefully: "To put it simply, he's a reason‑talking lunatic."

"As long as everything conforms to his rules, all is easy, but once someone crosses the line—even the Heavenly King himself— he still dares to touch them."

Xiao Ran, listening nearby, clicked his tongue: "So bold?"

Xiao Ningxun's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Only Tuan Tuan, enthusiastic, said: "Uncle Lu, then let's go reason with him!"