Chapter 155: Arrival from the Southern Office (Request for Monthly Tickets)

Seeing Fu Jingyu, he rose, clasped his hands in a bow, and said, "Junior Fu Jingyu, my master is the venerable elder Ma Tianshou; I greet you, senior."

Zhang Laoya grunted, sat down with casual boldness, and said, "You have just arrived in Zhan City and have not yet opened the situation well, have you? In my early years, I owed Ma Tianshou a favor; Ma Tianshou specifically told me about it."

"Rest assured, I will act. What matters do you need my help with?"

There originally was, Xu Yuan thought silently; now it is not needed.

Zhang Laoya saw Bai Hu eating snacks and drinking tea, looking like she was watching a show, and felt somewhat displeased; he tapped the table and said, "Miss Bai, serve this old man a portion of your 'Upper Eight Pieces' of snacks and the finest Shifeng Longjing tea. These lords from the Quhui Office will pay."

Zhang Laoya winked at Bai Hu: these few are juniors here to seek my help; pick the most expensive ones for me.

Bai Hu pouted, just about to order a maid—Fu Jingyu also sat down, raised a hand to stop her, and said, "Wait."

Zhang Laoya's face turned unpleasant: "You won't even pay this small sum? I must reconsider whether to help you."

Fu Jingyu shook his head and explained the principle thoroughly: "Senior is my teacher's old friend; if you need me to pay the bill on your behalf, there is absolutely no problem."

"I have modest family assets; I can afford these silver coins."

"But just now, Senior mentioned the Quhui Office; that will not do. We few represent the Quhui Office in coming to find Senior to inquire about a case."

Zhang Laoya was somewhat confused: "Inquire about a case? Have I become a suspect?"

"Not so," Fu Jingyu said. "A group of suspects impersonating Quhui Office officials appeared in Senior's pawnshop."

Fu Jingyu briefly recounted the events, then said, "Senior is implicated; if the investigation clears Senior of any involvement, there will naturally be no problem."

Zhang Laoya understood: if the investigation results implicated him... then there would be a big problem!

So these brats were not here to seek his help, but to... interrogate a criminal?!

"Pfft—" Bai Hu beside him could not hold back and laughed, spitting out several melon seed shells; this was very unladylike.

Zhang Laoya's old face could not bear it, turning purple and flushed red.

Fu Jingyu asked once more: "Does Senior require me to pay the bill on your behalf? Just instruct me, without mentioning the Quhui Office."

"Pfft—"

This time, Xu Yuan and the other two could not hold back either.

"Not needed!" three words squeezed out from between Zhang Laoya's teeth.

"Then..." Fu Jingyu, just as when he first met Xu Yuan, took out a brush and a small notebook: "I shall begin the questioning."

"Ask away..." Zhang Laoya felt a sense of powerlessness spread through his body; how had Ma Tianshou taken in such a student?

But in truth, the questioning came down to just those few questions; Zhang Laoya was not in league with those people.

On the night before Xu Yuan and the others went to the "Yilihe" pawnshop, that is, the day Ma Tianshou went to find him, Zhang Laoya had already sensed certain matters, packed his valuables, abandoned the shop, and hid.

And to completely "disappear," he did not leave any surveillance traps behind in the shop.

Later, the pawnshop was occupied by a band of thieves; Zhang Laoya knew nothing about it.

But Fu Jingyu was extremely rigorous, continuously questioning and recording details.

In the end, Zhang Laoya grew impatient, slapped the table, and shouted, "I have been hiding my name and identity in Zhan City for so many years, hiding well, yet your teacher insisted on finding me—if not for him, I would not have had to hide and dodge!"

"I will settle this score with Ma Tianshou in detail later!"

"As for why those four little thieves were in my pawnshop, do you guess it is possible that these fellows, unfamiliar with the place, stole something and had nowhere to fence it, so they wanted to find a pawnshop to pledge it, and just happened to walk into my shop?"

"They found no one inside, thought it was a good place to stay, and if someone came to pledge things, they could simply rob them directly?"

Fu Jingyu's mouth hung open; after a moment of being stuck, he said, "This is a reasonable guess, but lacks evidence; let me record it first..."

Zhang Laoya was completely out of temper, waved his hand, and said, "That is all I have to say; if there is nothing else, please return."

Fu Jingyu turned to look at Xu Yuan; Xu Yuan shook his head, indicating there was nothing more to ask.

Fu Jingyu packed his things, rose, and said, "Then this junior takes his leave. However, since this case implicates Senior, please do not hide again; reside in a fixed location so that our Quhui Office can find Senior at any time to understand the situation."

"If Senior disappears again... we will suspect Senior is fleeing to avoid punishment."

"You—" Zhang Laoya was so angry he could not speak.

Xu Yuan suddenly interjected, "I think staying here is fine; after all, it is temporarily inconvenient to return to the pawnshop to live."

Bai Hu had wanted to drive old Zhang away today, but she did not expect the Quhui Office to arrange for him to stay here.

"Hehe," Miss Bai laughed lightly; her Bai Xi, long, jade-like fingers picked up the tea bowl lid and turned it gently twice: "My place is not cheap."

Fu Jingyu said calmly, "The place on the wall hangs a copy by 'Dianmo Shanren' of Master Zhang Xuanduan's painting; how expensive can it be? Senior's bill will be charged to my name."

Fu Jingyu then bowed with clasped fists to Zhang Laoya: "I am on official duty; I was rude just now; please forgive me, Senior."

Then he left the courtyard together with Xu Yuan.

Miss Bai's pale white little face instantly turned iron green.

This young master of a great surname is truly disgusting!

Yet he spoke extremely accurately, leaving Miss Bai unable to refute.

This time, it was Zhang Laoya's turn to laugh gaga-gaga.

Seeing someone share my misfortune, although it does not help my situation at all, my mood is much improved.

"Laugh, laugh, laugh! What are you laughing at? If a great enemy truly comes, I will still sell you without hesitation!" Miss Bai frowned tightly, muturing in her heart: "Why did that young patrol inspector suddenly say such a thing? Could he have seen through something? My cultivation is far higher than his; that shouldn't be possible..."

After Xu Yuan and the four of them left Xie Liu Lane, Yu Yunhang asked softly, "My lord, does this woman have a problem?"

Xu Yuan said in a low voice, "Fox."

Yu Yunhang suddenly understood: My lord is familiar with foxes; surely, as soon as he entered that courtyard, my lord smelled it.

These words absolutely must not be spoken!

Xu Yuan beckoned to Lang Xiao Ba: "Yu Yunhang previously told me that there are evil spirits in the mountains and strange matters in the city."

"You are very familiar with Zhan City; tell me what 'strange matters' exist in this city."

Lang Xiao Ba recalled and organized his thoughts, then spoke freely: "Then this subordinate will begin from the north of the city..."

By the time they returned to the yamen, the north of the city had not even been finished.

Di Youzhi was waiting at the door, pacing anxiously back and forth.

Seeing Xu Yuan from afar, Di Youzhi sprinted out to meet him: "My lord, the Southern Office has sent someone!"

(End of Chapter)