A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 10

"This girl must be terrified!" Seeing that she was enjoying her soup, Ma Da Sao was very happy. She stroked her hair and said, "After drinking the soup, your body will be warm, and you won't be afraid of anything anymore."

Mo Yan finished the soup in one gulp before putting down the bowl: "You're such a kind person! No wonder your soup is so delicious!" Her bright black eyes looked at Ma Da Sao with gratitude, and her words were very sincere. "I added some angelica root to the soup, which didn't diminish its rich aroma at all, but also removed the astringency of the meat and added a touch of sweetness, which is why this ordinary soup tastes so good... I'm so grateful for your idea."

Hearing this, Ma Da Sao was overjoyed. Many people praised her cooking skills, but unfortunately, although there were many people in Kaifeng Prefecture, none were truly skilled in it. No matter how much effort they put into their dishes, they only knew the word "delicious." Hearing Mo Yan's praise perfectly capture her essence, she felt as if she had found a kindred spirit, and was overjoyed.

"Girl... what's your name?"

"My surname is Mo, and my given name is Yan. I'm a new constable in this prefecture. I'm the seventh child in my family, so you can just call me Xiao Qi," Mo Yan said with a smile.

Zhan Zhao glanced at her. He had never heard her say the latter half of that sentence to anyone else, yet she was so intimate with Ma Dasao, whom he had just met. Although he didn't understand, he could only say that women are more likely to get close to each other.

"You're the new constable!" Sister-in-law Ma exclaimed in surprise. "I've heard our master mention you." She had heard Ma Han complain earlier that the girl was eccentric and difficult to get along with. Now, seeing Mo Yan sitting there obediently, completely different from what Ma Han had described, she couldn't help but feel puzzled.

At this moment, Zhan Zhao finished his soup, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Sister-in-law, we have other matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer."

Aunt Ma collected the bowls and said with a smile, "Go on, go on, I know you're busy. Come over when you have time, I can do a lot more." The last sentence was addressed to Mo Yan.

Mo Yan smiled and nodded before going out with Zhan Zhao.

"Where are we going now...?" she asked hesitantly as soon as she stepped out the door, fearing that Zhan Zhao would have to go to the morgue again.

"No, I'm going to report back to Lord Bao."

When they arrived at the outer study, Bao Zheng had just received a letter from Jiangnan and was furious. Gongsun Ce, standing beside him, also frowned deeply.

"Why don't we let the students take a trip to Jiangnan?"

“Absolutely not!” Bao Zheng categorically denied. “Although you are resourceful, you are still just a weak scholar. If you fall into their trap, how will I face them?” He glanced up and saw that Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan had entered. He took a deep breath, waved for them to sit down, and then called for tea.

Zhan Zhao explained in detail what he had discovered.

“Bai Baozhen sent a letter to Zhang Yaozuo! And what he said in the letter is indeed true!” Bao Zheng said angrily, “Jiangnan is Zhang Yaozuo’s secret treasury.”

"Could it be that a letter from Jiangnan has arrived?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Gongsun Ce nodded: "The higher-ups said that, just from the waterway alone, they embezzle more than five million taels of silver every year, not to mention the textile manufacturing bureau... Now he's afraid that the embezzlement case in Jiangnan will lead to him, so he must have preemptively killed Bai Baozhen. It's just a pity that we can't find any evidence."

“Even the messenger was killed,” Zhan Zhao said in a low voice.

"We must obtain evidence of his embezzlement as soon as possible, otherwise, I fear even more people will die."

"What does sir mean...?"

“The account book! In my opinion, although Bai Baozhen did not expect Zhang Yaozuo to kill him, he must have come to the capital to discuss countermeasures with Zhang Yaozuo. The account book is a handle that Zhang Yaozuo has on him, so he would never bring it to the capital.”

Zhan Zhao stood up and said, "Then I will go to Jiangnan immediately and retrieve the account books."

Bao Zheng frowned: "I'm afraid Zhang Yaozuo will interfere. We can tell from Bai Baozhen that he is ruthless. Guard Zhan, you must be careful!"

"Rest assured, sir, I will be careful!"

Mo Yan listened for a long time, but she didn't pay any attention to the embezzlement in Jiangnan or the account books. She was only concerned about her senior brother. She couldn't help but interject, "Lord Bao, since that's the case, can you release my senior brother first?"

Bao Zheng was taken aback, but shook his head: "At this time, we only have suspicions, but no evidence to prove that it must be Zhang Yaozuo. Your senior brother cannot be released for the time being."

"You..." Mo Yan said anxiously, "Isn't the matter obvious? What other evidence do we need?"

"Account books!" Bao Zheng said in a deep voice, "We need the account books that Zhang Yaozu embezzled."

"The account books are in Jiangnan?" She vaguely remembered what Zhan Zhao had said earlier. "Is it enough to just bring the account books here? Then I'll go get them. There's no need to bother Lord Zhan."

"Miss Mo!" Zhan Zhao was truly exasperated. "You can't go!"

She asked curiously, "Why?"

Gongsun Ce, standing nearby, asked with interest, "Do you know where the account books are?"

"Isn't it supposed to be in Jiangnan... inside the Imperial Textile Bureau?"

"So, do you know how to get the ledgers?"

“Of course we’ll ask them for it. If they won’t give it to us, then we’ll have to steal it,” she said decisively.

Gongsun Ce and Bao Zheng exchanged glances. These account books were private accounts, and Bai Baozhen must have hidden them very well, so they couldn't be obtained by asking. Although stealing them wasn't exactly honorable, it was a practical method, and it might be feasible.

Bao Zheng pondered for a moment: "Guard Zhan, why don't you let Miss Mo go with you on this trip?"

"grown ups……"

"I can get it back by myself!"

Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan spoke at the same time. She clearly hadn't expected him to say that, and gave him a strange look.

“My lord!” he replied, “This journey is likely fraught with danger. It would be more convenient for me to act alone.”

Before Bao Zheng could speak, Mo Yan jumped up incredulously, staring at him and saying, "Are you afraid I'll be a burden to you?"

Zhan Zhao did indeed have this intention, so he had no choice but to remain silent.

"Aside from being slightly less skilled in martial arts than you, in what way am I inferior to you?" she glared at him angrily.

"Zhan simply didn't want the girl to be in danger."

"Lord Bao!" Mo Yan bowed respectfully and said without any politeness, "Although Lord Zhan's martial arts are superb, he is too reckless in his actions. It would be more appropriate for me to go on the trip to Jiangnan."

Zhan Zhao smiled wryly; it was the first time he had ever heard someone say that he acted recklessly.

“How can you tell that Guard Zhan is reckless?” Bao Zheng asked curiously.