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Глава 7

“Exactly!” Wang Chao nodded, glancing helplessly at Mo Yan, who had already started eating her fifth steamed bun. “I originally told her to go on patrol with Constable Liang. Constable Liang is known for his good nature and wouldn’t bully newcomers, but this girl just wouldn’t agree.”

"You want me to patrol the streets for three months first? What about my senior brother? Of course I won't agree!" Mo Yan looked up and said irritably.

Zhan Zhao was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He had forgotten this rule: new constables had to patrol the streets for three months first. It seemed that Lord Bao had not considered this either. She had only reluctantly entered the police force because she wanted to exonerate her senior brother. Now that she was being asked to patrol the streets, he knew she would definitely refuse.

"Rules cannot be disregarded," he said slowly, pretending not to see Mo Yan glaring at him, and then added, "However, it is understandable that Miss Mo cares about her senior brother. Why not let her investigate this case first, and then go on patrol after this case is closed? What do you two think?"

In terms of official rank, Zhan Zhao was much higher than them, but he had known Wang Chao and Ma Han for a long time and had been under Bao Zheng's tutelage for a long time. Therefore, he always addressed them as brothers and did not put on airs. He also spoke very gently.

"That's fine then." Wang Chao was naturally delighted that Zhan Zhao was willing to smooth things over. "Since that's the case, Brother Zhan is most familiar with it, so why don't you let her follow you?"

He casually tossed this hot potato to Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao didn't mind and nodded. Since seeing her exceptional intelligence yesterday, he had also become somewhat curious. If she could discover flaws in his knowledge that he hadn't noticed, that would certainly be a good thing.

Wang Chao and Ma Han both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Zhan Zhao nod. Ma Han quickly ordered another steamer of buns to make up for the ones he hadn't eaten earlier.

Wang Chao woke Mo Yan up, first taking her to get her badge, then making a quick look around the police station—just to familiarize her with the officers and avoid any future misunderstandings. A short while later, the two returned, Mo Yan now holding a small bronze badge, which she casually waved around, seemingly unconcerned.

“Keep this safe, young lady! This token may be small, but if you lose it and someone else picks it up and impersonates a constable, that’s a serious crime,” Ma Han said, seeing her carelessness with the token.

"oh."

She obediently put the item into her bosom as instructed, without uttering another word, which surprised Ma Han somewhat.

Wang Chao laughed and said, "When I took her to the police station just now, the brothers there said that Lord Bao might be trying to emulate the female generals of the Yang family and bring in a female constable from Kaifeng to add some flair to our yamen."

Upon hearing this, both Zhan Zhao and Ma Han laughed.

Although it was said in jest, the tone and manner in which those people spoke it implied a degree of disdain for Mo Yan. Wang Chao himself also held Mo Yan in low regard, so naturally he wouldn't speak up for her; it was just a matter of everyone having a laugh.

After finishing his breakfast, Zhan Zhao got up, placed a few copper coins on the table, and bowed slightly to Wang Chao and Ma Han, saying, "Please enjoy your meal, I have to go now." He then said to Mo Yan, "I happen to be going to the official post station where the case occurred this morning, so please come with me."

Mo Yan nodded and stood up as well. Then, as if remembering something, she turned to Wang Chao and said seriously, "When you buy rouge for your sister-in-law in the future, don't buy those cheap ones that cost two or three taels of silver. The smell is too strong. The best ones don't cost more than two taels of silver, and the quality and smell are much better. You're not short of money, so remember not to be stingy next time."

Wang Chao stood there stunned, not knowing what to say for a moment. By the time he came to his senses, she had already walked away with Zhan Zhao.

"How did your sister-in-law know about the rouge she used? Do you have a scent on you?" Ma Han leaned closer and sniffed him all over, then asked in surprise, "I can't smell anything."

"Go away!" Wang Chao hurriedly pushed him away, wondering to himself: How did she know that I bought rouge that cost two or three qian of silver?

...

Zhan Zhao watched as Mo Yan walked quietly beside him, not saying a word. Her eyes wandered back and forth between the shops on both sides of the street, her gaze filled with a sense of novelty, just like a child.

She was indeed very observant; she even noticed the tiny speck of rouge on Wang Chao's collar, which must have been accidentally left there by his wife when she adjusted his collar after applying rouge. Zhan Zhao couldn't help but smile slightly. He could imagine that Mo Yan's few words just now were enough to keep Wang Chao brooding for a whole day.

“Miss Mo,” he suddenly remembered, and paused slightly, “let’s examine the bodies of Bai Baozhen and the official first, and then go to the scene of the crime.”

"corpse!"

Her face turned deathly pale instantly, and she stammered, "Um, um... isn't there a coroner?"

"Although there is a coroner, I am afraid that there may be oversights. This case is of great importance, and I think it should be examined more carefully."

"What Lord Zhan says is true... However... let's go check out that official post station first. I usually visit that one last..."

Could it be that she's afraid of seeing corpses? Zhan Zhao wondered to himself.

It's common for young women to be timid and cowardly when they see a corpse, but he originally thought that Mo Yan was a person from the martial arts world, so she should be braver than ordinary young women.

"Is it alright?" she asked tentatively, glancing at his expression.

"Alright."

Not wanting to make things difficult for her, Zhan Zhao agreed.

Chapter Five

The official post station was quite a distance from the Kaifeng government office. The two walked along the main street for a long time and made several turns before a black lacquered gate with a lantern bearing the character "官" (official) hanging on it came into view.

"This is it."

Mo Yan glanced around and asked in surprise, "How many official post stations are there in the capital? Why is this one so remote?"

"This official post station is the smallest, so it is remote."

“Bai Baozhen is a high-ranking official of the third rank, how could he stay in such a small official post station when he comes to the capital?” She frowned slightly. “Unless…”

Although they didn't say the rest aloud, they both thought the same thing: Bai Baozhen was secretly going to the capital, and to avoid being noticed, ordinary inns were too crowded and gossipy, and it was inevitable that news would leak out. It was much quieter than official post stations.

Zhan Zhao went up and knocked on the door. After a long while, a thin, small old servant came to open the door.

"Lord Zhan, it's you!" The old official looked dejected.

Zhan Zhao glanced at him and said calmly, "In the past few days, besides me, has anyone else come here?"

"Some officials came and took the body away; there was no one else there."

"Is he a government official here?" Mo Yan poked her head in, asking curiously, "Didn't they say you were dead?"

The old official stared at her blankly until she pulled out a small bronze token and waved it in front of him, then said, "I'm not dead, it was Song Li who died. I drank too much that night and don't remember anything."

"Oh!" Mo Yan said with a grin, "Wine is a good thing, and it's fortunate you drank too much, otherwise I'm afraid you would have..." She reached up and made a face at her neck, sticking out her tongue. After saying that, she ignored the stunned officials and stepped inside on her own.

Seeing that she didn't ask where the incident happened and was just wandering around the post station, Zhan Zhao wasn't in a hurry and stood aside quietly waiting.

Mo Yan paced back and forth two or three times before looking up and asking the old servant, "How often should we water the flowers and plants in this yard?"