Shen Xining's expression didn't seem fake, and Xie Zhaoan sneered.
"I think you are sick."
After saying that, Xie Zhaoan took a step and prepared to leave. Shen Xining squinted her eyes and believed it. There was indeed no brothel here. She held two pots of wine in her hands.
"Fourth Prince, if there is no Spring House, why not go to the rooftop and finish your unfinished wine?"
Shen Xining stood under the eaves in the moonlight, her skin was almost transparent, her red lips were upturned, and her eyebrows were curved. She looked like a monster who came to suck people's energy in the middle of the night.
Xie Zhaoan's vital energy was indeed sucked away. He took the pot of peach blossom wine and jumped onto the roof with his lightness skill.
Shen Xining had not expected him to take her up, so she found a ladder and climbed up slowly. The two of them sat almost under the moon. Although it was late at night, the moon was exceptionally round tonight, and their facial features were clearly visible.
This atmosphere is suitable for lovers who want to sneak out.
Shen Xining felt much more relaxed today because she had confirmed today that this county was indeed as it appeared on the surface, with honest officials and harmonious people. She believed that there was still some light in this world.
"Fourth Prince, you said that day that these things were meaningless. Now, you are sitting on the beam and seeing the grand scene of leaving the doors unlocked at night. Do you feel that what you said that day was biased?"
Xie Zhaoan thought of what was reported in the secret report today and sneered.
"Sir Shen, you are really an optimistic person. Why haven't you learned your lesson from the incident in the county last time? One day, all the things in this world will be revealed to you in an almost cruel way, telling you that everything you insist on now is ridiculous."
Shen Xining was a little angry. She didn't know why Xie Zhaoan said that. Obviously, this county and the previous county had already made a lot of achievements, right? As long as she found out the truth about Shen's father's corruption case and dealt with the flood, everything would return to the previous stable state, right
"Things in this world may not be as cold and indifferent as the Fourth Prince thinks."
Xie Zhaoan drank the last sip of wine and threw the wine jug off the eaves. The jug made a loud sound when it fell. He stood up, with his back to the moonlight. His long hair flew in the wind, and the bun on his hair flew in the wind. The man put his hands behind his back, with a determined expression on his face.
"Sir Shen, the moonlight is just right tonight. How about making a bet? Let's bet on whether your mentality will change after the case is solved. The bet is a jar of wine. How about it?"
Shen Xining stood up and looked at him. The two of them did not have a quarrel at this moment, and there was a sense of peace and tranquility in their lives.
"As the fourth prince, you're just betting for a jar of wine. That's a little too stingy."
Xie Zhaoan just smiled.
"It's a chance for the two of us to continue sitting on the eaves and drinking in peace!"
Shen Xining agreed. She felt that Xie Zhaoan probably thought that after this case, everything would return to normal and she would enter the palace to become the Crown Princess, and soon would become the Empress who was second only to the emperor. As the prince of the current dynasty, he was a casual and playful person, and he would be given the title of an idle prince. After a few years of fun, he would marry and have children. The two of them would never have the opportunity to sit under the same roof again.
However, this was not what Xie Zhaoan thought. He had already predicted that the two of them would be at loggerheads in a few years, and it would be great if they could have another chance to sit down and drink together.
The next day.
Shen Xining had just woken up when he heard someone calling the police. The man was holding a huge rat in his hand and wanted to sue his neighbor. Since the two of them ran rice shops at the same time and were neighbors, it was normal for them to gradually stop interacting with each other.
"My Lord, when I woke up this morning, there was a giant rat in my rice jar. My family runs a rice shop, and this rat could ruin our business. So every night we would check if there were any rat holes in our house, and we would seal the rice jar well. This rat suddenly appeared, and it must have been someone's deliberate act!"
After saying this, the man glared at his neighbor fiercely.
The neighbor opened his eyes wide, unable to defend himself.
"No, what evidence do you have to prove that I did it? Rats appeared in your house. Who knows if you didn't manage it strictly and didn't want to take responsibility, so you pushed the blame on me."
"I'll say it again. In order to ensure that the rice is intact, we check it carefully every day. The appearance of the rat is definitely man-made! There are only two rice shops in the whole county. If I go bankrupt, you will be the only beneficiary. This can only be done by you! Please, magistrate, make the decision for me!"
As he said this, he knelt on the ground and began to kowtow to the magistrate.
The neighbor was not to be outdone and also knelt down.
"The county magistrate is always wise, please make the decision for me!"
The two of them were arguing fiercely, but Shen Xining was enjoying watching the fun. This variety of human life was the kind of life she loved.
If possible, Shen Xining really wanted to leave the Shen family and become just an idle citizen, living a simple life with firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea. He would be content with that.
The magistrate was troubled by the quarrel between the two men. The bailiff over there searched the house of the person who reported the case and shook his head.
"Reporting to the magistrate, the door lock of his house is intact, and there are no signs of damage to the doors and windows. There is no possibility of human intervention, unless the door was opened by someone on his own initiative!"
Upon hearing this, the neighbor jumped up instantly.
"Go back and ask your wife! Is she doing this on purpose to get revenge on you?"
"You're talking nonsense! I'll tear your mouth apart!"
The two men were about to fight when someone rushed in from outside to report to the police. This time it was from the tailor shop. An old man came. He had gray hair but sharp eyes. His steps were unsteady but his hands were as steady as a rock. He was holding a piece of cloth in his hand. He placed the thing on the court and shouted.
"My Lord, please help me! This is a piece of cloth that just came in yesterday. It's very expensive. I don't know who let the rats out last night. They actually bit such a big hole in it! My Lord, please help me!"
The bailiff spread out the cloth. If it were in Kyoto, it would be of inferior quality, but here, the cloth was of premium quality. The center and the sides of this premium cloth were covered with holes of varying sizes, and it looked like they had indeed been bitten by rats.
Both the tailor and the magistrate showed distress in their eyes. Such good cloth was actually wasted like this. How could it not be a pity
Then, someone else came to report to the police. It was an old woman with not very sharp eyesight. She walked in tremblingly holding a cabbage.