Chapter 2300: Arriving in the Southwest

Chapter 2300: Arriving in the Southwest

Meng Yunzheng couldn't be bothered to pay attention to Zhao Xi, who was still trying to get their attention. He was busy finding acupressure points on Shu Yu. "Here?"

"Yes, that's it. Be gentle."

Zhao Xi said, "Are you two even listening to me?"

Meng Yunzheng just pulled Shu Yu with him back to their room. "He's just full and bored, looking for something to do. I'll take you back to rest, and I'll ask the innkeeper to prepare some cool tea for you."

"Alright."

On the side, Xia Yan asked Ying Xi in a hurry, "Do you want some cool tea?"

"Yes." Ying Xi nodded immediately, not stopping his actions of packing. In his mind, he was calculating the consumption for the journey ahead. Given their speed, they might not be able to enter a city at the next stop and would have to spend the night in the wilderness. He would ask Xia Yan to buy some more dry rations later.

With that in mind, Ying Xi caught up with Xia Yan.

Zhao Xi muttered to himself, "..." He rubbed his chin, feeling like he was the only one not doing anything.

Wait, he was under a mental attack from both couples!

No, it wasn't an attack; he had become accustomed to it. Zhao Xi numbly followed along on the journey, and when they finally arrived in the southwest, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Linzhang Prefecture was livelier than it had been a few years ago. They had originally planned to head directly to Heichang County.

However, thinking back to the letter Qiao Rou received earlier, where her sisters claimed to have seen suspicious people resembling members of the Black Market in the city, they decided to spend half a day in the prefecture city. They casually shopped and looked around the city while considering the possibility.

Unfortunately, their time was short, and they didn't find anything suspicious.

Shu Yu felt somewhat disappointed and asked Meng Yun Zheng, "When will you contact Lord Qi?"

"No need to rush. We've just arrived in the city, and we don't know if we're being watched. Let's assess the situation first before contacting him."

Shu Yu nodded, "I wonder how Lord Qi's investigation is going."

"It probably hasn't made much progress," Zhao Xi clicked his tongue twice. "Otherwise, why would Linzhang Prefecture be so calm? Perhaps Prefect Magistrate Cheng here is well aware of the existence of the Black Market? Or maybe he's working for the Second Prince, just like the previous Prefect Magistrate in Changjin Prefecture?"

Shu Yu found it unlikely, "Do you remember Cheng Dong? He's from Gongqiu, and if Prefect Magistrate Cheng is really in cahoots with the Second Prince, then Cheng Dong would be on our side. He wouldn't have been pursued."

Meng Yunzheng made a sound of agreement, "I suspect that Gongqiu may be planning to bring Prefect Magistrate Cheng into their camp and placed Cheng Dong by his side for that reason. I never understood why Gongqiu would target Prefect Magistrate Cheng. Although he is the Prefect Magistrate here, he is not in the capital. This region is remote, so what's the point of buying him? It was only after I found out that the Black Market was here that I understood Gongqiu's intentions. They probably wanted to use Prefect Magistrate Cheng as a protector for the Black Market."

In fact, Cheng Dong being able to work as Prefect Magistrate Cheng's personal guard meant that half of Gongqiu's plan had already succeeded.

Who would have thought that Meng Yunzheng would come to the southwest for Shu Yu's sake, stumbling upon his identity and foiling Gongqiu's plan?

Zhao Xi thought it made sense.

However, Meng Yunzheng sighed, "Regardless of whether Prefect Magistrate Cheng is on our side or not, after this incident, he will likely be held accountable and punished. If there has been a Black Market in Linzhang Prefecture for years, and even the remnants of the Second Prince's forces are here, and he hasn't noticed, it would be considered a dereliction of duty."

Shu Yu furrowed her brows. She remembered the letter she received earlier, saying that her husband, Ma Lu, was currently working under Prefect Magistrate Cheng.

The final map is almost completed, and it's almost time to conclude the story.