The mistress is reborn, no one who bullies me can escape

In the early morning, sunlight shone into the room through the window lattice, and Xue Jinhua woke up slowly.

She stretched, then sat up from the bed and began to dress, wash and put on makeup in an orderly manner.

After everything was tidied, she looked at herself carefully in the mirror, making sure there was nothing wrong, then she opened the door and walked out with confidence.

Just a few steps out of the door, I heard a loud noise coming from behind.

I saw a few people in official uniforms walking towards me from a distance, led by a young yamen runner.

Although this yamen runner is not very old, his face shows a sense of vicissitudes of life. I think it should be due to the harsh climate here, which makes him look much more mature than his actual age.

The bailiff came closer, clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "Master Lin, our Lord Wen has ordered that there have been fugitives in Shangzhou City recently. All newcomers from other places must be inspected. I hope you will cooperate."

Hearing this, Xue Jinhua was shocked, and Gu Yu, who was standing beside her, turned pale with fright.

However, Xue Jinhua was a worldly-wise man after all, and although he was a little flustered inside, he still appeared calm on the surface.

She smiled and said to the bailiff, "Brother, didn't we already undergo inspection when we entered the city yesterday? Why do we need to be inspected again today?"

I originally thought that I could escape this disaster by passing the checkpoint smoothly yesterday, but I didn't expect that there would be new complications now.

The yamen runner looked at Xue Jinhua and explained, "Mr. Lin, you may not know that what we checked yesterday was a fugitive, but what we are going to check today is not the same. So please give us some convenience and don't make things difficult for us."

Xue Jinhua was surprised when she heard this, and couldn't help asking, "Aren't they checking for fugitives? Then what are they checking for?"

"How could he be a fugitive? Today is just a routine physical examination."

Hearing this, Xue Jinhua couldn't help but shudder all over. She originally thought that this shouldn't be a particularly difficult matter, but at this moment she suddenly felt that the situation had become extremely tricky.

"Brother officer, why do you want to check my health for no reason?" Xue Jinhua asked with forced calmness.

The official saw that Xue Jinhua came with Master Jin yesterday, so he didn't intend to hide anything, so he said frankly: "Hey! I don't know much about this matter. I just know that the superiors ordered us to find a person with a plum blossom mark on his chest. As for what they are looking for this person for, I really have no idea! Whatever the superiors tell us to do, we can only do it."

As she spoke, Xue Jinhua subconsciously blinked rapidly at Gu Yu, who was standing beside her in astonishment.

Upon seeing this, Guyu came to his senses immediately, hurriedly stretched out his hand to take out the heavy purse from his arms, walked quickly to the officer and said with a smile: "I'm really sorry, officer. I have an urgent matter waiting to be dealt with in my store right now. If I go with you for the physical examination, then... that will really delay us for a lot of time!" As he said that, he stuffed the purse in his hand into the officer's hand.

But don't worry, I came here with Master Jin yesterday. Anyone in Shangzhou City could be the one with the mark on his body, but it's absolutely impossible for me."

After saying that, Guyu directly stuffed the silver into the man's hand.

The heavy weight of silver directly crushed the last bit of moral concept in people's hearts.

"Okay, Master Lin, you guys go first."

Even if Xue Jinhua couldn't go out, he had to find a reason to go out now.

After the man took the silver, another yamen runner became worried, "Boss, is it okay for Mr. Lin not to have his body checked?"

"What can happen?"

The yamen runner stared greedily at the silver in his hand, his eyes shining with excitement, and said nonchalantly: "This inspection is not something that can be completed in one or two days, it will take several days! When we came here today, Mr. Lin happened to be away from home. If anyone else wants to come for inspection later, let them come by themselves."

Anyway, for him, as long as he did not delay the task assigned by his superiors, it was fine. As for whether he could really find out something, it had nothing to do with him.

After hearing this, the person next to him also began to think about it carefully. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this method was brilliant.

Being able to get the money easily without affecting your business is simply the best of both worlds.

"Boss, this move of yours is so brilliant, really brilliant! I admire you so much!" The man smiled flatteringly and gave a thumbs up to praise.

Upon hearing this, the yamen runner, who was called the head, immediately had a smug smile on his face. He waved his hand and shouted heroically, "Let's go! We got so much money today, let's find a place to have a few drinks first!"

However, despite successfully sending away these troublesome officials, Xue Jinhua's heart could never calm down.

Guyu frowned, looked at Master Lin beside him with worry, and asked softly: "Master, where should we go now?"

Xue Jinhua's face tensed up instantly, and a thin layer of sweat even seeped out of her forehead. She said irritably, "Those soldiers must still be searching for traces of outsiders, and no one knows how many groups they are divided into. In my opinion, we should go out for a stroll first, and then make a long-term plan after this storm has passed."

Thinking of the unknown number and distribution of conscripts, Xue Jinhua couldn't help but wonder, if she happened to meet them on the road again, it would be a big trouble! After all, it would be difficult to get away smoothly in an unfamiliar place.

So the two of them hurriedly left their hiding place and walked straight outside.

Speaking of Shangzhou City, it is located at a strategic transportation hub between the north and the south.

Although this city is not the largest in the northern region, it has become a vital commercial center due to its unique geographical location.

As for Li San, he strictly followed the instructions given by Xue Jinhua in advance and made thorough preparations here early on.

In particular, several shops along West Street were owned by her.

As the two were rushing along, they suddenly heard a familiar voice: "Master Lin, what a coincidence!"

Originally, Xue Jinhua fully believed that as long as she walked out of that temporary shelter, she would be relatively safe.

However, things went against her wishes and reality was often more cruel than imagined - she never expected that not long after she showed her head, she would run into the troublesome Mr. Jin again!

“My Lord.”

Xue Jinhua called out timidly, her voice trembling slightly, but her heart was full of doubts.

She really couldn't understand why Young Master Jin suddenly appeared here.

At this moment, Xue Jinhua said softly: "This is my shop. It's not a coincidence." Xue Jinhua's words were calm and gentle, but there was a hint of surprise in his eyes.

After a short pause, he smiled and continued, "Mr. Lin's business is really spread all over the place. I never thought that even in this remote Shangzhou, there can be such a large-scale shop."

Hearing Master Jin's praise, Xue Jinhua hurriedly bowed and humbly responded: "You are too kind, sir. Although I am a businessman, all I earn is hard-earned money. These goods were originally transported from the far south. Not only is the journey difficult, but the cost is also extremely high..."

"Even after deducting all expenses, the final profit will be very little." Xue Jinhua sighed softly.

Then, Xue Jinhua seemed to have remembered something important, and quickly added: "Sir, if you have something here that you like, I will take the initiative to give it to you for free today, just as a way to express my respect and gratitude to you."

Hearing this, Gongzi Jin couldn't help but frown slightly, and his eyes slowly swept over the neatly arranged southern cloths and exquisite porcelain.

You know, even in the bustling city of Kyoto, these items are considered to be very valuable.

What's more, this place is Shangzhou, a remote place, and such items are extremely rare and precious.

However, it was really surprising that Mr. Lin expressed his willingness to see him off without hesitation.

Gongzi Jin frowned slightly, then he stretched out his hand without hesitation and gently put down the things on the table in an instant.

"Master Lin, are you trying to bribe me?"

Gongzi Jin's voice was low and majestic, like the biting cold wind in winter, which made people feel cold.

After Xue Jinhua heard this, her body trembled violently and her face turned slightly pale.

She pretended to stammer, "How...how could it be?"

"I am merely fortunate enough to have met you once. I am acting this way today purely out of the desire to make friends with you. I have absolutely no other bad intentions." As she spoke, her face was filled with a flattering smile and her eyes were narrowed into slits.

However, Gongzi Jin was not at all moved by his flattering appearance.

On the contrary, seeing the other party being so flattering and servile, Gongzi Jin felt an indescribable disgust in his heart.

He said coldly: "I have always been honest and upright and never accept bribes of any kind. Boss Lin, you should just do your business properly. Those unorthodox practices are not a long-term solution after all."

As the atmosphere became increasingly tense, it seemed that the two sides were about to fall out on the spot.

At this moment, Xue Jinhua's heart suddenly rose to her throat. She was so nervous that her hands unconsciously clenched the corners of her clothes, and beads of sweat began to appear on her forehead.

Just at this moment, there was a burst of hurried footsteps outside the door.

Then, a guard rushed in hurriedly.

The guard's face was filled with excitement, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and he shouted, "Sir, there is finally news about the person you have been looking for!"

Upon hearing this sudden good news, Gongzi Jin, who had originally had a serious face, was immediately overjoyed.

Although he still had the silver mask on his face, the soft lines on his chin showed that he must be in a very happy mood at the moment.

Gongzi Jin put down what he was holding without saying a word.

Without even having time to say hello to Xue Jinhua beside him, he rushed out like an arrow, while shouting anxiously, "Come on, take me over to have a look!"

Xue Jinhua's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down like a huge rock. But at the same time, the curiosity deep in her heart grew like a blazing flame.

Who was Gongzi Jin looking for? This question kept lingering in her mind, making it difficult for her to let it go.

"Guyu, have you heard any useful information?" Xue Jinhua asked impatiently.

Gu Yu bowed slightly and replied, "Master, the housekeeper just sent someone to deliver a message saying that the state teacher is looking for the rootless man everywhere. In my opinion, Master Jin came to Shangzhou this time to track down your whereabouts, but on the other hand, the key person he is looking for is probably this rootless man."

Hearing this, Xue Jinhua's expression instantly became extremely solemn.

She knew that only people without roots could have a chance to stop the imperial master's ulterior motives.

However, where is this rootless person now? Has he been found by Gongzi Jin first? Countless questions came to her mind, making her anxious.

"Go and investigate carefully right away and make sure we find out whether the person we found today is the rootless person we are looking for!" Xue Jinhua said decisively.

"Yes, sir!" Guyu received the order and left in a hurry.

Xue Jinhua stared quietly at the exquisite cloth in her hand, thinking secretly in her heart.

Although she didn't want to have too much to do with Gongzi Jin at the moment, if Gongzi Jin could really send the rootless man to Kyoto before the prince arrived, then even if Ling Yan could return in time, it would probably be of no avail.

Thinking of this, Lu Wan couldn't help but frowned and fell into deep thought...

The situation seemed urgent, and she had to make adequate preparations as soon as possible.

Xue Jinhua slowly put down the cloth in her hand with graceful and quick movements.

Then, she hurried back to the mansion.

However, what she didn't expect was that she ran into Butler Wang just a few steps into the mansion.

He lowered his voice and said, "Master, there is a distinguished guest in the house."

Hearing this, Xue Jinhua was stunned at first and had not yet fully recovered from her shock.

At this moment, Li San was seen from afar walking towards them quickly with a gloomy face and a serious expression.

When he came closer, Li San clasped his fists and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your subordinate greets the madam."

At this moment, Xue Jinhua saw Li San suddenly appear, and she couldn't help feeling happy in her heart, but she soon noticed Li San's unusually solemn expression.

Her heart tightened, and she asked with concern: "Li San, when did you get here? Why do you look so worried?"

Facing Xue Jinhua's question, Li San took a deep breath and said slowly: "I just found Qingyi's whereabouts."