After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Su Tai was worried about Shen Yi, so she decided to accompany him back to the county town.

As soon as they mounted their horses, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and the wind and snow grew stronger, obscuring the road they had come from.

The couple encountered Murong Jue and his entourage as soon as they entered the city.

"Lord Xue!" Shen Yi was clearly surprised to see the right guard beside Murong Jue.

Xue Mao never expected that even though he was trying so hard to keep a low profile, he would still be recognized. He had to cough lightly and nod slightly to Shen Yi, "You are..."

Shen Yi hurriedly dismounted and bowed, "Your humble servant is Shen Yi, the magistrate of Zhaohua County."

"So it's Lord Shen. Is there something you need?"

Shen Yi shook his head.

Xue Mao immediately waved his hand, "Since there's nothing else, Lord Shen, please go about your business!"

"Yes!" Shen Yi stood up.

Chunxing and Chuncao had just seen their guests to the door when they immediately bowed to Shen Yi and Su Tai, saying, "This servant greets Master and Madam!"

Murong Jue and the others looked at Shen Yi and Su Tai with surprise.

Xue Mao raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does this Qingfengzhai belong to your family?"

"Strictly speaking, it's my daughter's," Shen Yi replied earnestly, then asked politely, "Is Lord Xue going into the shop?"

Just as Xue Mao was about to speak, Murong Jue coughed, and he immediately changed his mind, saying, "We're just here to take a look."

Just then, Alan came out and said, "Young master, everything is ready. My master would like you to come in and verify the quantities."

Shen Yi looked at Xue Mao and blinked in confusion.

Xue Mao chuckled awkwardly twice, "Let me see, let me see."

Shen Yi quickly looked away, exchanged a glance with Su Tai, and the couple silently entered the shop and walked towards the backyard.

Murong Jue and his entourage watched them leave, remaining silent for a moment.

Shen Yuezhang was instructing Chuncao and Chunxing to move things.

Murong Jue was silent for a moment, then asked, "Are you the daughter of the magistrate of Zhaohua County?"

"That's right!" Shen Yuezhang didn't deny it, but he was a little puzzled. "Does the young master know my father?"

Murong Jue shook his head and pointed at Xue Mao, "He knows him."

"I see! Yuezhang, I was being rude." Shen Yuezhang curtsied to Xue Mao, knowing that Xue Mao liked the pastries in the shop, and immediately asked Alan to pack more pastries to send to Xue Mao.

Xue Mao was a little embarrassed. "Young master, you're too kind. I always take your snacks when I come over. Even with my thick skin, I can't keep up with this."

That's what they say, but they still take what they're entitled to.

After Murong Jue and his men finished taking inventory and changed the amount on the contract with Shen Yuezhang, they left satisfied.

Although he unexpectedly bumped into the county magistrate of Zhaohua County today, he also learned Shen Yuezhang's name and identity by chance, and he was more happy than worried.

After seeing Murong Jue off, Shen Yuezhang immediately went to the backyard to see her parents.

“It’s so cold, why did you come to the county town, Mother? I was planning to go back to the village in a couple of days!” Shen Yuezhang said, pouring each of them a steaming bowl of milk tea. Glancing out of the corner of her eye at the plain clothes under Shen Yisu’s cloak, she was so startled she almost dropped her bowl. “Father, Mother, whose family has had a funeral?”

Su Tai sighed sadly, "It was Doctor Li. He fell and got sick in the fall. We thought he would get better with rest, but he didn't recover after a few months. We've been helping out at the Li family's house these past few days. Doctor Li just finished today."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuezhang's eyes also reddened. She had been treated by Doctor Li since she was a child, and she had always respected Doctor Li as if he were her grandfather.

Su Tai comforted him, "Your father has arranged everything perfectly for Doctor Li's funeral, so don't be sad. We just ran into Lord Xue when we came in; he's a regular customer of your shop."

"Lord Xue?" Shen Yuezhang was completely bewildered.

Shen Yi pondered for a moment and said, "It's that tall, big guy who wears a black cloak and carries a large sword at his waist."

Shen Yuezhang suddenly realized, "I know who Father is talking about. The young master also said he knows Father. So he's an official with a higher rank than Father!"

"You don't even know who he is?" Shen Yi frowned.

Shen Yuezhang looked completely bewildered. "Father, he's one of the young master's guards. Should I know his identity?"

"The young master's guards?" Shen Yi seemed to have overheard some incredible secret.

Shen Yuezhang nodded seriously, "That's right, that young master is our shop's biggest customer, the most distinguished guest. He spends at least a thousand taels of silver every time he comes, and recently he ordered a batch of goods worth tens of thousands of taels."

His business alone could support everyone in our shop. The bath soap and ointment for preventing frostbite and chapped skin were what he needed.

Shen Yi's expression grew increasingly serious as he listened, and even Shen Yuezhang noticed something was wrong.

Su Tai looked at him worriedly, "Is there a problem?"

Shen Yi nodded, "The young master's guard that Zhang'er mentioned is Xue Mao, the garrison leader."

"Cough cough cough," Su Tai choked on her saliva, utterly shocked.

While patting her back, Shen Yi continued, "Last year, when the prefect came with his troops, I had the honor of meeting Xue Mao. At that time, the prefect was extremely respectful to Xue Mao. Now that Zhang'er says that Xue Mao is just that young master's bodyguard, I suspect that the young master's identity is not ordinary."

"Father! To be able to have the garrison commander protecting him so closely, he must be a prince or a grandson of the emperor!" Shen Yuezhang belatedly realized that he had done something wrong and had offended the important person.

After thinking about it carefully, it seems that every time she discussed business with the young master, it was quite pleasant. It should be fine, it should be fine.
Shen Yi didn't answer, but solemnly reminded them, "Tell Alan and the others to come to the shop less often. Now come back with us."

"Oh," Shen Yuezhang obeyed and beckoned Chunxing to leave with her.

No sooner had they left than Su Tai assigned two new maids to help at the shop.

Shen Yi escorted the mother and daughter back to their residence, and then rushed back to the county government office.

Lu Tong already knew about Doctor Li's matter, and when he saw Shen Yi return, he couldn't help but offer him a few words of comfort.

Shen Yiping dismissed the servants, closed the door, and whispered in Lu Tong's ear, "Zhu Yixuan brought Cen Mingzhu back. A few months ago, Cen Mingzhu had a difficult childbirth. Although she survived, her health was completely ruined, and she needs to stay in bed to recuperate. Under these circumstances, she definitely cannot travel far."

"Hiss!" Lu Tong gasped. "Zhu Yixuan has truly gone too far! He actually dared to bring an exiled criminal home without permission! What do you suggest we do?"

Shen Yi shook his head. "Hold your positions and act according to circumstances. This is Zhu Yixuan's weakness. Use it wisely. If the Zhu family doesn't cause any trouble later, we can turn a blind eye. If the Zhu family can't control the situation, then we can use this as an excuse to take action against them."

Behind Cen Mingzhu is Cen Yingfan; it's best not to offend him unless absolutely necessary.

Lu Tong nodded repeatedly, raising an eyebrow at Shen Yi, "Where did you get the information?"

He had been based in the county town for many years, yet even he couldn't find out anything about the Zhu family. He was genuinely curious about Shen Yi's methods. (End of Chapter)