Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 131 The Boy in White
The carriage wheels creaked and turned, and Yan Mingzhang held a jade flute in his hand, slowly stroking it, while leaning against the carriage and closing his eyes to rest.

Rong Wanyin was very curious and couldn't help but ask, "My lord, what's the story behind this jade flute? Why do you carry it with you every day?"

Yan Mingzhang slowly opened his eyes, looked at the "red bean" on the jade flute, and smiled slightly, as if he were seeing another scene through the jade flute: "This is a key piece of evidence in a case. There was once a happy family of three. The father was going to the capital to report on his duties, so the three of them, along with their servants, traveled from Guannan back to the capital. They passed through Songshan Mountain, encountered villains, and then suffered a landslide. When they were found, only a five-year-old child had escaped. The child's parents died on the spot. This was found at the scene. Everyone said it was an accident, but only the five-year-old child said there were five or six masked men in black. The landslide had long since buried everything, and no one would believe him. The only evidence is this jade flute."

Rong Wanyin opened her mouth, unsure how to begin: "And then what happened? What became of the child?"

Yan Mingzhang smiled and patted Rong Wanyin's head: "This child is very lucky; she had a good life later on."

Rong Wanyin breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. One day, the murderer will definitely be brought to justice! ...The child you're talking about...could it be yourself?"

Yan Mingzhang smiled without saying a word, his smile somewhat forced.

Rong Wanyin hadn't expected him to admit it so easily. Her eyes were a little flustered, and she didn't know how to comfort him: "My lord... don't be too sad. You're so good at solving cases. One day, you'll find the real culprit! This time, I'll ask my master who this jade flute was given to back then."

Yan Mingzhang gently shook his head, declining Rong Wanyin's offer. He looked at the jade flute and smiled, "Some things still need to be done by oneself."

He stopped talking after he finished speaking.

The sudden silence between the two created an awkward atmosphere.

Rong Wanyin turned her gaze, pulled back the curtain, and looked outside: "Where is Changfeng? Has he arrived in Taoyuan Town yet?"

Abao peeked out curiously, "Sister Rong, what kind of place is this Peach Blossom Town you mentioned? Is it a place with lots of peach blossoms?"

Rong Wanyin patted Abao's head and said with a smile, "Yes and no. Taoyuan Town used to be a village of refugees. It was full of refugees who fled here because of the war on the frontier. It is said that more than forty years ago, there was a local official named Meng Yong. At that time, the population here was sparse and the land was barren. This river often flooded. He led the people to build dikes, plant trees, and reclaim wasteland by his own strength, and that's how Taoyuan Village came to be. Later, through the efforts of his descendants, Taoyuan Town came to be!"

Ah Bao felt a pang of longing: "There are so few good officials like this who care about the people's livelihood!"

Rong Wanyin pointed to the dam not far away and said, "Look, that's the dam! It uses the mortise and tenon structure commonly used in carpentry, with dovetail joints to tightly connect the granite pieces. Not only that, but there are also stone anchors running through it from top to bottom, one of which is seven or eight meters long and deep, so the dam is very sturdy. Isn't it amazing?"

Beside the dam stands a stone tablet inscribed with the names of Lord Meng Yong and the other craftsmen. However, due to its age, the inscription is no longer clear, and the recent sandstorms have left it covered in mud.

Yan Mingzhang had already opened his eyes, tilting his head to look at her, listening to Rong Wanyin speak with a smile. Everyone looked in the direction Rong Wanyin was pointing. The river was swift, and a large dam stretched across its surface. The dam was indeed sturdy, with an ancient design, and judging from its appearance, it was well-maintained; it seemed to have a successor. The banks were shaded by green trees, and although there were no peach blossoms, the scenery was still enchanting. This view swept away everyone's travel fatigue, and their mood lightened. Everyone chatted and laughed, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

“If the peach blossoms on both sides of the river were in spring, that would be truly beautiful! But now it’s autumn, and the blooming season is long over. However, all sorts of wild fruits are available in the mountains now, and it’s quite fun to carry a basket and go picking wild fruits to eat!” Rong Wanyin’s eyes sparkled with joy. “Moreover, Taoyuan Town is very safe; you could say that doors are left unlocked at night, and no one picks up lost items on the road!”

Before Rong Wanyin could finish speaking, a dozen or so burly men, their faces covered with black cloths and carrying various sickles and kitchen knives, suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. Leading them was a strong, bald man, next to whom stood a shorter man holding a half-rusty sickle. They shouted nervously, "This...this mountain is mine, these trees are mine! If you want to pass, leave your toll!"

After the short man finished speaking, he lowered his voice and said somewhat guiltily in the bald man's ear, "Boss, these trees don't look like they were planted by us, right? And we didn't build this road either."

The bald, burly man rolled his eyes at the short man, reached out and slapped him on the back of the head. He spoke with a thick, unidentified dialect accent, cursing, "Hu Er Ma, are you stupid?"

Fearing that Rong Wanyin and the others opposite him might hear, the burly man quickly lowered his voice: "Isn't that how it's always said in those stories? Why do you care if you were the one who got caught! Why be so honest when you're just robbing someone?"

Seeing that the short man was unreliable, the burly man cleared his throat and shouted, "Listen up, you over there! Today, you either leave your money or your life and your money. The choice is yours!"

Abao nervously tugged at Rong Wanyin's sleeve.

Changfeng and Moyun exchanged a smile. Moyun laughed and said, "Miss Rong, didn't you say that in Taoyuan Town, doors are left unlocked at night and lost items are not picked up? How come you were robbed?"

Rong Wanyin felt like she had been slapped in the face. Her face turned ugly, and she said angrily, "Wait a minute, none of you make a move. I'm going to deal with these trash myself. They've completely disgraced Taoyuan Town!"

Rong Wanyin drew her soft sword from her waist with a fierce expression, staring at her opponents with a look of utter desperation.

Yan Mingzhang grabbed Rong Wanyin's hand and looked at her with a smile: "Be careful, don't get hurt."

Rong Wanyin smiled radiantly and nodded firmly.

Changfeng and Moyun exchanged a glance, speechless. Were they really going to warn Miss Rong to be careful? The two of them combined probably couldn't beat Miss Rong. Although there were many of them, anyone with eyes could see that they were poor farmers who had no other choice but to become bandits. Shouldn't they be warning these bandits to be careful? Changfeng and Moyun looked at the group of bandits opposite them, who were still unaware of the truth, with sympathy.

Rong Wanyin pushed off the edge of the carriage with one foot and leaped forward, standing between the carriage and the bandits. Just as Rong Wanyin was about to make a move, a young man in white suddenly appeared, descending from the sky.