Bai Suzhen, I really need to punish you properly.

Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing arrived at the entrance of Qingyutang Pharmacy.

Xiaoqing's clear voice said, "Sister, look, this is Qingyutang."

"Let's go in then."

Xu Xian, who was busy in the shop, looked up when he heard the sound and instantly became alert.

These two are like persistent ghosts.

They were able to find the place where I worked without ever mentioning it.

It's obvious they're targeting me.

He remembered Wang Xuan's earlier warning; sure enough, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Bai Suzhen stepped forward and softly called out, "Young Master Xu."

Xu Xian reluctantly replied, "Miss Bai."

Bai Suzhen handed over the umbrella: "This is your umbrella."

"Oh." Xu Xian accepted it casually, his expression indifferent. "I have things to attend to in the backyard, excuse me."

……

It was evening.

Wang Xuan, Yan Zhi, Bai Suzhen, and Xiao Qing sat around a table for a meal.

"Judging from your expressions, it seems like things didn't go well for you today?"

Wang Xuan wore a smile on her face, and was indeed overjoyed inside.

"I'm so angry! That Xu Xian is really ungrateful."

Xiaoqing was indignant.

"Young Master Xu has been avoiding me all day, as if he's wary of me."

Bai Suzhen felt somewhat wronged.

Wang Xuan laughed loudly: "You're not blaming me, are you?"

Xiaoqing rolled her eyes: "I can't escape my connection with you."

Yan Zhi, curious, asked softly, "Miss Bai seems quite interested in Young Master Xu?"

"He saved me before, so I want to repay him."

Wang Xuan then slowly replied, "Actually, sometimes the problem isn't that complicated."

Why is he wary of you? It's because he's afraid you might have malicious intentions.

Since you've come to repay a debt of gratitude, then just do so directly.

Let me think about it. Xu Xian was an apprentice at a pharmacy, so he probably didn't want to stay an apprentice forever. I guess his dream was to open his own pharmacy.

"Why don't you just take out the money and hand it to him openly and honestly?"

From the beginning until now, Wang Xuan has been intentionally or unintentionally hinting to Bai Suzhen that she should pay Xu Xian.

He knew that Bai Suzhen had no money.

If you want money, you have to steal it from somewhere else.

If Xu Xian were to receive money stolen by Bai Suzhen from elsewhere, Wang Xuan would have a good opportunity to convict Xu Xian.

At that time, Xu Xian will definitely stay away from them completely.

And Bai Suzhen would owe him a favor.

He felt that his plan was a classic case of "Wang Lang's brilliant scheme to secure the world, seizing both the wife and the army."

Xiaoqing snorted, "So you mean to blame ourselves?"

Wang Xuan feigned surprise: "You're quite clever."

Bai Suzhen's cheeks flushed slightly, a little embarrassed, and she changed the subject: "Young Master Wang, we saw a thousand-year-old wild ginseng at Qingyutang today, which will definitely help your cultivation."

"Forget it, I can't afford it right now."

Xiaoqing asked, "You're a county magistrate, surely you have money?"

Wang Xuan, with an air of righteous indignation, asked, "What, do I look like a corrupt official to you?"

Changing the subject, he continued, "But I really have to say something to you. You've been cultivating for many years, haven't you? Why didn't you plant some spiritual plants and materials in your caves? Otherwise, all these years of accumulation would surely be highly nourishing."

Xiaoqing countered, "Did you plant them?"

Wang Xuan blinked: "What?"

"How dare you talk about me and my sister? You can cultivate too, so why haven't I seen you planting anything?"

Wang Xuan was momentarily speechless, looking slightly embarrassed: "I'll plant it tomorrow."

As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Suzhen, Xiaoqing, and Yanzhi all chuckled softly in unison.

……

The night was slightly cool.

Bai Suzhen frowned, her heart filled with worry: "Xiaoqing, repaying a debt of gratitude requires money, but what can we do if we have no money?"

"That's easy, leave it to me, sister."

Bai Suzhen knew that Xiaoqing was going to steal, but she still acquiesced.

She turned to the image of Guanyin, burned incense, and prayed, secretly asking the Bodhisattva for forgiveness.

At midnight, Xiaoqing led the five ghosts on their journey.

She had previously succeeded in stealing treasury silver once.

They've already gotten quite familiar with the process.

I thought this time it would be foolproof again.

However, what she didn't know was that since the last theft, the government had increased its patrols.

The five ghosts used their teleportation techniques, and ingots of silver floated out of the warehouse.

The copper bell guarding the vault suddenly rang, and Li Gongfu, who was patrolling the vault, led a group of soldiers to rush over. They found that the vault door had opened by itself for no reason, and silver was flying everywhere, but there was not a single person in sight.

Li Gongfu quickly led his men into the storeroom to count the silver.

A full thousand taels were missing.

He turned his head and saw the image of the God of War posted on the wall, and immediately complained, "Hey God of War, can't you at least do something for us? You can't just collect offerings for nothing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the image of the God of War flew outwards.

Ku Shen and Xiao Qing fought for a while.

Seeing that he couldn't subdue Xiaoqing, Ku Shen simply gave up and let Xiaoqing and the Five Ghosts leave.

The next morning, Li Gongfu hurriedly went to the yamen to report that a full thousand taels of official silver had disappeared from the treasury the previous night.

Wang Xuan frowned slightly.

Upon hearing this news, he immediately suspected Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing.

The local monsters are so rude!

I wanted you to steal money, not me!

Bai Suzhen, Bai Suzhen, I treated you like my wife, and you actually stole my money to give to other men!

Is this still available?

They must be punished properly!

But he restrained himself and did not rush to make a move.

He turned to Li Gongfu and ordered him in a cold voice: "This case is now in your hands. During the investigation, you must remain with your team and your team must remain with your officer. Within three days, I must see the murderer and recover the stolen money. If you catch him, there will be a reward; if you fail to catch him, I will punish you for dereliction of duty."

Li Gongfu bowed and accepted the order before leaving the study, his face full of sorrow and dejection. He had always thought the magistrate was gentle and kind, but he never expected him to have such a cold and stern side.

……

Outside Qingyutang, Xiaoqing dragged Xu Xian out of the pharmacy without saying a word.

Bai Suzhen spoke softly, "Young Master Xu, we have come today to ask for your help with something."

"What is it?"

"I'd like to invest in a shop to open a pharmacy, and I'd like you to manage it. If we lose money, it's on me; if we make a profit, we can split it 50/50."

Xu Xian remained wary and repeatedly waved his hands in refusal, saying, "No, no, I'll definitely lose money if I do it."

"Oh dear, you're a grown man, why are you being so fussy? My sister and I aren't afraid of losing money, what are you afraid of?" Xiaoqing took out two large silver ingots from her bosom and handed them to him. "These are fifty taels each, two in total. If that's not enough, I have more."

After saying that, Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing turned and left, not giving him a chance to refuse.

Xu Xian stared blankly at the silver in his hand, forgetting all about his work at the pharmacy, and hurriedly returned home.

Xu Xian placed two ingots on the table.

Xu Jiaorong was quite surprised: "Hanwen, where did you get this hundred taels?"

Xu Xian explained truthfully: "It's the Miss Bai I told you about last time. She said she admires my character and wants to open a pharmacy together. She will provide the money, and I will provide the manpower. We will split the profits 50/50."

Xu Jiaorong was overjoyed: "This is great news! I think that girl must have taken a liking to you."

"Hehe, hehe." Xu Xian scratched his head and chuckled foolishly.

As the two siblings were looking forward to a better future, Li Gongfu led a team of constables to conduct checks along the street. After working for half a day, they prepared to go home together for a drink of hot water.

I saw two ingots of official silver on the table.

His vision went black immediately.

I never expected that the theft of the treasury was related to my brother-in-law.

The treasury silver has a unique shape and is marked on the bottom, making it easily recognizable.

If he were alone, he could have abused his power and covered up for his brother-in-law.

But other constables were also present, and with everyone watching, there was no way to cover it up.

Li Gongfu had no choice but to harden his heart and bring Xu Xian back to the court to report.

Inside the county government study, Wang Xuan chatted and laughed with Bai Suzhen, Xiaoqing, and Yanzhi.

Hearing that Li Gongfu was outside requesting an audience.

Bai Suzhen, Xiaoqing, and Yanzhi all moved behind the curtain.

"Come in."

Li Gongfu rushed inside to report: "Your Excellency, the thief who stole the treasury silver has been caught!"

"Very well! I'd like to see who's so audacious as to dare steal money from the treasury."

Wang Xuan got up and walked away.

Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing exchanged a glance, a sense of foreboding creeping over them.