Exile? A mad, wicked woman empties the national treasury to escape famine.

"Your Highness, I truly have no idea why things turned out that way last night!"

The whole thing is incredibly bizarre!

Last night, the people in my government office patrolled as usual and did not find anything unusual. But suddenly they felt that there was a fire in the backyard. Then, everyone ran to the backyard to put out the fire.

My first thought was of the pile of things in the storeroom. I immediately sent someone to check and have them moved out. But the person who returned told me that the storeroom was empty and there was nothing left!

The weapons and the items in my own private treasury have all vanished without a trace.

Later, I sent people to inspect the entire county government office and found that everything in the office had vanished as if it had disappeared into thin air.

So many things vanished without a trace overnight; these thieves are truly incredibly powerful!

With the men under my command, I'm afraid they're no match for these bandits. That's why I had no choice but to ask Your Highness for help.

Your Highness, you are incredibly powerful, and the entire Northwest is under your control. This case, with just a little investigation, you will surely be able to find the truth. I implore Your Highness to grant this judgment!

The thought that all the gold and silver treasures he had painstakingly accumulated over the years had vanished filled Bao Taishi with rage!

Prince Nian sat in his chair with a cold expression, listening to Bao Taishi's words, his hand resting idly on the desk.

What Bao Taishi said was too unbelievable. Everything in the government office disappeared overnight. The pile of weapons was one thing, but what about the other gold and silver treasures in the office?

He knew this Bao Taishi; he had embezzled a lot of money and his government office was full of valuables. In Liancheng, apart from the Prince's Mansion, only Bao Taishi's house had a lot of valuables.

Even Bao Taishi's belongings disappeared without a trace. What kind of thief has such ability?

They come without a trace and disappear without a trace!

Now, in Liancheng, there is only one person he can think of!

But no matter how capable that person is, how did he manage to move all those things away quietly and without causing any disturbance?

This is completely illogical.

Speaking of this, Prince Nian suddenly thought of the rumors that had circulated before.

"When you mentioned this, it reminded me of something. Back in the capital, when the Xie family was exiled after their property was confiscated, the Imperial Guards went to confiscate the Xie family's property. As a result, all of the Xie family's assets disappeared without a trace!"

His Majesty investigated this matter for a long time, but found not a single clue!

This happened not only in the capital, but also on Xie Moyao and Ji Yunshu's journey to exile.

Connecting these events one by one, Prince Nian was startled. Could it be that, just as he thought, all these things were related to Ji Yunshu and Xie Moyao?

I had heard about what happened to them on their way to exile before, and at the time, I scoffed at it, thinking that those people were exaggerating.

But now, Xie Moyao and Ji Yunshu have only been in Liancheng for two days, and the county government has already encountered such a thing, which makes him suspicious...

Zhao Quan and Bao Taishi were the same; after hearing what Prince Nian said, the two looked at each other, somewhat hesitant to speak.

No way, are Ji Yunshu and Xie Moyao really that amazing?!

Bao Taishi had been to the place of exile before. Ji Yunshu, although sometimes had a bad temper and spoke harshly, was just a woman who couldn't even kill a chicken.

Although Xie Moyao's leg injury had healed, it was still unlikely that the two of them could empty the entire government office.

They don't have any special abilities, so how could they make so many things in the government office disappear out of thin air?

This is absolutely unbelievable!

However, all of this is indeed too much of a coincidence.

Zhao Quan pondered for a moment, then cautiously began to speak.

"Your Highness, could it be that we're overthinking things? Even if Ji Yunshu and Xie Moyao have some skills, the things in Lord Bao's mansion must weigh at least several thousand catties."

"Given their abilities, it's probably impossible for the two of them to move so much stuff silently overnight. The thief is likely someone else."

King Nian remained silent, yet he was well aware of what Zhao Quan had said.

However, his Liancheng had always been peaceful until Xie Moyao and Ji Yunshu arrived. Only then did a series of events occur in Liancheng, which made him uneasy.

If Xie Moyao and Ji Yunshu are only as isolated and helpless as they appear on the surface, but in reality have many people secretly helping them, then this matter is feasible.

His gaze fell on Bao Taishi.

"I told you before to have someone keep a close eye on the situation in Anjia Village. In the past two days, has anyone come to report anything unusual?"

"So, Xie Moyao and Ji Yunshu have been staying in exile the whole time. Who have they been in contact with all day? What have they been doing? Have they left Anjia Village without permission?"

Bao Taishi was taken aback. He carefully recalled the events of the past two days, but he couldn't detect anything unusual. So he told him everything in detail:

"Your Highness, none of my men have reported anything unusual about Ji Yunshu and Xie Moyao."

As far as I know, the two of them seem to stay in Anjia Village all day long, without ever stepping out of the village, and there are people secretly watching over them.

I heard that they've been selling fish these past two days, with the help of the officials guarding the exile site. They've also been farming; Ji Yunshu has been planting vegetables these past two days.

The goods they bought were also handled by government officials and purchased from outside; they didn't leave the place of exile even once.

This was a matter personally ordered by the King, and he dared not neglect it.

I've been paying close attention to things in the exile area these past few days, and I even went there in person.

King Nian raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

"Oh? They really never left the exile area, and... they grew vegetables? It's the dead of winter, don't they have any common sense?!"

"Your Highness, I am also quite puzzled. However, Ji Yunshu is quite capable. The ice on the river was so thick that others couldn't break it, but she managed to break it and even caught a lot of fish from it!"

Not only that, she also built a fishpond in the river and raised all the fish that she couldn't eat. She would eat some herself from time to time, or take them to the street to sell!

She sold the fish for an exorbitant price, 100 coins per pound, and yet there were still plenty of buyers!

Speaking of this, Bao Taishi was very depressed.

Surprisingly, many people were scrambling to buy the fish, which cost 100 coins per catty!

He had bought some before and tasted it; the fish, especially in winter, did indeed taste very good.

Moreover, for some reason, the fish had a wonderfully fragrant aroma from head to toe!

People who previously thought the fish was a bit expensive now think it's really valuable and are even clamoring to buy a few more.