I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

The two continued on their way, and Kal'tsit neither asked what was going on nor where they were going. They simply followed Bai Zhou out of the palace, walked through the streets, and entered a restaurant.

"Your Highness, where is this place?"

Standing at the door of the private room, Kal'tsit looked up slightly at Bai Zhou.

"Don't rush, Kal'tsit, let's go inside and talk."

Bai Zhou smiled mysteriously at her, then pushed open the door.

"It seems I am late; everyone has already arrived."

Bai Zhou's words drew the attention of everyone in the room. When they saw that it was him, the group stood up one after another.

"Greetings, Dragon Lord."

The two young men in official robes immediately stood up and bowed to him in greeting.

"No need for formalities. Please sit down."

Bai Zhou slowly stepped into the house, with the lynx following closely behind. The lynx raised its emerald eyes and immediately took in the situation of everyone inside.

The two young people in official robes were a pair, Flint and Rupert. Judging from their almost simultaneous greetings, they must have been a very well-coordinated team.

The other two people inside, a man and a woman, were both Li Boli, dressed in plain clothes. The man was about thirty years old, in his prime, and his attention was focused on the woman; he was probably a guard.

The woman... appeared to be in her early twenties. Although dressed in a simple blue robe, she possessed a scholarly air about her, and her current attire was likely a disguise. However, for some reason, her face carried a hint of sorrow, as if she had endured unspeakable suffering.

"Kal'tsit, sit down."

He gestured for the lynx to sit down, and Bai Zhou looked up at the crowd.

"Azhi, please explain the situation."

"Here."

Upon receiving the order, the female official named Azhi rose and began to tell them the story.

"Lord Long, this is Magistrate Mei's daughter, Mei Wanniang. This is the righteous man who escorted Wanniang here, Jiang Yi."

"Gentlemen, this is the Dragon Lord."

After a brief introduction to Mei Wanniang and Jiang Yi, Bai Zhi handed the booklet in front of her to Bai Zhou.

"Sure enough, it's that trick again."

He glanced at it during the day and chuckled when he saw that the content was different from the previous ones.

"Take a look, Kal'tsit."

Kal'tsit took it, her gaze falling on the paper. As the words came into view, she had a slight understanding.

At the same time, Bai Zhi's voice rang out:

“A year and a half ago, Meicheng County in Binzhou reported that its magistrate, Mei Qianchi, had fallen to his death at Luomapo.”

"Three years ago, Fu Hengzhi, the previous magistrate of Meicheng County, won a victory in suppressing bandits, but died on his way back to the county. The report said that he died of acute ore poisoning and died without a complete body."

"And just four days ago."

Bai Zhi took a deep breath and continued:

"The newly appointed county magistrate, Gu Liangchen, died in a sudden fire at the post station."

"In three years, three high-ranking officials of the imperial court died, but all reports indicated that they died in 'accidents'."

The sound of daylight drew Kal'tsit's attention.

"What is Your Highness's intention?"

Kal'tsit roughly knew what she wanted her to do by having her come along during the day.

"This Mei Wanniang has traveled a long way to come here because she feels that there are many doubts surrounding her father's death and wants to appeal to the court to have her father's death investigated again."

The lynx looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Mei Wanniang was looking at her, so it nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"Kal'tsit. The matter of Mei City is of great importance, but because of its remote location, the imperial court is unable to reach it. In addition, the situation there is strange and difficult to discern. If we send people to investigate the case without finding out the cause, it is very likely to alert the enemy and end up with nothing to show for our efforts."

"Is Your Highness planning to send me to handle this matter?"

Bai Zhou nodded slightly, then said:

"Although there are many in the court who are interested in going there, considering the suspicious circumstances surrounding Gu Liangchen's death, I suspect that there are many people in the court who are protecting and protecting those in power. Therefore, I can only find someone who is not well-known but has talent and courage to investigate in secret."

The lynx that was by Bai Zhou's side was the most suitable person.

"But the journey is fraught with danger, and with Miss Mei traveling with Jiang Yishi, if those scoundrels find out, it will be a huge burden for you."

What Bai Zhou said was unpleasant, but it was the truth. If Kal'tsit went alone, the M3 would be enough to keep her safe, but if she brought two burdens along, it would be much more troublesome.

"Therefore, Azhi and Pei Jue will go with you. They will be your assistants to help you find out the truth, and also to better protect Miss Mei."

"Your humble servant Baizhi greets Lord Kai."

"Your humble servant Pei Jue greets Lord Kai."

Upon hearing that they had been mentioned, the two immediately stood up and bowed to Kal'tsit in greeting.

"...Kal'tsit greets you both."

Although she wanted to say that she wasn't surnamed Kal'tsit, seeing their appearance and Bai Zhou secretly laughing beside her, Kal'tsit ultimately didn't correct their way of addressing her.

"Alright, now that we've met, let's get going. Time and the truth wait for no one."

As Bai Zhou spoke, he seemed to remember something, and took a voucher from his pouch and handed it to Kal'tsit.

"Your Highness, this is... an official document?"

Kal'tsit took it and saw that it contained information about the appointment of the new "Dali Temple Assistant Kal'tsit," and it was stamped with the seal of the Dali Temple at the end.

"Since it's an undercover patrol, a commoner like me can't do much."

Although Kal'tsit is an official under the Dragon Lord and only obeys his orders, making her second only to the Dragon Lord, this position is both very powerful and very insignificant.

She could directly order the guards to do things, but those people only obeyed the Dragon Lord's orders and respected his authority, much like the emperor's personal eunuchs—everyone would give them some face. However, in remote towns far from the emperor's reach, this honorary official position carried less weight than that of a mere soldier. Those people didn't care whether Kal'tsit was an official under the Dragon Lord or his personal maid.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"These are the luggage and travel expenses prepared for Kal'tsit."

He then handed a heavy package to the lynx and whispered instructions during the day:

"The matter of Meicheng is quite complicated. Remember, apart from Azhi and Pei Jue, you must be wary of everyone else."

"Your subject understands."

"Then, I will hold a victory celebration banquet for you all in the capital and await your good news."

Returning to the Twenty-Three Years of Meixian's Turmoil, Beginning

On the way out of Beijing, Jiang and Pei were driving, while Kelsey and the other two were discussing matters inside the car.

"Gentlemen, could you please explain the whole story to me in more detail?"

Although she had received the order from Bai Zhou, Kal'tsit still had some things she didn't understand. She needed to sort out all the relevant matters before arriving in Mei City.

"Let Wanniang tell the magistrate about this matter. She is both the daughter of Magistrate Mei and a witness to the incident. I think no one here can tell the story more clearly than her."

Just as Bai Zhi was about to speak, she suddenly saw that Mei Wanniang seemed interested, so she passed the words to her.

"Thank you, Lady Baizhi."

Mei Wanniang thanked Bai Zhi and then began to recount the whole story.

“That day, my father went to the prefectural government early in the morning to discuss important matters with the old prefect. Because I had caught a cold a couple of days ago and was still not well, my father asked me to wait at home and did not let me go with him. But who knew that while I was preparing lunch, I suddenly received the news that my father had fallen to his death…”

As Wanniang spoke, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up in them.

"They all said that my father was riding too fast, which startled the horse and caused him to fall off the slope."

Mei Wanniang grabbed her sleeve, swept it across her eyes, wiped away her tears, and said loudly:

“But I know it’s impossible. My father has walked that road for many years, and he always walks there on foot, leading his horse. A cautious man like him could not be so careless.”

"But the county officials didn't even investigate and hastily announced the news of my father's death."

"So you suspect that there is a problem with the county government there."

"Kal'tsit asked softly."

"Are there any more detailed clues? For example, when your father left, when you received the news, and what your father was doing?"

"Yes. I don't remember the exact time, but I know my father went there in the morning and died around noon."

Mei Wanniang frowned slightly and said indignantly:

"My father went there that time to hand over all the evidence he had gathered over the past two years regarding the corrupt officials in Meixian."

"But after my father died, the secret letter containing the evidence disappeared. That's why I suspect that the people in the county government are the problem."

"A secret letter..."

Kal'tsit tapped the car window lightly with her fingertips, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"You said your father went there to submit that evidence?"

"Yes, the prefect of Binzhou was my father's teacher and superior. He was an honest and upright official, and my father always trusted him."

"Is it possible... for Bai..."

"You may call me Bai Zhi, sir. However, in my humble opinion, while it is possible, the possibility is extremely small."

Seeing Kelsey's intention, Bai Zhi began to tell her about the various details concerning the prefect.

"The prefect of Binzhou was named Lu Huaide, a distant relative of Lu Huaiyi, the current third-rank official and vice minister of the Ministry of Rites. He could also be considered a veteran official of two dynasties."

"Is Lu Huaiyi... a descendant of Minister Lu Xianrong?"

"Does Your Excellency know Old Master Lu?"

The little tiger was slightly surprised to hear that name from Kal'tsit.

"That's right. Lord Lu Huaiyi is the son of Old Master Lu Xianrong."

"Know a thing or two."

Kal'tsit was quite impressed by the old man who loved to urge her to get married, but unfortunately, she never got to see Bai Zhou get married before he passed away.