An Oriental Odyssey

    After a moment, Zhao Lanzhi calmed down, he turned around and looked at the tip of the sword at his throat, he asked Yuan'an: "What do you want to do?"

    "Let Shi Tou and Xiao Yu go!"

    "What if I don't?"

    Yuan'an smiled: If you don't, I'll slice your neck first, and then bleed out your assistance. Then let them both go! Either way, same result!

    Zhao Lanzhi looked at Yuan'an carefully, and did not understand: "Your father is an official in the court, do you know what you are doing? Do you know what will happen to you if you kill an official?!

    Yuan'an: "I am the type of person to act first, think late. If there are any consequences, when the time comes we'll deal with them." 

    Zhao Lanzhi suddenly smiled: "You are a bit temperamental."

    Yuan'an approached with her sword, anxiously threatening: "You don't you believe it? Do you think I'm joking with you?"

    Zhao Lanzhi was motionless and unyielding. He looked at Yuan'an coldly, and was already answering her: "Even if kill me, don't think you'll be able to walk away from this..."

    Yaun'an was really going to stab this guy to death, a drop of sweat dropped from her hair down to her eye.

    Xiao Yu who was bound suddenly shouted: "Stop all of you!"

    Everyone looked at her, Xiaoyu gritted her teeth, resolute, desperate: "What the officials want is nothing more than to take me back to prison for execution. Why bother Little Master? I must not implicate others! Xiao Yu's life is worthless, but she doesn't want to die a wrongful death! I'll throw myself into the river, end myself, and leave cleanly!"

    After Xiao Yu finished speaking, she staggered to her feet, turned around and threw herself into the river.

    Everyone on the boat was horrified, and the sword in Yuan'an's hand fell to the ground.

    Shi Tou cried: "Xiao Yu! Wait, I'll go too!"

    Yuan'an subconsciously reached out to grab Xiao Yu, but she had already sunk into the dark water, in a swift moment, her head disappeared. 

    Yuan'an was not good at swimming, and it was impossible too late to save her using tricks. When she was at a loss, Zhao Lanzhi, who was next to her, jumped into the water to rescue Xiao Yu, who had already passed out and was sinking in the rolling waves. He brought her out of the water and back to the boat, Xiao Yu was still unconscious, Zhao Lanzhi pressed her stomach and Xiao Yu coughed up a lot of water and woke up crying. Shi Tou stepped forward and firmly hugged her. They were both shocked, frightened and confused, didn't he come to kill them? Why did he jump into the water to save her then?

    The five people were silent for a long while on the swaying boat. 

    Zhao Lanzhi looked at Xiao Yu.

    He was ordered to arrest people, but he does not try the case. One day, while he passing through the death row cellblock, this little girl grabbed had grabbed his foot through the railings and cried with blood-red eyes and said in a shrill voice: "You have wronged a good person! You've made a careless judgment! If I die, I will turn into a ghost and I will not let you all go!" He is the head constable and is well-informed so he remained cold-hearted. There were many people who shout injustice after being sentenced, but for her to continue to stubbornly insist up until this point, not many would... 

    Zhao Lanzhi turned his head and looked at Yuan'an who was sitting in the boat, panting. What made him even more confused was this child, the son of an aristocratic family, for the sake of his stable boy and a murder suspect, how could he take such heavy risks even to this point?

    Could it be that there was indeed another secret in the case of Qianduan Pavilion's dancer Ru Yue's murder?

    Seeing the hesitation on Zhao Lanzhi's face, Yuan'an acted quick and grabbed Xiao Yu's shoulder, and asked her loudly: Xiao Yu, tell this constable, why did they say you killed someone to steal their property?  What stolen property did they catch you with? ”

    Xiao Yu wiped away tears: "They said I took Miss Ru Yue's bracelet. But that coral bracelet was actually given to me by the Miss! She has so many exquisite treasures that are more valuable than that. If I really killed her to steal the bracelet, why wouldn't I steal some more valuable jewelry? Why would I stay in Qianduan Pavilion waiting to be caught me? ”

    Yuan'an gritted her teeth angrily, then suddenly smiled again and turned to look at Zhao Lanzhi, and viciously said: "Before this person was sentenced to death, before you wanted to take life, didn't any of you listen to her?”

    Zhao Lanzhi still coldly replied: "Government departments have their own division of labor, it was not me who judged on the case."

    Yuan'an said, “Isn't it that you arrest people? Why did you deliver an innocent life under the butcher's knife? ”

    “……”

    In the midst of the howling wind and rolling waves, Zhao Lanzhi had already been surprised by Yuan'an rescuing Xiao Yu regardless of her own safety just now. Now his hesitation made Yuanan discover a little chance. She turned around to plead with him, urgently and sincerely: "Official, Official Zhao, right? Official, I beg you to listen to me. You give me a little time, give them a little time, I will be able to solve this matter clearly. Xiao Yu was wronged. I can prove her innocence, just give me some time. I promise, if it doesn't work, my life will also be handed over to you. Won't this be worthwhile for you? ”

    Zhao Lanzhi carefully looked at Yuan'an, truly confused: “I'm not mistaken, am I? You're Assistant Minister Ye's son, right? Isn't this person your stable boy? What kind of relationship do you have with them? ”

    Yuan'an indignantly responded: "Don't mention Shi Tou who is my stable boy and Xiao Yu who is his beloved, even if it were a stranger, I can't leave it alone when I hear that someone has been wronged. What does this have to do with whose son I am? ”

    She was so magnanimous and spoke with courage and conviction in her words, this really moved Zhao Lanzhi.

    He pondered: "Well, I can give you three days. After three days, if she can't prove her innocence, or find the real murderer...”

    Yuan'an: “Then you take our three lives together! ”

    Shi Tou and Xiao Yu yelled: "Little master! ”

    Zhao Lanzhi finally nodded: “Young master Ye, it's a deal! ”

    Shi Tou and Xiao Yu pulled Yuan'an to the side, desperately and anxiously whispered: "Little master, in three days, can you - what can you find out? ”

    Yuan'an sneered: "Idiot, keep your voice down, it seems that you can't escape from this situation today. We fought for three days. Fool him for today, I'll send you off on another day...”

    Xiao Hu on the other side was also anxious: "My lord, we're just letting them go? ”

    Zhao Lanzhi sneered: "This person is indeed cunning. But we know where his family is, the monk can run away from the temple, but the temple can't run with the monk. We'll keep a close watch on them! ”

Xiao Hu's eyes lit up: "Alright! ”

    Ye Yuan'an and Zhao Lanzhi had their own thoughts, and when they looked back at each other again, they actually went "haha" in harmony. The two who have been at each other's throats up until now became extremely friendly in an instant.

    Yuan'an: “Then, Official Zhao... to investigate this case, you'll have to take me somewhere!"