There is a god in the sky

Chapter 208 Ghosts or Monsters 1

Lin Miaoniang suddenly remembered that Xiaoxi had warned her that there were several head maids and eunuchs in the harem who should never be offended.

One of them was a manager who was far away from his post. Xiaoxi's expression was complicated and hard to describe when she mentioned him.

"Are you the head steward of the Empress's palace?"

"It seems you've heard of me."

Lin Miaoniang strode forward, grabbed his collar, and glared at him angrily.

"Li Ge, now that you have reached such a high position, why don't you kill Liu Engui to avenge your family?"

Don't tell me you can't kill him. With your power, all you need to do is say a word to the Empress, and she will surely grant your wish!

Li Ge's eyes gradually turned dangerous.

He pried Lin Miaoniang's hand away and sneered, "Looks like you know quite a bit."

He knew, of course, how disgusting the rumors about him in the harem were.

But these are facts, and he can't refute them.

Otherwise, how could he have climbed to his current position at such a young age?

Lin Miaoniang rebuked, "Have you forgotten who killed your family? If it weren't for Liu Engui, you would be a child prodigy praised by everyone, you would have become the top scholar in the imperial examination, and you would have enjoyed endless glory, instead of hiding in this deep palace as a eunuch who is neither human nor ghost!"

"You certainly know how to provoke me!" Li Ge glanced at her casually.

Lin Miaoniang saw murderous intent in his eyes.

But she was not afraid.

She cried out in anguish, “How could you forget your parents, your brothers, so many lives lost in our town?”

I only hate that I am of lowly status and limited ability, unable even to enter the Liu residence; otherwise, I would have risked my life to kill him!

Li Ge handed her a handkerchief and said sarcastically, "You couldn't kill him even if you risked your life. Besides, who told you that killing him would be the same as getting revenge?"

"What do you mean?"

Li Ge has uncovered far more information over the years than she knew.

"Don't ask, I won't tell you even if you do." He turned around, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the bright moon outside the window. "For the sake of our past relationship, I can help you leave the palace, and you can change your life."

Lin Miaoniang shook her head excitedly: "I won't leave the palace. If you really want to help me, then introduce me to the Emperor."

Li Ge turned around and looked her over. "You want to gain the Emperor's favor?"

"Yes."

"With your looks... it's not enough."

Lin Miaoniang was beautiful and had a graceful figure; a single frown from her could make countless men feel sorry for her.

But that was outside the palace. In the harem, where beauties abound, she certainly wasn't the most beautiful.

Lin Miaoniang was not angry, but pleaded, "Please, as long as you can arrange for me to get close to the Emperor, the rest is up to fate."

“You don’t need to do that.” Li Ge’s expression was inscrutable.

She doesn't even know who her enemy is, yet she wants to dive headfirst into this cesspool. How ridiculous!

“I don’t know what you found out, but I think it would be difficult for you to act alone in the palace. If I could gain favor and have some power, I could help you.”

"Li Ge, as long as our goals are aligned, two people are always better than one."

Li Ge was slightly moved.

"You don't regret it? I remember you were engaged to Shen Zhiyuan."

Mentioning this name almost brought tears to Lin Miaoniang's eyes.

She tilted her head slightly, trying not to let the tears slide down her cheeks.

"We've been separated for years, and we don't even know if he's alive or dead. Even if we find him, what good will it do?"

They were abducted by human traffickers back then; she was sold into a brothel, and Shen Zhiyuan certainly didn't fare much better.

In adversity, it's not easy for people to survive, let alone talk about feelings.

"If you've thought it through, go back and wait for me. I'll give you an answer within three days."

Li Ge waved his hand, and a man emerged from the darkness, taking Lin Miaoniang back with him.

On the way, Lin Miaoniang learned that she had been rescued by Li Ge and felt guilty.

"I'll apologize to him next time I see him," she thought.

By the time I got back to my lodgings, it was already daylight.

She stood in front of the open door, recalling what had happened last night, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

I will not offend others unless they offend me.

If you want to survive in the harem, you can't be too weak.

These past few days, Xiao Ji has had to endure the ambiguous glances from his colleagues every time he goes to the government office.

The rumor he spread was only three-tenths of the truth, but as it spread, it became ten-tenths, and people even said he had a child.

"Lord Xiao, the Ministry of Justice has asked us to send a few people to help with the investigation." Magistrate Xu walked in with a list in his hand.

Xiao Ji refused outright, saying, "I already refused Minister Tong that day, so let's choose someone else."

Magistrate Xu advised, "Lord Xiao is young and impetuous, but don't gamble with your future. Minister Tong is grieving the loss of his son, so why bother arguing with him?"

The Ministry of Justice is currently at a loss; otherwise, they wouldn't have sought our help. If we could find the murderer of the Second Young Master…

This is a great opportunity to make a name for yourself.

If he were Xiao Ji, he certainly wouldn't refuse.

But what he didn't know was that Xiao Ji would never be able to find out the murderer.

"I'm sorry, I just received a report that a murder has occurred in Qianjia Village outside the city. I have to go out of the city."

After Xiao Ji finished speaking, he called people in, gathered his men, and prepared to set off.

Xu Yingwen was very helpless, but he had no choice but to cross his name off the list.

As for whether his superiors would blame him, there was nothing he could do.

Before Xiao Ji set off, he ordered Sui Feng to inform Shen Lan, and the two sides met at the city gate.

Shen Lan has been leaving early and returning late these past few days, busy at the bookstore during the day and only returning to the Xiao residence at night.

She lived in a courtyard in a corner of the outer courtyard. If there were no cases, she might not run into Xiao Ji even once a month.

She was going out of the city today, so she took out her little white horse.

Xiao Ji and his entourage also rode horses, with more than a dozen officials traveling together, and passersby gave way to them.

"I'll probably have to stay out tonight."

Shen Lan patted the bundle on the horse's back. "I brought luggage."

Xiao Ji nodded and took the lead, heading towards Qianjia Village.

Qianjia Village is a large village outside Bianjing City. It is a necessary route to the capital and also a necessary route to Yishan Academy.

The villagers here hardly farm; they run small businesses and live much better lives than farmers.

Upon seeing the government officials, the village chief and his son came forward to greet them.

"The adults have finally arrived! If you hadn't come, Qian Lao Er's family would have buried his son."

Xiao Ji asked unhappily, "Didn't I tell you not to move the body for the time being, and not to let anyone in or out of the crime scene?"

"Yes, yes, but Qian Lao Er is stubborn and won't listen to me at all."

Xiao Ji strode forward and followed the village chief into a courtyard.

Shen Lan glanced around outside. The house occupied a large area, in the style of a courtyard house, with more than a dozen large tiled houses.

At this moment, the courtyard was filled with villagers, all trying to persuade Qian Lao Er.

"Second brother, stop arguing. Put your nephew down. How can you bury him without stopping the coffin?"

"Yes, Qian Lao Er, don't you think about it? An'er died so tragically, how can you bear to let him go on his journey alone?"

"The village chief has reported it to the authorities; the officials will surely catch the murderer!"

"There's no murderer! It was the fox spirit from the mountains who did it!" Qian Lao Er roared angrily.