Thankfully, Xin Zizhao reacted quickly. He reached out and caught Wei Shuxuan who was about to fall. "Are you okay, Xuan'er?"
"I'm fine," Wei Shuxuan came to her senses. Just as she was about to look for the little beggar, she found that the little beggar who had bumped into her had left without even saying sorry. "Ah, why has that little beggar disappeared?"
"What's wrong? Do you still want to find the little beggar who bumped into you and make him apologize?" Xin Zizhao could tell what Wei Shuxuan was thinking at a glance.
"Who asked that little beggar to be so impolite? He didn't even say sorry after bumping into someone."
Wei Shuxuan pouted and complained discontentedly. Xin Zizhao gently stroked her hair. "He didn't do it on purpose. Don't take it to heart."
"Fine, fine. It's rare for us to come out and play. Don't let this little thing ruin our good mood. Alright, let's go and watch the show."
The two of them watched the show on the street, while Wei Wei and Xin Shang had been hiding in the dark to protect Xin Zizhao and Wei Shuxuan. Wei Wei had noticed the little beggar who bumped into Wei Shuxuan, but there were too many people on the street at that time, pushing and shoving. After the little beggar bumped into Wei Shuxuan, he quickly blended into the crowd and disappeared.
Xin Zizhao and Wei Shuxuan stayed on the street until dinner time before returning to Sanmei Inn. When they got back, Ge Long'an, Ge Zian, and Sima Yongheng were sitting in the lobby, chatting while drinking tea.
"Father-in-law, Zian, Yongheng, we're back!" As soon as Wei Shuxuan entered the inn lobby, she sat down beside them and poured herself a cup of tea.
"Xuan'er, are you going to investigate the disappearance cases here in Lepu Town too?" Ge Zian asked Wei Shuxuan.
"Of course. We'll go to the local government office tomorrow to ask the magistrate for the records, and then we'll go to the victims' homes for investigation."
The magistrate of Lepu Town was a rather handsome young man surnamed Tang. He was in his twenties and had just taken office not long ago. When Ge Zian showed up, Magistrate Tang recognized him at a glance. He trotted over happily to greet Ge Zian. "Isn't this General Ge? This humble official pays respects to General Ge!"
"Don't bother with the formalities. I'm here to investigate the recent disappearance cases in Lepu Town. I wonder if Magistrate Tang has conducted any investigations into the disappearance cases in the past three months?" Ge Zian got straight to the point as soon as he came. However, without Xin Zizhao's approval, he didn't dare to reveal Xin Zizhao's true identity to Magistrate Tang.
"Of course. Please wait a moment, General Ge. Let this humble official go and get the materials for you."
After saying that, Magistrate Tang went into his study, asking Ge Zian and his group to wait outside for a while. Wei Shuxuan stroked her chin, thought for a while, and said to Xin Zizhao beside her, "This Magistrate Tang seems more reliable than Magistrate Luo in Kele Town. Maybe we can find some useful clues here."
Not long after Wei Shuxuan finished speaking, Magistrate Tang came out of his study, holding a thick record book in his hand. "General Ge, this is the record that this humble official has collected since the first disappearance case. Please take a look."
Before Ge Zian could say anything, Wei Shuxuan, who was sitting on one side, impatiently interrupted Ge Zian. "Magistrate Tang, I wonder if you've found any reliable clues? For example, who on earth abducted so many young men, or have you found the culprit?"
Magistrate Tang didn't know Wei Shuxuan, and the results of this case were secrets of the government office. Of course, he couldn't just tell outsiders. "This is a state secret. I can't tell you casually."
"Eh?" Wei Shuxuan thought this Magistrate Tang was quite dedicated. She smiled and didn't really care whether Magistrate Tang would tell her or not. Anyway, after they got back, she could just ask Ge Zian for the record book to read. "If you don't want to tell me, then don't."
Ge Zian glanced at Wei Shuxuan and found that she was still smiling. It seemed that she wasn't angry. He took the record book from Magistrate Tang's hand. "Then I wonder if Magistrate Tang has caught the real culprit?"
"I'm very sorry, General Ge. This humble official is incompetent and hasn't caught the real culprit."
"I wonder if Magistrate Tang has found any clues during the investigation?" Ge Zian had already guessed that this Magistrate Tang hadn't caught the culprit. Otherwise, the disappearance cases wouldn't have kept happening. He casually flipped through the record book. It was very thick, much thicker than the one Magistrate Luo had in Kele Town.
"After this humble official's investigation, a small flame mark would appear at the place where each victim disappeared. It's something like this." Magistrate Tang flipped the record book to the first page and showed them the drawn flame mark. Ge Zian naturally recognized this mark. Wasn't it exactly the same as the one they found in Kele Town?
Wei Shuxuan gave Ge Zian a look, and Ge Zian understood immediately. He turned to look at Magistrate Tang. "Magistrate Tang, we're here by the emperor's order to specifically investigate the disappearance cases that have occurred in the border area in the past three months. We hope that you can cooperate with my investigation and that of my companions."
"This humble official understands. This humble official will seriously cooperate with General Ge and everyone's investigation!" Magistrate Tang looked very serious, which made Wei Shuxuan more and more satisfied with this magistrate. Although this magistrate might not be very smart, he was loyal. She'd ask Xin Zizhao to promote him when they got back.
"...If you want to promote him, I think it's okay. This Magistrate Tang is young, but he does things seriously and is loyal to the court. I have no objection to promoting him."
Xin Zizhao whispered to Wei Shuxuan. Wei Shuxuan met Xin Zizhao's gaze, and the two of them smiled knowingly.
"Then I'll take this record book back to the inn to study."
"...The inn?" Magistrate Tang was a little surprised. "I wonder which inn you're staying at, General Ge?"
"Sanmei Inn."
Hearing this answer, Magistrate Tang wasn't surprised at all. He smiled. "That's right. Sanmei Inn is the biggest inn here. Many people who come here to play will stay at Sanmei Inn."
Wei Shuxuan was quite interested in this Sanmei Inn. "So, is this Sanmei Inn a chain? Could it be that there's also a Sanmei Inn in Baolan Town?"
"Yes, there is. Sanmei Inn is very popular in the border area. The innkeeper is from around here."