The Ming Dynasty's henchmen, working from nine to five

Chapter 9, First Beauty

Seeing Shen Lang deep in thought, Liu Baichuan reminded him, "Brother Shen, this case is too big; even His Majesty has been alarmed."

"We are merely captains; we dare not meddle in this."

Shen Lang carefully put the file away and set it aside.

"Brother Liu, are you familiar with the situation at the Jing'an Prince's Mansion?"

Liu Baichuan thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Prince Jing'an was extremely low-key during his lifetime, never concerning himself with court affairs, and only focusing on business matters. After his death, no one paid any attention to him, and there are not many records about the Prince's residence in the guard department."

Wei Linrong chuckled: "I do know a little about it."

"Princess Jing'an and Princess Changning, this mother and daughter, are both exceptionally beautiful women!"

"Especially Princess Changning, at the tender age of sixteen, possesses unparalleled beauty and grace, truly the most beautiful woman in the capital!"

Qin Erniu asked, "Is she really that beautiful?"

Wei Linrong said decisively, "It's real, more real than real gold!"

"During the Lantern Festival, I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the princess from afar. She wore a white dress and looked just like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting; she was breathtakingly beautiful!"

Liu Baichuan chuckled and said, "Brother Wei has seen countless women and is the most authoritative in this regard. I didn't expect him to have such a high opinion of Princess Changning. It makes me quite curious."

He turned to Shen Lang and said, "Brother Shen, after you finish your shift, how about I cover for you at the Prince's residence tonight?"

"Actually, Commander Zhou didn't mean to make things difficult for you. He's wanted to send someone to the Jing'an Prince's Mansion for a long time, but he just couldn't find the right people. Our Embroidered Uniform Guard is really short of manpower right now."

Shen Lang clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I appreciate Brother Liu's kindness, but there's no need to trouble yourself. I have my own plans."

Wei Linrong cautioned, "This task is no simple matter, Brother Shen, you must not be careless."

"It is said that after Prince Jing'an passed away, he left behind a huge fortune, with gold and silver piled up in his palace, too many to count."

"The princess is renowned for her beauty, and the county princess is even more stunning, a rare beauty in the world. With such a large family business, the widow and her children are bound to attract many covetous eyes."

Liu Baichuan said thoughtfully, "Commander Zhou has a past relationship with Prince Jing'an. He received great favors from him in his early years. Now, he has privately dispatched the Embroidered Uniform Guard to guard the Prince's mansion. He is probably worried that someone might take advantage of the situation and cause trouble."

He looked at Shen Lang and said solemnly, "Brother Shen, we must not be careless."

"Commander Zhou values ​​loyalty and righteousness the most. You have offended him again. If anything happens to the Princess Consort and the Princess, he will really chop off your head."

"Even with the protection of the garrison commander... he'd be lucky to escape with his life!"

Shen Lang smiled and said, "Brother Liu, rest assured, I, Shen Lang, have never made a mistake in my duties."

Liu Baichuan said, "It's good that Brother Shen knows what's going on."

After chatting for a few more minutes, they agreed to have a drink together sometime before parting ways.

......

After leaving the government office, Qin Erniu, seeing that no one else was around, asked, "Brother Lang, are you planning to investigate this case?"

Shen Lang laughed and said, "You seem to know me quite well."

Qin Erniu sighed: "You can only be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days. Is that what you taught me?"

The two ate and lived together every day, and worked together in the county government office. They were not blood brothers, but they were closer than blood brothers. When it came to understanding Shen Lang, no one could compare to Qin Erniu.

Back in Lin'an County, Shen Lang's least favorite job was protecting people because it would delay him from getting off work.

Therefore, whenever Shen Lang encounters this kind of job, he takes the initiative to capture the ringleader and solve the problem directly at its source.

This time will be no exception.

Qin Erniu said worriedly, "Brother Lang, this situation is different from before. It's a ghost... How can we handle something like this?"

"How about we just forget about it? Just bear with it for a bit, I'll finish my duty a little later, and I'll come and relieve you as soon as I get back from the elephant enclosure."

"You take over during the day, and I'll take over at night. Let's work together to get this job done!"

"With things escalating to this extent, the case shouldn't take too long to be closed. A few days of hard work won't be a big deal."

Shen Lang patted him on the shoulder: "Clocking in and working, getting paid and doing the work, that's the bottom line, not an inch can be compromised."

"You don't need to worry about these things. You should focus on how to raise the elephants. Don't underestimate this job; it's not as simple as it seems."

Qin Erniu muttered, "I've never even seen what an elephant looks like, how would I know how to take care of it?"

Shen Lang said, "I'm not trying to scare you. There are only nine elephants in total, and each one is a royal treasure, far more precious than a person. If anything goes wrong, you'll lose your head!"

Qin Erniu nodded repeatedly: "I understand, brother. I won't be careless, don't worry!"

"What are you planning to do now? Are you really going to investigate the case? Those are ghosts..."

"A ghost?" Shen Lang smiled. "Don't jump to conclusions. We need to go to the scene to see for ourselves before we can know what's going on."

Qin Erniu asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Shen Lang said, "If needed, I certainly won't stand on ceremony with you. Let's go, it's time to check in."

......

Outside Dong'anmen, on Shiwangfu Street.

A grand mansion with towering vermilion gates stands at the end of the street, with a gilded plaque hanging above the gate bearing the four large characters "Jing'an Prince's Mansion".

The brushstrokes are powerful and majestic.

Shen Lang, dressed in the official uniform of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with a long sword at his waist, strode over and showed his waist badge:

"I am writing to inform you that Shen Lang, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has been ordered by his superior to come and protect the Princess and the County Princess."

"Please wait a moment, sir."

The guards at the gate hurried into the mansion, and soon led out a gaunt old man who looked like he was in charge.

"Could he be one of Zhou Xiong's subordinates?"

"Exactly."

The old steward immediately broke into a smile: "Please come in, please come in, you've finally arrived... Eh? Where's the others?"

Shen Lang said, "There's no one else, it's just me."

"You're just a captain... how can you protect the princess and the noblewoman all by yourself?"

The old butler looked around and, seeing that no one was there, sighed, "Alas, people leave and the tea grows cold; people leave and the tea grows cold!"

"When the Prince was alive, who would dare to treat my Jing'an Prince's Mansion so disrespectfully..."

Shen Lang smiled but didn't say anything, and slowly walked into the mansion.

On his way here, he had already inquired and learned that because of the flower thief, all the famous and powerful people in the capital had been given protection by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Those that were overlooked can be classified into the same category as Xiao Kalami, including the Jing'an Prince's Mansion.

The Prince of Jing'an had passed away several years ago without leaving any heirs, and he had no influence in the court. He held a title but no real power, so naturally no one paid him any attention.

If it weren't for Zhou Xiong's connection, the Jing'an Prince's Mansion probably wouldn't have even been able to get Shen Lang, a mere captain.

The practice of praising the powerful and flattering the weak has been a timeless phenomenon.

The two of them made several turns and passed through layers of courtyards before arriving at the inner garden.

The old steward forced a smile and said politely, "Please wait here for a moment, I will go and inform the Princess."

"Thank you for your trouble." Shen Lang nodded casually and began to look around at his surroundings.

"Such precious coral, just left out in the yard like a bonsai?"

"Brother Wei is absolutely right; the Jing'an Prince's Mansion is truly exceptionally wealthy!"