Who in the world does not know you?

Chapter 40 1. Blinded by a Leaf

Everything must be based on evidence.

Without evidence, that is to slander someone's innocence out of thin air.

Of course, Ye Zi just has a natural inclination to stand up for the weak.

Even though Yun Luobai's explanation was very logical, she still had to find a flaw in it.

"These are all just your guesses, just wishful thinking, just like the excuses you used to fool Aunt Yang before."

Yun Luobai seemed to have a prophetic ability; upon hearing Ye Zi's words, his smile deepened.

Seeing his smile deepen, Ye Zi secretly thought to herself that something was wrong.

Sure enough, in order to prove that what he said was true, Yun Luobai immediately mentioned something that was enough to put an end to the female thief's actions.

"Although I don't know why she was willing to turn herself in and go to jail, her plan was truly meticulous. To be able to leave quietly without causing any disturbance is something I have to admire. Alas, even the most meticulous plans can have flaws..."

Yun Luobai tilted her head slightly to look at Ye Zi beside her. The latter was dressed in green and had a disability. Although she was not exactly beautiful, she was still quite pitiful to behold.

"knife."

Upon hearing this, Ye Zi's clear eyes suddenly widened.

"knife?"

"Since she knew my father's temperament beforehand, there was a very high chance that she could disguise herself as him and leave the prison. My father, although he worked for the government, was ultimately just a jailer. He couldn't get involved in arresting and escorting prisoners. But he was a bit stubborn, and apart from his jailer uniform, he always had a knife with him..."

Yun Luobai crossed her arms and paced back and forth in front of Ye Zi, talking as she walked.

His steps were slow, and his gaze did not remain fixed on Ye Zi.

"Before I left the prison after investigating the situation, I specifically asked the other guards if anyone had seen my father leave before the female thief disappeared. Believe it or not, someone actually saw my father, and he was quite certain that my father was not wearing a knife at his waist at the time."

"If a person always carries a knife, then if he suddenly doesn't bring one, it will always leave a deep impression. Why didn't my father bring a knife that day? The answer is, of course, that a knife is not as soft as clothing and has some weight, so it's not easy to drag her into the cell through that small window. Therefore, the female thief did not prepare a knife beforehand and had to leave such a flaw."

The surrounding air seemed to fall into a deep silence at this moment.

Ye Zi's lips twitched slightly, and she subconsciously took a half step back.

Her eyes darted left and right; the surrounding streets were now completely empty, with no obstructions or obstructions.

Her hands slowly clenched into fists, her mind racing with thoughts, but ultimately she took no further action.

"Young Master Yun is truly exceptionally intelligent..."

She sounded like she was gritting her teeth as she said it, clearly unwilling.

Yun Luobai stopped and clicked his tongue, nodding as if satisfied.

"Let's go."

"Where to...?"

"Of course, I'm going home."

Yun Luobai answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Ye Zi looked up at the outer wall of the government office in front of her, and her dark eyebrows furrowed together.

"go home?"

"Otherwise what? You don't actually want to sneak into the yamen, do you? If you're really curious, next time my dad goes to the yamen early in the morning, you can ask him to take you in for a sneaky look around."

Yun Luobai raised her hand towards Ye Zi, then walked forward without looking back.

Ye Zi stood there, stunned, at a loss for what to do for a long time.

She scratched her head, watching Yun Luobai's receding figure, but this time she didn't immediately follow.

She felt that something was off.

Although Yun Luobai always gave her the feeling of being a swindler and unreliable person, there must be a reason why he brought her here.

Those words were clearly meant for her to hear.

If that's the case, then why...?

Could it be that he hasn't figured it out yet?

This is probably what they mean by "being blinded by a leaf and unable to see Mount Tai."

Ye Zi smiled slightly, and as she followed along with her limp, she felt relaxed and happy.

Separated by the outer wall of the government office, Yun Luobai and Ye Zi naturally could not see Ning Qi standing straight outside the prison at this moment.

Ning Qi's attitude towards Yun Luobai wasn't exactly one of complete obedience, but as the eldest brother, he trusted Yun Luobai's judgment.

Of course, this is on the premise that he genuinely believes Yun Luobai is far smarter than him.

Soon, someone strode out of the prison. As they moved from darkness to light, Ning Qi's eyes were drawn to a face with a thick beard and a gaunt, monkey-like appearance.

"Officer Ning, I heard you were looking for me?"

The person who arrived was naturally Ma Ben.

Ning Qi came specifically to find Ma Ben. Yun Luobai gave him some advice, and he only needed to follow the plan, which was relatively worry-free and at least didn't require much brainpower.

However, he prided himself on being upright since entering the government office and had never done anything shady. So, when it came to making such suggestive gestures, he seemed rather awkward.

Ma Ben was much older than Ning Qi, but he treated the latter with great politeness and respect.

The reason is simple: Ning Qi has a father who is a head constable, and constables often show their faces in the streets. This kind of identity makes it easy to win the respect and love of the people of Ningzhou Prefecture, which is much better than jailers like Ma Ben who spend all year in the prison guarding prisoners.

Ning Qi was momentarily dazed by Ma Ben's obsequious manner. He couldn't understand why Ma Ben was so determined to compete with Yun Ping for the position of jailer.

Given his brotherly relationship with Yun Luobai, which they had grown up together, he wouldn't let Ma Ben succeed so easily, even if Ma Ben was a distant relative of the prefect.

"Ahem... Ma Ben, I've come to see you, there really is something I need to discuss..."

"I wonder what advice Officer Ning has for me? I would be grateful if you could enlighten me?"

Ma Ben grinned and tentatively asked Ning Qi.

He is tactful in his dealings with others, and anyone can sense that.

However, the prison guards all looked down on him because he wanted to take Yunping's position as prison warden. Now he has been ostracized many times and is almost unable to make a living.

No one could understand Ma Ben's thoughts.

He wasn't the kind of hothead who would blindly follow others. He should know very well that Yunping had been the prison warden for many years, and to put it bluntly, the prison was Yunping's territory.

After the news that Ma Ben wanted to become a jailer reached everyone's ears, some people smashed their wine bowls, their faces red and necks bulging, and confronted him directly. He just smiled and denied it, saying only polite words that no one wanted to hear.

Looking at the lean and wiry Ma Ben, Ning Qi clenched his fist, covered his mouth, and coughed lightly twice, trying to put on a serious expression, keeping the purpose of his visit firmly in mind.

Yes, it's an implication.

"Ahem... Ma Ben, where's your badge? Let me see it."

Ma Ben was taken aback when he heard this, but quickly smiled and nodded, while reaching into his pocket to take out his waist token and handing it to Ning Qi.

Ning Qi reached out and took it, feeling the cool touch of the waist token in his hand, his fingers stroking it continuously.

The waist badges worn by people in the yamen all looked the same, except for the different numbers in the lower right corner used to distinguish them.

Ning Qi watched him closely for a long time, while Ma Ben stood beside him, observing his movements and silently waiting for him to speak.

Ning Qi wasn't pretending to be profound.

He was just thinking about how to subtly hint to Ma Ben to pay hush money.

He's really not good at this kind of thing.