Fan Zehao frowned, surprised to find someone in this household with a bit of integrity.
"When you investigate the situation in the mountains tonight, be careful. If it's too much, call for your subordinates. Don't venture alone. Our primary objective here is to investigate the gold mine, not to lose our lives!"
In his heart, people were more important than anything. Gold and silver were external possessions.
The chief executive, of course, understood the prince's intentions. He nodded in agreement and then withdrew from the room, leaving the space for the couple.
Zhao Jiaqi was not particularly concerned about the gold mine at the moment. Instead, she was more interested in why this territory belonged to the Yun Kingdom.
"Husband, for this village to be part of the Yun Kingdom's territory, there must be something fishy going on. You must investigate it thoroughly!"
"I'm well aware of that. What I want to know now is whether Huangfu Xi is aware of the situation here?"
If he knew and allowed the local officials to act so arbitrarily, what would that imply?
If he didn't know, then was there something unspeakable going on here?
He needed to figure this out.
"Let's go, we can't just stay cooped up in the room. Let's go out for a stroll!"
With that, he put his arm around her waist and they left the room. Zhao Jiaqi smiled and asked, "Aren't you afraid of being arrested like thieves?"
Fan Zehao shook his head. "Not at all. The village chief brought us in. Didn't you hear the village chief say that he is like heaven here?"
He wanted to see if the village chief's "heaven" had any authority here. If he didn't test it himself, he wouldn't get any useful information.
They walked out of the room and towards the front courtyard. Occasionally, they encountered a few servants, but most of them merely glanced at them and said nothing.
They left the house smoothly and walked onto the deserted streets. There wasn't a soul in sight, not even a stray chicken or dog.
Fan Zehao was quite curious. "Wife, what do you think these villagers are all doing?"
They passed three houses, and the gates were all locked. Peeking through the gaps in the gates into the courtyards, everything was incredibly quiet!
Zhao Jiaqi also shook her head. She really couldn't guess: "Maybe they went shopping, or perhaps they went to the county town to look for work!"
"What about the elderly?"
It was unlikely that even the old men and women went to work, leaving no one at home. That didn't seem right either.
The two of them walked and observed, discussing in low voices. Their every move was being watched from the rooftops, yet they were not stopped from moving freely.
The village was not small. Behind the rows of neat houses lay East Mountain.
Zhao Jiaqi tilted her head to look at the mountain. It didn't seem very far, perhaps seven or eight hundred meters. Fan Zehao chuckled when he heard this.
He patted his wife's shoulder and said with a laugh, "Have you heard of the saying 'looking at a mountain and running yourself to death like a horse'? You see seven or eight hundred meters, but perhaps the mountain path winds upwards, adding another few hundred meters!"
A vertical distance of a few hundred meters meant that one couldn't simply climb up and down. They would have to ascend gradually, which would make the journey even longer.
The couple hadn't gone far up the mountain when they were intercepted. Their sudden appearance startled them.
Fan Zehao furrowed his brow. "Are you from the village?"
"We are from the village and guard the mountain. Without the village chief's orders, you are not allowed to enter!"
Fan Zehao: "We were brought by the village chief. We're just going up the mountain to enjoy the scenery. Is that not allowed either?"
Zhao Jiaqi also pretended to be ignorant and asked, "Yes, spring is here, and many wild flowers have bloomed on the mountain. We wanted to pick some, is that not allowed?"
"They say the fish in early spring are the cleanest. We were thinking of finding a small stream to catch some fish to taste tonight!" Zhao Jiaqi said, looking displeased. She shot a glance at the person beside her. "The village chief, too. He didn't explain clearly, causing us to make a wasted trip!"
Fan Zehao comforted her at this moment. "See what you're saying. The village chief is busy. Perhaps he forgot to mention it. At most, when the village chief returns, he can take us up the mountain, and that would be the same!"
The mountain guards didn't care what they said. As long as they didn't enter the mountain, they remained silent, just staring at them as they put on a show.
Since they were ignored, how could they continue their act?
So, the couple went back down the mountain. However, it did give them an answer: this mountain was mysterious.
"How could it not be mysterious? The gold mine is in this mountain. Why else would they have people guarding it!"
Zhao Jiaqi shook her head slightly. "It's not necessarily just about the gold mine. I suspect the villagers might be working on the mountain, at least some of them."
This statement aroused Fan Zehao's suspicion. If it were a gold mine, a few guards would suffice; why would so many people be needed?
Upon returning to the village chief's house, they encountered Wang Hui, who was coming out of their courtyard. The moment she saw Fan Zehao's hand on Zhao Jiaqi's waist, she angrily ran over, pushed Zhao Jiaqi aside, and proactively hooked her arm around Fan Zehao's.
She called out in a delicate voice, "Brother Fan, where did you go? Why didn't you call me to lead the way for you!"
Fan Zehao immediately felt goosebumps all over his body. He quickly shook her off and took out a silk handkerchief to wipe off whatever "dirt" was on his arm, then he put his arm around Zhao Jiaqi again.
"Wife, don't be angry. Look, I've cleaned myself. I haven't been tainted... tainted by anything dirty!"
He found it too embarrassing to utter the word "tainted" or "defiled," as it would make him a laughingstock. He, a grown man, was almost "molested" by a woman.
Zhao Jiaqi glanced at him and then met Wang Hui's resentful gaze. She couldn't bring herself to be happy. "Miss, please have some self-respect. This is my husband. Your behavior of clinging to him is utterly shameless!"
"Even if you want to be my husband's concubine, I, as his wife, do not agree. You won't be able to enter my household. And this is my home, and I make the decisions!"
Fan Zehao listened to his wife's domineering words and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, yes, my wife is right. I'm just a live-in son-in-law, I have no right to speak. My wife makes the decisions!"
He said the phrase "live-in son-in-law" so naturally that Zhao Jiaqi immediately became happy. Seeing that he was cooperating, she said with a cold face, "Burn those clothes later and wash yourself thoroughly, otherwise, you're not allowed in bed tonight!"
"My things are not allowed to be touched by others. It's disgusting!"
Hearing the last sentence, Wang Hui, a young lady with a temper, instantly erupted.
"Who are you calling dirty? Who are you calling shameless!" Wang Hui stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Jiaqi, shouting like a mad dog.
"You've got a little money, so what? It's nothing special!" As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and tugged on Fan Zehao's sleeve. "Divorce her. I'll marry you. Everything in this village belongs to you, and I promise, if we have children, they will take your surname!"
She had seen people with thick skin, but never someone whose skin was so thick that even a needle couldn't penetrate it. It was evident that her skin couldn't be described as merely thick.
It could only be said that her face was both hard and thick.