Besides lying down, I also know a little about power struggles

Chapter 57 Look What She Found
In the inn, Fang Tong finished his dinner and sat at the table, flipping through a book. This was the Da Zhao Li Ji that Feng Twelve had asked County Magistrate Gao for. After he left, Gao Tiancai personally brought a box of books and also brought a bag of Poria cocos cake for Fang Tong.

"Among the snacks in Linshui County, the most famous one is the Fuling Cake," Gao Tiancai said with a smile, "Young girls love to eat it."

He didn't understand why Feng Twelve gave the Book of Rites to Fang Tong, but he had been an official for so many years and knew best that the subordinates must obey the wishes of their superiors. Seeing that the Twelfth Prince treated this girl differently, he ran to her even more diligently.

The snow-white Poria cocos cake was cut into small diamond-shaped pieces and neatly placed on a celadon plate. There was also an exquisite little silver fork placed beside the plate for poking the snacks.

Fang Tong was reading a book under the lamp, and from time to time he would pick up a piece of Poria cocos cake and put it into his mouth.

Feng Twelve didn't tell her to what extent she was expected to learn, but she guessed that they would not stay in Linshui County for too long, so she worked particularly hard late into the night, intending to memorize the contents of the book as quickly as possible.

She wrote as she read, marking the key points on the white paper with words that only she could understand. After writing for a while, her hands became sore, so she put down the brush she was not used to and turned her wrist.

She felt like she was back in her student days. The final exam was the next day, and she only started cramming at night. Fortunately, memorization was her strong point, and she could remember most of it after writing it down once.

She stretched and raised her hand to press her neck.

There was only one window in the room, and it was broken, so she could only open a small crack. The smoke from the oil lamp made her eyes dry. She rubbed her eyes, stared at the notes for a while, then got up, opened the door and walked out.

She stood under the corridor, took a deep breath of fresh air, and sincerely thanked Feng Twelve for having a change of heart. Before leaving, he asked someone to find her a pair of women's shoes so that she could walk around.

It was already dark at this time. A lantern was hung in the corridor of the post house. The light was dim and the sky was pitch black.

Feng Twelve went out for a banquet, and Xiaonian took people to the county government to investigate the bandits. No one was walking around, only the occasional snorting of horses could be heard from the front yard.

Fang Tong walked along the corridor to the stable.

People who like small animals mostly have a preference for these animals that accompany humans, and she is no exception. That day, when she saw Feng Twelve feeding the horses, she felt a little jealous and wanted to try it herself.

She found the horse that pulled their cart, grabbed a handful of black beans from the cloth bag hanging on the pillar, and put it to the horse's mouth.

The horse sniffed her, as if it recognized her scent, put its mouth into her palm, and started to eat.

Fang Tong smiled with eyes curved, touched its head and smoothed its fur.

The man and the horse were feeding happily when they heard someone coming outside the stable.

"How many people came in total?" The person asking the question had a rough voice, as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.

"Ten, no, eleven," said another, "plus the leader."

"Are you all out now?" asked the gruff-voiced man.

"There are still two people left in the inn, both resting in the house. Oh, yes," the man replied, "there should be twelve people, and there is also a female. I heard that they rescued her from the bandits."

"Women are not important." The rough-voiced man said, "I only care about how many people the prince brought with him."

"That's all." The person who responded paused, "What else do you want to know? I'll keep an eye out for you."

"I'll come to you when I need you." The man with a rough voice said, "Are these horses their mounts?"

Fang Tong heard the footsteps approaching the stable and his heart tightened. He leaned over, crawled under the railing, and hid under the horse's belly.

Just as she hid herself, two figures walked in.

There was a lantern hanging on the ceiling of the stable, and there were two people underneath, one tall and one short. The short one was dressed in the clothes of a post station clerk, and the tall one had a cloth mask on his face, so his face could not be seen clearly. From the sound of his voice, it was clear that he was the man with a rough voice.

"The horses in the prince's palace are quite strong," he said as he walked and looked around. The official followed him and whispered, "Don't try to take advantage of these horses. They have checked them very carefully. They don't allow us to handle any fodder or water. If you make any noise, I will be held responsible."

The masked man hummed: "What are you afraid of? I'm here to get information and I won't make things difficult for you."

"That's good." The clerk rubbed his hands, "My dear hero, I have told you everything I know. Look... hehe."

The masked man turned around and looked at him: "You want money from me for this little information?"

He laughed disdainfully and stopped walking: "When are they leaving? Where is the next stop?"

The clerk hesitated and said, "It's hard to say. I'm serving in the front yard and can't get to you. If you want to know, I'll try my best to find out."

"Useless thing." The masked man slapped a banknote on his chest. "Here is your reward. Keep finding out when they will leave and where they are going. Once you get the news, leave a mark on the outer wall in the southwest corner as I taught you."

The clerk covered the banknotes with his hands and smiled happily: "Okay."

"Don't play tricks on me." The masked man pinched his shoulders.

"It hurts, it hurts!" the officer called out, "My lord, my lord, please let go."

The masked man said in a deep voice: "Remember, I can give you money, but I can also kill you. If you dare to reveal my whereabouts, the entire Linshui County Government will not be able to protect you."

"Yes, yes, yes," the clerk said quickly, "I will definitely remember it. I will definitely remember it."

There was a knock on the door outside the courtyard, and the official was startled: "Ancestor, I'm afraid someone is back."

The masked man let him go: "Get lost."

The official held down his hat and ran out: "Ancestor, you should leave as well."

The masked man followed him to the stable door and suddenly stopped.

He turned around suddenly as if he heard something.

In the dimly lit stable, several horses were eating grass with their heads down, while a few others were lying in the corner.

A moth hit the lantern cover, making a crackling sound.

The masked man looked around cautiously until he was sure that there was nothing unusual, and then he left at the urging of the official.

Fang Tong squatted under the horse's belly. When he heard voices coming from the front yard, he moved closer to the railing and looked outside.

Anyone who has played sniper games knows that when the vision is poor, never show your head casually, as someone will die if you do.

She didn't know whether the masked man would come back to attack her, but she knew that someone outside had returned and the other party would not dare to stay here for long, so she deliberately waited for a while until the voices in the front yard became louder and louder, then she climbed out of the railing and left the stable.

Many people came back to the front yard, many lanterns were lit, and the sound of women talking could be heard.

Fang Tong didn't care about all this and slipped back to the side room in the main courtyard while no one was paying attention.

"Your Highness, have you heard any news about the escaped bandits?" Gao Tiancai received a message from the county government and hurried over.

He saw Feng Twelve standing in the yard, so he went up to him and asked. After asking, he discovered that in addition to the guards from the prince's mansion, there was also a familiar woman in blue.

(End of this chapter)