Chapter Twenty-Four: The County Office

"Should we go to the Delicacy Pavilion or the east side of town?" Pei Zhenzhen asked, while Fu Cen looked toward her as well.

During their travels over the past few days, Lin Menghua had taken full charge of everyone's arrangements, from lodging to food. Her competence was reassuring, which is why the other two instinctively sought her opinion on most matters.

"Since we are passing through, we naturally must buy the best."

On the east side of town—

"Osmanthus fragrance, fills the courtyard, wind blows through, the gates open wide..."

After wandering through most of the county, Lin Menghua and her party finally arrived at the east side, following the sound of the nursery rhyme until they found Grandmother Rong's stall.

"According to what Yu Su said, this Grandmother Rong is only in her forties. We haven't found the wrong person, have we?"

It was no wonder he would say this; the woman before them had gray hair, a face mapped with wrinkles, deep-set eye sockets, and bloodshot, clouded eyes. She looked nothing like a woman in her forties. She wore a patched cotton-linen garment, her frame hunched, moving back and forth by her cart while muttering those same few lines.

"What would the guests like to buy?" Seeing them approach, she swayed forward. A smile was plastered on her face, but there were so many wrinkles that her entire face seemed to crumple together when she smiled.

Fu Cen could not help but take a step back.

"Old woman, I would like to buy the best pastries you make."

"What this old woman makes... the best... is... the Osmanthus Chestnut Powder Cake," she said, her voice fragmented.

"Is Ji Sheng your son?" Fu Cen asked.

This question galvanized the previously listless old woman. She threw down the rag in her hand, her eyes bulging with fury, the blood vessels appearing as if they might burst as she cursed vehemently.

"You're looking for him? That short-lived wretch is already dead."

Fu Cen frowned. "A short-lived wretch? Isn't it inappropriate to call your own son that?"

"What do you know!" The old woman lunged forward, staring at him intensely.

Fu Cen’s own temper flared; this was the second time he had heard such words today.

"How presumptuous!"

Lin Menghua’s expression shifted slightly. Pei Zhenzhen, observing Lin Menghua’s reaction, quickly pulled him back. "A-Cen..."

Fu Cen retreated a step as she held him.

"Old woman, why not tell us what actually happened?" Lin Menghua stepped forward, looking at the woman with a faint smile.

"What is there to say! That ungrateful wolf!"

"Ever since his father died, I fed him and cared for him with the best of everything! What did he have to be aggrieved about!"

"And he died! Drank himself to death! A good-for-nothing!"

The old woman continued to rant, though she did not stop working with her hands. The sky turned the color of ink, and gray, heavy clouds pressed down inch by inch, as if they intended to swallow the earth.

"Let’s buy the pastries and head back," Pei Zhenzhen said, looking at the sky.

"Very well." Lin Menghua looked up at the sky, sensing the overwhelming resentment in the air, and nodded.

"Done! Here are your pastries! Two taels!"

"Pay up, quick!"

Fu Cen had never been treated with such disrespect; his blood began to boil. Just as he was about to erupt, a squad of bailiffs arrived, surrounding them completely.

"Rong, come with us!" The lead bailiff swept his gaze over the group and said to the old woman.

"Officer, what has happened?" Grandmother Rong’s demeanor shifted from mean and fierce to one of sheer terror.

"Yu Su from the Prefectural Academy is dead, and you are currently a suspect in his murder!" As the bailiff spoke, his hands were busy signaling his men to restrain her.

Fu Cen and Pei Zhenzhen were stunned. Yu Su? Hadn't they just seen him this morning?

"When did Yu Su die?" Fu Cen blocked the path, asking urgently.

The lead bailiff, whose way was suddenly obstructed, frowned. He intended to flare up, but seeing the quality of their clothing, he held his tongue. "Less than an hour ago."

That meant Yu Su had died shortly after they parted ways.

"Officer!" Upon hearing this, Grandmother Rong wailed, "I am innocent! I have been manning this stall all morning! The neighbors can all testify! And them... they can testify too!"

"We will naturally interview the neighbors, but as for the three of you?" The official was hesitant. While he knew the powerful families in Liangzhou, there had been word from above recently about noble guests arriving from the capital...

As he wavered, a bailiff beside him flashed a dark look. "In that case, the three of you should come with us as well!"

Fu Cen frowned and gave a cold laugh. "Truly presumptuous!"

Lin Menghua signaled for Pei Zhenzhen to keep him in check. She stepped forward, looked at the leader, and smiled. "If that is the case, let us go and see."

Fu Cen snorted, flicked his sleeves, and walked ahead, with Lin Menghua and Pei Zhenzhen following behind.

"What are you doing? Didn't the higher-ups say..."

"What are you afraid of! I met these three earlier; they are traveling merchants from out of town." He added with an ambiguous tone, "They have money."

The lead bailiff, hearing this, lost his hesitation. Looking at the three in front of him, a dark glint appeared in his eyes. So, they were people with money but no power.

"Then we shall give them a good shaking down!"

"Move, quick!" he barked. He looked at the three ahead as if they were three fat sheep.

—

Nanzheng County was the capital county of Liangzhou; the county office was located on Mingxue Street, just one street away from the Prefectural Office. This area housed most of the officials of the Liangzhou Prefecture.

There were also many commoners living there. At the junction of the two streets was the Prefectural Academy, and surrounding its outer perimeter were upscale restaurants, inns, and snack stalls. Antique shops, pawnshops, and money shops were not far off either. This area could be considered the heart of the entire county, combining dining, entertainment, and leisure.

The deceased, Yu Su, was not only a student at the academy but also the son of the Nanzheng County Magistrate. Because he was an academy student, the case was first presented to the Prefectural Office, which did not want to handle it, so it was passed to the Nanzheng County Office.

Word had already spread that another student had died at the academy, and now that a second had passed, many surrounding commoners had rushed to the county office to watch the excitement.

When the party arrived, the area outside the office was crowded with onlookers. The bailiffs led them in through a side gate. From there, they walked through the outer courtyard to the courtyard outside the main hall, entering the hall via a covered corridor.

The commoners, watching the interrogation, could only crowd outside the courtyard.

The Magistrate of Nanzheng County first scanned the four of them, his gaze fixing on Fu Cen’s face, then flicking to Lin Menghua and Pei Zhenzhen. The Magistrate paused, then instantly straightened his posture and sat upright.

"Why have you brought these gentlemen and this lady here?" he asked, forcing a smile at the bailiffs.

"These are witnesses for the Rong woman," the bailiff replied quickly, stepping forward to whisper, "My Lord, these are just traveling merchants from the capital."

The Magistrate knew exactly what he was thinking, and cursed him inwardly! But he dared not show it on his face. Seeing that the bailiff was about to say more, he coughed twice. "Prepare for the hearing."

The Magistrate took a breath and struck the gavel. "Rong, I ask you: Did you kill the academy student, Yu Su?"