Chapter 294: Breaking the Deadlock (1)

While Lord Wang was mulling this over, Zhou Wenchang was wrestling with the same heavy thoughts, unable to shake them.

Ever since someone had fled over the mountain last night, a shadow had settled over his heart.

In the few brief moments it took that dark figure to dart down the mountain, Zhou Wenchang had issued several orders in quick succession.

First, he immediately claimed the escapee was a mountain bandit—partly to fob off the clueless relief troops from his own and neighboring counties, and partly to legitimize the pursuit.

Second, he sent the mining garrison troops to hunt the fugitive down and kill him on sight.

These soldiers knew every miner on Little Lian Mountain by face, saving precious time on searching and identifying.

Third, he kept a tight grip on Little Lian Mountain, pulling in his men and sealing off the key passes, which successfully cornered the miner Liang Xiu—who'd tried to slip away in the chaos—and drove him off a cliff to his death.

Fourth, he tracked that person's footprints to the southern base of Little Lian Mountain, where he found a patch of freshly turned dirt. When he dug it up, there were two bodies lying side by side.

On checking, these two were the last miners on the list: Sun Huizhen and her mentally disabled son, Little Dumpling.

At this point, every miner on Little Lian Mountain was accounted for—bodies matched to names, all present, none alive.

Staring at the row of mourning sheds, Zhou Wenchang didn't feel a shred of guilt.

—Lord Wang had praised him, saying he handled things cleanly and efficiently—a top-notch official.

He was the Bangyan (second-place graduate) of Tianding's ninth year, and doing things flawlessly was just part of the job.

But if all the bodies from Little Lian Mountain were here, then who the hell had fled the mountain?

This unease lurked like a hidden ghost, darting out now and then to gnaw at his mind and leave him restless and irritable.

And when, in the morning light, he saw the four garrison soldiers lying dead in the ditch, eyes wide open, that hidden ghost stopped hiding—it wrapped around him completely, riding cold on his back, invisible claws loose around his throat, dogging him all the way back to the Dansui county office.

He couldn't figure out where the chain had broken.

Before stepping into the county office, he turned and asked in a low voice: "Where's Wen Huan?"

His personal clerk knew what he meant: "The Second Master hasn't budged—he's been watching the city the whole time."

"Mm." Zhou Wenchang said, "Tell him to come."

With that, he stepped into the county office, passing under the plaque that read "Heaven Knows the Heart" without looking up, and saw Deputy Magistrate Jian He hurrying toward him, looking anxious.

Word of the four garrison soldiers' deaths had already been rushed back by fast riders.

Deputy Magistrate Jian trailed behind Zhou Wenchang. After years on the job, the recent string of shocks had turned him into a spineless, directionless wreck. Now that his rock was back, his eyes welled up: "Your Honor, you're finally back!"

The four bodies had already been moved to the cellar for the time being.

Zhou Wenchang peeled off his filthy outer robe, revealing an old undershirt with patched holes under the arms: "What's the panic? Just say it."

Jian He, realizing he'd lost his composure, quickly wiped the corner of his eye.

Knowing the magistrate had bigger fish to fry, he hurried through his report: "Thanks to you, Your Honor, order's holding in the city, prices are stable, and no one's caught the plague."

"What about the grain distribution?"

"All done as you ordered—the granary's releasing grain strictly by household registry, capped at two dou per person, at eighty percent of market price. The two hundred dan the prefecture sent is all sold. Folks have grain to spare at home, and they're all singing your praises."

Zhou Wenchang waved a hand.

He couldn't care less about these petty details.

Just like checking the miners' bodies against the registry, these were things he had to do—his duty. However well done, they weren't the top priority.

After rushing through these reports, Jian He paused: "The rest are small stuff—fights and shakedowns—not worth bothering you with. But there's one thing that might tie into what's eating at you, and I have to report it."

"Speak."

Jian He then laid out the whole story of how Zhong Piaoping had accused A Shun of murder.

Halfway through, Zhou Wenchang's face went cold.

Idiot!

A sloppy, careless bastard!

But his face gave nothing away, and he just asked calmly: "Where's A Shun? Is he okay?"

Deputy Magistrate Jian nodded: "He's hurt, but he'll live. Everyone involved is locked up, waiting for your call."

Zhou Wenchang desperately wished he'd drop dead on the spot—or die of his wounds going septic in the heat—but a wish was just a wish.

The invisible ghost's claws behind him slowly dragged across his neck, making his throat close up.

Zhou Wenchang fought to steady his roiling nerves: "Who hurt him?"

Deputy Magistrate Jian explained: "A lone traveler from Nanting, on his way to the capital. He was walking alone along the main road by Little Lian Mountain when Registrar Lin commandeered his horse, and he was sent with A Shun to haul a miner back to the county for treatment. But something happened on the road—the miner died, and A Shun was badly hurt. He claims A Shun tried to kill him, he caught on, they fought, A Shun couldn't take him, and so he strangled the miner instead."

Zhou Wenchang, who knew exactly why A Shun had wanted the miner dead, said coldly: "That story doesn't add up! A Shun and this Zhong guy were total strangers—how does that turn into a fight to the death? Over a commandeered horse? Even without the horse thing, this Zhong couldn't have gotten through Little Lian Mountain anyway; he'd have had to double back to Dansui and find another way. How does that lead to murder?"

That was exactly what had Deputy Magistrate Jian stumped: "Maybe the heat got to them—tempers flaring?"

Zhou Wenchang tore the story apart point by point: "I've been running the relief operation at Little Lian Mountain on site myself. The day before last, a miner named Sun Hui was indeed pulled out, barely breathing, and I personally ordered him sent back to Dansui for treatment. If what this Zhong says is true—horse taken the day before, fight with A Shun on the road—he should've shown up at the county office to file a complaint no later than yesterday morning. Why'd he sit on it for a whole day and only report it at night?"

"A Shun's military, young and strong. By this guy's story, A Shun was out for premeditated murder—how could some ordinary traveler hold him off? And how'd he flip it around on him?"

"And when A Shun couldn't kill him, why'd he turn around and kill the miner? Where's the logic in that?"

Deputy Magistrate Jian hadn't dug into the case himself, and now, hearing the magistrate's relentless questions, he could only scratch his head—and feel a deep respect.

Having laid it all out, Zhou Wenchang ordered: "Open court first."

Deputy Magistrate Jian: "What about the four garrison soldiers..."

Zhou Wenchang was already itching to see Zhong Piaoping: "Handle it all together. There were indeed suspicious types lurking around Little Lian Mountain last night. I've already sent word to the neighboring counties to put up wanted posters. Both can wait—let's handle what's in front of us first."

After giving his orders, Zhou Wenchang asked: "And where did the witnesses in this case come from?"

Deputy Magistrate Jian replied: "Same as Zhong Piaoping—they're also travelers on their way to the capital."

Zhou Wenchang pounced on the oddity: "Could they be in it together, traveling as one?"

Deputy Magistrate Jian hesitated: "Probably not... Based on their travel permits, the two left the capital on different days and took different routes. Doesn't look like they're together."

Zhou Wenchang went quiet.

Fair enough.

Only the Changmen Guard could tamper with the route entries on travel permits.

With that said, Deputy Magistrate Jian suddenly let out a puzzled "Huh?" as if recalling something.

Zhou Wenchang stopped in his tracks and sighed softly. "Is there more to say?"

"It's not a big deal..." Deputy Magistrate Jian said. "It's just that, now that I think of it, everyone we've got locked up seems to be from the capital."

..."Those"? What does he mean by "those"?

Noticing Zhou Wenchang's puzzled expression, Deputy Magistrate Jian smiled apologetically. "Your Excellency, our jail is usually peaceful. But somehow, since the day before yesterday, first there was the one who swindled a merchant, then yesterday a man named Zhong turned himself in, and this morning another one came in for fighting... Funny thing is, every single one of them is from the capital."

Zhou Wenchang froze in place, his blood running cold.

...

Meanwhile.

Qiu Sinian leisurely finished a big bowl of flour dumpling soup.

This was the easiest job he'd ever been given.

The surveillance targets his superiors had assigned him had all walked themselves right into jail, one by one.

He watched a man in clerk's attire hurry upstairs.

A moment later, a well-to-do man in silk robes descended from the private room upstairs with his attendants, making straight for the door.

Qiu Sinian dropped a few copper coins on the table to cover his meal.

Since he had nothing else on his plate right now, he might as well go follow up on some other leads.

Author's note:

Fixed a bug from the last chapter. A Shun isn't dead—it was the poor miner who died.