Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Qi Cheng drove the carriage, escorting Brother Bao under guard towards the Public Office.

Before the carriage even came to a halt, he spotted Scribe Yang's daughter's carriage in the distance, a frown creasing his brow. He turned to Deputy General Chen inside the carriage and said, “It’s Yang’s daughter.”

Deputy General Chen teased, “I’ve never had the problem of being handsome and constantly pursued by women.”

Qi Cheng sighed, “I’ll leave the carriage to you. I’ll enter through the main gate of the Public Office.”

Deputy General Chen responded, “Alright,” then cast a warning glance at Brother Bao: “Don’t even think about running. If you escape, your brothers and family will likely pay the price.”

Though his hands were bound behind his back and his mouth gagged, Brother Bao’s eyes conveyed a clear mockery.

He seemed to be sneering at the fact that even a public official would resort to threats.

Deputy General Chen seemed to read his thoughts and scoffed coldly. “I’ve emerged from a mountain of knives and a sea of blood. My hands are stained, and so is my heart.”

With that, he drew back the curtain and took the reins from Qi Cheng.

After Qi Cheng dismounted, the carriage proceeded towards the back gate.

Before he could even reach the main entrance of the Public Office, he was stopped.

Yang Baozhu smiled at him and said, “Mr. Qi, you don’t seem to be in a good mood. Has something happened at home?”

Qi Cheng turned to look at Yang’s daughter. The smile on her face was smug and gloating, utterly oblivious to the impact of her capriciousness. She cared nothing for whether she ruined someone’s livelihood; her sole concern was the gratification of her own selfish desires.

For such a person, Qi Cheng would not extend the usual courtesies.

Beneath Yang Baozhu’s triumphant smile, Qi Cheng slowly uttered, “Ugly people cause trouble.”

Watching Yang’s daughter’s smile gradually freeze, Qi Cheng averted his gaze, stepped over the threshold, and entered the Public Office.

Yang Baozhu turned to watch his retreating back and said, “It’s fine. Keep being stubborn. Sooner or later, you’ll yield.”

Though she hadn't yet received compensation, Lu Yuan had already begun replacing her cooking utensils.

Since she no longer planned to set up her stall on market days, she purchased all new items.

With ample funds at home, she bought two cast-iron woks for deep-frying.

Frying in cast-iron woks would consume less oil.

She refrained from telling the old lady about the stall being vandalized, to spare her unnecessary worry.

Lu Yuan placed all the newly bought items in the small courtyard on Night Market Street. Seeing that it was getting late, she hailed an ox cart to return home.

Given the recent unrest, she dared not walk back alone.

Upon arriving home, the old lady was preparing dinner.

Lu Yuan feigned normalcy, cheerfully entering the kitchen and asking, “What are we having tonight?”

The old lady replied, “Sheng Geer brought back some mushrooms earlier, so I thought I’d stew them with some cured chicken.”

“Sounds wonderful! Mushroom and cured chicken stew will be delicious.” It didn’t require complex cooking skills—just a bit of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and salt, simmered in an earthenware pot until fragrant and rich.

Lu Yuan went to help wash the vegetables, though her mind was preoccupied with the progress of the investigation into the vandalized stall.

She certainly didn’t trust Constable Lu; her hopes rested with Deputy Magistrate Yang.

The meal was ready, but after a long wait, Qi Cheng still hadn’t returned.

The old lady grumbled, “He should have been back by now. Why isn’t he home yet?”

Lu Yuan said, “Perhaps something delayed him. Let’s save some food for him and eat first.”

She set aside some food for Qi Cheng on an empty plate before they began their meal.

During dinner, the old lady asked, “Why did you suddenly decide to take a break?”

Yesterday, upon her return, Lu Yuan had mentioned wanting to rest for a few days and not set up the stall.

Lu Yuan replied, “I need to balance work and rest. Even though I only set up the stall every other day, my body can’t keep up.”

The old lady teased, “I thought you’d keep working as long as there was money to be made, never feeling tired.”

Lu Yuan responded, “I get tired too.”

As they chatted about everyday matters, time passed.

It was almost dark when Lu Yuan heard the sound of horse hooves.

Their family was the only one in the entire alley with a horse, so she knew immediately who had returned.

Lu Yuan warmed up his food but didn’t rush to ask about the investigation.

Only after the child and the old lady had retired for the night did the couple retreat to their room, discussing the matter in hushed tones.

Qi Cheng told her they had caught the person.

“Did he implicate Scribe Yang?”

Qi Cheng shook his head. “He’s incredibly stubborn. We couldn’t get anything out of him, even under interrogation.”

Lu Yuan frowned. “Such professional integrity?”

Qi Cheng said, “For now, we can only target those close to him. We must extract Scribe Yang’s name from his mouth to find an entry point for investigating Scribe Yang’s wrongdoings.”

Influenced by television drama plots, Lu Yuan voiced her concern: “What if Scribe Yang finds out you’ve captured him and threatens his family? What then?”

Hearing this, Qi Cheng pondered for a moment, then immediately got up and began to dress.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan asked, “Are you going to the Public Office to find Deputy Magistrate Yang?”

Qi Cheng nodded. “Although Scribe Yang doesn’t yet know we’ve caught him, word will spread quickly. I need to find his family or those he cares about before that happens.”

“Given Scribe Yang’s character, if he finds these people, simple threats would be fortunate. I’m afraid it might cost lives.”

Lu Yuan lit a lantern for him. As he led the horse out of the courtyard, the old lady, a light sleeper, heard the commotion and pushed open the window to ask, “What’s going on?”

Qi Cheng said, “I suddenly remembered there’s unfinished business at the Public Office. I’m afraid the Magistrate will blame me tomorrow if I don’t handle it now.”

The old lady asked, “What exactly is so urgent? Can’t it wait until tomorrow morning?”

Qi Cheng replied, “It’s urgent and confidential. I need to deal with it before the Deputy Magistrate finds out.”

“When will you be back?” the old lady asked.

Qi Cheng: “If it’s too late, I won’t come back. The Public Office has rest quarters; I’ll just stay there directly.”

With that, he led the horse out of the courtyard.

Lu Yuan bolted the gate, and the old lady grumbled, “Sheng isn’t the type to be careless, so how could he forget such an important task?”

Lu Yuan blatantly lied: “Who knows? Even my husband is human; it’s normal to make small mistakes.”

Qi Cheng headed straight for the Public Office.

Deputy Magistrate Yang’s family was not in Guang Kang, so he was usually alone. He often stayed late at the Public Office and sometimes even spent the night there.

It was not yet 9 to 11 PM, so he was definitely still at the Public Office.

After tethering his horse at the Public Office stable, Qi Cheng went directly to Deputy Magistrate Yang’s office.

Deputy Magistrate Yang’s attendant, upon seeing him, exclaimed in surprise, “Stockade Official Qi, you’ve returned so late?”

Qi Cheng asked, “Is the sir in his office?”

The attendant nodded: “He just mentioned he would be heading home soon.”

Qi Cheng thanked him, then knocked before entering the office.

Deputy Magistrate Yang, upon seeing him, asked, “What is it?”

Qi Cheng went straight to the point: “Tonight, it suddenly occurred to me that if Scribe Yang finds out the person has been captured, he will surely detain his relatives to threaten them. I would like to go see He Bao.”

Deputy Magistrate Yang did not ask further questions and simply said, “I’ve just finished my work as well. Let’s go now.”

The two of them went to the dungeon together.

Currently, He Bao was being guarded by Deputy Magistrate Yang’s men. The news of his capture had not yet leaked.

He had only smashed the stall and had not harmed any innocent people. After being taken into custody, Deputy General Chen wasn’t allowed to use torture on him, so he was merely detained, only given water but no food.

When they reached the dungeon, the County Magistrate was not present outside the cell; only Qi Cheng stood there.

He looked into the cell and saw He Bao lying on the bed. Although He Bao clearly heard the commotion, he didn’t bother to open his eyes.

Qi Cheng spoke up: “We all know who instructed you. Right now, we just need a confession.”

He Bao didn’t even open his eyes and let out a light snort: “If you already know who it is, why not go question him directly? Why trouble an ordinary person like me?”

Qi Cheng: “You are the culprit. We need your testimony and evidence.”

He Bao suddenly sneered: “Oh, isn’t your Public Office known for forcing confessions through torture and fabricating evidence? Why, when it comes to your own people, do you need testimony and evidence now?”

From his words, Qi Cheng inferred the hidden meaning—He Bao, or someone close to him, had been wronged before.

“Have you been wronged before, or has someone you know been wronged?”

At this, He Bao went quiet.

Qi Cheng continued: “If you or your loved ones have suffered injustice, it’s because there are corrupt officials in the Public Office who fail to act. What my superior is doing now is simply trying to eliminate this corruption.”

A scoff came from the cell.

Qi Cheng: “Do you think we’re making such a big deal just over a smashed stall? What do you think this is about?”

He Bao remained silent. Qi Cheng said: “Do you really think it’s because I’m venting personal anger for my wife?”

He Bao scoffed, and retorted: “Isn’t it?”

Qi Cheng: “Haven’t you noticed anything unusual?”

“I usually return to help my wife as soon as I’m off duty, but these past few days, I haven’t gone. And when the stall was smashed, my wife and the woman helping her didn’t panic at all—they stayed far away. Why do you think that is?”

His words reminded He Bao of the strange behavior of the two women that night.

Indeed, they had been too calm, as if they had known someone would smash the stall all along...

He Bao opened his eyes, stood up from the wooden bed, turned to look at the person outside the cell, and said, “You knew beforehand that someone would smash the stall?”

Qi Cheng: “It’s obvious.”

“The person who told you to smash the stall—his daughter has her eye on me and wants me to divorce my wife. I refused, so threats followed. I work at the Public Office and can handle myself; targeting me would be challenging the authorities. But my wife is different; she’s the easiest target.”

He Bao listened as if he had dealt with similar situations before, seemingly not doubting the truth of it.

Qi Cheng: “You’ve been captured now, and the news hasn’t leaked yet. But once it does, your brothers and your family might be used as leverage against you.”

He Bao’s expression darkened abruptly. He stepped forward, grabbed the bars, and glared angrily at the person outside: “What are you trying to do?!”

Before Qi Cheng could respond, a deep voice came from the side: “Giving you a chance.”

Both looked toward the speaker.

Deputy Magistrate Yang’s tall figure emerged from the shadows. He looked calmly at the person in the cell and said, “Giving you a chance to redeem yourself. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve surely been forced to do many unsavory things against your will.”

“Your tone is full of resentment and disgust toward the Public Office. Besides money, you’re likely being threatened because they have leverage over you. Are you truly willing to be controlled and manipulated by them for the rest of your life?”

He Bao looked at him and asked, “And who are you?”

Deputy Magistrate Yang smirked: “Just someone who wants to clear out the bandits in Guang Kang and purge the corrupt officials.”

Qi Cheng added from the side: “This is the newly appointed Deputy Magistrate of Guang Kang, who took office last year.”

Hearing the Deputy Magistrate’s identity, He Bao’s expression changed slightly, becoming somewhat uneasy. He took a step back and clasped his hands: “He Bao greets Deputy Magistrate Yang.”

Compared to the inactive County Magistrate, the Deputy Magistrate, known for his notable accomplishments, was well-known in Guang Kang County.