Chapter 155: The Game (13)

Chapter 155: The Game (13)

Le Wuya steadied himself and raised an eyebrow.

Zheng Miao: "Prefect Wen Ren, out with it."

Le Wuya: "I do have something to say, but it's not pretty. Ming Ke is a coward, and I'm afraid you'll take it out on him."

"Speak. You have my word—no punishment."

Le Wuya met his gaze: "Since Magistrate Zheng brought over sixty constables, I doubt they're here just to search my house."

Zheng Miao nodded.

Le Wuya's eyes burned into him: "As I understand it, the Provincial Surveillance Commission is tasked with overseeing local officials. With you coming to Tongzhou on official business, sir, I wouldn't dare refuse to cooperate. But making such a big show of it is bound to raise eyebrows."

Zheng Miao cut to the chase: "Prefect Wen Ren suspects that I, Zheng Sanshui, am using this inspection as an excuse to shake down your Tongzhou government for bribes and freebies?"

Le Wuya said flatly: "Even if you don't mean any harm, who's to say your men won't say one thing and do another?"

Despite such a nasty read on his motives, Zheng Miao didn't get angry.

Instead, admiration gleamed in his eyes.

—A man who worries about his subordinates getting bullied and dares to call out a superior's shady moves—now that's an official with guts.

"Prefect Wen Ren, rest easy. Zi Yongshou's whereabouts are directly tied to Prefect Qian's drowning case. Not only do I, Zheng Sanshui, not care much for money, but even if I were the kind of corrupt official who loved it above all else, I wouldn't dare skim off a major case that could reach the emperor's ears. You've probably already turned every hiding spot in the city upside down. The only places left are these officials' homes—people who see each other every day. Barging in without evidence would shake trust and sour relations. So for a thankless job like this, it's best that I, the Provincial Judge from out of town, handle it."

With that, Zheng Miao stood and barked: "Wang Cheng!"

A constable in dark robes strode in: "Sir."

"How's the roll call of the staff going?"

Captain Wang's voice boomed: "Per the official registry, the Tongzhou prefectural office has two hundred and ten officials and clerks in total. They're all gathered in the East Hall now—not one missing."

Zheng Miao praised: "Well-run office, indeed."

He then asked the captain: "Has anything leaked?"

Captain Wang's face was blank, his words crisp and firm: "Rest assured, sir. Those out on duty were called back without knowing why—no risk of a leak."

"Good. Using the household registry, have your men copy down each official's property addresses, carry Zi Yongshou's portrait, and search every one without missing a single place. How you deploy them is up to you. Remember: plain clothes, don't bother the people. Also, pass along a message from me, Zheng Sanshui, to all Tongzhou officials: after the searches are done and they go home, if they find anything missing, broken, or their cats, dogs, or chickens gone, they can come to me for compensation. And when they do, I'll hold you, Wang Cheng, responsible. Got it?"

Captain Wang silently clasped his hands in salute and walked off.

After finishing his orders, Zheng Miao's gaze drifted back to Le Wuya.

The young prefect's eyes followed Captain Wang until he was out of sight, seeming oddly fixated on his leaving.

...How strange.

Yet as Zheng Miao watched, his mind began to drift.

How could even the back of his head look exactly like that person's?

Just then, Le Wuya turned around, his gaze fervent, those naturally watery, flirtatious eyes gleaming with an oddly eager light.

In a strangely delighted tone, Le Wuya asked: "Sir, how much does Captain Wang make a month?"

Zheng Miao: "..."

Zheng Miao saw right through him: "Don't you dare poach from my Provincial Surveillance Commission."

Le Wuya lowered his eyes: "...Oh." Cheapskate.

Zheng Miao shook his head inwardly at how transparent the man was—truly cut from the same mold.

That person, when spotting promising talent, would wear the same look—like a magpie spotting a gem, craning his neck, dead set on snatching the prize back to his own nest.

Wasn't he himself snatched up that very way?

He picked up his teacup and took a sip to calm himself.

The world was full of strange things. He, Zheng Miao, had handled countless criminal cases and often mixed with common folk, far more worldly than the average official. He'd indeed seen people who, though not related by blood, looked more alike than blood brothers.

Could this just be a coincidence?

Mu Jiazhi spoke, breaking the silence: "Lord Zheng, I have no residence in Tongzhou—I live in the government compound. And since I'm closest to Registrar Zi, please start the search with me."

Zheng Miao pulled his thoughts back from the past and waved a hand: "The innocent have nothing to fear. Assistant Prefect Mu, no need to rush—I'll have someone search your quarters in due time."

With that, his gaze landed on Wei Yixian.

Wei Yixian stood with hands clasped, head bowed, projecting just the right amount of fearful respect—though inwardly, he wasn't really worried.

In Tongzhou, he owned just one residence, properly registered and even smaller than Prefect Wen Ren's new house. He had nothing to fear from a search.

He lowered his eyes and said politely: "Please, Lord Zheng, do come by my humble home."

Zheng Miao replied: "No need. I hear Assistant Prefect Wei has a refined taste for antiques. If I came over and accidentally knocked over a porcelain vase, with my meager salary, I'd be paying it off into my next life."

Wei Yixian gave a wry smile: "Lord Zheng jokes. I'm just a dabbler—most of my collection is imitation, not genuine. What few antiques I have are just heirloom cups and dishes, hardly worth mentioning."

"Forget it. A wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall. Speaking of which, before I leave, I'll tell my clumsy-handed men to be careful not to damage Assistant Prefect Wei's treasures."

Le Wuya asked: "Where are you headed, sir?"

Zheng Miao straightened his robes and looked at him coolly: "Didn't I just say? To your house."

Le Wuya: "..."

"With the Provincial Judge himself personally searching a prefect's residence, the other Tongzhou officials won't have a leg to stand on. What do you think, Prefect Wen Ren?"

The implication was clear. Le Wuya had no room to refuse.

After a moment's thought, he faced Zheng Miao and gave a slight nod: "Then I'll trouble you, sir."

...

When Le Wuya had first moved into this residence, it was the season of lush lotus leaves stretching to the horizon.

Now, at the cusp of autumn after late summer, the lotus flowers in the pond had begun to wither.

Zheng Miao said he came to search, and search he did.

Side rooms, annexes, storage closets—not a single corner was overlooked.

He even had men wade through the lotus pond, joking that a corpse might be hidden in it.

Mu Jiazhi and Wei Yixian dared not leave, each staying by his side.

Meanwhile, Hua Rong, the young steward in charge of all the keys to the residence, silently followed behind, unlocking the padlocked rooms one by one, and arranged for Yang Zheng to row a small boat so Zheng Miao's attendants could search the pond for bodies.

Hua Rong seemed a bit nervous, keeping his head bowed the whole way.

That way, the heavy beads of sweat rolling down his forehead wouldn't be so noticeable.

But Zheng Miao's steps inevitably stopped in front of the heavily padlocked cellar door in the back courtyard.

"The courtyard is big and quiet—a fine spot," Zheng Miao praised. "Such a good place, and Prefect Wenren moved in without spending a single cent—what a bargain."

Le Wuya walked alongside, hands in his sleeves, his expression unchanged: "Well, not entirely free. I've been planning to set up a small training ground to practice martial arts and archery, for my health. If I'm ever transferred, I'll pack up and leave just as I came, not claiming anything as my own."

"That would be best," Zheng Miao said, pointing at the brass padlock on the cellar door. "Open this up and let's take a look."

Hua Rong had been too afraid to speak, his throat dry and tight. When he finally spoke, his voice came out trembling and hoarse, startlingly so: "Th-this, sir, there's nothing in—"

He caught himself, swallowed hard, and added, "...no key."

But his grating, crow-like voice had already caught Zheng Miao's attention.

Zheng Miao stared at Hua Rong for a long moment, then smiled: "You're just a kid, young and full of fire. After just a short walk with us, you're already sweating this much."

Hua Rong kept his head down, the keyring in his hand clinking and clattering.

...Looking closely, his hand was trembling.

Hua Rong noticed this too, and as if closing the barn door after the horse had bolted, he hastily grabbed his own wrist, keeping his head down, silent.

Le Wuya didn't immediately speak up for him; his gaze also fell on the sealed cellar door, lost in thought.

Seeing the strange behavior of master and servant, a flicker of suspicion crossed Wei Yixian's mind.

His eyes darted, and as he smoothed things over for Le Wuya, he secretly began to stir the pot: "Lord Zheng, this lad is named Hua Rong. He came with Prefect Wenren from Nanting, a former beggar. He's sharp-tongued and attentive, always quick on his feet. I wonder what's gotten into him today—maybe it's just that your imposing presence has him a bit scared..."

Zheng Miao looked at Hua Rong with a kind expression, but without warning, he barked: "What's hidden in there?!"

Hua Rong was thoroughly startled, his legs giving out as he fell straight to his knees, looking up at Le Wuya with barely concealed terror in his eyes.

At this, even Mu Jiazhi, who had never doubted Le Wuya, began to grow suspicious, his gaze shifting between Hua Rong and Le Wuya.

...What was going on?

Zheng Miao wasted no more words and called out, "Men!"

Zheng Miao's attendants were all quick and capable. One seized Hua Rong and searched the lining of his sweat-soaked undershirt, finding a small key. Another took the key and tried it on the cellar door lock—it fit perfectly.

Hua Rong hung his head, eyes wide and tearful, gazing at Le Wuya.

The moment the cellar door was thrown open, a damp, musty smell rushed out.

Hua Rong's lips quivered, and finally, unable to hold it in any longer, he burst into loud sobs.

"Sir, I—I've done wrong... I'm sorry—" Hua Rong choked out. "The things you asked me to get rid of—I hid them here..."

After seeing what was in the cellar, the officials present didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

...Inside was a waist-deep pile of sand and pond mud.

Le Wuya stared in stunned disbelief at the pile of mud and soil: "Hua Rong, you..."

Seeing the dark, filthy layer of muck, Mu Jiazhi understood right away.

Anyone who'd grown lotuses knew the pond accumulated thick silt over time. If not cleared promptly, it would start to smell and spoil the view, so the mud had to be regularly hauled away.

But pond mud couldn't just be dumped by the roadside or in the fields.

It smelled bad, was prone to hardening, and harmed soil quality. It required special handling—turning it into flower compost was the best use.

Hiring someone to haul the mud away cost money.

This little beggar had probably been blinded by greed, wanting to pocket some extra spending money. He'd taken the prefect's money but hadn't hired anyone to get rid of it. Instead, he'd found a way to transport it here himself, secretly dumping it in the cellar.

Fearing the smell would spread, he'd covered it with coarse sand left over from leveling the training ground to mask the odor.

He thought he'd been clever and unnoticed, never imagining Zheng Miao would come search the residence and expose his shady little scheme.

Hua Rong dared not defend himself, his face flushed red as he sobbed and whimpered.

Le Wuya wore a look of exasperation, as if disappointed in a wayward child. He grabbed the limp Hua Rong and hauled him up: "Get out, get out, you little embarrassment. I'll deal with you when I have the time."

But Zheng Miao was not so easily satisfied.

He signaled to one of his men.

The attendant, unbothered by the filth, nimbly jumped into the waist-deep mixture of sand and mud, groping around for a good while. Confirming nothing else was there, he looked up and shook his head at Zheng Miao.

With all that mud and sand, so filthy, even if there had been any traces before, they were beyond recovery now.

As Zheng Miao pondered, Wang Cheng—the one Le Wuya had once coveted—suddenly reappeared.

He arrived in haste, and upon seeing Zheng Miao, immediately knelt and reported succinctly: "My lord, Zi Yongshou has been found."

The shock was no small matter.

Mu Jiazhi and Wei Yixian both stood frozen in place.

Mu Jiazhi opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word, though a thin sheen of tears glistened in his eyes.

Zheng Miao glanced sidelong at Hua Rong out of the corner of his eye, noticing the lad was only wiping his tears, sobbing in fear, seemingly indifferent to the conversation nearby—with no sign of knowing anything.

Zheng Miao withdrew his covert gaze and asked: "Dead or alive?"

"Alive!"

"Where was he found?"

Wang Cheng knelt on one knee, his gaze shifting aside, hesitating for a moment.

Zheng Miao raised his voice: "Speak!"

Wang Cheng answered clearly: "In the back courtyard of Assistant Prefect Wei's residence. Inside a dry well!"

Wei Yixian, who had been standing by with his hands in his sleeves, froze.

Once he realized what had happened, Wei Yixian's spirit violently shook: "Nonsense! ...How could—"

His heart racing, he knew he must have fallen into someone's trap, and quickly prostrated himself on the ground, wailing plaintively, "My lord, this must be someone framing me! Since Registrar Zi is alive, I demand to face him in court!"

Zheng Miao: "..."

Zi Yongshou had been missing for so many days, and just as he started looking for him, he found him just like that?

And alive, no less?

Isn't this all a little too convenient?

As his suspicions grew, he once again looked over at Le Wuya beside him.

Le Wuya, copying Wei Yixian's earlier pose, tucked his hands into his sleeves, folded them over his chest, and stared back with big, grape-like eyes, all innocent and guileless.

...Zheng Miao grew even more suspicious.

He began to suspect this was a setup.

Even his sudden visit to Tongzhou today seemed like part of someone's plan all along.

Yet, at this point, he had no choice but to play it by the book.

Zheng Miao ordered, "Place the Wei residence under seal. Arrest the suspects and search the premises."

Those eight words made Wei Yixian's eyes go wide.

In that instant, he remembered something.

Something that could be the death of him.

He, Wei Yixian, fancied himself the man in the know in Tongzhou, well-versed in the temperaments of every official up and down the ranks.

He also knew how Zheng Miao operated, knowing him to be upright and decisive—if he said he was looking for someone, he wouldn't go ransacking the place for valuables.

That was exactly why he'd forgotten the most crucial thing.

—The land deeds and property titles bearing Zi Yongshou's name, which he still hadn't gotten rid of!