Chapter 64

In the blink of an eye, it has been almost a month since the upload, and the number of favorites is not high. I hope those who have already favorited it will give more support and comfort to the cavalry. Hehe.

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Wu Qi gestured, and the bailiff opened the cloth bag, revealing a grass ball inside. A faint stench emanated from the grass ball.

After Li Wenjun killed Wang Yonggui, he stayed in Wufeng Mountain for quite some time. Even though the storage bag could extend the freshness, it couldn't do so indefinitely. Wang Yonggui's head had already begun to rot.

Wu Qi covered his nose and leaned back as far as he could. Having served as an official for many years and handled numerous murder cases, he could easily distinguish the smell of a corpse.

"Open it," Wu Qi pointed at the grass ball and ordered.

The stench was unbearable, and the bailiff was almost about to vomit. However, with the magistrate's order, he dared not retreat and had to endure the smell, carefully untying the grass rope.

Sure enough, inside was a human head. Although some parts showed signs of decay, the face was still clear, and the features were intact, almost identical to the portrait of Wang Yonggui in the wanted notice, with no discernible differences.

Seeing the head, Wu Qi's eyes lit up. This was Wang Yonggui's head. Even if Li Wenjun had found someone who looked exactly like Wang Yonggui, killed him, and cut off his head, he would still recognize it as Wang Yonggui's head.

"Li Wenjun, I have a question. Why is this head not fresh? It doesn't seem to have been recently killed and is somewhat decayed. Are you sure Wang Yonggui really died at your hands?" Wu Qi asked.

Li Wenjun replied, "Magistrate, I encountered Wang Yonggui deep in Wufeng Mountain. After killing him, it took me several days to get out of the mountains. The head becoming a bit smelly is normal, isn't it?"

Wu Qi nodded upon hearing this. Wang Yonggui hiding deep in the mountains explained why his bailiffs couldn't find him, and it also explained the decay of the head.

"Li Wenjun, the matter of Wang Yonggui is extensive. If I confirm that you killed Wang Yonggui, I will not only have to give you the thousand taels of silver as a reward but also request the prefect to publicly commend you and exempt you from labor taxes. Therefore, I must be cautious to avoid any mistakes and avoid making a fool of myself," Wu Qi said calmly.

Li Wenjun understood that some things couldn't be forced and said, "I can understand."

Wu Qi smiled, "It's good that you understand. Here's what I suggest: you and Sun Baicao go home and wait patiently for news. Once I confirm the head, I will send someone to invite you back for the commendation. How does that sound?"

"Alright," Li Wenjun agreed reasonably. He never thought Wu Qi would have ulterior motives regarding Wang Yonggui's head, or perhaps subconsciously, he wasn't afraid of Wu Qi's intentions.

"Good. Your understanding and reasonableness save me a lot of trouble. I appreciate young men like you. In the future, I will treat you like my own nephew. Come, I will personally see you out of the county office," Wu Qi stood up, left his desk, and escorted Li Wenjun out of the county office.

The Sun family, father and son, had never received such treatment before. They didn't even dare to breathe loudly, carefully following behind Li Wenjun and Wu Qi as they walked out of the county office.

Li Wenjun, however, was very calm and chatted casually with Wu Qi.

A commoner not knowing his place made Wu Qi angry, but for the sake of the matter, he had to suppress his anger, maintaining a smile as he escorted Li Wenjun and the others to the gate of the county office.

Wu Qi, like a kind elder, held Li Wenjun's hand and said earnestly, "I am a few years older than you, and I have a bit more experience. There are some things I must advise you. You know that the government has issued a wanted notice for Wang Yonggui, initially offering a thousand taels of silver as a reward. Later, the reward was increased to fifteen hundred taels.

This is a large sum of money, enough to ensure a lifetime of comfort for many families. The county treasury doesn't have this much money, so it will have to be escorted from the prefecture treasury. If the news leaks and bandits intercept the silver, it will be difficult to get another shipment from the prefecture.

For your own benefit, I hope you and Sun Baicao keep this a secret and do not leak any information. If the news leaks and the silver is stolen, even I won't be able to help you.

Do you understand, Li Wenjun and Sun Baicao?"

Sun Baicao, unlike Li Wenjun, was in awe of the government and, given the large sum of fifteen hundred taels, dared not speak recklessly. If Li Wenjun didn't get the money, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life.

Sun Baicao held Sun Jianing's hand, and they both nodded, saying, "Sir, rest assured, we will keep it a secret."

Li Wenjun didn't care about the reward money; he wasn't short of silver. However, the matter still needed final confirmation from the government, and he didn't want to oppose Wu Qi. So, he also nodded.

Wu Qi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He stood on the platform, watching Li Wenjun and the others leave, and only when they were far away did the smile on his face fade. He coldly snorted, flicked his sleeve, and turned to enter the county office.

"Pass my order: close the county office gates. Without my permission, even if the sky falls, do not open the gates."

The gatekeeper quickly retreated into the county office, closing the two black-painted doors and latching them.

Wu Qi returned to the second hall and saw that Third Young Master and Jiang Shan were already there. Jiang Shan, undeterred by the stench, stood by the desk, staring at the head. Third Young Master covered his nose with his sleeve and stood far away, his eyes avoiding the head. Beside him, a bailiff was cleaning up a puddle of vomit on the ground.

Wu Qi knew at a glance that Third Young Master couldn't handle it and had vomited. He didn't know if it was from fear or shock. He secretly despised Third Young Master but ordered, "Quickly take Third Young Master outside to breathe some fresh air."

A bailiff immediately took Third Young Master outside the second hall.

Wu Qi walked to the desk, and Jiang Shan, without even looking at him, said, "Based on my experience, this head is genuine and not a forgery. However, this is a serious matter and needs to be handled with caution. Magistrate Wu, please call the most experienced coroner to examine it."

"Alright," Wu Qi nodded and had someone call the coroner on duty from the morgue.

Soon, an old man with white hair and a wrinkled face followed the bailiff in, bowing respectfully to Wu Qi.

Wu Qi pointed at the head and instructed the coroner to examine it quickly.

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