Chapter 44

Ma Shiliu’s eyes darted around, his mouth opened, but the words that came out were, "Thank you, Chief Clerk Lu, for your concern. I tripped and fell myself. This is the eldest son of County Magistrate Yang, and I’m accompanying him to find County Magistrate Yang."

"Eldest son of County Magistrate Yang?"

Lu Yongcheng looked at Yang Shouwen in surprise, and the stern expression on his face suddenly softened into a warm smile.

"Are you Yang Dalang?"

"Uh, yes."

Yang Shouwen replied in a simple manner, and Lu Yongcheng’s smile grew wider.

"I heard you’ve recovered?"

"Um, a bit better."

"Ha ha, your father has gone out of the city on business. If you want to find him, you can wait in his office... Someone, take Dalang to County Magistrate Yang’s office and take good care of him."

After saying this, Lu Yongcheng added, "Dalang, go rest first. I have some matters to attend to, so I won’t accompany you."

"Thank you."

Yang Shouwen bowed formally, and Lu Yongcheng nodded with a smile, then walked down the steps.

Lu Yongcheng doesn’t seem as rigid as the rumors suggest!

But Yang Shouwen quickly figured out the key: it was said that Lu Yongcheng and Wang He were evenly matched, and even slightly suppressed by Wang He. Among the four elders of Changping, the County Deputy was always at home, not involved in any affairs, and was basically a figurehead. The only one who could stand up to Wang He and Lu Yongcheng was Yang Chenglie, who had been in Changping for ten years.

Yang Chenglie had his own system, and even Lu Yongcheng and Wang He couldn’t do anything about him.

Moreover, Yang Chenglie didn’t like to get involved in disputes, protecting his own territory without participating in other matters.

Whoever could gain Yang Chenglie’s support could completely control Changping County. This was why Wang He treated Yang Chenglie with respect, and Lu Yongcheng also had to show deference to him. He didn’t seek Yang Chenglie’s support, but he didn’t want him to lean towards the other side. This must be the reason why Lu Yongcheng was so amiable to him.

But for some reason, Yang Shouwen had a natural aversion to Lu Yongcheng.

Perhaps it was because he disliked the local gang’s toughness, or perhaps for other reasons, he preferred Wang He.

So, when interacting with Lu Yongcheng, he couldn’t help but put on a foolish expression.

In fact, how many people in Changping truly understood Yang Shouwen?

"Why didn’t you complain to the Chief Clerk just now?"

A bailiff led Yang Shouwen and Ma Shiliu to an office, which was where Yang Chenglie usually worked and rested.

The room was simply furnished, with a low table, a bed, and a few stools.

Yang Shouwen sat on the bed, his feet dangling and swinging lightly, and looked at Ma Shiliu with interest. "If you had complained just now, Chief Clerk Lu might have stood up for you."

"Eldest son, you’re joking. My uncle once served the County Magistrate, so I naturally belong to the County Magistrate. Whether you beat or scold me, it’s all a form of care. Besides, I offended you first. County Magistrate Yang had a rule: we can do whatever we want behind closed doors, but once we step out, we’re all his people. My uncle often said this, and though I’m not very capable, I dare not forget the County Magistrate’s teachings."

Yang Shouwen suddenly burst out laughing and pointed at Ma Shiliu. "You’re a ruffian, but you’re not stupid."

After saying this, he picked up a cup of water and took a sip.

"Tell me, is that person Gai Jiayun, the second son of Gai Laojun?"

"Exactly."

"What’s he like?"

Ma Shiliu was taken aback and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Second Son is a good person, but he’s too bold, fearless of anything. He’s generous and spends a lot, so he often runs out of money. He has no choice but to extort from others, otherwise, he can’t keep his people. I haven’t known him for long, but I think he’s a decent person."

"Why use my brother’s name?"

"Well..."

Ma Shiliu smiled bitterly. "The County Magistrate is alone here, with no relatives. The County Deputy is useless and never leaves his house, lying in bed waiting to die. Who would be afraid of him? Chief Clerk Lu... he’s from the Fan Yang Lu family. The influence of the Fan Yang Lu family in Youzhou... if someone pretends to be a member of the Lu family, it would be very dangerous.

After considering it, the only person in Changping who can back this up is Second Son.

Moreover, Second Son and Gai Erlang are acquaintances. Gai Erlang uses his name to extort from strangers. Those outsiders don’t dare to cause trouble here, and after being cheated, they can only swallow their losses without causing any trouble. Gai Erlang thinks that since Second Son doesn’t hang around in the market, he wouldn’t know anything about it."

"You think Yang Laoer is stupid, right?"

Yang Shouwen sneered and leaned back on the bed.

"So, Gai Laoer still has some respect for Yang Laoer... but if that’s the case, how dare he spread rumors?"

"Huh?"

"What about the incident at Hongfu Inn?"

Ma Shiliu was stunned, shook his head, and said, "What incident at Hongfu Inn... I don’t know anything about it."

Yang Shouwen suddenly sat up, scaring Ma Shiliu into kneeling on the ground.

Yang Shouwen scolded, "Look at your courage, and you dare to come out and cause trouble? Your uncle followed my father for so many years and was quite capable. How can you be so useless? It’s embarrassing."

Ma Shiliu relaxed when he saw that Yang Shouwen wasn’t really angry.

"I may be useless, but I’m only useless in front of Eldest Son."

Yang Shouwen looked at Ma Shiliu, who turned pale with fear.

After a long while, Yang Shouwen suddenly laughed and pointed at him, scolding, "It seems you didn’t learn your father’s quick legs, but your tongue is sharper than his. Forget it, I don’t want to argue with you. Wait outside the office, I’ll have something to tell you later. Don’t try to run away! I’ll definitely kill you if you do."

"I understand, I understand."

Ma Shiliu left nervously, and Yang Shouwen lay on the bed, picking up a book from the low table.

The book was written in traditional characters and full of classical language.

Yang Shouwen read it for a while, but his eyelids started to droop, and he began to feel drowsy.

He lay on the bed, and after a while, he heard footsteps and the door opened.

"Xizi, what are you doing here?"

Yang Chenglie walked into the office, looking angry.

Guan Hu followed behind, stopped when he heard Yang Chenglie, and stepped back, not entering the room.

"Father, you’re back?"

"Yes... Why are you back in the city? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me in Hugu Mountain?"

"I came because I have something to report." Yang Shouwen yawned and got off the bed. He looked at Yang Chenglie and could sense his agitation despite his calm appearance.

"Father, what’s wrong?"

Yang Shouwen poured a cup of water and handed it to Yang Chenglie.

"I heard you went out of the city... How did it go? Any results?"

Yang Chenglie drank the water, put the cup on the table, and said angrily, "Results? Ha ha, I found three dead bodies."

"Another murder case?"

Yang Chenglie shook his head and then nodded.

"I got a tip today about the whereabouts of the bandits who attacked the county office. But when I and Uncle Guan arrived, we found the place deserted, with only three bodies. But when I reported the case to the County Magistrate, he said it proved the bandits had fled.

Since they fled, there’s no need to continue the investigation, and he told me not to worry about it.

Xizi, listen... The County Magistrate’s words are really... Just three bodies, how can we conclude they’ve fled? Even if they fled, we can’t let their accomplices in the city go. But the County Magistrate clearly wants to close the case quickly. I argued with him, but he just dismissed me, which is very frustrating."

Yang Chenglie slammed his hand on the table.

Wang He wants to close the case?

Yang Shouwen was also stunned, his face showing surprise.

Logically, the case is very complex and must hide some secrets. If solved, it would benefit Wang He. Why is he in a hurry to close it? For some reason, Yang Shouwen’s mind flashed back to the first time he met Wang He. Back then, Wang He didn’t want Yang Chenglie to report to the Youzhou Governor’s Office.

At the time, Yang Shouwen understood Wang He’s thinking.

After all, if the Governor’s Office knew, they might send people, which could complicate the investigation.

But now...

If you connect the dots, Yang Shouwen suddenly felt that Wang He might have never intended to solve the case from the beginning.

But why?

If the case is solved, Wang He, as the County Magistrate of Changping, would not only be blameless but also gain credit.

If that’s the case, why doesn’t he want to solve it?

Yang Shouwen couldn’t figure it out. Or, is the County Magistrate the mastermind behind the case?

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