Chapter 39

"Murder in a small alley in the southern part of the city?" Zhou Zhong was taken aback after hearing this, then he looked at the nearby Zheng Jing, who also wore a puzzled expression.

Seeing the expressions on Zhou Zhong and Zheng Jing, County Magistrate Huang smiled and explained, "My two younger brothers, you may not know, but this morning, five corpses were found in a small alley in the southern part of the city. There were also signs of a struggle, and the ground was covered in blood. It was a gruesome scene. Even the Prefect was alarmed and ordered me to solve the case within three days. I was just worried about this matter, but unexpectedly, I learned the truth of the case here at Wenda's place, which is a pleasant surprise!"

At the end of his words, County Magistrate Huang couldn't help but burst into a hearty laugh. However, Zhou Zhong couldn't help but express some concern, "Brother Huang, Wu Shan was attacked first yesterday, and he only took the knife and killed in self-defense. This shouldn't be considered a crime, right?"

Upon hearing Zhou Zhong's words, County Magistrate Huang and Zheng Jing exchanged glances, then burst into laughter simultaneously. After a while, County Magistrate Huang said, "Wenda, you're overthinking it. As you said, Butcher Wu was attacked first, and those who attacked him were notorious criminals. The authorities have long wanted to eliminate them. Therefore, Butcher Wu's killing of those five men is not only not a crime but also a service. I will report this to the Prefect as soon as possible, and we will certainly receive a substantial reward!"

Hearing that Wu Shan would not be punished and would even be rewarded, Zhou Zhong was overjoyed. However, he didn't forget to congratulate County Magistrate Huang on solving the major case, which would certainly add a significant achievement to his record, making future promotions a certainty.

County Magistrate Huang didn't expect Zhou Zhong to be so eloquent. Combined with the fact that the case involving five deaths was solved on the same day, and that he had just taken office and achieved such a significant accomplishment, he would surely gain the attention of the Prefect. This would be a great help for future promotions. Thinking of this, his affection for Zhou Zhong increased, and the two quickly began to address each other as brothers, as if they had been close friends for years.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhou Zhong proposed to treat County Magistrate Huang and Zheng Jing to a meal. County Magistrate Huang, who was in high spirits, readily agreed. Zheng Jing, seeing his two friends hit it off, was also very pleased. The three of them went to a restaurant not far from Zhou's residence, ordered a table of food and drinks, and chatted and drank until late at night.

After personally seeing County Magistrate Huang and Zheng Jing, who were staggering, onto their carriage, Zhou Zhong slowly returned to his residence. County Magistrate Huang, being a seasoned official, was excellent at both toasting and drinking. Zhou Zhong, in his previous life, was also a heavy drinker, but unfortunately, he was now using Zhou Zhong's original body, which had a much lower alcohol tolerance. After being persuaded to drink a few cups by County Magistrate Huang, Zhou Zhong's head was now dizzy, and his steps were unsteady. Fortunately, Zhou's residence was not far from the restaurant; otherwise, he would have had to ask Manager Xu to pick him up.

Zhou Zhong, feeling dizzy, finally made it back home. He first went to Wu Shan's courtyard and found Wu Shan half-sitting on the bed, listening to Manager Xu rehearse the content of tomorrow's storytelling. Zhou Zhong had already relayed County Magistrate Huang's words to them. Wu Shan was surprised to hear that he had killed five people, but when he learned that he would receive a reward, he immediately grinned widely. Manager Xu also joined in, insisting that Wu Shan treat them to a meal once he recovered.

Zhou Zhong and Wu Shan chatted for a while, but the alcohol was starting to take effect again. He couldn't hold it any longer, so he got up to leave, returned to his bedroom, and fell asleep immediately. He hadn't slept well the previous night, and although he had slept for most of the day, he still hadn't fully recovered. Now, with the added effect of the alcohol, he slept soundly until the next morning, when the smell of food finally woke him up.

Zhou Zhong opened his eyes and saw Zuo'er placing a tray on the table. The tray held a bowl of steaming rice porridge, two buns, and some pickles. Seeing that Zhou Zhong was awake, Zuo'er's sweet face broke into a smile, "Big Brother, you're awake. Get up and have breakfast. You haven't had a proper breakfast for two days!"

Zhou Zhong deeply inhaled the aroma of the buns but didn't get up immediately. Instead, he smiled and praised, "Just from the smell, I know these buns must be made by our Zuo'er. Bring them over quickly; I can't wait to taste them."

"Ha ha," seeing her brother's greedy look, Zuo'er couldn't help but laugh, even though she knew Zhou Zhong was teasing her. However, after laughing, she deliberately put on a serious face, "Get up quickly. Who eats breakfast in bed?"

"Good Zuo'er, the snow outside hasn't melted yet, and it's really cold. Besides, I don't have anything to do now, so let me eat in bed," Zhou Zhong mimicked Du'er's behavior, who always found excuses to stay in bed in the morning. Additionally, the weather was particularly cold that day, and Zhou Zhong also had the habit of sleeping in.

Seeing her usually serious brother also mimicking Du'er's behavior, Zuo'er laughed, "Hee hee hee." However, she knew that Zhou Zhong had been very tired lately, so she didn't insist on him getting up. She brought the breakfast to Zhou Zhong and let him eat in bed, then took the dishes back to the kitchen.

Watching Zuo'er's virtuous demeanor as she took care of him, Zhou Zhong felt a sense of admiration. He wondered who would be lucky enough to marry such a virtuous girl like Zuo'er in the future.

Thinking about how such a good sister would eventually have to marry, Zhou Zhong couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Looking out the window, although the paper was not very transparent, he could see that the sky outside was not very bright, and the sun had not yet risen. This gave him another reason to stay in bed. He hugged the quilt and lay down again, planning to sleep a bit more.

Unfortunately, fate did not favor him. Just as Zhou Zhong had lain down for a short while, Manager Xu pulled him out of bed because Xu Shenzhong, Zhang Kuang, and Li Zheng had come to visit him and were waiting in the front hall.

Hearing this news, Zhou Zhong had no choice but to get up, put on his clothes, and quickly wash up. He then went to the warm pavilion next to the main hall, where he found the three of them drinking tea. Zhou Zhong smiled, "In such cold weather, how do you all have the time to visit me?"

Xu Shenzhong, who was already very familiar with Zhou Zhong, laughed, "Wenda, you're so focused on writing 'Journey to the West' that you don't pay attention to anything else. We, the commoners, have to worry about mundane matters. The merit stele has already been built outside the city, and the inauguration ceremony is today. As the one who proposed the idea, you should at least go and see it."

"So soon?" Zhou Zhong was surprised to hear that the merit stele had already been completed. It had been less than ten days since he suggested the idea to Xu Shenzhong, and the stele was already erected. This was incredibly fast.

"Hehe, the efficiency of the government can be very fast or very slow, depending on who is in charge. Brother Shenzhong's father is the top official in Songjiang Prefecture, and he personally issued the order. Naturally, everyone below him would work hard. Besides, the merit stele is not a complicated thing. It just requires finding a blank stone from the quarry and engraving the text, which doesn't take much time," Li Zheng also laughed, his straightforwardness and dissatisfaction with the government evident on his face.

"Indeed, by the way, where is Brother Minglun?" Zhou Zhong suddenly realized that Zheng Jing, who had drunk with him the previous night, was not there.

Hearing Zhou Zhong mention Zheng Jing, the three of them burst into laughter. Finally, Zhang Kuang said, "Wenda, you should know this best. You and Minglun drank so much last night. When we went to see him, he was still suffering from a headache and couldn't get up. I was worried that you would be in the same state, but it turns out that your alcohol tolerance is so good that you don't look like you have a hangover at all. I really admire you!"

Hearing that Zheng Jing was still drunk and couldn't get up, Zhou Zhong couldn't help but laugh. The four of them chatted for a while, then went out together, got into the carriage, and headed to the outskirts to visit the merit stele. This matter was closely related to them, and they had also saved the lives of over 20,000 disaster victims outside the city, so they had to go and pay their respects.

The night before, a heavy snowfall of two feet had occurred. After a day and night of clearing, a passable road had been cleared on the street, with large piles of snow on both sides, which would likely melt only by the following spring.

The disaster victims were mainly concentrated outside the north gate, so the merit stele was also erected there. Zhou Zhong and the others arrived at the north gate by carriage. However, there was some trouble when they tried to leave the city. The city was strictly off-limits to disaster victims, so the checks were very strict. Fortunately, Zhou Zhong and the others were all scholars. Xu Shenzhong was not only the son of the Prefect but also a juren (advanced degree holder). After showing their identities, the guards did not dare to stop them, and the head guard even bowed and personally escorted them out of the city.

Zhou Zhong, looking at the guards from the carriage, though not a military man and not well-versed in military affairs, could still see that the guards at the city gate were essentially a group of thugs in uniform. Ordinary citizens were often extorted by these people when entering or leaving the city, and they showed no military discipline.

Moreover, the uniforms of these guards were tattered, and their weapons were in poor condition, with some not even carrying weapons. The guards were also either old or young, with no able-bodied men in sight. Their physical condition suggested that they could only bully ordinary citizens and were not fit for battle.

"No wonder, decades later, a few dozen Japanese pirates could plunder all the way to Nanjing. If the entire Ming Dynasty relies on such guards to defend the cities, even the capital might fall!" Zhou Zhong muttered to himself, his gaze on the city gate becoming more somber.