Chapter 9

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——

A man rushed into the courtyard and shouted, "It's bad, it's bad!"

Huang Zhong went up to him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The butcher Wang has been killed!"

Xun Zhen was stunned for a moment. Could it be that he was so unlucky? He had just taken office, and within half a day, a murder case had occurred? The person reporting the incident looked very familiar; wasn't he the one who had been betting with Chen Bao just now?

He asked, "What happened? Don't be in a hurry, tell me slowly. ... What's your name?"

"My name is Shi Juxian. ... I just went to buy meat. In our Fan Yang Pavilion, Wang Butcher's dog meat is the best, so I went to find him. When I got to his meat stall, I saw Xu Zhong kill him."

Shi Juxian, who called himself "Shi Juxian," was probably in a hurry on the way, and he was panting heavily from time to time. In a few words, he finished describing the murder he had witnessed and exclaimed excitedly, "Aobo, Ayan, this Xu Zhong is truly a great man, a man of his word!"

Xun Zhen was completely confused, "Why was Wang Butcher killed?" He hadn't understood it yet, but Cheng Yan had already echoed Shi Juxian's words, loudly praising. Although Chen Bao didn't say anything, his expression showed that he was very admiring.

He became even more puzzled and knew that "Xu Zhong" must be the key. He asked, "Who is Xu Zhong?"

Cheng Yan looked as if he had heard something very strange, widened his eyes, and asked, "Does Xun Jun not know who Xu Zhong is?"

Huang Zhong said, "Xun Jun just arrived and is not from this area, so of course he doesn't know this person."

"What? Is this 'Xu Zhong' very famous?"

"I can't say about far away, but in the surrounding villages and pavilions, no one doesn't know him."

Xun Zhen immediately understood and thought, "He must be another local hero." He asked Shi Juxian, "Where did the incident happen?"

"At the market."

"Where is Xu Zhong?"

"He ran away!"

Just after taking office as the pavilion chief, he encountered a major case. Both officially and personally, he couldn't take it lightly.

Xun Zhen calmed himself, entered his role, and said calmly, "According to the law, if there are thieves or robbers in the pavilion area and the pavilion is unaware or fails to act, they will be punished. If this happens three times in a year, the county magistrate, county prime, and county military commander will all be dismissed. In broad daylight, a murder has occurred, so we need to get to the scene quickly. ... Cheng Yan, help me get my luggage."

In the luggage were the pavilion chief's robe, law enforcement tools, all obtained from the county. Time was tight, so he didn't have time to change clothes. He only took off his headband and replaced it with a red one representing the position of "pavilion chief." He also took a wooden board and a rope and asked, "Is the market far?" The wooden board had the law engraved on it, and the rope was used to tie people; these were essential items for the pavilion chief's law enforcement.

"Not far, just go south from the pavilion, less than two li."

"Since that's the case, gentlemen, let's go to the scene, shall we?"

Huang Zhong and the others all agreed.

Chen Bao was quick-witted. While Cheng Yan was getting the luggage, he had already brought Xun Zhen's horse over and asked him to ride it. They surrounded him and left the courtyard.

"The pavilion cannot be left unattended. Huang Gong, you don't need to go. ... Chen Bao, in a murder case, the 'thief catcher' cannot be absent from the scene. Go find Du Jun and ask him to come quickly. ... Ayan, Shi Juxian, you two lead the way and go with me."

He quickly assigned tasks.

Huang Zhong stayed behind, and Chen Bao went to find Du Mai.

Shi Juxian led the way, and Cheng Yan followed behind the horse. Xun Zhen, holding his sword, rode the horse and headed to the scene of the crime—the market.

...

Before he crossed over, Xun Zhen had also been out in the world, but he had never seen a murder case. After crossing over, although the people were fierce, he had only heard about murders. Now, not only was there a murder case, but he also had to solve it. Despite his two lifetimes of maturity, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous, his palms sweating.

He recalled the police dramas he had seen in his previous life and knew that investigating the background of the suspect was important. He asked Cheng Yan, "You said Xu Zhong is very famous here? Is he from our pavilion? How old is he? What does his family do for a living?"

"He is not from our pavilion but from the Dong Xiang Pavilion. He should be around twenty-four or twenty-five this year, and his family makes a living from farming."

Dong Xiang Pavilion is to the south of Fan Yang Pavilion, and the two pavilions are connected, belonging to the same village.

Xun Zhen said, "Oh, so he's not from our pavilion. No wonder Zheng Duo didn't mention him." He asked again, "Since he's from Dong Xiang Pavilion, why did he come to our pavilion to kill someone? ... Did Wang Butcher have a grudge with him?"

Cheng Yan said casually, "Xun Jun is wise, he indeed had a grudge with Wang Butcher."

"Why did they have a grudge?"

"Dong Xiang Pavilion is smaller than ours, and the market here is not as complete, so the people from their pavilion often come to our pavilion to buy things."

"Did they have an argument while buying things?"

"Yes, and no."

"What do you mean?"

At this time, the sun was setting, and there were fewer people on the road.

Cheng Yan was about to answer when a few women came walking along the edge of the road, wearing rough clothes that didn't even reach the ground. They all wore apron-like "bikou" and were carrying several earthenware basins, either holding or supporting them.

Xun Zhen, riding on the horse, could see clearly that the basins contained clear water, which they had probably scooped from a distant river to give to the slaves and laborers working in the fields.

Seeing Xun Zhen and his group riding horses and carrying swords, the women quickly moved to the side of the road.

One of them accidentally tripped over something, let out a scream, and almost fell, dropping the basin into the field.

She didn't care that her skirt was splashed with water, quickly bent down, picked up the basin, and carefully straightened the flattened wheat seedlings, exposing a section of her wheat-colored waist and her high, raised buttocks, which were facing the road.

Shi Juxian, who was leading the way, laughed loudly, whistled, took a few steps closer, and slapped her buttocks, then brought his hand to his nose and said, "So fragrant! So fragrant!" The women all laughed, and the one who was touched, perhaps recognizing Shi Juxian, didn't get angry but gave him a flirtatious look.

Xun Zhen glanced at the woman, seeing that she was ordinary in appearance and dressed simply, but her eyes and manner had a certain charm, a typical young wife's allure.

Shi Juxian turned back and laughed, "Pavilion Chief, what do you think of these women? They are all Feng's slaves and maids. If you like any of them, I can speak on your behalf!" He seemed completely unaffected by the murder case!

Xun Zhen smiled, reached out to call him to the front of the horse, and asked, "Ayan was just telling me about Xu Zhong and Wang Butcher's grudge. Do you know about it?"

"How could I not know! You arrived late. If you had come three or five days earlier, you would have known the whole story."

"Oh?"

"Did Ayan tell you? The reason Xu Zhong had a grudge with Wang Butcher was because of his mother."

"Because of his mother?" Connecting it with what Cheng Yan had said earlier, Xun Zhen immediately understood and said, "Did his mother and Wang Butcher have an argument in the market?"

"It wasn't really an argument, more like an insult."

"Tell me the details."

"Our Fan Yang Pavilion's market is held every five days. Five days ago, Xu's mother came to buy something and accidentally bumped into Wang Butcher's meat stall, knocking a piece of meat off. Wang Butcher, being a rough man, pushed and insulted her. Poor Xu's mother, who was nearly sixty, was pushed to the ground in front of everyone and insulted for a long time. ... Do you think Xu Zhong wouldn't be angry?"

In the Han Dynasty, the country was governed by filial piety. After children learned to read, the first book they read was the "Classic of Filial Piety." If an old mother was insulted, it would be strange if Xu Zhong wasn't angry.

"Is that so! ... Killing for his mother, this Xu Zhong is indeed a filial son."

Killing someone because his mother was insulted sounded incredible, but it wasn't strange at the time.

The world was not far from ancient times, and the people were simple. The custom of revenge was prevalent, and examples of killing for teachers or friends were not uncommon.

More than a hundred years ago, the famous scholar Huan Tan had said, "Now, when people kill or injure each other, even if they have been punished, they privately hold grudges, and their descendants seek revenge. The later generations' resentment is deeper than the earlier ones, leading to the destruction of families and the loss of livelihoods. Yet, they are called heroic, so even the timid and weak will try to do it."

Shi Juxian shook his head and said, "It's not just for his mother!"

"Is there more to the story?"

Cheng Yan interjected, "When Xu's mother was insulted, Xu Zhong wasn't at home. He returned the next day and saw his mother crying alone in the house. After asking, he learned what had happened and immediately went to find Wang Butcher. But unfortunately, Wang Butcher had fallen ill the night before."

"He was sick?"

The story of "Xu Zhong killing" had several twists and turns, which eased Xun Zhen's initial tension. He asked, "What happened then?" He guessed, "Xu Zhong only killed Wang Butcher today, but did Wang Butcher beg for mercy at the time?"

"Wang Butcher didn't recognize Xu's mother but recognized Xu Zhong and knew his reputation. So when Xu Zhong came to him, he did beg for mercy. But Xu Zhong didn't let him go because of his begging."

"Why then?"

"Because Xu Zhong believed that killing Wang Butcher while he was sick would be unrighteous. A gentleman should not take advantage of someone's weakness, so he let him go and made a pact to fight fairly when he recovered."

"Is that so!" Xun Zhen marveled, thinking, "He truly deserves the title of 'extraordinary man.'" He asked, "What happened next?"

Shi Juxian said, "Then it was today. Since Wang Butcher could sell meat, it means he was definitely better. Since he was better, Xu Zhong, being a man of his word, naturally kept his promise." The code of the knights-errant was to keep their promises and do what they said.

After hearing the whole story of "Xu Zhong killing," Xun Zhen could no longer simply view him as a murderer. Xu Zhong's actions clearly had the style of an ancient knight-errant.

He looked at Shi Juxian a few times and asked, "Do you know Xu Zhong?"

"I know him."

"Do you seem to admire him a lot?"

"Who wouldn't admire such a great man?"

"Then why did you come to report the case? Aren't you afraid that Xu Zhong will be caught by me?" Xun Zhen waved the wooden board in his hand and said, "According to the law, this is premeditated murder. 'Those who kill and those who conspire to kill are all executed in the market.' You admire him so much, can you bear to see him caught and killed? To be exposed on the street? I see that you were still flirting with women just now, as if you weren't worried at all?"

Shi Juxian grinned, not caring, and said, "Pavilion Chief, I won't hide it from you. Xu Zhong has many friends, and now that he has done such a filial deed, his reputation will spread even further. The heroes and powerful families in the county will welcome him, treat him as a distinguished guest, and actively help him hide. As long as you don't catch him on the spot, you will never catch him."

In the current world, it was common for powerful families to associate with knights-errant and hide lawbreakers. Xun Zhen's clan had once hidden a "lawbreaker," though not a knight-errant like Xu Zhong but a famous scholar wanted by the court. The nature was the same, both being wanted criminals.

Xun Zhen knew he wasn't lying and remained silent.

...

Soon, the three arrived at the market.

The market was crowded, with most people gathered around Wang Butcher's meat stall, surrounding a few young men who clearly were knights-errant, listening to them excitedly talk about something. The person who had come to buy meat with Shi Juxian was also among them.

Shi Juxian pushed through the crowd and shouted, "The Pavilion Chief is here, everyone move aside, move aside!"

Xun Zhen dismounted and, with Shi Juxian and Cheng Yan on either side, pushed through the crowd to the inside.

In the middle of the crowd, there was an open space with a body lying in it.

Perhaps influenced by the reason for Xu Zhong's killing, Xun Zhen felt calm when he saw the scene. He squatted down, used the wooden board to lift the body's short clothes, and saw no wounds on the body except for a knife wound on the neck, where the carotid artery had been severed, blood covering the body and the ground.

Under the suppression of Cheng Yan and Shi Juxian, the crowd gradually quieted down, and the noise turned into whispers.

"Is this the new Pavilion Chief? He's quite young."

"Pity his bad luck, encountering Xu Zhong's killing on his first day. You'll see, he won't catch Xu Zhong, and he'll probably be dismissed in a few days."

Xun Zhen stood up, looked around, and said loudly, "I am Xun Zhen, the new Pavilion Chief of Fan Yang. Are you all from this pavilion?"

Some people said yes, some said no.

"Does anyone know Xu Zhong?"

Everyone said yes.

"Who witnessed the incident?"

Several people said yes.

"Those who witnessed it, please come over here. I have a few questions to ask."

This time, no one responded. Everyone just whispered, and no one moved.

Shi Juxian volunteered to pull people over.

Taking this opportunity, Xun Zhen asked Cheng Yan, "Why isn't Wang Butcher's family here?" The people around were clearly just onlookers. If Wang Butcher's relatives were here, it wouldn't be like this.

"Last year, during the epidemic, most of Wang Butcher's family died, leaving only his wife and a young daughter."

Last year, the epidemic was rampant, and many people died. The court even sent officials to tour and distribute medicine.

Xun Zhen pondered for a moment and said, "Let's do this. First, take care of the body, then go and inform his family."

The case was clear. Xu Zhong killed out of revenge, and there was no need to investigate the scene. The person was dead, and the body couldn't be left on the ground. Since Wang Butcher's family only had a wife and a young daughter, with no men, the task of handling the body would be taken care of by the pavilion.

Cheng Yan agreed.

Shi Juxian pulled over two people who had responded and waited for Xun Zhen to ask questions.

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