Chapter 56

Chapter 56

“—They’ve been captured!”

Strangely, the messenger’s words, ringing with obvious excitement, didn’t spark joy on the County Magistrate’s face. Instead, he frowned. His plump features drew together in an expression of oddly incongruous gravity. He halted the steps he’d been taking towards the messenger, seeming to lose all interest entirely as he turned his head sharply to meet the eyes of the man who had just moments ago offered him the “Herb of Immortals”.

The yamen runner, unsure of his Magistrate’s intentions, froze. The yamen, brightly lit as it was, plunged back into an eerily tense silence.

Only the draft the runner had brought in disturbed the scene, making the candle flames flutter wildly at their wicks. For an instant, the lights outside the study seemed to dim as the flames writhed. When they surged back to full strength, the Magistrate raised a hand. With distinct irritation, he flapped it dismissively towards the doorway.

“Very well,” he stated flatly. “Take him into custody first.”

The herb-seller stood within the room, perhaps hoping for a moment’s respite to admire the antique treasures displayed everywhere. Stunned by the Magistrate’s sudden order, he stared blankly at the official, even as they locked eyes. He remained frozen, failing to react even as the messenger moved towards him. Only when the runner actually grabbed his arm did realization dawn. Panic-stricken, he stumbled back two steps, nearly knocking over a large, rounded porcelain vase placed beside a cabinet.

“Wait! Your Honor must be mistaken! Why arrest me?! I have nothing to do with that blasted embankment breach!”

The yamen runner making the arrest clearly shared some doubt. He hesitated for a moment, looking questioningly back at the Magistrate. But all he received was another impatient wave of the Magistrate’s hand and a face etched with displeasure, as if he found the explanation utterly tedious.

“Must I repeat myself?” The Magistrate snapped, his voice hard. “Take. Him. Away!”

“Why—”

This time, the yamen runner did not dare delay. Without waiting for the herb presenter to argue back, he stepped forward, seized the man, and marched him out of the county office amid his piteous wails and appeals to heaven and earth. Once outside, likely with the help of another yamen runner on duty, the exceptionally loud, continuous sobbing was finally stifled tight by a piece of tattered cloth. Only muffled, indistinct murmurs remained, drifting farther and farther away, growing fainter and fainter.

The yamen runner re-entered the study.

“Your Honor, should we lock him in the jail? Dare I ask what crime he’s committed…”

“Put him in the deepest cell. Lock him up for three or four months. Release him if he hasn’t died by then. Stay vigilant; don’t let anyone catch wind of anything.” The County Magistrate said. He picked up the herb that had just been presented, felt it with his hand, and snorted a laugh before casually tossing it into the arms of the yamen runner. “Throw this out too. What sort of rubbish dares pass itself off as medicine? Truly taking me for a fool.”

“Oh, yes. As you command.” The yamen runner clumsily caught the small pot of medicinal herbs and turned to leave again. Yet he hesitated for an instant. Turning back, he happened to be called again by the County Magistrate. So, he paused, half on the threshold, one foot outside and one foot inside, twisting rather awkwardly to turn his head and listen for the Magistrate’s next order.

The County Magistrate hadn’t noticed these trivial matters. He had already sat back down at his desk. Heaving a long sigh, he resumed admiring his treasured antique with relish. It was only after recalling something else that he spoke again.

“Wait. Tell that kid to bring the ‘captured’ mastermind to the study. Remember to be polite. Treat him well.”

“Huh?” said the yamen runner. “‘That kid’?”

“Who else? Your County Security Official!” snapped the County Magistrate, raising his voice impatiently. “Tell him to bring the person here!”

“But… but if the real culprit is caught, shouldn’t he be taken to the main hall for questioning first? Or, if Your Honor isn’t in a hurry to interrogate the prisoner, shouldn’t he be locked up in jail as well? Why only lock up this fake herb seller… yet not lock up the one who smashed the weir?”

“What do you know?” The County Magistrate grew even more irritated by this question. He slapped the desk. “Do you truly think I lock this man up because he sold me fake herbs? Is this official robe on my back just for show? A bit of petty graft like this is easily skimmed off the top any day! I lock him up precisely because of the Yingqiu Weir case! Are you truly stupid or just pretending? Who really destroyed that enormous weir? After working in this county office for so many years, have you no idea?

“The destruction of an embankment—in itself, its significance can be downplayed or blown up. But if people truly find out and it gets spread about, then it ceases to be merely a matter of a dam. Downplaying it, it’s just a hole. It’s an embankment built by the previous dynasty anyway; it was inherently unstable. We could say the wind blew it down, the rain washed it away. No fault of ours. Once some time passes, no one will remember. But if blown up: Should the failure to guard be punished? Should insufficient repairs be punished? If towns or villages downstream were swept away, if lives were lost—should that be punished? How many heads do you have growing atop your shoulders? Are they weighty enough to pacify the fury of the populace for those bigwigs in the capital?”

“This… Your Honor teaches wisely. But weren’t we able to catch the ringleader?” mumbled the yamen runner nervously.

“Ignorant fool! Where are you from? Are you not a native of Yingqiu?”

“…I… I am from Yingqiu, but my parents passed away early this year. I just returned from the North and got this post…”

“No wonder!” The County Magistrate snorted coldly, still impatient. “—Catching him is the disaster! That County Security Official is as dim-witted as you! If he hadn’t been caught, I might only face a few charges. Unless heaven falls, I could at least preserve my life. But if the real culprit is caught, do you think they will let Yingqiu City off lightly? Even if you don’t know the mastermind behind this, even if you didn’t see the ghastly sight of the smashed weir, you ought to at least know this: the Yingqiu Weir is such a massive structure. How could an ordinary person possibly possess the power to completely destroy it in a matter of moments?”

The yamen runner listened blankly. After a silent pause, he started back into the room to ask details, forgetting he had one foot already outside the threshold. He nearly tripped, stumbled for a couple of steps, then barely regained his footing before replying: “…Could it be, Your Honor, that the destroyer… came from…”

“How dare you even utter it!” the County Magistrate cut him off fiercely, enraged. “I see you truly don’t value your head!”

Leaving aside how the terrified yamen runner went off to relay the orders, let us focus on the County Magistrate. After the runner left, he silently admired his beloved treasures again for a long while, his expression gradually settling into calm. On his plump face, he looked all the more amiable and benevolent, showing not a trace of his earlier ferocity. Yet, upon close inspection, one could still discern a slight furrow in his brow. Though his countenance was peaceful, he didn’t seem fully focused on the treasures before him. Rather, he seemed lost in thought, a flicker of venom flashing intermittently in his eyes.

Before long, the County Security Official indeed brought the suspects over. This County Security Official first left the “prisoners” in the courtyard within the yamen compound and entered the study himself.

Hearing footsteps in the courtyard, the County Magistrate actually rose to greet them—only to meet empty air instead. In walked the County Security Official alone, looking exceedingly pleased with himself. The Magistrate’s simpering advance not only made him lose face but also likely reminded him of the troublesome case. Unable to stem his anger, he demanded: “Where are they? You foolish oaf! Don’t tell me you really threw them into jail! Sun Jin! You wretch! Throw away your own head if you want, but how dare you be ready to hand over mine too?!”

“Calm your anger, Your Honor! Calm your anger!” Sun Jin walked into the room. The bright candlelight illuminating his face clearly exposed his features. Was he not the one who, with sword in hand at the great weir, had lorded over his authority at Shen Jie and Chen Shu?

He took two quick steps forward, his throat thick and phlegmy as he soothed the Magistrate: “It must be the yamen runner didn’t fully relay my message. Don’t fret, Your Honor. What I captured isn’t the destroyer of the weir—”

“—Who is it then?” Having erupted in anger, the Magistrate abruptly halted upon hearing this. He turned sharply, his eyes gleaming as he inquired.

“How should I know? But since they seemed suspicious and bumped into us…” Sun Jin paused, the implication hanging clear in the air. Seeing understanding dawn on the Magistrate’s face, he continued, “…so I captured these two. Your Honor just needs to hold one interrogation. Once they ‘confess’, won’t this matter be neatly wrapped up?”

“—Good! Excellent! This move is truly brilliant!” Hearing this, the Magistrate’s anger vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by a kindly, smiling face. He paced back and forth across the room twice, muttering to himself. After pondering for a moment, he raised his head and once more pronounced, “Good.” Then he said:

“Alright then. Take them directly to the main hall. This matter is critical; I am duty-bound to conduct an immediate night interrogation!”

“—Is it a night interrogation, or are you preparing a night torture session to extract a confession?” Shen Jie inquired.

At some unknown moment, she had appeared in the study doorway. One foot planted on the threshold, her posture seemed utterly irreverent. Yet perhaps it was the flickering candlelight at her side, or perhaps due to the weighty position she intrinsically held, she exuded a formidable aura that temporarily silenced the two men inside the room, filling them with shock and fear.

Only when Chen Shu peeked out from behind her, wrinkled her nose, and remarked, “How wasteful,” did Sun Jin snap back to his senses. His voice trembling, he questioned, “How did you get in here? What about the ropes binding you?!”

Chen Shu raised the two strands of rope she had torn apart with immense strength, looking at County Security Official Sun Jin as though he were a fool. “If it hadn’t been to make you lead us into town, did you really think this rotten rope could restrain us?”

“You…!”

Sun Jin was both astonished and furious, so angry he couldn’t speak, a flustered expression appearing on his face. He turned to look at the County Magistrate, seeming poised to argue a few points. Compared to him, the Magistrate was considerably calmer. He even strode forward a couple of steps, saying, “I wonder why you two great heroes ask such a question. The two of you are neither residents of Yingqiu City, nor were you invited guests when you visited Yingqiu Weir deep in the night. My yamen runners apprehending you is entirely justifiable. As for myself, I care for my people as a father would his own children, laboring through cases through the night. To brag a little, one might even say I am diligent and dedicated. Why then do you speak so, sir?”

The moment he said this, Chen Shu snorted through her nose. She immediately leaned forward, intending to cross the threshold and retort, but was halted by Shen Jie’s single raised hand. Shen Jie, having encountered countless corrupt officials in her time, knew this County Magistrate was hardly noteworthy among them. Her smile remained unwavering as she replied, “So it would seem. With a County Magistrate like yourself in Yingqiu City, the people are truly blessed, and the court fortunate, wouldn’t you say?”

At these words, Sun Jin seemed to finally find a reason to speak. Not waiting for the echo to fade, he exploded into a rebuke: “How dare you! I tolerated your repeated insolence towards myself, but you have the audacity to disparage our County Magistrate?!”

“Disparage him how?” Chen Shu asked, bewildered. “What she just said, how is that disparage?”

Sun Jin was momentarily struck dumb. The County Magistrate then leisurely took over, “…I know you two harbor resentment over your arrest. But it is undeniable that your actions were stealthy. If you were truly innocent, why resort to slander here? Once we reach the main hall of the yamen, I, as an appointed official of the court, certainly would not falsely accuse you, would I?”

“Fine by me!” Shen Jie said, taking command effortlessly. She patted Chen Shu and stepped aside, clearing the doorway to the study. With a sweep of her hand, she announced, “Then lead the way! Let’s go inspect the main hall of this Yingqiu County yamen—

“—and see whether you interrogate me, or I interrogate you!”