Xu Ancheng laid out the evidence piece by piece, and Zhou Cheng’s face grew paler and paler.
“I was only following orders…”
Xu Ancheng frowned. “Whose orders?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“You really don’t know?”
Seeing the stern look on Xu Ancheng’s face, Zhou Cheng panicked.
He knew perfectly well how serious a crime it was to lose government silver. But someone had ordered him to do it. What choice did an ordinary minor clerk like him have?
He gritted his teeth, still refusing to reveal that person’s name.
“Every time, I met someone at a teahouse in the west of the city. He never told me his name.” Zhou Cheng’s voice grew quieter and quieter.
Qin Qiwu frowned. “You did whatever he told you? How did you know that what he said was true?”
Zhou Cheng remained silent for a long while.
“Every time I finished the job, someone would revise the county office’s financial records the next day.”
Xu Ancheng’s expression grew even more solemn. No wonder they had noticed that something was wrong with the records of the government silver being taken out.
Zhou Cheng’s palms had begun to sweat. He stammered, “Do… do you gentlemen have anything else to ask?”
Qin Qiwu looked at Zhou Cheng’s anxious expression and smiled at him gently. “Don’t worry, Zhou Cheng. You’re coming with us in a moment.”
They still had plenty of questions for him.
Using the investigation as an excuse, Xu Ancheng took Zhou Cheng out of the county office. The people at the entrance did not know whether they should stop them. They exchanged glances, hesitation written all over their faces.
Zhou Cheng lowered his head, his legs trembling uncontrollably. Would he really survive this…?
Meanwhile, inside the county office—
“Zhou Cheng confessed?” the assistant county magistrate asked lazily from his seat of authority.
The minor clerk kneeling on the floor said softly, “My lord, Zhou Cheng…”
The assistant county magistrate let out a cold laugh. “I knew he was useless. Did he think confessing would keep him alive?”
The clerk paused, then spoke cautiously. “My lord, he didn’t…”
The assistant county magistrate narrowed his eyes. “What a useless fool. I knew from the beginning that he wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut.”
The clerk looked at the assistant county magistrate, hesitating to speak. “My lord, there’s still more to this matter…”
The assistant county magistrate looked tired of the entire affair. “Get rid of him as soon as possible. He’s giving me a headache.”
The clerk’s mouth twitched. Was Zhou Cheng really destined to die?
He ventured, “My lord, Zhou Cheng didn’t confess… Uh, he didn’t reveal anything that could harm you.”
Then was there any need to kill Zhou Cheng?
The assistant county magistrate closed his eyes and said nothing more.
After a brief pause, the clerk bowed to him. “My lord, I’ll take care of it at once.”
Zhou Cheng still had to die.
The streets were bustling. As soon as they entered an alley, the aromas of food from the stalls wafted straight into their noses.
Qin Qiwu looked at Zhou Cheng’s back. They now had both witnesses and physical evidence. Although Zhou Cheng still had not named anyone, once they reached the prefectural office, he would have no choice but to talk.
She hid the emotions in her eyes and smiled at Zhou Cheng. “Zhou Cheng, is there anything you’d like to eat?”
Zhou Cheng’s face was deathly pale. He forced out a smile and shook his head.
By now, he had seen the truth clearly. The assistant county magistrate was ruthless, and these people were hardly kindhearted either.
His gaze involuntarily drifted toward the man turning sugar paintings in front of them.
“Why did I get a copper coin again?” Ji Zhaoxi stood in front of the sugar-painting stall, looking incredulous.
She had eaten so many copper-coin-shaped sugar paintings that she was nearly sick of them. Though, to be fair, all sugar paintings tasted the same regardless of their shape.
Fu Xianyan stood solemnly beside her. He wanted a rabbit.
The vendor watched them spin the wheel with a grin. Every customer’s cry of dismay brought him joy.
“You get whatever the wheel lands on. Don’t blame me for tampering with it if you can’t get what you want.”
Ji Zhaoxi refused to take the copper-coin sugar painting. In the end, several children beside them happily took them away.
“Fu Xianyan, I want a horse.” Ji Zhaoxi stared at the sugar painting.
Fu Xianyan refused. “No. I want a rabbit.”
Determined to get her way, Ji Zhaoxi began disparaging rabbits. “Rabbits are no good at all. Horses are much better—they can run incredibly fast!”
Fu Xianyan earnestly defended his rabbit. “A rabbit’s kick hurts. They kick everything.”
Ji Zhaoxi: “...”
She had assumed Fu Xianyan liked rabbits because they were cute. Who would have thought he liked them because their kicks hurt? She truly could not understand this man.
The next moment, Fu Xianyan spun the wheel and landed on a rabbit.
The vendor stared at him in astonishment. What was going on? Hadn’t he tampered with the wheel? Had he somehow forgotten to do it today?
The vendor sighed and began drawing the rabbit. A rabbit was far more troublesome to make than a copper coin.
Just as Fu Xianyan was about to take his rabbit sugar painting, a hand reached over and snatched it away.
The corner of Fu Xianyan’s mouth twitched, but he continued spinning. A large crowd had gathered around them. None of them were buying anything; they were just watching.
After two more spins, he finally landed on a horse.
“Miss Ji, is this acceptable now?”
“It is!” Ji Zhaoxi returned the rabbit sugar painting to Fu Xianyan and watched the vendor draw her horse.
The vendor sighed. What an exhausting day.
As he watched the vendor work, Fu Xianyan nibbled on his own sugar painting. “Miss Ji, your horse doesn’t look as impressive as my rabbit.”
Ji Zhaoxi ignored him. Fu Xianyan leaned closer to her with a smile. “Miss Ji’s horse is awfully thin. It might collapse after running only a few steps.”
Ji Zhaoxi said nothing, but her face was visibly turning red with anger. Around them, people continued crunching happily on their sugar paintings.
“Miss Ji…”
“Yikes—”
A sudden wave of pain shot through Fu Xianyan’s foot. His expression changed, and he almost dropped everything in his hands.
He decided to stop talking.
Seeing this, the vendor felt immensely satisfied.
That’s right. Kick him a few more times!
After one final stomp, Ji Zhaoxi was finally appeased. Fu Xianyan really had been getting more and more talkative lately.
Watching the scene, Zhou Cheng hesitated. Perhaps he should follow these two instead.
Qin Qiwu and Xu Ancheng gave him the feeling of smiling tigers…
He had seen far too many people like that in official circles.
Just as he was preparing to move closer to Ji Zhaoxi, the man beside her suddenly glanced at him. There was an unreadable emotion in his eyes.
Zhou Cheng stopped in his tracks and did not dare approach any farther.
After seeing how accurately Fu Xianyan spun the wheel, the others all came forward.
“Young sir, could you spin one for me?”
“Could you get me a rabbit too, young sir…?”
The vendor grew frantic, his face flushing red. “No, no! You have to spin it yourself!”
With this man’s accuracy, would he still have a hand left by the end of the day? He might actually die of exhaustion right there at the sugar-painting table.
Qin Qiwu surveyed the surrounding area.
Although Zhou Cheng was currently with them, they still had to find a way to lure the assistant county magistrate out.
Her gaze fell on several beggars not far away.
Qin Qiwu pondered for a moment, then whispered something into Ji Zhaoxi’s ear. Ji Zhaoxi nodded, seeming to understand.
She ran to the depths of the alley, planted her hands on her hips, and shouted in a booming voice, “Get a few people over here!”
“Coming, coming!”
Several beggars hurried over. What major event had happened?
Ji Zhaoxi took out a few pieces of broken silver and placed them in a beggar’s bowl. With a serious expression, she asked, “Are there any others?”
The beggar holding the silver hurried forward. “My lord, there are more of our brothers. Shall I call them over?”
Ji Zhaoxi nodded solemnly.
