"Who dares lay hands on this official?!"
An arrow whizzed past Zhao Zhi's ear, so close he felt Death himself had brushed shoulders with him. Instantly, fury ignited within him.
"Your ancestor does."
Shen Qingping tightened his reins, gazing at Zhao Zhi as if the man were already dead. "Who the hell do you think you are, daring to arbitrarily punish a scholar with official merit?"
"What blind fool dares speak to this official of Qingshui County in such a manner?!"
No sooner had Zhao Zhi finished speaking than Shen Qingping dismounted in one fluid motion. He strode forward, planting one long leg squarely on the table before Zhao Zhi.
A high-ranking official in his thirties, his every expression radiated unchecked arrogance.
"This official arrives in Qingshui County by imperial decree to investigate the Zheng Fang case. Now tell me—who do you think I am?"
Recalling the news that had reached Qingshui County just yesterday, Zhao Zhi trembled. How could they have arrived so quickly?
"You... you’re... Young Master Shen?" Zhao Zhi stammered.
"Your worthless eyes have earned a temporary reprieve."
Shen Qingping extended a pale, slender hand, gripping Zhao Zhi’s head and forcing him to look toward Song Shihuan, who still sat atop her horse:
"Now tell me—is she your ancestor?"
Thud—
The sound of knees hitting the ground echoed. Zhao Zhi felt as if the coffin lids of his ancestors were about to burst open.
"Zhao Zhi, Magistrate of Qingshui County, pays respects to Her Highness the Princess of Fu’an. May the Princess live in eternal peace."
The visitor was actually a royal princess!
In an instant, the crowd dropped to their knees in a wave of obeisance.
"Rise."
Song Shihuan, carefully helped down from her horse by Shen Qingping, addressed the crowd.
"Today, we were unaware of Your Highness and Young Master Shen’s arrival in Qingshui County and failed to welcome you properly. We beg Your Highness’s forgiveness." Zhao Zhi still couldn’t fathom how these two towering figures had arrived so swiftly.
He had planned to force Zheng Fang’s confession before they showed up.
"Forgiveness?"
Song Shihuan smiled, her demeanor as gentle as any young maiden’s, easing the tension in Zhao Zhi’s heart slightly.
But the next moment, her voice cut through the air again:
"Has Zheng Fang been whipped?"
"If he has, you’ll be the one rotting in a cell."
"No, absolutely not!" Zhao Zhi shook his head frantically, like a rattle-drum.
Thank heavens he hadn’t.
......
The county office.
Song Shihuan sat in the highest seat, Shen Qingping slightly to the side, while Zhao Zhi... didn’t dare sit at all, standing nervously beside Shen Qingping instead.
"Explain. What’s the story with this case?"
Shen Qingping turned to Zhao Zhi, his gaze sharp. From the moment Zhao Zhi had called him a "blind fool," he’d marked the man in his mental ledger.
"What, do you need the Princess to personally invite you to speak?"
"I... this humble official..." Zhao Zhi scurried to the spot where prisoners usually stood. "Ten days ago, Zheng Fang assaulted Wang Dazhu’s wife. But Wang Dazhu stumbled upon them, so Zheng Fang killed both Wang Dazhu and his wife with a knife. Qingshui County hasn’t seen such a heinous crime in years. To calm the people, this official had to close the case swiftly."
"Who’s Wang Dazhu?"
"A butcher from the north side of town."
"And where did Zheng Fang assault Wang Dazhu’s wife?" Shen Qingping’s temple twitched at the mention of Wang Dazhu’s profession.
What an idiot.
"By the Mi River. She was washing clothes at the time."
"Day or night?" Shen Qingping interrogated Zhao Zhi like a criminal.
"Dusk. Wang Dazhu returned home after selling pork and found his wife missing. He went looking immediately and caught them in the act."
Once Zhao Zhi finished, Shen Qingping glanced at Song Shihuan:
"Princess, this dog of a magistrate is too stupid for words."
Instantly, Zhao Zhi flushed red with humiliation.
"Zhao Zhi." Song Shihuan flipped through the case files, and at her first word, Zhao Zhi dropped to his knees again—not out of fear for her, but for her father.
The Prince of Qin, a name that commanded awe throughout Ji'an Prefecture.
"Are you suggesting that Zheng Fang, a scholar who couldn’t overpower a chicken, single-handedly killed a burly butcher and his wife?"
"Well... Zheng Fang did have a knife." The thought had never crossed Zhao Zhi’s mind.
"True."
Song Shihuan nodded, then smiled sweetly at Zhao Zhi, her almond eyes curving:
"Wang Dazhu and his wife must’ve been very close. The moment he didn’t find her at home, he rushed out to search—and somehow knew exactly where to find her washing clothes by the Mi River."
A flicker of doubt surfaced in Zhao Zhi’s eyes.
Wang Dazhu and his wife... hadn’t actually been that affectionate.
"According to the case files, by the time your men arrived, Zheng Fang had already killed the couple. Zheng Fang denies the crime, and the murder weapon is missing. So how did you piece together such a detailed account of events?"
"There was a witness..." Zhao Zhi’s voice lacked conviction.
"Let me guess—this witness is either Zheng Fang’s relative or a family member of one of this year’s provincial exam candidates?"
Shen Qingping’s smile was icy, sending a chill down Zhao Zhi’s spine.
Damn it.
Not only was the witness Zheng Fang’s relative, but also the family of an exam candidate.
And... the county magistrate’s own relative.
......
"Ow—!"
In the courtyard of the county office, Zhao Zhi was pinned to a wooden bench as bamboo rods struck his lower back and buttocks. Tears streamed from his eyes from the pain.
"Put some strength into it! No need to worry about retaliation—this fool might not even keep his official hat." Shen Qingping lounged nearby, thoroughly amused. "Can’t even solve a simple case. You’d be useless even as a farmer."
"This humble official admits his wrongs! This humble official admits his wrongs!"
"If a mere apology could spare punishment, what’s the point of the Great Qi’s laws?" Shen Qingping’s expression turned frosty. "Keep hitting him."
A local official who failed to protect a local scholar? Clearly, he was colluding with the witness, bending the law for personal gain.
Meanwhile...
"Yue Qing, re-examine the bodies of Wang Dazhu and his wife. The earlier autopsy report is... questionable."
Song Shihuan frowned at the vague wording in the report. It seemed Zheng Fang had been framed.
"At once, Your Highness."
Yue Qing bowed before following guards to the mortuary.
"Princess, you sent Yue Qing to inspect the bodies?" Shen Qingping recalled their earlier encounter. "Good call. I just looked into that so-called witness—she’s quite the character."
"Zheng Fang’s paternal aunt."
"Her own son took three attempts to pass the county-level exams. After three more years of preparation, he’s trying the provincial exams this year."
A mocking smirk played on Shen Qingping’s lips. "And this witness? Married to none other than our dear Magistrate Zhao’s younger brother."
"No wonder."
Song Shihuan’s voice dripped with icy disdain. "What a shame."
"Indeed. Zheng Fang’s luck is rotten—on the eve of the provincial exams, framed for this atrocity. His chances are ruined."
Shen Qingping cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp in the air. "But we’re here to settle scores for him."
Since the Prince of Qin saw promise in Zheng Fang...
Shen Qingping would make sure justice was served—brutally.
