No sooner had she set up her stall upon entering the city than a broker from the agency came running over and handed Song Jinzhao eighty taels of silver.
Song Jinzhao tossed the silver onto the table. "I thought he would hold out for another couple of days, until I reported him to the authorities."
The broker said with a bitter smile, "If the Emperor's edict had arrived two days earlier, Provincial Graduate Wang wouldn't have dared to go back on his word."
The Emperor issuing an edict to commend her was an immense honor. As long as Song Jinzhao didn't make any mistakes, no one in Xining City would dare to actively seek trouble with her.
With so many commoners gathered outside the yamen yesterday, everyone in the city now knew that the waterwheel was Song Jinzhao's idea, and that she had even rendered service by capturing Northern Desert bandits.
Song Jinzhao looked up and asked, "Have they found the murderer who killed Wang Shizhang and the other six?"
The broker shook his head. "Someone like Zhao Sandao had a whole heap of enemies; you couldn't count all the people who wanted him dead on ten fingers."
"Most likely, Wang Shizhang just happened to be with them that night and got killed along with them."
The Wang Residence.
Madam Wang was dabbing her tears with a handkerchief. "There hasn't been a single clue about the murderer so far. Shizhang died so tragically."
Provincial Graduate Wang sat in his chair, silent and sullen. In his heart, besides the pain of losing his son, there was also blame for Wang Shizhang.
He blamed him for why he had hired thugs to deal with Song Jinzhao. Now everyone was saying he was the one behind it.
This morning, several students hadn't shown up for lessons, claiming illness and asking for a long leave of absence.
If this continued, he wouldn't be able to stay in Xining City much longer.
Seeing him remain silent, Madam Wang's anger flared up.
"Master, say something."
Provincial Graduate Wang looked up at her, his eyes sunken from a sleepless night.
"What can I do? The county yamen can't find the killer. Even if Shizhang really was killed by Song Jinzhao, without witnesses or material evidence, there's nothing we can do against her."
Watching Provincial Graduate Wang leave with a flick of his sleeve, clearly intending to wash his hands of the matter, Madam Wang recalled what Song Jinzhao had said at the county yamen yesterday.
After a long silence, she quietly instructed her maid, "Send an unfamiliar servant to secretly follow the Master. Report anything unusual to me immediately."
Two days later, the broker came looking for her with a ledger.
"Miss Song, are you still interested in buying that stall on Middle Street? It can be yours now for just one hundred and fifty taels."
"Given that the agency was also at fault for what happened last time, I'll halve the commission for you."
Although Wang Shizhang was dead, the money he owed the gambling den remained.
Yesterday, people from the gambling den came to the Wang residence with the IOU, demanding Provincial Graduate Wang repay his son's debt, which is why the shop price dropped another ten taels.
Song Jinzhao shook her head. "I find the Wang family's shop inauspicious. Are there any others?"
The broker frowned in difficulty. "That's the only shop on Middle Street whose owner is willing to sell. Otherwise, I would have shown it to you that day."
Song Jinzhao said, "It doesn't have to be on Middle Street this time. Any shop on the two nearby streets will do. I'd like one more room than the ones we saw that day, and preferably a slightly larger courtyard too."
The broker quickly flipped open the ledger and began searching.
"There are many more options on the streets before and after Middle Street. These three all fit the bill."
In the afternoon, Song Jinzhao went to look at the three shops and finally settled on a two-story building with a shop front.
It was called a shop front, but it was actually a house built by the roadside.
The two rooms upstairs were originally used by the owners for their own residence. Downstairs, besides the shop front, there was a warehouse and a kitchen.
The courtyard had a ready-made well and a jujube tree.
Song Jinzhao was thoroughly satisfied at first sight.
The broker pointed ahead. "It's only separated from Middle Street by an intersection, but it's only one hundred taels of silver."
"The owners moved to the prefectural city after the New Year to accompany their son's studies. They signed an agency agreement with us, so we can go directly to the county yamen to sign the official red deed."
