Chapter 39
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In Fushui County, the snow-covered city walls extended, and the densely packed houses were blanketed in white snow.
The heavy snowfall had stopped, and occasional snowflakes still drifted down the streets. With the New Year approaching, the people who had been busy all year finally had some free time to spend with their families and buy New Year’s goods.
The bustling long street was packed tightly around a stall, where people were pointing at the baskets full of carps.
“…Indeed, the carp sold here are much larger than ordinary fish.”
“Their heads are almost as big as my two fists.”
“Hey, what are these fish eating to grow so big? Where did you get them?”
“…Give me two of these. The fish meat is delicious, but there are too many bones. I bought one yesterday, and now I want more.”
“I want some too!”
…
“…Have you heard about what happened at Crow’s Beak Ridge?”
White breath rose from people’s mouths and drifted above the long street. The cold wind seeped through the window lattices, and the second floor of the tavern was filled with noisy chatter. Scholars and gentlemen spoke in soft tones, while travelers and merchants from all directions rested here, drinking and warming themselves, sharing tales from their journeys.
A merchant wrapped in a fur coat put down his wine cup and looked at his companion across the table.
“Three months ago, I was doing business in Tongling Town. On my way back, I saw that the county officials and constables were all mobilized, hauling several carts of corpses… I asked some acquaintances in the yamen and learned that there were as many as thirty-four bodies. Can you guess who these people were?”
His statement piqued the interest of the nearby drinkers, who leaned in to listen, and some couldn’t help but ask.
“Come on, tell us, who were they?”
The merchant turned his head, and everyone around looked in this direction, he was clearly enjoying the atmosphere. He held his wine cup, lowered his voice, and said.
“Bandits!”
On the second floor, there were some scholars from the city, as well as merchants and roving warriors who frequently traveled. Most of them despised bandits.
Some people clapped and cheered: “What’s so surprising about a few bandits being killed? It’s better if more of them die.”
A roving warrior with a saber on his back warmed his hands by the fire.
“I thought it was something significant, but it turns out only a few bandits were killed. Most likely, they were taken down by righteous wandering heroes of the Jianghu.”
The merchant, however, kept shaking his head, stood up, and whispered to the surrounding people: “Do you know that these bandits were found completely naked, and their deaths were extremely brutal and horrifying? There was not a single wound on them. When the leader of those mountain bandits, Liu Erlong, was carried off the cart, tsk, tsk, tsk… The whole person was twisted into a knot, with his head turned all the way to his back, as if he had been physically twisted into that state.”
Hiss—
The entire second floor was filled with the sound of people taking a sharp breath.
Someone whispered: “Are there any survivors from the mountain?”
“Definitely not. If you were the killer, would you leave any survivors?” The merchant shrugged and continued: “The yamen officer I know said that it was our county’s Head Constable Zuo who discovered the bodies. Yet, there’s something strange about it—before they died, that group of bandits had just done a bit of business, going down the mountain to rob a place called Lu Family Village. Do you know where that is?”
At these words, everyone was momentarily stunned. Two drinkers by the other window stood up.
“Brother, since you mentioned it, I recall that recently there have been more vendors selling fish and shrimp in the city. They seem to have come from Lu Family Village.”
With that, the conversation opened up, and many people began to agree.
“Yes, there is such a thing. Those fish and shrimp are quite large, with tender and delicious flesh. I even had my wife buy a few more to keep in the tank for entertaining guests during the New Year.”
“Right, right… I also remember something else. I heard that the county’s Chief Registrar Wang accepted a student who seems to be from Lu Family Village as well.”
“If that’s true… then that place must be truly extraordinary.”
On the two long streets separated outside the building.
A carriage rolled through the bustling street, leaving two tracks in the snow. Soon, at the entrance of the Fushui County yamen, Min Changwen, dressed in plain clothes, sent off his elderly wife and went to the side office, pushing open the door with a creak.
The cold wind seeped in, causing the lamp on the long table to flicker.
The old man in the back put down his brush, looked at the arriving county magistrate, and smiled as he stood up. “Why is the county magistrate not staying in the back hall with your wife and daughter? Why come here to keep this old man company?”
“I had nothing to do, so I came to visit Mr. Shuhua.”
Min Changwen came in, shook off the chill from his robe, and sat down opposite the old man, stretching his hands toward the heater to warm them. “By the way, has Mister been out recently? Have you heard any new gossip around the city?”
The old man poured some wine and set it in front of the county magistrate. “No, I haven’t been out. Is there anything new outside?”
“How was the carp we had at my home yesterday?”
Wang Shuhua lifted his wine cup in a toast and nodded. “It was delectable, and the soup was delicious.”
The magistrate smiled, took a sip of the wine, and placed the cup on the table.
“That fish was caught from the river in Lu Family Village and brought to the city for sale. It was indeed very good…” His tone was wistful, then he paused before changing the subject. “Mr. Shuhua you remember what Head Constable Zuo mentioned when he returned from Crow’s Beak Ridge?”
“Of course, I remember.”
The old man furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. “That day, Head Constable Zuo said that those thirty-four bandits who came down the mountain to rob… had no external injuries, and their deaths matched the description of those from Landlord Chen’s household…”
As Wang Shuohua spoke, he paused, his brows furrowing even more. Previously, there had been a case involving some shady activities at Landlord Chen’s household. Among the forty people, including scoundrels disguised as experts and street ruffians who were registered, nine were from Lu Family Village.
Seeing that the old man had stopped speaking, Min Changwen sighed and patted the old man’s hand.
“This Magistate has a deep-seated hatred for evil. Acting chivalrously, one might turn a blind eye to such actions, but since he is Mister’s student, he should follow the right path. Deviating into unorthodox methods would only ruin his natural talent.”
“Does Head Constable Zuo know?” The old man withdrew his hand and took a sip of his wine.
“Not the specific person.”
“We can only speculate.”
“Mister, you should know that when I was an official in the capital, I often dealt with those corrupt officials… Forget it, let’s not dwell on that. There’s another matter, the Lu Family Village is mostly made up of hunters and farmers with little savings. How did Lu Liangsheng learn to read?”
Min Changwen stood up, exhaled a cloud of white breath, rubbed his hands, and moved the official documents from in front of the old man.
“Mister, you’ve been busy lately. Why not visit Lu Family Village to enjoy the snowy scenery on the mountain, write some poetry to relax, and also see how your student is doing on the way?”
The elderly man nodded and smiled.
“Indeed, I’ve been staying here too long. It’s time to move around a bit. I’ll also bring back some fish to supplement the county magistrate’s health.”
“Haha, Mr. Shuhua, you have a good idea. I’m also craving that fish.”
Soon, Min Changwen lent his only carriage to the old man and sent a few officers to accompany him. He also arranged for Head Constable Zuo, who was preparing to leave for He Valley Prefecture after the New Year, to join them. The next morning, they set off westward.
Leaving the city gate and entering the countryside roads, the land was covered in a silver-white blanket, stretching out in a snowy expanse across the distant mountains.
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