Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Chapter 542 The eighteenth night of the first lunar month

The two parted ways after entering Yangmen County.

Meng Changqing walked along the official road towards Beishan County. After passing through the Yangmen County gate, he specifically asked Zhou Xing, "Has anyone been here?"

"They've come or not." Zhou Xing gestured with his chin towards the top of the city wall. "There are always people peeking around."

Meng Changqing asked him, "You must check the things we give you regularly, make sure they don't get damp, and don't put them near the charcoal brazier."

"I know, don't worry."

"Do you remember what I told you?" Meng Changqing asked, still worried.

"I remember, I remember." Zhou Xing said, swaying back and forth while holding the knife: "If you can stop them, stop them; if you can't stop them, fight them; if you can't beat them, run away."

Meng Changqing advised, "Be careful."

"I know, I know." Zhou Xing stepped aside. "You should go back now."

Meanwhile, inside the Liangzhou government office.

The bedroom in the back courtyard.

Liu Dexiang paced back and forth in front of the bed several times before finally stopping in front of the old servant. "Something must have happened to Seventh Brother!"

"Don't worry, sir," Old Lin advised. "Seventh Brother and the others are skilled in martial arts and quick-witted; they'll be fine. Besides, they're from the prefectural government; who would dare to make things difficult for them?"

Liu Dexiang, however, was not as optimistic as him. "It's hard to say, really hard to say. The people who came to gather information haven't returned yet?"

"Not yet, sir. It's still several dozen miles away, and it's dark so we can't see the road clearly. Please be patient and wait a little longer."

Liu Dexiang started spinning around again.

Not many walls separated them, and seeing no outsiders in the courtyard, Xu Xiaoyun quietly slipped into Li Daolang's room. "Lord Xu," Li Daolang greeted him respectfully, though displeased, due to the difference in their official ranks. "What brings you here at this hour, sir?"

Xu Xiaoyun pulled Li Daolang to sit down at the table and whispered, "I have doubts in my mind and I really can't sleep."

Li Daolang didn't really want to hear it, but Xu Xiaoyun insisted on saying, "Don't you think there's something unusual about the relationship between Lord Feng and Prefect Liu?"

“Uh…” Li Daolang said, “This humble official did not notice.”

Xu Xiaoyun asked him, "Registrar Li, after making such a arduous trip to Liangzhou, don't you hope to gain something?"

Li Daolang humbly replied, "This humble official only wishes to assist the two lords in completing the tasks assigned to him."

"Alas!" Xu Xiaoyun sighed, "Since Registrar Li is unwilling to open up to me, then so be it." He got up to leave.

Li Daolang quickly pulled the man back, "Lord Xu, please sit down, please sit down." He intended to remain neutral and couldn't shut Xu Xiaoyun down so quickly, otherwise Xu Xiaoyun would definitely think he was in cahoots with Feng Zhong'an.

Xu Xiaoyun lowered her voice and said, "Prefect Liu poisoned his subordinates. The evidence is right in front of us, but Lord Feng interrupted me and wouldn't let me ask any more questions. Isn't this a clear indication that he's protecting Prefect Liu?"

Li Daolang could only patiently wait it out with him. "If that's the case, why didn't Lord Feng stop you from investigating from the beginning? Now that you've found the poisonous herb, wouldn't that be detrimental to Prefect Liu?"

“Yes, I was just wondering about that,” Xu Xiaoyun said. “Last night someone knocked on Lord Feng’s door. I listened carefully and realized that the person who came to invite him was the old servant surnamed Lin who had been hiding poisonous herbs.”

The servant has confessed, but Lord Feng won't lock him up, saying that since two officials are involved, it's inconvenient for us to investigate. Isn't that old servant an official? Why can't he be locked up?

“Yes.” Li Daolang looked puzzled. “Hearing you say that, I also find this matter strange.”

“That’s not the only strange thing,” Xu Xiaoyun said. “Of the seven counties under Liangzhou, why was Quping County, which has problems, the first one to be investigated? And those local gentry, if they weren’t organized and arranged by someone, how could they have appeared so promptly?”

"You mean, Lord Zeng was framed?"

“That’s not what I meant,” Xu Xiaoyun said, frowning. “The things we’re investigating now are like something someone has already chewed up for us.”