Wife is hell

Chapter 43 Where did my apprentice go?
Jiang Mu arrived at the patrol office as quickly as possible. With the token given to him by Tang Jinxian, he passed through without any obstacles and entered the inner courtyard where the chief resided.

As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they were met by Xiuxiu, Tang Jinxian's personal maid.

"Lord Mu, are you here to see the Chief Clerk?"

Xiuxiu knew that the young man in front of her was a favorite of her master, so she spoke very politely.

Jiang Mu nodded:

"Miss Xiuxiu, please inform the Master that I have something important to discuss with her."

Xiuxiu looked apologetic and shook her head, saying:
"Unfortunately, Officer Mu. The Chief Clerk went out yesterday and is not here at the moment."

"She went out? Where did she go?" Jiang Mu's heart sank.

"I am not aware of your whereabouts, sir."

"When will she be able to come back?"

"Well... it's hard to say for sure, but the earliest it will probably be is tomorrow."

Jiang Mu was very disappointed after hearing this.

This woman never goes out early or late, but she's absent precisely at this crucial moment.

Seeing his anxious expression, Xiuxiu said softly, "If it's convenient for you, Master Mu, you can leave a letter. When the Chief Inspector returns, I will deliver it to him as soon as possible."

Jiang Mu had no time to wait for correspondence. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Since the Chief Clerk is not here, who is in charge of the yamen now?"

"This one……"

Xiuxiu pursed her lips, lowered her gaze, and did not answer.

Jiang Mu realized he had asked a stupid question.

With Tang Jinxian gone, the only one left in charge is naturally the deputy head, Yu Zhengqing.

Knowing that someone was about to die and that Shi Baolu was still in prison with an unknown situation, Jiang Mu didn't care about anything else. After asking Yu Zhengqing about the location of the courtyard where he usually handled official business, he went straight there.

Just as I reached the door, I was stopped by someone.

The other person was in his early forties, with a fair complexion, no beard, and well-maintained appearance.

It was Huang Kezi, the head of the Fifth Hall.

He was Yu Zhengqing's confidant.

"Hey, aren't you that...that stupid constable?"

Huang Kezi frowned and looked Jiang Mu up and down. "What are you doing here? Manager Tang is in the east courtyard. You must have come to the wrong place."

Jiang Mu cupped his hands and said, "Hall Master Huang, could you please inform him that I have important matters to discuss with the Chief?"

Huang Kezi still harbored resentment over Jiang Mu's humiliation of him in front of everyone last time, and upon hearing this, he sneered:
"You, a mere yamen runner, dare to barge in and request an audience with the magistrate? Who do you think you are? Do you think the yamen patrol office is your private vegetable garden, where you can come and go as you please?"

Jiang Mu's gaze turned cold as she stared directly at him:
"Master Huang, I do have an urgent matter concerning the truth behind Young Master Yang's death that I must report to the Chief in person. It is of great importance, so please inform him immediately!"

"Young Master Yang?"

Huang Kezi was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized, and a mocking smile appeared on his face.

"I remember now, that murderer who was caught, didn't he live right next door to you? What, are you coming to our Manager Yu to beg for leniency?"

His face suddenly darkened, and he said coldly:
"Mu Jiang, don't think that just because you've latched onto Chief Tang, you've forgotten your own limitations. The laws of the Great Qian Dynasty are strict; murderers must pay with their lives—it's a matter of course! How can you think you can bend the law and act for personal gain just because of a few connections?!"

Jiang Mu was speechless.

At this moment, he was too lazy to waste words with this bureaucratic idiot who was only interested in making things difficult for him, and said coldly:
"Tell Manager Yu that the murderer who killed his brother-in-law was not Shi Baolu, but a spirit."

Yan Feng, who died six days ago, and Young Master Yang, who died three days ago, were both killed by the same spiritual entity. And today, at dusk, another person will die, and their eyes will be gouged out.

As for who will die, I cannot guess.

But this person definitely knows or is connected to Young Master Yang… You'd better investigate.”

After saying that, Jiang Mu ignored the other person and turned to leave.

Huang Kezi frowned, looked at the other person's back and sneered, "What nonsense is this? Is the kid sick?"

……

As Jiang Mu walked out of the police station, Shi Yuhuan, who had been anxiously waiting outside, rushed forward to greet him, her beautiful eyes filled with inquiry.

Jiang Mu shook his head and said:

"With Chief Clerk Tang out, we can't count on anyone else. Let's go to the county government office now and see if we can persuade the magistrate. As for preventing the next victim... I'm afraid it's too late."

The number of victims is too large; even if the local police or county government mobilizes everyone to investigate, it will be difficult to save them. In short, according to the cursed butterfly's pattern, someone is destined to die today at 5 PM.

Jiang Mu didn't care who died.

He now has only two objectives.

First, we must rescue Shi Baolu, who has been wrongly accused, as soon as possible.

Secondly, they used the power of the patrol office to investigate and trace the origin of the severed hands.

From my senior sister's natal magic weapon to my wife's severed hand...

Jiang Mu vaguely sensed that the truth behind the calamity in the Xuanming Realm might be entangled in this very line.

……

In front of the county government office.

When Shi Xueying saw her master come out, she quickly stepped forward and asked:

"Master, what did the county magistrate say?"

Ever since her younger brother's accident, she has placed all her hopes on her master.

In her view, her master, as an elder of Divine Phoenix Island, held a prestigious position and had extensive connections, so he must have the ability to rescue her younger brother.

This is far more reliable than my eldest sister's desperate attempt to find a cure by placing her hopes on Mu Jiang.

Unfortunately, her senior sister Jiang Zhenzhen suddenly disappeared.

The master had focused all his attention on finding his beloved disciple, and had previously only given verbal evasions and delays regarding her request to save her younger brother.

Fortunately, after her persistent pleas, her master finally agreed to take the time to personally come to the county government office to plead for her brother.

"The case is closed; there's nothing we can do."

Zhao Ling's first words sent Shi Xueying's heart sinking to the bottom.

Undeterred, she pleaded, her voice trembling with tears:

“Master, my brother is simple-minded and honest; he would never kill someone. There must be some misunderstanding. Could you... could you speak to the magistrate again and ask him to reinvestigate?”

Zhao Ling was very impatient.

Her beloved disciple's disappearance was already making her very upset, and now this newly accepted disciple was bothering her with these mundane matters.

If it weren't for cherishing Shi Xueying's talent and fearing it would damage the master-disciple relationship and affect her future cultivation, she wouldn't have bothered coming to the county government office.

Zhao Ling suppressed her irritation and sighed:

"Xueying, it's not that your master doesn't want to help you. Right now, we have both witnesses and physical evidence, and the perpetrator is your brother. This case has a terrible impact, and it's said that it has already been reported to the Ministry of Justice for record-keeping."

The laws of the Great Qian Dynasty are strict and the principles of discipline are paramount; how can they be arbitrarily changed for personal reasons?
At most, I can only ask the county magistrate, based on personal considerations, not to mistreat your brother in prison and to let him suffer less inside.

As for the rest... alas, Master truly cannot help.

Zhao Ling's words are somewhat hypocritical.

After all, she had murderous intent toward Jiang Mu in the carriage that day, and she didn't take the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty seriously.

She was unwilling to save anyone at the moment simply because she had learned that Shi Baolu had killed the brother-in-law of the deputy head of the patrol office.

She dared not provoke such a powerful figure.

Shi Xueying's face turned ashen.

Is... my brother really beyond saving?
Zhao Ling ignored her and turned to Wen Yu, who was standing to the side, and asked, "Yu'er, are you sure you didn't see your senior sister that day?"

“Master, I did not see Senior Sister that day.”

Wen Yu spoke, but felt uneasy inside.

He dared not say that his senior sister had disappeared while looking for Jiang Mu in order to avenge him.

Although he didn't think his senior sister's disappearance was related to Jiang Mu, it involved him after all, so naturally he wanted to distance himself as much as possible at this time.

Zhao Ling's mood worsened.

Where on earth did my disciple go?
Recalling Master Wenhe's admonition, a shadow fell over her heart.

Could it be that they were kidnapped by remnants of the Spirit Cult?

Just then, Jiang Mu and Shi Yuhua arrived at the county government office.

(End of this chapter)