Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

As Old Sun spoke, he shook his head, as if he were sighing for Old Shi. "The Liu family father and son are both ruthless and unruly. You must have heard of the name 'Dung Spoon Liu'. He usually walks around the streets like a madman, and no one dares to mess with him."

"Old Shi is just a vegetable grower, how can he afford to waste time with them? After thinking it over, he wants you to step in and mediate. You're a clerk in the county government, your word is more effective than Old Shi running himself ragged."

After listening, Zhang Sanlang shook his head and smiled bitterly, a slow smile spreading across his lips. "Uncle Sun, you should tell the Shi family that I can't help with this. Who manages which alleys on the street is their trade's unwritten rule."

"As the clerk of the Household Department, it is inconvenient for me to interfere in such matters. Even if I were to go to Clerk Yan for this, the favor I would owe is not much, so it's not worth it, is it? Please politely decline his request."

"Furthermore, Uncle Sun, we've known each other for a long time, so please forgive my bluntness, but in the future, please try not to get involved in these matters. They're troublesome and tedious. You should enjoy your retirement more."

Seeing his resolute attitude and realizing that Zhang Sanlang's words made sense, Old Sun had no choice but to agree, "Alright, I'll give him a reply later. But then again, it's only a matter of five strings of cash, it's really inconvenient for you to owe him a favor."

He stood up, dusted off his trousers, nodded to Zhang Sanlang, and said, "Sanlang, you rest now, I'll head back..."

When Old Sun returned home, Little Sun Ce was squatting on the porch watching ants carry food. Qing Ge'er was also squatting beside him, holding a blade of grass in his hand and poking the ground idly.

The ant column was interrupted by a blade of grass, scattered for a moment, then regrouped and formed a new line. Little Sun Ce looked up and saw Old Sun returning, called out "Weng Weng," and abandoned the ant column to run over.

He ran up to Old Sun and looked up at him, asking, "Grandpa, what did you want to talk to Uncle Zhang about?"

Old Sun bent down and patted his grandson's head. "Your Uncle Zhang San is quite arrogant these days. He even complains about the trouble of asking for help. I promised Old Shi, so what am I going to say back? Sigh..."

Little Sun Ce tilted his head and thought for a moment, seemingly not quite understanding. He suddenly turned and ran towards the small gate, shouting as he ran, "Qing-ge'er! The ants in that nest under your yard wall are carrying bigger bugs than those over here!"

Upon hearing this, Qingge jumped up, dusted off his knees, and ran after him.

Two small figures slipped through the small door one after the other. The door shook twice and then creaked shut.

Old Sun stood there, looking at the small door that was still swaying slightly, and snorted.

I don't know if he was humming at those two brats or at the comment he made earlier that "they have quite the airs."

He picked up a palm-leaf fan from the table, sat down on a bamboo chair in the corridor, and slowly fanned himself. The fan created a breeze that made his gray hair and beard stand up slightly.

Zhang Sanlang squinted and glanced at the small door, his expression somewhat unnatural.

Old Sun is definitely getting a bit cocky.

But that's only human nature.

Old Sun used to work as a porter at the docks year after year. Everyone knew he was a lonely old man, so naturally few people wanted to give him a second glance.

The Liu family, who also worked as porters at the dock, took some care of him, and the old man remembered them well.

After Sun Jizu returned, his status rose accordingly. Regardless of his motives, he took it upon himself to hire the Liu family, and they moved into the Sun residence in a neat and orderly manner.

This can be considered repaying a debt of gratitude, so it's not considered excessive.

Just a few months later, Zhang Sanlang heard from Sun Jizu that the old man had nothing to do now and was gradually becoming a busybody.

Because of his status as an old man, he would occasionally help mediate disputes among neighbors and meddle in other people's family affairs.

Sun Jizu tried to persuade him several times, but he was scolded mercilessly as soon as he started, so he had no choice but to let him be.

Upon hearing about the dispute over the cesspool, Zhang Sanlang immediately understood that the old man must have taken on all the responsibility.

Old people are like children, and young people are like children.

He couldn't possibly owe anyone a favor over such a trivial matter, so his direct refusal was meant to let the old man calm down.

However, Zhang Sanlang did not expect that he still could not avoid the matter of the cesspool!

The next morning, Zhang Sanlang was processing documents in the household office. Just as the ink touched the paper, a series of hurried footsteps burst in from outside the door.

When Xu Fang stepped across the threshold, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his sleeves were rolled up to his forearms. He didn't stop as soon as he entered, but went straight to the desk, put his hands on the edge of the desk, and his voice carried a restlessness that came from being exposed to the sun.

"Zhang, a murder has occurred in the north of the city. Two porters were cleaning a latrine when they discovered a body. General Wang is guarding the area, preventing anyone from getting close."

Zhang Sanlang was startled upon hearing this, "North of the city?"

Xu Fang nodded: "Yes. The porters noticed something was wrong while shoveling latrines, so they called the patrol archers. Wang Shi, who was in charge, examined it and confirmed it was a corpse. He then sent someone back to report to the county magistrate's office and the criminal investigation department."

Zhang Sanlang didn't ask any further questions. He walked around the desk and headed outside. "Go back to Jinshi Lane quickly and bring Lu Qiucheng with you. Magistrate Sun and I will be waiting for you outside the ceremonial gate."

Xu Fang responded and turned to run outside.

When Zhang Sanlang arrived at the county magistrate's office, Sun Jizu had already packed his belongings. "Are you going too? Where's the coroner?"

"I sent Xu Fang to fetch Lu Qiucheng," Zhang Sanlang said hurriedly. "We also need to bring someone to the interrogation room to take statements. When I came over, I sent Tingzi to fetch Fang Zhong'an. I'm in charge of the interrogation room, but I haven't handled a murder case yet, so I need to go and take a look this time."

Sun Jizu nodded. "I'll take eight archers. Wang Shijiang has already sealed off the area, so with his men, that should be enough. Is there anything else we need to prepare?"

Zhang Sanlang thought for a moment: "We need to prepare a coffin for storing the body. If the examination confirms it's a murder, the body must be moved. If it can't be moved immediately, we need to find a place to store it."

"In addition, in places like cesspools, corpses have been soaking for who knows how many days. Once they are pulled out, they cannot be examined closely. We need to prepare buckets and old cloths."

Upon hearing this, Sun Jizu called out towards the door, "Liu San!"

A servant quickly ran down the corridor and stood at the door, bowing.

Sun Jizu instructed: "Go to the workshop to get a thin-skinned coffin, put it on a mule cart, and also take four buckets, a bundle of coarse hemp rope, and a bolt of old hemp cloth. Go quickly, don't dawdle."

Liu San responded and ran off.

Sun Jizu turned to Zhang Sanlang: "Let's go, let's wait for them outside the ceremonial gate."

The two left the county magistrate's office, passed through the main hall, and stood still inside the ceremonial gate. The bright sunlight slanted in from above the lintel, casting short, solid shadows on the blue brick floor.

Before long, Xu Fang arrived first. Behind him was Lu Qiucheng, who carried an old wooden box on his shoulder, the edges of which were covered with sheet metal and worn shiny.

He walked to the inside of the ceremonial gate and stood still. Without saying much, he nodded to Zhang Sanlang and then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Sun Jizu.

Following closely behind was Fang Zhong'an, slightly out of breath, with a stack of blank papers tucked under his arm. "Zhang, the clerk; Sun, the county magistrate, I've brought the blank examination papers and the record sheets."

Sun Jizu glanced at the assembled people, then gestured with his chin towards the ceremonial gate: "Let's go."