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

Upon hearing this, the nun's legs went weak.

She had only come to collect next month's wages, but as soon as her hand touched the door of the quiet room, she heard Master Wang say from inside, "The granary in Juancheng County now has tens of thousands of strings of cash."

She recognized the voice. Master Wang would come to the nunnery several times a year, and each time he would donate two or three strings of cash for incense oil. He was very generous, so the abbess personally entertained him in the quiet room.

She had initially thought the old benefactor looked kind, but now she realized what lay beneath that kind facade.

This wealthy man, Master Wang, wants to kill Zhang the clerk!

Listen carefully to what they're saying; it seems they're planning a rebellion!

Is this still available?

If the abbess discovers that she overheard this conversation, she will be the first to be silenced!

Should we report this to the authorities?

Both the abbess and Master Wang said that Jian'er was a big shot in the county government!

Reporting it to the authorities would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

The nun became increasingly flustered and subconsciously took a step back, her heel bumping into a flowerpot with a soft sound.

She froze, covering her mouth tightly with both hands, pressing a white mark onto her lips.

The quiet room suddenly fell silent.

The voice that had been speaking softly just moments before seemed to have been cut off with a knife. She could hear her own heartbeat, each beat loud as a drum.

Jingchen's voice came through the door, cold as a Buddha surveying all beings, "What's that noise?"

The old nun's lips trembled twice, and a hoarse old raccoon's cry came from her throat.

The old cat's meow was hoarse, with the last syllable falling downwards.

She lived in the nunnery for over thirty years. Because of its remote location and the abundance of grain in the backyard, it was often infested with mice, which would attract an old cat to hunt them.

She can learn to call it "spring" in spring, "food" in summer, and "baby" in autumn.

She called out again, this time drawing out the last syllable, carrying a hint of the old cat's impatience at being startled.

Inside the quiet room, Master Wang said something in a very low voice, which the nun couldn't hear. But then Qing Jingchen replied, "It's the stray cat from the backyard," and the two continued talking.

The nun waited two breaths to make sure they didn't come out to check before backing up against the wall to her own place, her steps as light as an old cat.

The nun sat on the edge of the bed to compose herself. Suddenly, she remembered that her nephew had mentioned Zhang Yashi. So she asked the incense burner for leave, saying that her grandnephew had had a seizure, and ran to Jinshi Lane in a flash...

After hearing what she said, Zhang Sanlang sat on the stone stool for a long time without moving.

The coffin lid gleamed grayish-white in the lantern light, and the unpainted coffin was positioned directly in the direction where the nun was sitting.

Every time her gaze accidentally swept over it, she would quickly look away, move to the paper shed, and then quickly look back, until finally she could only stare at the pair of fingers on her knees, twisted so tightly they looked like little clubs.

Zhang Sanlang stared at her expressionlessly. "We're complete strangers, yet you risked coming to warn us. Speak, what do you want?"

The nun raised her head.

A flicker of expectation suddenly appeared on her ashen, fearful face.

She moved her lips twice before she managed an awkward laugh.

The smile was unpleasant; the corners of her mouth were turned up, but the flesh on her cheekbones sagged, as if someone was pulling her old face apart. "Zhang, this old woman just wants to live, to live another fifty years."

Zhang Sanlang raised his eyelids. "Since they haven't discovered you, there's no question of saving your life. You've been a servant at Yongning Nunnery for decades. If Jingchen falls, what benefits do you want? You'd better speak frankly."

The nun's embarrassed expression finally gave way.

She swallowed hard, making several gurgling sounds before finally managing to squeeze out the words, "Zhang Yashi, you truly have discerning eyes... eyes as bright as a lamp... eyes as fiery as a flame..."

She blinked twice, then gave up on being pretentious. "This old woman's little schemes are like moths under the lamp in front of you; they're exposed the moment they flutter."

Zhang Sanlang frowned as he listened, but ultimately did not interrupt her.

Seeing his pale face, the nun felt even more uncertain.

She swallowed again, her voice lower and faster than before, "This old woman isn't greedy. Just two things, clerk, listen to them. If you don't think they're appropriate, just pretend this old woman farted."

She held up her first finger. It was short and thick, with cracked knuckles all over.

"When I was young, my family was poor. I had only been married for two years when my husband died of an epidemic. My mother-in-law thought I was bad luck, so she used a stick to drive me to work as a servant in a nunnery, and my household registration was also attached to the nunnery."

"If Jingchen falls, this old woman wants to be released from her registration. After that, she won't be under the abbess's control anymore, and can move to the east of the city to live with her nephew's family and do some small business at the docks. Please, clerk, issue this old woman a release certificate."

Zhang Sanlang nodded.

Issuing deregistration documents is a routine matter for the household registration office, and it takes him no effort at all.

Seeing Zhang Sanlang nod, she beamed with joy, leaned forward, and her eyes shone brightly in the lantern light, almost eerily, as she quickly extended her second finger.

"That old nun Jingchen, don't be fooled by her usual gray robes and shaved head. She actually hides a lot of gold, silver and valuables in her meditation room. She keeps more than half of the donations from worshippers in a secret place."

"The old woman stumbled upon it by chance and knows where the things are. If the authorities arrest her, the old woman can lead the way to search."

She paused here, secretly glancing at Zhang Sanlang.

Seeing that the other party still had that indifferent expression, she felt a little uneasy and quickly added another sentence. This time, even her voice changed, sounding like she was begging for mercy with a hint of crying.

"Whatever they find, this old woman doesn't ask for much, just fifty strings of cash. Fifty strings will do! At this age, I don't crave great wealth or status, I just want a decent coffin!"

"Use the rest as capital to start a small business, and then we can support ourselves without having to be at the mercy of others. Zhang, this old woman has been at the mercy of others all these years; I want to live with my head held high for a few more days in my old age. What do you think?"

Zhang Sanlang did not answer immediately.

The nun warned him that she knew about the entire conspiracy between Master Wang and Jingchen, but he had no authority to deal with the two people directly.

Master Wang was a local gentry, holding the title of "Master Wang," and not someone a mere clerk could easily manipulate. Without concrete evidence, even Li Hang couldn't succeed!

Jingchen was the abbess of a nunnery under the jurisdiction of the Monastic Administration Office of the prefecture. Even if a criminal case occurred, Magistrate Li would have to issue a document to the prefectural government, and the Monastic Administration Office would send someone to conduct a preliminary investigation.

Moreover, the two had Feng Jian backing them up in the county government, so the old woman's words were just empty words and unreliable. If they acted rashly, they would not only fail to catch them, but also alert the enemy and might even be falsely accused.

He stared at the nun for a moment, then suddenly stood up.

Thinking he was about to leave, the nun hurriedly stood up as well, her hands clenching even tighter.

"The deregistration document is easy to obtain. As for the items found, according to government regulations, those who report them will be rewarded with money. Fifty strings of cash is too much; the higher-ups will definitely not approve it."

The old woman's smirk froze. She blinked twice. "Well... thirty strings of cash will do... uh, twenty-five strings will do too... or you can name a number, clerk, and this old woman will never argue."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at her and suddenly felt that she looked somewhat familiar.

She had just asked for fifty strings of cash, but in the blink of an eye she cut it down to twenty-five strings.

Greed is real, and so is cowardice.

"Here's what we'll do. This incense and candle shop also sells coffins. I'll give you a good wooden board privately afterwards. As for the reward, I'll give you twenty strings of cash, and I'll make up the difference if you're short."

The nun nodded hurriedly, her head bobbing rapidly, "Zhang Yashi, it's your decision. It's your decision..."

Zhang Sanlang stared at her solemnly. "Also, your testimony alone is not enough to prove anything. Therefore, I can only prepare some methods in advance so that we can capture you alive when that Master Wang makes his move."

"In this way, we will have irrefutable evidence to eliminate the old nun Jingchen in one fell swoop. Before that, you must not leak the news, lest you bring disaster upon yourself."

Seeing her fussing over her hair, Zhang Sanlang's eyelids twitched. "By the way, what's your surname?"

The old woman chuckled, revealing half a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Reporting to Clerk Zhang, this old woman's maiden name is Fang..."