Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

Sun Xianrong was filled with regret, but having been in officialdom for so long, he was also capable of being flexible and adaptable. At this moment, he immediately changed his expression and smiled.

"Lord Fang, it's a misunderstanding. I was just following orders from my superior to protect the crime scene at the Chu residence."

In the heat of the moment, I acted impulsively; it was not intentional that I offended the supervisor.

Lord Fang is a magnanimous person, please don't take it to heart.

This means they've given up.

Fang Zheng ignored the other party, as he already knew the resumes and backgrounds of all the officials in Yongqing County.

Sun Xianrong and County Magistrate Zhu Tianhua are in the same boat; they are enemies, not friends, so there's no need for them to give each other any face.

Lu Zhengfeng had already made it clear to Fang Zheng that this appointment was intended to send a signal to the officialdom of Yongqing County.

The supervisor is not to be trifled with!

Supervisory officials must not be murdered!

Fang Zheng's infiltration of the Chu residence to investigate the case, including his rudeness towards Sun Xianrong, was a form of demonstration.

The purpose is to throw those with guilty consciences off balance.

This could leave clues and flaws.

With the enemy in the dark and us in the light, it's the perfect time to stir up trouble and alert them.

Sun Xianrong apologized repeatedly, but seeing that Fang Zheng remained unmoved, his smile froze for a moment before he quickly recovered and said through gritted teeth, "I will host a banquet at Zuixianlou Restaurant in the county tonight to apologize. I hope Lord Fang will be lenient."

Zuixianlou was the most extravagant place in Yongqing County, a place of decadent pleasures and revelry.

A meal like that would probably cost several dozen taels of silver.

Although Fang Zheng was a native of Yongqing County, he did not have the means to go to Zuixianlou for drinks.

Upon hearing this, his expression shifted slightly. He neither immediately refused nor agreed, but simply nodded and turned to leave the Chu residence with Guan Tieyi.

Sun Xianrong bowed with a smile on his face, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and only slowly straightened up after Fang Zheng and Guan Tieyi had completely disappeared from sight.

As soon as he straightened his back, the smile on his face vanished. He opened his mouth to curse, but swallowed the words back down.

Standing beside him were Officer Chen and several constables, none of whom were reliable.

He clenched his teeth, his cheeks taut, and finally squeezed out a sentence through his teeth.

His voice wasn't loud, but it deliberately carried a hint of praise: "This young Master Fang is truly a rising star in Yongqing County!"

The constables lowered their heads, none of them daring to speak.

Officer Chen stood to the side, his eyelids lowered, staring at the tips of his boots.

He didn't say anything, but he was already secretly applauding Fang Zheng in his heart.

He admired Fang Zheng when he was fighting tigers before, and today's performance has broadened his horizons even more.

A ninth-rank inspector forced an eighth-rank clerk to smile obsequiously and admit defeat, not daring to utter a single harsh word.

This sharp spirit is out of place in the dull officialdom of Yongqing County, but it is truly gratifying!

........

Walking down the street, Guan Tieyi couldn't help but ask, "Brother, why did you agree to go out to dinner with Sun Xianrong?"

Fang Zheng smiled slightly. Guan Tieyi was highly skilled in martial arts and had a straightforward personality, but he was only mediocre when it came to solving cases.

He explained, "Brother Guan, I have already applied to Lord Lü that the first person we need to investigate is Sun Xianrong."

The case file of Lord Chu's murder was written by this person.

However, the contents of the dossier were too simplistic and lacked substance, indicating that Sun Xianrong must have tampered with it.

Tonight I'm going to a banquet, and I'll test Sun Xianrong's mettle once again.

If there is nothing amiss, he will be taken down and interrogated after the meal.

At this point, a mysterious smile appeared on Fang Zheng's face.

"Furthermore, I've heard that the top courtesan of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion will be making her debut tonight, and there's bound to be a fierce battle between them."

Guan Tieyi looked puzzled, but didn't ask any further questions.

"Come on, Brother Guan, let's go to the county government office. I need to look at the case files from the past few years."

Fang Zheng and Guan Tieyi walked side by side into the county government archives.

The warehouse was small, with wooden shelves on all four walls reaching the ceiling, stacked with rows of yellowed files.

Fang Zheng explained his purpose, and the yamen runner in charge of the treasury quickly brought out the case files of major cases from the past few years.

A major case is one in which someone dies.

Fang Zheng did not explain what he was looking for, but he knew in his heart that the case Chu Tiankuo had been investigating before his death must be extraordinary.

The fact that the mastermind behind the scenes could be driven to kill a mere eighth-rank official could not possibly be a trivial matter; it was most likely a major case involving human life.

He rolled up his sleeves and began to look through them.

His photographic memory came in very handy at this moment; he turned the page after glancing at it once.

Guan Tieyi sat beside him, watching with awe.

After flipping through a large stack of files, Fang Zheng stopped.

The recorder of these files was Sun Xianrong.

This clerk, who was ranked eighth rank, had a skillful writing style and rigorous logic. He wrote about the witnesses, physical evidence, and the basis for the judgment in each case in a clear and organized manner.

After reviewing several cases, Fang Zheng could not find any obvious flaws.

But the more this is the case, the more glaring the case file of Chu Tiankuo's murder becomes.

That manuscript was written perfunctorily and carelessly, with contradictions, as if it were rushed out of production.

This is completely different from Sun Xianrong's usual rigorous style.

Fang Zheng closed the last file, already having made up his mind.

Sun Xianrong must have tampered with Chu Tiankuo's case.

"Bring over the case file of He Tingtao's family massacre," Fang Zheng said to the yamen runner.

He Tingtao, the owner of Xixinzhai, had his entire family murdered half a year ago, and the case remains unsolved.

This was a case that Fang Zheng noticed from his resume file. The entire He family was wiped out, which was extremely heinous, and therefore Fang Zheng was most concerned about it.

Unexpectedly, the constable's expression changed, and he lowered his head, stammering, "Sir, that box of files was burned in a fire about two months ago."

"Was it burned?"

Seeing the trembling constables, Guan Tieyi stood up, his anger turning into a mocking laugh. "Are you trying to fool me?"

The constable, with an honest-looking face, quickly waved his hand and said with a forced smile, "Your Honor is right, it was indeed an accident."

Not only the He family's files, but several boxes on that shelf were also burned.

Clerk Sun was even fined for this.

Guan Tieyi wanted to say something more, but Fang Zheng raised his hand to stop him.

He smirked slightly and said casually, "The fire involving the files is a serious dereliction of duty; a salary fine alone wouldn't be enough."

His mind was as clear as a mirror.

Of all the cases in the county, it just so happens that the He family's files were burned. What a coincidence!

This actually shows that there are indeed problems with the Ho family massacre case, and that it hits the mastermind's sore spot.

They probably thought that cutting off this lead would make this unsolved case even more difficult to solve.

But in reality, it backfired.

This not only confirmed Fang Zheng's suspicions but also gave him an excellent reason to arrest Sun Xianrong.

Moreover, without the files, what can Fangzheng do?

That's not necessarily true.

He patted the hem of his robe, turned around and walked out: "Brother Guan, come with me to the He family's old residence in the west of the city."

Guan Tieyi paused for a moment, then strode after him.

Behind him, the yamen runner stood at the entrance of the archives, wiped the sweat from his brow, and jogged off in another direction.

........