The constables under Han Sheng surrounded him, chattering noisily.
“Chief, where’d this young lady come from? Is she going to be our future sister-in-law?”
Han Sheng shot them a look.
“She’s the victim.”
“Oh… the victim.”
“Then why did she come here with you?”
“What? Got a problem with that?”
“No, no!”
“Then stop talking and come with me to catch the thief.”
“Yes, Chief!”
The constables normally lived at the yamen, so Han Sheng immediately led them away.
Soon, only Ruan Qingli remained in the spacious main hall. The empty room felt unnervingly quiet.
She sat on a chair near the doorway, hardly daring to move.
When Su Mingyuan entered the hall, yawning, he saw a pretty young woman sitting there.
He quickly straightened his slightly worn lake-blue official robe before walking over.
“Madam, are you the victim?”
Ruan Qingli didn’t recognize Su Mingyuan, which wasn’t surprising. The new town magistrate had only taken office a few months earlier. He was quite young, with not even a hint of a beard on his face.
“And you are…?”
Su Mingyuan replied,
“Just think of me as someone passing by. I was sleeping soundly at home when that fellow Han Sheng insisted someone drag me over here. I’m exhausted.”
“Oh, right. I heard your house was robbed. What was stolen? I’ll make a record.”
Ruan Qingli answered,
“A pair of silver earrings and a silver ring.”
Su Mingyuan scribbled rapidly into his notebook.
When she stopped speaking, he looked up.
“And?”
“That’s all.”
“That’s all?”
That didn’t sound right to Su Mingyuan.
When Han Sheng had summoned him, he’d called it a major case.
After thinking for a moment, he asked,
“How much are the earrings and ring worth altogether?”
“Eight hundred.”
“Eight hundred taels? Master craftsmanship? Family heirlooms?”
Ruan Qingli found the clerk’s thinking rather strange.
Who had silver jewelry worth eight hundred taels?
She answered timidly,
“Eight hundred copper coins.”
Su Mingyuan slapped his brush onto the desk.
That’s not even enough to justify opening a case…
Why is Han Sheng making such a huge fuss over this?
Stretching lazily, he said,
“Then let’s wait and see how long it takes our great Constable Han to bring the thief back.”
Han Sheng didn’t keep them waiting long.
About half an hour later, he returned with the thief in custody.
Only then did Su Mingyuan settle himself into the magistrate’s chair.
Startled, Ruan Qingli immediately rose to kneel, but pain shot through her injured ankle, causing her to nearly fall.
Fortunately, Han Sheng caught her.
Leaning close, he whispered,
“This isn’t a public trial. You’re the victim—you don’t need to kneel. Magistrate Su doesn’t care about such formalities.”
Indeed, Su Mingyuan couldn’t have cared less.
Looking at the thief kneeling before him, he said,
“I’ll give you the time it takes to drink one cup of tea. Confess quickly. Don’t keep me from getting back to sleep.”
Seeing how unreliable the magistrate seemed, the thief turned his head aside.
“I didn’t do anything. You’ve got the wrong man.”
Su Mingyuan turned to the court recorder.
“Hurry and write this down. He admits to murdering three people, stealing one hundred eighty-eight taels of silver, and violating two sows belonging to the victim’s household.”
The thief’s eyes bulged.
What kind of ridiculous official is this? He’s making up even more nonsense than I ever could!
Panicking, he blurted out,
“I didn’t kill anyone! I only stole a little silver! And I definitely didn’t—”
Only then did he realize he’d let something slip.
He immediately clamped his mouth shut.
Too late.
Han Sheng kicked him squarely.
“Our magistrate isn’t exactly known for being an honest official. He just became town magistrate and needs a few major cases to establish his authority. If you don’t confess everything truthfully, we’ll poison you until you can’t speak, then close the case exactly the way Magistrate Su just described.”
The thief was furious enough to feel smoke coming out of his ears.
What kind of government office is this? It’s more like a bandits’ den! No wonder they’re interrogating me behind closed doors in the middle of the night. Would they dare face anyone in daylight?
Han Sheng said,
“I’ll count to three. One…”
The thief immediately surrendered.
“Stop counting! I’ll confess! I’ll tell you everything!”
He had been in this line of work for nearly three years, traveling all over the country.
Never had he imagined he’d fall in such a tiny town.
The interrogation proceeded astonishingly fast.
Since Magistrate Su had imposed a time limit, the thief confessed as though pouring beans from a bamboo tube—everything came tumbling out without pause.
On the ride home, Ruan Qingli remained completely dazed.
After helping her down from the carriage at the Fang residence, Han Sheng asked,
“Can you make it back inside by yourself?”
Ruan Qingli looked up at him pitifully.
She wasn’t being delicate.
Her injury truly was serious.
With an awkward smile, she said,
“Constable Han… since you’ve already helped me this far…”
Before she could finish, Su Mingyuan suddenly appeared from nowhere.
“Constable Han, why don’t you do one more good deed and carry her inside? Surely you’re not expecting her to crawl all the way back?”
His sudden appearance startled them both.
Han Sheng frowned.
“Why are you following us?”
Su Mingyuan rolled his eyes.
“Don’t forget whose carriage you’ve been using.”
Han Sheng handed him the driver’s whip.
“Here. Take it back.”
“You owe me a drink.”
“Fine. I’ll treat you another day.”
After Su Mingyuan drove away, Ruan Qingli remarked,
“I never expected the new magistrate to be so young. He has no airs about him at all… and he’s rather handsome…”
Before she could finish speaking, Han Sheng turned and walked away.
Without looking back, he tossed over his shoulder,
“Madam Fang can figure out how to get back to her room herself.”
Using both her hands and her good foot, Ruan Qingli painstakingly made her way back inside.
The moment she entered her room, she began grumbling about Han Sheng.
“Is something wrong with his head? What did I say to offend him? He just abandoned me at the door! At least he could’ve found me a walking stick!”
But then she remembered they barely knew each other.
The fact that he had already done so much for her was remarkable enough.
Her annoyance quickly faded.
Today’s escape from the thief had been entirely thanks to him.
When Shubai returned, they would have to visit Han Sheng together and thank him properly.
With her injured ankle, even pouring herself a cup of water was difficult, let alone cooking.
Fortunately, after spending an entire day hungry, Aunt Zhang finally returned.
Seeing her badly swollen ankle, Aunt Zhang’s face filled with concern.
“Oh my, Qingli! What happened to your foot? Did you injure the bone? Have you seen a doctor?”
Ruan Qingli recounted everything that had happened.
Aunt Zhang was so frightened she repeatedly chanted the Buddha’s name.
“Heavens above! That’s terrifying. Thank goodness you were clever enough to think of that escape plan. And Constable Han truly is a good man. He actually went after the thief for us.”
Ruan Qingli smiled weakly.
“Let’s praise him later, Aunt Zhang. Could you please make me something to eat first? I’m starving.”
“Of course!”
Aunt Zhang hurried into the kitchen.
But when she returned, her hands were empty.
“Qingli… did the old madam leave you any money before she left? There’s not a single grain of rice left in the rice jar.”
Ruan Qingli stared in disbelief.
“How can there be no rice? There was still plenty before.”
Aunt Zhang gave a bitter smile.
“The day the old madam left, I saw her pour every last grain out of the rice jar, pack it up, and send it all to your elder sister-in-law’s family.”
She’s trying to starve me to death…
Aunt Zhang rubbed her hands together awkwardly.
“Actually… I came back today to collect my belongings. The old madam dismissed me. She said you’re here to do all the housework now, so there’s no need to keep me employed. I’ll be returning to my hometown as well.”
Ruan Qingli fell silent before nodding.
She reached into her clothing and took out the recovered silver ring and earrings.
“Aunt Zhang, my foot isn’t in any condition to go out. Please exchange these for copper coins. Buy me some medicine for my ankle and a little food. Whatever money is left, you can keep it as travel expenses for your journey home.”