Song Jin made her way to the government office with quick, light footsteps. The yamen runners all recognized her and didn't stop her, letting her walk inside to wait. One of the runners she was friendly with even brought her tea.
They treated each other like family.
Officer Luo said, "Magistrate Xiao is interrogating a prisoner right now, so he might not have time to see you. Wait a moment—I'll go pass word along and see what happens."
Song Jin hadn't expected such bad timing, but she didn't mind. She said cheerfully, "Alright, thanks for the trouble, Brother Luo. If it doesn't work out, I can just come back tomorrow."
Officer Luo chuckled. "It's only you who can get into the city this easily. Yesterday someone from a town further down came in and ran into a giant python on the road. Luckily no one got hurt."
Song Jin said, "Oh, that's lucky—good thing no one was hurt. Those things are slow, though. If it had been a tiger or a bear, that would've been dangerous."
Officer Luo replied, "Right. There are quite a few incidents like that every year, but we've never heard of any around your area."
Song Jin grinned. "With me around, what demon or monster would dare come near?"
Officer Luo laughed. "Haha."
The two chatted for a while, and then Officer Luo checked the time and headed toward the prison.
The county prison was built underground—dark, damp, and chilly even in the heat of summer, and bone-piercingly cold in winter. With no toilets, only chamber pots, and the constant interrogations, the stench of filth and blood mingled together into an unbearable odor.
No criminal who came in escaped without losing a layer of skin, and those who had committed major crimes had both flesh and bone stripped away twice over.
Magistrate Xiao had long grown accustomed to such an environment. In these times, most people were simple and honest; those who committed crimes were mostly vicious sorts, and without a bit of force, they wouldn't tell the truth—especially scum like the one before him, who had blood on his hands.
Torture was effective, though the scene was somewhat bloody. He was worried it might frighten the noble prince beside him. But to his surprise, Qi Zheng didn't even blink at the gruesome sight—as if he were watching an ordinary brawl.
Sensing his confusion, Qi Zheng spoke up. "I worked as an escort guard for a while. Bandits were rampant on the roads back then, and a lot of people died."
He had seen dead bodies, even killed men himself, so a little scene like this naturally didn't faze him.
Magistrate Xiao understood, and he also speculated that this prince, raised among commoners, must have endured considerable hardship over the years. Yet despite all that suffering, he'd still grown so tall.
The magistrate, who had to crane his neck to look up at him, felt a pang of melancholy.
Qi Zheng didn't continue the conversation. Years of experience navigating the world had taught him that when you have the chance to say less, you should say less—the more you talk, the more mistakes you make. Better to let the other person draw their own conclusions.
The two of them walked to the interrogation room at the very back of the prison, where the gray-robed prisoner captured from the mountains last time was being held.
He had been in charge of managing the people at the mine and tallying the ore output. At first, he'd played dumb, claiming he knew nothing and was only following orders.
But once the torture began, he confessed everything in no time.
When he'd arrived at the silver mine, how much had been extracted over the past two years, how many men under him had died…
Truly heinous—death would be too good for him.
Qi Zheng and Magistrate Xiao listened together as the interrogating officer recounted what had been extracted from the prisoner over the past few days, and both furrowed their brows.
Though they'd long suspected that no one would be treated well in such an illegal mine, the attitude of treating human lives like weeds was hard for two men born among the common folk to stomach.
Looking at the scars and gaping wounds scattered across his body, they felt it still wasn't enough. They continued reading through the confessions while silently allowing the officer to keep up his pointless interrogation.
Until Officer Luo walked over with a message: "Magistrate Xiao, Song Jin is here. Seems she has something she wants to see you about."
Magistrate Xiao instinctively glanced at Qi Zheng beside him, then frowned. "No time today. Tell her to come back tomorrow."
Officer Luo was about to nod when Qi Zheng, hearing Song Jin's name, paused his gaze on the prisoner and said,
"We've gotten just about everything we can from this one. These small fry won't yield anything more—the key information lies with the ones who escaped earlier. Have you found anything on the investigation in Da'an Village?"
As he spoke, he turned and walked out.
Magistrate Xiao hurried to follow. He was a good half-head shorter than Qi Zheng and had to take two quick steps to match each of Qi Zheng's long strides.
Magistrate Xiao said, "No leads yet. That man was from the village, and he was cautious in his daily movements—the villagers didn't notice anything unusual about him. The ones who knew more were killed…"
The two walked out of the prison one after the other. The wails from inside gradually faded, but the stench of decay still clung to their noses.
Qi Zheng thought of some old memories and stopped in his tracks. The hot, humid wind hit his face, making his expression all the more inscrutable—so much so that Magistrate Xiao instinctively fell silent.
He could only say that this man was certainly the current emperor's own son. From the front, the resemblance wasn't strong, but in profile—even someone like him, who had only seen the emperor from afar a handful of times, could see the similarity.
After a while, Magistrate Xiao looked at Qi Zheng's expressionless face and ventured, "The men we sent out to block the roads and search the mountains haven't reported back yet. Your Highness has been interrogating for a long time—perhaps you should rest for a bit?"
The prison's stench was truly unbearable. Even he, a county magistrate, had to mentally prepare himself every time he went in and out, let alone a prince like Qi Zheng.
Of course, Magistrate Xiao still wanted to know what Song Jin wanted with him. This person never came calling without a reason, and he couldn't help wondering if she'd run into some kind of trouble.
She had always been a carefree, easygoing sort—if she'd offended someone, it wouldn't surprise him in the least.
Putting aside that face of hers, just for the bandits she'd helped wipe out for the county, Magistrate Xiao couldn't very well ignore her.
Qi Zheng pulled himself free from his memories and glanced at the cautious Magistrate Xiao. Even after half a year, a strange sense of absurdity still lingered.
Half a year ago, he'd been a petty thief a county magistrate wouldn't spare a second thought for, casually putting out a wanted notice for him. Half a year later, even a commandery governor had to tread carefully around him. The world truly was absurd.
Qi Zheng: "You're going to see this Song Jin?"
Magistrate Xiao was taken aback, not expecting the question, but he quickly recovered. This prince had been brought back from outside by the Grand Secretary, so he'd surely notice the resemblance too.
Looking a little embarrassed, he said earnestly, "In my early years, it was Lord Song who helped me escape a life of misery. He did so much for me, and I've never been able to repay a single bit of it. When I see someone who resembles him, I can't help but pay a little more attention."
Seeing him like this, Qi Zheng couldn't tell whether he was sincere or putting on an act, so he changed the subject.
"A while back, Song Xingzhi ran into this person and has been asking around about her."
Magistrate Xiao froze, then burst into hearty laughter. "Young Master Song doesn't think Song Jin is Lord Song's child, does he? Funny thing—I had the same suspicion myself at first, and even had someone look into it. There are some coincidences, true, but…"
Otherwise, given his reverence for Song Shang, he'd have sent her back long ago.
Lord Song was perfect in every way, except his luck with heirs left something to be desired. But then he thought of his own five little terrors, and Magistrate Xiao shook his head.
Having too much luck with heirs wasn't necessarily a good thing either.
**
By the time Magistrate Xiao and Qi Zheng arrived, Song Jin was sitting in the county office's reception hall, gambling with dice alongside the constables she knew well.
Constable One: "Four, five, three—twelve points, heh heh."
Constable Two: "Two, six, six—fourteen. Bet, bet, bet. This round's mine for sure."
Song Jin flipped open her dice cup, raised an eyebrow, and grinned with pure delight: "One, one, one—three points. But here's the thing—looks like a loss, but really it's a win. Who among you has ever rolled it this smooth?"
The constables roared with laughter: "Hahaha, a loss is a loss. It's not six-six-six. Come on, hand over the stakes."
Song Jin shook her head with a sigh: "Alright, alright. My precious stash, gone…"
…
Standing nearby with the prince at his side, Magistrate Xiao watched from a distance, his face turning green. Suppressing his anger, he strode over and said in a low, heavy voice:
"Having fun?"
The constables immediately fell silent, scrambling to their feet in flustered panic: "Magistrate!"
Magistrate Xiao stared at them darkly and extended his hand: "Hand them over."
They let out a confused "Huh?" and grew even more flustered: "Hand… hand what over?"
Magistrate Xiao sneered: "What else? The stakes, of course. You've got some nerve—broad daylight, gambling in the county office. Looks like you don't want to keep wearing those uniforms."
The constables glanced at him, hesitating as if wanting to speak, then said cautiously: "The stakes? There… there aren't any left."
Magistrate Xiao thought they were making excuses, and his face darkened further. He was about to say something when a few strips of dried meat suddenly landed in his outstretched hand.
Song Jin, chewing on one between her teeth, clapped her hands and stood up, all swagger: "Just a few strips left. These things are tough as nails—I use them to sharpen my teeth. If you like them, Lord Xiao, I'll bring you some more another day."
Magistrate Xiao: …
This little brat.
He took a deep breath and glared at the constables, whose cheeks were sore from gnawing on the meat strips: "What are you still standing here for? Got nothing better to do?"
The men exchanged glances, grabbed their staves and blades, and scrambled off—not forgetting to shoot Song Jin an admiring look on the way.
When it came to guts, nobody beat this little terror.
Song Jin lifted her chin, accepting their admiration without a hint of modesty. Once they were gone, she immediately turned to Magistrate Xiao with a cheeky grin, trying to smooth things over.
"Aw, don't be mad, Lord Xiao. Everyone's been working themselves to the bone lately—a little fun now and then is fine. Don't be so stern. Here, here, have some more jerky. They say people who eat mostly vegetables and little meat tend to have bad tempers."
Magistrate Xiao laughed despite his irritation: "You've got nerve—go say that to the monks at Laifu Temple."
Song Jin grinned: "Well, I wouldn't dare do that. I only know how to sweet-talk people like you who humor me. You're a big man with a big heart—don't hold it against me. Look, see what I brought you?"
Magistrate Xiao: "You… never mind that. Look at this person first. This is Lord Qi, come from the capital. Come over and pay your respects."
Song Jin had noticed the man long ago, but since Magistrate Xiao hadn't introduced him, she'd pretended not to know. Now that he had, she still acted as if she had no idea who he was, offering a proper—if theatrical—bow.
"Greetings, Lord Qi. This humble one failed to recognize your eminence before—please don't hold it against me."
Qi Zheng glanced at her, so utterly lacking in decorum, and thought of those old men in the capital who never stopped prattling about propriety, doctrine, and rules. He could already picture the chaos that would ensue if he brought this one back.
At the thought, he curved his lips slightly, like ice melting, only to freeze over again just as quickly.
"No matter, it's good for young people to be lively. I heard you had matters to discuss with Magistrate Xiao. I hope my sudden arrival isn't an intrusion."
Song Jin grinned: "Of course not. I have no serious business at all—I simply found a ginseng root in the mountains earlier and thought Magistrate's wife might need it, so I brought it over specially."
"Take a look."
Hearing this, Magistrate Xiao's heart leapt with joy, then warmed—until he looked at it. His expression stiffened, followed by a deep silence, and a look of difficulty crept onto his face.
Song Jin was puzzled: "What's wrong? Does it not meet your standards?"
Magistrate Xiao closed his eyes. After a long moment, he pushed it back with his hand and spoke with difficulty: "It's too precious. I have no money."
He had bought ginseng for his wife before—the most expensive being a forty-year root that cost him five hundred taels of silver, which was already his limit.
You see, he was an incorruptible official. His annual salary amounted to only one hundred fifty taels. After food, clothing, and travel expenses, his wife's constant medication, and the children's schooling…
By year's end, he could never save a single coin. The ginseng he'd bought before had only been possible thanks to his appointment fee.
Now that money was nearly spent. Faced with this fine ginseng, his wallet simply couldn't keep up.
Song Jin: …
He had miscalculated.