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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nSomething serious just happened!

nThe sun had just risen when the County Chief of the Hejian was woken up by his servant. The County Chief sat up, his eyes barely open. “What are you yelling about… Go back to sleep. I will go and check what has happened.”

nHis favorite concubine was disturbed by them as well and she pouted at the County Chief. “Laoye, it isn’t even dawn yet.”

n“It’s very likely something happened.” Naturally, the Hejian County Chief was upset––anyone who was woken up from a sound sleep would be. Not to mention someone like him, who had led a privileged life for many years. He was normally pretty grumpy when he got up in the mornings.

nHe rolled out of bed, put his clothes on his shoulders, and left the room in a hurry. However, when he heard his servant’s report, his remaining sleepiness disappeared instantly. He was so frightened by the news that he nearly fell on the ground.

n“What––what are you saying? Say it again! Who is dead?” The Hejian County Chief’s eyes were wide open and his face was full of astonishment. “What happened last night? Be more specific!” He spoke rapidly, as though he was telling a tongue twister, which was unlike his normal slow and easy speed.

nThe Hejian County Chief grabbed the servant’s collar and pulled him toward himself. The servant was full of fear; his legs became soft and his whole body shivered.

nThey were so close together that County Chief’s hot breath hit the servant’s face while he was speaking, which made the servant even more nervous. He faltered as he said the same thing he had told the County Chief, “Laoye, something big occurred last night. Rumor has it that the son of the Meng’s in Cang Prefecture was murdered.”

nThe Hejian County Chief was startled; he only hoped that he was stuck in a nightmare instead of standing there listening to bad news.

n“Which one… is the son of the Meng’s in Cang Prefecture?” If it was one of the branches of the Meng’s in Hejian County, it wasn’t that big of a deal. But he had a bad hunch about it… His gut told him that the one who died was someone important in the Meng family. “What is his identity?”

nThe servant took a deep breath and opened his mouth again. “What I heard was the one who was murdered was the second son of the head of the Meng’s. His name is Meng Liang.”

nThe second son! The name struck him like lightning. He froze, then lost the control of his legs and sat on the ground.

n“Lao… Laoye, are you okay?” The servant was already scared, but he panicked when he the head of the family lost control.

n“Help me stand up…” The Hejian County Chief grabbed the servant’s arm to support himself as he stood up.

nHis head was blank for the moment. The only feeling he had was that it was really an unlucky year for him. He must have messed around with a god and that was why he was being punished. Otherwise, who could explain why the girl from a noble family almost got herself involved in an accident in Hejian County, and now the second son of the Meng’s was murdered?

n“Laoye, what should we do now?” The servant still vividly remembered the scene where the head of an entourage broke into the town gate and slayed their citizens a month ago. He hadn’t taken the Hejian County Chief seriously because of the name of the family he served. “If the Meng’s makes a fuss about it, I’m afraid…”

nEven though Meng Liang wasn’t killed by the Hejian County Chief, his murder occurred under his jurisdiction. It was highly probable that he would be blamed, for the Meng’s would be furious about the incident.

nThe Hejian County Chief brought himself back to reality. He tried to pull himself together and pretended to be calm. “Why am I afraid? I didn’t do anything wrong. The Mengs’ own people came to the Hejian County Chief without giving us any warning. He was the one who was killed, but I am the one taking the responsibility?”

nEven though he said so, the Hejian County Chief didn’t have much confidence that he wouldn’t be involved. He needed to consult with someone else in such a circumstance.

nAll of a sudden, he thought about Liu She. He made up his mind and shouted, “Get the wagon ready. We are going for a trip to Liu Mansion.”

nThe servant quickly nodded and said, “I’m on it.” He didn’t go far before he turned back around to the County Chief. “Sorry, I almost forgot to report another thing.”

nThe Hejian County Chief asked with anger, “What else? Say it at once.”

nThe servant replied, “The guard who protected the town gate reported that they found a trace of a suspicious grain dispatch team.”

nThe County Chief asked, “Are you suggesting that the grain dispatch team murdered Meng Liang?”

n“Not really. A hunter came to the bureaucratic this morning to deliver important news. Apparently, the grain that the dispatch team was transporting was prepared by the Meng’s as a ransom for Meng Liang. The ferocious murderers had the upper hand, however. They killed Meng Liang anyway, then deceived the Meng’s into delivering the grain to them, anyway. The hunter claimed that there was a nasty fight last night in the mountain and most of the members of the dispatch team were killed by the murderers; there were only about thirty of them left alive. Now they are all in the bureaucratic.” The servant reported the second thing to the County Chief without stopping for a breath.

nHejian County Chief was stunned after he heard the news. The first piece of news made him frightened, but the second was more complicated. He had never liked the way the Meng’s dealt with others, but he never expected that the killers would be so bold as to kill the person as well as take the grain.

nHejian County Chief pondered this and changed his mind. “Change of plans: Let’s go to the bureaucratic first and then to Liu Mansion. Make sure you send a letter to Liu County Chief about our visit.”

nIt seemed like a usual, calm day but there was an undercurrent that was deeply affecting Dongqing Dynasty. The average citizen wouldn’t have a clue, but the ones who received the information swiftly reacted.

nThe ones who survived from the dispatch team were all part of the Mengs’ army, which meant they would keep their mouth shut without leaking a single word. They had miscalculated that there was a hunter who barely avoided dying in the fight, however. He didn’t have the loyalty and his mouth was not as sealed as the rest. He gave out all the details of what had happened after he was faced with a bit of bribery and threats.

nOf course, he included two sentences to taunt the Meng’s troops: “It is ridiculous that the previous Master of the Meng’s was a hero… It is a shame that his descendants are as timid as dogs.”

nAnd the other two sentences: “Meng’s master slaughtered enemies for the safety of his civilians. His descendants lost the son as well as the grain!”

nEven a person who didn’t have a brain understood why Meng Liang was murdered: They were trying to humiliate the Meng’s.

nEveryone feared the power of the Meng’s. There was never a single person who dared to say that, of course, but it didn’t mean they didn’t think it.

nAs one of the four noble families in Dongqing Dynasty, it was pathetic that they were taunted by some murderers.

nRemembering that the Meng’s master was such a hero, his descendants ended up dead and insulted in such a manner. It made people feel sorry for them.

nFor a while, those two sentences spread in the streets like they had wings. People were always gossipy, no matter from what era they were from. The spirit to dig up a secret never changed.

nBefore the Hejian County Chief came in for his visit, Liu She had heard several versions of the story and there was something complicated growing in his heart. Clearly he knew who was behind it, and he was fully prepared mentally. But it still shook him a little the moment he received the message.

n“Help me out. If you tell me there is nothing I can get away with, the rampant Meng’s will definitely not let me go.”

nHejian County Chief was so worried that he had blisters on his lips.

nLiu She shook his head and smiled at him. He elegantly made a cup of tea for the Hejian County Chief and leisurely spoke, “There is nothing difficult to deal with. This Meng Langjun is one of the Meng’s, that’s for sure, but technically he is still a citizen without scholarly honor on him. He was killed in Hejian County, which was totally the fault of his own entourage for not guarding him well enough. The worst you could get from them is not managing your affairs well enough and letting the bandits cause trouble in your county. The only thing you need to do is catch the ones who are responsible for this in order to make up for the mistake you made. You suppress the people causing trouble and settle the citizens down. What else could the Meng’s get from you?”

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