News of the murder at the City God Temple spread like wildfire through the town. Lei Zhong went to the temple himself, only to find it already sealed off by the authorities. He questioned people nearby, but the accounts varied wildly.
Still, Lei Zhong managed to confirm the identity of the deceased. He had heard of the man before—the leader of all the beggars in the city—who had somehow died suddenly in the City God Temple.
After learning this, Lei Zhong waited outside the government office for half a day. At last, he caught a lone yamen runner and slipped him five taels of silver, finally extracting the full story from him.
The deceased was named Lai San. Early that morning, when his underlings waited a long time for him to return and he never did, they went to the City God Temple to look for him. Instead, they found him dead inside, killed by a heavy blow to the back of the head that caused massive blood loss.
The beggars immediately reported the case to the authorities. When the constables examined the body, they found a small piece of torn fabric clutched in Lai San's hand. Based on the signs of a struggle inside the ruined temple, they deduced that the cloth belonged to the murderer.
However, the fabric was utterly ordinary—something that could be found in any clothing shop—leaving them without any leads.
Then, someone suddenly slipped an anonymous letter into the government office. The letter claimed to know who the fabric belonged to and stated that the deceased had attempted to steal melons from Qin Ke's fields and was beaten badly as a result.
With a supposed motive and evidence in hand, the constables immediately set out for Qinghe Village to arrest someone.
After hearing Lei Zhong recount everything, Lu Youqing frowned and asked, "My husband was with us all night. How could he possibly be the murderer? Did those constables not even investigate the facts?"
"Exactly," Li Nanqiao said, equally baffled. "Master has never even met that Lai San fellow—how could he have killed him?"
Lei Zhong glanced at Lu Youqing, his expression heavy, his voice filled with grief and anger. "How could they not know? They don't care whether they arrest the real killer. They just want to close the case as quickly as possible. Whether Master did it or not doesn't matter—so long as they alter the final report, then he's the culprit."
"This is outright murder by the authorities!" Li Nanqiao cried indignantly, clenching her fists. "Is there no justice left in this world?"
Justice? What was justice, really?
Lu Youqing suddenly lowered her head and laughed softly.
But the sound of her laughter was unbearably bitter.
"Since the authorities are handling things this way," she said calmly, "then there must be room for negotiation, no?"
She had long since lost all hope in this world—whether it was the lofty imperial court or the bullying officials beneath it. From top to bottom, corruption reigned. Since that was the case, there was no point placing any hope in the government.
Lei Zhong had lived in the city for years and knew the ways of officialdom well. Through an intermediary he once knew, he inquired discreetly and reported back. "I've asked around. Under normal circumstances, it would take five hundred taels to get someone out of prison."
At this point, his tone darkened. "But they said this case is especially serious. If we want to get Master out, it will take five thousand taels."
"Five thousand taels?!" Li Nanqiao exclaimed. When she first heard five hundred, she had felt anger at the corruption but knew the household could manage it. Five thousand, however—five thousand taels was simply impossible.
Lu Youqing's fingers rubbed lightly against her sleeve as she said coldly, "The officials must already know our family's circumstances—that's why they dare to demand so much."
Other wealthy families usually had backing and tangled connections, so the authorities dared not provoke them easily. But people like them—who had money yet no power or foundation—were the easiest targets.
Lu Youqing realized that a mere anonymous letter and an unverified scrap of cloth were not enough to warrant such aggressive action. The officials must have known about their household from the beginning and simply seized the opportunity to extort a fortune.
Knowing this changed nothing. Lu Youqing closed her eyes quietly. She managed all the household accounts herself—she didn't need to check to know they didn't have that much money.
Even including recent profits from selling melons and ice, they had earned no more than two thousand taels. Even if they sold off all their current assets, it would still be nearly impossible to gather five thousand taels.
Seeing the difficulty on Lu Youqing's face, Li Nanqiao suddenly stood up and ran outside.
"Madam, she's—" Han Qi began.
Li Nanqiao moved quickly. Her home wasn't far, and before long she returned, panting, clutching a jar.
"Madam, I've saved some money recently. It's not much, but it's my heartfelt offering." She tipped the jar onto the table, scattering loose silver and copper coins across its surface.
Qin Ke and Lu Youqing treated her well. Accustomed to frugality, she saved everything except what was needed for her mother's medical expenses.
Seeing this, Han Qi also hurried back to his room and brought out his own savings.
The master and madam had never treated him like a servant. He received a monthly allowance, and during busy times, extra rewards as well.
True feelings show in hardship; true hearts reveal themselves in misfortune. Lu Youqing felt deeply moved. Looking at their genuine worry, she said softly, "I shouldn't take your money, but—"
"Madam, please don't say that," Li Nanqiao interrupted. "If not for you and Master, I'd still be struggling just to survive."
Lu Youqing nodded. She knew words of thanks were unnecessary—she would remember these bonds in her heart.
"Then, Madam," Han Qi asked carefully, "how much are we still short of five thousand taels? What should we do next?"
"Let me think," Lu Youqing said, pressing her lips together. Under their worried gazes, she shut herself inside the study.
---
Elsewhere—
Qin Ke, shackled with iron chains and shoved into a cell, only learned the reason for his arrest after the county lieutenant entered with documents.
The absurdity of it all struck him. Standing in the cell, he demanded, "You didn't find the so-called evidence in my home. And last night, I was dining and drinking with Steward Song at Caiyue Pavilion along with my wife—I never went to the City God Temple. I have a solid alibi. You—"
Before he could finish, a constable behind the lieutenant stepped forward and punched him to the ground. Immediately, fists rained down on him from all sides.
Unable to fight back, Qin Ke curled into himself, shielding his head.
"Enough."
Only after a moment did the lieutenant wave his hand to stop them.
The constables withdrew. The county lieutenant was a thin, sharp-eyed man in his thirties or forties, with a narrow mustache beneath his nose and a calculating gaze.
He slowly crouched in front of Qin Ke, grabbed his disheveled hair, and studied the stubborn defiance in his eyes. Patting Qin Ke's cheek, he smiled maliciously. "I advise you to be sensible. Once you're in this cell, right and wrong are whatever I say they are. If you want to live, you'd better behave. Otherwise, once you taste a dozen of the prison's punishments, you won't die—but you'll wish you had."
Qin Ke felt as though his whole body were on fire with pain. Whether in his previous life or after transmigrating here, he had never suffered such humiliation.
After the lieutenant left with his men, Qin Ke lay flat on the damp, uneven ground, staring at the dark, cramped cell, its walls stained with grime and old blood.
"I was too naive… too foolish… hahaha…" He couldn't help laughing softly. The laughter was filled with endless sorrow and bitter irony, growing louder as it echoed through the empty cell.
The laughter grew hoarse until it dissolved into violent coughing.
He had lived too long in a civilized world and had never truly understood this era.
---
Currently at chapter 180 for advance chapters
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