Chapter 41: A Brute?

“No…”

At this moment, Shiyu’s eyes were filled with anxiety as she quickly shook her head and said urgently,

“Absolutely not!”

“I didn’t even see his face clearly!”

“My lord!”

Shiyu was so frightened that she trembled uncontrollably and fell to her knees with a thud.

“My lord, I haven’t said a single false word!”

“Please, have mercy outside the bounds of the law!”

“Guards!”

“Take her away!”

“Throw her into the dungeon!”

Zhou Zheng’s expression remained calm, unmoved by her pleas.

He was a magistrate—and had served as one for many years.

Although Zhou Tong’s death made him furious, it didn’t make him overly sorrowful. After all, Zhou Tong was just a nephew, not his own son. Even if he were his own son, he still wouldn’t matter in the face of what Zhou Zheng was determined to do.

“What was the murder weapon?”

Zhou Zheng asked again.

“Reporting to my lord, it was likely an icicle!”

“However, by the time we arrived, it had already melted.”

“As a result, there were no clues left. We can only deduce that the killer acted on impulse, as one icicle was missing from the eaves.”

A guard beside him responded.

Zhou Zheng glanced outside.

“How did the killer know Zhou Tong was in that room? Or… could the killer be someone from the inside?”

Zhou Zheng inquired.

But his tone was strikingly calm, as if he didn’t place much importance on the matter.

“Probably not. Last night, a servant was patrolling the backyard when someone threatened him and forced him to reveal the young master’s whereabouts.”

The bailiff’s voice was crisp and clear.

“So, there’s an accomplice!”

Zhou Zheng nodded lightly, then continued, “Arrest him as well. Throw him into the dungeon and interrogate him thoroughly. I’d like to see whether their mouths are tougher…”

“Or the torture tools in the dungeon are tougher.”

With that, Zhou Zheng strode out of the room.

He soon arrived in front of a horse-drawn carriage, made entirely from fine purple sandalwood—sturdy and exuding a faint fragrance.

Delicate and elegant patterns were evenly carved across its surface.

The roof of the carriage was covered in carefully stitched silk.

Zhou Zheng stepped inside.

A small furnace was burning within, and with the silk curtains shielding the cold, the carriage felt as warm as spring.

Inside sat a graceful and elegant woman, quietly waiting.

“Tell me everything again about the black market incident, in full detail—especially about that person. What exactly did he do…”

Zhou Zheng’s voice was chillingly cold.

The woman seemed to feel the sudden drop in temperature within the carriage. Instinctively, she shrank her neck.

“My lord, that person shouldn’t be a problem. Aside from you and me, there was one other person who had the key to that coal.”

“He was the only one who could’ve moved the coal out silently.”

“And now that he’s gotten into trouble…”

“Could it be him…?”

Her voice was soft, but she subtly shifted suspicion onto Zhou Tong.

Zhou Zheng fell silent.

It definitely wasn’t him who did it. Between the woman before him and Zhou Tong, both were possible suspects.

But at such a critical moment—Zhou Tong was dead.

That slightly lessened the likelihood of the woman being involved.

“He clearly said he wanted a hundred stones?”

“Yes!”

Zhou Zheng nodded. “Who gave you the courage… to lower the price?”

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

He asked directly.

The woman was silent for a moment before speaking:
“My lord, this kind of thing is completely unnecessary for ordinary households. And those who actually need it usually have no shortage of it. The coal we’re selling in the black market doesn’t move very well.”

“Now, it’s rare that someone is actually willing to buy it!”

“Naturally, we had to seize this opportunity!”

She continued, “And this person gave me a certain feeling… Though he was dressed in plain, rough clothing, his eyes carried an indescribable sense of nobility.”

“It might turn into a long-term business.”

Zhou Zheng nodded. “So, I told you to lower the price?”

“…”

The woman took a deep breath, hesitated a moment, and said, “If he does end up making the purchase, I’ll make up for the lost amount.”

At this point, she was starting to panic inside. She had grown up under Zhou Zheng’s care and knew his temper all too well. Some things he seemed to dismiss lightly—but others, he insisted on controlling entirely.

“That’s not the point,” Zhou Zheng said, looking at the woman in front of him, the corners of his mouth lifting into a slight smile. “You’ve been by my side since you were little. I just want to remind you—when it comes to matters like this, at the very least, inform me first.”

“Yes, my lord,” the woman finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Now that the coal is missing, and Zhou Tong is dead,” Zhou Zheng said coldly, “these two matters must be connected. Consider it me giving an explanation to that useless brother of mine. After all, he entrusted his son to me.”

“I shouldn’t need to spell out what needs to be done, should I?”

…

Early in the morning, Lu Chuan woke up.

He took Sun Laizi downstairs, hoping to grab something to eat.

Due to the food shortage, most people no longer ate lunch.

They would have one meal in the morning, and another in the afternoon.

That’s how people were getting by day to day.

“Waiter! Hey, waiter!”

Just then, a loud and rugged voice rang out—bold and boisterous.

“What’s going on here?”

“I came all this way for your restaurant’s wild game! And now you’re trying to substitute domestic chicken for wild pheasant? Are you tired of living?”

The man suddenly slammed his hand on the table.

A burst of anger exploded from him.

“Sir, sir—please calm down,”

The waiter quickly tried to smooth things over. “It’s just that it’s winter now, and wild pheasants are really hard to come by. Few hunters are willing to go into the mountains. We haven’t had a delivery of wild pheasants in at least four or five days.”

“So, as a last resort, we had to substitute with domestic chicken.”

“And if you check the menu carefully, we’re not deceiving anyone. The dish is called Roasted Whole Phoenix, and the price is different from before. Our boss knows that domestic chicken isn’t as tasty—”

“So we lowered the price!”

“Filthy excuse.”

The man waved dismissively, clearly unimpressed. “I came all this way after hearing that this tavern has two treasures—one is Roasted Whole Phoenix, the other is Apricot Blossom Brew.”

“The Roasted Whole Phoenix was supposed to be made with wild pheasant from the mountains.”

“And the Apricot Blossom Brew uses flower buds picked in spring!”

“Now I hear the Apricot Blossom Brew is gone—and even the Phoenix dish turns out to be plain old chicken!”

The man looked up.

“Are you trying to take advantage of me because I’m not from around here?”

He slammed the table again and glared angrily at the waiter.

“Sir, please don’t say that!”

“If you’d come just three months later, I assure you—we’d have everything you’re looking for!” the waiter said with a cheerful yet apologetic smile.