Magistrate Li sighed and said, "What else can we do but wait? All the land under heaven belongs to the emperor. If the emperor wants us dead, do you think we can escape to the ends of the earth and still survive? I regret my actions, but I can only accept my fate."

The clerk, however, did not think that way. He wanted to find a way to survive. After much deliberation, he felt that the disaster relief account book he had kept might be his lifesaver.

Although he burned most of the account books, the clerk knew that he had been doing some shady things, and that keeping some things might save his life. So, he left behind a very important account book.

The advisor pondered for a whole night, and the next day when he went up to the village entrance and saw Zheng Boyuan, he thought about it carefully again before making a decision and walking up to Zheng Boyuan.

The news coming from the ancestral hall in the village these past few days is that not only have the patients inside not deteriorated, but several young and strong patients with mild symptoms have recovered. However, because Chen Zhaoci doesn't know if they can still infect others, he hasn't let them out, but instead has them stay to help take care of several elderly patients.

The most severely ill patient is gradually recovering. Chen Zhaoci said that in about ten more days, if all these people have recovered, it will mean that the plague has been eradicated.

Zheng Boyuan knew that Chen Zhaoci was not one to exaggerate. Since she had said such a thing, it meant that this effort would soon bear fruit.

Zheng Boyuan was in a good mood. After being stopped by the clerk, he asked him, "Is there something you need?"

The advisor bowed to Zheng Boyuan and said, "Lord Zheng, I have something I would like you to pass on. Please come to my place."

Although it was unclear who hired the killer, Zheng Boyuan knew in his heart that it was nothing more than the county magistrate and his clerk. Therefore, Zheng Boyuan had always been deeply wary of these two people. When he heard the clerk say that he had something to pass on, Zheng Boyuan's heart stirred, and he followed behind the clerk into the woods by the roadside.

The clerk looked around but saw no one. He bowed to Zheng Boyuan and said, "Lord Zheng, I have an account book that records the expenses for disaster relief and river embankment construction in recent years. I would like to ask Lord Zheng to help me out and save my life."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Boyuan knew who had hired the killer. He nodded and said, "I just wonder how much Lord Li knows about this matter?"

The clerk shook his head and said, "I handled all these matters. Lord Li knows very little about them. Lord Zheng, although Lord Li and I made mistakes, we were fortunate enough to avoid a major disaster. I hope that Lord Zheng can help us out for the sake of the account books."

Zheng Boyuan pondered for a long time before asking, "If I were to ask you two to go to the capital to testify, would you be willing?"

If you testify in court, you will expose yourself to many people, which will greatly increase the risk. You may even face countless interrogations for the contents of the ledger. The thought of that unknown future is terrifying.

But this is also a path, although it is difficult. If you can get through it, you will always have a way to survive.

The clerk gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Zheng, to be honest, I did all the accounting myself. As for Lord Li, he doesn't know much about things in the county. If you need someone to testify, I can go alone."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Boyuan couldn't help but scrutinize the clerk, whom he perceived as somewhat mercenary. However, he never expected that, at this critical moment, the clerk would still tell the truth and not shift the blame onto him simply because Magistrate Li was the magistrate of the county and needed to take responsibility.

Zheng Boyuan carefully examined the clerk. Beads of sweat dripped from the clerk's forehead to the ground, some even getting into his eyes. He wiped them with his sleeve, his face flushed, whether from the heat or nervousness, and said to Zheng Boyuan, "Lord Zheng, aside from being a bit lazy and greedy, Lord Li is actually quite good. In recent years, I've been handling all the affairs of the county. Lord Li is getting old and plans to stay in Yun'an County for a few more years before returning home to farm. Therefore, Lord Li knows only a limited amount about Lord Chu's affairs. If you have any questions, just come to me. As for going to the capital to testify, I will do my best to help wherever needed."

Zheng Boyuan nodded, then abruptly asked, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​hiring assassins to burn and kill the villagers?"

The clerk's face turned deathly pale. He barely managed to stay upright and said with trembling lips, "Ma Guang went back and said that a plague had been discovered in Zhoujia Village. I know it's because Zhoujia Village didn't follow the method you suggested for disinfection, Lord Zheng. But the matter has already happened. I'm afraid the plague will spread, so I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. I thought that burning Zhoujia Village down would prevent the plague from spreading to other places."

Zheng Boyuan nodded calmly, then asked, "And the person you found? How did you find them?"

The clerk wiped the sweat from his face and quickly replied, "It was all my concubine who helped me find it. I redeemed her from a brothel when we were in the capital. She likes to hear strange and unusual stories and happened to know about this assassin's den. There happens to be a place in Yun'an County where assassin's dens deliver messages, so she helped me find it. After I found it, I took a thousand taels of silver from the government's account and sent it over."

Zheng Boyuan nodded, not knowing what to say. In the end, he could only sigh and say, "The money you extorted from the people was used to hire murderers to harm their lives. This is truly absurd. In any case, His Majesty already knows about this matter, but he doesn't know how to judge it. I hope you can atone for your crimes and find a way to survive."

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