This small county is called Zhou County.

Further ahead is a county town in the south of Luozhou, not far from the official road.

The capital of Luozhou is called Luocheng. Because going to Luocheng would be a long detour, Murong Yue did not go there.

The case of the missing woman in Luozhou was originally handed over to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice for investigation, and the matter would be dealt with directly after the results were obtained.

Murong Yue was quite at ease about this.

But given what happened with the chestnut, I'm afraid I'll eventually have to go to Los Angeles.

That wretched Cloud Kingdom.

That night, Qi Yuan, along with Murong Yue, Ahao, and several imperial guards, entered the Zhou County prison.

The county magistrate and his advisor were waiting there.

The two were nervous and uneasy.

They even had the place cleaned up and the other prisoners moved away.

"My lord, is that really the commander of the Imperial Guards in the capital?" He had only heard of such an important figure, but had never seen him.

"I," the county magistrate opened his mouth, but he had never seen it before either.

"Impersonating an official of the imperial court is a serious crime that would implicate nine generations of one's family. No one would be so foolish as to do that."

"Besides, it's not like you haven't learned how to identify tokens."

It was undoubtedly the renowned Lord Qi Yuan.

The county magistrate was nervous, not because of himself. He never embezzled, his judgments were clear, and the imperial decrees were communicated in a timely manner.

It's definitely not my problem.

Moreover, the other party specifically requested the Zhang family father and son...

What secrets could an ordinary couple have?

Qi Yuan led his men in, all dressed in casual clothes, making it difficult to tell their gender. Ahao was also dressed as a handsome servant.

"Lord Qi, welcome..."

Qi Yuan raised his hand to stop the other person, "No need for these, open the cell door."

“Yes,” the county magistrate said, opening the prison door himself and waiting to the side.

Upon meeting Qi Yuan's gaze, he was momentarily stunned, but after a few moments he reacted, "Please, sir. I will wait outside. Please give me your orders."

After saying that, he took the clerk and slipped away, guarding the prison from a distance.

The advisor became even more curious. "Sir, what exactly is it?"

"Oh dear, wouldn't it be better if we couldn't hear it?"

"This is a good thing, it proves that it has nothing to do with us."

The county magistrate squinted, wishing he could cover his ears as well.

Anyway, I just won't listen, it's like a turtle chanting scriptures, uh... Lord Qi, I wasn't talking about you.

Old Zhang and Zhang Yousan were imprisoned together.

The arrogance of the afternoon had vanished, and the trial, which had been proceeding smoothly, was suddenly abruptly halted.

They locked the two of them up here and even cleaned the room.

When they asked what happened, no one told them.

Both of them were terrified.

Upon seeing Qi Yuan and his group, their fear reached its peak.

This person actually manages to boss around the county magistrate...

I'm going to die!

The two men knelt down in unison, pleading, "My lord, my lord, we really didn't do anything!"

They were absolutely terrified.

Qi Yuan looked down at the two of them, placed the sword in his hand on the table next to him, the same table that had just been moved in.

"From now on, I will ask questions, and you will answer them."

"If you tell even one lie, you'll die instantly."

"If you cooperate well, you can even avoid punishment."

When talking to a tough guy like Old Zhang, you have to use a language they can understand.

Yes, yes, yes.

The two nodded vigorously, staring at the gleaming longsword, barely daring to breathe.

"How did you come into contact with that kind of tobacco? The more details the better."

Old Zhang dared not hide anything, "That day I went to buy wine, from Du's Wine Shop, which is where I usually go."

"The waiter asked me why I always drink."

“I told them I’m not in good health, I don’t work, and I don’t know what to do if I don’t drink.”

"The waiter said, 'I'm so bored, let me introduce you to something good. I'll be bored after using it, just like being a god.'"

"I said, 'This is such a good thing, but I don't have the money.'"

“This money was earned by my son through hard work, I won’t spend it on those things.”

As she spoke, she glanced guiltily at Zhang Yousan.

Faced with power, his conscience was awakened.

A look of emotion flashed in Zhang Yousan's eyes.

"But the waiter said it was free, no money needed."

"I thought to myself, it would be foolish not to take advantage of a good deal."

"I went."

"I was blindfolded and walked for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before entering a courtyard and then a house, where I was finally released."

"The windows of the room were all covered with black cloth, and a row of large beds were filled with people smoking pipes."

"It was shrouded in smoke, like it was on fire."

"I wanted to leave right away, but the waiter selling the liquor kept me there, so I gave it a try."

"Just one time, and I was hooked..."

"Then I learned that that kind of tobacco leaf cost one tael of silver per tael, and I..."

The rest is history.

Old Zhang became addicted once and couldn't control himself, selling everything he owned and losing his mind.

"Later on, I would buy it from the bartender every time and smoke it at home."

"Anyway, there are many people who smoke tobacco, so nobody knows."

Qi Yuan quickly grasped the key information: "Du Family Tavern, waiter."

"Think carefully again, what sounds did you hear on the way to the dark room the first time?"

“This…” Old Zhang scratched his head.

"I've got it! In that dark room, I think I heard the sound of children being beaten and scolded by adults for skipping school."

Qi Yuan asked all the questions he needed to, and even asked different questions repeatedly to confirm that Old Man Zhang and Zhang Yousan were not lying about this matter.

Before leaving, he instructed the county magistrate, "Let them lock him up, release him after three months, and do not allow anyone to visit him during that time."

"If they die, you won't be able to hold your official position anymore."

"Yes, yes, yes," the county magistrate wiped the sweat from his brow and watched Qi Yuan and his entourage leave.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!