The next day, when Lu Zheng arrived at the county government office, he saw a middle-aged man sitting in the office. He was tall and thin, with two deep wrinkles between his brows, thick eyebrows, and bright eyes. However, his expression was serious and it was obvious that he was not an easy person to get along with.

As soon as he saw Lu Zheng, he stood up and said, "But is that the new County Lieutenant Lu? My name is Jin Hanxuan."

Lu Zheng walked over quickly and said, "Hello, County Magistrate Jin, I'm Lu Zheng..."

He wanted to say a few polite words like "I've heard a lot about you", but Jin Hanxuan said directly, "There are a total of 112 constables in the county government, eight water and fire runners, and 16 prison guards. I wonder if County Lieutenant Lu is free so that I can hand over the case file to you."

Lu Zheng was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Jin Hanxuan to ask for the handover so straightforwardly. Judging from his style of doing things, he was decisive and efficient. Lu Zheng didn't say much and said that it would be done now.

Jin Hanxuan did not waste time. He read Lu Zheng's letter of appointment and checked his private seal before handing him all the case files. He also said, "Lord Ma has already reviewed the previous case, and there is still one case that has not been solved. Except for two prisoners who will be executed later, the rest are petty thieves. The specific jailers know them, so you can ask him."

Lu Zheng only flipped through the case files briefly and was able to determine the work style of this Jin County Magistrate: well-organized and efficient. Hearing Jin Hanxuan's question, he nodded: "Thank you, Lord Jin."

Jin Hanxuan's expression seemed to ease a little, and then said: "This is my job. I wonder if County Captain Lu is still confused?"

"No, for now, but I'm a newcomer, so I have to ask Brother Jin for advice. I hope Brother Jin will not hesitate to give me some advice."

Jin Hanxuan did not agree readily, but replied cautiously: "I can't say I'm giving you advice. Lord Lu is young and successful, and I'm ashamed to be inferior to him."

Lu Zheng said a few polite words to him, and then respectfully sent him away, acting like a humble junior.

Only after Jin Hanxuan left did Bao Zheng come over and say, "There is no problem in the case file."

Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "Since he handed it over so readily, it means he would not tamper with the case file, or at least not do it so obviously."

"Does your Excellency still suspect him?" Bao Zheng asked.

"What I said yesterday was indeed a warning. If it was Magistrate Ma who was in the county government today, it would mean that the Magistrate was just a figurehead and not something to be afraid of. If the two of them continued to ignore me, it would mean that these two people are brave but not wise, and there is nothing to be afraid of. But today, Magistrate Ma did not come, but the Magistrate of Jin came. This is interesting."

Bao Zheng was still a little confused: "What does your Excellency mean?"

Lu Zheng explained again: "There are two possibilities. One is that the Magistrate of Jin and Magistrate Ma are not from the same faction, and they even restrain each other. He did not come yesterday to test me. The other is that this was the intention of Magistrate Ma. He knew that I was not a softie and wanted to reconcile with me, but he couldn't lose face, so he sent the Magistrate of Jin."

"Which one do you think, Your Excellency?"

"I'm not sure yet." Although Lu Zheng said this, his expression was much more relaxed. "But no matter which one it is, it's good news for now. I'm just afraid that these two people are just stunned. If they are determined to embarrass me, that would be troublesome."

Bao Zheng was still puzzled: "Your Excellency has no grudge against them, why are they so hostile to you?"

"It's not a difficult thing." Lu Zheng said, "Although the county lieutenant is responsible for local public security, once there is any problem with local public security, the county magistrate is also responsible. It is not difficult to understand that they want to test my ability."

Bao Zheng scratched his head: "Oh."

Although Lu Zheng said this, he still didn't dare to be too optimistic in his heart. Whether it was out of temptation or other reasons, at least the unfriendly attitude of County Magistrate Ma made it clear. But Lu Zheng was not afraid.

However, just after lunch, Master Fu came, still smiling. He bowed and said, "Lord Ma felt very sorry after returning, so I specially held a banquet at home to invite Lord Lu to the banquet."

Lu Zheng took the invitation and replied, "Please reply to Lord Ma that Lu Zheng will be there on time."

"Very good, very good, I'll take my leave."

After Fu Zhiyi left, Lu Zheng threw the invitation aside and continued to look through the case files. Bao Zheng asked curiously, "Sir, does Lord Ma's invitation to you mean that he has given in?"

Before Lu Zheng could say anything, You Xiaowu said, "This is called the Hongmen Banquet, do you understand?"

"Hongmen Banquet?" Bao Zheng frowned, "How did you know that, you old man?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, that's why you young people are inexperienced." You Xiaowu took out a wine bottle from somewhere, took a sip happily and said, "If the county magistrate really surrendered, why didn't he come to invite us earlier or later, but had to wait until the Jin County Secretary took over before inviting us?"

Lu Zheng nodded: "I was not sure about the relationship between these two people, but when Master Fu came to deliver the invitation, I understood. I'm afraid that County Magistrate Ma and Jin County Secretary are not on good terms, and he is probably suppressed by him." "

How is this possible?" Bao Zheng was also a little confused. Indeed, according to common sense, the county magistrate is the legitimate head of a county, but the warehouse and documents are under the jurisdiction of the county magistrate, and the prison is under the jurisdiction of the county lieutenant, so the position of the county magistrate is indeed a bit awkward, and it is not impossible to be sidelined. Now it seems that the situation in Qingxi County is like this, and this Jin county magistrate should not be underestimated.

Bao Zheng was educated by You Xiaowu and realized that he was not dull in his daily life, but unfortunately there were too many twists and turns in the officialdom, which made it difficult for him to understand.

Although You Xiaowu had never been in the officialdom, he was born with a shrewd personality. In addition, when Lu Zheng asked him to inquire about the news, he intentionally or unintentionally cultivated his ability in this area. Now he can analyze the problem very well, at least he can scare Bao Zheng.

Lu Zheng interrupted him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Okay, how can it be so dangerous?" Let him continue, he was not going to a banquet this time but to a dangerous place.

Although Bao Zheng did not quite understand the ins and outs of this, he was not stupid, and looked at You Xiaowu with suspicion.

You Xiaowu touched his nose awkwardly and laughed: "Anyway, be more careful about everything."

In the evening, Lu Zheng arrived at the house of County Magistrate Ma as scheduled.

This house was not built so magnificently, but it was full of elegance, and there were a few words hanging on the wall. Although Lu Zheng's handwriting was still not very good, after this period of remedial lessons, at least he could understand the good and bad. The words on the wall already showed style, but the excessive pursuit of the font made it look a bit artificial.

Lu Zheng did not have to wait too long. The Magistrate Ma came out very quickly. Unlike the fat man he had imagined, the Magistrate Ma was actually a handsome middle-aged man with neatly combed black hair, long eyebrows and beard. He looked like a scholar and wore loose casual clothes, which made him look like an immortal.

"Lord Lu is indeed a beautiful man. I am Ma Yanbai. I am so sorry for the disrespect."

County Magistrate Ma was very enthusiastic, and Lu Zheng also reciprocated, and the atmosphere suddenly became very warm.

When the meal was served, every dish was exquisite. Although County Magistrate Ma was not from a noble family, his style was exactly the same as that of the noble families. Although Lu Zheng himself did not understand these, the original owner had been immersed in these since childhood, so Lu Zheng just agreed with a few words, and this County Magistrate Ma was simply treating him as a confidant.

Although Lu Zheng was joking with him on the surface, he never let down his guard in his heart. Sure enough, after three rounds of drinking, County Magistrate Ma spoke up: "I have heard of Lord Lu's reputation in Qingxi. I am really happy that such a capable person like you has come to our Qingxi."

"Thank you, Lord Ma."

"You, don't be too modest. Since Ding You, the lieutenant of Bai County, has been in charge of the criminal justice affairs of Qingxi County. He is a capable man who can handle multiple duties with ease. Although it is said that the more capable, the more work, it is not legitimate in the end. Fortunately, now that Lord Lu is here, everyone can do their job, right?"

After understanding the meaning of Lord Ma's words, Lu Zheng was speechless. Could it be that Lord Ma was afraid that he would overstep his boundaries? Now it seems that Lord Jin is very powerful and has made Lord Ma very nervous.

Lu Zheng didn't want to play such a trick, so he pretended not to understand: "

Your Excellency is right." Ma Yanbai choked, but immediately smiled and said: "This is my fault. I heard that the Jin County Magistrate handed over the case files and other things early in the morning. From now on, Lord Lu will have to worry more."

"This is my job, and I will definitely do my best."

Seeing that Lu Zheng was not getting any attention, Ma Yanbai was impatient to say these polite words, so he said: "Coincidentally, a case just happened in this county recently. This official and the Jin County Magistrate are helpless. It seems that only Lord Lu has the ability to solve the case."

Lu Zheng was cheered up. After waiting for so long, he finally waited for Lord Ma to get to the point. He couldn't help but ask: "What case is it?"

"It's a murder case."

"Murder case?"

Ma Yanbai said slowly: "To be precise, it is a headless case."

"Headless case?" Lu Zheng was stunned.

"Two days ago, a fisherman found a headless male corpse by the river. The body was not wearing clothes, and no one knew who it was, so the case was put aside."

Lu Zheng also frowned in embarrassment. This kind of headless case is the most troublesome, because the identity of the body is unknown, so there is no way to investigate. If it is modern times, it is still possible to rely on DNA and other methods to find the identity of the body, but in ancient times, there is no way.

Seeing his look, Ma Yanbai curled his lips lightly: "This case has to be solved by Lord Lu."