murderous intent
The soft morning light streamed into the room, filtering through the curtains that hung to the floor, casting a pale yellow-green glow. In the quiet stillness of the room, one could occasionally hear Shiyu murmuring in her sleep.
Mu Qing came to her senses and realized that it was already dawn.
She returned home in a panic last night and lay in bed unable to calm down for a long time.
The embarrassment of being held back by the waist, the shame of being hit by his breath, and the burning sensation on my back seemed to linger.
In that situation, she had no choice but to agree, but she didn't need to overturn the verdict or be exonerated, nor did she need someone who coveted her to help her.
She suspected that the upright young man named Zhong Linlan from back then had actually died long ago, and that some wicked ghost had taken over his body and shared his memories.
Perhaps that's true; she should avenge him.
Ever since this absurd thought popped into Mu Qing's head, she was no longer so afraid. Something seemed to be bubbling and boiling inside her.
After taking liberties with her, he casually arranged to meet her in secret.
"It's late tonight, you should go back now and come see me again in three days."
Will he take advantage of her again three days later? It's very possible. He clearly has ulterior motives and, knowing she's unwilling, still has designs on her.
If something breaks, you throw it away; but what if a person turns bad?
"...It's broken, it shouldn't have been left in this world."
An aged voice emerged from the depths of my mind.
Mu Qing recalled a sorrowful face filled with hatred as she spoke; it was the old woman from Tianci Mountain.
The moment the old woman saw her, it was as if she could see right through her. She asked the old woman what she had done wrong. The old woman didn't dare to say, but she didn't press the matter. Instead, she started talking about her own affairs.
In her middle age, she killed her husband and fled to Tianci Mountain.
Because her husband, who was easygoing and considerate when he was young, became addicted to gambling as he got older, and would beat and scold his wife at the drop of a hat, turning him into a completely different person.
"If a person's character is corrupt, they should not remain in this world."
The sound seemed to echo in the void.
Mu Qing was in a daze for a moment when she suddenly heard Shi Yu say something indistinct. She lifted the curtain and looked over, and saw Shi Yu turn over on the bed with a sweet smile on her face, sleeping soundly.
Mu Qing stared blankly for a moment. She could have been just as carefree if Zhong Linlan hadn't appeared.
At the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), a solemn atmosphere filled the prefectural government office of Weizhou.
Prefect Liu sat in the hall, receiving his subordinates who came to pay their respects early in the morning. Hearing that the thieves who had been arrested in the city had not yet been found, he questioned them in court: "It's been almost ten days, and you still haven't caught them. Have you even used your brains?"
Ji Tongzhi bowed and reported, “Sir, if it were an ordinary thief, as long as he was still in the city, we would have caught him long ago after the city was sealed off for a few days. But this Wang Qi, no, this fake Wang Qi has been a prefect for several years. He knows the city’s markets and neighborhoods inside and out, and he knows how many hiding places he has. It will inevitably take some time to investigate.”
Upon hearing this, Prefect Liu sighed.
He and Ji Tongzhi had only been in office in Weizhou for the last two or three years, while the thief impersonating Wang Qi had served as the prefectural judge in Weizhou for four or five years.
Since his arrival, the magistrate had always been warm and welcoming to him, and he was always efficient and reliable in his work, never making a mistake. Prefect Liu once called him a capable subordinate.
That day, Imperial Censor Zhong told him that the real prefect had died on his way to his post, and that Wang Qi, who was entering and leaving the government office, was a thief impersonating him. After being discovered by Imperial Censor Qin, Wang Qi killed Imperial Censor Qin to silence him.
This statement sounds plausible, but in the past two years, Prefect Liu has worked with the Vice Prefect and has given him much recognition, so he finds it unbelievable and is skeptical.
He summoned several yamen runners, who hid in the shadows, and then had someone invite the prefectural magistrate over, so that his relatives and friends from his hometown could identify him.
Unexpectedly, the magistrate had barely entered the room when he heard a few words and his expression suddenly changed. With his thin frame, he turned around, knocked down the guards at the gate, and fled in terror.
Prefect Liu was filled with remorse. If he had known this would happen, he should have ordered his constables to swarm in and arrest the man first.
These past few days, they've been searching everywhere in Weizhou City, causing chaos and confusion, but to no avail.
The prefectural clerk bowed and suggested, "Sir, since Imperial Censor Zhong has discovered the fake Wang Qi, perhaps we can ask him for help in capturing the thief."
Ji Tongzhi glanced at him and lowered his head. The prefect and Censor Zhong had a good relationship some time ago, but since the fake Wang Qi escaped, the two seemed to have developed a rift, and Censor Zhong no longer came to the prefect's office.
Prefect Liu remained silent, his lips drooping, his face pale.
Previously, he had indeed intended to befriend Imperial Censor Zhong, following the Emperor's wishes. However, Imperial Censor Zhong was suspicious of Zhang Conghuai's promotion and investigated for several days but found nothing wrong. As a result, he lost trust in this young censor and looked down on him as a naive and impetuous young man.
When Imperial Censor Zhong pointed out that the Vice Prefect Wang Qi had been replaced by a thief, he found it hard to believe. On the day he set up the ambush to arrest the man, he was worried that it was a false alarm and only found a few yamen runners.
As the gatekeeper was brought down, Imperial Censor Zhong gave chase, only managing to touch the hem of his robe. The imposter Wang Qi ran off like the wind, and after getting far away, turned back to glare fiercely at Imperial Censor Zhong.
Recalling that incident, Prefect Liu still felt lingering fear.
If the fake Wang Qi harbors resentment and kills another censor in Weizhou Prefecture, then the prefect will be unable to fulfill his duties.
Afterwards, he sent many soldiers to guard the Imperial Censor's residence. Imperial Censor Zhong expressed his gratitude, but he no longer cared about the case, only saying that he had already told him all the clues he had.
The case has been solved, and apprehending the thieves is the responsibility of the prefectural government. If the main culprit cannot be caught, the censor can simply submit a memorial to the capital, accusing the prefect of ineffective apprehension, and thus remain uninvolved.
Just as Prefect Liu was worrying, a minor official came to report that the Grand Commander's Chief Secretary had sent someone.
The Grand Commander-in-Chief, a third-rank official, commanded troops in multiple prefectures.
Prefect Liu hurriedly invited the men in, and several soldiers in armor entered the hall in formation. The leader was particularly imposing and stepped forward, saying, "We heard that Your Excellency the Prefect needs to borrow troops to catch the thieves, and the Chief Secretary has sent us to assist you."
A few days ago, in order to seal off the city and catch the thieves, Prefect Liu borrowed troops from the Weizhou Military Command. He did not expect to alarm the Grand Commander's Chief Secretary, so he was a little apprehensive. He treated the soldiers with courtesy and asked them a few more questions.
“My lord, there is no need to worry. We were originally soldiers of Weizhou Prefecture and are very familiar with Weizhou. We took leave to visit our hometown, and the Chief Secretary asked us to come here on the way.”
The leading soldier was a captain named Qian Lei, who spoke with a strong and forceful voice.
Prefect Liu was overjoyed to see a savior. He had his subordinates explain how they captured the fake Wang Qi, and then settled the soldiers in the city. After some arrangements, they were finally able to rest.
His luck suddenly turned around, and he had the illusion that a pie had fallen from the sky. Only after an aide analyzed the situation did he feel a little more at ease.
The current Grand Commander-in-Chief, Cao Mao, was formerly the Military Commander of Weizhou. Five years ago, he led troops to wipe out the mountain bandits outside Weizhou City. After being promoted for his meritorious service, he also swept away the bandits and thieves in neighboring prefectures.
"It is said that this official was full of passion and hated bandits. When he heard that a bandit had impersonated an official in Weizhou, he was indignant and sent his personal guards to capture the bandit, which is quite reasonable. But in my humble opinion, this official rose to the position of Chief Secretary of the Grand Commander within five years by killing bandits and climbing up by stepping on the heads of countless bandits. At this time, he sent people here probably to share some of the credit."
After hearing his advisor's words, Prefect Liu felt more awe towards the Grand Commander's Chief Secretary.
Killing thieves and gaining merit for promotion may be bloody, but if we can capture the fake Wang Qi as soon as possible, it wouldn't hurt to share all the credit.
Prefect Liu stroked his beard and nodded.
In the afternoon, Mu Qing dismissed everyone else from the room, instructing them to stay quietly for two hours and not to be disturbed.
She removed all her jewelry, took out a purse of pearls, picked out an inconspicuous pale yellow dress from the wardrobe and changed into it. She covered her face with a silk scarf and went to the side window. She heard the sound of pruning shears outside the window. Through the crack in the window, she could see Zixiao tending to the flowers and trees. She held her breath and waited for a while. When Zixiao turned her back, she immediately opened the window and slipped out.
With no cover of darkness during the day, Mu Qing used the shadows of the eaves and pillars to avoid the guards, climb over the Lu family compound wall, and jump into the deserted back alley.
Mu Qing took a deep breath and reviewed the plan she had been pondering for half a day.
Back when they were still in the mountain stronghold, she and Ayu used their identities as refugees to travel around Weizhou City, where they learned a little about some filthy activities.
In the northwest corner of the city, there used to be a secluded corner where illegal items such as poisons were sold, but after several years, it is unknown whether it still exists.
With hope in her heart, Mu Qing walked through the winding alley and encountered several women carrying bamboo baskets.
The women, dressed in coarse cloth clothes and aprons, clearly lived nearby. When they saw Mu Qing, who was covered with a silk scarf and dressed in fine silk, they all looked surprised and full of curiosity.
Compared to them, she was dressed quite lavishly.
Mu Qing quickened her pace, hurried past them, and hesitated as she reached the alley entrance, about to turn into the bustling main street.
There were fewer pedestrians on the street than usual, and with her attire, she would attract attention as soon as she stepped out.
Fortunately, there was a clothing store on the street. She went to the store and chose a gray coarse cloth coat and a long handkerchief, paying with pearls.
The shop owner, a young and fashionable woman, was captivated by the large, round pearls and showed great enthusiasm. I guessed she was a young lady who had sneaked out of the house, but I didn't expose her.
Mu Qing changed her clothes at a secluded place, wrapped her head in black gauze, covered her face with a long scarf, and carried a bundle of silk robes on her back.
The proprietress teased, "You have a nice figure, and you look good in linen clothes. Not to mention, you have such bright, sparkling eyes."
Mu Qingwei was slightly taken aback. "Are there any bamboo hats here?"
Her simple clothes and farmer's hat might not have made her stand out.
The proprietress glanced towards the door and gestured with her chin toward the shop across the street, "That general store has it."
The grocery store was thriving, and it was packed with people on all sides. Mu Qing grabbed a straw hat and joined the queue to pay, but then she heard a dispute starting up in front of her.
"It's not like I haven't bought cured meat before; it's always been ten coins a pound."
"Sir, that was the price before. Now that the city is under lockdown, what isn't going up in price?"
"Others raise their prices by one or two coins, but yours is too much."
"Most of the goods in our shop are supplied by people from the surrounding villages. If prices hadn't risen so much, where would we have any stock left?"
The old man in front of the counter grumbled as he paid the bill and left with the cured meat.
The others still in line started chatting amongst themselves.
Mu Qing listened attentively and understood the general idea.
On his way to take up his post, the former prefectural magistrate of Weizhou was impersonated by a thief. The incompetent officials in the prefectural government failed to notice and allowed the thief to serve as an official in Weizhou for several years. Now that the thief has been discovered, the city has been sealed off for several days but he has not been caught. This has caused ordinary people to be unable to leave or come out, and they have to bear the rising prices due to the shortage of supplies.
The general store sells everyday items, so things like poison, which few people use, shouldn't be easily out of stock.
Mu Qing's thoughts drifted, and when it was time to pay, she took out another pearl.
The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man. When he saw the large pearl, his eyes lit up, but then he lowered his brows.
He said with a worried look, "Miss, it only costs a few coins to settle the bill. You brought such a fine item, which puts me in a difficult position. I don't know how much it's worth, so I just set a price for you randomly. Who knows who will be the one who loses out?"
Mu Qing also felt helpless. In the past, the money she used when going out was kept by Ning Gu, so she couldn't easily use it. She thought that it wouldn't be easy to find out if there were a few more or fewer pearls in a handful. People outside usually don't care whether it's pearls or gold, silver, or copper coins, as long as they can make a profit.
In particular, in places like general stores, buying and selling are common occurrences, as are the consignment of other people's miscellaneous items.
Mu Qing pushed the pearl in front of him, "I've run out of money, this is all I have left. I'm willing to use it to pay, the shopkeeper won't lose out, why bother?"
The shopkeeper picked up the pearl and saw that it was white, flawless, and dazzling.
He glanced at Mu Qing, who was dressed in coarse gray clothes, carrying a bundle, with her head and face covered, and was buying a bamboo hat. He then beckoned the shop assistant over, whispered a few words to her, and then turned to say, "I really don't know if this thing is real or fake. My wife knows more than I do. She'll come and check it for me later. If you really want to pay for it, you might as well wait here for a while."
Mu Qing found the shopkeeper's words reasonable and followed the waiter to sit and wait in the corner.
After waiting for a long time, the shop's customers had completely changed, and the shopkeeper's wife still hadn't come. A shop assistant stood beside her and never left. Mu Qing began to feel that something was wrong.
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