Chapter 124 The Governor's Office Remains Unable to Issue the Order; Chen Zhili's Attempt to Seize the Person Fails

The red-sealed letter was gripped in Lin Chen's hand, the edges of the sealing wax still bearing fresh, damp marks from being pressed.

Commander Liu Chong looked at the seal of the Provincial Administration Commission, his expression heavy and grim.

"Inspector Lin, if this red-sealed letter follows official document procedures, the Governor's Mansion must also provide a formal response."

Zhou Tie stood by the side of the carriage, his iron spear resting across his palm.

"Respond with what? Tell him that Zhou Huaiyi just crawled out from the bottom of a well and hasn't even caught his breath yet, only to be sent back to the Criminal Chamber to die—the same place that struck him from the records ten years ago?"

Liu Buyu held the document box, his fingertips pressing against the seal.

"The Provincial Administration Commission isn't looking for a review; they want to move the witness away from us."

Shen Yue returned from the front of the carriage, the hem of her clothes still stained with dust from the city walls.

"The Clerk outside the city gate has already confessed. Official Chen Zhili wants Zhou Huaiyi."

Lin Chen folded the red-sealed letter back into its envelope and handed it to Commander Liu Chong.

"You take it."

Commander Liu Chong glanced at him.

"Give it to me?"

Lin Chen looked toward the Governor's Mansion.

"You are from the Criminal Division. If the red-sealed letter enters the Governor's Mansion through your hands, there will be one less layer of idle gossip on the way."

Commander Liu Chong tucked the red-sealed letter into his robes.

"Fine."

Zhou Tie said in a low voice,

"Inspector, what if Official Chen Zhili has also arranged people at the gates of the Governor's Mansion?"

Lin Chen walked to the front of the carriage shaft and reached out to press down the carriage curtain.

"Then let the Governor's Mansion see clearly for themselves exactly who is trying to snatch the person."

Inside the carriage, Zhou Huaiyi leaned against the wooden boards, his face still deathly pale.

Hearing the words 'snatch the person,' his fingers tightened around the corner of his blanket.

"Lord Lin, if I enter the Criminal Chamber, I won't come out."

A-Shi immediately looked up.

"Grandpa Zhou isn't going to the Criminal Chamber."

Lin Chen looked at Zhou Huaiyi.

"Today, you are only entering the Governor's Mansion."

Zhou Huaiyi's Adam's apple bobbed twice.

"Will the Governor's Mansion protect me?"

Lin Chen did not answer immediately.

He looked at the Governor's Mansion's Personal Guards already lined up outside the carriage.

"They will protect the case."

Zhou Huaiyi looked at him, then lowered his head after a long silence.

"Protecting the case means protecting this life of mine."

Lin Chen lowered the carriage curtain.

"Move out."

As the convoy passed through the long street, the commoners on the roadside were still whispering about the blood at the city gate.

Some pointed at the carriage, hushedly mentioning the words 'Qingyun Ridge'.

Others saw the thin faces of the children peeking out; they had just handed out half of a hot pancake but, fearing they might scare them, could only place it by the carriage for Zhou Tie to pass along.

Zhou Tie broke the pancake apart and handed it to A-Shi.

"Take it. Don't keep looking at me; I'm not going to eat yours."

A-Shi took the pancake and asked softly,

"Will we be separated after we get to the Governor's Mansion?"

Shen Yue, walking beside the carriage, glanced at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen spoke.

"Not for now."

A-Shi clutched the pancake to his chest.

"Then I'll stay with Grandpa Zhou."

Zhou Huaiyi coughed twice inside the carriage.

"Don't crowd me."

A-Shi's eyes were red, yet he managed a small smile.

"I'll be gentle."

In front of the Governor's Mansion gates, the Personal Guards had already formed two rows.

Nangong Xiong was not waiting for them deep within the main hall.

He stood on the steps of the inner gate, dressed in everyday robes with the Governor's official seal hanging from his waist, his face unreadable.

Lin Chen stepped down from the carriage and bowed.

"Lord Governor."

Nangong Xiong's gaze first fell upon the document box, then toward the carriage.

"The evidence is in front, the witness is behind."

Liu Buyu immediately stepped forward and placed the document box on a long table brought out by the Personal Guards.

"The case files of Qingyun Ridge, the duplicate of the Living accounts, the old papers from the hidden compartment at the bottom of the well, the notes regarding the clearing of the scene, the initial autopsy records of the child corpses, and the records of the interception at the city gate—all are here."

Nangong Xiong did not reach out to flip through them.

He looked at Commander Liu Chong.

"How many items has the Criminal Division verified?"

Commander Liu Chong cupped his fists.

"The seals on the Living accounts have been verified, the initial autopsies of the child corpses have been numbered, and the items from the city gate interception have also been registered."

Nangong Xiong asked again,

"Is Zhou Huaiyi still able to speak?"

Lin Chen replied,

"He can, but he cannot be questioned for long."

Nangong Xiong nodded.

"Then we shall ask briefly."

Just then, a flurry of footsteps came from outside the Governor's Mansion gates.

A Clerk in green robes holding an official letter stood outside the threshold, accompanied by two bailiffs from the Provincial Administration Commission.

He bowed to Nangong Xiong with proper etiquette, but his words were sharp and insistent.

"Lord Governor, an urgent letter from the Provincial Administration Commission has arrived. Lord Chen requests that the Governor's Mansion transfer Zhou Huaiyi according to the law, so that the Criminal Chamber may first verify his identity."

Zhou Tie's hand gripping the spear moved forward half an inch.

Zhao Gang was not here, but the anger on Zhou Tie's face could not be suppressed.

"You people actually dare to chase us all the way to the Governor's Mansion gates."

The green-robed Clerk glanced at Zhou Tie.

"I am acting according to official documents."

Liu Buyu raised his brush.

"A Clerk from the Provincial Administration Commission arrived at the gates of the Governor's Mansion, claiming to be acting on the orders of Official Chen Zhili, requesting the transfer of Zhou Huaiyi."

The green-robed Clerk's expression flickered.

"What I said was a transfer according to the law."

Liu Buyu lowered his brush tip.

"Addendum: The Provincial Administration Commission Clerk stated it is a transfer according to the law."

Nangong Xiong looked at the Clerk.

"What does Chen Zhili want to verify?"

The green-robed Clerk immediately said,

"Zhou Huaiyi disappeared from the Criminal Chamber's duty rosters ten years ago. Now that he has suddenly appeared, his identity is in doubt."

Nangong Xiong asked,

"The man was at the bottom of a well for ten years; why is his identity in doubt?"

The green-robed Clerk lowered his head.

"This matter requires the Criminal Chamber to verify the old archives."

Commander Liu Chong stepped forward, having already taken out the red-sealed letter from his robes.

"The old archives of the Criminal Chamber are involved in this case. The duty rosters, the striking from records, and the escorts from ten years ago—there is already evidence pointing toward the interior of the Criminal Chamber."

The green-robed Clerk frowned.

"Commander Liu, you are from the Criminal Division. How can you pass judgment before a trial?"

Commander Liu Chong placed the red-sealed letter on the table.

"Am I passing judgment before a trial, or are you trying to snatch the person before a trial? The signal cylinders and the confessions from outside the city gate are still fresh."

The green-robed Clerk's face began to turn pale.

"The matter at the city gate has nothing to do with the Provincial Administration Commission."

Shen Yue walked to the side of the table and placed down the Clerk's waist token captured at the city gate.

"To which chamber does this waist token belong?"

The green-robed Clerk saw the waist token, and his throat moved.

"There are many Clerks in the Prefecture; I do not recognize every single one."

Shen Yue then placed down the fragments of the signal cylinder.

"He confessed that Lord Chen wants Zhou Huaiyi."

The green-robed Clerk's fingers tightened.

"Confessions can be coerced."

Zhou Tie sneered.

"Then why don't you have him say it again in front of the commoners?"

Nangong Xiong raised his hand.

The courtyard immediately fell silent.

He looked at Lin Chen.

"Present the evidence."

Lin Chen nodded and walked to the long table.

Liu Buyu opened the first document box.

Lin Chen took out the half-page of old paper and the fragmented vermilion seal wrapped in oilcloth.

"The first item: the hidden compartment at the bottom of the well."

He unfolded the old paper, revealing the characters for 'codename' on the charred edges.

"Zhou Huaiyi was hidden at the bottom of a well in Qingyun Ridge for ten years. The paper bears a date from the winter of the 36th year of Qianyuan, along with half of a vermilion seal."

The green-robed Clerk's expression changed when the characters for 'codename' appeared.

He quickly lowered his head, but Liu Buyu's brush had already touched the paper.

"The Provincial Administration Commission Clerk's expression changed upon seeing the 'codename' scrap paper."

The green-robed Clerk looked up.

"You are recording nonsense!"

Liu Buyu looked at him.

"If your expression hadn't changed, I would have recorded your denial in court."

Nangong Xiong did not stop him.

Lin Chen took out the second item.

"Three volumes of Living accounts, hidden under the bottom of a coffin in an outer residence in the east of the city. They record the transport of people, the conversion into silver, the striking from the Criminal Chamber's records, and the receipt of people at Qingyun Ridge."

Commander Liu Chong took the account books and flipped to the page with the signatures and seals.

"This seal matches the partial seal on the Criminal Chamber's old duty rosters from ten years ago."

Liu Buyu immediately took out the old duty roster and placed the two seal marks side-by-side on the table.

"Lord Governor, please look. The radicals are in the same position, and the chips in the corners also match."

Nangong Xiong looked down for a long time.

"Continue."

Lin Chen took out the third set of evidence.

"The initial autopsy of the child corpses. Thirty-seven bodies, all found on the back slope of Qingyun Ridge."

The Coroner stepped forward and knelt.

"According to my initial examination, there are old injuries from before they died, drug residues, and signs of the graves being moved. The detailed records have been numbered accordingly."

The green-robed Clerk immediately said,

"An initial autopsy cannot settle a case."

Zhou Tie glared at him.

"Thirty-seven children buried on a slope, and the first thing out of your mouth is that the case can't be settled?"

The green-robed Clerk grit his teeth.

"I am speaking of the rules."

Lin Chen looked at him.

"Rules were never meant to be used to keep the dead silent."

The Personal Guards in the courtyard all raised their heads.

Nangong Xiong glanced at Lin Chen but said nothing.

Liu Buyu wrote this sentence down, his brush tip pressing heavily.

Nangong Xiong finally turned toward the carriage.

"Bring Zhou Huaiyi."

Two Personal Guards carried the wooden board, bringing Zhou Huaiyi from the carriage into the courtyard.

When Zhou Huaiyi saw the high walls and the open gates of the Governor's Mansion, his entire body began to tremble instead.

A-Shi followed beside him, calling out softly,

"Grandpa Zhou, I'm here."

Zhou Huaiyi glanced at him before he could finally catch his breath.

Nangong Xiong walked down the steps.

"Zhou Huaiyi, this official will only ask you four questions."

Zhou Huaiyi nodded with difficulty.

"This humble one can answer."

Nangong Xiong asked,

"Ten years ago, what did you do in the Criminal Chamber?"

Zhou Huaiyi closed his eyes.

"Struck names from the records."

Liu Buyu immediately wrote it down.

Nangong Xiong asked,

"What did Escort Officer Lu Qingshan do?"

Zhou Huaiyi replied,

"Escorted."

Nangong Xiong asked,

"Who handled the final arrangements for the people at Qingyun Ridge?"

Zhou Huaiyi's lips trembled.

"The Wang family."

Zhou Tie's throat bobbed, his spear shaft pressing against the ground.

Nangong Xiong asked the fourth question.

"Who stamped the seal?"

Zhou Huaiyi wheezed for a long time.

"The Criminal Chamber registrar."

The green-robed Clerk immediately interjected,

"Lord Governor, he is heavily injured; what he says might not be clear."

Zhou Huaiyi suddenly opened his eyes and stared fixedly at the Clerk.

"I wrote names at the bottom of a well for ten years. Who is clear and who is not, I am clearer than you."

The green-robed Clerk was stared at so intensely that he took half a step back.

Zhou Huaiyi added,

"Escort Officer Lu Qingshan met with a person in green every month at the Provincial Administration Commission."

The atmosphere in the courtyard grew heavy.

This time, the green-robed Clerk's composure was completely shattered.

"You are talking nonsense!"

Zhou Huaiyi coughed until his shoulders shook, yet he still managed to squeeze out the latter half of his sentence.

"And codename."

Liu Buyu's brush paused for half a beat.

Lin Chen looked at the green-robed Clerk.

The Clerk opened his mouth to say something but first glanced at Nangong Xiong.

Nangong Xiong took that glance in.

"Go back and tell Chen Zhili."

The green-robed Clerk hastily lowered his head.

Nangong Xiong placed the Provincial Administration Commission's red-sealed letter on the table.

"Zhou Huaiyi will not be transferred for the time being."

The green-robed Clerk looked up.

"Lord Governor, I'm afraid this does not comply with the Provincial Administration Commission's dispatch."

Nangong Xiong looked at him.

"I am shelving it."

The green-robed Clerk's lips were dry.

"Then Lord Chen's impeachment memorial..."

Nangong Xiong raised his eyes.

"Shelve that as well."

Zhou Tie's chest heaved once, and he almost laughed out loud.

Liu Buyu's brush moved rapidly.

"The Lord Governor has shelved the Provincial Administration Commission's transfer document in court, and Official Chen Zhili's impeachment memorial is temporarily withheld and not sent out."

The green-robed Clerk still wanted to argue.

Nangong Xiong had already turned to Lin Chen.

"Recalculate the containment of the outer residence in the east of the city."

Lin Chen cupped his fists.

"For how many days?"

Nangong Xiong looked at a Personal Guard.

"Fetch the order."

The Personal Guard quickly brought a new order; the sealing wax had just been pressed and the edges were still damp.

Nangong Xiong personally handed it to Lin Chen.

"Five days."

The green-robed Clerk's expression changed again.

"Lord Governor, the Wang family's outer residence was already sealed previously. Extending it for another five days might cause dissatisfaction among the noble families."

Nangong Xiong looked at him.

"The thirty-seven child corpses of Qingyun Ridge also cause dissatisfaction for me."

The green-robed Clerk completely lost the courage to speak.

Lin Chen took the token.

"This subordinate understands."

Nangong Xiong lowered his gaze.

"Lin Chen, I am giving you five days, not to vent your anger."

Lin Chen looked up.

"This subordinate knows."

Nangong Xiong looked at the evidence on the table.

"Make the chain of evidence solid."

Lin Chen nodded.

"The Wang family's periphery, the old seal of the Criminal Chamber, the codename secret signals—this subordinate will investigate them one by one."

Nangong Xiong glanced at Liu Buyu again.

"Leave a copy of your case files at the Governor's Mansion."

Liu Buyu cupped his fists.

"This subordinate has brought three copies."

Nangong Xiong finally nodded.

"A person who knows how to write a case can save lives, but they can also kill."

Liu Buyu lowered his head.

"This subordinate only kills the lies that deserve to die on paper."

Zhou Tie muttered in a low voice,

"Old Liu's words today actually show a bit of backbone."

Liu Buyu glanced at him.

"If you interrupted me a few less times, I could write with even more backbone."

Shen Yue stood outside the Governor's Mansion gates, suddenly turning her head to look toward a street corner.

Lin Chen noticed her movement and walked over.

"Who did you see?"

Shen Yue did not answer immediately.

She pointed to a porter in grey clothes behind a tea stall across the street.

"That person has changed positions three times since we entered the gates."

Lin Chen looked over.

The grey-clothed porter lowered his head to pack up his stall and quickly turned into an alley.

Shen Yue said,

"One of the Grey Sparrow's men."

Lin Chen asked,

"What is he doing?"

Shen Yue withdrew her gaze.

"Keeping an eye on Zhou Huaiyi, and also on who enters and leaves the Governor's Mansion gates."

Zhou Tie followed from behind.

"They still dare to watch?"

Shen Yue looked at him.

"The first round of snatching the person failed; the second round will likely involve changing their story to slander us."

Liu Buyu walked out of the courtyard gates holding the duplicate files.

"Slander us with what?"

Shen Yue said,

"Saying that Zhou Huaiyi is a fake, that the children were found by the Patrol Division, that the child corpses are from an old grave."

Zhou Tie was so angry he laughed.

"They really dare to think of anything."

Lin Chen looked toward the inner courtyard of the Governor's Mansion.

"Wang Chongyuan won't just rely on Chen Zhili."

Zhou Tie's face darkened.

"Wang Xuan?"

Lin Chen did not answer.

He turned to look toward the side courtyard.

Zhou Huaiyi and the children had already been escorted inside by the Personal Guards.

The side courtyard had doors, windows, and clean bedding.

When Zhou Huaiyi was carried onto the bed, his hand kept gripping the edge of the bed frame.

A-Shi stood at the door, not daring to go in.

Shen Yue walked up behind him.

"Why aren't you going in?"

A-Shi said softly,

"Can the door be opened from the inside?"

Shen Yue walked over, reached out to push the door open, and then pulled it open from the inside.

"Yes."

A-Shi then looked at the window.

"What about the window?"

Shen Yue pushed open half of the window.

"That too."

Zhou Huaiyi lay on the bed, looking at the window that could be opened; tears slid from the corners of his eyes to his temples.

"I haven't slept in a place with a window for ten years."

Lin Chen stood outside the door.

"Someone will be on guard tonight."

Zhou Huaiyi looked at him.

"I still don't dare to sleep for too long."

Lin Chen said,

"Then just close your eyes for a while."

Zhou Huaiyi nodded.

"If I don't wake up, the case..."

Lin Chen interrupted him.

"You will wake up."

A-Shi walked into the room and sat at the foot of the bed.

"Grandpa Zhou, I'll watch the window."

Shen Yue pulled the outer robe tighter around the smallest child.

"You all sleep too."

The child grabbed the hem of her clothes.

"Will Sister watch over us too?"

Shen Yue said,

"Yes."

Zhou Tie leaned against the doorframe and said in a lowered voice,

"She'll guard the door, and I'll guard the courtyard."

Liu Buyu placed the duplicate files on the table.

"I'll guard the papers."

Lin Chen glanced at them.

"I'm going back to the Main Courtyard."

Zhou Tie immediately asked,

"Inspector, are you still going to investigate?"

Lin Chen said,

"Director Wang Gang's secret signal must be deciphered tonight."

Liu Buyu quickly followed up.

"The partial seal from the old duty roster and the codename marks in Director Wang Gang's account books—I've already made two rubbings of them."

When they returned to the Patrol Division's Main Courtyard, the sky had already darkened.

Inside the Archives Room, the lamps were lit.

Liu Buyu laid out the old duty roster, the rubbings of the partial seal, Director Wang Gang's account books, and the codename scrap paper in order.

He pointed to a secret signal in Director Wang Gang's account book.

"Inspector, look here. There's a corner missing next to the 'gold' radical."

Lin Chen leaned over to look.

Liu Buyu flipped the old duty roster to the page with the Criminal Chamber registrar's seal.

"Now look here. The same corner is missing."

Zhou Tie stood by the side, his expression dark.

"Director Wang Gang won't be able to escape this time?"

Liu Buyu did not speak with absolute certainty.

"At the very least, we've moved from procedural manipulation to direct physical evidence."

Shen Yue came in from outside.

"That Grey Sparrow informant outside the Governor's Mansion changed his clothes after entering the West Market and finally went to the Wang family's pharmacy in the west of the city."

Lin Chen raised his eyes.

"Pharmacy?"

Shen Yue nodded.

"At the back door of the pharmacy, Wang family guards were there to receive him."

Zhou Tie said coldly,

"It seems Wang Chongyuan is prepared to call upon his retainers as well."

Liu Buyu set down his brush.

"If they still intend to kill the witness, even the side courtyard of the Governor's Mansion might not be safe."

Lin Chen did not speak.

He sat behind the desk and took out black abyss, placing it within reach.

In his mind, the System's notification sound rang out at that moment.

[Detected that the host's Meridians have been fully repaired. Yuan-Severing Style can now be performed normally.]

[The host can consume points to deduce Shadowless Thunder Blade and increase the capacity for Blade Intent.]

Lin Chen looked at the codename scrap paper on the desk, his fingertip pressing against the scabbard.

"Deduce."

The lamplight flickered slightly.

The blade of black abyss emitted a low vibration within its sheath.

Zhou Tie immediately looked toward the door.

"Who's there?"

There was no response from outside.

In the next breath, a patrol guard hurried in, holding an anonymous slip of paper.

"Inspector, this was stuffed through the door crack."

Liu Buyu took the paper, and his face changed instantly upon unfolding it.

Zhou Tie grew anxious.

"What does it say?"

Liu Buyu handed the paper to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen looked down.

There was only one sentence on the paper.

"Tomorrow night at the Main Courtyard, first the witness will be killed, then the Inspector."