Dafeng Night Watchman

Chapter 10: Murder in the County Court



The night sky is clear and dotted with stars.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The tallest building in Dafeng, the Stargazing Tower, is the office of the Sitianjian.

The girl in the yellow skirt climbed up lightly. When she passed the seventh floor, she heard a noisy noise coming from the alchemy room.

A group of alchemists in white clothes were arguing with red ears.

"Why did it fail again? It's such a simple step."

"I said, it must be the wrong dosage of salt."

"No, I think it's water."

"Is it fire? I just saw Brother Wan boil the salt."

"It's too difficult. The alchemy of turning salt into silver is too difficult. I don't know how to do it."

The girl in the yellow skirt named Caiwei twitched her mouth and muttered, "These people are still refining fake silver."

Two days ago, she brought the story of turning salt into silver back to the Sitianjian, and the brothers began to not believe it.

Salt can turn into silver?

Even a three-year-old child doesn't believe it.

But soon, the tax silver case was solved. His Majesty felt that the fake silver was extremely powerful and quite magical, so he ordered the Imperial Observatory to refine fake silver.

So, the alchemists of the Imperial Observatory began to work hard, day and night, and devoted themselves to the blessing of 996.

From two days ago until now, they have been working hard, and they have been defeated again and again.

"Caiwei, it's Junior Sister Caiwei." Someone shouted excitedly.

In an instant, haggard faces turned around, and pairs of eyes suddenly shone.

"Junior Sister Caiwei, how did this fake silver come out?"

"Junior Sister Caiwei, come and help me see if there is a problem with the steps? You are the only one who successfully refined fake silver."

Surrounded the girl in yellow skirt.

Chu Caiwei had to enter the alchemy room to watch the process of the brothers refining fake silver.

"Failed again!" A white-clothed alchemist who was operating on the spot lamented.

"Junior Sister Caiwei, what's wrong?" The white-clothed brothers put on an attitude of humbly asking for advice.

No problem, I also refined it this way at the beginning... Chu Caiwei pondered and said: "This is the alchemy handed down from ancient times. It is profound and obscure. It is not something that can be learned just by learning it. It needs to be taught in a simple and in- depth way so that it can be deeply rooted. I will teach you a formula, remember it."

The brothers put on a listening attitude.

"Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus!" Chu Caiwei moved her energy to Dantian and uttered this amazing formula word by word.

"This formula is for peace?" The brothers didn't understand, they understood every word, but they were confused when they put them together.

I don't know what this is either... Chu Caiwei pretended to be profound and smiled without saying anything.

"Wizard, genius, the person who wrote this formula is really a genius in alchemy." A white- clothed brother sighed.

Where is the genius? Senior brother, don't let your imagination run wild! Chu Caiwei's smile remained unchanged.

"Junior sister Caiwei, who told you this formula? Did you meet an alchemist and get his guidance?"

Chu Caiwei thought, good question! She threw the pot away lightly.

"That man is Xu Qian'an, the nephew of Xu Pingzhi, the seventh-rank green-robed officer of the Imperial Sword Camp. Just look for him."

When they heard that he was a warrior, the white-clothed people were unhappy.

"What a joke! I am the dignified Sitianjian, with so many talents. Do I have to find an outsider to refine fake silver?"

"And he is a warrior."

"Wouldn't it be a joke if it spread out?"

According to different cultivation systems, several very interesting chains of contempt have been formed.

The Taoist sect looks down on the Buddhist sect, and the Buddhist sect despises it in return. Warlocks look down on wizards, wizards look down on Gu masters, and Gu masters look down on warlocks.

Then, Taoist and Buddhist sorcerers, wizards and Gu masters all looked down on warriors. As for Confucianism, sorry, forgive me for being blunt, everyone here is rubbish. However, Confucianism has weakened in modern times.

"Junior Sister Caiwei, you come to guide us."

Caiwei said, "I will definitely do it next time!"

She squeezed out of the group of white-clothed senior brothers and continued to climb the

stairs.

In fact, she didn't understand it either.

Last time in the government office, she refined fake silver in one go. Afterwards, Caiwei tried it again in private and failed.

She copied the previous process completely, but it just failed. She didn't know why.

The roof of the Stargazing Tower is not a normal eaves, but an octagonal platform, which secretly matches the Eight Diagrams.

Therefore, it is called the Eight Diagrams Terrace.

At the edge of the Eight Diagrams Terrace, an old man in white clothes, leaning over the table, holding a wine glass in one hand and supporting his head with the other hand, seemed drunk, looking at the capital below.

The girl in the yellow skirt was tactful and didn't disturb him. The master usually didn't do any serious work, but liked to sit on the gossip platform to drink and watch the scenery.

He didn't like to be disturbed.

He squinted his eyes and said that he was concentrating on watching the world.

"Cai Wei is here?" The old man in white said with a smile.

"Master." The girl in the yellow skirt smiled and trotted over, standing on the edge of the

gossip, her skirt flying.

"What reward does the old emperor have?"

"A few hundred taels of silver and a few pieces of silk." The girl in the yellow skirt said,

"Master, what exactly is fake silver?"

"Master, I don't know."

"Is there anything in the world that Master doesn't know?"

"Too many." The old man in white said with a smile, "Master, I don't know where those thieves went nineteen years ago."

"You always say that the thieves nineteen years ago are hateful, but you don't tell me who they are and what they stole."

The old man in white stood up and stood on the edge of the octagonal platform, sighing, "What was stolen is extraordinary."

"Then do you know who made the fake silver?" The Imperial Astronomical Bureau is the birthplace of the sorcerer system. Even if the alchemists in the world are not from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, they must have a connection with the Imperial Astronomical

Bureau.

Behind the tax silver case, there is an alchemist involved, and he has made such a strange

thing. He is definitely not an ordinary person.

"Master, of course, knows."

....

Small courtyard, main house.

Xu Qian'an was lying on the bed, staring at the crisscrossing beams with the bright moonlight

coming in through the window.

He was worried about his future, feeling a little panicky and confused, but also a little excited.

As a high-quality product of the nine-year compulsory education, the knowledge in my head

is all fake.

It is easy to stand out in the backward monarchical society and become the most outstanding

flower.

However, a society where imperial power is supreme often means that human rights cannot be guaranteed. Today you are a young model in the club, and tomorrow you are exiled. This is a phenomenon that makes any modern person feel sad. Thinking about it, Xu Qian'an fell asleep. When he woke up, it was bright. He put on the black official uniform, tied his belt, tied his long hair, and hung the Pudao around his waist.

He was straight and masculine.

It has to be admitted that ancient clothing has added to the appearance and temperament, but

it is too troublesome to go to the toilet.

After climbing over the wall to his second uncle's house for breakfast, the uncle and nephew went out to work together. Xu Pingzhi was reinstated and everything was as usual. Changle County Government was a county attached to the capital. The government office was

in the city, six or seven miles away from Xu's house. Xu Qi'an had no horse or carriage, so he had to take bus No. 11 and arrived at the county government office in two quarters of an hour. Changle County Government sat north and south, with two stone lions as tall as people at the gate. On both sides of the red-brown painted gate, there were large drums with peeling paint.

The structure of the county government is worth talking about. The biggest one is of course the magistrate, called the chief officer. He has two deputies, one is the county magistrate and the other is the chief clerk.

These three were officials of the imperial court with ranks. In Xu Qi'an's era, they were

established.

Below the three imperial court officials is the Dianshi, also known as the chief official.

But there is no rank, so it is not in the mainstream.

Next came the three squads and six rooms: the three squads were the soap squad, the fast squad, and the strong squad, responsible for ceremonial guards, public security, arrests, etc.; and the six rooms corresponded to the six ministries of the court.

Xu Qiyan was a runner in the fast squad, known as a constable in the court. When he entered the yamen, the clerk happened to be on duty. Li Dianshi, who was standing

in front of the hall, saw Xu Qiyan with a broadsword on his waist and was stunned.

That expression was as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

The yamen runners noticed that the leader's expression was wrong, and they all turned their heads to look, and then they also had the same expression of seeing a ghost. "Xu, Xu Qiyan, are you a human or a ghost?!" someone trembled.

Li Dianshi noticed the shadow cast by Xu Qiyan on the ground, and felt a little relieved, and

said calmly: "What nonsense are you talking about in the court? Do ghosts have shadows?"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard it.

Xu Qiyan thought about it and continued: "It may be a walking corpse."

Li Dianshi was shocked, and the yamen runners felt nervous.

Xu Qian'an immediately clasped his fists and said, "Just kidding. Hello, Mr. Dianshi,

colleagues, I'm out of prison."

Dianshi Li asked, "What's going on?"

They had heard that the Xu family was imprisoned because of the tax silver case.

"Of course, it was to atone for the crime and make meritorious contributions. The emperor was lenient and pardoned the Xu family's guilt." Xu Qian'an immediately repeated the story,

but attributed the credit to his second uncle and took out the certificate given by the Jingzhao

Prefecture Yamen.

At the same time, he also had a rough idea in his mind. Although the tax silver had been

found, the verdict had not yet come down, which meant that the case of the missing tax silver

had not been settled. After all, it had to go through the process, and it would not be so fast. Therefore, the group of yamen runners in Changle County Yamen did not know about this. After the roll call, several familiar constables immediately came up to congratulate. "Ning Yan, you have to treat us to a drink."

In this era, friends are addressed by their characters instead of their given names. When introducing oneself, use your given name instead of your characters.

"Yes, if you survive a disaster, you will have good fortune in the future. I have to treat you."

"I heard that the brothel on Linshui Street has just bought a group of prostitutes. Ning Yan, will you go with us tonight?"

It's okay to treat us to drinks, but it's too much to ask me to treat you to sleep with a woman...

Xu Qi'an was about to refuse and say that he had no money, but suddenly he stepped on a hard lump. He looked down and saw that it was a piece of silver.

Is it true that if you survive a disaster, you will have good fortune in the future? He stepped on

it immediately, without making a sound, pretending to look around. When everyone walked a few steps forward, Xu Qi'an quickly lowered his head to pick it up

and put it into the money bag without changing his expression.

After walking through the corridor and sitting in the side hall on the west side for a few

minutes, Li Dianshi came in with a gloomy face and looked at Wang, the captain of the police: "Old Wang, the county magistrate asked us to go to the inner hall." Wang, the captain of the police, looked bitter and went out without saying a word.

Xu Qi'an watched Captain Wang disappear from his sight and asked, "What's going on? The

boss doesn't look very happy."

"During the days you were in prison, a murder occurred on Kangping Street. The victim was a

wealthy merchant. The county magistrate was furious and would catch Captain Wang and scold him every day."

"It's just a merchant who died. There's no need for the county magistrate to be furious." Xu Qi'an was eating melon seeds.

Since ancient times, human lives have been considered major cases, but as a county magistrate of a county attached to the capital, he should not be so serious.

"Oh, the merchant was related to a certain adult in the Imperial Censorate. I think there was

pressure from that side." The yamen runner said, "Besides, this year is the Gengzi Year." "Gengzi Year?" Xu Qi'an didn't react. "Beijing Inspection!" The yamen runner pointed out.