Chapter 96: 見官
[Seeing the Official]
Ji Ling glanced toward Tang Xiaobao and saw that he didn’t seem intimidated. His earlier worry instantly eased. He then turned to the lead constable and said calmly, “These people claim someone died after eating at my shop and have been causing trouble here. I think it’s best to let the magistrate handle this.”
The ringleader, who naturally recognized Ji Ling, frowned involuntarily at his words. Recalling Ji Ling’s previous misfortune, he instantly felt that this wealthy household had far too many troubles. He inwardly dismissed this incident as another extortion attempt, his attitude inevitably skewed. Turning to the ringleader of the troublemakers, he asked rather bluntly, “With such a major incident, why haven’t you reported it to the authorities? What exactly are you trying to accomplish?”
The ringleader hadn’t expected Tang Xiaobao and his men to summon the constables so swiftly. He’d planned to drag things out, hoping the situation would spiral out of control, tarnishing the neighborhood’s reputation and allowing him to extort more money. Seeing how things had unfolded, he had no choice but to improvise. He looked at the constable and forced a wry smile. What can a commoner like me do? But my brother died so unjustly. I just want justice for him.” He pointed at the body covered in white cloth.
Seeing the actual corpse, the constable frowned and glared at the man with obvious displeasure. “If he’s dead, he should be properly buried. What’s he doing here?”
Hearing this, the man let out a loud cry before declaring dramatically, “Officer, you don’t understand! My brother died after eating food from his shop! If they hadn’t kept denying it, I wouldn’t have had to drag my poor brother here. I would’ve buried him long ago!”
The constable frowned again, then turned to Ji Ling and the others standing together. “Young Master Ji, do you have anything to say?”
Before Ji Ling could speak, Tang Xiaobao interjected, “Our food is absolutely safe. It couldn’t even cause diarrhea, let alone kill someone. If you’re trying to frame me, I won’t accept it.”
The constable, about to press further, was interrupted by the leader of the group who suddenly wailed, his voice piercingly shrill, “My poor brother! These heartless shopkeepers poisoned you to death and now refuse to admit it! How am I supposed to explain this to our mother?!”
The man’s voice choked with grief. The crowd behind him began chanting demands for blood vengeance, some even lunging toward Tang Xiaobao. Chaos erupted until the constable bellowed, halting the mob.
“Enough! This matter will be settled at the prefecture office.” Turning to Tang Xiaobao, he added with relative deference, “We request that Mrs. Ji accompany us as well.”
Tang Xiaobao nodded, indicating it was acceptable as long as the matter could be resolved. Once the two reached an agreement, the troublemakers grew even more enraged. One wailed loudly, “So you’re all in cahoots! Is there no law in this world anymore?”
As the man’s claims grew increasingly absurd, the constable clearly had enough. Drawing his blade, he declared sternly, “If you continue this nonsense, I’ll make you regret it. Come with us. The magistrate will decide everything. If you persist in your stubbornness, don’t blame my blade for showing no mercy once drawn.”
The man glanced at the knife pressed against his throat, then at the constable’s grim expression, and wisely kept his mouth shut. He shot Tang Xiaobao with a furious glare. But soon, a cold, piercing gaze fell upon him. Following the stare, he saw the master’s husband staring at him expressionlessly. Those deep, dark eyes regarded him as if he were already dead, sending a chill down his spine.
Seeing the man had quieted down, the pair of constables finally escorted the entire group toward the magistrate’s office.
Walking behind, Tang Xiaobao and the others finally had a chance to speak. Tang Xiaobao looked at Ji Ling with great curiosity, puzzled as to why he had suddenly appeared here and summoned so many constables. Walking side by side, Tang Xiaobao couldn’t resist tugging at his sleeve. When he turned his head, he looked at him with an innocent expression.
Ji Ling gazed at his husband, who still looked as fresh and vibrant as ever. He couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle his hair, his voice calm and reassuring. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.” His tone was gentle, as if attributing Tang Xiaobao’s earlier actions to fear.
Catching Ji Ling’s meaning, Tang Xiaobao—who hadn’t seen him this tender in ages—suddenly flushed. He then nodded trustingly, his faith in Ji Ling was unwavering.
Upon entering the magistrate’s office, the magistrate visibly startled at Ji Ling’s presence before quickly regaining his composure. “Who stands below? What grievance brings you to this court?”
The man, hearing the magistrate’s inquiry, was about to speak up and reveal his purpose when Ji Ling suddenly interjected, fixing his gaze directly on the official seated on the dais:
“Your Honor, this man led a group to cause trouble at my shop, falsely accusing my establishment of poisoning someone with our food. Yet every ingredient in my shop—be it vegetables or pastries—is of the finest quality. Such an incident is utterly impossible. I implore you to uphold justice for us.”
“Stop twisting the truth! My brother clearly died after eating your food! You refuse to admit it and now dare to turn the tables on us! Your Honor, I beg you to vindicate me!” He spoke with a face twisted in grief, pleading for the magistrate’s justice.
Watching both sides stubbornly cling to their positions, the Magistrate surveyed the group and declared, “Since you both insist, what evidence can you present to prove your claims are true?”
Clearly prepared for this question, the man swiftly took an item from someone behind him, handed it to the surrounding constables, and stated with unwavering conviction: “Your Honor, look! This is the pastry that cost my brother his life. Lately, their goods have been wildly popular. I’d saved up a little money and thought I’d buy some treats for my family to try. Who knew that after waiting in line for so long, the very thing I bought would kill my brother? Had I known, I would never have bought it.”
The constable passed the item to the magistrate and his clerk for inspection. The magistrate pinched it, while the clerk even took a small piece to sniff. Clearly, they detected nothing unusual. The magistrate then ordered the item brought before Tang Xiaobao and his companions, asking, “Is this from your shop?”
Tang Xiaobao examined it closely and recognized it as one of his shop’s pastries. His expression darkened immediately. He nodded at the magistrate before him, offering no denial. “This is indeed from our shop.”
“See, he admits it! Your Honor, please uphold justice for me!” Hearing Tang Xiaobao’s admission, the man immediately grew excited and began shouting loudly once more.
Tang Xiaobao felt a pang of anxiety. Recalling the frame-ups from his past life, he couldn’t help but think he was truly doomed this time—though he had no clue who was plotting against him.
In stark contrast to Tang Xiaobao’s agitation, Ji Ling remained remarkably composed. Observing the people in the courtroom, he remarked calmly, “This is indeed an item from our shop. But how can we prove that this small pastry alone caused the death of a grown man? I respectfully request the honorable magistrate to summon an experienced expert to determine whether this pastry contained poison. Furthermore, I ask the coroner of this court to thoroughly investigate the true cause of death. Should the evidence conclusively prove that my shop’s pastry caused this death, we will accept full responsibility without hesitation. However, if it is determined that our pastry was not the cause, I implore the honorable magistrate to restore our reputation.”
Ji Ling’s plea was reasonable and appeared flawless. The magistrate conferred briefly with his clerk before finally nodding in agreement. “Agreed.”
“Your Honor, you cannot treat my younger brother this way! I cannot let him rest in peace!” The man’s face darkened visibly at this turn of events, clearly unable to accept it. He tried repeatedly to intervene.
Ji Ling turned to face him, his tone neutral yet carrying a subtle chill. “Then how could you bear to parade his corpse about for all to see? Besides, we seek only to give your brother a clear understanding of his death—he shouldn’t depart this world in confusion.”
The man tried to protest, but Magistrate Guan, growing impatient, cut him off decisively. “Enough. Leave the victim’s body here. Once the coroner determines the cause of death, we’ll convene the court session.”
“Understood.” Ji Ling bowed respectfully to the magistrate, accepting the arrangement.
The man tried to protest again, but caught Ji Ling’s gaze—a look that was almost a smile. Startled, he froze. When he looked again, Ji Ling’s expression was utterly cold. In that split second of hesitation, the magistrate ordered men to carry the body away to the coroner. Leaving it in the courthouse felt like inviting bad luck. The man now deeply regretted his actions. He had only intended to catch Tang Xiaobao off guard, never expecting his husband to be so troublesome. Remembering the guarantee he’d given the magistrate, sweat instantly broke out on his brow. He had to find a way to make amends.
After all the commotion, by the time Tang Xiaobao and the others returned, the moon had already climbed high above the brow of the mountain. Rather than rushing to eat, they instructed servants to boil water infused with mugwort to purify the aura before emerging refreshed for their meal.
Noticing Tang Xiaobao picking at his food without eating, Ji Ling casually inquired, “What’s wrong? Is the food not to your liking?”
Tang Xiaobao glanced at Ji Ling, his voice still tinged with lingering fear, “I never imagined something like this would happen, especially carrying a dead body today. If you hadn’t shown up, I have no idea how it would have ended.”
Seeing Tang Xiaobao so troubled, Ji Ling didn’t seem concerned. He even reached out to ruffle his hair, saying softly, “It’s okay. This isn’t your fault. Someone must be trying to harm you. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it for you.”
Tang Xiaobao looked at Ji Ling and smiled faintly. “Thank you.”
Ji Ling reached out to ruffle his hair again. Seeing him so docile under her touch, he couldn’t help but smile. “What’s there to thank me for? You’re my husband.”
That night, whether influenced by the day’s events or not, Ji Ling became unusually vigorous, pushing Tang Xiaobao to the point of uncontrollable tears several times. Only after Tang Xiaobao passed out from exhaustion did Ji Ling kiss the person in his arms, then rose, disheveled. Stepping out of the room into the study, he found Feng Ling already standing there.
Feng Ling glanced at his master, noticing the conspicuous red marks covering his body and the utterly exhausted look on his face. He quickly lowered his eyes, not daring to look any longer, and reported the matter his master had instructed him to investigate in full detail. “Those men are from out of town, and they only appeared here recently. As for his younger brother, he did indeed die recently, though no one knows the cause. People only heard them shouting that he was poisoned at the young madam’s shop. Beyond that, they know nothing more. After leaving the magistrate’s office, the group returned to their lodgings, stopping at a restaurant for a meal along the way. So far, no one has seen them interact with anyone else.”
Ji Ling tapped his desk with a finger, expressionless, then said in a flat tone:
“Keep tailing them. Someone’s pulling the strings behind the scenes. Starting tomorrow, assign more men to protect the young mistress. If anyone lays a finger on her, I’ll hold you personally responsible.”
“Yes, sir.” Feng Ling acknowledged before exiting, clearly off to carry out Ji Ling’s orders. He understood the young madam’s standing in the young master’s heart, making him all the more careful not to neglect his duties.
The next morning, Tang Xiaobao awoke with aching muscles, though his mood wasn’t as gloomy as the day before. Still, recalling last night’s events made his cheeks flush involuntarily. When he finally shuffled into the outer chamber, Lühe had already prepared his washing utensils. After assisting Tang Xiaobao with his face-washing, Lühe cautiously inquired, “Young Madam, shall we go to the shop again today?”
Tang Xiaobao paused mid-wash, then nodded. “Go. I haven’t done anything wrong, so naturally I have nothing to fear.”
After observing him repeatedly to ensure he seemed unaffected, Lühe waited until he was eating before instructing the servants to prepare the carriage. Before boarding, Tang Xiaobao noticed that besides Lühe, who always accompanied him and another servant, two additional figures had appeared—both looking remarkably capable. A thought crossed her mind, but he dismissed it and stepped straight into the carriage without comment.
At the inn, the mood was noticeably subdued today, clearly due to yesterday’s events. Jiang Chen spotted Tang Xiaobao and hurried over, his voice trembling with concern. “Shop owner, are you all right?”
Tang Xiaobao smiled at him, looking a bit sheepish. “I’m fine. Those people were just trying to extort money. We’ve already petitioned the county magistrate to have the coroner perform an autopsy. I expect our shop will be cleared of any wrongdoing soon.”
“Then it’s good new.” Hearing this, Jiang Chen looked visibly relieved, and the shop’s staff perked up.
However, after yesterday’s commotion, business had suffered. Today’s customers were scarce, not even reaching a third of the usual crowd. Everyone felt a bit down, but Tang Xiaobao wasn’t concerned. He knew that once the matter was cleared up, the customers would inevitably return.
After thorough investigation, Feng Ling finally uncovered some clues. He immediately reported them to Ji Ling. Upon hearing the update, Ji Ling seemed utterly unsurprised, calmly instructing him to continue following up. Feng Ling admired his master’s remarkable composure in such matters.
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