My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 77 Escorted back to the city

In the end, several constables worked together to take the cleaver from Qin Niang's hands, and the pile of chopped meat was placed on the table outside.

Lin Ziping saw this from afar in the courtyard and almost vomited bile again. He thought to himself that for a long time to come, he would lose his appetite for meat, especially meat that had been chopped into small pieces.

Shi Yong arranged for two guards to stand outside Hu Xinhua's residence to prevent villagers from approaching. He also sent someone to the mortuary to inform them to send people to handle the body. Afterward, he had Lin Ziping and Lao Huang escort Qin Niang back to the county government office first, while he and the others remained in Pingding Village.

On the carriage, Qinniang had regained her composure. She sat quietly in the basket that Hu Xinhua had once carried her on his back, wearing shackles, her eyes vacant and her face expressionless.

"Qinniang, Qinniang..." Lin Ziping tried to talk to her, but no matter how he called out, Qinniang did not respond.

"Xiao Lin, stay away from this crazy woman. Don't be fooled by her calm demeanor now. When I took the cleaver from her, she scratched and bit me. Look at the scratches on my face," Old Huang warned, his face still bearing several bloody scratches.

Lin Ziping noticed the scars on Lao Huang's face and said gratefully, "Thank you for reminding me, Brother Huang. I'm just curious why she would kill her own husband and child."

"Haha, my son is about your age, and you actually call me brother, Xiao Lin, you're really something. Just call me Lao Huang, that's what everyone calls me." Lao Huang replied with a smile.

Lin Ziping recalled that he used to habitually add "brother" or "sister" when addressing his colleagues, which had nothing to do with age but reflected his social status.

He wasn't very familiar with Lao Huang yet, so he changed his words and said, "Uncle Huang, everyone says that Hu Xinhua has always been there for her, and she doesn't seem like the kind of cruel person. Now that she's so quiet, I really can't understand why she would do such a thing."

Old Huang didn't correct Lin Ziping's form of address. He simply pointed to his head, implying that Qinniang might have mental issues. Then, he pulled back the curtain on the side of the carriage, took out his pipe from his pocket, stuffed some tobacco into it, lit it with a tinderbox, took two deep drags, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face: "Little Lin, you're still too young. In our line of work, remember not to be fooled by appearances. So-called loyalty and righteousness are just rumors. We don't follow them every day, how would we know the truth? In my opinion, Hu Xinhua's so-called loyalty and righteousness are just for show."

Lin Ziping became interested when he heard Lao Huang say that. He had found the couple strange when he first met them, thinking that Hu Xinhua's loyalty and righteousness were just a persona. Now that he heard Lao Huang had the same opinion, he asked, "Uncle Huang, how did you see that?"

Old Huang took two more puffs of his cigarette and said, "I've been a yamen runner for almost twenty years and I've seen all kinds of people. How could those disabled people who are truly well cared for by their families have such high barriers to entry in their homes? And look at Qin Niang's broken leg, it's covered in thick calluses."

Lin Ziping recalled how he had tripped over the high threshold twice, and he deeply agreed with Lao Huang's words. Indeed, ordinary families wouldn't make their thresholds that high.

The carriage was filled with the pungent smell of tobacco, which made Qinniang cough. This brought a blush to her pale face, making her look a little more alive.

This carriage was originally used for hauling goods. People got on and off from the back, which was covered by a straw curtain. Lin Ziping happened to be sitting at the back of the carriage. When he saw Qin Niang coughing, he lifted the straw curtain to let in fresh air, and the smell inside the carriage dissipated.

Old Huang glanced at Lin Ziping, said nothing, and silently smoked his pipe.

They traveled in silence until sunset, when they finally arrived at the Fuchun County Government Office.

Officer Qi and two others stood guard at the entrance of the county government office.

After the carriage came to a stop, Lin Ziping jumped off with Lao Huang and bowed to Constable Qi, saying, "Shi Yong and the other brothers are still in Pingding Village. We brought the prisoner back first. The prisoner is in this carriage."

Officer Qi glanced at the carriage behind them, his brow furrowed, but he didn't ask any questions. He patted Old Huang on the shoulder to express his condolences: "Old Huang, you've worked hard."

“Old Qi, this prisoner is a bit special. You should arrange for someone to transfer her to the prison first. This carriage belongs to Fuchunlou, and we need to return it.” As he spoke, Old Huang turned around and lifted the curtain of the carriage.

Officer Qi stepped forward and saw the basket in the cart and Qin Niang inside. His brows furrowed even more. After a while, he said to the two men beside him, "Xiao Yi, Xiao Er, take her to the cell and lock her up."

"Yes," Xiao Yi and Xiao Er said, clasping their hands in greeting. They then stepped forward, picked up their baskets, and left with Qin Niang.

Afterwards, the yamen runner drove the carriage away, heading towards Fuchunlou.

"Old Huang, Lin Ziping, the officials are still waiting for you. What do you need to tell them about the situation later?" Officer Qi said to the two. Lin Ziping glanced at the sky, rubbed his stomach, and sighed inwardly, another day of overtime!

Upon arriving at the office of the fast-track officer, County Magistrate Feng, Inspector Chai, and Clerk Zhang sat upright at the head of the table. When they saw Constable Qi leading Old Huang and Lin Ziping in, their eyes all turned to him.

The three men's gazes were sharp. Lin Ziping nervously swallowed and followed Constable Qi and Old Huang in bowing to the three officials.

"Tell me about what happened today," Zhang Dianshi said.

Officer Qi said, "Early this morning, Zhang Ershun from Pingding Village rang the petition drum, claiming that a murder had occurred at Hu Xinhua's house in Pingdingshan, and that he had been entrusted by the Pingdingshan village head to come and report the case."

"Aren't there any young people in Pingdingshan? Why would they send such an old man?" Inspector Chai asked in bewilderment.

“The head of Pingding Village is named Zhang Dashun, and he is the brother of Zhang Ershun. According to Zhang Ershun, Zhang Dashun probably thought that Zhang Ershun had been hanging around in the county town for many years and was familiar with it, so he sent him. Afterwards, I arranged for the express team to go to Pingdingshan to investigate. According to him, Zhang Dashun thought that Zhang Ershun had been hanging around in the county town for many years and was familiar with it, so he sent him. Afterwards, I arranged for the express team to go to Pingdingshan to check.” Qi Putou explained.

Lin Ziping felt that this reason was a bit far-fetched. It was impossible for Zhang Ershun to be the only one in Pingdingshan who was familiar with the city. Zhang Ershun's words needed to be further verified.

The three county magistrates, including Feng, frowned but said nothing.

Old Huang stepped forward and gave a detailed account of what he saw and heard from the county government office to Pingdingshan and at Hu Xinhua's home.

"The murderer is undoubtedly Hu Xinhua's wife, Qin Niang?" Zhang Dianli asked. "But according to your description, Qin Niang is just a weak woman, and she is also disabled in both legs. How could she kill a strong man? Moreover, as the saying goes, even tigers don't eat their cubs. How could she kill her own daughter? Officer Qi, your work seems to be insufficient!" Old Huang and Officer Qi immediately knelt down, and Lin Ziping, quick as a flash, also knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

We will interrogate her in detail. Shi Yong is also leading a team to continue the investigation in Pingding Village, and we believe we will have results soon.” Officer Qi replied hastily.

“A case like this, where almost the entire family was wiped out, is extremely rare in Fuchun, and even in the whole of Zezhou. It is extremely heinous. The people are watching, and we must give them an explanation as soon as possible.” County Magistrate Feng said solemnly, and then said to Zhang Dianshi, “Zhang Dianshi, don’t put too much pressure on them.”

Zhang Dianshi quickly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I know, I was too hasty."

"Zhang, the clerk, will be in charge of this matter, with Chai, the patrol officer, assisting. The county magistrate can keep an eye on it. You all need to hurry," Magistrate Feng instructed.

"Yes," Officer Chai stood up and clasped his hands in a salute.

"Alright, no need for such formalities. You three, get up and go about your business," said Magistrate Feng.

"Yes!" Officer Qi, Old Huang, and Lin Ziping stood up, clasped their hands in a respectful bow, and withdrew.

After leaving the house, Lin Ziping followed in the footsteps of Constable Qi and Old Huang.

The three walked towards the cell. After a while, Old Huang couldn't help but say, "What do you mean by this, sirs? The murderer is clearly Qin Niang. In the past, these kinds of cases were always solved outright. Now you want us to keep investigating? How are we supposed to investigate like this?"

Officer Qi turned his head, glanced at Lin Ziping, and then said to Old Huang, "In the past, we also investigated the cases thoroughly before the magistrates made judgments. Now it's just that County Magistrate Feng is paying more attention, and Clerk Zhang and Inspector Chai have asked a few more questions. We will investigate the cases the same way we investigated them before."

"But... the scene is like that, what can we possibly find out?" Old Huang muttered.

Officer Qi did not respond to Lao Huang, but turned to Lin Ziping: "Xiao Lin, it's very late today, you should go back and rest, and come back tomorrow."

Finally, it was time to leave work. Without giving it much thought, Lin Ziping clasped his hands in greeting to Constable Qi and Old Huang before leaving.