“May I ask if the County Magistrate has arranged any duties for me?”
The Records Keeper smiled: “With your distinguished status, how would the County Magistrate or Deputy Magistrate dare give you orders?”
This wasn’t just telling her to stay away, but to be completely sidelined.
Tie Ci had come thousands of li and wasn’t planning to be dismissed. Turning trials into tourism would surely give the Empress Dowager an excuse to find fault when she returned to the capital.
The Records Keeper urged Tie Ci to go to her lodging, but she ignored him and began leisurely strolling around the government office. The Records Keeper could only follow with a stern face. After looking around, Tie Ci found that though the office was dilapidated, all the various departments were still complete. For a moment, she couldn’t think what she could do. According to precedent, trials allowed for observing governance—following the officials to learn how they handled local affairs. But given their current attitude of rejection, she wouldn’t see much.
Suddenly remembering that despite today being market day with quite a bit of activity on the streets, she hadn’t seen any patrolling constables along the way. The occasional ones she saw were lazily sitting at street stalls eating and drinking—quite unseemly.
When she turned toward the prison, she saw from afar a white-bearded old man carrying a bundle walking over, followed by a pale young man. The old man walked while cursing the young man behind him, calling him slow and stupid, then scolding: “Useless thing! Such a big person good for nothing!”
The young man just smiled and listened without talking back, occasionally responding: “Yes, yes, you’re right!” while taking the old man’s heavy bundle.
When the Records Keeper surnamed Zhang saw the old man, he warmly greeted: “Inspector Liu! Where did you go so early?”
“Where? To find the Deputy Magistrate! I’ve submitted my retirement documents eight times—when will I get approval!” The old man was thoroughly disgruntled: “At my age, it’s time to enjoy my grandchildren. Why do you keep detaining me!”
The Records Keeper’s smile became awkward as he went forward to comfort the old man. Tie Ci looked back and saw Chi Xue had struck up a conversation with the people behind the Records Keeper. She waited, and after a while Chi Xue came over and whispered: “This old man surnamed Liu is the local Inspector and the only coroner. He’s said to be quite capable, always handling the county’s patrol and investigation of thieves and examination of fraud. Being from a medical family, he also handles death investigations. Now his hometown has a new grandson and he’s been insisting on returning home. But the office lacks such talent, so the Deputy Magistrate keeps delaying and retaining him, building up resentment.”
Tie Ci pursed her lips: “Isn’t that his apprentice behind him? Why, hasn’t he graduated yet?”
“That’s a lowborn person. His family committed crimes and fell to lowborn status. At most he can be a coroner, but not an Inspector.”
In this dynasty, coroners had low status and were mostly filled by lowborn people or household slaves. Inspectors were different—though they weren’t ranked officials, they were still respectable figures in the locality and naturally couldn’t be filled by those of lowborn status.
Only then did Tie Ci notice the pale gold mark of lowborn status on the young man’s forehead. Because of his pale skin, it wasn’t very conspicuous.
The old man kept arguing. Today he seemed determined to leave. No matter how the Records Keeper tried to persuade him, it was useless, and sweat began forming on his forehead.
Tie Ci suddenly said: “Everyone, what do you think of me?”
Everyone looked over in bewilderment.
Tie Ci pointed to her nose: “Humble me. Young and strong, with some learning. Now Old Liu urgently wants to return home, but the county office worries about having no replacement. How about I fill in temporarily?”
Before the Records Keeper could speak, Old Liu was already looking sideways at her: “You? Do you know how to investigate and interrogate? Do you know how to search for clues and traces? Do you know how to examine wounds and even corpses?”
Tie Ci smiled modestly: “If I don’t know, I can learn, right? If you could stay temporarily for half a month or a month to teach me, that would work.”
Old Liu shook his head: “How can you learn it all in half a month or month! Besides, a delicate young master like you would faint three times at the sight of corpses and blood. How could you be a coroner?”
Tie Ci smiled.
Then she raised her hand.
At this moment, everyone was not far from the government office kitchen. It was mealtime, and steam was rising from the kitchen with continuous banging sounds as they chopped something. When Tie Ci raised her hand, white light flashed, and with a whoosh, there was a cry from the kitchen. Then a cold gleam shot out the kitchen door, along with something white that whooshed over everyone’s heads and fell toward Tie Ci.
The cold gleam flew into Tie Ci’s hand. She raised her hand, and with swift whooshing sounds, everyone only saw cold light attacking their faces, dazzling their eyes. The air filled with continuous hissing sounds as white objects kept falling, with a fishy smell rushing to their noses. They all covered their noses and retreated.
After a moment, the cold air and wind sounds ceased. Only then did people from the kitchen run over, shouting: “Where’s my knife! Where’s my pig!”
Only then did everyone see that Tie Ci held a bone-cleaving kitchen knife, and on the ground… was a dissected half pig.
The skin was neatly peeled to one side. The leg meat had been completely cut into uniform pieces, also neatly piled. Not a scrap of meat remained on the bones, which were piled in a ghastly white and green heap shaped like a triangle.
Three piles of bones, meat, and skin created quite a visual impact.
At the very least, that Records Keeper was about to faint.
Looking again at Tie Ci smiling while holding the blood-stained cleaver, everyone retreated three more steps.
Tie Ci gripped the knife and looked gently at Old Liu.
“See? I don’t faint.”
Old Liu swallowed, swallowed again, then said in a trembling voice after a long pause: “I’m dizzy…”
Tie Ci: “So this matter is settled then?”
No one answered.
Did they dare refuse? Your cleaver was still pointed at us!