Hot flashes

"Judge Zheng," he said, "the last person that peddler saw before he died was you."

Zheng Mingyi's pupils suddenly contracted.

"What joke are you making, Lord Zhou?" His voice rose. "How could I possibly meet such a person? A peddler who roams the streets, what business could I possibly have with him?"

Zhou Heng took the slip of paper out of his pocket, unfolded it, and held it up in front of Zheng Mingyi.

"This," he said, "you didn't expect him to be hiding this, did you?"

Zheng Mingyi's expression changed completely as he looked at the note.

It had Zhou Bing's name and the address of Willow Lane on it. His handwriting.

"Zhou Bing," Zhou Heng said, "the former military supervisor of Ningwu Pass, a fugitive wanted by the imperial court. Why is his name on your note?"

Zheng Mingyi opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Zhou Heng waited for him for a while.

He then put the note away and turned to leave.

He stopped at the door without turning around.

"Judge Zheng," he said, "you'd better think carefully about how you're going to explain this."

He went outside.

Zheng Mingyi stood there, the color draining from his face bit by bit.

That afternoon, Zheng Mingyi was placed under house arrest in the backyard of the Jiangling government office.

Zhou Heng didn't arrest him; he simply had Chen Shen send two men to guard him, forbidding him from leaving the city or seeing anyone. The news sent shockwaves throughout Jiangling City.

As evening approached, people from the Xie residence arrived.

It was Xie Xun himself who came.

He stood at the entrance of the post station, dressed in a blue robe and a small hat, accompanied only by an old servant. When Chen Shen went in to announce his arrival, Zhou Heng was looking at the account book copied from Zheng Mingyi's study under the lamp.

"Xie Xun is here," Chen Shen said.

Zhou Heng did not look up.

"Let him in."

When Xie Xun entered, his face still held that refined and gentle expression.

"Lord Zhou," he bowed respectfully, "I apologize for my late-night visit."

Zhou Heng put down his pen, stood up, and returned the greeting: "Thank you for your hospitality. Please have a seat."

The two sat down. Chen Shen served tea and then stepped outside to stand guard.

Xie Xun picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down. He looked at Zhou Heng and sighed.

"Lord Zhou," he said, "I've come to plead for my good-for-nothing nephew."

Zhou Heng remained silent.

Xie Xun continued, "That boy Zheng Mingyi lost his parents at a young age, and I raised him myself. He wasn't good at studying and failed the imperial examinations repeatedly, so I asked someone to get him this job as a judge. He's young and naive, and somehow he offended Lord Zhou—"

"Thank you, Lord Xie." Zhou Heng interrupted him.

Xie Xun stopped.

“Zheng Mingyi didn’t offend me,” Zhou Heng said. “He killed a man. The man was a peddler, traveling from street to street. He had him strangled and his body dumped in a mass grave. He also—”

He picked up the note from the table and placed it in front of Xie Xun.

"He also had dealings with wanted criminals, Zhou Bing, the former military supervisor of Ningwu Pass. Lord Xie, you should have heard of him, right?"

Xie Xun's expression changed.

He stared at the note for a long time. Then he looked up at Zhou Heng.

The gentle elegance in those eyes finally cracked.

"Lord Zhou," his voice was somewhat dry, "this note... proves nothing. Perhaps it was framed, or perhaps the child was inadvertently used—"

"Thank you, Lord Xie." Zhou Heng interrupted him again.

Xie Xun stopped.

Zhou Heng looked at him, his gaze still flat.

"You want me to let him go?"

Xie Xun was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes. I... shamelessly beg Lord Zhou to show leniency."

Zhou Heng asked, "Master Xie, have you heard of Zheng Liu Shi and Zhao Di?"

Xie Xun was stunned.

Zhou Heng continued, "Zheng Liushi is a farmer from Qingnigou. Her husband died, and she raised two children alone. The older one is seven years old, and the younger one is four."

He paused.

"Three nights ago, someone poured oil outside her house and set it on fire. The mother and her two daughters burned to death inside. Their bodies were burned beyond recognition."

Xie Xun's expression changed.

Zhou Heng looked at him.

"Master Xie, tell me, who did they offend? What did they do to deserve this fate?"

Xie Xun remained silent.

Zhou Heng waited for a while but did not receive a reply.

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Xie Xun.

"Master Xie," he said, "that peddler, he had a name, a home, and people who knew him. He's dead, and his family doesn't know yet; they're still waiting for him to return."

He turned around and looked at Xie Xun.

"Zheng Liu Shi and Zhao Di. They're dead, and besides me, no one will ask on their behalf: Why?"

Xie Xun's face was very pale.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

Zhou Heng walked back to the desk and sat down.

"Master Xie," he said, "you may go back."

Xie Xun looked at him with a complicated expression.

"Lord Zhou," his voice was soft, "are you determined to kill him?"

Zhou Heng did not answer.

Xie Xun waited for a long time before finally standing up and walking out.

"Lord Zhou," he said, "do you know that the Xie family isn't the only one behind Zheng Mingyi?"

Zhou Heng looked at him.

Xie Xun gave a wry smile.

"That's all I have to say. Take care of yourself."

He pushed open the door and went out.

The door closed.

Zhou Heng was the only one left in the room.

He sat there, staring at the flickering candlelight on the table for a long time.

Then he picked up his pen and continued looking at the ledger.

Behind Zheng Mingyi, there is more than just the Xie family.

he knows.

He knew it when he found Zhou Bing's name on the peddler.

Who is Zhou Bing? A corrupt official from the previous dynasty, one of the main culprits in Huo Yi's death. On the day Xiao Jue stormed Ningwu Pass, he fled and disappeared without a trace.

Now, his name appears in Jiangling, on a dead peddler, and in Zheng Mingyi's handwriting.

Zheng Mingyi was merely a judicial officer, a sixth-rank official. Could he possibly have hidden Zhou Bing? Could he have had dealings with Zhou Bing? Could he have been so audacious as to kill him to silence him?

There must be someone behind him.

That person is even more powerful than the Xie family.

They are more powerful than the Xie family.

Zhou Heng stared at the account book on the table for a long time.

Tucked inside the ledger was another sheet of paper. It was a list of people Zheng Mingyi had met in the last three months, delivered by Chen Shen that evening. One line on the list was circled by Chen Shen in vermilion ink:

"On February 17th, at the Zuixianlou Restaurant in the south of the city, Zheng Mingyi was having a banquet with a guest from the capital. This person's identity was unknown, but he was staying at the Shen family's Jiangling villa."

Shen family.

Shen Yu.

Zhou Heng stared at that name.

Then he folded the paper and put it in his pocket.