A Clear Mirror

Xu Yanqing handed the letter forward.

"This letter was written by her own hand back then, addressed to the Chen family in Jiangping Prefecture. It included her parents' names, the address of the silk shop, and her nickname, A'nan."

A-Yue looked at the paper and moved her lips a few times: "I wrote it."

Upon hearing these three words, Xu Yanqing reacted strongly: "Yes, you wrote it!"

He kowtowed to A-Yue, his forehead hitting the ground. "I didn't deliver it. I was scared that year. They broke one of my arms and said that if I meddle again, they would throw my parents into the river. So I hid the letter. I've been hiding it ever since, suffering every day!"

Xu Yanqing raised his head and looked at the people outside the hall.

"She is not a Zhou family woman, she is a Chen family daughter. She was sold. Zhou Laizi bought her, and the Liu family and the county government knew about it."

The last few words seemed to crash outside the hall, and the onlookers erupted in uproar.

"I knew that was wrong."

"She shouted it so clearly that year, how could it be considered ravings of a madwoman?"

"That's the gist of the matter, but this peddler was too impulsive..."

The conversation grew louder and louder.

Magistrate Hu's face tightened, and his advisor, Huang, quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Sir, we can't let him continue."

Magistrate Hu agreed wholeheartedly, slamming his hand on the table: "Xu Yanqing, you were punished by the Liu family for seducing a woman from the Zhou family years ago. Now you hold a grudge, forging letters and disrupting the court. What is your punishment?"

Xu Yanqing looked up and met his gaze without fear.

He was initially very scared.

I was afraid for a long time.

He was so afraid that he would wake up at night if he heard a knock on the door; he was so afraid that he would avoid Guhuai Village when walking through the streets and alleys; he was so afraid that he would hide the letter under the stove and look at it every time he lit the fire, but he dared not take it out.

But this morning, when he heard that A-Yue was standing in the hall again, thinner than she was three years ago, and with a more broken look in her eyes, Xu Yanqing suddenly felt no fear when he recalled the countless sleepless nights.

This time, he came with the resolve to die.

"If you say I forged it, then send someone to Jiangping Prefecture to investigate."

He held up the paper and said, word by word, "Investigate Chen Huaili, investigate Song Wanniang, investigate the Chen family's silk shop, and find out if they have a daughter named Chen Ayue, nicknamed A'nan."

Outside the hall, a kind-hearted person mingled in the crowd and shouted, "Yes, go check."

"What's wrong with checking?"

"Your Excellency is wise and discerning."

Magistrate Hu's chest heaved, his face alternating between pale and flushed; he couldn't possibly send anyone to investigate.

The investigation revealed not Zhou Laizi's case, but an old judgment from the county government three years ago, a guarantee from the Liu family, and a series of transactions in the twenty-six villages over the years.

Master Huang pointed at Xu Yanqing and cursed, "You audacious scoundrel, how dare you talk back to the magistrate! Drag him away!"

Two constables stepped forward and arrested Xu Yanqing.

The crowd outside the hall pushed forward, and someone shouted, "Don't delay! If they delay Xu Yanqing today, they'll delay us tomorrow!"

The yamen runner was pushed back half a step, then picked up a fire poker and started hitting things randomly.

Chaos reigned outside the government office.

Just then, it suddenly became quiet outside the door.

The silence began on the outer circle and continued until it reached the inner circle.

The crowd parted on its own, and a middle-aged man in a dark long robe walked in, followed by a guard from the Liu family.

This man is Steward Xu of the Liu residence.

Many people in Changluo County know him. When the rice shop opens its granary, when the village collects grain, when someone is in debt, when someone gets married, or when someone wants to move a grave, you can always see his face.

As soon as he appeared, the people who had been shouting the loudest immediately shut up.

After entering the courtroom, Manager Xu first clasped his hands in greeting to Shen Gui.

"Sir."

He didn't know Shen Gui's real name, so he could only call him that.

Shen Gui looked at him.

Steward Xu smiled and said, "Since Third Master has invited you, there are some things that cannot be explained clearly in the county government. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to visit the Liu family."

No one spoke outside the hall.

Steward Xu added, "Changluo County has its own rules. It's normal that you, sir, are from out of town and don't understand. The fact that Third Master is willing to explain it to you personally shows us that he's given you the respect you deserve."

He emphasized the word "rules".

The people lowered their eyes; they had seen this kind of scene before.

What the county magistrate couldn't handle, Master Liu would handle.

Some of those who went to the Liu residence came back, and they kept quiet afterward.

Those who didn't go shut up, and will remain silent for the rest of their lives.

Magistrate Hu breathed a sigh of relief. The Liu family had arrived, and no matter how chaotic the situation in the hall became, someone would clean it up for him.

He sat back down in his chair, straightening his back a bit. The crowd that had been making a fuss earlier lowered their heads and no one pushed forward anymore.

They feared the county government, but they feared the Liu family even more. The county government had a gate, but the Liu family had no gate.

Xu Yanqing was still kneeling below the hall, clutching the letter in his right hand. He looked up at Steward Xu, blood streaming down his face from his brow bone to the corner of his eye, but he didn't wipe it away.

Upon hearing the words "Third Master invites you," A-Yue shrank back and hid behind Shen Gui.

"I'm not going," she said softly.

"I'm not going to the Liu family." A-Yue repeated herself, afraid that she hadn't made herself clear enough.

Steward Xu glanced at her, his eyes showing no emotion: "Mrs. Chen, you visited the Liu family three years ago. Back then, Third Master said that women are often ignorant, but they can be taught a thing or two. How come you're even more ignorant now?"

A-Yue's teeth chattered softly; to her, the Liu family was not a house.

It was the sound of all the doors closing again three years ago; it was the pain of her fingers being pried open one by one when she was forced to sign the document on the ground; it was the lowered eyes at the county government office when Zhou Laizi dragged her back to Guhuai Village.

Even more frightening than Zhou Laizi.

Zhou Laizi would beat her, scold her, and lock her in the house, while the Liu family would make everyone feel that these things were right.

Manager Xu was quite satisfied and used to this kind of occasion. He extended a hand and said, "Sir, please."

Everyone in and around the hall was waiting for Shen Gui's reaction.

Shen Gui simply muttered, "Has Yan Kingdom really deteriorated to this extent?"

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Hu didn't understand, nor did Clerk Huang. Steward Xu frowned, assuming it was just some outsider cursing the government.

Only some ordinary people who were observing from the sidelines found it a bit strange. That sentence didn't sound like a江湖客 (jianghu ke, a person from the martial arts world) cursing an official. 江湖客 would never curse the Yan Kingdom.

They only know how to curse corrupt officials, the state of the world, and that Changluo County is no place for humans to live.

That last sentence was like someone who hadn't been home in a long time, and after opening the door, saw that the roof beams had collapsed, the stove was cold, and the family had used the ancestral tablets to prop up the table legs, and was very disappointed.

Shen Gui moved to the left rear courtyard, where there was a room containing documents that did not need to be sent back to the court. It was a windowless place where no light could reach.

Steward Xu's face darkened: "Sir, Third Master is still waiting."

Shen Gui didn't stop.

Magistrate Hu jumped to his feet: "How dare you! Stop him!"

The constables were stunned for a moment.

Master Huang shouted shrilly, "What are you all standing there for? This is the county government office, a place of serious importance. How dare outsiders trespass here!"

The first constable drew his sword and charged forward.

The sword had just been drawn, and before it could even gleam, he suddenly swayed to the side, as if an invisible hand had pressed down on his head.

With a bang.

His face slammed into the floor tiles, a chunk of his head caved in, and blood flowed from his ear.

Someone screamed outside the hall.

Shen Gui was still walking.

The second constable gritted his teeth and lunged forward. He was no novice; he was skilled at arresting people, fighting, and collecting gambling den fees. Knowing he couldn't stop him head-on, he sidestepped and bumped into Shen Gui's chest, trying to knock him off balance.

As soon as he got close, his chest sank in, the constable opened his mouth but couldn't shout out, and his body flew backward, crashing into the wooden frame next to the hall.

The third constable lunged at Shen Gui from behind, wielding a fire-and-water stick, intending to strike Shen Gui's leg. But as soon as he reached Shen Gui, Shen Gui didn't turn around. Instead, he took a step forward, and the constable seemed to have run into him, his head slamming against a pillar with a thud, his neck bent at an odd angle.

Three, in just three breaths, three people died.