Suspicion

Chu Nanzhi brought the remaining half of the green pepper with shredded pork and scallion-oil eggplants to the two elders and Liu Qingbo. She said with a smile, "Elders, Village Chief, please have some more."

It was rare for an outsider to speak up for her. She was inexplicably touched.

At that moment, Liu Qingbo stood up and refilled the cups for the two elders.

The two elders felt very happy after reprimanding Lin Jinxiao. They shook hands and peacefully ate the food that Chu Nanzhi passed to them, their faces shining with joy.

Nie Huaian could not help but sigh. "We two old men have seen many things in our lives, but our taste is inferior that of these children."

"Hehehehe."

Elder Chang laughed knowingly.

Chu Nanzhi could tell that Elder Nie was praising her cooking.

It seemed that she had obtained the recognition of the great scholars.

When Liu Yun and Chu Nanzhu visited her yesterday, she saw that they liked her cooking. She began thinking of helping them to start a restaurant.

Now that she had obtained the recognition of these two famous scholars, it increased her conviction.

However, starting a restaurant was not a small investment. Even in a small county like Luyan Harbor, she would probably need three to five hundred taels of silver as capital.

She had to think of a way to earn more money.

After three rounds of wine, Chu Nanzhi finally heard Elder Nie mention his true reason for coming today.

"Now that County Lieutenant Liu has been imprisoned, he will certainly be executed. Last night, County Magistrate Hu came to my humble abode and suggested that I recommend you to fill this position. He wanted my opinion."

As he spoke, he deliberately looked at Chang Yanjue and smiled wryly. "I know that Elder Chang is also very concerned about your future. We have carefully nurtured you all these years. We can't let you rusticate in the countryside like us, right?"

"He's just a county lieutenant. Elder Nie, why lower yourself to discuss it with me?"

Elder Chang put down his wine cup and frowned slightly.

"I don't object to your ambitions. It's just that the imperial court is in a muddle now, and it's not the time to serve the court. His Majesty is weak and has no children. The few princes in Jingling City have been fighting both openly and secretly for many years. The imperial court is filled with inter-party strife and self-interest, ignoring the dangers to the country. With your pure nature, I'm worried that you will be swept up in this muddle."

As he spoke, he glanced at Chu Nanzhi, who was busy eating, and said worriedly,

"After I found out that the Dongsang people weren't behind the tax case, I felt that something was amiss. That Liu Ping is only a ninth-grade county lieutenant, but he actually dared to try and pocket 20,000 taels of gold. That's a total of 200,000 taels of silver. I'm afraid things are not that simple."

Elder Chang's words brought Chu Nanzhi to her senses. She carefully recalled County Lieutenant Liu's behavior that day.

That person had quickly confessed without being interrogated. How could such a timid and foolish person suddenly have designs on such a large amount of money?

Now Nie Huaian also stroked his beard and frowned.

"Elder Chang, I also thought that it was very strange. If it was really the doing of the Dongsang folk, we could forget about it. But if County Lieutenant Liu is responsible, I don't know of anyone in the entire Luyan Harbor who could injure Jinxiao to such an extent and escape unscathed. Moreover, he had many good fighters from the county office with him that day."

At this moment, Lin Jinxiao also thought of something.

"When I fought with the thieves that day, their fighting skills were not like that of the third class bailiffs from the county office, nor ordinary loafers from the martial arts world. They were more like a well-trained troop of soldiers."

Nie Huaian immediately said, "Do you think the military is involved?"

"I'm not sure."

Lin Jinxiao shook his head blankly.

He never speculated without evidence.

Seeing this, Chang Yanjue unconsciously shifted his gaze to Chu Nanzhi.

For some reason, he felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation towards this woman. He felt that she would say something shocking next.

"Madam Chu, what do you think?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly regretted it a little.

Was he being too forward and undignified?

He had actually asked a woman for her opinion.

Chu Nanzhi had just picked up a small piece of chicken and put it into her mouth. She heard Elder Chang's question before she could chew and she was so frightened that she quickly put the meat back into the bowl.

She looked around and saw that everyone was looking at her strangely. She immediately felt uncomfortable.

The four children who were sitting at the doorway started whispering to each other, "Why would Grandpa Chang ask this bad woman? Is she smarter than Father?"

Chu Nanzhi glanced at Lin Jinxiao. He looked as if he had swallowed a bottle of vinegar. His emotions were too mixed to be described.

She quickly replied, "Elder Chang, you must be joking. How can a woman like me understand these things?"

She had solved the case to preserve her own life. She did not want to consider such complicated matters.

Chang Yanjue did not know if she was deliberately pretending or if she really did not know anything. He could only sigh moodily.

Just as everyone was at a loss, Li Ce rushed in. He cupped his hands to greet everyone before saying calmly,

"Elders, the county office has sent a messenger to say that County Lieutenant Liu and Priest Ximen committed suicide in prison this morning. The county magistrate is preparing to close the case and report it. He sent a message to Elder Nie's home but since he wasn't around, the messenger came to the village to search for him."

"There's no need to tell me such things. I'm just a villager."

Elder Nie was happy to be respected, but he pretended to be annoyed and complained. Then, he looked at Lin Jinxiao in disappointment and then at Chang Yanjue. He said resentfully, "Looks like we have no choice but to close the case without tying up the loose ends."

How had Priest Ximen found out that mercury would turn gold white? Had County Lieutenant Liu been instructed by someone else? These were all destined to remain as a mystery.

What worried him even more was that if this matter really involved the military and politics, the fight between the parties would spill over into the lower ranks of officials. That would be terrifying.

Elder Chang also nodded worriedly and said to Lin Jinxiao, "Your leg will probably need a few days to heal. No need to think about this for the time being. We'll make plans after you recover."

"Yes, Teacher."

Lin Jinxiao replied respectfully.

Chu Nanzhi could tell that Old Master Chang did not want Lin Jinxiao to take over as the county lieutenant.

This disappointed her.

If Lin Jinxiao could really be promoted to the position of county lieutenant and have a good future, she could suggest a divorce once his leg healed. That way, she could avoid gossip.

However, after thinking about it carefully, she realized she was not his bodyguard. She had no obligation to keep watch over him.

If she took care of him until he could walk easily and help this family through this difficult time, she would have fulfilled her duty.

After what had happened, the two elders were not in the mood to stay any longer. They stood up and bade farewell to Lin Jinxiao and his family.

However, Chu Nanzhi's dishes today had been an eye-opener for them. They had a good meal, so they were a little reluctant to leave.

Chu Nanzhi could tell what the two elders were thinking. As she walked the Village Chief and the two elders out of the courtyard, she pretended to beg,

"My husband can't get around easily now. I'm afraid he'll be bored staying at home all day. If the two of you have time, please come over more often."

The two elders' eyes lit up when they heard this. Elder Chang changed his usual attitude and immediately replied, "That's easy. It's just that I have to trouble you to prepare more dishes like today."

Elder Nie was afraid that he would lose out, so he quickly said, "Don't worry, we aren't freeloaders. We'll bring our own ingredients."

"I'll definitely satisfy you."

Chu Nanzhi said with a smile.