Song Que and Xiao Bing were waiting by the side of the school building for the second son of the Zhang family to finish school.
Song Que had been traveling for several days and had not rested since arriving in Changlin County. His eyes were dark, and he was unsteady and as if he would fall down after taking a few steps.
Xiao Bing said, “Sir, do you want to take a rest? I’ll keep watching here for now and wake you up when he comes out.”
Song Que thought for a moment and agreed. Actually, he didn’t have to be here. As long as he could confirm Zhang He went home, that would be sufficient. He just wanted to find something to occupy himself. But he was indeed tired. This body didn’t look strong. However he could go up the mountain and hunt a tiger after drinking a bowl of wine. But he was really tired now.
Song Que sat on the ground with his head leaning against the wall, not caring about the dirt. He tilted his head and fell asleep immediately. Even so, his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he found it hard to relax.
Xiao Bing glanced at Song Que and couldn’t help but sigh. He had also met Miss Su.
***
Song Que planned to do some trickery tonight. He even told the system, “Being civil servants in ancient times was great. If it were in modern times, solving cases like this would probably get you complained about until you resigned.”
The system stammered, “If you’re feeling down, you don’t have to force yourself to joke around. It’s a bit scary.”
Song Que: “…I’m fine.”
Before the system could say anything, it heard Song Que say, “Alright, I’m not feeling great. Could the next world be a bit more relaxed, one without death, even if it’s just pretend?”
Song Que did not wait for the system’s reply. He was now going to steal the child.
According to the layout of the courtyard and the things in front of the door, Song Que easily found Zhang He’s room. He entered quietly, took out a clean silk cloth he had specifically bought and stuffed it into his mouth. Zhang He was twelve years old. He looked about the same age as Ji Qiong did five years ago due to his height. After being awakened by Song Que’s actions, Zhang He’s eyes widened, but he didn’t make a noise. Since the area at the back of the head was too delicate, Song Que didn’t dare to knock him unconscious casually, so he stuffed a cloth in his mouth. Seeing that he didn’t make a noise, Song Que simply carried him on his back, opened the water pouch, and sprinkled its contents all the way from the door to the bed. After doing all this, he carried Zhang He back to his own place. Although his movements weren’t very graceful, he managed to leap over the courtyard wall.
Back at his place, Song Que removed the silk handkerchief from Zhang He’s mouth. Zhang He looked a little scared and some other emotions that Song Que couldn’t understand and wasn’t interested to find out. He sat at the table and poured himself a bowl of wine.
IAlcohol content was limited in ancient times.. After drinking a bowl, Song Que didn’t even feel tipsy. He smiled bitterly and lost his desire to drink.
Zhang He, who was put on the bed, asked hesitantly, “Are you Sister Xiuxiu’s cousin?”
Song Que was quite surprised and turned his head to look at him.
Zhang He understood the answer when he saw Song Que’s reaction, and said, “Sister Xiuxiu often told me about her life before she got married. I know she has a cousin who is very good at solving cases. She also said that you are an immortal who has descended to the mortal world. I thought she was exaggerating. She said if I were fortunate enough to meet you, I would understand. It turns out that Sister Xiuxiu did not lie to me. I really recognized you the moment I saw you.”
Song Que couldn’t help but smile wryly, feeling a touch of sadness.
He has always been half-detached and half-involved in these worlds. It was hard for him to care about the places where others treated him poorly, but for those who were good to him, but he couldn’t help but invest genuine feelings in those who treated him well, wanting to reciprocate. At this moment, he rarely allowed himself to stop thinking about how Mother Zhang and Zhang Gu might be terrified and how they might confess. He just wanted to hear how Xiuxiu had been doing in the past two years.
Zhang He and Xiuxiu seemed to have a good relationship. When Mother Zhang repeatedly recounted the so-called last meeting, she also mentioned that Xiuxiu comforted Zhang He.
Zhang He rambled on about many things, mixing in all sorts of details.
“I always did not do well in the exams, which made my mother very anxious and would always scold me. There was a time when I really did not want to study. I thought studying was pointless, it was both exhausting and unpleasant, and it made me feel stupid. Sister Xiuxiu encouraged me and said that she had a cousin who was very similar to me. He could not answer every time the teacher questioned him, but he was actually very smart, he was just impatient when studying. Under the guidance of his brother, he finally had a breakthrough after a few years. She told me to work harder and not to think that I was stupid.”
Song Que smiled and said, “He’s my younger brother.”
Without a doubt the “impatient” must be Song Yi.
Zhang He mentioned other things as well. Song Que occasionally smiled and wiped his eyes. The two chatted for a long time. When they were starting to feel sleepy, Zhang He suddenly asked, “Brother Song, was it my family who caused Sister Xiuxiu’s death?”
Song Que looked at him, Zhang He’s eyes were bright, but the tears began to fall. Xiuxiu was right, He was a very smart child. When he heard that two bodies had been recovered from downstream and were identified as Su Xiuxiu and Cheng Li, and then two people had come to handle the case along with local officials, he immediately guessed it was Song Que. Similarly, after Song brought him here using this method, and having heard about Song’s investigative methods from Su Xiuxiu many times, Zhang He realized that the culprit might be his family.
Song Que didn’t tell him whether it was true or false. He was not at the age where he had to take responsibility or make a choice.
***
It was dawn. Mother Zhang had not slept well. She had nightmares all night because of Song Que’s words, and her heart was pounding heavily.
With Madam Cen’s help, breakfast was finally ready on time. The family had already sat around the table, but Zhang He hadn’t shown up for a long time. Mother Zhang complained about him not getting up earlier for school and went to call him. As soon as she entered the door, she let out a startled scream.
Zhang Gu and the others rushed over immediately, only to find an empty room with no sign of Zhang He. The water marks on the floor were not very visible, but the damp mattress hinted at something amiss.
Madam Cen was the calmest. She just frowned and said, “Did Xiao He wet the bed? Where is he? Is he hiding because he’s afraid we’ll make fun of him?”
Mother Zhang, acting as if she had gone mad, moved forward to sniff the bedding. Madam Cen exclaimed in shock and hurried over to pull Mother Zhang up, saying, “Mom, what are you doing?”
Mother Zhang grabbed the bedding and went to Zhang Gu, saying, “This is water! This is water! It’s vengeful spirits seeking retribution. I was wondering how that person could know so clearly, as if he had seen it with his own eyes. It must have been them who told him—it was Su Xiuxiu who told him”
Zhang Gu grabbed his mother’s arm, trying to calm her down, but he was also panicking. Finally, he said, “Why younger brother… he didn’t do anything.”
Mother Zhang sat on the ground, pounding her thighs and crying, “It must be because she’s pregnant. Vengeful spirits hold grudges the most, they took my He’er as a substitute victim. The next one will be you and me! What should we do!”
Madam Cen and Master Zhang listened on the side. They went from being completely confused to being horrified, and finally understood what had happened.
Zhang Gu remained silent. Suddenly, Mother Zhang said, “Go find that officer for help. He must have a way to solve this!”
The courtyard door was locked by Zhang Gu last night. Because of what Song Que said, he did not sleep all night and stayed awake until dawn, but he did not hear any sound. If no one could do this, then could it really be vengeful spirits seeking retribution?
A chill ran down his back. He knew that he had helped his mother commit murder. Although it hadn’t been his intention, the fact that he couldn’t bear to see his mother imprisoned and sentenced to death meant that he had, in reality, become an accomplice.
Mother Zhang decided to go find Song Que. After the initial hesitation, Zhang Gu actually let out a sigh of relief. Thinking that this might be for the best…
Song Que did not wait too long before two self-confessed culprits arrived. After taking them to the government office, he sent Xiao Bing to inform the Cheng family. After Mother Cheng found out that the deaths of the two were also closely related to her own actions, she fainted from crying, and the scene became chaotic.
Song Que never liked such scenes, so he walked to the water’s edge by himself.
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it. I haven’t failed before. We can give it a try, just think of it as an adventure.”
Song Que thought that his system was quite considerate.
“In fact, I don’t regret doing this. I’m even glad that I can help at this time. Think about it, if I didn’t know anything about this, Xiuxiu wouldn’t be recognized even if she struggled to return to her hometown. She might have ended up as an unidentified corpse due to severe decomposition, and buried somewhere at random without even a tombstone. If this was destined to happen, then this is the best thing I can do. I think there is no absolute coincidence in the world. Xiuxiu’s ability to return to her hometown and come to me might have been a sign all along.”
After Su Xiuxiu’s case was completely settled, Cheng Li and Su Xiuxiu were buried under the auspices of the Cheng family. Song Que paid a visit to the grave before leaving.
Song Que kept this matter deep in his heart. He didn’t force himself to forget it, nor did he deliberately dwell on it. After a while, things started to seem normal again.
Gao Fenglin knew the impact of this incident on Song Que and didn’t want to persuade him any more, but his transfer was a foregone conclusion, and the one he was most worried about before leaving was Song Que. Even though Song Que found him annoying, he still planned to muster up the courage to offer one last piece of advice.
This time, Song Que did not evade him and told him his true feelings: “It’s not that I don’t want to be an official, I just don’t want to distract my attention. What kind of official position I should be is not something I can decide. You know my nature. I should do my job well. If it’s not a role where I can focus on investigating cases, it would be a burden to me.”
Gao Fenglin said: “Although handling criminal cases can benefit the people, they are an insignificant gain after all. If you get to a high position, with your broad knowledge, you may be able to make achievements in other areas, which would still benefit the common people.”
Song said: “If I had good strategies for governing the country and presented them to the wise officials, would there be corresponding measures implemented throughout the realm?”
Gao Fenglin nodded.
Song Que then asked, “If I compile my experience in forensic examination into a book and distribute it widely, could it be implemented?”
Gao Fenglin remained silent. Even though under his administration, Song Que who seemed almost divine, had subtly influenced most people. There were still a small number of people who complained about it, but they did not dare to speak out because of Gao Fenglin’s position as county magistrate. This was why he was worried about Song Que, but at this moment, he understood Song Que’s point.
Song Que said, “Even though the political world is full of ups and downs and one’s actions are often beyond their control, many ambitious individuals still devote themselves to it with the intention of achieving great things. The court does not lack someone like me. As for clearing the injustice, even if I publish a wide collection, it would still be regarded as a secondary choice.”
Gao Fenglin wanted to comfort him, but he didn’t know how to start. Instead, Song Que joked with him, “Since I lack the energy to be an official and wield power. I might as well use my appearance to my advantage. I could become a legendary figure in the folk tales, a protagonist in popular stories, and use this to promote the field. This way, it could be a contribution to the present and benefit future generations.”
Gao Fenglin laughed. Although he felt that Song Que was being overly optimistic, he couldn’t help but think that it might not be such a bad idea after all.
Song Que then asked: “What about your own future prospects”
Gao Fenglin: “My official position is not yet decided, but I will return to the capital.”
His teacher was also in the capital, and with his teacher’s protection, the future looked promising.
Song Que said: “Take Ji Qiong with you. He is very talented and has a solid foundation. It’s time to find another distinguished mentor.”
