TGCFNM -Chapter 44 Let’s Hope

Chu Ling looked at A-Zhong, who had been forcibly pressed to his knees, feeling her temper flare. “Not letting me investigate the case… that’s just because you have something to hide.”

“I-I’m not!”

Chu Ling shot him a cold glare. “Then why obstruct me? And daring to defy me—aren’t you afraid?”

“I… I just… that coroner Su is a man,” A-Zhong gritted out.

“Nonsense. You could have found a female coroner instead,” Chu Ling frowned. “Besides, Zhong Hong is already dead. That’s a corpse. What can a coroner do to a corpse?”

“Lord Chu,” Magistrate Zhao tugged at Chu Ling’s sleeve, “both blacksmith Zhong and A-Zhong are very upset. With Miss Hong already dead, letting a coroner examine her body suddenly… they just can’t bear it.”

Chu Ling didn’t waste any more time on A-Zhong. She turned his attention to the blacksmith and bowed slightly, her expression serious. “Miss Hong died unexpectedly. As her father, your grief is naturally unbearable. I understand that opening the coffin for an examination at this moment will only double your pain, and make you wish you could have died in her place.”

Zhong Hong’s father looked at him in anguish, stifling a sob.

“But, Mr. Zhong,” Chu Ling continued, “the murderer still roams free, eating and drinking every day. Meanwhile, the women of Qingning County live in fear, never knowing when their lives might be taken. If all the women leave Qingning County, and no woman remains to marry in the future, then this county itself will cease to exist.”

“Lord… I understand what you mean…” the blacksmith said slowly.

He hadn’t eaten all day, his body swaying, face pale, lips cracked. After speaking to Chu Ling to protect his apprentice, he was already feeling dizzy and could barely stand.

Magistrate Zhao hurried to support him. “A-Zhong, bring a chair quickly!”

A-Zhong immediately went to fetch one. Wan Sanjin also looked around, poured a cup of tea, and brought a small snack to keep the blacksmith’s stomach from being empty.

Chu Ling sighed, unwilling to be harsh. “Mr. Zhong, punishing yourself like this… apart from unsettling Miss Hong’s spirit and making it hard for her to reincarnate, what else does it accomplish?”

The blacksmith lifted his head to look at Chu Ling. He opened his mouth, and tears instantly streamed down. “Lord Chu… my own daughter… the one I raised myself… she was only eighteen! When I said I would find her a husband, she refused, wanting to stay by my side and work at the forge. When I told her I would take a son-in-law, she agreed. She worried about my hardships… she was such a… such a good daughter…”

Chu Ling turned her head, unable to watch.

A-Zhong’s eyes were red as he half-squatted to support the blacksmith.

Wan Sanjin handed him the tea. “My lord has just returned from Chengyang, where he solved a major case. The people there all praise him.”

Su He immediately spoke up, “My lord will definitely find the murderer. Please, Mr. Zhong, allow me to examine the body.”

Chu Ling added, “Mr. Zhong, after Su He examines the body, I will have it restored to its original state.”

Magistrate Zhao also encouraged him, “Mr. Zhong, I know it’s hard for you to make this decision, but Miss Hong was always righteous. If she were here, she might have noticed the slightest clue. Perhaps this examination could truly catch the culprit.”

The blacksmith closed his eyes, biting his teeth hard. After a long moment, as if making up his mind, he finally looked at Su He and said, “You… go examine the body.”

“I must go with him,” A-Zhong immediately said. “I cannot just stand by and watch… I cannot, I cannot…”

“All unnecessary people, step aside,” Chu Ling cut him off sharply, sending Wan Sanjin to help.

Wan Sanjin tore down the funeral curtain to block the view, then, together with Su He, went to the back of the mortuary. Covering their mouths and noses, the two of them pushed the coffin aside.

The heavy sound of wood made Blacksmith Zhong instinctively clutch his chest and quietly begin to sob.

A-Zhong lifted his eyes and glared at Chu Ling, catching her examining him. He snorted coldly and turned his head away.

The autopsy process was extremely slow. Chu Ling gave a discreet signal to Magistrate Zhao, instructing A-Zhong to help Blacksmith Zhong step aside and take a short rest before returning later.

Magistrate Zhao left the constables outside the mortuary and personally helped Blacksmith Zhao avoid the scene for the moment, taking A-Zhong along as well.

After everyone had left, Chu Ling quietly asked Cui Xi, “How does everyone already know I became an official by donation?”

Cui Xi looked puzzled. “Miss, did you forget? When you first took office, someone deliberately mentioned it. The surrounding counties all knew, and probably someone from Chengyang City passed it along as well.”

Chu Ling was surprised. Who had been watching her?

“At that time, I even asked if you wanted to catch that person, but you said never mind. You’d only be here a few months, and then you’d leave anyway—no need to bother,” Cui Xi explained.

“I came from the capital to Sishui County, such a long distance, such a private donation-based appointment, and that person knew everything?” Chu Ling frowned. “What else did they say?”

Cui Xi shook her head. “Nothing else, just that you were from the capital and became a county magistrate through donation. That’s all.”

The Ghost Scholar stroked his beard and confirmed, “It must be someone from the General’s household.”

Chu Ling thought the same. Only the main branch of her family knew about her donation. Even her father and mother were kept in the dark; she had secretly gone on her own. If someone had followed her all the way to spread this, it could only be the main branch.

That main branch was truly baffling: on one hand, they helped disguise her as a man, created new household registration, and enabled her to hold office—a potentially life-threatening move. On the other hand, they spread the news that she was a wealthy capital-born official in Sishui County, loudly enough that even the surrounding areas knew.

“That main branch must have some ulterior motive,” Bai Su said thoughtfully.

Chu Ling temporarily suppressed her doubts and stood with her hands behind her back, looking at the funeral curtain.

She wondered if Su He would be able to find anything in the autopsy. If nothing came up, this case would be troublesome indeed.

“Master,” Zhong Hong spoke cautiously, tugging at her sleeve. “Don’t be angry with A-Zhong. He’s always been like that—rash and reckless—but he is truly filial to my father.”

“And to you?” Chu Ling asked.

Zhong Hong pursed her lips and after a long pause said, “I always knew he treated me well. My father took him in, so he grew up with me, only a year younger. When it came time for my father to find a son-in-law, he asked about A-Zhong.”

“But we grew up together, and I only saw him as a younger brother, so I immediately refused. A-Zhong knew and complained, and I told him I’d find him a prettier wife later, and even give him a larger dowry.”

Chu Ling smiled lightly. “I’m not trying to cause him trouble, but he’s reckless and lawless. Today he ran into me, which is fine; if he ran into someone else, especially a noble, he’d pay dearly.”

Zhong Hong also looked helpless. “I don’t know what came over him. Suddenly confronting you may have something to do with my death—he probably didn’t want anyone touching my body.”

“You mean his ‘mad dog’ behavior is only aimed at me?” Chu Ling raised an eyebrow. “Then you’d better pray he doesn’t provoke me. Once or twice I can let it slide, but any more and I’ll have to assert my authority.”

Zhong Hong gave a wry smile. “He just couldn’t tolerate the autopsy this time. Once it’s done, he probably won’t act like that anymore.”

“Let’s hope so,” Chu Ling said casually.