Chapter 118

Lin Wan wondered, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Yuan then recounted his entire journey to Ghost Witch Mountain; Lin Wan’s eyebrows shot up, her teeth clenched as she spat, “I knew that Fatty wasn’t good from the first glance!”

Xu Yuan shoved all the letters into his chest, then picked up a cloth bundle: “I’m going to see Ma Tianshou. You make dinner—I’ll be back for supper.”

Lin Wan slumped, “Can’t we skip cooking…?”

Xu Yuan pretended not to hear and strode out the door.

…

Ma Tianshou had already learned the full account of the trip from Fu Jingyu and Yan Lao.

When Xu Yuan arrived, the old man sighed, “I originally sent you along only because you knew Ghost Witch Mountain well—I just wanted you as a guide. Now I’m immensely glad I took you with us; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!”

Xu Yuan laid out all the letters: “Please examine these, Old Master. These are the letters my second uncle wrote home over the years; this is the one Zheng Rongkui gave me—it’s almost certainly forged by him.”

Ma Tianshou, a sixth-rank Literary Cultivator, was an expert in handwriting. He glanced once and tossed them aside with disdain: “Obvious fake.”

Yan Lao took them, studying as he spoke: “Zheng Rongkui keeps a spirit-child—this dark art originates from Siam. One function of such spirit-children is to fulfill the patron’s wishes; forging a letter is no challenge.”

Xu Yuan asked, “Can you help me contact my second uncle?”

“Don’t worry—we’ll investigate this ourselves. Now…” Ma Tianshou paused, “I formally invite you to join the Purification Office!”

Xu Yuan no longer hesitated; he bowed with clasped fists: “Thank you, Old Master, for your kindness. I accept. I’ll rely on your guidance and the support of the senior officers from now on.”

Ma Tianshou burst into laughter, clasping Xu Yuan’s arms to help him rise: “This case is one we in the Jiaozhi South Office haven’t seen in ten years. It’s not all your doing, but you’ve earned at least seventy percent of the credit. We old fools have merely ridden on your glory.”

Xu Yuan sensed there was more behind his words and looked up, puzzled; Ma Tianshou only smiled without answering.

Yan Lao said, “The command position in the Jiaozhi South Office has remained vacant. Though you’ve long been de facto head of its affairs, you’ve never been officially confirmed—this time, it’s all but certain.”

Xu Yuan quickly offered congratulations; Ma Tianshou waved him off: “We’re family now—no need for such formalities. I’m

Xu Yuan couldn’t help but smile.

“Enough, let’s get to the matter at hand,” Ma Tianshou said seriously. “I previously granted you the post of Jianxiao, but you’ve earned new merit in Ghost Witch Mountain—Jianxiao is no longer sufficient. Therefore, I appoint you as Deputy Police Inspector!”

The highest official of the Purification Bureau in each province is the “Dutong”; below that, organizational structures vary slightly—large provinces have four bureaus: East, West, South, and North, each led by a Zhizhi.

Below the Zhizhi are several Fuzhizhi.

Below them come Zhanglu and Fuzhanglu, then Police Inspector and Fuxunjian, Jianxiao and Fujianxiao.

Finally come Banshipiao and ordinary Captain.

Ordinary Captain are further divided into three ranks: no insignia, single insignia, and double insignia.

There are also county officials and their subordinates in each county.

There are also positions such as “Jingban” and “Siku,” each with varying ranks.

Under normal circumstances, when the South Bureau dispatches personnel, a Banshipiao leading a few Captain is sufficient.

Only when a case becomes difficult does a Jianxiao intervene.

Jianxiao is ninth rank; Fuxunjian is from-ninth rank. Police Inspector is eighth rank; Fuxunjian is from-eighth rank.

When Ma Tianshou promised Xu Yuan the Jianxiao post, he said “from-ninth rank,” but his unspoken meaning was that it was the deputy position—he just didn’t say it outright.

This time is the same.

It’s not that the old master deliberately misled you; it’s because Jianxiao and Police Inspector often lead teams on investigations. Xu Yuan is new to the Purification Bureau and unfamiliar with many procedures—he needs an experienced elder to guide him first, until he adapts fully before being formally confirmed.

Seeing Xu Yuan about to bow in thanks, Ma Tianshou grabbed his arm: “I already said—no need for empty formalities. Come, sit down. Let’s discuss the case again.”

Xu Yuan sat down; the room now held only Ma Tianshou, Yan Lao, Lu Zhengyan, Xiang Qinghuai, and Fu Jingyu.

Song Lu was not among them.

“Regarding the Prince of Yong… let everyone share their thoughts,” Ma Tianshou began. Yan Lao, who had already pondered this on the journey, spoke at once: “He cannot be touched—and shouldn’t be. For years, the Prince of Yong’s household has been restless. It’s said that since his demotion, his health has steadily declined, so he and his followers have grown impatient.”

But the Son of Heaven seems unwilling to kill his own son—he only issues reprimands when trouble arises, without substantial punishment, as if waiting… for the Prince of Yong to simply die of his own accord.”

Even though we now have the private seal on the contract to pin the blame on Commander Chunyu, the Prince of Yong, even if implicated, will likely only be scolded by imperial decree.

“Chunyu Wei must die!” Lu Zhengyan said.

The Son of Heaven despises such “corrupt flatterers” who incite the Prince of Yong.

No one else spoke. Xu Yuan resolved to listen and observe carefully, saying as little as possible during this meeting.

Ma Tianshou snorted: “Even if we had direct evidence, we still couldn’t touch the Prince of Yong.”

As long as the Son of Heaven has no intention to kill, the Prince of Yong’s life is safe.

No matter how heinous his crimes.

Ma Tianshou sipped his bitter tea, then angrily cursed: “Chunyu Wei is a fool who read too many books! He thinks he’s clever? Has he never considered that the Dragon King of the Canal suffered great humiliation in Ghost Witch Mountain years ago? Now, people have nearly forgotten it—does the Dragon King of the Canal want Ghost Witch Mountain’s affairs dragged back into the light?”

Xu Yuan instantly understood: From the Dragon King of the Canal’s perspective—if even I couldn’t solve this problem, how dare you solve it? Are you more capable than I am?!

Yan Lao also realized this, shaking his head: “Chunyu Wei was merely a Donggong Jiangdu—he merely read books to the Crown Prince and explained classical meanings.”

The truly capable ones—the Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and others—were long ago executed by the Son of Heaven.

Over these past years, as troubles kept erupting in the Prince of Yong’s household, the Son of Heaven executed another batch; what remains are fools like Chunyu Wei—overambitious and utterly incompetent…”

Take Chen Liangxuan—he holds himself in high esteem, but why did the Son of Heaven only demote him to the Southern Capital instead of beheading him outright?

Naturally, because the Son of Heaven judged him to be utterly inept, incapable of causing any real trouble.

Ma Tianshou took a deep breath and waved his hand forcefully: “Enough—let’s not speak of them anymore. Let’s turn to the Demon-Slaying Army.”

Yan Lao repeated his earlier remarks, slightly softened.

Ma Tianshou snorted: “We’ll worry about the future later. First, follow the trail of the Widow Yang and dig deep into this! Xiang Qinghuai!”

The Police Inspector immediately rose and bowed: “Your servant is here!”

“You’re in charge. Dig as deep as you can. Unless I call a halt, ignore every other order!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Xu Yuan nodded inwardly—the old master intends to uncover as much truth as possible before the higher-ups react.

He thought further: This case originally belonged to him and Fu Jingyu—why not let them continue?

“It’s protection for both of us. Dig too deep… you’ll make enemies!”

(End of Chapter)