Chapter 567

The county magistrate's face darkened as he told Pan Yun: "Reverend, this is our county's case—it's grave. I ask you to keep it secret; once you step past this door, pretend you know nothing. The rest is none of your concern."

Pan Yun: "You use us and then throw us away? That's heartless. What if I say no?"

"Then I'll have to ask both reverends to stay temporarily in the county jail," the magistrate said, expressionless.

Pan Yun immediately changed her tone: "I understand your concerns, Your Honor. Rest assured, we won't say a word."

The magistrate grunted and ordered the commandant to write down the names he'd uncovered.

Pan Yun paced restlessly around the courtroom, occasionally passing behind the commandant, her eyes flicking over the names on the list.

Her memory was exceptional; it was impossible to forget.

The magistrate watched her several times, finally calling out: "Reverend Pan, if you keep this up, I truly will lock you in the jail."

Pan Yun finally stopped pacing, crossing her arms against the pillar: "Commandant Wu, you have no trust in people at all. We reported the case. We dug up the bodies. Do you think we're their accomplices?"

The magistrate's face turned solemn: "Countless cases have failed from leaks. So many spirits, I risk my career to seek justice for them—I cannot let this fail over trivial details."

Thus, the Li family father and son, and the commandant, were all detained within the government office.

Yet, since one had once been the magistrate's trusted aide, his right hand, and the other a well-off gentryman, the magistrate granted them leniency—not locking them in the jail, but confining them to the government office's back courtyard under guard.

Pan Yun and Li Wenying exchanged glances with the magistrate.

Just as the magistrate was about to order them also taken to the back courtyard, Pan Yun raised her hand swiftly and shouted: "Your Honor, I offer to assist you!"

Li the Elder and the commandant immediately turned to the magistrate, stunned to see him fall silent.

Li the Elder cried: "My lord, I too wish to assist you! Please believe me!"

The commandant, heartbroken, murmured: "Has Your Honor lost faith in me?"

The magistrate snapped: "I don't need either of you—but Reverend Pan… has unusual methods."

Pan Yun winked at him: "I know—you want me to summon the lingering souls to scare them, don't you?"

The magistrate: "The bodies in the pit are still being dug up. News came from the outskirts this morning—they've pulled three more corpses from the pit."

Many are implicated, the timeline stretches long, and most victims are women and men from brothels. Gathering evidence is excruciatingly difficult."

The magistrate said: "I know the people Li the Elder and the commandant uncovered are only a fraction. The highest-ranking official among them is merely a Right Assistant Commissioner of the Revenue Bureau—rank four. Two months ago, when Yang Ji was exposed, imperial censors from Jingcheng arrested many, investigated for months, yet not a whisper of this case leaked…"

He turned to Li the Elder: "You, Li the Elder, are timid, a local man with little influence, poor family, burdened with dependents—you dare not speak…"

Li the Elder: "…"

The magistrate turned to the commandant, expressionless: "He, because he was once persecuted, fears it will happen again…"

"But what of others who know—or suspect? Are the people of Ji'an truly so cold and numb that, because the victims had nothing to do with them, they remain silent?" The magistrate shook his head slowly, solemnly: "I do not believe it."

"Yes, Ji'an has problems—but I've served here three years. Scholars still hold their spirit, butchers still uphold righteousness. How could not a single whisper leak?"

Pan Yun fell silent: "You suspect someone spoke up—but was watched, silenced?"

The magistrate: "There must be a force suppressing this. Otherwise, neither I nor the censors would hear a thing."

"I am only a county magistrate—I can act within Ji'an County—but beyond its borders…"

He shook his head, glanced at Li the Elder, then the commandant, and finally fixed his gaze on Pan Yun: "You said your name is Pan Yun, trained at Long Hushan? Tell me—what is your relation to Imperial Censor Pan Hong?"

Pan Yun's eyes flickered.

Though the Xue Pan case's exoneration had caused a uproar, her existence had been deliberately downplayed. Officials in Jingcheng might know, but beyond the capital, few paid attention to Pan Hong's daughter—except those already closely watching her.

Pan Yun: "My father."

Li the Elder and Li the Young Master gaped—their mouths wide open. They knew Pan Hong!

Legend had it that Yang Ji's arrest stemmed from the prolonged political struggle over Xue Pan's exoneration. At that time, Prime Minister Yang had actually defended Wang Zhen, demanding Wang Zhen's release to suppress Xue Xuan and Pan Hong.

Prime Minister Yang's lifelong reputation was ruined. The Pure Stream scholars shunned him. Everyone suspected he had long conspired with Wang Zhen—until an investigation revealed his son Yang Ji was indeed arrogant, decadent, and cruel, terrorizing the countryside, beating people to death over land and property, as if carved from the same mold as Wang Zhen…

Li the Elder did not believe Prime Minister Yang had known of Yang Ji's crimes, but he was certain Pan Yun bore a grudge against Yang Shiqi.

He stepped back in alarm: "Reverend Pan, you traveled all this way—to exterminate the Yang family?"

True, Yang Ji was dead—but the Yang family still thrived.

Though Yang Shiqi's prestige had been shattered and he himself was dead, his reputation lingered. He still had a second son serving as an official elsewhere, and his clan remained intact.

With Yang Shiqi's accumulated prestige and resources, as long as the Yang clan ceased its self-destruction, it still had a good chance of restoring its former glory within ten or twenty years, producing one or two Metropolitan Graduate.

Pan Yun, usually elegant and composed, rolled her eyes at Li the Elder's suspicion: "I have no grudge against Prime Minister Yang, nor against Yang Ji. Don't make things up!"

The commandant and Li the Elder stared at her skeptically: "We heard Wang Zhen wanted to kill your father, and Prime Minister Yang always aided Wang Zhen—he even petitioned the palace multiple times to free Wang Zhen when he was imprisoned."

Li the Elder sighed: "Reverend Pan, admit it—it's not shameful. Put yourself in my place: if Prime Minister Yang stood on the side of my enemy, I'd hate the Yang family too."

Pan Yun: "…"

She turned to the thoughtful Li the Young Master: "You've worked hard. The Li family's future rests on you now."

Li the Young Master: …

Ignoring the commandant's gaze, she faced the magistrate directly: "Your Honor has worked hard too. But then again—the commandant is just a commandant. Didn't he even pass the provincial exam?"

The magistrate: "He transferred from military service to the government office as a constable, rose to commandant for capturing bandits—but was demoted within half a year. Still, he's heavy-hearted and loyal, so I reappointed him."

"No wonder," Pan Yun nodded. "I understand. Warriors differ from scholars steeped in classics and history."

The commandant felt something was off: "What do you mean?"

"It means you should read more," the magistrate snapped. "Reading gives you brains!"

The commandant: …

The magistrate's expression softened as he turned to Pan Yun: "Reverend Pan, you're clever—I won't beat around the bush. From yesterday to now, they must have noticed the pit. We have no time for slow evidence-gathering. Speed is vital—I can at most arrest officials from Ji'an Prefecture, but even that must be swift—faster still!"

The magistrate paced in place, grim: "Otherwise, once they react, I won't just fail to arrest anyone—I won't even be able to continue investigating."

"Then I'd have to report to Jingcheng, and wait for the Three Departments to send investigators. Even if they move fast, it'll take a month—slowly, it could be indefinite…"

The magistrate slammed his fist onto the table, teeth gritted: "These spirits have waited nine years… ten years… must they wait longer?"

"If evidence is destroyed in this time, and we cannot bring all the guilty to justice, I fear I'll have no face to meet them in the underworld a hundred years from now."

Pan Yun: "So you want to arrest them by the list?"

The county magistrate stared sharply: "I can no longer hold this office—now I wonder if Daoist Pan dares to risk it with me."

Pan Yun burst into loud laughter, delighted: "What do I fear? I've already dragged Wang Zhen into the mire—could their power possibly surpass his?"

The magistrate said: "Wang Zhen is from the north, but Daoist Pan's hometown is in the south—the mountains of Sanqing and Long Hushan both lie within southern territory."

"Oh~~" Pan Yun sighed softly: "I am a Daoist, long severed from my worldly roots; since the day I was born until now, I have never once returned to my old home. As for Sanqing Mountain—I am indifferent to fame and fortune, and ignore them entirely. As for Long Hushan..."

!

Pan Yun turned to look at Li Wenying, raising an eyebrow and winking: "If they've got the guts, let them come. I've never feared anyone from Long Hushan."

Li Wenying:...

"Good!" the magistrate praised. "I'll send men to arrest them immediately. Once they arrive, I'll rely on Daoist Pan to summon the wronged spirits to confront them—and extract their confessions as swiftly as possible."

Pan Yun nodded: "Of course, of course."

The magistrate beckoned the county commandant, tucked the two lists under his arm, and left.

The room was now empty except for Pan Yun, her senior disciple, and the Li father and son.

Pan Yun finally realized: "Wait a minute—the magistrate was supposed to arrest the commandant and you two, right? Then why did he take the commandant away and leave us here?"

Li Wenying: "Clearly, you've given him the confidence to act swiftly."

Pan Yun stroked her chin in thought: "Could it be he just realized I'm my father's daughter—and now he's decided to rely on me?"

Li Wenying nodded: "After all, your father's reputation is well known, and you, to some extent, are known as well. People trust the integrity of you both."

Pan Yun sat silently, feeling something was off—but she couldn't quite place it.

Li Wenying didn't disturb her. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, gazing out at the bright sunlight beyond the door.

Master Li quietly edged closer and whispered: "Daoist Li, from what I just heard, Daoist Pan and Lord Yang aren't enemies?"

Li Wenying glanced at him and said: "No. Lord Yang pleaded for Wang Zhen to save Lord Xue and Lord Pan."

"Huh?" Master Li looked bewildered: "But aren't Wang Zhen, Lord Xue, and Lord Pan enemies?"

Pan Yun finally understood what was wrong—her face darkened: "Was it the magistrate who provided the evidence against Lord Yang?"

Master Li nodded: "Yes. When the imperial censors came to Ji'an, the magistrate risked everything to hand them the evidence he'd gathered. When Yang Ji was sent to Jingcheng, the whole city celebrated. The people presented the magistrate with a ten-thousand-people umbrella—he escaped being implicated in the Yang Ji case, merely received a reprimand, and was allowed to remain as magistrate."

Pan Yun: "Didn't he also submit a memorial accusing Lord Yang, claiming Yang Ji's arrogance was due to Lord Yang's indulgence?"

Master Li's voice dropped eight degrees: "I don't know about that. I'm no official—just an ordinary citizen. How could I know the affairs of the bureaucracy?"

Pan Yun snorted twice, then turned to Li Wenying: "Looks like County Magistrate Wu is my real enemy."

Li Wenying: "Then shall we leave now and not help him?"

"No," Pan Yun said flatly: "One thing at a time. I oppose the act, not the man."

After a moment's thought, she sighed and shook her head: "Fine. I won't settle scores with him. Political struggles are filthy—how could they ever be clean? At least in this matter, he still acted like a proper official. Well then, let it be."

Pan Yun waited inside the county government office for the magistrate to bring back the arrests.

The magistrate obviously couldn't just storm in and arrest people directly—several officials above him held higher rank.

Oh, that Right Assistant Commissioner? He's the superior of the superior of the superior. Could the magistrate really storm into Ji'an Prefecture to make arrests?

So the magistrate made arrangements: for gentry without official posts, he sent the commandant to "invite" them; for others, he personally wrote letters, dispatching messengers to deliver them separately, all to meet at a tavern just beyond the back gate of the government office.

Just staggered the arrival times.

Once they arrived, they'd be seized at once—sacked in a sack, knocked unconscious, and dragged straight through the back gate into the government office...

Each was scheduled two qing apart.

Knowing their habits, the magistrate was certain they'd all arrive late, never early—so this timing gap was more than sufficient.

Still, he thought they wouldn't be too late today, because he'd hinted in his letters about the mass grave—and mentioned he'd obtained some evidence.

Evidence that seems unfavorable to my lord. So, my lord—shall we talk?

The first to arrive was a Clerk from the Provincial Revenue Bureau—the magistrate's direct superior, a sixth-rank official.

Every time the magistrate went to the bureau to request an audience, he had to bow and scrape like a grandson enduring a scolding.

This time, however, he sat motionless in his chair, sipping tea as the Clerk entered, merely smiling: "My lord has arrived. Please sit."

The Clerk's expression darkened slightly, but he quickly masked it, pretending ignorance: "Why has County Magistrate Wu summoned me to meet now?"

"I assumed you already knew," the magistrate said with a sly smile, lifting his teacup to sip. "Otherwise, why would you have agreed to meet me at this tavern?"

A superior unaware of the news would have merely scolded him, then sent someone to reprimand him—he wouldn't come himself.

The Clerk's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward and asked directly: "I heard today, upon arriving at the bureau, that a murder case occurred outside the city?"

"Yes. An old case," the magistrate's gaze sharpened, locking onto the Clerk. "Master Li discovered a mass grave. We dug up many things from it. My lord—guess what we found?"

(End of Chapter)