Chapter 693: Chapter 693: More Surprising Each Time Chapter 693: Chapter 693: More Surprising Each Time Shu Yu looked utterly confused when she heard Qi Chan say, “The first time we met at the courier station, you warned this old man and saved my life.”
Shu Yu waved her hand dismissively. Was that really saving a life? Even if she hadn’t uncovered the assassin’s presence at that time, Mister Qi’s guards weren’t incompetent.
“This second time,” he continued, “was the tiger you all caught the other day. And the third time is now, bringing Yao Tianqin here, giving this old man such a grand gift.”
The more Qi Chan looked at Shu Yu, the more pleased he became, even though they had only met three times. Yet, this young girl managed to surprise him more each time.
He had initially thought that, with his status, he was the one who could benefit her. It turned out to be completely the opposite.
Shu Yu was taken aback. “The tiger we caught??” A gift as well?
However, Qi Chan clearly had no intention of answering.
The tiger had indeed been an accident. That day, because they waited for Shu Yu to come down the mountain and wanted to reward the Tiger Hunting Team, it was already very late by the time they had settled everything and returned to the county town.
The county magistrate had already received news of their arrival in Heichang County. The manor was ready with food and drinks, just waiting for Lord Cheng to arrive.
Who would have thought that the governor would enter the Office with a tiger in tow, the tiger’s eyes pierced by an arrow, bleeding profusely, appearing as if dying without closing its eyes–such a sight was exceptionally unnerving.
With the sky so dark, the county magistrate was already nervous; facing the sight of the tiger, he staggered back several steps, almost blurting out, “This has nothing to do with me.”
His reaction was peculiar; logically, having caught a tiger, the county magistrate of Heichang County should have been pleased and happy. Even if he feared the tiger, this wasn’t the appropriate reaction.
Although the county magistrate quickly regained his composure and found an excuse to rectify the situation, he then continued to entertain the governor as if nothing had happened.
But what kind of person were Lord Cheng and Qi Chan? Both were seasoned veterans in governmental affairs–if they couldn’t spot such an anomaly, they might as well quit their positions.
Right then, Lord Cheng became suspicious and had his guards watch the county magistrate. Sure enough, once the magistrate left, he began discussing the matter of the tiger with his confidants.
It turned out that two years ago, the magistrate, bold and reckless, had maliciously dealt with an undercover inspector sent from above. He had too many illicit dealings, and although the inspector hadn’t intended to investigate him, having come for other matters…
Unexpectedly, while the inspector was investigating other leads, he stumbled onto the magistrate’s trail. Frightened and wicked, the magistrate secretly killed the man.
The incident had caused quite a stir in Linzhang Prefecture back then. When the authorities investigated, they could only ascertain that the inspector had disappeared in the neighboring county town. The county magistrate of the neighboring town was dismissed outright.
Later on, someone traced clues to a nearby forest; it seemed that before the inspector disappeared, he had indeed entered the forest, but no one knew what for. At that time, the county magistrate of Heichang County was also panicking, so he decided to dispose of the inspector’s body by feeding it to tigers in the mountains.
At that time, Lord Cheng was not yet governor; because of this incident, the previous governor was demoted two ranks, and only then did Lord Cheng take his place.
Unexpectedly, after two years, the incident was brought up again, and it was the murderer himself who raised it.
Lord Cheng had always intended to deal with the county magistrate; however, until now, he had only uncovered minor offenses which were insufficient to arrest the man.