Chapter 108: The Internal Strife of the Zhou Family

The petty thug seized this opportunity to quickly curry favor with the other collateral branches of the Zhou family. He offered them exceptionally high incentives, even promising that once he gained control of the family, he would increase their annual dividends to twenty percent. He proposed that rewards would be based on their yearly output ratios, moving away from the old, stagnant ways that lacked any form of incentive. Without such motivations, no one had been willing to put effort into the family industries.

Internal strife within the Zhou family grew increasingly intense. Outsiders watched the spectacle with amusement, some merchants having observed the situation for months and occasionally discussing it.

"The Zhou family, once considered so unattainable, how have they become as fragile as paper, crumbling at the slightest poke?"

"What is there to say? It is nothing more than a dispute over interests that the various branches could not settle among themselves."

Some were dissatisfied, others gloated. In time, problems were bound to arise. "At least we are small households; we are unlikely to face such turmoil." Indeed, some small merchants lived without such complications, viewing matters with a level head and finding much more peace in their lives.

As for the three homestays opened by Han Qing, they remained as popular as ever. Yet, some were unwilling to let it be. They insisted on coming to cause trouble. While Magistrate Wang had completed his imperial mission and returned to the capital, Chen Tianwei remained behind. This struck Han Qing as rather peculiar.

"Magistrate Chen, you came to Blue City to investigate a case. Now that the case is solved and the feared incident never occurred, why are you still content to stay here?"

Young Master Zhu, a blunt and outspoken man, asked the question without a hint of subtlety.

"I hold only a minor position in the imperial court. Now that I have finally found an opportunity to gain experience, why should I be in such a hurry to leave?" Magistrate Chen shook his head. He did not offer any hypocritical excuses, frankly admitting that he was not adept at dealing with certain officials and was prone to falling into their traps. Since the capital was so dangerous, he preferred to hide in a remote place where no one would plot against him.

"But you have only just taken up this post. If you don't strive for a few more years, I fear you won't have many opportunities left."

"I am already content."

He glanced at Han Qing. He certainly should be content; he had pocketed over three thousand taels of silver last time—enough to last him a lifetime.

Just as they were discussing this, a retainer came running over in a panic. "Young Master Han, a great disaster! There is a corpse in the Cloud Top Homestay, and it appears to be from the residence of the Mayor of the Capital."

Upon hearing these words, Chen Tianwei sobered up instantly. How could someone from the Mayor of the Capital’s household suddenly appear in this small county? Wouldn't this cost him his life? He could not afford to say another word and immediately ordered the man to lead the way. He had to see what had happened at the Cloud Top Homestay.

"Magistrate Chen, the carriage is already prepared. There is no need to panic. Even if they are officials from Luojing, they are not necessarily direct kin of the Mayor’s household," Han Qing said calmly. They had not received any high-ranking officials from the Mayor's office in recent days; this might just be a mistake.

"If it were anyone else, it might be manageable. But if they are indeed kin, neither your head nor mine will be safe!" Chen cried out in a panic, running all the way to the carriage and urging the driver to hurry.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, they arrived at the homestay. A crowd had gathered below. The body was reportedly on the second floor. By the time they arrived, officers had already appeared, indicating that the matter had drawn significant attention.

After going upstairs, Han Qing inspected the other rooms, finding no signs of concealment. Where could this person have come from? It was truly baffling.

"What happened at the time?"

"Magistrate Chen, I was arranging rooms for other guests, but the moment I opened the door, I found a corpse lying on the floor, still warm." The innkeeper was terrified.

"How did you determine they were from the Mayor of the Capital's household?"

"We don't know for sure, but one of the guests pointed it out, saying they had seen this person once at the residence."

The current issue was the true identity of the deceased.

"Among the guests who arrived today, are there any from Luojing?"

"There are two or three. They are currently resting in the side rooms."

Chen Tianwei did not hesitate and immediately had them brought out. The guests were cooperative. One man in black robes glanced at the face of the deceased and looked incredulous. "This is Lin Zinan, the young son of Magistrate Lin of the Capital."

What? Chen Tianwei was completely panicked. He had hoped to console himself that this was merely a farce, but everything now seemed bizarre. Why had he provoked officials from Luojing? That such a terrible event had occurred during his tenure was truly beyond words.

"Are you certain of what you saw?"

"Yes. We once played together at the residence, and I have seen him three or four times. I cannot be mistaken."

This was the end. He had to report this to Magistrate Lin immediately to see how he would decide. Naturally, the Cloud Top Homestay would be held accountable, and Han Qing, in particular, could not escape his responsibility.

Chen Tianwei rushed off toward Luojing, temporarily handing the investigation over to others. Even Young Master Zhu was anxious. Why would such a strange thing happen? Had he offended someone, or was it a senseless murder?

"Brother Han, are you truly not worried that Magistrate Lin will blame you directly?"

"There is no use in being anxious now. We should be thinking about how to bring the murderer to justice," Han Qing said coldly, showing no signs of worry. The only thing he found strange was that while the guest had identified the deceased as Magistrate Lin's son, he had also mentioned that the boy should have been busy preparing for his tutor's examinations in recent days. Why would he suddenly run to such a place? If it were for curiosity, he wouldn't have returned a second time.

This was no ordinary case; it was shrouded in mystery. After the coroner examined the body, it was determined that the victim had been stabbed twice in the back, resulting in death after falling into a coma. His death was confirmed.