Chapter 22: Deputy Magistrate Zhang

“Where is the crime scene? Take me there at once.” With this commanding voice, a middle-aged official strode into the inn. Broad-shouldered and imposing, his dignified features left no doubt that he was Deputy Magistrate Zhang of the county.

Trailing behind Zhang were Chief Constable Li and three or four other constables, the group entering the inn in a formidable procession.

The old innkeeper immediately ceased his lamenting and managed to force a smile onto his wrinkled face as he hurried over to greet Deputy Magistrate Zhang. “My lord, thank goodness you’re here at last! You must bring those beasts to justice.”

Zhang’s face radiated confidence, as though he were in the prime of his life once more. As the saying goes, “Power is a man’s aphrodisiac.” Now, with Magistrate Hu bedridden and convalescing in the rear quarters after suffering a fright, Zhang, as the county’s second-in-command, was at the height of his authority.

He fixed the innkeeper with a stern look. “You are the proprietor of this inn? Tell me in detail how the crime unfolded.”

While the innkeeper began recounting the incident to Zhang, Chief Constable Li caught sight of Fang Yue. He remembered the young scholar well. Approaching, he asked, “Scholar Fang, are you lodging here?”

Fang Yue gave a bitter smile. “It’s just my luck. Yesterday, I witnessed the haunting at the Wang family estate, and today there’s a murder—what’s more, the crime scene is just a few rooms from mine.”

Li said, “So you must have seen the sc