Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Inside the county government office, in the signing room.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward, even comical. Magistrate Zhang Jingwei wasn't sitting in his symbolic seat of power, but had been "assigned" to a low, hardwood armchair—the seat was too high and too hard, and he was covered in injuries, especially his buttocks and thighs, making it unbearable. He looked like a ravaged, brightly colored…pig's head? "Bruised and swollen" didn't even begin to describe it; it was like a dye shop had been opened, red (blood stasis), blue (bruises), purple (swelling), and yellow (medication stains) all mixed together. One eye could barely open a slit, while the other was completely swollen into a blister. He had changed out of his official robes into a loose-fitting casual garment, but through the collar, faint bruises could still be seen on his neck and collarbone.

Almost all of his trusted subordinates—Qian Ming, Wang Ergou, Yuan Liang, Ding Xu, Liang Dahai, and Fang Yue, who had just entered—stood respectfully to the side, each with their eyes downcast and their expressions perfectly controlled. However, the occasional twitching of their lips and the shifty look in their eyes still betrayed that they were not at peace inside.

Zhang Jingwei tried to move his body, which immediately aggravated his injury, causing him to grimace in pain and gasp for breath. His already swollen face became even more distorted, making him look both pitiful and ridiculous.

Qian Ming, being the most quick-witted and considerate, immediately stepped forward and whispered, "Young Master, are you... are you still in a lot of pain? Should I go to Miss Jiu'er's place and ask for some topical pain-relieving ointment? I heard she has a secret recipe that's especially good at reducing swelling and bruising."

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand, which he could barely lift, his voice muffled by the swelling at the corner of his mouth, filled with deep grievance and resentment: "It's not pain... it's anger! It's heartbreak!" He strained to glare at his subordinates one by one with his only eye that could still be opened, "You... you bunch of ingrates! Have I ever shortchanged you on food, clothing, or necessities? Or on your rewards? At this crucial moment, one or two of you just stood outside watching the show! Watching me get beaten... beaten... sob sob..." As he spoke, grief overwhelmed him, and he actually choked up, his appearance truly unbearable to look at.

Wang Ergou was a straightforward man, and upon hearing this, he immediately defended himself, his tone filled with grievance: "Young Master! This...this is a terrible injustice to me! When I heard you shouting 'Help!' and 'Mother!', I almost rushed in! It was...it was Mr. Yuan who stopped me! He said this was your family matter, and you should suffer for it! He told me not to cause trouble!" He pointed at Yuan Liang, with an expression that said, "It was all his doing."

Zhang Jingwei immediately turned his swollen eye, now just a slit, toward Yuan Liang, his gaze filled with accusation: "Tang Jing! Yuan Liang! My good advisor! It was wrong of me not to inform you beforehand about such a big matter, it was my oversight! But you... you don't have to 'retaliate' against me like this, do you? You just stood by and watched me get beaten like this by Madam? You're too heartless!"

Yuan Liang remained calm, meeting Zhang Jingwei's "miserable" gaze with a respectful bow. His tone was steady, yet each word was clear: "My lord, I had no intention of seeking revenge. My intervention was a well-considered decision. The fault lies with you, my lord, for deceiving your wife, causing unrest in the household, and nearly costing your wife her life. This beating is less a reflection of your wife's anger than a price you must pay, a 'good medicine' to ensure you truly remember this lesson."

He paused, his gaze sharpening: "May I ask, sir, before you acted, did you consider the worst possible consequences? What if Madam were not so righteous and resolute, but instead heartbroken and ill, or caused such a scene that everyone knew about it, or even... threatened suicide? In that case, how would you face yourself? How would the Zhang family end up? And would General Huangfu let it go? Compared to those possible consequences, which is more important, this physical pain?"

Zhang Jingwei was speechless when asked the question. His swollen face showed a complicated expression. He pursed his lips, lowered his voice, and said in a slightly roguish tone, "I...I thought about the worst-case scenario...getting beaten up. I...I was mentally prepared...but...but she beat me too hard...Waaah...Look at my face, how can I face anyone? My ribs hurt even when I breathe...She's trying to murder her husband..." As he spoke, he sniffled pitifully.

Liang Dahai, standing to the side, was a tech geek with a rather peculiar focus. He scratched his head and interjected in a somewhat naive manner, "Young Master, I mentioned to you before that I thought Douya... oh no, Miss Douya was quite nice, and I wanted to ask you to make the decision... You absolutely refused at the time and even scolded me, telling me to study more... So... so it was you who took a liking to her and wanted to 'possess' her..." There was no resentment in his tone, but rather a sense of sudden realization and a touch of teasing.

Zhang Jingwei, who was already seething with anger, glared at Liang Dahai upon hearing this and roared, "You bastard! What do you know! What do you mean by 'taking it for oneself'? You haven't read enough books! Your head is full of filthy thoughts! Qian Ming! Tomorrow, get him into the academy and let the instructors give him a good lecture on the ways of the sages! Don't even think about touching his secrets until he passes the preliminary examination!"

Liang Dahai shrank back in fright and waved his hands repeatedly to take his leave: "Young Master! I was wrong! I was too talkative! I'll go back to the academy right away! No need for you to see me off, no need for you to see me off... Hehe..." As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Zhang Jingwei's "pig-headed" face, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch. He quickly lowered his head and slipped out.

Zhang Jingwei keenly caught that "hehe" sound and slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair in anger: "Was he just laughing? That bastard! How dare he laugh at me! Deduct his pay! Deduct three months! No, deduct six months!"

Ding Xu was more practical. Seeing that the family matters had been discussed enough, he asked about a more practical issue: "Young Master, in your current state, should we go... to see the concubine? She's been frightened and is pregnant. She must be feeling uneasy knowing that you've returned and things have turned out this way."

Upon hearing "secondary wife," Zhang Jingwei's expression turned complicated for a moment, then he sighed: "No rush. You need to change how you address her. What secondary wife? It was His Majesty's decree, it clearly states she is a secondary wife! Be more careful from now on!"

Yuan Liang calmly added, pouring cold water on the situation: "My lord, the so-called 'equal wife' does not mean she is completely on equal footing with the principal wife. It is more of a promotion in terms of etiquette and status, ensuring that she can be included in the Zhang family genealogy and that her children can be considered legitimate offspring. However, at home, the mistress is still Lady Huangfu. In the end, she is still a concubine, just a concubine of a higher status. In terms of address, to avoid confusion and displeasing the principal wife, it might be more appropriate to call her 'Lady Dou' or 'Lady Ya' in private. In public, we should still follow etiquette."

Zhang Jingwei was speechless after Yuan Liang's airtight explanation. He waved his hand irritably and said, "Fine, fine, you guys figure it out! Anyway, how can I go see her looking like this? Won't I scare her again? Let's wait a couple of days until the swelling on my face goes down a bit."

At this moment, Fang Yue, who had been quietly waiting on the side, stepped forward when the conversation seemed to have come to an end. Holding a thick roll of drawings, he respectfully said, "My lord, I have completed the task you instructed me to do before leaving the capital. This is a draft of the 'Gaoyang New City Market Expansion Layout Map,' which is based on the layout plans of the East and West Markets and major wards of the capital, combined with the actual situation of Gaoyang. Please take a look..." He was halfway through his sentence when he looked up and saw Zhang Jingwei's miserable face. The rest of his words got stuck in his throat, and his expression became quite interesting.

Seeing this, Yuan Liang quickly took over the conversation: "Fang Xuchang, let's put the drawings on the desk in the signing room first. At the moment, the sir... well, he needs to deal with some other matters first, so he'll probably have to look at the drawings later."

Although Zhang Jingwei's face stung, his mind wasn't damaged, and he still remembered Fang Yue's task. He tried his best to speak in a more normal tone: "Well, Fang Yue, you did a good job on your trip to the capital. What are your thoughts after witnessing the prosperity and regulations of the capital? Now that you are in charge of the workshop, what aspects of urban construction and people's livelihood in Gaoyang do you think we can learn from and improve upon? Speak boldly, and I won't blame you if you're wrong."

Fang Yue composed himself, organized his thoughts, and said, "Your Excellency, the capital city has a grand and well-organized system, from which I have benefited greatly and have recorded in detail. However, having lived in Gaoyang for many years, there is one thing that has always puzzled me, and I must speak out about it."

"Oh? What is it?" Zhang Jingwei gestured for him to continue.

"On the summit of Gubei in the north of the city, there is clearly an underground river with abundant water. Why didn't the magistrate simply dig an open or underground canal directly to the Sang River when planning the water conservancy? This would have provided a stable supply of water to the Sang River and facilitated the transport of supplies to the summit—wouldn't that have been the best of both worlds?" Fang Yue raised the question, then changed the subject, her tone becoming serious. "On the other hand, the 'Changteng' irrigation network outside the city, which we currently rely on, while convenient for irrigation, depends on seasonal rainfall and upstream reservoir regulation. The water level fluctuates wildly, reaching its limit in droughts and easily overflowing in floods. Moreover..."

He paused, glanced at Yuan Liang and Zhang Jingwei's expressions, and then continued, "After I returned to the yamen, I heard my colleagues in the workshop talking privately, saying... saying that just over a month ago, a section of the canal was accidentally flooded due to improper scheduling, and... and a passing stranger drowned! It seems this matter has not been made public?"

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingwei's one remaining open eye widened in shock. Ignoring his wound, he tried to stand up abruptly, but a sharp pain in his ribs caused him to cry out and fall back down. His tone, however, had become stern. "Someone drowned while the canal was being drained? Why hasn't anyone reported this to me?! Tang Jing! Is this true?!"

Yuan Liang's expression turned serious, and he immediately bowed and replied, "Your Excellency, it is indeed true. About a month ago, there was a report that someone had fallen into the water and gone missing. However, a body was not found on the spot; the person who reported the incident claimed that their relative was swept away by a sudden surge of water in the canal. Afterwards, the yamen runners searched along the canal repeatedly for many days but did not find the body of the drowned person, and there were no eyewitnesses nearby. Therefore, after discussing with Registrar Zhao and Registrar Huang, the case was temporarily opened as a 'missing person case' rather than a 'homicide case.' I have already reviewed the detailed case file."

"A missing person case?" Zhang Jingwei frowned. "Who reported it? And who is the missing person?"

"The person who reported the case identified himself as Chang San, a native of Yingzhou. His two elder brothers are missing; according to him, the eldest is Chang Da, and the second is Chang Er," Yuan Liang replied.

"Chang Da? Chang Er? Chang San?" Zhang Jingwei read these names aloud, a strange expression appearing on his swollen face. "These names... they were chosen so easily, like they were just playing around!"

Yuan Liang nodded: "I feel the same way. It seems like a pseudonym that was just made up on the spot. But this person's identity and travel permit have been verified and he is indeed from Yingzhou. Moreover, he has been staying in Gaoyang, waiting for news, and has repeatedly asked to see you, sir, claiming that he will only tell the whole truth if he sees the county magistrate."

Zhang Jingwei narrowed his one intact eye, revealing his usual shrewdness and suspicion: "Is this person still in Gaoyang?"

“Yes. He rented a house in the west of the city and rarely goes out, but he comes to the yamen every day to inquire. I have sent someone to keep an eye on his movements,” Yuan Liang replied.

Zhang Jingwei glanced at the sky outside the window, then touched his burning face. His innate instinct to investigate the case was stirred. Although his family affairs were troublesome, his official duties could not be neglected, and this disappearance case was suspicious.

“Since it’s still early,” he said, enduring the pain, adjusting his posture to appear more dignified. “Yuanliang, go and make the arrangements. First, take that Chang San to… to the side hall of the second hall to see me. I want to hear what ‘truth’ he has to tell me in person.”