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

"Tang Jing," Zhang Jingwei spoke, his voice slightly hoarse after deep thought, "what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Liang did not immediately look up. Instead, he gently placed his brush on the edge of the inkstone, his fingertips unconsciously brushing against the edge of the book before finally raising his eyes. His always clear and focused eyes looked at Zhang Jingwei, as if they could see through appearances: "Your Excellency came specifically to ask me, doesn't that mean you already have doubts in your heart, and feel that there's something 'not right' about this case?"

Zhang Jingwei, his thoughts exposed, wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he grinned, though the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Hey, it's so refreshing talking to you. I have some impression of Hu Hai, that scholar. His writing is clear and his character is upright. Although he's a six-foot-tall man, not weak, he's ultimately a pen-wielder. Could he really stab a coal mine owner, who's stronger than him, to death with three blows? I always feel..."

“Wrong, sir.” Yuan Liang interrupted him, his tone calm yet firm. He rose and deftly pulled out a coroner’s autopsy record from another stack of documents beside him, his movements swift and efficient. He walked to Zhang Jingwei’s desk and pointed to a few lines of clearly written records. “It wasn’t a three-stab wound that killed him. According to the coroner’s detailed examination, there was only one fatal wound. It was a 3.7-inch deep stab wound to the lower left side of his back, penetrating the spine and affecting the heart. This stab, entering from behind, was executed with extreme precision, angle, and force, striking the vital point directly. It was a single, fatal blow. As for the other two wounds, there was a shallow cut on the shoulder blade, the skin wasn’t deeply broken; and a slash on the back of the right arm, the wound was long but disordered, clearly caused by the murderer’s unconscious, panicked swings. Therefore, in essence, it was a single, fatal stab.”

Zhang Jingwei leaned forward, carefully examining the glare, his brows furrowed: "Could it be... just a coincidence? When a person is enraged, their blood boils, and it's not entirely impossible for them to accidentally stab a vital spot."

Yuan Liang slowly shook his head, his clear eyes staring directly at Zhang Jingwei, his analysis almost ruthless: "Unless Hu Hai is a hidden martial arts expert, or... has received some kind of specialized instruction, possesses an intimate knowledge of the human body's vulnerable points, and has an extremely hardened will, he could strike so steadily, accurately, and ruthlessly in that situation. Otherwise, for a weak scholar who has never injured anyone, to sneak up from behind with a knife against a hard-working, likely stronger, middle-aged man, if that strike had been off by even the slightest deviation or hesitation, failing to immediately incapacitate him, then the situation would have reversed, and nine times out of ten, Hu Hai would have been the one lying on the ground. This cannot be explained by mere momentary bravado or some vague 'luck'."

Zhang Jingwei remained silent for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the smooth rosewood table, producing a dull, resonant sound, as if echoing the doubts in his heart. "It seems I need to personally investigate Huzhuang Village again. Just listening in the courtroom and looking at the case files is like trying to see flowers through a fog; it's not clear enough."

Yuan Liang seemed to have been prepared. He turned and took out a blue cloth bundle from a drawer under his desk. He untied it, and inside were several items carefully sewn from soft white cotton cloth, with thin gauze lining the inside. He took them out one by one and handed them to Zhang Jingwei: "The coal mines in Huzhuang are crisscrossed, and the coal leaching workshops are shrouded in smoke and dust all day long. I anticipated that you would come in person, so I prepared masks in advance."

Zhang Jingwei took the mask, a slightly admiring smile finally appearing on his face: "Well done, Yuantang Jing. You predicted my prediction. Impressive, truly impressive."

In the afternoon, the four of them, traveling light, headed to Huzhuang Village again. Zhang Jingwei only brought Yuan Liang, Qian Ming, and Jia Dayong with him.

Before even entering the village, a unique smell, a mixture of coal smoke, dust, and some kind of mineral deposit, hit us. The stream beside the road was still flowing, but it had lost its clarity; a layer of sticky, metallic black liquid floated on the surface, gleaming eerily in the afternoon sunlight.

Jia Dayong couldn't help but sneeze, rubbed his nose, and complained in a muffled voice, "Young Master, the dust in this place... is too choking! Just taking a breath makes my throat feel all fuzzy."

Zhang Jingwei reined in his horse and looked around. The village houses were indeed much neater and more prosperous than those in ordinary villages, with rows of blue bricks and gray tiles. However, as far as the eye could see, whether it was the rooftops, walls, fences, or even the bare tree branches, everything looked as if it had been evenly splashed with a thick, dense layer of black ash, losing its original color. In the distance, several tall wooden well frames stood, and there were also rows of sheds, from which came the rhythmic sounds of hammering and rushing water. "Yes, it's true that Huzhuang relies on the mountains for its livelihood, and the coal industry has made the villagers quite wealthy." His tone gradually darkened, tinged with obvious anger. "But such environmental degradation is simply killing the goose that lays the golden eggs! The mine shafts are completely unprotected, coal gangue is piled up haphazardly, and wastewater from coal washing is directly discharged into the ditches... If this continues, fertile soil will turn into scorched earth, and clear water will become poisonous. Even with mountains of gold and silver, where will health and happiness come from? Go back and immediately have Registrar Huang take the lead, together with the workshop and household offices, to draft a detailed plan for remediation, and set a deadline for rectification!"

A middle-aged man wearing a dark blue cotton robe, his face, hands and feet covered in traces of coal dust that couldn't be washed off, was already waiting respectfully by the roadside at the village entrance with two young men. Upon seeing this, he quickly ran forward and bowed deeply: "Hu Youtian, the village head of Huzhuang Village, greets Your Excellency, the County Magistrate, and Master Yuan!"

Zhang Jingwei nodded slightly: "Village Chief Hu, there's no need for such formalities. After the incident today, who was the first to report it to the county government?"

Hu Cunzheng hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, it is the wife of Boss Hu Sheng, Madam Hu Liu. When the officers came to investigate, the body was already... alas, the body had already been collected at home, and the mourning hall is being set up at home. The funeral is being handled very quickly."

"Oh?" Zhang Jingwei and Yuan Liang exchanged a meaningful glance. "In that case, I'll trouble the village head to lead the way to Hu Sheng's house to pay our respects and take a look around."

"Yes, yes, it's my honor. Please follow me, sir." Hu Cunzheng quickly stepped aside to lead the way.

Before long, the group arrived at a house at the east end of the village. This house was indeed different from the surrounding village houses. It was built of neat blue bricks, with a high wall enclosing a three-courtyard complex. Although the gatehouse was not ostentatious, it was solidly built, and the copper rings on the black lacquered gate were polished to a shine.

Qian Ming looked around the house, clicked his tongue twice, and whispered to the village head next to him, "A brick and tile house, and a three-courtyard house at that. Hu Sheng's family is really well-off. It seems that the coal leaching business is quite lucrative."

A complex expression flashed across Hu Cunzheng's face as he lowered his voice and replied, "What Master Qian said is true. Hu Sheng is a quick-witted and resourceful fellow. That small coal leaching workshop has probably expanded more than tenfold in the years since he took it over. It's just... sigh, it's just that he's a bit lacking in interpersonal skills."

Qian Ming keenly caught the estrangement in the village head's tone and followed up by asking, "I don't think the other villagers are coming here either? Shouldn't people from the same village all come to lend a hand when a funeral like this happens? Why does it seem... so quiet and deserted?"

Hu Cunzheng was slightly embarrassed and rubbed his hands together. "Actually, he doesn't have any deep-seated hatred for the villagers. It's just... it's his wife, tsk." He gestured towards the gate and lowered his voice even further. "She has high standards and doesn't really look down on us peasants. Over time, everyone has become too lazy to bother with her."

As he spoke, he walked to the gate, straightened his back, and cleared his throat, addressing the disheveled and terrified servant standing guard at the entrance: "Quickly go and announce that Magistrate Zhang has come to offer his condolences!"

The servant was initially stunned, but upon hearing "Your Excellency," and seeing Zhang Jingwei's official robes and the burly guards behind him, he trembled with fear and scrambled inside.

A moment later, a young woman dressed in plain white mourning clothes, with a silver hairpin in her hair, hurried out to greet her. She was about twenty years old, with delicate eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, and fair skin, standing out conspicuously in the coal dust-covered environment. However, her eyes were red and swollen, and her face was filled with sorrow, making her appear even more frail. She walked to the bottom of the steps and bowed gracefully to Zhang Jingwei: "This humble woman, Hu Liu, greets Your Excellency Zhang."

Zhang Jingwei offered a slight gesture of support: "Please rise, Madam. Are you Madam Hu Liu? Judging from your age... you seem to be somewhat related to Boss Hu Sheng..." He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already clear.

Hu Liushi stood up, dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and said in a choked voice, "This woman... is twenty years younger than my late husband."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Liang nodded slightly and added in a calm tone, "Yes, I've heard about this as well. Boss Hu Sheng is quite a well-known figure in Gaoyang. I've heard that when he was down on his luck in his early years, he and his first wife worked hard, coming home late at night; later, when his business prospered, he abandoned his wife and married a beautiful young woman. This matter has been the subject of much discussion among the villagers, which may be one of the reasons why your family doesn't interact much with the villagers."

Hu Liu's face immediately changed, her grief turning to anger. Her almond-shaped eyes widened as she looked at Yuan Liang: "You... how can you, a member of an official family, be so rude! My husband's body is barely cold, and you're already bringing up these old stories. What kind of logic is that?"

Zhang Jingwei raised his hand, stopping Yuan Liang from speaking further, and said gently to Madam Hu Liu, "Madam, please calm your anger. The clerk had no other intentions; he was merely stating some things that are known in the streets. I apologize on his behalf." He hesitated for a moment, then his expression turned solemn, and he bowed slightly to Madam Hu Liu politely, "Please accept my condolences, Madam. Now that I am here, may I come inside to offer incense to Mr. Hu as a token of my sympathy?"

Seeing Zhang Jingwei's polite attitude, and glancing at the silent yet imposing Jia Dayong and the shrewd-eyed Qian Ming behind him, Hu Liushi barely suppressed her displeasure and stepped aside, saying, "Sir, you flatter me... Please come in."