Chapter 49: Fond of Wine, Truth Serum, Midnight Assassination

Inside a refined private room on the second floor of the Eight Treasures Pavilion, a large round table was laden with an array of dazzling and delicious dishes.

Town Magistrate Chai He, dressed in neat official attire, sat upright at the table, his expression solemn and grave.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and the figure of Xia He appeared at the threshold. The moment Chai He saw Xia He arrive, his face immediately blossomed into a smile as he hastily stood up and strode forward to greet him.

"Please, come right in!" Chai He said, waving his hand to signal the waiter to withdraw first.

Once the door was closed, he grasped Xia He's hands warmly and firmly, expressing his gratitude over and over again.

Xia He raised an eyebrow, a look of puzzlement inevitably crossing his face as he asked, "Sir, your sudden expression of gratitude leaves me somewhat at a loss. May I ask what this is all about?"

Chai He smiled slightly, pulling Xia He to sit down beside him at the table. His eyes remained fixed firmly on Xia He as he slowly spoke, "To be honest with you, over these past few days, I have been pondering a question: why did that mysteriously appearing prescription find its way into our official yamen?"

"Ever since I came to this town to take office, I have had very little interaction with others, associating almost exclusively with Brother Xia."

"Furthermore... I heard that your father-in-law is a physician, and it seems he once suffered from a blood disorder as well, only to recover suddenly afterward?"

Xia He raised an eyebrow.

With a frank and open expression, Chai He continued, "And he understands medical principles. Therefore, apart from you, I truly cannot think of anyone else who would possess such a kind heart."

"On behalf of the town's people, I thank you, Brother Xia."

Faced with Chai He's direct words, Xia He neither directly admitted nor denied them.

Yet, Chai He already understood the matter in his heart and chose not to press further.

At this moment, Chai He was filled with deep emotion. Recalling the circumstances of his arrival here, back then he had been destitute and impoverished, unable even to secure a full meal.

Now, having finally accomplished such a deed here, his situation had improved, and he was no longer as straitened and shabby as before.

However, when he reflected once more upon those arduous years of the past, he realized deeply that such circumstances were, in truth, entirely commonplace for ordinary folk, and there were even many people living through hardships far greater than his own.

"Brother Xia, do you know?"

"This table of dishes—chicken, duck, fish, and meat—altogether costs five taels of silver."

"Yet this is merely the cost of a single meal for those wealthy households, and even then, it results in extravagance and waste, with more than half left over, ending up as mere slops."

"However, five taels of silver is five thousand copper cash. It can buy two hundred and fifty catties of pork, five hundred catties of wheat flour, provide a family of five with two full sets of brand-new winter clothes, repair and strengthen a leaky roof that lets in the rain, and can..."

Chai He spoke in fits and starts, his pace growing faster and more urgent, as he drank cup after cup of wine.

"Magistrate Chai, you are overindulging."

Chai He's eyes widened, his eye rims so red they seemed to spew fire, and his face was filled with such intense anger that he looked as though he might devour someone.

Yet, beneath this anger, there faintly flickered a trace of shame and unwillingness.

Clenching his fists tightly and grinding his teeth, he said to Xia He, "Brother Xia, do you know? I am thirty years old this year, and I have achieved nothing!"

"My grandfather sent me here simply for me to establish good relations with these military households and build up some political achievements. If possible, I was to seize the opportunity to amass more wealth to pave the way for my future official career."

"Yet... yet I truly have no wish to do such a thing!"

At this point, Chai He let out a heavy sigh.

"Look at the Great Qin of today—what kind of lives are the common people living? Those corrupt officials and wicked gentry run amok, oppressing our common folk to the point where they can scarcely draw breath."

"His Majesty likewise pays no heed, allowing them to act with total impunity. Coupled with the barbarians to the south growing increasingly powerful, our Great Qin's national strength grows weaker day by day. At this rate, in less than thirty years, Great Qin is bound to perish!"

The more Chai He spoke, the more agitated he became, his voice involuntarily rising much higher.

Hearing these remarks from Chai He, Xia He could not help but frown, thinking to himself, "This Magistrate Chai is certainly quite daring to utter such treasonous words."

Therefore, he advised, "Magistrate Chai, you must be drunk. You would do well to say a little less, lest you bring disaster upon yourself."

"I am not drunk! I am perfectly clear-headed! Even if I risk my life today, I will speak what is in my heart!"

Chai He slammed his fist heavily against the table, splashing wine everywhere.

He then continued to speak incessantly, ranging from the corruption of the imperial court to the hardships of the people's livelihood, and from military defeats to the crisis of the state.

In this manner, Chai He talked without stopping until he finally could no longer support himself, collapsing face-first onto the table, dead drunk.

The guard who had been waiting outside for a long time saw that his master was dead to the world from drink and hurried inside. He first nodded apologetically to Xia He, then carefully helped support Chai He.

"Since Magistrate Chai is drunk, I shall take my leave."

Tonight's meal had been utterly bizarre from start to finish.

Leaving the Eight Treasures Pavilion, the damp heat and clamor vanished instantly.

The yamen did not yet possess a carriage, so Chai He was traveling by donkey cart.

The guard carried him up onto the cart, while Chai He continued to mutter incessantly.

Seeing this, the guard merely sighed, walked to the front, and drove the donkey cart forward.

...

In the cold winter night, all sounds were stilled, with only the biting cold wind howling through the streets and alleys.

At that moment, several figures appeared quietly in the dark like ghosts.

These individuals wore tight-fitting black garments, wrapped securely from head to toe, with even their faces covered by black masks, leaving only pairs of eyes flashing with cold light.

Even so, the robust and powerful physiques of these figures remained discernible through the tightly wrapped contours of their clothing.

Cruel and cold gazes locked firmly onto a shabby donkey cart slowly passing not far away. The two figures on the cart appeared somewhat hazy under the dim moonlight.

"Senior Cui, are we truly going to make a move? That is the Town Magistrate..."

"What is there to fear? This is a direct task assigned by the Young Master of the Hall, and we have the Thousand-Household Lord backing us from behind! As long as things are done cleanly and efficiently, no one will dare to investigate."

Cui Tian's voice was low and fierce, a flash of absolute resolve in his eyes, bearing no trace of the friendliness he had shown toward Xia He earlier.

"Hmph, when the time comes, we will simply claim that barbarian spies sneaked into the city and brutally murdered the Town Magistrate. Who would ever suspect we did it? Besides, even if someone has doubts, what of it? As long as we destroy the evidence thoroughly, those people will never be able to figure out the truth."