Tie Ci glanced at him.

Not impressive.

I don’t want to marry a bird egg.

Tie Ci unhurriedly reached into her sleeve. Little Bird Deputy Magistrate probably thought she was pulling out a marriage contract and was so delighted his thick eyebrows nearly flew off his forehead.

It wasn’t that he was hasty in arranging the marriage—it’s just that after mixing in official circles for many years, he had developed some skill in reading people. His daughter had fallen for the young man’s appearance and demeanor, but what he valued was the aura surrounding this youth. Though seemingly approachable and easygoing, his every gesture carried an innate nobility—he was definitely of extraordinary birth.

Tie Ci searched around, frowned, and turned to look at Chi Xue.

The head steward and public relations chief Chi Xue very tacitly pulled out a document and presented it. Tie Ci smiled and handed it to Little Bird Deputy Magistrate.

The Deputy Magistrate opened what was obviously an official document in bewilderment. After reading just a few lines, his expression slightly changed.

After reading a few more lines, he folded the document away, wiped his face, stood up and bowed again, saying in a low voice: “This humble official was presumptuous. Please forgive me, young master.”

Tie Ci smiled and made a gesture of support: “Think nothing of it.”

She continued: “My father is a colleague of yours, sir. It was only natural for me to lend assistance. I dare not accept such generous gifts.”

The Deputy Magistrate remained silent for a long while, then said awkwardly: “Young master’s noble character is admirable.”

The two exchanged polite bows, and the Deputy Magistrate ordered his servants to see the guest out. Tie Ci left with her maids. After taking only a few steps, she saw a white dress hem standing directly in her path.

She smiled, bowed slightly, and walked around.

Dan Shuang stepped forward, walking between Tie Ci and that white dress hem.

The other party was at least a proper young lady and didn’t resort to tricks like stepping on feet or falling down. The white dress hem trembled and voluntarily moved aside.

Perhaps today’s husband-catching and this moment’s path-blocking had exhausted her greatest courage. Faced with disappointing results, she couldn’t do more.

Tie Ci never looked up or back.

Chi Xue smiled slightly, knowing her master was actually hard-hearted.

Dan Shuang felt somewhat sorry for the girl. After walking a few steps, she looked back and caught the woman’s tear-filled eyes full of confusion and disappointment.

She lowered her eyes, sighed, and quickly caught up with Tie Ci.

They had come with great fanfare but left with no one seeing them off. The host family ultimately felt humiliated and watched with cold indifference.

Tie Ci didn’t mind.

What she had produced was documentation for the legitimate second son of the Director of Imperial Stables going out from the capital for trials, along with an identity tablet for minor nobility.

This was the identity she had prepared for her trials.

The Director of Imperial Stables was an official specifically responsible for raising horses for the imperial family, holding third rank. This position was within the scope of this trial. Since he only handled horse breeding and wasn’t involved in government affairs, it was a clean position that wouldn’t entangle him in power struggles between the court and local forces.

This family also held a minor noble title, which guaranteed status while avoiding being casually dealt with due to lack of real power.

The Director of Imperial Stables naturally had a son, but this son had reported illness to avoid the trials, perfectly allowing Tie Ci to use this identity.

Even in the imperial capital where such identities were common as bricks, this wasn’t something a small county’s Deputy Magistrate could match.

The other party was quite sensible, immediately giving up and preserving both parties’ dignity.

When Tie Ci came out, she was just thinking she had forgotten to ask the Deputy Magistrate where the county office was, when she saw a gate ahead with broken eaves and missing tiles, the gatehouse tilted and so dilapidated it looked like a beggar’s temple. Looking up, there was a plaque, half broken, with only the characters “Ziyang” remaining in faded colors, creaking and swaying pitifully in the afternoon sunlight like an old man’s mouth with only one rotten black tooth.

Tie Ci gasped and murmured: “Father Emperor and I don’t seem to live in luxury either. How did our Great Qian civil servants become this poor?”

“Your Highness wears one pair of boots for two years. If that counts as luxury, then all the court officials should be ashamed to death,” Chi Xue said. “But Your Highness may not know—there’s a saying: ‘Officials don’t repair their offices.’ Our dynasty implements a three-year rotation system to prevent officials from forming cliques and building personal power. After three years in one place, they must transfer. While this prevents corruption, it also limits local officials’ ability to accomplish anything. Often, before achieving results in any matter, they’re transferred and their successors reap the benefits. So most officials spend their first year familiarizing themselves with affairs, the second year maintaining status quo, and the third year networking to find better positions. They’re busy enough as is. Repairing the office would only benefit their successors, so naturally it gets increasingly dilapidated.”

“Old shoes are comfortable,” Tie Ci smiled and entered. “Everything has pros and cons, everyone has selfish motives. It’s just that these people can’t distinguish priorities… Eh, why isn’t there even a gatekeeper?”

The three walked all the way without seeing anyone to welcome them, not even guards at their posts. The application pavilion was also empty. The dilapidation need not be mentioned. Only after passing through the ceremonial gate and reaching the main hall did they see a few scattered people emerge.

One person looked like a Records Keeper. Chi Xue went to present the documents, but he didn’t accept them, drawing out his words: “How can a woman enter the halls? Let your master come.”

Chi Xue didn’t retreat, smiling with curved eyes: “Does the Records Keeper perhaps look down on women?”

The man raised his eyebrows at her. Chi Xue said: “What does the Records Keeper think of our dynasty’s Crown Prince?”

The man’s expression changed slightly: “How can you compare yourself to Her Highness the Crown Princess?” But he didn’t dare create more difficulties. He took the document, looked it over, then put it away and bowed: “So it’s a noble person here for trials. May I ask how to address you?”

The document didn’t include a name.

Tie Ci said: “I’m ranked eighteenth in my family, surname… Mao.”

Records Keeper: “Oh, so it’s Young Master Mao.”

Tie Ci could tell from his tone that he had known in advance about her coming. Looking toward the Deputy Magistrate’s residence, she thought this person had quite good control over the local office, passing along information so quickly.

Though the Records Keeper had brought several people to bow, his expression was neither cold nor warm, obviously not taking the second son of a powerless Director of Imperial Stables seriously. Since his superior had been embarrassed by Tie Ci, he wanted to show even more united cold indifference.

Tie Ci didn’t mind these things and only asked: “May I ask where the County Magistrate is?”

This was asking about the county head. Today was obviously not a rest day, yet the County Magistrate wasn’t in the office—quite unreasonable.

The Records Keeper said: “The County Magistrate has other important business and isn’t in the office.”

Tie Ci asked again: “When will he return?”

“We don’t know.” The Records Keeper gave a perfunctory answer, then pointed toward the distance: “The Deputy Magistrate had heard that nobles from the capital would come for trials and has already prepared lodging for you on Jixian Street over there. I’ll send someone to escort you there immediately.”

Jixian Street was one Tie Ci had passed when entering the city. Even driving a carriage from here would take half an hour. Arranging accommodations so far away—were they asking her to stay away from the county office?

“May I ask if the County Magistrate has arranged any duties for me?”

The Records Keeper smiled: “With your distinguished status, how would the County Magistrate or Deputy Magistrate dare give you orders?”

This wasn’t just telling her to stay away, but to be completely sidelined.

Tie Ci had come thousands of li and wasn’t planning to be dismissed. Turning trials into tourism would surely give the Empress Dowager an excuse to find fault when she returned to the capital.

The Records Keeper urged Tie Ci to go to her lodging, but she ignored him and began leisurely strolling around the government office. The Records Keeper could only follow with a stern face. After looking around, Tie Ci found that though the office was dilapidated, all the various departments were still complete. For a moment, she couldn’t think what she could do. According to precedent, trials allowed for observing governance—following the officials to learn how they handled local affairs. But given their current attitude of rejection, she wouldn’t see much.

Suddenly remembering that despite today being market day with quite a bit of activity on the streets, she hadn’t seen any patrolling constables along the way. The occasional ones she saw were lazily sitting at street stalls eating and drinking—quite unseemly.

When she turned toward the prison, she saw from afar a white-bearded old man carrying a bundle walking over, followed by a pale young man. The old man walked while cursing the young man behind him, calling him slow and stupid, then scolding: “Useless thing! Such a big person good for nothing!”

The young man just smiled and listened without talking back, occasionally responding: “Yes, yes, you’re right!” while taking the old man’s heavy bundle.

When the Records Keeper surnamed Zhang saw the old man, he warmly greeted: “Inspector Liu! Where did you go so early?”

“Where? To find the Deputy Magistrate! I’ve submitted my retirement documents eight times—when will I get approval!” The old man was thoroughly disgruntled: “At my age, it’s time to enjoy my grandchildren. Why do you keep detaining me!”

The Records Keeper’s smile became awkward as he went forward to comfort the old man. Tie Ci looked back and saw Chi Xue had struck up a conversation with the people behind the Records Keeper. She waited, and after a while Chi Xue came over and whispered: “This old man surnamed Liu is the local Inspector and the only coroner. He’s said to be quite capable, always handling the county’s patrol and investigation of thieves and examination of fraud. Being from a medical family, he also handles death investigations. Now his hometown has a new grandson and he’s been insisting on returning home. But the office lacks such talent, so the Deputy Magistrate keeps delaying and retaining him, building up resentment.”

Tie Ci pursed her lips: “Isn’t that his apprentice behind him? Why, hasn’t he graduated yet?”

“That’s a lowborn person. His family committed crimes and fell to lowborn status. At most he can be a coroner, but not an Inspector.”

In this dynasty, coroners had low status and were mostly filled by lowborn people or household slaves. Inspectors were different—though they weren’t ranked officials, they were still respectable figures in the locality and naturally couldn’t be filled by those of lowborn status.

Only then did Tie Ci notice the pale gold mark of lowborn status on the young man’s forehead. Because of his pale skin, it wasn’t very conspicuous.

The old man kept arguing. Today he seemed determined to leave. No matter how the Records Keeper tried to persuade him, it was useless, and sweat began forming on his forehead.

Tie Ci suddenly said: “Everyone, what do you think of me?”

Everyone looked over in bewilderment.

Tie Ci pointed to her nose: “Humble me. Young and strong, with some learning. Now Old Liu urgently wants to return home, but the county office worries about having no replacement. How about I fill in temporarily?”

Before the Records Keeper could speak, Old Liu was already looking sideways at her: “You? Do you know how to investigate and interrogate? Do you know how to search for clues and traces? Do you know how to examine wounds and even corpses?”

Tie Ci smiled modestly: “If I don’t know, I can learn, right? If you could stay temporarily for half a month or a month to teach me, that would work.”

Old Liu shook his head: “How can you learn it all in half a month or month! Besides, a delicate young master like you would faint three times at the sight of corpses and blood. How could you be a coroner?”

Tie Ci smiled.

Then she raised her hand.

At this moment, everyone was not far from the government office kitchen. It was mealtime, and steam was rising from the kitchen with continuous banging sounds as they chopped something. When Tie Ci raised her hand, white light flashed, and with a whoosh, there was a cry from the kitchen. Then a cold gleam shot out the kitchen door, along with something white that whooshed over everyone’s heads and fell toward Tie Ci.

The cold gleam flew into Tie Ci’s hand. She raised her hand, and with swift whooshing sounds, everyone only saw cold light attacking their faces, dazzling their eyes. The air filled with continuous hissing sounds as white objects kept falling, with a fishy smell rushing to their noses. They all covered their noses and retreated.

After a moment, the cold air and wind sounds ceased. Only then did people from the kitchen run over, shouting: “Where’s my knife! Where’s my pig!”

Only then did everyone see that Tie Ci held a bone-cleaving kitchen knife, and on the ground… was a dissected half pig.

The skin was neatly peeled to one side. The leg meat had been completely cut into uniform pieces, also neatly piled. Not a scrap of meat remained on the bones, which were piled in a ghastly white and green heap shaped like a triangle.

Three piles of bones, meat, and skin created quite a visual impact.

At the very least, that Records Keeper was about to faint.

Looking again at Tie Ci smiling while holding the blood-stained cleaver, everyone retreated three more steps.

Tie Ci gripped the knife and looked gently at Old Liu.

“See? I don’t faint.”

Old Liu swallowed, swallowed again, then said in a trembling voice after a long pause: “I’m dizzy…”

Tie Ci: “So this matter is settled then?”

No one answered.

Did they dare refuse? Your cleaver was still pointed at us!