While Lang Bo and Song Zhi were enjoying their time together, Ji Yunshu and Jingrong arrived at the City Department.

Just as they entered—

Li Cheng saw them from afar and hurried over to greet them.

While saying, “Ah, you’ve finally arrived! I’ve been waiting all morning.”

Ji Yunshu and Jingrong exchanged a glance, then as they walked inside together, they asked, “You found it?”

“Found it!”

“What did you find?”

“Let’s go inside to talk.” After everyone entered the back hall, Li Cheng quickly handed her a piece of paper, saying, “Just as you instructed, I sent people overnight to search for places similar to door studs. Heaven rewards those who persevere—we actually found them! Look, all those addresses are written here. We can go over anytime.”

Ji Yunshu took it and looked.

Addresses were written on it.

After investigation, there were a total of three places in the entire city with things similar to the large door studs.

In all of Gaoding City, there were only three places.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go take a look together first.” Ji Yunshu said.

Li Cheng was also anxious. Hearing this, he naturally didn’t want to waste time.

He quickly said, “Good, good, good.” Turning his head, he instructed the guard, “You lead the way.”

The guard replied, “Yes!”

Thus—

Li Cheng brought several veteran officials from the City Department and a group of guards, along with Ji Yunshu and Jingrong, and went to one of the addresses listed above.

It was an eastern marketplace!

Normally, those wealthy families would never come to this area.

At this time, the place was crowded with people coming and going, extremely bustling!

Being morning, it was even more jam-packed with people.

The vendors on both sides had already begun displaying their goods.

To buy fresh vegetables and meat, common folk had also arrived early.

Because of the recent heavy snow, the ground had been trampled wet and sticky by people, muddy water everywhere. Those passing by inevitably complained, and because there was so much snow water, pedestrians’ cloth shoes were all soaked through. It even splashed onto people’s robes, causing some to quarrel with each other.

Along this road, passersby of all kinds.

Chattering noisily!

Dogs barking, chickens crowing, children shouting, vendors hawking their wares…

This was also Li Cheng’s first time coming to such a place. Everywhere his feet trod was usually wealthy districts. Originally somewhat of a germaphobe, he couldn’t be bothered with such things in his urgency to solve the case.

The guard led them squeezing through the crowd, walking forward continuously.

Also shouting along the way, “Make way, make way!”

Some common folk, seeing they were from the government, retreated a few steps one by one. But because there were too many people, even after making way, they couldn’t clear enough space for them to pass through.

“What’s going on? Why are so many government people here?”

“Yes, what’s happening?”

“Could someone have died somewhere again?”

“Don’t talk nonsense with your crow’s mouth.”

“Then why do you think so many government people came?”

“…”

“Could it be related to those two recent murder cases?”

All sorts of miscellaneous voices kept coming from the surroundings.

All kinds of speculation!

Jingrong first protected Ji Yunshu behind himself to prevent her from being bumped into.

Li Cheng also volunteered to stand beside Ji Yunshu.

Saying, “Master Ji, you’re small and easily injured if bumped. I’ll protect you from the side—others won’t dare come close.”

Oh, oh!

Ji Yunshu nodded politely at him.

But Li Cheng didn’t know that one of Ji Yunshu’s hands was tightly gripping Jingrong’s sleeve.

Because in her heart, only Jingrong could give her the greatest sense of security.

Soon, the lead guard stopped and turned to say, “Lord Li, it’s right here.”

Everyone stopped!

It was in front of a pork vendor’s stall.

At this moment, there were still two women buying meat. The butcher held a large cleaver chopping meat. He had just lifted a piece to weigh it when he saw a group of government officials surrounding his stall.

The meat in his hand immediately dropped onto the chopping block!

His face was blank.

In that moment, he mentally reviewed every bad thing he’d done in the past.

Could it be… he had shorted the weight when selling meat?

Or he had overcharged and not given change?

And so on.

But no matter how he thought, he couldn’t imagine what he’d done that would alarm the government.

He asked trembling, “All you… government lords, you are…”

He was scared out of his wits!

The fat on his body couldn’t help but tremble a few times.

Li Cheng maintained a stern face, first glancing at him, then asking the guard, “Where is it?”

The guard pointed at the wall behind the butcher, saying, “It’s that wall.”

The wall?

Li Cheng looked over following his gesture.

He discovered that wall was covered with hanging pork.

The pork was all fresh.

Hmm?

Li Cheng didn’t understand and asked, “Where are the things similar to door studs?”

The guard answered, “My lord, look carefully—that meat is hanging on those things.”

Mm-hmm.

He looked carefully.

Sure enough!

Those chunks of fresh pork were hanging on protruding round cement bumps on the wall.

Ji Yunshu and Jingrong also looked over.

They also discovered it!

But the butcher had a completely bewildered expression!

He asked again, “My lord, what is this about?”

At the same time he asked—

The two women who had come to buy meat quietly slipped to the side.

They didn’t want to get involved in anything connected to the government, lest they bring trouble upon themselves.

Subsequently, Li Cheng snapped his fingers.

He ordered, “Go, quickly take down the meat from above.”

So several guards went around from the front of the pork stall to behind it and took down the chunks of pork hanging above, one by one.

The butcher panicked. He wanted to stop them, but since they were government people, he anxiously asked, “You… what are you doing? Don’t touch my pork.”

Accordingly, he had already weakly picked up his cleaver!

Timid though he was, touching his meat was unacceptable.

Li Cheng glared at him and immediately said, “Official government business.”

This phrase truly worked everywhere!

The butcher said, “My lord, I haven’t done anything illegal. I honestly butcher pigs—I only kill livestock! What does this have to do with me?”

Li Cheng slowly enunciated two words: “Murder case!”

Murder case!

“What?”

Hearing this, the surrounding people immediately erupted in an uproar.

The butcher was dumbfounded. “Mur… der case? My lord, aren’t you mistaken? Does killing a pig also break the law?”

Li Cheng raised his eyebrows in response, “Killing pigs of course doesn’t break the law, but what this official is talking about is… you may have killed a person.”

Killed a person?

The butcher’s hand trembled.

His eyes widened.

He shook his head, “No, I… I didn’t kill anyone. My lord, injustice, such injustice!”

Li Cheng said, “Whether it’s injustice or not, we’ll question you shortly. Quickly stand to the side.”

“I…”

“You’re still daring to hold a cleaver now—what, do you want to kill someone?” Li Cheng looked at the cleaver in his hand, pressing aggressively.

Uh.

The butcher immediately loosened his grip.

The cleaver smashed onto the chopping block with a “clang.”