I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality

"I just examined this corpse with Senior Brother Wang. I'll go with the constable; maybe I can be of some help."

Others might not understand, but Xu Qing knew the origin of this laundry stick. If it implicated the farmer's wife who took the child two days ago, he might not be comfortable.

"Then let's go together." Zhao Zhonghe, unaware of the inside story, thought Xu Qing was born with a warm heart, not only caring about the dead but also about his brothers in the Government Office.

The two of them arrived at the courtroom. It was quite noisy and lively; the newly appointed County Magistrate, Chen Guangrui, seemed indifferent, sitting on the platform, letting a few people argue.

There were quite a few citizens outside listening; Xu Qing had a small quirk, not daring to see crowds. Whenever he was in a crowded place, he kept thinking about how to advertise his business.

Fortunately, he could suppress this little habit. Xu Qing entered the courtroom, and some citizens who knew him whispered outside:

"Isn't that the gentleman from Underground Street?"

"Underground Street? Never heard of it."

"It's that funeral street..."

"Oh, I see! If you had said that earlier, I would have known."

"What's that funeral shop owner doing in the Government Office?"

"Who knows, but it can't be good! Probably coming to collect a corpse again, you'll see, people who do funeral business, wherever they go, there are surely dead bodies."

"..."

Xu Qing stood beside Zhao Zhonghe, glancing at the uninhibited crowd outside the courtroom.

These days, there's nothing new; going to the theater to listen to opera costs money, and listening to storytelling at a teahouse costs the price of a cup of tea. How could one find a more cost-effective show than at the Government Office?

So, whenever the Government Office held an open court session, idle people would come to watch the excitement.

And here, new excitement has arrived today!

Xu Qing silently observed the few people kneeling in the courtroom, under trial.

There was Shopkeeper Chen from the cloth shop in Qu Shui Village, his concubine, and a rural farmer's wife who looked pale and trembled in fear.

Aside from them, the loudest and most disrespectful of the courtroom was the crying infant held by Chen's concubine.

Usually, with such noise in the courtroom, Chen Guangrui would have pounded the gavel. But now, with a baby present, and as a new father himself, he was hesitant to frighten the child.

"Silence!"

Seeing Zhao Zhonghe return with the evidence, Chen Guangrui turned to the trembling farmer's wife and sternly asked, "Mrs. Jin, the Chen Family accuses you of directing a killer to murder and kidnap. Now that the weapon and evidence are here, what do you have to say?"

Mrs. Jin quivered, "My lord, I am a simple woman. How dare I hire a killer? Just thinking of such a thing frightens me. That day, I went by the river early to wash clothes and saw a baby floating in the river. The child's cries were pitiful, and I couldn't bear it, so I dropped my work and chased along the riverbank..."

"Seeing the rapid river, I was anxious." At this point, Mrs. Jin's voice no longer quivered, and her eyes brightened: "Suddenly, a red light flashed, and I saw a Ruyi, like the one on a Gate God statue, fall into the water, carrying the baby safely to the shore."

"This was an immortal manifestation, and I felt both fearful and joyous, so I didn't care about the laundry stick..."

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen Feng immediately interrupted, "Nonsense! How could my child be floating in the water for no reason? You claim it was an immortal; could it be the Goddess from Zi Yun Mountain who delivers children handed him to you?"

"Silence!"

Chen Guangrui looked at Mrs. Jin and asked, "Mrs. Jin, when did you find the child?"

"At dawn."

"Dawn? Why were you up so early to wash clothes?"

"The weather is hot, and during the day, the river is crowded with people. I was washing intimate wear, and to avoid being seen by idle onlookers, I had to get up early to wash by the river."

Chen Guangrui asked again, "Mrs. Jin, I ask you once more, was there any witness when you returned to the village with the child that day?"

"Yes! After returning to the village with the child, I asked each household, but no one recognized the child. At that time, the child was crying so fiercely, and I had no choice but to make thin porridge and borrow goat milk from the Qiao's family's goat at the village head to feed him."

"The villagers can all testify."

After listening, Chen Guangrui nodded and continued to ask, "Do you have children?"

"Only a daughter..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng immediately said, "You only have a daughter; no wonder you took my child!"

"Chen Feng, I did not ask you; do not interrupt."

Chen Guangrui turned to Zhao Zhonghe and asked, "Chief Zhao, when did Chen's wife encounter misfortune?"

Zhao Zhonghe stepped forward and said, "Your excellency, after examination by the forensic office, Chen's wife encountered misfortune two days ago."

Chen Guangrui asked again, "Has the specific cause of death been determined?"

Zhao Zhonghe glanced at Xu Qing.

The latter, with no choice, stepped forward and saluted, "I am Xu Qing, a scholar from the 73rd year of Qian Yuan. Greetings, Magistrate."

One advantage of being a scholar is that they do not have to kneel before officials, standing in the courtroom as if at home.

Chen Guangrui, unaware of Xu Qing's business dealings with the Government Office, now looked surprised. Since when did his office have such a person?

Zhao Zhonghe, with hidden abilities, quickly approached and whispered a few words to Master Tang on the right side of the case, who then quietly informed the magistrate, "This Scholar Xu is the junior brother of the forensic Wang Lingyuan. Today, it was he and Wang Lingyuan who examined Chen Feng's wife's corpse. You can rest assured, sir."

In the courtroom, Xu Qing clearly and logically explained the autopsy results of Mrs. Chen. He then added, "The female victim suffered just one strike, and her skull shattered. There were no other injuries. Such an act cannot be done by an ordinary farmwoman; based on my examination, it should be the work of a strong male or a martial artist."