Chapter 200: “Return to Jail”

A light spring drizzle, carried by a gentle breeze, fell softly over the land.

At dawn, the first light of day tinged Lexiang County with a faint blue hue, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass.

Butcher Liu, still unsatisfied after last night’s late-night discussions, woke up early and gathered a few old friends for breakfast—eager to continue their conversation about the old emperor of Great Wu.

Creak—

As he pushed open his door, Butcher Liu instinctively glanced toward Ansi Courtyard.

To his surprise, he spotted a sneaky-looking figure loitering near the gate—pacing back and forth between the entrance and the courtyard wall!

“Damn it!”

“A thief, and during the New Year no less?!”

Muttering a curse under his breath, Butcher Liu seized the moment. Treading carefully, he slipped out and bolted straight for the county yamen!

Within the time it took to finish a cup of tea, he returned with two towering constables!

“It’s him! That scoundrel was trying to climb the wall!” Butcher Liu bellowed, his voice booming.

In front of Ansi Courtyard, Wei Hai, who had his back turned, shuddered at the sudden shout. He spun around—only to see two burly, fierce-eyed constables charging toward him!

“What the hell—”

“Wait, what?!”

Before he could say another word, the two constables grabbed him from both sides and pinned him down!

“Stay still! Don’t move!”

“Try anything funny, and we’ll cut you down!”

And just like that—twisted arms, a blade to his neck—on the sixth day of the New Year, after just a few months of freedom, Wei Hai achieved the glorious feat of ‘returning to jail’!

“Sir! I’ve been wronged!” Wei Hai shouted as two yamen runners pressed him to the ground.

Seated behind the judgment desk, clad in official robes and wearing a black gauze hat, was none other than Magistrate Yuan of Lexiang County.

Bang!

He slammed the gavel onto the desk.

“Audacious scoundrel! You dare commit theft on the sixth day of the New Year and still claim innocence?”

“Do you have any idea how many people come here crying ‘wronged’?”

Wei Hai was stunned for a moment before snapping back, “But I didn’t steal anything! On what grounds are you arresting me?”

“Still talking back?” Magistrate Yuan scoffed. “Bring in the witness!”

“No need, I’m already here!”

With that, Butcher Liu tucked his pipe into his belt and grinned.

“Sir, as soon as I woke up this morning, I saw this thief sneaking around in front of Ansi Courtyard. He kept lurking back and forth—who knows what he was up to?”

“Anyone could see he was scouting the place, checking if anyone was inside before breaking in to steal!”

Hearing this, Wei Hai shouted indignantly, “Elder, I was only trying not to wake up Mr. Gu! I was listening to see if he was awake yet!”

“Mr. Gu is my dear friend!”

Butcher Liu narrowed his eyes knowingly.

“Hah! You act well—you should take up theater!”

“‘Dear friend’? Mr. Gu is still young!”

“I—!”

Wei Hai opened his mouth to retort, but before he could say a word—

“Silence!”

The bailiff’s shout boomed in the hall.

Magistrate Yuan waved a hand, signaling Butcher Liu to step aside. Then he turned to Wei Hai.

“You claim to be Mr. Gu’s friend. Do you have any proof?”

Proof, my ass…

Wei Hai let out a cold laugh. “Just call Mr. Gu here. Ask him yourself!”

Magistrate Yuan raised a brow.

“Mr. Gu is no ordinary man. Do you think you can see him just because you say so? That we can summon him just because you ask?”

At those words, Wei Hai’s mind momentarily went blank.

Wei Hai couldn’t help but frown and ask, “Sir, are all government officials this dense?”

“Insolence!”

“How dare you shout in the court!”

Furious, Magistrate Yuan grabbed a punishment token and barked, “I was willing to let you off with a warning since it’s the New Year and your theft attempt was unsuccessful.”

“But I didn’t expect you to be so audacious!”

“You even dare insult a court official!”

With that, he flung the punishment token onto the ground!

In Great Qian, each token represented ten strokes of the cane. It was a standard punishment, well known to all.

Wei Hai stared at the token mid-air, gritted his teeth, and refused to back down!

Whoosh—

Just then, a breeze swept in from outside the hall. The token, which was about to land, was carried by the wind and dropped right back into the token cylinder!

Everyone was stunned, and as they turned in surprise, a figure in white appeared at the entrance.

“Magistrate Yuan, this is all just a misunderstanding!”

The moment he saw who it was, Magistrate Yuan’s anger vanished entirely. He stood up with a gracious smile.

“Mr. Gu, what brings you here?”

“What misunderstanding?”

“Are you saying this man is truly your friend?”

Gu Ning’an clasped his hands and nodded. “Indeed.”

“Ah?”

Magistrate Yuan glanced at Butcher Liu, bewildered.

“Butcher Liu, explain—what exactly happened here?”

Butcher Liu was just as dumbfounded.

“I mean, come on—he was sneaking around at the crack of dawn! Anyone who saw him would’ve thought he was a thief!”

“Right, officers?”

The two constables who had arrested Wei Hai glanced left and right—neither said a word.

Seeing that Butcher Liu had made a well-intended mistake, Gu Ning’an smiled and interjected, “It’s the New Year—just a simple misunderstanding.”

“As long as it’s cleared up, all is well.”

Magistrate Yuan nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, exactly! It’s the New Year, and as long as the misunderstanding is resolved, that’s all that matters.”

“Mm, but let’s set things straight,” Gu Ning’an turned to Wei Hai with a grin.

“You should apologize to Magistrate Yuan. It wasn’t right for you to insult him in court.”

Wei Hai let out a reluctant ‘Oh’, then clasped his hands toward Magistrate Yuan.

“Apologies, Magistrate Yuan. I’m just a rough man who speaks without thinking—don’t take it to heart.”

“Ah, how could I?” Magistrate Yuan waved his hand with a laugh. “It’s the New Year—I won’t hold a grudge.”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “Alright, now that everything’s settled, we’ll take our leave.”

“Take care, both of you!” Magistrate Yuan beamed as he saw them off.

Just as they reached the entrance, Wei Hai suddenly stopped. He patted himself down, frowning.

“Huh? Where is it?”

“Where did it go?”

“This is odd…”

Seeing his confusion, Magistrate Yuan couldn’t help but ask, “What did you lose? Why not tell us so we can help you look for it?”

Almost as if he had been waiting for that question, Wei Hai waved dismissively.

“Ah, it’s nothing valuable—just a letter!”

Magistrate Yuan furrowed his brows. “A letter?”

“Yeah… You know Wen Songmo, right?” Wei Hai grinned.

Magistrate Yuan immediately responded, “Of course, of course! Prefect of Xiangzhou—also my superior! How could I not?”

Wei Hai nodded. “Yep… That old man begged me to deliver a letter to Mr. Gu. I refused, but he kept pestering me.”

“Well, now it’s missing. Probably got lost when they arrested me.”

“But it’s fine. I’ll just go back and tell him to write another one.”

Gulp. Gulp.

Magistrate Yuan swallowed hard—twice.

Then he hurried forward and grabbed Wei Hai by the arm.

“Wait, wait, wait!”

“Lord Wen is already swamped with work—we should at least help search for the letter!”

Wei Hai let out a casual “Eh?” and chuckled.

“That old man’s busy? Come on, he can spare a moment to write a letter. Worst case, he just sleeps a little less tonight.”

Sweat poured down Magistrate Yuan’s forehead.

“No, no, no! Brother Wei! Elder Wei! Let us help you find it…”