"Pay extra?"
The county magistrate was vexed. "Woman, why are you so greedy?"
"Your Excellency, I helped you to recover the taxes and solve the case. You've rewarded me, so we're even. If you want anything else, that has to be accounted for separately."
"Don't lecture me. Do you think I won't imprison your husband, sons, and daughters and kill them all?"
The county magistrate frowned and said threateningly.
However, Chu Nanzhi smiled nonchalantly. "I can't wait."
Putting aside the fact that he had already solved the case, there was no reason for him to execute anyone. Even if she had not solved the case, she would not hesitate to choose between money and a few strangers…
Damn it, she really was in a difficult position.
The county magistrate shook his head helplessly. "Looks like you're really cunning. No wonder everyone in the surrounding villages is saying that the eldest son of the Lin family married a vicious woman."
"No one succeeds without being vicious."
"Forget it, forget it."
The magistrate waved his hand. "I'll give you another ten taels of silver."
Chu Nanzhi remained silent.
"Another ten taels?"
The county magistrate spread his hands tentatively.
After all, 20,000 taels of gold were involved. He could not be stingy.
Chu Nanzhi pursed her lips and shook her head.
"Thirty taels at most, no more. That's worth two months of my salary."
The county magistrate begged pitifully, "Look, although I control a large county, my salary is not large. I have many dependents. Although I've recovered the taxes, your reward will have to come from my own pocket."
"Alright, I'll do you a favor."
Chu Nanzhi finally smiled in relief.
Although he was an official, she remembered that this county magistrate might not be as honest as his predecessors, but he was not too greedy either. His profits were limited, so she did not want to make things too difficult for him.
The county magistrate was overjoyed when she agreed. Without hesitation, he quickly got someone to bring over 30 taels of silver and waited for her to turn the gold back into its original state.
Chu Nanzhi got someone to light a candle and heated the bleached gold over the candle. Before long, the gold returned to its original color.
The magistrate was surprised and indignant. "It's so simple once again?"
"It's indeed that simple."
However, she was afraid that she would not be able to explain the logic behind it.
After all, chemistry had not been systematized yet.
The county magistrate looked at the forty taels of silver and the tael of gold in her hand. His heart was bleeding. He gritted his teeth and waved his hand.
"After the case is over, I'll send your husband back home. Madam Chu, you can go back first. I'll get someone to prepare a carriage for you."
No matter what, he had saved his future. The few dozen taels of silver had not been spent in vain. He was still grateful to this woman.
Chu Nanzhi thanked him, put away the silver, and hurriedly left the magistrate's office.
Outside the office, she saw the bailiffs slowly escorting the blue-robed Taoist priest.
As she brushed past him, the Taoist priest suddenly stopped and shouted at Chu Nanzhi coldly, "How dare you harm me."
"It's hard to say who has harmed who."
Chu Nanzhi gave him a sideway glance. He was indeed good-looking and had some attractive features. However, his evil heat made him unattractive.
If she had not solved the case, she would have to entertain him in the brothel in the future.
"You slut."
The Daoist was being dragged along by the bailiffs, but he still managed to turn around and scold her.
"Regardless of whether she's a slut, I'm afraid you won't be seeing her in the future."
Chu Nanzhi shook her head disdainfully. Why bother to quibble with a dying person?
The onlookers outside the magistrate's office still did not know what had happened inside. They gathered in groups and whispered fervently together. If she looked closely, she could even see a few familiar faces among the crowd.
Now that the truth had been revealed, she no longer needed to deal with these people. In order to avoid trouble, she slipped into county office's carriage the moment it arrived.
She was hungry after pondering about the case for the entire night. After surviving the crisis, she naturally had to eat a good meal to reward herself.
A new world, a new beginning. Let's start with a good meal.
When the carriage arrived at the entrance of Luyan Harbor, Chu Nanzhi stopped the driver. Based on her memory, she entered a high-end teahouse.
She remembered that the mutton pancakes in this teahouse were second to none in the county. Many rich families often came here to try them.
Priest Ximen had brought the Host here a few times before and the Host had fallen in love with this delicacy. Every time she entered the city, she would come here for a few mutton pancakes.
However, Luyan Harbor was located to the south of the sea. Mutton was ridiculously expensive. It cost eight to nine hundred copper coins a catty. The mutton pancakes made by this teahouse cost a hundred copper coins each. Which was why the Host always came here alone.
She touched the silver in her pocket and thought about the four children. They probably had not eaten breakfast.
The children were still growing, and they must not go hungry. Now that their father was not at home, no matter how much Li Ce sympathized with the children, they were not his flesh and blood, so he would not consider their every need.
It was the first time she had earned money in this world. She might as well learn from the Host and be extravagant.
At that thought, Chu Nanzhi gritted her teeth and spent one tael of silver to buy ten mutton pancakes. She returned to the carriage and ate two of them herself. She wrapped the rest up and prepared to bring them back to the four children.
The carriage slowly drove into An Ling Village and suddenly stopped in front of the familiar small courtyard surrounded by wooden railings. The moment Chu Nanzhi got out of the carriage, she heard cries coming from the courtyard.
"Sob sob sob, Uncle Li, is our father really not coming back?"
"Uncle Li, what should we do if our father is really gone?"
Chu Nanzhi stepped into the courtyard and happened to see the youngest girl tugging at Li Ce and crying pitifully.
"Uncle Li, if that bad woman comes back again, can you help us beat her up? Otherwise, my brothers and sisters will be no match for her."
Chu Nanzhi deliberately coughed softly. The four children immediately hid behind Li Ce in fright. They did not dare to make a sound.
Li Ce glanced at her indifferently and went to comfort the four children. "Don't be afraid. With Uncle Li around, she won't dare to do anything to you."
It was her first time facing such a situation as a mother, so she was at a loss.
Based on the Host's personality, if she had heard such a thing, she would have gotten a stick and given the children a severe beating.
However, she did not like such tyrannical methods. Besides, these four children already had a deep grudge against the Host.
After calming herself, she spread the mutton pancakes she had bought on a small stone table. She pretended not to have heard anything. She said softly, "Your father is fine. He'll be back soon. Have something to eat first."
Li Ce sneered when he heard that. "Do you think the county office is run by your family? You think he can come back just like that?
Although he thought that she might be trying to comfort the children, he could not help but scold her when he remembered how she had behaved.
The eldest son, who was more sturdily built, pushed the mutton pancakes to the ground and glared at her as he cried and shouted, "We won't eat it. We won't eat it. You killed our father. Even if we starve to death, we won't eat your food."
When Chu Nanzhi saw the mutton pancakes scattered on the ground, she felt angry and her heart ached. She saw red and raised her hand out of habit.
Da Bao had always been rebellious and was more mature. Now he no longer tried to be good. The other three children were already trembling in fear, but he courageously defied Chu Nanzhi.
"Beat us, go ahead and beat us to death. Anyway, we can't survive without Father. If you beat us to death now, we can be with Father."
Chu Nanzhi suddenly felt an inexplicable sadness when she heard a four-year-old child say such a thing.