Chapter 74: Report

Wang wiped her tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

The doctor had just said that Zhou Huaihai would need at least half a year in bed to fully recover.

And this unconsciousness could last four to five days.

All of this trouble was caused by that document!

If it weren't for that piece of paper, none of these misfortunes would have happened!

"Father, our top priority now is to retrieve that paper. Otherwise, we will be controlled by them at every turn, and even Yuan will be affected."

Sun cried out, "Yes, we must get back that document!"

Old Zhou sat there with a dark expression, his fist clenched tightly. "Let me think this through carefully."

"What is there to think about? Things have already gotten to this point, and you're still worried about that disgraceful girl!" Sun immediately roared.

Old Zhou shot her a glare, "If we don't think this through, do you want to make things even worse?"

"What do you mean by making things worse? Are you blaming Huaihai for this? He's already like this, and you're still blaming him? How can your heart be so cruel? If it weren't for that little beast, would Huaihai be in this state?"

Old Zhou was growing weary from Sun's relentless yelling.

He suddenly stood up, his face ashen, and glared at her. 

"If you've got a solution, go retrieve the document right now! If you can't, then shut your mouth! You think your screaming will make that document fly back on its own?"

After Old Zhou's outburst, although Sun still harbored great anger, she fell silent.

She just sat there, weeping uncontrollably.

Old Zhou let out a heavy sigh.

"This matter will be discussed with Huaihai when he wakes up. For now, the most important thing is his health. Eldest daughter-in-law, make sure you take good care of him and ensure there are no lasting issues."

Wang, wiping her tears, replied, "I understand, Father."

Old Zhou glanced at Zhou Huaihai once more before leaving the room with a somber expression.

As he was about to leave, Sun anxiously called after him, "Where are you going?"

Without looking back, Old Zhou replied irritably, "To the county office."

At the county magistrate's residence.

The magistrate was listening to his subordinates report on the incident of Zhou Huaihai being assaulted when the message came that Zhou Bingde had arrived, requesting an audience.

The magistrate politely invited Old Zhou inside and personally offered him tea.

To receive such treatment at the county magistrate's residence eased some of the frustration in Old Zhou's heart.

He sat at the table, restless, rubbing his hands against his legs, unsure how to begin. He simply stared at the tea leaves floating in his cup.

The magistrate watched Old Zhou, a slight, calculated smile playing on his lips.

"I've already heard about Zhou Huaihai's situation. It's rare to encounter bandits in Qinghe County—hasn't been a single case in a hundred years. Who would have thought such an incident would happen in broad daylight? Rest assured, I will conduct a thorough investigation."

Hearing this, Old Zhou looked up suddenly, his eyes filled with surprise.

"Bandits?"

The magistrate nodded.

"Word among the townspeople is that Zhou Huaihai was attacked by bandits. Don't worry, I will definitely..."

Before the magistrate could finish, Old Zhou hurriedly waved his hands, flustered.

"No, no, no! It wasn't bandits."

There was a peculiar unease in his cloudy eyes, and his lips felt dry.

"Not bandits?"

Old Zhou's face was filled with hesitation. He met the magistrate's gaze, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

As that breath left him, his shoulders slumped, as if he'd finally made a difficult decision.

"The one who beat Huaihai was my second son's daughter, Zhou Qing... My second son is this year's top scholar, Zhou Huaishan."

The magistrate was stunned.

Zhou Huaishan's daughter?

Old Zhou kept his head down, staring fixedly at the tea in his cup.

The magistrate scrutinized the old man, trying to understand his intentions.

After a long silence, Old Zhou spoke again, "May I... ask a favor of you?"

"Please, go ahead."

"Could you arrest my second son and granddaughter? Keep them locked up for a year or so. Just don't take their lives."

The magistrate's eyes twitched. "Arrest Zhou Huaishan and his daughter?"

Old Zhou nodded, "Just arrest them, but don't execute them."

The magistrate hurriedly replied, "I think you might be misunderstanding something. Why would I arrest Zhou Huaishan?"

Old Zhou jerked his head up to stare at the magistrate.

"I just told you, the one who attacked Huaihai was Huaishan's daughter."

"Do you have any evidence?"

Old Zhou looked bewildered, as if he hadn't fully grasped the meaning of the question, and stared at the magistrate with surprise. 

"Evidence?"

The magistrate explained, "In legal cases, we need to consider the motive, method, and also witnesses or material evidence."

Finally understanding, Old Zhou forced a bitter smile.

"I asked the wounded guards—they told me. It can't be wrong."

The magistrate smiled and shook his head, "But those guards are employed by your family. They cannot be considered as witnesses, or rather, their testimony alone is insufficient."

Old Zhou's eyes widened, astonished. "But it was Zhou Qing who beat Huaihai!"

The magistrate responded, "From what I understand, the incident occurred in Mao’er Hutong. At the time, Zhou Huaihai had nine strong guards with him. Even if Zhou Qing did hit him, why were they there in the first place?"

Old Zhou's face turned red.

Why, indeed!

Of course, it was to retrieve that document.

But who could have anticipated...

Seeing Old Zhou's reaction, the magistrate began to piece things together.

"You say Zhou Qing assaulted Zhou Huaihai, but you need to provide a reason why she was at the scene. After all, aside from your guards, no one else saw her there. I've already had this investigated."

Old Zhou opened his mouth, struggling for a while before asking, "No one saw?"

The magistrate nodded. "No one."

After a brief pause, the magistrate added, "If you're sure it was Zhou Qing, and there are no witnesses, finding material evidence would allow me to act."

His tone implied that he was siding with Old Zhou.

Indeed, Old Zhou's face relaxed slightly.

"Material evidence?" He pondered the magistrate's words. "At the time, Zhou Qing took a banknote worth one thousand taels from Huaihai."

The magistrate replied, "But no one else saw this banknote. Unless we can find it in Zhou Qing's possession, it cannot be considered evidence."

"Then go search for it!" Old Zhou quickly demanded.

The magistrate gave him a long, meaningful look.

That glance sent a shiver down Old Zhou's spine.

"She is, after all, the perpetrator."

The magistrate inwardly scoffed.

"Sending people to search Zhou Qing is easy enough, but consider this: good news travels slowly, but bad news spreads like wildfire. If this incident reaches the capital, it might harm Zhou Yuan's reputation."

Old Zhou froze, staring at the magistrate in shock.

The magistrate continued, "I've heard that today, at the tea stall near the city gate, Zhou Huaihai gave Zhou Qing three hundred taels of silver in exchange for some kind of promissory note. This, I'm afraid, could negatively impact Zhou Yuan."

At the mention of the promissory note, Old Zhou's heart skipped a beat.

He hadn't expected the magistrate to know about it.

Old Zhou let out a heavy sigh, his face filled with weariness and pain.

The magistrate observed his expression and added, "Whether or not we find the banknote, the promissory note will cause quite a stir because of the search. Think it over carefully."