PBCW Chapter 18

It’s a pity that private advisor Cao didn’t know that his pair of eyes that proclaimed to have read an innumerable number of people would have one day been absolutely wrong.
Zhao Shi Cheng may be upright, but he also had his cleverness. He was definitely not easy to deceive. As for Tang Wan, she seemed to be deep and shrewd, but in reality, she was simple-minded and merely knew how to eat everyday. Moreover, her criteria for judging people was really different from normal people…

After Zhao Shi Cheng officially assumed office, the capital was calm and tranquil, even the people who came up to report cases decreased. For period of time, he even had some sort of misconception that serving as the magistrate seemed to be not as difficult.
However, this kind of carefree lifestyle only maintained for three days before a murder case actually occurred in the capital. The scribe of the Department Of Chancellery was discovered to have died a tragic death in a dark alley. The corpse was a mass of bruises, too tragic to look at. Although the scribe wasn’t an important official, but he still was a capital official. This matter made a stir in the entire capital.
Because the ruffians who previously robbed Zhao Shi Cheng hasn’t been captured yet and now a tragic matter like this happened again, the people in the capital naturally linked these two matters together. As a result, the rumor of the notorious robber scurrying in the capital spread like wildfire.

Only Zhao Shi Cheng knew that the three robbers from last time was definitely not the murderer of the office clerk murder case. With just their momentum, these three people fell short of several streets and was even beaten by Tang Wan into a pighead. It was impossible for this kind of coward to commit such a grave crime. In spite of that, he found it hard to mention this matter. Once he said it like this, he will definitely be deemed to be evading important matters and dwelling on the trivial, hence he quickly found a coroner to perform an autopsy, hoping that it would reveal some clues.
It’s really a shame that while the coroner verified that the scribe was stabbed by a sword and an axe, but he also didn’t have even more clarified evidence.
Zhao Shi Cheng could only order the magistracy officer to search the capital. However, this action was like finding a needle in a haystack. It was a futile effort.
Just as the case fell into a deadlock, there was actually another major case that happened. The eunuch from the inside the palace secretly went out and was also found dead beyond the place walls. The way he died was as heartrending as the scribe’s death.
Before discussing about what this eunuch was doing outside the palace, but he indeed bore an official position, a dignified rank five palace caller [note] Palace caller like a receptionist but for royal entities. [/note]. The deceased’s rank was raised so high that the right prime minister, Yang Wen Chang was enraged by it. He instructed Zhao Shi Cheng to solve the case as quickly as possible.

It was around the time for the imperial court to hold the locked room test. At this time, the capital’s public security appeared to be even more important, yet, it was extremely jittery. At the present moment, Zhao Shi Cheng was very annoyed and didn’t know how to take care of this matter. He practically used the yamen as his home. Yet, this run-down yamen didn’t have anything he needed. The allocated funds was already used to repair the prison cells, so the magistracy officer’s equipment was simple and crude as usual. You can’t make bricks without straw.

For this reason, when Zhao Shi Cheng first assumed office, he suffered extensive criticism. The scholars from the locked room test even thereby wrote volumes of it. It also implicated Zhao Zhong Shi, who was affected greatly. There was a remonstrance nearly everyday lashing out at him. Originally, when the civil and military officials were in opposition in the imperial court, the military officials had the upper hand a little. But now, they were suppressed by the civil officials to the point where they nearly couldn’t lift their heads up.
Zhao Shi Cheng wasn’t the only one who was depressed. Tang Wan was even more depressed than him. Without him at her side, she could only be an obedient wife who knew her place in the Zhao residence. Her behavior and bearing had to be dignified and respectful. She couldn’t even open her mouth too big to eat rice. And above all, she mustn’t reveal her shocking appetite even a single bit.

If it was only for a few days, then it was fine. Her tigress nature allowed her to support herself for quite a few days after eating her fill. But it was already a month now and she was so hungry everyday that she felt dizzy. She often wondered if she was about to go back to heaven to see the Jade emperor in the next moment. There was one time when she saw Zhao Zhong Shi pass by in front of her and even took him for a large porcupine. She nearly charged forward and strung him together to roast. From this lesson, she deeply understood a matter—-she truly missed Zhao Shi Cheng.

She missed being able to behave in a carefree and unpretentious way in front of him, eating her fill. She missed the silly look on his face when he was both surprised and happy every time she was on intimate terms with him. She missed their physical contact that became more and more intimate even more. With regards to only kissing him once, she sighed resentfully. She really wanted to experience that befuddling and addicting feeling again.
She didn’t know that this was called lovesickness.
Hence, she didn’t care that it was already late. Tang Wan wanted to go to the yamen to find Zhao Shi Cheng. But she also knew that she couldn’t tell Xiao Chun, much less alarm her parents-in-law. They wouldn’t allow her to go right now, so she could only secretly walk out of her room and then covertly climb over the enclosing wall…

At the same time, inside the yamen’s study, Zhao Shi Cheng was listening to private advisor Cao’s report calmly.
“According to the results of the coroner’s autopsy, Eunuch Liu was also stabbed by a sword and axe. There is a total of 31 wounds in his entire body, but currently, I can’t find anything connecting Eunuch Liu and the scribe. The people they know are mostly officials in the capital. I didn’t it very accurately, so at the moment, there are no definite suspects…”
Zhao Shi Cheng rubbed his forehead agitatedly. “If the opponent dared to commit crimes in such a short time interval, then he has the certainty that he won’t be discovered. I already knew that this matter won’t be this simple.”
Private advisor Cao said worried, “ How about I let the magistracy officers go and ask around again?”
What will we be able to inquire about at such a late hour? Zhao Shi Cheng wanted to shake his head initially, but his heart suddenly had a burst of unclear palpitate from nervousness, causing his eyebrows to firmly purse together.
Sure enough, before he harbored more suspicions, a yamen servant lead a woman to the entrance of the study. He didn’t close the door of his study, so naturally the figure outside his door attracted his attention. When he raised his head to gaze at her, he already started to become worried.
“Xiao Chun? Why did you suddenly come her? Where’s Wan er?” Zhao Shi Cheng left his seat and stood up. He felt really uneasy when he didn’t see Tang Wan.
The tears Xiao Chun resisted for a long time fell down. The second she entered the room she kneeled down on the floor and said, “Daren, young Madam, young Madam didn’t come here to find you? Young Madam is missing!”
“She’s gone? How is she missing?” Zhao Shi Cheng was so worried that his expression changed drastically.
“These few days Young Madam was worried about something. Xiao Chun thought that young Madam was worried for daren. Xiao Chun didn’t expect that young Madam would suddenly disappear tonight. Xiao Chun thought that young Madam probably didn’t want to alarm the general and wanted to go to the yamen to find daren by herself. Xiao Chun didn’t dare to report it to the general and rushed out to search for her. Xiao Chun thought that young Madam was with daren, but in the end, in the end…,” Xiao Chun cried as she spoke. She didn’t dare to tell laoye and was naturally thinking of young madam’s reputation.
When Zhao Shi Cheng heard this, he knew that Tang Wan definitely came to find him. With her untrammeled and willful personality, she wasn’t able to stay cooped up in the residence. He really did overlook her these few days. However, Xiao Chun, who came to find her, was already at the yamen, yet Tang Wan still haven’t arrived.
Didn’t this mean… “Oh no! It isn’t really peaceful in the capital recently and Wan er is still on the streets by herself at this late hour. It’s too dangerous!”
He immediately turned to private advisor Cao and ordered, “Tell the magistracy officers to go out and search separately…I’ll also go!”
Zhao Shi Cheng was unable to sit still when Tang Wan’s whereabouts was unknown. He personally lead a group of magistracy officers, guessing the route she might be on and searched along the way.
Of course, he didn’t let go of the dark alleys and blind spots on the route even more because the scribe and the palace were all met with a sudden death in this unnoticeable corner in their own province. On one side, he was worried about Tang Wan and wanted to find her quickly, but on the other side, he was scared that he won’t be able to find her.
Suddenly, he heard acutely some activity from the dark alley ahead. He couldn’t deal with the magistracy officers behind him and charged towards it in the forefront. After a while, the people behind him all caught up with him. A few torches illuminated the surrounding area and he saw Tang Wan, looking deathly pale, standing in the middle of the dark alley. There was quite a few people lying down at her feet disorderly.
“Wan er!” Zhao Shi Cheng cried out loudly in alarm.
When Tang Wan saw him, she immediately rushed towards him with a grief stricken face. She threw herself into his embrace and shivered as she said, “Husband…Wan er…”
“Are you okay?” He let go of her delicate body slightly and looked up and down at her in haste.
“I’m not okay.” She pursed her lips and appeared to be quite wronged.
“What’s wrong?” Zhao Shi Cheng asked nervously. He put a little distance between them and looked at her.
“I…,” Tang Wan was also firmly set on hugging him and not complying because she really missed his embrace.
“I’m so hungry…,” she was trembling in hunger and even beat quite a few people up. How could she not be deathly pale?
He nearly tumbled headlong, catching sight of the seven or eight burly men on the ground. Clearly, Tang Wan was ambushed. At this time, she could still care about whether or not her stomach was hungry. She could reckoned as a genius in this world.
“Did you knock out all these people?” He asked in a low voice.
“Yeah, I was walking properly and they suddenly surrounded me, forcing me into a dark alley. I was so hungry and they still wanted to stop me. I was so angry that I…” Tang Wan didn’t know if she did the right thing or not, but obstructing a good woman at such a late hour, they were clearly thinking of doing dishonorable things. Wasn’t her husband the magistrate of the capital now? He could think of it as her helping him capture some small criminals.
“It’s good that you’re okay. It’s good that it’s nothing serious.” Zhao Shi Cheng could finally let go of his worries. “Do you know that Xiao Chun was really worried that you suddenly disappeared? It’s a good thing that she was smart enough to not tell father and mother…”
“Husband, I miss you.” She suddenly lifted her head and gazed at him, filled with emotion.
Her words made him moved into a complete mess in a instant. He even hugged her in his arms strongly as if he could knead her into his body. She said she missed him. Does that mean that the weight of which he occupied her heart increased a little bit? Or else, why would she rashly run out to find him because she missed him?
For a moment, he forgot the heavy responsibilities on him, forgot the murder case in the capital and only had his beloved wife in his mind. Thank god for bestowing her upon him. Furthermore, thank god for giving her a strange power and didn’t let him lose her.
At this end, the couple were hugging each other affectionately. In the eyes of other people, it was that Tang Wan was ambushed and seeked her husband to complain tearfully with lingering fears. Having this reaction was also natural for a weak woman like her. Nobody would intervene for the husband and wife’s public display of intimacy.

T/n: Hello, everyone. What’s your thoughts on chapter 18?

The results of the survey was that the schedule will remain the same. It will still be released Sunday or Monday.

I thought it would be interesting to see your answers to a certain question I often see in novels. If your mom and significant other both fell into the water, who would you save? Here’s a YouTube video of someone asking this question to Americans: https://youtu.be/ip9aT7DhMg4 Although the title is in chinese and the YouTuber is speaking Chinese sometimes, you don’t have to worry about not understanding it because he will be asking in English.

I also found some other questions that are similar to this and equally hard to answer in the comments section of this video. Here’s a translation.

• If I’m giving birth and the doctor tells you that it’s going to be a difficult birth, who would you keep? The baby or me?

• If I’m giving birth and the doctor tells you that it’s going to be a difficult birth and asks you, who would you keep? The baby or me? At this time, your mom jumps into the river and forces you to keep the baby, what will you do?

Lol, won’t it be funny if parents start asking this question to their daughter’s boyfriend? I’m totally not responsible if they do get the idea in their head though.