Chapter 790 - 550: Investigation_3
He had no interest whatsoever in the spectacle of a beheading.
In his previous life, he had seen much of life and death; no matter how tragic the scene, it couldn’t stir a ripple in his heart.
But he did not interrupt the crowd, only listened quietly, occasionally speaking in a seemingly casual manner, asking indirect questions.
"When did this Black Wind Rat commit crimes within Ning County?"
"Where did the authorities apprehend him?"
"Was there anything peculiar about his movements usually?"
"What kind of people were robbed by him?"
The surrounding people babbled chaotically, the information was disordered, but Chen Sheng began to organize and piece it together in his mind.
As he listened, a flash of understanding swept through the depths of his eyes.
Too many flaws!
A cunning thief who traversed several counties, caught so easily just after the arrival of the new county magistrate.
The timing was too coincidental, the process too smooth, the credit too perfect.
Chen Sheng shook his head in his heart:
"Most likely a scapegoat."
"Usually doing the dirty work for others, once the job was done, his reputation soured, he was pulled out as a scapegoat, a gift for the new magistrate."
"Calming the public while polishing one’s political record, killing two birds with one stone."
"Indeed, this has always been the case throughout history!"
...
The noise in the tavern had not yet dispersed; with the acrid wine in his stomach, Old Li’s face turned a boozy red, and he began to speak freely.
He lowered his voice, with a bit of gravity, and said to the few people at the table:
"A few days ago, I gave a haircut to a merchant from afar, and he said... there has been a severe drought in the south."
"For several months, not a drop of rain has fallen, the crops in the fields have all withered and died, the ground is so cracked that a fist could fit in, not a single harvest."
"Life cannot go on; many families can only flee with their kin, begging northward, and from the looks of it... in a few days they’ll reach the edge of our Ning County."
As soon as these words fell,
the previously noisy tavern suddenly quieted down significantly, as if doused with cold water.
The clinking of cups and dishes became much less frequent.
Chen Sheng paused slightly in the act of lifting a piece of poached chicken to his mouth.
A quick flash of light passed through the depths of his eyes, his heart already stirred:
"The disaster victims are everywhere, with no way out, this is precisely when hope is most needed."
"With the help of miraculous water to save people and win their hearts... I, Chen Sheng, could indeed become a great virtuous teacher!"
He remained outwardly calm, and began to plan in his heart.
Meanwhile, the men in the tavern had their earlier joviality replaced by agitation, disgust, and unconcealed panic.
They could barely make ends meet themselves; how could they accommodate others to share their meager resources?
A porter who lived by his physical strength heavily set down his wine cup, his voice full of resentment:
"Disaster victims? When they come, our jobs will be taken, our food divided, we might not even get a drop of gruel! It’s really unlucky!"
"Better not set foot in our Ning County, no one will take them in even if they come!"
"Exactly! We laborers earn only three coins per trip, barely enough to feed ourselves, if they come, how can we survive!"
Voices of complaint and rejection arose one after another, filling the tavern once again with another kind of repressed restlessness.
Chen Sheng listened quietly, without speaking or the slightest contempt.
He understood their indifference.
Everyone was struggling in the mud, barely able to look after themselves, how could they have the extra energy to pity others?
This was the most real semblance of the bottom class.
But his gaze quietly swept across the table.
At a glance, he noticed little Wang.
The young man’s face showed neither disgust nor panic, only a sense of compassion and mercy out of place with the surroundings.
Chen Sheng nodded slightly in his heart:
"Young and warm-hearted, he cannot bear the suffering in the world."