Chapter 591: Arson

Translator: Atlas Studios       Editor: Atlas Studios

Liang Cheng said to Li Qing, “Master, Ding Yi, I, and the others walked around the county city separately and realized that there are fewer street vendors than elsewhere. Ding Yi got someone to ask around. The vendors here have to pay the stall fee when they reach the market. They also have to pay all kinds of miscellaneous fees every month. After a month, the money they earn is not enough to pay the fees, so the vendors naturally have fewer.”

Li Qing nodded. “I’ve already found out from the accounts. I’ll waive these miscellaneous fees after the handover.”

Liang Cheng nodded. “Old Ding and the others heard that County Magistrate Liu’s family left Le County half a year ago and returned to their hometown.

They even said that County Magistrate Liu is just a puppet county magistrate.

The real person in charge of Le County is Magistrate Wang.”

Li Qing felt that the helpers his sister had found for him were really too good. They were good at martial arts and were capable of doing things. No matter what they did, they could do it well without his special instructions.

“Alright, it’s been hard on you. Brother Liang, I want you to help me check the warehouse in Le County and see how much food is stored inside.”

“Okay, we’ll go tonight.”

Fan Mingfang stood under the eaves of the corridor in the backyard. When she saw Li Qing enter the courtyard, she turned to the old women and said, “Get someone to set up the meal. Master is back.”

“Yes, Madam.” Granny Yun and Old Madam Yang got busy.

Fan Mingfang looked at the tired Li Qing and said gently, “Is the accounting unclear?”

Li looked at her and smiled. “Yes, there’s the same thing repeated in the ledger. There are some other problems. Where’s Dong’er?”

Fan Mingfang smiled and said, “Dong’er is asleep. It’s been a long day. Hurry up and eat!”

Not long after Li Qing and the others left, a black shadow sneaked into the county office and went straight to the room where Li Qing and the others were checking the accounts. After entering the house, he took out the oil can in his hand and sprinkled kerosene on the account book and the cabinet table.

Finally, he picked up a ledger and tore off a page. He walked to the door and lit it, placing it on the sheet that had been sprinkled with kerosene. With a bang, the ledger caught fire.

The man in black stood there calmly for a moment before closing the door and disappearing into the night.

After a while, the fire gradually grew stronger. The tables, chairs, and cabinets in the house crackled. The fire was already spreading.

Wang Zhi held his stomach and muttered, “Damn it, I drank his wine and had diarrhea.” As he spoke, he slowly walked towards the inner hall.

Suddenly, his eyes widened and he shouted, “There’s a fire! Someone come quickly! There’s a fire!”

When the bailiffs on night duty in the government office heard the shout, they carried basins and buckets and ran towards the fire like a swarm of bees. They filled the fireproof vat with water and splashed it at the fire.

Li Qing was stunned when he heard the shout. “Oh no, someone set a fire!” He rushed out.

Liang Cheng and the others also rushed over after hearing the news and joined in the fight against the fire. After a while, the fire was finally extinguished. The house where the ledgers were piled and the house beside it had already become a ruin.

Lin Su said to Li Qing, “County Lord, when we went back to eat, I was the last to leave. I only closed the door and left after extinguishing the oil lamps. Why would there be such a big fire for no reason?”

Liang Cheng also said, “That’s right. It’s only been a few minutes since we went to the back office to eat. There was no wind, so how could the fire be so big? Unless someone deliberately set it on fire…”

Wang Zhi’s face was black and gray as he ran to Li Qing wetly. “Lord Li, when I

patrolled the night, I realized that the fire had already spread to the next house. It was too late to save it.”

Li Qing looked at him. “You were the first to discover the fire? Who’s patrolling tonight?”

Wang Zhi bowed and said, “Yes, I should be on duty tonight. My stomach hurt a little just now.” As Wang Zhi spoke, he knelt on the ground with a thud. “Sir, please forgive me.”

Li Qing waved at him with a dark expression. ‘Get up first. Tell Advisor Lin the situation later.”

“Thank you, Lord.” Wang Zhi kowtowed gratefully before getting up from the ground.

Li Qing looked at the account book that had been burned to ashes and thought to himself that it seemed that these people knew very well which room had the account book and were coming straight for it. He had just started checking, and someone was already afraid. That person even got someone to burn these account books. Since they dared to burn the account books, it seemed that the taxes in Le County were very deep!

Lin Su glanced at Li Qing, whose face was ashen, and comforted him. “County Lord, the fire has already happened and the fire has been extinguished. We’re already lucky that we didn’t cause much damage.”

The other bailiffs knelt in front of Li Qing uneasily. “Lord Li, I’m late to put out the fire…

“Get up! You didn’t know this was going to happen. After this lesson, everyone will has to walk more often on duty in the future.” Li Qing looked at the bailiffs whose faces were covered in ashes. “It’s cold at night. Go change your clothes!”

When the bailiffs heard Li Qing’s words, they were relieved and bowed. “Yes, sir. We’ll remember. Thank you, sir!”

Li Qing waved his hand and said, “Fire and water are heartless. Go wash up and come back to Advisor Lin to tell him the situation.”

“Thank you, sir.” They bowed gratefully and retreated.

Seeing those people leave, Li Qing whispered to Lin Su, “The only thing we can do now is to settle the accounts we found today as soon as possible.” Lin Su nodded. “That’s the only way.”

Li Qing then said to Liang Cheng and the others, “Brother Liang, from today onwards, keep an eye on Wang Zhi and Magistrate Wang. I think they’re secretly behind this. Also, you have to be careful when you go to the warehouse tonight to investigate.”

Liang Cheng and the others bowed and replied, “Yes, Master.”

The ledger had already been burned, so there was no need to check it. Li Qing returned to the backyard. Fan Mingfang stood at the door of the backyard and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Li Qing return.

“What’s going on? Where’s the fire?”

Li Qing wrapped his arm around Fan Mingfang and walked in. “The ledger was burned.”

“The ledger was burned!” Fan Mingfang stopped in surprise and looked at him worriedly. “Was it an accident? Or was it arson?”

Li Qing looked at Fan Mingfang’s worried expression and patted her shoulder. “Someone set it on fire. Don’t worry. When I go back and write down the accounts I’ve read, I’ll slowly investigate. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

“To think such a thing actually happened in such a small county. It looks even more chaotic than Liangzhou. Fortunately, you weren’t there. Otherwise…” Fan Mingfang didn’t dare to continue. She didn’t even want to think about it.

Li Qing sensed her fear and led her to sit down. He hugged her and said gently,

“Wanwan, don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“Yes! I know.” Fan Mingfang looked up at him and smiled gently. “Didn’t you want to write down the accounts? I’ll grind the ink for you.”

Li Qing smiled and kissed her. “I can’t calm down with you here. Go back and accompany Dong’er.”

“You’re still in the mood to joke.” Fan Mingfang smiled and punched him lightly. “Alright! I won’t disturb you anymore..”