Lin Qingge took two deep breaths, suppressing the urge to 'unleash Ling Han', and said patiently,
"Since both are bad news, either will do. Just tell me quickly."
"Reporting to my lord, the slightly better-than-bad news is that the owner of the Xiangtang Inn was ambushed and killed on the way to the capital."
The owner of the Xiangtang Inn was escorted back to the capital by officials sent from the capital a few days prior.
As Lin Qingge was recalling, Hua Jinrong took out a folding fan from his sleeve and fanned himself, saying,
"The capital side has already fallen into Chen Shu's trap. In front of all the civil and military officials, he confessed about His Highness the Fourth Prince.
So even without the testimony of the Xiangtang Inn owner, it won't have much impact. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
However—
The identity of the person who ambushed the Xiangtang Inn owner has not yet been ascertained, but according to news from my friend in the capital, after Chen Shu was arrested, several of his confidants went missing.
Those confidants were skilled.
Although Tang Wan'er and Liu Jinhua are 'dead', you, my lord, as the presiding judge of the Chen Chong case and the one who initially sealed the Xiangtang Inn, cannot guarantee that they won't resent you.
Therefore, this should not be considered good news for you."
Since taking office, Lin Qingge, who had become accustomed to being inexplicably resented after solving each case, waved his hand dismissively, "What is the other piece of bad news?"
"It's like this, I have a few friends in the martial arts world.
They just sent word that someone has issued a bounty in the jianghu.
It states that whoever can take the head of Lin Jingxing's son, that is, your young master, the county magistrate of Changzhou, will receive a reward of fifty thousand taels of silver!
If the young master is captured alive, the reward will be one hundred thousand taels of silver!"
???
"Harm should not extend to family. Who the hell is so immoral to be so insane as to plot against a child?"
Lin Qingge exclaimed righteously, and the next moment, he leaned closer to Hua Jinrong's ear and whispered,
"Master Hua, can your jianghu friends find out who is behind issuing this bounty?
It would be best if you could get their home address, so I can personally bring Lin Zimò to their doorstep to collect that one point five million taels of bounty."
...
Hua Jinrong's mouth twitched violently. He looked at Lord Lin, who was willing to deliver his own son for money, with disbelief.
But Lin Qingge snatched the folding fan from Hua Jinrong's hand and fanned himself with an air of confidence.
"As the saying goes, 'know yourself and your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles.'
The ancient saying also states, 'He who does not enter the tiger's den cannot catch the tiger's cub.'
To put it more colloquially, if you don't give up your child, you won't catch the money.
Since the mastermind dares to plot against Mo'er, they should bear the corresponding consequences!"
By the end, the smile on Lin Qingge's face was gone, replaced by eyes brimming with raging fire and a chilling aura.
"Master Hua, please ask your jianghu friends to issue a bounty on my behalf as well. Say that I am willing to pay two million taels for the head of the mastermind.
If captured alive, the reward is halved."
Every word Lin Qingge spoke seemed to be crushed in his mouth before being spat out.
Unlike the time he heard the news of Madam Ma's death, Hua Jinrong, standing nearby, clearly sensed the suppressed fury from the person opposite him.
For the first time seeing his lord so angry, Hua Jinrong deliberated before asking,
"My lord, what if the other party increases the price?"
"No matter how much they add, just double it."
"Then, my lord, the silver for paying the bounty..."
"Hmph, since the other party can offer such a large bounty, it indicates that their identity must be extraordinary.
To take the head of such a person is not to say it's harder than reaching the heavens, but it's certainly not something a mere jianghu rogue can accomplish.
Therefore, while the bounty might be a disaster for ordinary people, for the mastermind, it's merely an annoyance.
To go a step further, if the mastermind truly meets misfortune and gets choked on cold water, and accidentally gets killed.
Then their inheritance can be used to pay the bounty.
And then I will arrest the killer in the name of murder and confiscate the bounty as ill-gotten gains.
It's simply killing several birds with one stone!"
Lin Qingge's lips curved upwards, but his eyes were as cold as ice.
Although she was a law-abiding, good citizen, she wasn't so foolish as to say 'no problem' and let the person who tried to buy a hit on her family go, just because they dared to!
"Please rest assured, my lord. I know what to do~"
"Alright, you all wait for me at the entrance of the prefectural yamen."
Along with these words, he tossed down a folding fan, the handle of which was twisted and deformed from being gripped too tightly.
Hua Jinrong first raised his eyebrows in surprise, and only after watching his lord leave did he sigh with slight regret, "Oh dear, this was my favorite folding fan~"
Saying that, he took out an identical folding fan from his sleeve.
Everyone: ...
Night Shengxiao, who had goosebumps all over, nudged the 'human ice sculpture' beside him and said, "Brother Ling Han, are there no normal people in your county yamen?"
Ling Han turned his head, cast a deep glance at Night Shengxiao, and then strode towards the entrance.
Lu Mingxuan, seeing this, couldn't help but tease,
"I say, sir, don't you have any self-awareness?"
"What's wrong with me?
My shadow is straight even if my body is crooked!
Although I often walk by the river and have gotten my shoes wet once, unlike you bachelors, my shoes got wet for love!
For our little Yue Yue, I am willing to endure even imprisonment!"
Looking at Night Shengxiao who was 'acting out', Lu Mingxuan quietly took a few steps back, feeling more and more that he was the only normal person in the entire county yamen...
At the same time.
Lin Qingge found Leng Ningyue and recounted the two pieces of bad news brought by Hua Jinrong.
"Mo'er is always with me, so there won't be any problems. But in a couple of days, after things are settled here, I will take Mo'er back to school, and I will often stay overnight at the school.
This way, I'm not at ease leaving you alone here in the prefectural yamen."
???
Lin Qingge couldn't understand why they were talking about Lin Zimò, but it had turned to her.
"I say, Ningyue Sister, from the way you speak, it seems like I'm more likely to encounter danger than Mo'er, that four-year-old child who's been put on a bounty?"
"Isn't that the case?"
"Ningyue Sister, I'm not really incapable of lifting a pole or carrying a shoulder. In terms of combat power, although I can't compare to Ling Han and Lin Moyuan, I'm more than enough to deal with jianghu riffraff like Night Shengxiao.
Moreover, when I go out, I usually bring the poison powder from Yan Tinghao and Murong the Coroner. Even if I encounter danger, I can still escape."
After hearing Lin Qingge's explanation, Leng Ningyue's brow furrowed even tighter.
"I was careless. I actually forgot about this.
If Mo'er and I are not here, in the vast backyard of the prefectural yamen, besides Little Grass and the two cleaning grannies, wouldn't it just be you and them?
This is even more concerning than leaving you alone in the prefectural yamen."