My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 74 Unveiling

The three leaders of Fuchun County all went to Zezhou, and no one unveiled the plaque; the bronze mirror just stood there quietly.

At first, people coming and going were quite curious about it and would often gather around to watch, but gradually they got used to it. After all, even the best things become commonplace after a while.

Inspector Chai did not assign Lin Ziping any other work, so he continued to patrol with the brothers of the third shift.

I wonder if anyone else has had this experience: once you notice someone, it feels like you'll run into that person frequently afterward.

Lin Ziping is experiencing this feeling now; in just a few days, he has encountered Hu Xinhua and Qin Niang many times.

Sometimes, when patrolling, they would see Hu Xinhua working, and Qin Niang would put the basket in a corner; other times, when they were going home from get off work, they would see Qin Niang in the basket, while Hu Xinhua was carrying the basket and walking down the street...

No matter when, the two of them would attract attention, their affairs would be talked about, Hu Xinhua would be praised for his loyalty and righteousness, Qin Niang would be said to be blessed, and some people would even take pity on them and give them some food.

Whenever others talked about Hu Xinhua, he would just chuckle and scratch his head without refuting them, while Qin Niang would always look blankly at the crowd with a vacant expression.

Although Lin Ziping found it strange, he suppressed his desire to investigate, as not meddling in other people's business is one of the self-cultivations of an adult.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and the three leaders of Fuchun County Government finally returned. The entire county government mobilized to carry out a thorough cleaning in preparation for the unveiling ceremony of the bronze mirror.

"Everyone here today is a pillar of Fuchun County, a backbone of the county. Over the years, they have worked diligently and conscientiously, making great contributions to the development of Fuchun."

Magistrate Wei, dressed in a purple official robe and wearing a crown, stood on the stage and delivered a passionate speech at the top of his lungs.

Today is the unveiling ceremony of the bronze mirror. The training ground of the county government is almost full of people. In addition to the guards, all the staff of the three shifts and six offices are present. Even some prominent people from Fuchun County have come.

Lin Ziping stood at the back with the others from the third shift, glancing up and down, occasionally clapping in agreement, utterly bored. He'd never really liked these kinds of occasions; leadership inspections required actors, superiors' visits needed an audience, and now even removing a mirror required such a grand spectacle. Sigh, perhaps he was too low-level to understand this kind of thinking, unable to resonate with the leaders.

Magistrate Wei continued his speech: "As the ancients said: 'Use bronze as a mirror to straighten your clothes; use history as a mirror to know the rise and fall of dynasties; use people as a mirror to understand gains and losses' [1]. Now, this bronze mirror is erected in the hope that everyone can straighten their clothes, distinguish between good and evil, and understand right and wrong. It is not only a reflection of people, but also a reflection of one's own heart..."

Isn't this what Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, said when he mourned Wei Zheng?

Lin Ziping was somewhat incredulous. Logically speaking, this phrase shouldn't exist in this era. Could it be that there were "fellow villagers" or "seniors" from the same place as him?

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel a little excited. Although the novels I read before mentioned that two people should try to avoid meeting when they travel to the same era, after all, two tigers cannot share the same mountain, and it is easy for fellow villagers to stab each other in the back.

But Lin Ziping still hoped that there was such a "fellow villager" in the world, and even wanted to meet him. Although there was a risk of betrayal, it would at least prove that the era of Mu Shaoying was real and not just his own imagination.

Just as Magistrate Wei was giving a passionate speech and Lin Ziping was lost in thought, a deafening drumbeat resounded outside the county government office.

The audience's attention was immediately drawn to the scene, and they couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

On the stage, Magistrate Wei's face was ashen.

Upon seeing this, Magistrate Feng stood up, coughed loudly twice, and the people below the stage quieted down.

County Magistrate Feng glanced at County Magistrate Wei before looking away and said, "Please be patient, everyone. I have already arranged for someone to investigate. Let us ask the County Magistrate to continue."

After he finished speaking, he took the lead in clapping. The people below the stage were all shrewd. They hadn't reacted at first, but now that they saw Magistrate Wei's ugly face, they quickly joined in the clapping. There were even sounds of praise from the crowd, such as "Hearing your words is better than reading ten years of books."

Magistrate Wei's expression softened slightly, and he coughed twice. Bai Xin quickly handed him a cup of tea.

Magistrate Wei gave Bai Xin a satisfied look, took the teacup, and was about to drink.

At this moment, the sound of drums rang out again outside the county government office. Magistrate Wei was so startled that he threw his teacup to the ground, and the training ground fell silent instantly.

After a long pause, someone said tremblingly, "This...this...this sounds like the sound of the Dengwen Drum."

The people below the stage looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

County Magistrate Feng rose again and bowed to Magistrate Wei: "Your Honor, the sound of the Dengwen Drum suggests something important. Please go to the back hall first, and I will find out the situation and report back to you immediately."

Magistrate Wei took Bai Xin's handkerchief, wiped the water stains from his hands, nodded to County Assistant Feng, and left without saying another word. Lu Shuyin and Bai Xin quickly followed.

After Magistrate Wei left, Assistant Magistrate Feng turned around and cupped his hands to the crowd, saying, "I have business to attend to at the county office, so I won't keep you any longer. Let's meet again another day."

The seated man stood up, bowed to Magistrate Feng, and left through the side door without saying much.

After bowing to Magistrate Feng, Zhang Dianshi turned around and hurriedly ordered Constable Qi to lead the fast and strong men to the main hall.

Lin Ziping looked at Inspector Chai and saw that his expression was normal, so he followed Shi Yong and ran towards the main hall.

In the main hall, a middle-aged man knelt below, trembling uncontrollably, while the county government officials on duty stood on either side.

Upon seeing Lin Ziping and the others emerge, the middle-aged man scrambled forward, grabbing Qi the constable's trouser leg, opening his mouth but unable to utter a word.

Officer Qi frowned and said, "Zhang Ershun, it was you who struck the petition drum just now, do you know that...?"

"My...sir, someone...someone has been killed..." Constable Qi was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

Lin Ziping peeked through the gap and saw that it was indeed Zhang Ershun, who lived in Pingding Village. He lost his wife early and raised his son Zhang Xiaohu alone. He used to be a "professional beggar" at the city gate. After being warned by Shi Yong, he changed to doing odd jobs. He would work when there was work and wander around the city when there was no work. There were about thirty of them, mostly from Pingdingshan, and they were the focus of the county government's attention.

Getting back to the point, after hearing Zhang Ershun's account of the murder, Officer Qi frowned and turned to give a wink to the two men behind him.

Having worked together for many years, the two immediately understood, stepped forward, pulled Zhang Ershun up, and walked towards the room next to the main hall.

Officer Qi sat down on the benches on either side of the main hall, waved for the guards to leave, and the rest of the guards dispersed and stood on either side of the main hall.

A moment later, the man who had pulled Zhang Ershun inside came out and leaned down to whisper something in Qi the constable's ear.

The voice was too soft for Lin Ziping, who was standing far away, to hear. He could only see that Qi Butou's expression grew increasingly solemn. After the man finished speaking, he stood up and looked at the speaker in shock, seemingly incredulous.

After a while, Qi Putou stood up and instructed, "Shi Yong, you take the brothers from the express team to Hu Xinhua's house in Pingdingshan first. When you arrive, keep a close watch on the people in Hu Xinhua's house. No one is allowed to leave, and no one from outside is allowed to enter!"

"Yes!" Shi Yong answered loudly, "Brothers from the fast class, come with me."

The person who had just asked the question also left with Shi Yong. Lin Ziping glanced at Constable Qi, thought for a moment, and then followed Shi Yong away.