Transmigration Of An Assassin

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Unable to hold back anymore, Fu Wen hurriedly kneeled, "Madam, it's the son of the new Magistrate. He had taken a liking to Miss Liu Qiu. She refused and told him plainly there was no point in him liking her. He got angry and threw a fit. Over the next few days, he kept bullying her. At first it was just teasing, but when he saw how close Miss Liu Qiu was with Young Master Hu, he lost it and started humiliating her," Fu Wen explained, his voice trembling.

"Continue," Tang Shushui said quietly.

"He started telling her that she was just a lowly merchant's daughter, and asked how she dared wear silk and silver. At first, Miss didn't take it to heart, but as he kept finding excuses to harass her, she began dressing plainer. She changed her clothes and hairpins to take some attention away from herself. For some reason, that sent him over the edge, and he started hitting her. Today was the worst. He even had his servant help him. When I jumped in, the servant, he was bigger than me, beat me down and then cut Miss's hair, saying it was a lesson to be grateful for his master's attention," Fu Wen said, each word soaked in shame and rage.

"The magistrate," Tang Shushui muttered coldly under his breath.

The old Magistrate, a mild man with little ambition, had recently received a quiet promotion and been transferred out of the province. In his place came the new one, Baifeng Zhu's father. Everyone had heard he was shrewd and aggressive, the kind of official who rose quickly not because he was capable, but because he was cruel and clever in front of the right people. A man like that wouldn't care about merchants. He'd care even less about girls like Liu Qiu.

"Shushui..." Jiang Yanwei called softly, concerned. His tone wasn't panicked, just worried he might act impulsively.

"I'm not dumb," Tang Shushui replied flatly.

He was angry, furious, in fact, but he wasn't reckless. With his status as a merchant, going against a magistrate would be suicide. The best option was assassination. But even that could be traced back to him. Even if he usually appeared as a weak and gentle ger, if no true culprit could be found, suspicion would still fall on him. And for something like this, the punishment wouldn't stop at him alone. It would be the execution of his entire household. Tang Shushui wasn't foolish enough to gamble with that.

But neither was he the kind of person to leave such a slight unpunished.

"I'm going to meet Bai Feng Ju," Tang Shushui said after a pause.

He needed a larger picture, more information, before he made a move.

"It's already sundown," Jiang Yanwei reminded gently.

"You're right," Tang Shushui exhaled slowly, the edge in his voice softening. "I'll go tomorrow."

That night, he went to Liu Qiu's room and gently lulled her to sleep. She had cried herself into silence, her small shoulders still trembling beneath the blanket. Tang Shushui sat at her bedside, stroking her hair with a gentleness she only ever saw from him. He whispered reassurances until her breathing evened out, though he knew sleep would not come so easily for himself.

The next morning, as soon as the shop opened, he instructed a trusted servant to discreetly send a message to Bai Feng Ju.

Out of all the nobles Tang Shushui had crossed paths with since moving to this town, only two could truly be called friends: Bai Feng Ju and Lu Qingmei. Though both were older than him, they treated him not as someone junior, but as an equal. Perhaps it was because of the way he carried himself, or perhaps his words bore the weight of someone who had lived more lives than his face suggested.

Lu Qingmei had been in this region for more than a decade and knew its people inside and out. But for matters of court, influence, and the changing tides of politics, Bai Feng Ju would be far more useful. Her husband had only recently been promoted to Vice Minister of War and was already gaining favor back in the capital.