The little girl hung her head and didn’t move at all. William Thompson saw that she refused to accept it and couldn’t help but sigh. This child seemed to have been frightened out of her wits. He placed the indenture and the money in front of her, turned, and started to walk off the stage. Suddenly, the little girl grabbed his leg and clung to it tightly, refusing to let go. William Thompson glanced at the money and the indenture, then gently said, “How about I have one of my men escort you home?”

The little girl still shook her head. She suddenly looked up at William Thompson. Amid her messy hair, William Thompson saw a pair of mournful, sorrowful eyes, filled with helpless despair. In his previous life, William Thompson hadn’t exactly lived in luxury, but his days were ordinary and uneventful. Occasionally, he’d see female students kneeling on the street, begging for help. Though they looked pitiful, there was always a hint of cunning in their eyes—completely different from this little girl. He had never seen such a look of utter despair in anyone’s eyes before. William Thompson was deeply shaken, his mind in turmoil, and he found himself at a complete loss.

“Boss, let’s go! The yamen is about to close up for the day. This money can’t be left out overnight; we have to settle the accounts.” Samuel Williams was getting a bit anxious. If the money stayed out overnight, it would be hard to explain.

William Thompson looked at the little girl, then at the sky, and could only helplessly say to Samuel Williams, “Take her to my place first. I’ll deal with it when I get back!”

Then he said to the little girl, “I have official business to attend to. You go to my place first, and when I return, I’ll figure out how to help you. Is that alright?”

The little girl stared at him blankly, her grip slowly loosening. William Thompson suddenly had the urge to run away, but he quickly suppressed it. A real man can’t break his word to a little girl.

He turned, stuffed the money and the indenture into his clothes, got off the stage, and mounted his horse. After a few steps, he suddenly felt uneasy and turned back to sternly warn Samuel Williams, “I’m leaving her to you. Don’t you dare ruin my reputation.”

Samuel Williams grinned widely. “Boss, if you want to show compassion, of course I’ll help you out.”

……

(During the early Ming dynasty, there was a law forbidding commoners from keeping slaves. There’s a slight deviation here for the sake of the plot.)

Volume One: Swept into a Major Case

Chapter Six: Naming the Mute Girl

William Thompson rushed to the county yamen as fast as he could. County Magistrate Bolton was already exhausted and had gone home to rest. Deputy Thompson and Clerk Young were nowhere to be found—most likely they had gone home as well. William Thompson was about to go to Clerk Young’s house to look for him when he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind.

“Fifth Brother, wait up!”

William Thompson turned around. It was Sheriff King. Sheriff King had just finished the paperwork for taking prisoners into custody and was about to head home. From a distance, he saw William Thompson carrying a bundle and immediately understood what was going on—it must be the money from the slave auction. He was well aware of the tricks involved: the money absolutely couldn’t be kept at home overnight. If anything happened, any money embezzled by the yamen runners would be blamed on him. Paying it back would be the least of his worries; his reputation would be ruined.

Sheriff King had a good impression of William Thompson: he was capable, knew how to handle things, was loyal, and generous. Seeing him in a bind, he wanted to help. “Fifth Brother, are you here to hand in the money?”

William Thompson nodded and said helplessly, “I came a bit late—everyone’s gone home. I was planning to go to the registrar’s house.”

“Don’t be silly, Fifth Brother. It’s closing time now. If the money goes through his hands, you’ll lose at least half of it, and he’ll never admit it. How will you explain it then?”

William Thompson was reminded and quickly nodded in thanks. “Thank you, Second Brother. What should I do then?”

Sheriff King pointed inside the yamen and said in a low voice, “I just handed my accounts to Mr. Harris. He’s still here. Why don’t you go find him?”

“Mr. Harris is still here?” William Thompson was overjoyed. Mr. Harris, also known as the legal advisor, was the magistrate’s aide. Although the position wasn’t officially recognized by the court, it carried a lot of power and, to some extent, could represent the magistrate’s will. The money William Thompson had was evidence from the parade ground murder case, so as the legal advisor, Mr. Harris could indeed accept it. Besides, Mr. Harris had helped William Thompson get his current position, so he shouldn’t make things difficult for him.

William Thompson thanked Sheriff King and hurried toward the inner hall. Mr. Harris’s office was behind the second hall, in a small courtyard where both the finance and legal advisors worked, handling paperwork for the magistrate—much like secretaries today. The finance advisor, surnamed Lin, had already left for the day, so only Mr. Harris was there. He was writing a report on the parade ground murder case, which was why he was working late. He was carefully choosing his words when William Thompson appeared before him.

“Thompson lad, what brings you here?” Mr. Harris was about forty, a scholar by background. Though his education was a bit limited, he was a master with the pen. The reports he wrote for the magistrate were so well-crafted that even officials from the Ministry of Justice praised them, earning him the magistrate’s deep trust. William Thompson’s father, Mr. Thompson, was the village head of Li Family Village and often came to the county on business, so he also knew Mr. Harris. This time, when his son was looking for a job, he had asked for Mr. Harris’s help, and afterward, William Thompson had secretly given him a hundred strings of cash as thanks.

William Thompson quickly placed the cloth bundle on Mr. Harris’s desk. “This is the money from the auction of the murderer’s belongings in today’s parade ground murder case—a total of six hundred and fifty-five strings, along with the auction ledger, all handed in together.”