"Hey, how many years will he get?" Charles Grant grinned and said, "You killed three people, so of course it's a life for a life."

The tall, thin young man was stunned for a moment, his eyes somewhat dim.

He glanced at Olivia Miller again and asked, "Are you trying to identify me as a killer called 'Muzi'?"

"So, are you?" Charles Grant replied impatiently.

"I can be!" The tall, thin young man spoke anxiously, then added, "I'll admit to any crime you want, as long as you, officer, can promise me one thing..."

"Hey, do you think I'm here to make a deal with you?" Charles Grant was a bit annoyed and muttered to himself, "Thought I caught a big fish, turns out you're just spineless."

"Officer, officer, please listen to me. My sister and brother-in-law were both killed by that Du fellow, and there's only a four-year-old niece left at home. As long as you can take care of her for me, I'll admit to any crime." As he spoke, he turned to look at the two jailers and said, "I know the rules of your patrol camp—if you catch a big criminal, you get a reward of twenty taels of silver. With just five taels, officer, you could raise my niece. I'll admit to anything."

Olivia Miller listened from the side, secretly thinking, "This kid is a bit foolish, saying something like this out loud..."

However, when he turned to look at the two jailers, he saw that not only were they not surprised, but they even had expectant smiles on their faces.

Olivia Miller suddenly realized—this 'rule' was obviously something these jailers told the prisoners, getting those about to be executed to confess to bigger crimes, tricking the court out of reward money, and then splitting the silver among themselves.

This was an entire industry chain.

To talk about this so openly in front of him, it seemed this industry chain was quite mature.

Sure enough, the two jailers began to persuade Charles Grant.

They didn't mention wanting a share of the silver from Charles Grant; with things like this, once the reward came down, unless someone was a complete fool, they wouldn't forget those in the know.

So, the two jailers just kept talking about how pitiful the four-year-old girl was.

"Young Master Geng, this doesn't hurt anyone, and you get some silver too. Most importantly, you can save a poor child..."

Charles Grant's thick eyebrows knitted together, looking quite conflicted.

This young man, who had just become an officer, had once vowed not to be corrupted by the filth of the Chu court. But with his very first case, the world was already pushing him toward compromise.

Take one small step forward—claim the credit, get the money, save a life—it all seemed harmless. But what about later? In every future case, someone could find a way to tie him to money.

The tall, thin young man looked at Charles Grant, his eyes full of hope.

"Your sister and brother-in-law were killed by Shopkeeper Du?" Charles Grant finally asked.

The tall, thin young man replied bitterly, "That's right. My brother-in-law used to work for Du Liangjun, but that beast coveted my sister, so he and his brother beat my brother-in-law to death and kidnapped my sister..."

Charles Grant fell silent. He'd heard of Du Liangjun's case, but it had been suppressed by Captain Howard in the camp. He hadn't expected this kid to go and kill them himself.

He suddenly felt a bit uneasy and could only mutter, "You killed three people, so you definitely have to pay with your life."

"I'm willing to die, but my little niece is innocent."

Charles Grant let out a heavy sigh, gritted his teeth, and said, "I won't make you confess to anything else. I'll take care of your niece for you. At worst, I'll just buy less wine in the future."

It sounded simple, but in this era, raising a child was no easy task.

For Charles Grant, it was a real internal struggle—he'd just caught his first criminal, and now he had to support another mouth. If this kept up, how would his meager salary be enough?

Olivia Miller secretly shook his head, thinking to himself that Charles Grant would never make it in the patrol camp.

Those two jailers were looking at him with such anticipation, just waiting for him to lead them to riches. But instead, he was willing to spend his own money and cut off their profits—who would follow him in the future?

Though Olivia Miller shook his head inwardly, his gaze toward Charles Grant showed a hint of admiration—this is the kind of person I want. Right now, my 'hero pool' is too shallow; I need to train more heroes.

Unexpectedly, the tall, thin young man stared at Charles Grant, thought for a while, and then said calmly, "You don't need me to confess. I don't trust you."

"Hey, now you're getting tough with me." Charles Grant was a bit annoyed. "So what do you want?"

The tall, thin young man looked at Olivia Miller and said, "I trust him. He looks like he has money. I heard you call him Young Master Wang."

Olivia Miller was speechless. Trust me? I'm an idiot... Fine, you trust my money.

Charles Grant was both angry and amused, cursing, "Scheming pauper, I didn't realize you were so shrewd. Dream on. These days, which wealthy family doesn't pick and choose when hiring a maid? Where can't they find a good one? Your niece is so young and can't even work—why would anyone bother to raise her?"

Olivia Miller was a bit taken aback. Only after hearing Charles Grant's words did he realize that, in these times, being able to become a servant girl in a wealthy household was actually a rare opportunity. It showed just how hard life was for poor families in the Chu dynasty. After all, if people could survive, who would want to be a servant?

For a moment, both Charles Grant and the tall, thin young man turned their eyes to Olivia Miller.