The only person in the Office of Disciplinary Affairs who could speak to him in this tone was his father's old friend, the supervisor in charge of the document archives. Grace Clark's clerical position was also obtained through him.

Grace Clark pretended not to understand, looking puzzled as he asked, “Uncle Brooks, since you know that the woman was murdered, why not say so?”

The middle-aged man shook his head and said, “Things aren’t as simple as you think. That Charles Foster is the son of Marquis Qin Wu, a first-rank marquis. Even the director can’t afford to offend the Qin family, let alone you. Now that you’ve stirred things up, Charles Foster is in prison, and there’s no guarantee the Qin family won’t hold a grudge against you…”

Grace Clark suddenly understood, then said anxiously, “Uncle Brooks, what should I do now?”

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and said, “You don’t need to worry too much. It shouldn’t be hard for the Qin family to smooth this over. Although your Lin family has declined, you’re still part of the nobility, so I doubt they’ll dare do anything to you. But remember, if you encounter something like this again, don’t get involved.”

Grace Clark accepted the advice, saying, “I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Uncle Brooks.”

Mr. Brooks waved his hand and said, “As long as you understand. If something happens to you here, I won’t be able to answer to your father.”

After giving Grace Clark a few words of advice, Mr. Brooks left.

Grace Clark sat back in his seat and let out a gentle sigh of relief.

What kind of place was the Office of Disciplinary Affairs? It was the capital’s official bureau for investigations. The constables and officials here were extremely sharp-eyed—if Grace Clark knew something, there was no reason they wouldn’t.

When Grace Clark was standing outside the main hall, he could already tell that the director was very wary of that young man.

In matters like this, it was best not to get involved.

But when he saw the woman’s corpse laid out stiffly in the hall, and the old man collapsed on the ground, his expression helpless and despairing, Grace Clark couldn’t help but feel soft-hearted.

Even though his own life was far from ideal, he simply couldn’t bear to see the suffering of others.

He had been this kind of person in his previous life as well.

So every time there was a disaster relief donation, he would always participate enthusiastically. When he saw children in the mountains too poor to afford school, he would donate a truckload of textbooks. On a whim, he might give all the money he had on him to a beggar by the roadside, or buy all the oranges from an old man selling them in the cold wind at midnight, even though he didn’t particularly like oranges.

Perhaps this was why, after breaking up, his ex-girlfriends were always willing to introduce their best friends to Grace Clark. He often received this kind of evaluation from them: Grace Clark might be a bit of a jerk in relationships, but he was definitely a good person.

Chapter 009: Making Enemies

Just now, Mr. Brooks had said that the young man in the courtroom was the son of a first-rank marquis.

In Daxia, there were only three noble ranks: duke, marquis, and earl. Each rank was divided into three grades. Unless there were special circumstances, each time a title was inherited, it would automatically drop by one grade. The descendant of a first-rank duke would become a second-rank duke, the descendant of a first-rank marquis would become a second-rank marquis, and Grace Clark’s father was a third-rank marquis, whose title could no longer be inherited.

By Grace Clark’s generation, the Lin family would be completely removed from the ranks of the capital’s nobility.

That first-rank marquis seemed to have some power and had ways to get his son out of the Office of Disciplinary Affairs. Even if Grace Clark stood up out of a sense of injustice, it wouldn’t change anything.

But some things, even knowing there would be no result, still needed someone to do them. Grace Clark only sought a clear conscience.

After staying in the document archives for a while, Grace Clark prepared to go home.

When he walked out of the Office of Disciplinary Affairs, he was startled by the scene before him.

Countless commoners were gathered there. The old man from the courtroom saw Grace Clark come out, dropped to his knees with a thud, and knocked his forehead on the ground with a loud bang, gratefully saying, “Thank you, sir, for seeking justice for my daughter! Thank you, sir, for seeking justice for my daughter!”

The onlookers were all talking among themselves.

“If it weren’t for this gentleman, Old Wang’s daughter would have died without justice.”

“Just now in the courtroom, not a single person was willing to speak up for Old Wang—only he stood up.”

“This gentleman is truly a good official…”

…

Amid the murmurs of the crowd, Grace Clark helped the old man up and said, “No need to thank me, sir. This is what I should do.”

To him, it was just a matter of standing up and saying a few words, but to the old man’s family, it meant everything. Within his ability, Grace Clark had never been stingy with such things.

After finally squeezing out of the crowd, Grace Clark didn’t wait for David Harris to pick him up and walked toward the Lin residence alone.

The capital’s high officials and nobility all lived in the southern or eastern parts of the city. The Lin family had already declined and now lived in the commoners’ district, though their home was more luxurious than most, with a few servants and a larger courtyard.

For the past few days, Grace Clark had always eaten alone, but at dinner tonight, there were two more people at his side.

Lady Howard kept putting food into Grace Clark’s bowl, saying, “Xiuer, you need to eat more. You’ve lost weight these past few days…”

Lord Howard put down his chopsticks and said, “Tomorrow I’ll invite the imperial physician to come and see if there’s any way to treat your amnesia.”

Grace Clark shook his head and said, “That’s not necessary. That would cost a lot of silver.”

Grace Clark knew that, as a fallen third-rank marquis, the Lin family was actually not wealthy. Not long ago, they had just spent a large sum to secure him a clerical position in the Office of Disciplinary Affairs. Inviting the imperial physician would probably be another considerable expense.