“Wait a minute!” Overwhelmed by the flood of information, Chris Brooks started seeing stars before his eyes again. “Are you saying that last night, I stabbed the number two figure in Springfield City?! He’s such a high-ranking official—why would he personally come after a mere butcher like me?!”

“His official rank isn’t actually that high!” Mr. Sullivan grinned, a hint of pride unexpectedly appearing on his face. “But in our Great Yuan Dynasty, it’s not about who has the highest rank, but who has the strongest backing and the deepest pockets. Although 麻哈麻孔目 is just a clerk, he’s specifically in charge of raising money for Lord 达鲁花赤, handling over a million taels of silver and copper coins every year. Plus, he’s a Semu, and his position is ranked second. As for the prefect, the vice-prefect, and the judge, their ancestors are all Han Chinese. Aside from their salaries, they have to rely on 麻孔目 for a cut of the profits, so of course they don’t dare put on any airs as superiors!”

“As for last night!” He sneaked a glance at Chris Brooks’s expression, then lowered his voice and added, “If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have gone in person. But with you, he had to make it a major case, an ironclad case! Not only did he want you dead with no burial, he also had to drag your brother-in-law’s whole family down with you. If he sent someone else, he wouldn’t have felt secure.”

“Why drag my brother-in-law into this? Why? Does my brother-in-law have a grudge against him?” Chris Brooks grew more confused as he listened, frowning as he pressed for answers.

“Ah, well, how should I put it? I didn’t understand at the time either, but thinking back on it later, it really gave me a fright!!” Mr. Sullivan patted his own chest, feigning shock. “Your brother-in-law, Inspector Thompson, is a well-known figure here in Springfield. Even though he’s over fifty, when he speaks, both the underworld and the authorities have to show him some respect. But precisely because he’s so respected and acts so righteously, he offended 麻孔目. At 达鲁花赤’s birthday banquet last year, 麻孔目 instigated one of 达鲁花赤’s bodyguards to wrestle with your brother-in-law. No matter how tough Inspector Thompson’s martial arts were, age catches up with everyone. In the end, the bodyguard broke his neck on the spot, and he died before he could be carried home. We all thought it was an accident at the time, but looking back, that bodyguard was probably bribed by 麻哈麻 long ago.”

As he spoke, he again snuck a look at Chris Brooks’s face. “So, when 麻哈麻孔目 heard last night that you refused to hand over your knife, he was determined to frame you for treason—a capital crime. In the end, he died by your blade. Well, I suppose that’s the cycle of heaven, retribution never fails!”

“Sigh!” Chris Brooks also let out a soft sigh, but deep down, he felt no satisfaction at avenging a great enmity.

First of all, in the scattered memories left by Albert Brooks, there was only hatred for Inspector Thompson—a hatred as deep as the sea. If he’d known that man died because of 麻哈麻’s plot, he’d be grateful, not vengeful—why would he ever think of avenging that cheap brother-in-law?

Secondly, as a modern soul, he saw Inspector Thompson as a public official who fraternized with both the underworld and the authorities—not a good person by any means. The conflict between him and 麻哈麻孔目 was most likely a case of thieves falling out over spoils, so his death was hardly undeserved!

But Mr. Sullivan had no idea that the Chris Brooks before him was already a different person. He leaned in, fawning obsequiously: “麻孔目 died so suddenly—his wife, concubines, and several daughters have all been cornered in the courtyard by the rebels. I’ve locked them all in the small building in the back garden. If you like, after we eat, I can have them all tied up and brought to your room!”

Note 1: The stories of steaming a goose to kill 徐达 and burning the celebration building are not historical facts. The protagonist Chris Brooks’s history teacher died young, so don’t hold it against him.

Chapter 010: Dividing the Women

“Nonsense!” Chris Brooks glared fiercely at Mr. Sullivan and scolded in a low voice, “Why would you tie them up and bring them here? I have no grudge against 麻孔目!”

After speaking, he paused, then quickly added, “Even if there were a great enmity, you can’t seize someone’s property and violate their wives and daughters! That’s the act of a beast!”

“Yes, yes, my lord is so righteous, I truly admire you from the bottom of my heart! Truly admire you!” Mr. Sullivan and the other jailers cupped their hands, showering Chris Brooks with flattery.

“Find an opportunity to let them all go! Keeping them locked up in the back garden isn’t a solution!” Chris Brooks didn’t notice the insincerity in their words at all, tapping the table a few times as he gave the order offhandedly.

“My lord is wise!” Mr. Sullivan once again led the others in bowing respectfully, all of them wearing looks of admiration. “With the chaos of war right now, those delicate women—if they leave Springfield City, there won’t even be bones left of them. This way, you’ve avenged Inspector Thompson and protected your own reputation! It’s a hundred times better than keeping them as slaves at home!!”

“What did you say? They’ll die if they leave Springfield City?!” Chris Brooks’s eyes widened instantly, his face flushed. He really had no experience surviving in troubled times and had thought things were much simpler than they were. He’d thought he was showing mercy by letting 麻孔目’s wife and daughters go, but it turned out to be no different from killing them by another’s hand.

“They might not even make it out of Springfield City!” Mr. Sullivan nodded, a lewd grin on his face. “That 麻哈麻, relying on 达鲁花赤’s backing, used to extort and plunder everywhere, confiscating people’s property and wiping out whole families at the drop of a hat. Over the past ten years, who knows how many lives he’s taken? Now that he’s finally met his end, if his wife and daughters set foot on the street…”