“Greetings.” Haitang said, bowing.

    Qian Tai did not come inside. Only Haitang, carrying a basket, went to meet Lady Lin.

    “The steward mentioned you have something to discuss with me,” Lady Lin said, setting down her teacup and scrutinizing Haitang.

    “To be honest, I came today seeking your help,” Haitang began and proceeded to recount the events.

    “So what if they entered your house? You have no concrete evidence. If my husband intervenes, it might seem like he is abusing his power, and people could talk.”

    “I didn’t come today to ask the governor to intervene directly. I merely want someone from the governor’s office to act as a mediator.”

    “You do realize that a mediator from the governor’s office won’t necessarily take your side, don’t you?”

    “All I ask for is a fair judgment. If I’m in the wrong, then punish me. If I’m right, then let justice be served according to the law.”

    After considering Haitang’s request, Lady Lin asked her to wait while she consulted her husband.

    She soon returned with a man who was clearly a constable.

    “This is Constable Song. He will act as the mediator. But I must remind you that he will judge impartially.”

    “I understand. Thank you for your assistance. This is a small gift from a commoner like me. Please feel free to have the doctor check it.”

    “I will accept your gift as a token of your goodwill,” Lady Lin replied.

    The sight of Qian Tai driving a cart followed by six constables on horseback alerted the villagers, who realized that the Qian family was serious about seeking justice for what had happened.

    Haitang led the constable to her home first to examine the traces of the previous night’s incident, including the bloodstains that had not been cleaned up, as they needed to serve as evidence.

    Before she could take the constable to find the culprits, the village head rushed to appear in front of her house.

    "Constable, I am Wen Dong, the head of this village," the village head introduced himself.

    "There was an incident with your villagers last night. Are you aware of it?" the constable asked, getting straight to the point without acknowledging the village head's greeting.

    "I am aware of the situation. The Qian family misunderstood. Please don’t listen to Haitang. This village hasn’t had any thieves in a long time. It was a simple misunderstanding; the villagers were just trying to catch a cat."

    Upon hearing the village head's explanation, the constable realized the man was biased. Only a fool would believe such an excuse.

    "Where are the culprits?" the constable asked without further comment.

    "Their legs were injured. They are being treated at Elder Tong’s house," the village head replied.

    "Lead the way."

    Qian Tai instructed his mother to stay behind and told the twin brothers to stay with her. He and Haitang, along with his father and Qian Sao, went together to Haitang’s grandfather's house.

    The wounds of the two thieves were quite severe, but Elder Tong had administered initial treatment. He intended to send them to the town’s clinic for further care, but the village head brought the constable before he could do so. He also ordered the villagers to bring Da Geng and his companion outside.

    “Are you the ones who broke into the Qian family’s house last night?” the constable asked.

    “Yes, we are, sir. But it was because the cat I was chasing jumped into their house. I didn't think about the propriety; I just feared the cat might cause damage, so I followed it to catch it. I acted out of good intentions. Please consider this, Constable,” Da Geng said, sitting on the ground and speaking as they had planned with his companion and the village head the previous night.

    Having already intervened for his people, the village head did not want to lose face, so everything had to be meticulously arranged.

    If the Qian family let it go, that would be good. But if they did not, there was still a backup plan. If they insisted on this story, the Qian family would have no grounds to accuse them. Even if the authorities got involved, it would only create friction with the villagers and cause unnecessary trouble for the authorities.

    “Lies! You clearly broke into our house intending to steal,” Qian Sao couldn’t hold back and pointed at Da Geng.

    “You’re falsely accusing us. Do you have any evidence that we intended to steal?” Da Geng asked with a satisfied look, knowing that accusations required proof.

    “Well, it’s just…” Of course, Qian Sao had none.

    “Constable, I have already judged Da Geng guilty of entering someone else’s house at night. I sentenced them to kneel at the village ancestor's shrine for ten days, which I believe is appropriate for their offense,” the village head interjected.

    The constable hesitated and looked at Haitang. Without evidence, there was only the charge of trespassing, not theft.

    “Constable, I have a small doubt and would like to question them,” Haitang, who had come prepared, immediately began to lay her trap.

    "Alright, I allow it."

    "I want to ask you, why were you chasing that cat?"

    "That cat is a stray. I often feed it. If it went in and caused damage to your belongings, I was afraid you might demand compensation from me."

    "Have you ever seen that cat before?"

    "Of course. My boss’s cat, even if it’s not really his, he feeds it every day."

    Haitang didn’t ask any more questions but simply stared coldly at the two of them. These worthless scoundrels, who only bully others, would never have the compassion to feed a stray cat.

    Haitang whispered to Qian Tai, who then went to talk to the chief constable. The others watched the couple’s actions in confusion.

    "You two, carry him to the scene of the incident. The rest of you stay here and keep an eye on him."

    At the chief constable’s command, Da Geng was immediately carried to Qian's house and placed at the spot where the incident occurred the previous night.

    "Alright, I have two simple questions for you. I will ask, and you must answer truthfully. First question: how did the cat you mentioned get into the Qian’s house? Did it go left or right? You have only one chance to answer."

    The chief constable's question made Da Geng look up in shock. He glanced at the village head, sweat pouring from his body, his face paling because there was no real cat, so he didn’t know how to answer.

    "Uh, it... it jumped onto the Qian’s fence," Da Geng stammered.

    "And then?"

    "Straight ahead. It jumped straight down." Da Geng chose what he thought was the safest answer.

    "Good answer. Now for the second question: what color is your cat, and does it have any distinctive markings?"

    If the previous question was difficult, this one was even harder. How could a non-existent cat have a color?

    "..." Da Geng.

    "Answer!"

    "Orange. My cat is orange."

    "Entirely orange or with stripes?"

    "Entirely orange." He forced himself to answer, and the chief constable did not question him further but made him face the wall.

    The village head began to sense impending doom, feeling as if his position was slipping away. He started to think of a way out. He was still the village head, but if he lost face over this incident, he feared he wouldn’t be able to keep his position.

    Soon, the other intruder was brought to where Da Geng had been standing moments ago.

    "I have two simple questions for you. Just answer honestly. First question: how did the cat you mentioned get into Qian's house? Did it go left or right? You have only one chance to answer."