Chapter 1: The Hanged Magistrate

He took a set of old clothes, but he did not take that small box of silver. He is not a thief. To change his attire in order to earn money, it was already somewhat excessive to "borrow" a set of clothing and hat; how could he possibly steal money

He placed the hat and coat by the bedside, walked over to the corpse, intending to hang the body back in its original position, leaving without a trace.

He touched the official's neck, and not only was there no pulse, but the area he touched was icy cold

There are no suicide notes on the table or on the floor; generally, when a person intends to commit suicide, they will leave a note, especially someone who is a scholar. This is rather strange.

From now on, I will change my name to Leng Yi.

However, after wandering around the nearby alley for quite some time without encountering anything more suitable, he turned back again

Cheng Xiang glanced at the official, who appeared to be in his twenties. It seemed that such a young person had already reached a dead end. Clearly, this official must have encountered some insurmountable difficulties that made it impossible for him to continue living.

The current question is, how to disguise oneself

The target should certainly not be an ordinary citizen; it is preferable to target those who are wealthy yet unkind. While searching for a target in the narrow alleys, he noticed this official at the window on the second floor as he passed by the back alley of the inn.

Leng Yi observed the official closely again; his appearance was already quite similar, requiring no further alterations, even the length and density of his beard were nearly the same. His beard was quite long, perhaps due to being busy with work, or perhaps he was inherently lazy, as he often forgot to shave. For this reason, he had faced considerable criticism from his superiors, who remarked that his demeanor was not in proper order. He had dated several girlfriends, and the last one also ended the relationship due to his untidy lifestyle.

Although the window was closed, the light inside the room illuminated, casting his shadow on the window frame, which hung straight down, with a rope suspended from his neck.

He immediately leaped to grab the wall of the inn's backyard and vaulted over it. Crossing the backyard, he moved swiftly to the lower floor, his movements as agile as a weasel. Using the window frame on the first floor, he quickly reached the outside of the second-floor window. The window was merely ajar, and upon opening it, he saw that the official was suspended from the beam by a belt.

He found another package, which contained two sets of long robes and casual wear. They were quite old, but very clean. He was somewhat puzzled; since this official had money, why would he wear such old garments? However, it was also good, as among the many poor people on the street, wearing this outfit would not draw attention.

The corpse is cold

First, it is necessary to clarify the basic situation regarding this official. He has thoroughly examined everything related to this official, hoping to find clues. However, apart from a title (namely, a letter of appointment), there is nothing else that can prove his identity

He picked up the document, and saw that the cover read: "Official Document from Quan Zhi, Cold Yi of Yinling County"

Cheng Xiang examined the ligature marks on the corpse's neck. The marks formed a backward eight but did not intersect. Although the marks were relatively shallow, they still conformed to the characteristics of a hanging suicide. Looking around the room, the furniture was all neatly arranged, and the bowls and wine vessels on the table by the window were in good order. There were no signs of a struggle in the room.

The official who hanged himself surprisingly resembled me very much

He traveled through time after completing a hostage rescue mission. With a flash of white light, he awoke to find himself in the early years of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty

It seems that this is an invitation from a county magistrate named Leng Yi, who was preparing to visit the governor of Bazhou. The invitation was never sent out, either because the governor refused to meet him, leading to his eventual suicide. The accompanying list of gifts only mentions ten taels of silver. Cheng Xiang did not know the value of ten taels of silver, but he presumed it was not much.

The small alley behind the inn is quite secluded, and after dark, there are hardly any passersby. He had just returned here when he was stunned by the scene before him— the official, who had drowned his sorrows in alcohol, had hanged himself

He stared blankly at the face of the deceased official, and a bold yet provocative thought slithered into his mind like a venomous snake. Since the two of them looked quite similar, and no one else knew about this official's hanging suicide, why not impersonate him?

This has turned out to be a good thing; now there is no need to worry about the beard. It is just the hair. I have a buzz cut, and even when wearing a hat, it can be seen at a glance from the temples.

In principle, he should first find a job, earn some money, and then change into ancient attire, covering his hair with a hat. However, he did not dare to show his face again. After much contemplation, he could only resort to "borrowing" a set of clothes. Once he earned enough money to buy his own clothes, he would return the borrowed ones.

He has just crossed over, and no one knows him; how could anyone find him familiar?

It seems that this person is also quite unfortunate. Never mind, Cheng Xiang thought, this official is already pitiful enough, and it wouldn't be right to steal his belongings. Thus, he squatted for quite a while, and after realizing that the official was indeed quite unlucky, he ultimately stood up and continued to search for his target

He wandered excitedly and curiously down the street, but his police uniform was, of course, considered "eccentric attire" in this era. Coupled with his short hair, it immediately attracted the attention of others. Consequently, two constables approached him. Fortunately, he was quick to dodge and slipped into an alley, thus evading the pursuit of the constables.

After a person dies, the body temperature will drop rapidly, especially in cooler environments, where the decline is even more pronounced. Now that it is early winter, the cooling of the body will occur even more quickly. The time that Cheng Xiang spent going and returning was about one hour. By saying this, it can be inferred that the official must have just left before hanging himself.

Alas! What could be so troubling that one would resort to suicide

He was immediately excited by his own idea of disguising himself as a member of a criminal organization to infiltrate and investigate criminal clues. He had done this before and was experienced in it. Moreover, if it really came to it, he could always make a quick escape

Could it be that he resembles someone he knew before the time travel? He quickly ran through his acquaintances in his mind, and finally, he fixed his gaze on one person's face. To his and *Tu* Shu's astonishment, that person turned out to be himself

He turned over and entered the room, lifted the official's feet upward, and pulled his head out from the belt hanging from the beam, then placed him on the ground

If this is the title of this official, then his name is Leng Yi, the magistrate of Yinling County. Well, a seventh-rank official, this position is quite good; it is not high, making it less likely to attract attention. Continuing to read inside, it states: "I respectfully await the orders of the Governor of Sanba Prefecture. I humbly attach ten taels of silver. Gratefully, the late-born Leng Yi bows in respect."

He picked up the corpse, and suddenly, he froze—this official looked remarkably familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before

His professional habits led him to entertain this thought

After learning that this official was a county magistrate, he ultimately decided to take the risk of impersonating this magistrate in order to navigate through the Song Dynasty

Is this official so wealthy? He let out a snort and glanced at the corpse of the official on the ground. Could it be that he was a corrupt official who, upon the exposure of his embezzlement and bribery, committed suicide out of fear of punishment? No, I have heard that the emperors of the Song Dynasty had a rule against executing scholars and officials. Therefore, even if this official were guilty of embezzlement or bribery, he would not be sentenced to death, so that cannot be the reason for his suicide. Perhaps there is some other reason.

The winter rain, mingled with the cold wind, falls in a gentle patter, dampening people's hair and chilling them to the very core.

Struggling with how to survive in ancient times, now a great opportunity presents itself. Rather than working as a servant carrying dishes and doing hard labor, it is better to become an official. Being an official during the Song Dynasty is indeed a good profession. This is because the Song Dynasty valued civil over military roles, and the status of civil officials was very high, with quite favorable treatment.

Wait, could it be that someone was murdered and it was disguised as a suicide?

This official, who has just returned from outside, is dressed in full official attire, pacing back and forth in the room, sighing and lamenting. He then sits alone by the window, drowning his sorrows in drink. Earlier, there was an elderly man accompanying him, but later the old man also left; it is unclear whether he went to attend to matters or was dismissed.

He hid in the narrow alley until nightfall. As the novelty of his time travel gradually faded, he realized that he must change into a different outfit and then find a job

He did not know what kind of official this was. The hat he wore, adorned with two long wings and distinct from those of other dynasties, confirmed to him that this was a court-appointed official

Cheng Xiang let out a sigh, stood up, and noticed a package on the bedside. He intended to find a set of casual clothes. After checking the door, he found it was already locked. He then opened the package, revealing a black lacquered box adorned with gold. Gently lifting the lid, he discovered ten shiny silver ingots inside

In the faint drizzle, Cheng Xiang crouched in the corner of a small alley behind an inn. Since the arrival of the criminal police, he could no longer recall how many times he had crouched in the cold wind and light rain while investigating cases. However, this time was entirely different. He was crouching in a small alley of a government city during the early Northern Song Dynasty

The body has already shown signs of rigor mortis, indicating that death has occurred. However, he still examined the pupil of the official's eye. After being compressed and deformed, it could not return to its original state, confirming that he was indeed dead