Chapter 227 Choosing Sides

Li Ping’er was still waiting for her servants to ask Mr. Zhan to save her, but the top beam is not straight, and the bottom beam is crooked. When the people in her family saw that the Hua family was about to be finished, they were only concerned about the family’s property. They swept up the gold and silver and ran away. How could anyone send a message to Mr. Zhan!
The clerks in the yamen had long been in collusion with Ximen Qing, and they understood each other tacitly and allowed the captain to fabricate charges against them.

As a rule, such dirty things would not dirty the masters’ hands. Basically, the subordinates would handle everything, and then go through the procedures with the county magistrate to close the case.

Even if there were some minor flaws, the legal advisor and others would secretly remind the county magistrate and ask him to show mercy and let it go.

But no matter whether the county magistrate discovered the problem or not, he would definitely get a share of the benefits afterwards, and he would have to take the lion’s share.

This time was no exception. After the captain arrested Li Ping’er and put her in jail, he prepared various torture instruments in an attempt to force her to confess.

But before he could make a move, his attendants came over and said:
“Master Ximen has already instructed us not to hurt the Hua family lady’s skin, let alone tarnish her innocence.”

The captain understood immediately and said:
“Oh, this young lady has been favored by Mr. Ximen!”

“But it doesn’t matter. I have a punishment that is only painful but not harmful. She is an ignorant woman and she can’t stand the punishment.”

He immediately changed the torture instruments and began to torture Li Ping’er.

Li Ping’er had never seen such a scene before. She was so frightened that she screamed and claimed that she was innocent.

The captain laughed and said:

“This is a restricted area of ​​the government office. Outsiders are not allowed to enter. Even if you scream your throat out, no one will come to save you.”

Li Ping’er was frightened and kept crying out for justice.

Coincidentally, Wu Song had just taken office as county lieutenant, in charge of all public security and military affairs in the county. He had just finished inspecting the camp and came to check the prison. When he heard someone crying out for injustice, he stepped forward to inquire.

The captain quickly put down the torture instruments, stood up and said with a smile:
“Your Excellency the County Lieutenant, you may not know that the criminals never confess honestly and always want to claim injustice. But this time, we caught them with evidence, and there is no injustice at all.”

When Li Ping’er saw an official coming over to talk to her, she hurriedly shouted for help:

“I have never murdered my husband, and I don’t know how my husband died. Please investigate clearly…”

“My husband just died, and the captain came to arrest him right after. My husband must have been murdered by him…”

The captain’s face changed and he immediately ordered his men to cover Li Ping’er’s mouth.

“My Lord, please do not listen to this bitch’s nonsense. The reason I went to arrest her was because she poisoned and murdered her husband. Her maid was afraid of being implicated by her, so she came and turned herself in. Only then could I catch her red-handed.”

“It’s a pity that I arrived too late and failed to save Mr. Hua’s life.”

Wu Song raised his eyebrows when he heard this. He glanced at Li Ping’er and the captain and suddenly said:

“Since there is a witness, but I don’t know where the witness is?”

When the captain heard Wu Song’s question, his face suddenly turned ugly. He quickly reached out and pulled Wu Song aside, whispering:
“This court has always been the prerogative of the county magistrate. If outsiders interfere, it will probably make the county magistrate unhappy.”

“Since you are new here, you should first find out the situation in the county, and then investigate the case.”

“I am doing this for the sake of the county lieutenant, please don’t misunderstand me.”

Wu Song looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded slowly and said:
“That makes sense. Wu Song’s duty is only to catch thieves and protect the people. The investigation of this case should indeed be the responsibility of the county magistrate.”

After saying this, Wu Song turned around and left. The captain followed him out of the prison respectfully. He looked respectful on the surface, but was secretly proud in his heart.

The relationships in this yamen are very complicated. He is a foreigner, but he got the recognition of the county magistrate and became an official by killing tigers. But if he wants to take advantage of others recklessly, that would be too much!
But after all, his status was too low and he had no idea about what was going on. He thought Wu Song was a lucky man, which was wrong!

After Wu Song was released from prison, he went to see the magistrate Li Datian.

He was a rule-abiding man and knew that the trial was not his business. But since he knew that there was something fishy going on, he couldn’t pretend he didn’t see it.

When Li Datian heard that Wu Song wanted to see him, he hurriedly invited him in. After he sat down and served tea, Li Datian asked warmly:

“Erlang, what is the matter with you?”

Wu Song then told what he had seen and heard, and then explained:
“I dare not interfere with the county magistrate’s trial, but I am worried that someone will secretly collude to seize other people’s property and throw the responsibility to the county magistrate, causing damage to the county magistrate’s reputation.”

“Wu Er came here to remind the county magistrate to be more careful when hearing the case and not to be deceived by these clerks.”

“Oh, is that so?” After listening to this, Li Datian stroked his beard and his eyes began to roll around.

He couldn’t help but think about it!

He also knew the name of Hua Zixu. He was one of Ximen Qing’s sworn brothers and also a wealthy man in the county. The fact that he died suddenly and inexplicably was very suspicious.

Although he did not ask for details, just from what he knew from Wu Song, he could clearly tell that there was something fishy going on.

Thinking back to when Ximen Qing suddenly ran into the yamen to show his courtesy, Li Datian couldn’t help but suspect that Ximen Qing was the one who did this bad thing.

But the problem is, aren’t Ximen Qing and Hua Zixu sworn brothers? Why are they now committing murder?

And what does this Wu Erlang mean?
Judging from his subsequent response after fighting the tiger, we know that Wu Erlang is a capable official, and this action must have been clearly well-intentioned.

Is he just coming here to give a kind reminder?

Or, is there any merit to be gained from this?
He was appointed by Mr. Zhan. Is he hinting that I should continue to cooperate?
I have to say that this civil servant is quite cunning and can figure out a big deal out of even the most trivial matters.

But the information was too little. He thought about it for a while but still couldn’t figure it out. He was a little unsure, so he asked Wu Song a few more questions. But Wu Song was very tight-lipped and remained unmoved, so he couldn’t get anything out of him.

Well, it won’t be too late to interrogate him first and ask about the situation later.

Li Datian made up his mind and asked someone to go to the prison and ask the captain to bring Li Ping’er out and send her to the back hall for interrogation.

Because he was unsure about the nature of the case, Li Datian did not formally go to court. Instead, he first got a thorough understanding of the situation in the courtyard before making a decision.

In fact, Wu Song’s thoughts were not that complicated. He did not expect to really interfere with the county magistrate’s trial. It was just that in his heart, Li Datian was a benefactor who promoted him with good intentions. He was a good official who was honest and incorruptible and dedicated to serving the people.

He didn’t want Prime Minister En to be deceived by the villain, and he also had some thoughts that now that he was an official, he should serve the people, so he came over to say a few more words.

Now that Li Datian had listened to his advice and was about to bring the criminal to trial, Wu Song felt even more grateful and was more convinced that this minister was a good official who listened to others.

Although it was only a short time in the prison, the captain was an experienced clerk and an expert in torture. He had easily broken down Li Ping’er’s defenses and was about to force her to sign a confession.

Li Ping’er cried and was shocked and scared. She didn’t want to confess the crime, but she was afraid of suffering again. She hoped that Mr. Zhan would come to save her, but she was afraid that the man was so heartless and would hide away when something happened.

“Bitch, I’m not afraid to tell you that once you enter this prison, you’ll never get out alive. If you’re good, you can suffer less. If you’re not obedient, there will be punishment waiting for you!”

The captain was constantly making false threats when someone came from outside and told him the county magistrate’s order, which made him feel a little nervous.

According to past practice, the county lord would not leave early, so why this time…

After asking casually, he found out that it was Wu Song who was behind the trouble, and he couldn’t help but feel resentful in his heart.

This outsider is so abominable. He will tell Master Ximen about this and make him pay for it!
He was secretly angry for a while, but he did not dare to delay. He had to carry Li Ping’er out and take her to the county magistrate, while at the same time he sent someone to quickly inform Ximen Daguanren of the change in the situation and asked him to find a solution as soon as possible.

The county magistrate’s residence had always been in the backyard of the yamen, very close to the government office, so the person arrived soon.

When they entered the hall, they saw the county magistrate sitting behind an octagonal table, with Wu Song and his lawyer standing behind him, one on his left and one on his right.

The captain hurried forward and kowtowed, “I am Liang Zuo, and I have brought the criminal Hua Li here to meet the county magistrate.”

Li Ping’er also knelt down and cried out loudly, “It’s unfair, sir, I didn’t poison my husband…”

The captain Liang Zuo interrupted hurriedly:
“Your Excellency, this case was reported by Hua Li’s maid. There are witnesses and evidence. The facts are clear and there is no room for this woman to quibble. Please investigate carefully.”

Li Datian waved his hand, interrupting the two of them, and pretended to be fair, asking seriously:

“Hua Li, since it is your maid who has come forward to testify, I will call the witness here and confront you in court. Do you dare?”

“Of course I dare. I dare to confront her in court!” Li Ping’er nodded repeatedly, wanting to know who was harming her.

Li Datian ordered someone to send the leader out. It would take some time for the maid to come here, so Li Datian asked:
“Hua Li, since you said you didn’t kill the person, then tell me where you were when the crime happened. Do you have any other witnesses?”

Li Ping’er said hurriedly, “At that time, my servant and I had just seen Uncle Zhan off. Because we were too tired from playing during the day, we washed and bathed and lay down to rest.”

“But I was woken up just as I fell asleep. Someone said something had happened to the master. I rushed over and saw him lying naked on the ground, bleeding from all his orifices. He was already dead.”

“Before I could figure out what was going on, the captain rushed in with his men and took me away.”

“As for the rest, I know nothing at all!”

“As for witnesses…”

She hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth. No matter whether Mr. Zhan was willing to save her or not, she would pull him into the water to give herself a better chance of survival.

“Master Zhan can prove that it is impossible for me to murder my husband!”

Oh ho~
When he heard the name of Mr. Zhan, County Magistrate Li immediately became alert. As expected, Mr. Zhan was involved in this matter. No wonder Wu Erlang came over to hint at him.

Seeing that Li Ping’er had found a witness, Liang Zuo also hurriedly said:

“I was patrolling the Hua Family Manor that day, and a maid suddenly came out of the courtyard. When she saw me and my companions, she came up to us and said she wanted to report herself, saying that her mistress was trying to kill her husband for money and poisoned him.”

“After hearing this, I hurriedly led a team to rescue him, but it was too late. Mr. Hua was already dead…”

He was talking nonstop, but he didn’t know that County Magistrate Li, who was in the higher position, had already become distracted and had begun to ponder the interests involved.

“…There are many servants at the scene who heard the words that Mr. Hua cursed before he died. Please call them here and question them on the spot.”

“As for the witness mentioned by Hua Li, who knows if she had an affair with this bitch and conspired with her to murder her husband and seize his money!”

Ok?
When County Magistrate Li heard that this ignorant captain dared to set fire to Master Zhan, his eyes suddenly fixed and his brows raised.

This thing was definitely not done by Mr. Zhan!
It definitely has nothing to do with Mr. Zhan!
He was just about to stop the little captain from talking nonsense, but Li Ping’er exploded in desperation.

“It’s unfair, sir. Although I have an affair with Mr. Zhan, my husband also knows about it!”

“Many of my servants can testify to this!”

Hey!

County Magistrate Li’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that he had heard something he shouldn’t have known. At the same time, he also gained a better understanding of the inside story of the case.

He coughed dryly and waved his hand to interrupt the two people’s conversation.

“Well, I already know the truth of this matter. Let’s wait for the maid who made the report to come and see how I, the master, will expose her lies.”

The captain was very anxious now. He was about to bring up the name of Mr. Ximen to hint at County Magistrate Li, but County Magistrate Li already knew that Li Ping’er and Mr. Zhan were having an affair, and he didn’t want to hear any testimony that was unfavorable to Li Ping’er. He immediately slammed the table and shouted at the captain:
“You were so blindly credulous that you didn’t even question the witnesses when you arrived at the scene. Instead, you arrested an innocent person and brought him back to report. You are so stupid and stupid that you are just sitting there doing nothing. You should reflect on yourself!”

“Next time, watch your official uniform!”

The captain was so frightened that he trembled and dared not say anything more. He kowtowed and took his leave quickly. After leaving the yamen, he still didn’t know what had happened to him.

This was not his fault. It was simply because his status was too low and he had no access to high-end information. He had no idea what level of personage Mr. Zhan was in the county.

The news that Master Zhan leaked to the outside world was leaked by Wang Po. It was from a merchant who came to Beijing to purchase medicinal materials. Although he had some background, he was not important enough for a local tyrant like him to take seriously.

Although he also knew that Ximen Qing and Hua Zixu had had dealings with Mr. Zhan, as an outsider, he had no idea of ​​the inside story and always thought it was a normal business transaction. At most, they were just flattering Mr. Zhan for the sake of money. He had no idea how disparate the power relationship was in secret.

As for the affairs of the county officials and Lin Chong, Wu Song and others, they were even more secretive. Even if he wanted to find out, he had no way to do so.

However, after being frightened by County Magistrate Li, he finally realized that the situation on Ximen Qing’s side might be not good, so he did not dare to continue sending letters to Ximen Qing. He just quietly slipped back home and waited to see which way the wind was blowing.

The next thing was simple. County Magistrate Li first assumed that Li Ping’er was innocent, and then found fault with the witnesses and evidence.

The case did not stand up to scrutiny in the first place. Ximen Qing dared to act recklessly because everyone was tacitly aware of it and turned a blind eye to it.

Magistrate Li was originally a Jinshi, so he was looking for faults, so it was easy for him to find loopholes in the case. After threatening and intimidating the maid Xiuchun, she became frightened and honestly told the truth.

“It was the steward of the Great Steward Ximen who ordered me to do this, and I dare not disobey him. If I do not listen to him, my parents will die!”

“Hiss…” When this matter involved Ximen Qing, County Magistrate Li started to have a headache.

In fact, when Wu Song first arrived, he suspected that Hua Zixu was killed by Ximen Qing. Now that it has been confirmed, he has only turned his guess into certainty.

The only problem is how to proceed with the case. Should Na Laibao be made a scapegoat, or should we investigate the matter thoroughly and implicate Ximen Qing completely?

If it were a normal situation, he would have handled the matter hastily, maybe not even dealing with Lai Bao, but instead tortured the maid Xiuchun into confessing, using her to make up the numbers and do a favor to the great official Ximen.

But now that Wu Song has intervened, we can’t do that anymore.

Standing behind Wu Song is Mr. Zhan, who represents Mr. Zhan’s attitude.

So he turned to look at Wu Song, laughed dryly and asked:

“Erlang, what do you think should be done next?”

Although Wu Song has feelings for Jinxiu, he is not a government official after all. He doesn’t know that there is a great official named Zhan behind his family. He doesn’t understand what Magistrate Li is thinking at all.

Before, he saw that County Magistrate Li analyzed the matter clearly in just a few words, and an unjust case was cleared up and the mastermind behind the scenes was caught. He didn’t know how much he admired Li Datian in his heart!

Now when he heard the county lord asking him, he crossed his arms respectfully and said:
“The county magistrate is very perceptive and has helped to redress the injustice. Wu Song admires him very much and dares not make any comments. Naturally, everything will be handled according to the county magistrate’s instructions.”

“Yanggu County has county magistrates who are respected as elderly parents, which is also a blessing for the people.”

“After this case is closed, Wu Song will certainly make the cause and effect known to the people of the county, so that everyone will know that under the eyes of the county magistrate, all crimes will be brought to justice, and the net of heaven is long and wide, and nothing can escape it.”

“The net of heaven is vast and long, and nothing can escape it…” Li Datian stroked his beard, feeling a little bitter in his heart.

What does it mean to be sparse but not leaky?
It’s obvious that they want to investigate this matter thoroughly and implicate Ximen Qing!

But Ximen Qing is not someone who is easy to get along with!
Although on the surface he was just a local rich man, his wife was Wu Yueniang, the daughter of Wu Qianhu, the commander of the Qinghe Left Guard in this county. His only daughter was engaged to Chen Jingji, the son of Chen Hong, the relative of Yang Admiral, the commander of the 800,000 imperial guards in Tokyo.

With relatives and friends like these, the Ximen family is considered a powerful family, not just an ordinary landlord.

If that were all, Li Datian wouldn’t have to worry too much. After all, neither Captain Wu nor Admiral Yang could influence him, a county magistrate who was a Jinshi. But it was said that Ximen Qing had quite a few connections in the capital, and it was rumored that he often visited the homes of Grand Tutor Cai, Grand Marshal Gao and others.

This is bad!

Grand Tutor Cai and Grand Commandant Gao were so powerful that even a casual word from them would carry much more weight than a county magistrate like him!
Even if he wanted to investigate and prosecute Ximen Qing, he was afraid that the case would be rejected when it reached the state!

Could it be that Mr. Zhan is not aware of this matter?

Didn’t you call each other uncle and nephew affectionately before?

Why did the two of them suddenly become enemies?
Li Datian frowned, feeling extremely embarrassed, but after thinking about it, an idea suddenly popped into his mind.

Huh?
Could it be that Mr. Zhan’s purpose of coming here is to see Ximen Qing?

Could this be related to some level of struggle in the capital?
Doesn’t that mean that now we have to choose sides?

The more Li Datian thought about it, the more scared he became. When he looked at Wu Song again, although he had that honest face, he also saw a lot of mystery in his eyes.

After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Li Datian finally made a decision. Ximen Qing was just a dog raised by a nobleman in Beijing, but this Mr. Zhan was a real nobleman in Beijing. The difference in status between the two was obvious, so he had to do as Mr. Zhan ordered.

However, he felt a little guilty about having to deal with Ximen Qing personally, so he decided to leave it to Wu Erlang. He was probably sent here just for this matter.

“Erlang, I have carefully considered this matter and feel that the mastermind behind the murder of Hua Zixu is definitely not just the manager of the Ximen family. It is most likely that Ximen Qing is the culprit.”

“Since Erlang is now the county lieutenant and in charge of the county’s public security, I’d like you to go and arrest Ximen Qing.”

“What do you think, Erlang?”

At this time, Wu Song only followed the orders of Li Datian, his benevolent minister. Now that he heard the order, he accepted the task without saying a word, strode out of the door, and went to catch the man.

(End of this chapter)