Chapter 87 A Thunderclap from Out of the Blue

Xiao Yunzhan: "Is Wang among those causing trouble?"

He asked urgently, and the constable didn't react for a moment, "I...I haven't seen Madam Xu!"

Those who came were mostly clansmen of all ages, crowding at the entrance of the county government office, demanding an explanation from Magistrate Liu, saying...

They say Xu Dalang was definitely murdered by Wang!

Xiao Yunzhan nodded slightly and instructed Wei Wu: "Do as I just said."

Wei Wugang responded with a "Yes," then turned and strode out.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Xiao Yunzhan looked at Cui Yanwu, about to speak, when Cui Yanwu pushed him away with his large hand, "Why are you looking at me?"

I'm a 'suspect,' what kind of nonsense is it for me to get involved in government affairs?

Besides, this noisy family affair is none of my business.

"You guys do your investigation, don't worry about me. I'm just catching up with Brother Pei."

As she spoke, she deliberately moved closer to Pei Lin.

Xiao Yunzhan hummed in agreement and walked out first, followed closely by Pei Zhiwei and Xie Ji.

Before the three of them even reached the county government office on horseback, they heard a noisy commotion coming from afar.

There were layers upon layers of people in front of the county government office, and many people were standing on tiptoe to peek inside, pointing and whispering.

Liu Jingchang stood on the steps of the county government office, wearing his light scarlet official robe. His expression changed from being patient at first to visibly darkening later.

"Fellow villagers! Fellow members of the Xu family!"

Liu Jingchang's voice was hoarse from shouting, but he couldn't quell the commotion below.

"The investigation into Xu Li is still ongoing! The physician is still treating him inside. I will definitely contact you as soon as I have any news..."

"Don't try to fool us!" a man in a dark blue long robe suddenly shouted from below.

"That woman, Wang, has long wanted to seize the Xu family's assets!"

Master Xu is gone, and so is Second Master Xu. Now only First Master Xu is left!

If he dies, won't everything in the Xu family go to her?

You've definitely been bribed by her!

These words caused even more chaos below.

Even the onlookers pointed and whispered, some saying that Wang was ruthless, others saying that the government had been bribed by Wang.

Pei Zhiwei thought to herself: Lord Liu's temper is about to get the better of him.

It was clear from the night Xu Fengyan died that he hated people making a fuss over nothing. The fact that he didn't lose his temper on the spot when surrounded by so many people arguing with him was already a sign of restraint.

Sure enough, before the people below could shout a few more words, Liu Jingchang suddenly took a deep breath, his chest puffed out, and then he burst out with a loud shout: "Shut up, all of you!"

The shout was loud and deep, like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Pei Zhiwei, who was far away, subconsciously shrank back.

The troublemakers closest to the bottom of the steps were so shocked that they fell backward and sat on the ground with a thud, covering their ears and howling in pain.

The surroundings fell silent instantly.

It seemed that Liu Jingchang was venting all the frustration he had felt over the past few days of investigating the case and the anger he felt at being held back by Wang Shi through this shout.

He dusted off the non-existent dust from the front of his official robes.

"What's all the noise about? This is the Yangdu County Government Office, is this a place where you can make a ruckus?"

The people below looked at each other, and no one dared to utter a sound.

After a while, an elderly man with gray hair, leaning on a cane, walked out of the crowd, his steps unsteady.

"Lord Liu... No, it's not that we're making trouble, it's that the Xu family is in dire straits!"

My eldest nephew is gone, Xu Erlang... Xu Erlang is gone too, now only Xu Dalang is left!

If something happens to him again, the Xu family's assets and the Xu family members will be completely finished!

We had no other choice..."

Liu Jingchang said with a stern face, "I know that the Xu family has had a series of misfortunes, which is why I am trying to persuade them."

But you, just because you're members of the Xu family, dare to act wildly in front of the county government office?

I'm telling you, you either beat the drum to appeal your grievances or submit a petition, and this court will open a session to hear your case.

Either leave now, or don't waste time on official business.

"If you dare to make any more noise, this government will treat you all as 'disturbing public order' and throw you all in jail!"

He spoke clearly, but the old man seemed not to have recovered from the "lion's roar" yet; his ears were still ringing.

Liu Jingchang opened his mouth, but not quite hearing what was said, so he turned his ear in his direction and said "Huh?" with a blank look on his face.

"Lord Liu, what did you say? This old minister is hard of hearing and didn't hear you clearly..."

Liu Jingchang froze, standing on the steps with his hand still raised, his lips twitching slightly, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Pei Zhiwei couldn't help but twitch her lips to the side, and quickly turned her face away.

Just then, I saw Xie Ji covering his mouth tightly, his whole body twitching.

Xiao Yunzhan coughed lightly, breaking the awkward silence.

Liu Jingchang then realized what was happening, quickly walked up to Xiao Yunzhan, bowed deeply, and said with a face full of apology, "Your Highness, please forgive me!"

These past few days have been filled with such a series of events that I simply couldn't contain myself... I apologize for making Your Highness laugh at me.

Pei Zhiwei secretly reached out from her sleeve and gave Liu Jingchang a thumbs up.

She truly felt relieved. The way those people below were acting so unreasonably—if it were her, she probably would have lost her temper long ago.

Liu Jingchang caught a glimpse of the thumb, and the corners of his mouth curved almost imperceptibly, but he quickly composed himself.

As more and more onlookers gathered, the narrative increasingly leaned towards the conclusion that the Wang family had bribed officials to seize the Xu family's property.

Xiao Yunzhan stepped up the stairs and stood where Liu Jingchang had just been.

He didn't speak, but his eyes swept over the people below inch by inch.

The noisy Xu family members gradually fell silent upon seeing his luxurious clothes and extraordinary demeanor.

Even the onlookers grew quieter and quieter.

Finally, the entire area in front of the county government office fell silent.

Xiao Yunzhan then spoke, "Lord Liu, open the court."

Everyone went to the lobby to wait until the prison cell scene had been examined before the trial could begin.

After saying that, he looked at the Xu family members and said, "Not a single one of them should be missing."

Just as Xiao Yunzhan was about to head to the county government hall, Pei Zhiwei whispered to him, "I'm going to the prison to examine the scene."

"Be careful," Xiao Yunzhan couldn't help but remind him.

The bailiffs were quick to understand and led Pei Zhiwei to the prison.

The county jail was cleaner than I had imagined, at least the cell where Xu Li was staying was.

A copper lock hung above the prison door. When the bailiff unlocked the lock and pushed the door open, he specifically said, "Madam Pei, be careful."

Lord Liu specifically instructed that Xu Dalang's case was excusable, so he was assigned to the innermost cell and we were asked to keep a close watch on him.

Pei Zhiwei entered the cell and looked around first.

The cell was small, with a low bed at the back covered by a thin blanket. The blanket used to cover the person was folded neatly, though the edges were a little wrinkled.

Next to the bed was a small table with a book on it, a half-eaten bowl of rice, and a small dish of vegetables.

The floor was swept clean, and apart from Xu Li's footprints, there were a few shallow footprints in the entire cell.

She carefully examined the footprints, circling around them, and measured each one with her fingers.

Finally, he took out paper and ink from his brocade bag and carefully made rubbings of the footprints on the ground.

Finally, he went to the table, picked up the book, and flipped through it.

"When she noticed something was wrong with Xu Li, was he lying down or sitting?" she asked again.

"He was lying down," the constable recalled.

She looked under the bed and under the table again, but found no other traces. Then she stood up and said, "Let's go to the lobby."

When she returned to the main hall of the county government office, it was already packed with people.

She handed the printed footprint paper to Liu Jingchang, then leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words.

After hearing this, Liu Jingchang's eyes lit up, and he looked at Xiao Yunzhan.

Xiao Yunzhan nodded slightly, then immediately picked up the gavel and slammed it down with a loud "crack!": "Court is now in session!"

The constables below chanted in unison, "Majestic!"

The voice carried a chilling, oppressive quality, and the people and Xu family members below instantly fell silent, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Liu Jingchang: "Starting yesterday, bring up everyone who may have come into contact with Xu Li!"

Before long, ten men were brought up by the yamen runners and knelt down on the ground in unison.

Six were dressed as jailers, and four were dressed as yamen runners.

Liu Jingchang looked at Pei Zhiwei with a questioning look in his eyes.

Pei Zhiwei glanced at the ten people, then pointed to the three jailers on the left: "These are the three of them."

Liu Jingchang: "The rest of you, step down!"

The seven people who weren't pointed out breathed a sigh of relief, quickly kowtowed, and followed the constables out.

Only the three jailers remained in the hall, kneeling on the ground with their heads bowed even lower.

“From left to right, each of you will explain why you contacted Xu Li yesterday and what you did.” Liu Jingchang’s voice was steady, yet carried an undeniable force.

The first jailer on the left, with a dark complexion, said, "Reporting to Lord Liu, my name is Wang Wu, and I am responsible for delivering meals to Xu Dalang."

I didn't do anything else, except say a few words to him when I delivered his food, telling him that prison is different from outside, and asking Xu Dalang to be more tolerant.

Liu Jingchang glanced at Pei Zhiwei out of the corner of his eye and saw her gently shaking her finger.

“Next,” Liu Jingchang said again.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, around 1:00 PM today, I was on patrol as usual."

I saw him lying motionless on the bed from a distance, so I called his name twice, but he didn't respond.

Fearing something might happen, the younger one quickly grabbed the key, opened the door, and went inside. He touched the man's arm and found he was unconscious. He immediately ran to call the medical officer…

I've never touched his things, nor have I ever spoken to him.

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone in the Xu family whispered, "Could it be that he did it?"

The people who were blocked outside the hall also joined in the discussion, and the chaotic noise rose again.

Liu Jingchang slammed his gavel down abruptly.

"Silence is the law in court! Anyone who dares to make a sound again will be punished for disturbing the peace!"

Everyone seemed to be terrified by his lion's roar, and instantly fell silent.

Liu Jingchang then turned to the third jailer: "And you? Tell me about your situation."

The third jailer on the right, wearing a dark blue jailer uniform, was taller than the first two and spoke softer.

"Yes, sir, my name is Li Gou, and I am in charge of patrolling."

I conducted my routine patrols yesterday afternoon and this morning. When I passed Xu Dalang's cell, I didn't see anything unusual, nor did I have any contact with him.

Liu Jingchang stared at him for a long time, then suddenly picked up the gavel, slammed it down again, and shouted, "You're lying!"