Chapter 232
At the dinner table, the officials stood up one after another, holding their wine glasses with both hands and respectfully toasting the man sitting in the middle.
Duan Gan lazily lifted his eyelids and glanced at them, toying with his wine glass. Seeing the wine in front of him, he remained unmoved. The others could only laugh awkwardly before drinking it all in one gulp.
Amidst the clinking of glasses and the seemingly harmonious atmosphere, everyone harbored different thoughts, secretly speculating about the true purpose of this visit.
Since they couldn't predict the outcome for the time being, everyone could only carefully serve the important figure before them.
He said, "Li Changlin."
Upon hearing the voice, Li Changlin quickly stood up. "This humble official is here. What are your orders, sir?"
Under the intense gaze, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead in the slightly cool weather, trickling down his temples, down his chin, and dripping into the mellow yellow liquor.
Do you know how Magistrate Su Xiuyuan died?
"The coroner and the doctor both came to see him and unanimously agreed that he died from a sudden and incurable illness."
He asked again, "Is that really so?"
Li Changlin looked up at him, swallowed hard, and bowed his head respectfully, saying, "That's true, Lord Duan."
He scoffed and said coldly, "How could I have found out that he was maliciously murdered? The so-called sudden illness was just a cover-up. As the prefect of Suizhou, do you not even have the ability to investigate this much?!"
With a loud thud, the teacup in their hands was carelessly tossed onto the table, causing everyone to kneel on the ground, shouting, "My lord, please calm down! My lord, please calm down..."
Li Changlin was on the verge of tears. The coroner and the doctor had indeed said so. Although he knew his death was not simple, what could he do without evidence?
"Lord Duan, I would never dare to deceive you, but the coroner's autopsy results are as follows."
After speaking, he took out the examination results written by the coroner from his pocket and presented them with both hands. Chen Jinghe took them and handed them to Duan Gan.
Li Changlin breathed a slight sigh of relief as he watched him carefully examine the document.
Fortunately, as soon as he heard that Duan Gan was coming to Suizhou, he carried the autopsy report with him so that he could hand it over to Duan Gan at any time to prove that he had not lied.
But Duan Gan only glanced at it and put it aside without looking at it again.
Seeing his indifferent expression, everyone suddenly stopped, not daring to make the slightest move, all of them acting cautiously.
Duan Gan had no idea about the so-called autopsy results; he was just using it as an excuse to attack Li Changlin.
Li Changlin knelt down with a thud and said tremblingly, "Lord Duan, everything I said is true. I was present when the autopsy was performed and I saw the coroner do it with my own eyes."
"Of course, I do not dare to assert that it was not caused by someone else based on this alone, but this conclusion was reached after extensive investigation."
"Perhaps it is because you have so many capable subordinates that you were able to uncover something unusual. Your Excellency is truly awe-inspiring. If you require my cooperation, I will certainly do my utmost to serve you to the death!"
"The same applies to you."
"The same applies to you."
The other officials all appeared to be extremely loyal and willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause.
Li Changlin was indirectly admitting his incompetence, while also uttering a bunch of flattering words to the Privy Council and expressing his loyalty.
This statement, while not watertight, also had no loopholes; the person who could sit in the position of prefect was indeed quite capable.
"Get up. I was just asking casually. Look how scared you've all become."
This voice, like a pardon, finally allowed everyone's tense nerves to relax. However, everyone knew that this was only the beginning, and no one knew how long he would stay in Suizhou.
"I have come here on behalf of His Majesty to inspect the people's conditions. You do not need to be so nervous. If there is any need for you, we will call you. If there is nothing else, you may leave."
Duan Gan picked up his wine glass and took a small sip, savoring the spiciness on his tongue followed by the mellow aroma of the wine.
"In that case, I shall take my leave now."
When the others heard Li Changlin say this, they all echoed him. These minor officials were just there to show their faces in front of Duan Gan; they wouldn't be involved in any important matters anyway.
The group clasped their hands in a fist salute, then respectfully retreated to the doorway and turned to leave.
Chen Jinghe stood at the door with his arms crossed, watching their departing figures, and laughed in a contemptuous tone: "We've already come all the way to Sui County, and they still went so far as to travel overnight to test us. How interesting."
"Have Zhang Cheng and Leng Xu not returned yet?"
Hearing the question behind him, he turned around and replied, "Fourth Master, they haven't returned since they went out yesterday. It seems things are getting a bit tricky."
Zhang Cheng was the commander of the Xiaoji Battalion, while Leng Xu was the commander of the Privy Council's Ghost Guard. They usually stayed in the shadows to protect Duan Gan and ensure his safety.
However, Duan Gan's martial arts skills far surpassed theirs, and he did not need protection. Therefore, they were used by Duan Gan to do things that he could not do in person.
In addition, there was Leng Chuan, whose martial arts skills were second only to Leng Xu, who was sent by Duan Gan to secretly protect Tao Tao.
"I didn't expect there to be dozens of mines of all sizes in Suizhou, some of which are extremely well hidden. Although we have sent people to other less important places, it will still take quite a while."
Chen Jinghe stroked his chin, analyzing why they hadn't returned yet.
They are here to attract the attention of certain people, lower their guard, and make it easier for those secretly sent to investigate.
He gave a faint "hmm," looking thoughtful.
The mess on the table was quickly cleaned up, and at that moment a man walked in from outside the door. He was Yunxian, the county magistrate of Sui County.
"Lord Duan, the magistrate's body has been lying around for several days. Should we have it buried?"
"What's there to be afraid of? The weather isn't hot, it won't hurt to leave it for a few more days." Duan Gan didn't say anything, but Chen Jinghe said impatiently instead.
"Fourth Master, if only Miss were here, she could go back to being a funeral director. I think she quite likes this profession."
He just became as lazy as the Fourth Master later on.
Duan Gan looked at him with a half-smile and said, "You seem to know her quite well."
Chen Jinghe was about to speak again when he noticed a hint of hostility in the man's eyes. He chuckled dryly and quickly said, "This subordinate knows nothing about Miss, nothing at all..."
Seeing him withdraw his gaze, Chen Jinghe secretly wiped away the cold sweat, and couldn't help but complain in his heart that Fourth Master was too possessive, and he couldn't even tolerate saying a few words casually.
Duan Gan glanced up at the county magistrate who was waiting for orders, and asked, "What's your name?"
He looked up in surprise. "My name is Yunxian."
"Lord Su's health has not been very good before. The doctor said it was due to overwork. I have already told him to take better care of his health and get more rest, but he wouldn't listen. I couldn't persuade him either."
Duan Gan couldn't help but recall what he had said last night, and a scrutinizing gaze swept over him.
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