Chapter 148 Taking the human traffickers to report to the authorities to test the county magistrate
The horse came to a sudden stop. Xiao Qidi looked grave and shook his head. "Didn't find it."
"Huh?" Ning Jinli asked hurriedly, "Not even a clue?"
Xiao Qidi pulled back with his hand.
Bang.
A man covered in blood tumbled down from behind him and fell heavily to the ground.
Because Xiao Qidi was tall, he blocked the view of the person until he fell down, and Ning Jinli didn't see him until then.
Xiao Qidi also dismounted, stepping on his body with one foot, and said with a gloomy face, "The clue is in this man's mouth, but unfortunately I spent the whole night trying to pry it out."
Ning Jinli discovered that the person was almost covered in blood, with no part of his skin intact, and his hands and feet were deformed, clearly indicating that he had suffered inhuman torture.
Although the injuries were severe, they all avoided vital organs.
The man is now unconscious and appears to be on the verge of death, but he is not yet dead.
"Who is this person?" Ning Jinli asked.
"This isn't human, it's a beast." Xiao Qidi's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and then he told Ning Jinli about how he had found the human trafficking gang's hideout yesterday.
Unfortunately, those human traffickers were too stubborn.
He interrogated An'an through the night with torture, even making an example of a few of them in front of the human trafficker leader, but he still couldn't get any clues about An'an's whereabouts.
Therefore, the information we have now is extremely limited, mainly consisting of two points.
One is that Constable Zhao and others colluded with this group of human traffickers.
Another point is that the human traffickers had very powerful backers, at least more powerful than the magistrate of Hewan County.
However, it is impossible to confirm whether the magistrate of Hewan County himself was involved with human traffickers.
After listening to what Xiao Qidi said, Ning Jinli said, "You brought a human trafficker here to test the magistrate and find a breakthrough?"
“That’s right,” Xiao Qidi nodded. “This is the right-hand man of the human trafficker boss. I’ll see how the magistrate of Hewan County will deal with him later.”
"Okay, I'll go beat the drum!" Ning Jinli was about to turn around and report the case.
"Jinli, wait," Xiao Qidi grabbed her hand, "I think it's necessary to make some extra preparations. Could you open a portal in this area? I need to quickly return to Linxian City and ask Duan Wu to cooperate."
Ning Jinli looked embarrassed. "I've used up too much energy these past two days and I don't have the strength to open a new portal. I can only use the ones that are already there. One is near Sister Xiumei's house, and the other is in the county jail."
“Sister Xiumei’s house is a bit far from here,” Xiao Qidi said decisively. “Since we have to go to the yamen anyway, let’s use the county jail.”
"Okay!"
Ning Jinli ran quickly up the steps and struck the drum in front of the yamen.
Before long, the two were summoned.
Xiao Qidi dragged the human traffickers he had brought along and entered the courtroom with Ning Jinli.
However, the magistrate's seat in the courtroom was empty.
Only the clerk stood next to the magistrate's chair.
"Why did you two report to the authorities?" the clerk asked casually.
Xiao Qidi asked, "Why is the county magistrate not here?"
The clerk yawned and said slowly, "The magistrate is busy. If you have something to say, spit it out; if not, get lost!"
Xiao Qidi's eyes darkened slightly. "I've caught a human trafficking gang and brought one of them here. I need the magistrate of Hewan County to deal with him. This is a serious matter and cannot be delayed. Go and summon the magistrate immediately."
"How dare you!" The clerk slammed his hand on the table. "When did it become your place to point fingers and give orders in this river bend county government office?"
Xiao Qidi's expression grew increasingly grim. "Are you going to call out or not?"
The invisible aura emanating from him made the advisor inexplicably uneasy.
He sized up Xiao Qidi, then glanced at the half-dead man on the ground whose appearance was barely recognizable, and stroked his beard, saying, "Who knows if what you're saying is true or false?"
"I'm telling you!" Ning Jinli couldn't help but speak up, "Isn't this just bringing people here for your county magistrate to interrogate? Do you expect me to issue you a certificate first? What's the use of your county government?"
"Hey? You little brat! How dare you yell in court!" the clerk shouted sternly. "Guards, throw them out!"
Several bailiffs in the courtroom picked up sticks and were about to drive them away.
Xiao Qidi snatched the long sticks from their hands and chopped them in half with his bare hands right in front of the clerk.
Such force frightened the constables, who retreated repeatedly.
"If you don't go and summon your magistrate soon," Xiao Qidi casually tossed the broken long stick aside, "believe me or not, I'll tear this courtroom down."
These constables were almost never in the county office. The clerk didn't dare to confront such a formidable person head-on, so with a dark face, he reluctantly sent a yamen runner to invite the county magistrate.
"Boys, don't blame us for not warning you," the clerk warned coldly, "The magistrate is in a bad mood today. I didn't want you to cause trouble, but you insisted on stirring things up. In the end... hmph!"
After saying this, the clerk left the courtroom.
——
Inside the magistrate's residence in Hewan County.
The county magistrate lay half-reclined on the bed, a towel on his forehead, his face pale as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.
He asked weakly, his eyes closed, "How is it? Have you found any clues...?"
“Reporting to your master,” the steward stepped forward and replied, “Officer Zhao and his constables are currently inspecting the warehouse. Please don’t worry.”
"How could I not be anxious!" The county magistrate's face twitched. "The entire warehouse, overnight... everything inside disappeared! That was my savings of over twenty years! I... cough cough cough!"
He gets agitated whenever he thinks about it, and he clutches his chest and coughs violently.
The butler quickly patted his chest, "Master, your health is the most important thing. Don't worry, Officer Zhao will definitely find out what happened."
"It's definitely...it's definitely related to last night...the inexplicable fires everywhere!" The county magistrate opened his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Now that I think about it, it's too suspicious. I want to...I want to see which blind bastard stole from my house!"
The butler hesitated and said, "You have quite a lot of things in your storeroom, including that extremely heavy gold... It doesn't seem like anyone could have emptied it out overnight without anyone noticing."
"Otherwise what!" the magistrate roared. "Do you think my things will grow legs and wings and fly away on their own?!"
Seeing that the magistrate was about to get agitated again, the steward said nothing more.
"Master, someone from the yamen has arrived, saying they have important matters to report!" A servant's voice rang out from outside the door.
Before the magistrate could speak, the steward cursed, "What could be more important than our master's family affairs? How come those people from the yamen are suddenly so insensible! Coming to our mansion to report! Tell him to get out!"
Just then, the voice of a yamen runner rang out from outside the door again, "Sir! A man and a woman have come to the yamen, they're very fierce. They say they've caught a human trafficker and they insist that you come out to interrogate them! They also said that if you don't go, they'll tear down our county yamen!"
"Human traffickers?" The steward's expression changed slightly as he looked at the county magistrate.
The county magistrate suddenly sat up with a start, his expression becoming very serious.
"Master..." the butler whispered, "Could it be that group of people?"
The county magistrate frowned and said, "Besides that group, could there be any other human traffickers in our Hewan County? Hmm, that's strange. How did they get caught? Who's so capable of catching them? No, I have to go and see. Quick, help me change!"
"Yes, sir."
Soon, the county magistrate changed into his official robes, got into his carriage, and rode at full speed to the county government office.
He was already furious about the theft from his mansion's storeroom, and now that this had happened, his face was as ugly as could be.
When he entered the courtroom and discovered that the blood-soaked, half-dead man below was indeed one of the human traffickers, his eyes turned as if he wanted to devour him.
But due to his status, he could only endure it for now. After sitting down, he stared at Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli, and slammed his gavel, "You two, state your names!"
Under these circumstances, neither of them would naturally reveal their real names.
Ning Jinli said her name was Ding Li, and Xiao Qidi said his name was Su Mu.
"You look unfamiliar to me," the magistrate said, sizing you up. "Where are you from?"
Xiao Qidi said, "We two have no fixed abode and have been wandering around. We arrived here yesterday and unexpectedly discovered a gang of bandits who traffic in people. I wonder how the magistrate intends to deal with this?"
The magistrate squinted and stroked his beard. "What proof do you have?"
Xiao Qidi said, "I rescued dozens of people who were imprisoned by them, and those people are all witnesses. Besides, shouldn't the county magistrate interrogate the person I brought with me?"
"Where are the witnesses?" the magistrate pressed. "Where are all those dozens? I haven't seen them."
Xiao Qidi said calmly, "For their safety, we didn't bring them over for the time being."
The magistrate looked at the human trafficker lying on the ground. "This man is already unconscious. How am I supposed to interrogate him?"
Xiao Qidi stomped down, and the trafficker was instantly jolted awake by the pain, curling up into a ball and trembling uncontrollably.
At that very moment, Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli both noticed the magistrate's reaction and discovered that although he appeared calm on the surface, a hint of nervousness flashed in his eyes.
"Sir, he's awake. You can ask him now," Xiao Qidi reminded him.
The magistrate slammed his gavel down and asked in a pretentious tone, "I ask you, are you the human trafficker these two are talking about?"
Despite the excruciating pain from his injuries, the trafficker said in a hoarse voice, "Sir... I... I'm innocent! I'm just an ordinary citizen, but... I don't know why I offended him, and he... tortured me to the point of wishing I were dead. Please, sir, do me justice..."
"So that's how it is!" The county magistrate immediately rebuked, "Su Mu! Ding Li! You two audacious scoundrels, not only have you wandered into my territory, but you've also humiliated the people like this! You've injured someone like this, and you still want to accuse him of being a human trafficker! You've got some nerve!"
Xiao Qidi suddenly spoke up: "Sir, you believed him immediately after hearing only one side of the story, and you're so eager to protect him? Do you know him?"
“So what if I know him?” the magistrate blurted out, then quickly added, realizing he had let something slip, “So what if I don’t know him?! I’m just trying to distinguish right from wrong! Do you think I should judge a case according to your opinion?”
Xiao Qidi took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his pocket and tossed it out.
The bamboo slip traced a parabola and landed steadily on the table in front of the county magistrate.
“My lord, please take a good look,” Xiao Qidi said quietly. “This is a small part of the accounts related to their gang’s human trafficking, which can be used as physical evidence. It seems that your name is mentioned in them as well.”
"What? Impossible!" The county magistrate was clearly flustered. He hurriedly spread out the bamboo slips and stared at them intently.
Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli exchanged a silent glance.
At this point, it can be confirmed that the magistrate of Hewan County is involved with this group of human traffickers.
The magistrate carefully and quickly read through every word on the bamboo slips, a look of surprise inadvertently appearing in his eyes, because he knew that these were indeed the accounts of that group.
However, after watching it from beginning to end, he did not find his own name, and thus unconsciously revealed an expression of relief.
Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli also noticed these subtle reactions.
"Hmph!" The county magistrate closed the bamboo slips, looked up and sneered, "After my inspection, these so-called accounts cannot be used as evidence at all. Who knows if they are just made up? You even tried to drag me into this. How dare you!"
"Cough...cough cough..." At this moment, the human trafficker, curled up on the ground, coughed painfully, and a large pool of blood flowed from his mouth.
Judging from his condition, if he doesn't receive treatment soon, he'll probably die.
The county magistrate's heart leaped into his throat. If it were anyone else, it wouldn't be so bad, but this was a trusted henchman of the human trafficker boss. If he didn't find a way to rescue him, he would have a hard time explaining himself later.
In short, the most urgent task is to save this person's life.
As for the two people who came to report the case, it's best to just send them away to avoid wasting time.
"You two, you can leave now." The magistrate's tone was clearly urging.
"No way? It's over just like that?" Ning Jinli looked surprised.
"I don't have time to waste on your nonsense!" The county magistrate said impatiently, puffing out his beard and glaring. "I've never heard of any human traffickers within my jurisdiction! I'll let it slide since you at least came to report this out of good intentions. Now, go!"
Xiao Qidi frowned slightly. He had come to test the waters from the beginning, and this time he had gained some insights. This county magistrate might be a breakthrough point.
However, he still has to go to jail.
He thought he could take advantage of the situation to anger the magistrate by using the human trafficker, and have him locked up in jail.
Unexpectedly, the magistrate simply told them to leave.
Ning Jinli leaned closer and whispered, "How about... we make a scene in court?"
"Aren't you leaving yet?" the magistrate snapped. "Do you want me to send men to throw you both out?!"
Just as Xiao Qidi was about to start dismantling the courtroom—
"My lord! Good news!" Constable Zhao suddenly rushed in from outside like a whirlwind. Without even looking around, he went straight to the magistrate's side. "After my analysis, I think I know who stole from your treasury! Quickly give the order to have all the constables in our county office follow my instructions. I will definitely capture the thief and bring him to justice!"
The theft of the family storeroom was also of great importance to the county magistrate.
The magistrate, disregarding the current situation, grabbed Constable Zhao's hand and excitedly asked, "You truly are the most capable constable by my side! Tell me quickly, who is that damned thief?!"
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