Chapter 141: The Prefect's Judgment
The prefect? Hearing Qin Xiangnuan's words, the prefect's knees weakened. If his hands were not tied and hanging in the air, he would have fallen to his knees.
Where did this group of people come from? How did they even find the prefect? His lips chattered, cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and he glanced outside from time to time. During the long wait, he still held on to a little foolish hope, thinking that Qin Xiangnuan was definitely trying to scare him, not that he could actually invite the prefect to come. You know, the prefect here is very busy with official duties and only comes here for inspections during the annual festival. Although their official positions are not much different, the prefect, as Qin Xiangnuan suspected, spent a lot of money to buy the position, so naturally he feels guilty and has no confidence.
"Master, someone is coming."
Outside the yamen, the prefect arrived, exhausted, not even noticing the stones under his feet, and nearly falling. He pushed aside the officials blocking his way and rushed straight into the yamen. Qin Xiangnuan noticed that the prefect was holding a jade pendant in his hand. It was somewhat similar to the one Jiang Lin had given her, but also somewhat different. It looked not as good as her own. Qin Xiangnuan raised an eyebrow and stood aside quietly observing. The prefect rushed in and saw An Feng in black. He asked, "Where is he?" An Feng didn't even salute, but simply nodded as a gesture, and stepped aside to reveal Jiang Lin behind him.
The prefect swallowed his saliva, ran to Jiang Lin, and opened his mouth to call him "Prince", but Jiang Lin raised his hand to stop him and did not reveal his identity.
"Since the prefect has arrived, please take your seat and judge the case." Jiang Lin pointed forward. The prefect hesitated slightly, unsure whether he could allow the young master of Xiaoyao Marquis's mansion to stand on the stage. He felt as if countless needles were pricking his buttocks, fidgeting uncomfortably. But the next second, he slammed the gavel, ordered the prefect to step down, and demanded, "Do you realize the severity of your crime?"
Zhao Liang never expected that two seemingly weak young men could really ask the prefect for help. Right now, the situation was hopeless. As soon as the cloth gagged in his mouth was pulled out, he hurriedly shouted to the prefect, "Godfather, you must speak for me! Save me, I don't want to die!" He was in the prime of his life and had a lot of time to squander. How could he be beheaded here? The intense fear made him unable to think. He moved closer to the prefect on his knees, "Godfather! Please speak!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Who is your adoptive father? I don't even know you!" The governor knew very well at this moment that the prefect in front of him was here to thoroughly investigate the case and would definitely find someone to take the blame. If he put all the blame on Zhao Liang, he might still have a way to survive. He made a decision immediately, kept a distance from Zhao Liang, looked up at the prefect and said, "Sir! You are wise. He is just an official on duty. He does many evil things on weekdays and the people have criticized him. But he hid all his crimes very carefully. I was really deceived by his sweet words and illusions, which led to this big mistake. Now, I have repented! If you can give me another chance, I will definitely do my job well and will never allow such a vicious person to appear around me again!"
Dog bites dog, this is a good show. Qin Xiangnuan stood by with her arms folded, watching the show with interest. She raised an eyebrow at Jiang Lin, and the two exchanged glances tacitly. The prefect sitting upstairs looked at Jiang Lin and Qin Xiangnuan, his heart beating fast. He was originally resting in the mansion, but who would have thought that the secret guard would actually climb over the wall and break into his room, stuffing the token of Xiaoyao Marquis Mansion into his hand, and said in a cold voice: "The prince asked you to go."
The prefect didn't have time to think about it. He followed the secret guards out in his official robes. He came to his senses on the way and became even more frightened.
Why did the prince of Xiaoyaohou Mansion appear here? How did he get involved in such a case? What is his relationship with the unfamiliar young man next to him? Could he also be a powerful official in the capital? The prefect felt as if someone had strangled his throat and he couldn't speak for a long time. He was hesitating, but Zhao Liang's eyes widened. It seemed that he had never thought that he would be the discarded card. He suddenly spat on the ground and said bluntly: "Well! How dare you say that! Back then, those two brothers killed people, set fire to the inn, burned, killed and looted. Many people came to the government office. It was you who colluded with them, acquiesced to their continued evil deeds, and negotiated a cooperation deal with them. They would send a batch of gold and silver to your house every seven days! I was just running errands for you, and you are pushing me out now?"
"The silver I found in my room is nothing compared to yours. For years, you've been secretly abducting women and ordering us to do your dirty work..." Zhao Liang recounted the provincial government's dirty deeds, each one shocking the secret guards. The prefect was embarrassed. He knew the situation was chaotic, but he simply didn't care. Since it wasn't a big deal, there was no need to deal with it. But now the prince was listening, and he wanted to gag Zhao Liang and shut him up.
But Zhao Liang knew he was about to die. Since he was going to die, why not take the governor with him? A crazy look appeared in his eyes. He sneered twice, turned around and looked at Qin Xiangnuan and said, "I knew that no one could be relied on. So over the years, I have paid tribute to my adoptive father... No, the benefits I have given to the governor are all listed in a list and hidden in the kang hole at the head of my bed. You can see it if you look for it."
"That old fox of his has kept all his money away from home for years. I once saw him kneeling in the backyard Buddhist temple late at night. If you go take a look, you might find some clues. Those gold ingots must be near the temple!" As the provincial governor's adopted son, Zhao Liang knew more than the others. Qin Xiangnuan nodded to Anfeng, and Qin Feng and him immediately left. About half an incense stick of time later, they ordered someone to bring in two enormous boxes.
The box fell to the ground with a dull thud. Just from what I heard, I could tell that the contents must be very heavy.
The prefect's face paled instantly. "It's over, it's all over," he muttered repeatedly, his eyes a hollow, pale gray. Jiang Lin signaled the secret guards to open the box, and instantly, the gold ingots and silver bars within shone brightly. After a quick glance, Qin Xiangnuan estimated that there must be tens of thousands of silver coins. "What else do you have to say! Come, take him away! Execute him on a certain day!" The prefect stood up in anger and shouted. The people he brought immediately took away all the officials and yamen runners of the prefecture and all those involved in the case.
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