"How could this happen? Xiao Jin! Go, quickly go and call someone to bring my son back. I want to see if that damned Officer Xie dares to shit and piss on my son's head?!"
Madam Xu was so angry that her breathing became extremely loud.
They no longer cared about using vulgar language.
Yan Xia quickly got up from the ground and gently stroked her chest with her hand.
"Madam, please don't be angry. It's not worth getting angry over such a wicked person. I'm just angry that he took the jade pendant I bought for you. It's one thing for him to steal my things, but he should never have stolen yours."
This isn't cooling you down, it's practically setting you on fire.
"Mother, don't get upset. He's just a government official. Let my brother beat him to death."
"Yes, Grandmother, don't be angry, Jiaojiao is scared."
I was coaxed for a while, but my anger didn't subside.
Magistrate Xu arrived first.
"Mother, what's wrong? What happened that you urgently summoned me from the county office?"
Magistrate Xu was still wearing his official robes.
They seemed to be in a hurry.
"Ask your good constable! How dare he steal my jade pendant and arrest the manager of Yan's branch store without even asking what happened! What do you mean the flower cakes are poisonous? If they were poisonous, how come I'm not dead? I've already eaten so many! Go and beat that constable to death for daring to steal my things. Then go and release that manager so he can go sell pastries again."
"Huh? Who dares to steal Mother's things? What's going on?"
Magistrate Xu looked completely bewildered.
Yan Xia had no choice but to explain.
"Bang—" Now things have gotten really bad, Magistrate Xu also slammed his fist on the table.
They are mother and son after all; their habits are the same.
"How dare you steal my mother's things! You've got some nerve! Men, bring Xie Yan'an here! And bring his whole group here too."
Xu Wenyan kept a watchful eye on things.
He wasn't as foolish as Old Madam Xu, who believed everything Yan Xia said.
Only fifteen minutes had passed.
Several burly men dressed in black, with knives at their waists, forced Xie Yan'an to kneel in the courtyard.
Shi Qi and several other officials were also present.
They were all guards of the county government office.
"You bastard, did you arrest the manager of the Yan's Pastry Shop branch? Who gave you permission?" Xu Wenyan shouted at Xie Yan'an from his chair.
"Yes, sir, someone accused Manager Deng of selling poisonous flower cakes, which is why I arrested him."
Xie Yan'an was so scared he almost peed his pants.
His voice was trembling so badly when he spoke.
"What? While I was away from the county office, you suddenly became the county magistrate and dare to help me solve cases? Speak! Did you steal the Yan family's jade pendant?"
"What jade pendant? I... I don't know anything about it!"
Xie Yan'an trembled even more violently, feeling extremely uneasy.
"Still trying to deny it? I saw it all! Do you think I'm blind? Guards, take the jade pendant off his waist!"
The red jade was the most eye-catching, especially since Xie Yan'an deliberately hung it on his waist to show off.
Even if he tries to justify himself.
It also cannot blindfold others.
"My lord, spare me! The jade pendant... she gave it to me herself. I didn't steal it. Yes, she gave it to me to bribe me into releasing Deng Qiuzhi."
Xie Yan'an is frantically trying to clear her name.
"I bribed you? Who do you think you are? You think you're worthy of my bribing? The entire Jiangnan County belongs to Magistrate Xu. What business is it of yours? When did the county government become your personal fiefdom? The jade pendant I bought for the old lady cost a full thousand taels of silver. You're really asking for an exorbitant amount. You dare to ask for a thousand taels? You clearly stole it. My lord, if you don't believe me, ask the others. There were more than just the two of us present at the time."
Xie Yan'an never expected that the woman in front of him, who looked more than ten years older, was Yan Xia. He opened his mouth wide in disbelief.
I couldn't say a word.
Yan Xia's words successfully made Xu Wenyan narrow his eyes.
Although he was a corrupt official, he also hated those who tried to embezzle from him.
In particular, this person dared to ride on his head.
While overstepping his bounds, he even dared to dream of usurping his rights.
"Tell me, is this true or false?"
He casually pointed to one of the officers and asked.
"Yes, it's true. When this lady came to the county government office, she wanted to go in and see Manager Deng. The boss asked her for money, but he wouldn't let her in. He also took a fancy to the jade pendant on her body. When the lady refused to give it to him, he forcibly took it. We tried to persuade him, but he wouldn't listen. He even told us to get out of the way and said that he was in charge of the county government office. There was nothing we could do, since the boss was in charge of us."
"You're talking nonsense! There were clearly only Xiaoqi and me there at the time. You weren't in the guard room. You're making it all up!"
Xie Yan'an's eyes were bloodshot as he glared fiercely at the person who had just spoken.
"Xiao Qi? Who is Xiao Qi?"
Xu Wenyan asked.
“It is I, sir.”
Shi Qi took a step forward while kneeling.
"Which of them is telling the truth?"
"In reply to your question, sir, that was indeed the situation at the time. We tried to persuade my elder brother, but he wouldn't listen. He said he was going to gamble that night. The jade pendant looked extremely valuable. We begged you to be lenient with him. My elder brother was blinded by gambling and that's why he stole Madam Yan's jade pendant."
After Shi Qi finished speaking,
Xie Yan'an was so angry she almost vomited blood.
He never imagined that one day he would be betrayed by his own cousin.
Xie Yan'an struggled to his feet, rushed to Shi Qi, and punched him hard, his face contorted with rage.
"You beast! You harmed me! How dare you harm me! I brought you to the authorities back then, and instead of repaying your kindness, you dare to harm me?"
“Brother, I know you have been kind to me, but you can’t go too far. Haven’t you done enough? You’ve already taken a lot of money, and now you’re even resorting to blatant robbery. Brother, don’t you think you’ve changed? You’re terrifying. If I don’t speak up, I’ll be dragged down with you sooner or later. The magistrate is discerning, and what you’ve done will eventually be discovered. My family lives in poverty. I just want to be a good official and serve you, so that my mother can enjoy her old age in peace. I can’t let you kill me, brother. If something happens to me, what will happen to my mother, my wife, and my children?”
Blood was trickling from the corner of Shi Qi's mouth.
But he seemed oblivious to the pain, roaring loudly.
"What else did he do?"
Xu Wenyan's voice was extremely cold.
Shi Qi trembled with fright.
"Yes, I'm sorry, sir. I didn't say anything. I was confused. I was confused."
He knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
Soon, blood appeared on his head.
"You tell me."
Xu Wenyan pointed to another person.
"The boss has taken a lot of money from people, often tens or hundreds of taels, sometimes even five hundred taels. Once those people give him the money, the boss will arrest or release people according to their demands..."
As the official spoke for longer and longer, Xu Wenyan and Madam Xu's expressions grew increasingly grim.
"Excellent, excellent, truly remarkable! I, Xu Wenyan, have actually produced such a formidable figure under my command."
Xu Wenyan laughed in exasperation.
“Son, why bother talking to him so much? Just kill him! He deserved to die for embezzling so much silver.”
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