Chapter 64 Asking for Help
It was not until noon that Li Nuo slowly arrived at the county government office.
The Song Mansion was not far from the Chang'an County Government Office. The reason why they arrived so late was because Li Nuo deliberately asked Butler Wu to take a detour.
He did not walk along the wide Chang'an Avenue today, but instead chose those less crowded and secluded paths.
This kind of place is not patrolled by street messengers and guards, and is most suitable for ambush and assassination.
It only took half an hour, and a small second-level assassin could add thirty days to his life span, which was much more cost-effective than the exhausting work of trying cases.
Li Nuo hopes to have more assassins like this.
That's what he thought.
Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor. Since you have a grudge against your father, you should seek revenge on him. What's the point of killing innocent people indiscriminately?
He was a fool who stayed at home obediently for eighteen years without provoking anyone. But after a few days of becoming smart, he got up early and went to bed late, wasting his time, energy and money to work hard for the people. How can he be considered a good man, right?
Should good people be pointed at guns?
There is no such thing in the world.
A true hero should have a correct sense of right and wrong.
Those who seek revenge without seeking revenge on the right person and only kill innocent people are not good people either.
If anyone dared to jump out, he would catch and sentence them.
Within the scope permitted by law, the heaviest sentence will be imposed!
Perhaps it was because he had read too many Legalist classics these days, which had a subtle influence on him.
Because of the special nature of spiritual practice, the Legalists always impose heavier sentences within the scope of the law when judging cases.
If a criminal can be sentenced to death, he will never be allowed to live. If he can be exiled 2,000 miles away, he will never be exiled 1,000 miles away. If he can be sentenced to three years, he will never be sentenced to two years. The rise of every powerful legalist is accompanied by mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the court...
Of course, sentencing severely does not mean killing innocent people indiscriminately. Those they kill must be those who deserve to be killed, otherwise they would not have such a high level of cultivation.
Once a serious misjudgment occurs, years or even decades of practice may be wasted in one day...
Fortunately, Li Nuo has the "Code of Correction" so he can make judgments with confidence and there is almost no possibility of making mistakes.
To his disappointment, after walking around the street for a long time, he didn't even see a trace of the assassin.
It must be that Steward Wu brought too many guards. Even if they were masters of the fifth realm, they could resist for a long time if they joined hands. No assassin would be stupid enough to come out and give themselves up.
Li Nuo wanted Butler Wu to reduce the level of the guards so that they could be used for fishing, but he was ruthlessly rejected.
Steward Wu looked at Li Nuo sincerely and said, "If something happens to the young master, I will never live alone. The young master should let me enjoy my old age in peace..."
Li Nuo sighed helplessly, turned around and walked into the county government office.
In a duty room somewhere in the Chang'an County Government Office, County Magistrate Zhang and County Lieutenant Wang were chatting in low voices.
"Young Master didn't come today..."
"What happened yesterday was probably a big enough blow to him. He might not be able to recover for a while."
"Yes, I just heard from Lord Pei that several imperial censors jointly impeached Lord Li during the morning court today, saying that he disregarded the law and took human life lightly. It should be because of the assassin who was beaten to death yesterday..."
"Tell me, is Gu Wenhan a corrupt official?"
"Does it matter whether he is a corrupt official or not? Anyway, all the officials in Xuanzhou were massacred by Lord Li in the name of investigating a case. Prince Rui has been planning in Xuanzhou for many years, but in the end, he made wedding clothes for Prince Chun..."
Li Nuo stood at the door and listened for a while. He really didn't know that the case of the female assassin's father involved such a wide range of issues, even involving the factional struggles of two princes.
He walked into the room. When County Magistrate Zhang and County Lieutenant Wang saw him, they immediately stood up and said in panic, "Sir..."
Li Nuo stretched out his hand and pressed it down, saying, "Don't be nervous, I have something to ask you. How much do you know about the case of Qinghe County Magistrate Gu Wenhan..."
The two looked at each other and obviously didn't want to say anything, but Li Nuo had already summed up some experience in dealing with these guys. They are hard-hearted and will not respond to soft tactics.
So his face darkened, he slapped the table hard, and said in a deep voice: "Speak!"
The son of the most treacherous minister of Daxia was still very intimidating. The two men trembled when they heard the voice, and their faces turned pale with fear. In the end, County Magistrate Zhang smiled bitterly and said, "I dare not hide it from you, sir, but what I am going to say next is the speculation of other officials in the court, and it does not represent my own thoughts. Please understand..."
He first issued a disclaimer, and then slowly said: "Although Qinghe County Magistrate Gu Wenhan is only a seventh-rank county magistrate, his case caused a sensation in the court. It also involved the power struggle between His Royal Highness Prince Rui and His Royal Highness Prince Chun..."
After a moment, Li Nuo took the tea handed to him by County Magistrate Zhang and took a sip.
The appearance of this case was similar to what he learned yesterday, with no major deviations.
It was probably Gu Wenhan, the magistrate of Qinghe County. He was in office for three years, but he was unkind, broke the law knowingly, colluded with the bandits, and not only abducted and sold hundreds of good women, but also committed a series of crimes such as corruption, bribery, and embezzlement of grain. After his crimes were exposed, his father executed his entire family...
Of course, this was just an appearance. Taking advantage of Gu Wenhan's case, the Dali Temple purged the officials in Xuanzhou one by one and replaced them with officials loyal to Prince Chun.
Gu Wenhan had a good reputation in the local area. A large number of people in the court and among the people believed that all the charges against him were framed by the traitor Li Xuanjing.
His ultimate goal was to unite his faction and eliminate dissidents, and replace all the local officials in Xuanzhou with Prince Chun's followers.
This kind of tactic is common in party struggles.
In officialdom, what is important is not doing the right thing, but standing on the right side.
Even if an official has made huge mistakes, as long as he follows the right person, those mistakes will not be considered mistakes. Even a corrupt official or a traitor can rise rapidly to the top.
But if you follow the wrong person, even if you are an honest official with outstanding abilities, you will inevitably waste your life and make no progress. You may even be affected by the power struggle among the upper class and become a victim of the struggle...
Because Li Xuanjing is a big traitor and this case involves party disputes, whether Qinghe County Magistrate Gu Wenhan is a corrupt official or an upright person has become a Rashomon.
People are more willing to believe that he is a clean official. After all, he died at the hands of the treacherous minister Li Xuanjing, and what Li Xuanjing opposed would generally be supported by the people.
County Magistrate Zhang added more tea to Li Nuo with a cautious expression. He reiterated countless times: "These are other people's speculations. They do not represent my opinion. Please do not misunderstand me..."
"Okay, okay, I got it."
Li Nuo comforted him and asked, "Besides the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice, where else can we get the files on Gu Wenhan's case?"
For others, this case may just be a topic of conversation after dinner.
But for Li Nuo, the truth of this case is quite important.
Even if it was due to party disputes, deep down, he hoped that this case was just an excuse for the Dali Temple to make a fuss, rather than a deliberately designed wrongful case.
Although the thirty days of life he gained proved that the assassin deserved to die, his crime was not clearly stated in the law code. He still wanted to see the truth of the case with his own eyes.
"In addition to the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple..." County Magistrate Zhang thought for a moment and said, "It seems that there is indeed a place that may have the files of Gu Wenhan's case, and that is the Ministry of Personnel. Gu Wenhan is a seventh-rank official. His resume, all his promotions and transfers, and annual performance evaluations must be recorded in the Ministry of Personnel. However, the part about the case is definitely not as detailed as the records of the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple..."
Not that detailed, but better than nothing.
However, Li Nuo of the Ministry of Personnel didn't know anyone. The only person he knew was the doctor of the Ministry of Examination. He had just captured his son. Going to him for help was like Sun Wukong going to the Bull Demon King to borrow the palm leaf fan. Would he be willing to help?
Li Nuo looked at the two and asked, "Do you have any connections in the Ministry of Personnel?"
The two men shook their heads repeatedly. Those officials in the Ministry of Personnel relied on the real power in their hands and looked down on others. They never took them seriously. How could they have any connections in the Ministry of Personnel?
County Magistrate Zhang looked at Li Nuo in surprise and said, "Although we don't have it, you have deep connections in the Ministry of Personnel..."
Li Nuo was slightly stunned: "Me?"
He has connections in the Ministry of Personnel, how could he not know?
County Magistrate Zhang said, "My lord, you forgot that your father-in-law, Lord Song Zhe, is the doctor of the Ministry of Personnel..."
Li Nuo really didn't know what his father-in-law did. He had only met him twice and had never said a word to him. This father-in-law seemed to be even more taciturn than his own father.
My wife doesn't like to talk much, maybe she just lets him do it.
After calming down, Li Nuo quickly dealt with two disputes among the people and returned to the Song Mansion.
In Song Jiaren's room, she was reading a book at the table. It was the thick "Shuowen Jiezi". When she heard footsteps approaching, she turned around to take a look.
Li Nuo walked up to her and said a little embarrassedly: "Madam, can you do me a favor..."
(End of this chapter)
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