Prefect Xu looked at the thin monk, then at Jing Zhe, and finally at the abbot, saying, "Abbot Kongjing, what exactly happened? Tell everyone."
"Prefect Xu, this is what happened. Someone, in order to avoid buying incense for the temple, secretly lured my disciple into the woods, beat him to the ground when he was off guard, and stole his incense sticks to take into the temple. Since Prefect Xu is here, you must uphold justice for my disciple and severely punish this person as a warning to others."
After Abbot Kongjing finished speaking, his gaze fell on Jing Zhe, clearly indicating that he already knew who had hit his disciple.
Magistrate Xu also noticed that Abbot Kongjing's gaze had fallen on Jing Zhe. After a brief exchange of glances, Magistrate Xu also knew who had hit the man.
"The constables I brought happen to be outside the temple. If everything is as Abbot Kongjing said, then this man is far too audacious. I must send men to arrest him and bring him back to prison to be severely punished!"
After speaking, he glanced at everyone and asked, "Abbot Kongjing, you are free to point out this person!"
"Prefect Xu, that's him!"
The thin monk had already run to Jing Zhe's side, pointed at him, and said viciously, "He's the one who deliberately lured me into the woods, then knocked me unconscious and stole Changxiang!"
"Oh, really?"
Prefect Xu gave Jing Zhe a cold glance, while Feng Mubai beside him crossed his arms and sneered.
"Young Master Akun, is what the high monk said true? You'd better confess honestly. If you show remorse, I can be lenient with you since this is your first offense. But if you refuse to admit your mistake, don't blame me for being merciless!"
Jing Zhe, however, was not afraid at all and laughed, "Prefect Xu, it is true that I hit him, but it was not to steal any incense. It was because he tried to extort money from me, saying that I had to give him the money whether I wanted to or not, because he would split the money he extorted with Prefect Xu 50/50. When I heard that, I thought he was deliberately framing Prefect Xu, so I hit him in a fit of anger!"
"You...you're talking nonsense!"
The thin monk was surprised by Jing Zhe's audacity, daring to "distort the truth" in front of Prefect Xu. He shouted, "Prefect Xu, I have never said these words. He made them up!"
Magistrate Xu was also startled and had already cursed the thin monk in his heart, because half of the incense money received by Peach Blossom Temple did indeed go into his pocket. If he hadn't said anything, how would Jing Zhe have known?
That bastard must have let it slip!
"Don't talk nonsense! How could I possibly accept incense money from the common people offering to the gods? Just the fact that you're falsely accusing the high monk and me shows you have no intention of repenting! Guards!"
Magistrate Xu called out to the door, and immediately four or five constables rushed in.
"Prefect!"
"Arrest him and send him back to prison. I'll interrogate him properly after the poetry gathering!"
"Yes, Prefect!"
As they spoke, the constables prepared to arrest Jing Zhe.
However, they were no match for Jing Zhe. Jing Zhe easily dodged with a slight movement and sneered, "Prefect Xu, is this how you usually handle cases? Isn't it a bit too childish?"
"..."
Magistrate Xu was taken aback, a bad feeling creeping into his heart, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "What, do I need you to teach me how to handle a case? You beat the high monk, stole the incense stick, and even made false accusations against me and the high monk. You yourself have admitted it. Now that there are witnesses and physical evidence, what's wrong with arresting you?"
Jing Zhe sneered, "Of course there's a problem! Prefect Xu, you only listen to what they say, but why don't you listen to me? Arresting me is fine, but arresting all these monks and interrogating them properly would be a way for you to uphold justice. You're only listening to their side of the story now, and I'm starting to doubt whether what they're saying is true. You're all colluding with each other and acting like accomplices!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Prefect Xu broke out in a cold sweat. He had been a relatively honest official all these years, because all his money came from Peach Blossom Temple. Jing Zhe had just hit the nail on the head, so he was startled.
"Nonsense! Guards, arrest him—if he dares to continue disobeying, treat him as a fugitive!"
"Yes, Prefect!"
This meant that a kill order had been given, and sure enough, the constables agreed and drew their swords.
What surprised everyone was that, despite the unfavorable situation for Jing Zhe, he did not show any fear. Instead, he looked at Prefect Xu with a cold eye, appearing fearless.
"What are you waiting for? Charge!"
At Magistrate Xu's command, the constables rushed forward, but they were quick to get there and even faster to get back. Jing Zhe kicked them all away with a few kicks, and they didn't even have a chance to fight back.
Jing Zhe struck the man effortlessly, then strode up to Prefect Xu, who was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly.
"What...what are you doing?"
"Let's get to know each other again."
Jing Zhe didn't make another move. Instead, he cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "Jing Zhe, the president of Da'an Newspaper."
"..."
With a loud bang, Magistrate Xu swayed, his mind going blank. He had thought of this possibility when he first saw Jing Zhe, but Hua Ping introduced him as "Young Master A-Kun," which made him lower his guard. But he didn't expect that he would guess right!
So, Magistrate Xu's mind raced. He had arrived early, so he must have heard what Magistrate Xu had said to incite the crowd earlier—but it didn't matter. Anyway, Magistrate Xu was in the opposing camp and they couldn't be on good terms. So what if Magistrate Xu heard it? Magistrate Xu wouldn't use such a thing to make things difficult for Magistrate Xu.
As for the monks…
Magistrate Xu gritted his teeth and decided to play along—I didn't know you were Jing Zhe. You hit someone, so arresting you is no problem!
In order to make his acting more realistic, Magistrate Xu looked at him coldly: "You say you are President Jing, so you are President Jing? If President Jing came to Jiangling, he would definitely have reported to me. You must be a fraud!"
So he shouted at the constables, "What are you all standing there for? Arrest this man who's impersonating Chief Jing!"
"yes!"
As they spoke, the constables got up from the ground, but their eyes were not as firm as when they had arrested Jing Zhe. This was because Jing Zhe had kicked them all away silently. Although they did not know martial arts, they had fought a lot and were much better than ordinary people, so they knew how good Jing Zhe was!
However, since Magistrate Xu had given the order, they had no choice but to go even if they didn't want to!
Looking at Prefect Xu, Jing Zhe couldn't help but admire his intelligence.
However, before he could make a move, a clear and familiar voice pierced the air.
"I can prove it!"
"..."
————
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