Qin Su was also observing his expression; he seemed very troubled.
"What? Is there a problem with the complaint?" Qin Su asked him.
The bailiff shoved the complaint into Chongyang's arms and waved his hand impatiently, "You can leave now. I'll pretend you were never here today, and this troublemaking isn't your fault. Get out of here!"
He urged him impatiently.
Qin Su finally understood that the yamen runner didn't want to get involved.
But he wasn't exactly a villain.
"Chongyang, continue beating the drum." Qin Su ignored the yamen runners and gave Chongyang the order again.
Chongyang was very obedient and stepped forward to beat the drum. The "dong dong dong" sound attracted many people.
"Stop banging! I think you really want to get a beating!" The constable was also anxious, feeling that Qin Su was simply refusing to listen to reason and asking for trouble.
Seeing that more and more people were gathering, the yamen runners had no choice but to go in and call for help. They said to Qin Su and the others, "These people dared to beat the drum without a complaint. According to the laws of Da'an, each of them will be given twenty strokes of the cane. This will be carried out immediately!"
Lian Tao held the complaint paper high, "We have a complaint paper!"
bailiff: We should have torn it up right away!
This matter absolutely must not be blown out of proportion.
"It's fake! You didn't have a complaint when you first arrived, so I don't know where you found it from!"
The constable reached out to snatch it, but Lian Tao was much faster than him, and he didn't even manage to touch a piece of her clothes.
He became increasingly anxious and increasingly disorganized.
After a while, a person came out of the yamen.
The man was seven feet tall and slightly overweight, but his eyes were clear and his face was serious; he didn't seem like a bad person.
"What's going on? Is someone beating a drum to appeal for justice?" He was wearing a black gauze hat, and quickly passed by Qin Su and the others, finally fixing his gaze on Chongyang.
The constable hurriedly said to the man, "Sir, they were deliberately causing trouble. I'll deal with them right away."
Qin Su spoke up loudly, "We have a complaint, what's wrong with beating the drum to appeal for justice? How is that deliberately causing trouble?"
The man walked over and asked, "Where is the complaint?"
Qin Su took the legal document from Lian Tao and handed it to the man.
"My lord!" The bailiff was a little anxious, but the man pushed him aside and took the petition.
He quickly glanced through it, his expression turning extremely grim. "Is this really true?"
Qin Su nodded, "Of course it's true."
"Are you the victims?" the man asked again.
Qin Su shook her head.
"Someone, go and summon the victim," the man said immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
Qin Su smiled and said, "Wait a moment."
"Let's go inside and talk."
The man clearly didn't want to do this, but when he noticed the token Qin Su handed him, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately knelt down.
"Let's go inside and talk."
Qin Su spoke again, and this time the man did not dare to hesitate for a moment and immediately had someone lead Qin Su and the others inside.
Qin Su only wanted to use this opportunity to test the prefect and did not want to make a big fuss about Tao Rong's family.
After all... if Xue Huai'an found out, all our efforts would be in vain.
As for this indictment... it was shattered into dust in Qin Su's hands and could not be restored at all.
The man was the prefect of Xishan City, named Mengde, and he certainly didn't look like an official who would bully the local people.
After having tea served, Meng De lifted his official robe and knelt down, saying, "This humble official was unaware of the presence of Prince Chen and Princess Chen. I have offended you greatly, and I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness and Princess."
Qin Su didn't want tea, so she asked Lian Tao if the yamen had any fruit juice or something similar.
"The Princess Consort and Prince Chen have come here specifically for your son's sake, so there's no need for these formalities."
Yu Shuo nodded slightly.
Even so, Prefect Meng dared not get up. He knelt on the ground and said, "I know that my son is a bit of a troublemaker, but to beat and kill ordinary people, that is really impossible."
It is true that he neglected to discipline his children, but to say he committed murder... he doesn't believe it.
Qin Su said, "Your Excellency should be glad that you didn't just tear up the petition."
If he tears it up, he himself will be in trouble.
"How could I dare?"
This is the greatest insult to him; there's no way he could do such a thing.
"I, the princess, can spare your son's life for now. Someone will come to take his life. Consider this time as your last chance."
Qin Su wanted to kill Xue Huai'an himself, and naturally understood Tao Rong's desire to take revenge personally. Moreover, keeping this person alive for the time being was also to dispel Xue Huai'an's suspicions.
“But…but…” Prefect Meng still couldn’t believe his son could do such a thing.
Qin Su understood. She said, "If you don't believe me, you can investigate secretly during this time. Do you understand? Secretly. This matter cannot be publicized. Otherwise, I, the Princess Consort, cannot guarantee the safety of your whole family."
The last sentence was actually just a threat. Although Qin Su was not a perfect person, he was not a villain who would kill people.
"Yes... I understand."
His body had become much more hunched, and he found it hard to accept this situation.
Qin Su took the juice Lian Tao handed her and said calmly, "Your son bumped into me on the street today. You should know what to do."
Prefect Meng paused for a moment, then nodded.
He didn't know why Qin Su did this; perhaps it was just to teach him a lesson in advance, or perhaps there were other plans. In any case, he chose not to persuade him.
Qin Su frowned slightly; this juice... didn't taste very good.
She said nothing, but secretly observed the furnishings and layout of the lobby.
The lobby is decorated in a very particular way, but both the ornaments and the furniture show signs of age and wear and tear, and the materials used are not of high quality.
This prefect certainly didn't live a very wealthy life.
How could someone like him raise such an arrogant, domineering, and ruthless son who disregards human life?
Qin Su decided to secretly have someone investigate.
Perhaps it's best to maintain some goodwill.
Qin Su didn't insist on drinking the juice and left with Yu Shuo early.
After returning home, she asked Chongyang to investigate whether the story about Tao Rong's parents was true and whether someone had framed them.
Although Chongyang found it strange, he still agreed.
"You've been traveling all day, you need to rest well." Yu Shuo led her to sit down, had someone bring water, and personally washed Qin Su's feet.
Warm water can relieve fatigue and make people feel relaxed and comfortable.
Yu Shuo said to Qin Su, "Chongyang's investigation of these matters will not be wrong; the prefect's son did indeed commit murder."
Qin Su sighed, "I know, but I still have some hope."
Yu Shuo didn't say anything more about this. He realized that Qin Su was not good at strategy. Her actions today seemed to be able to cover up her mistakes, but in reality, they were full of loopholes.
He gently massaged Qin Su, intending to secretly help her cover up her mistakes, while also teaching her, "You don't need to go to Magistrate Meng today. Being exposed in the open will only make it easier for Xue Huai'an to find out."
"Didn't you say Xue Huai'an was a smart man?"
Qin Su nodded. "My strategy is indeed very poor." Relatively speaking, she would rather solve problems with her fists, but unfortunately, there are too many things in this world that cannot be solved with fists.
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