Chapter 355 Intuition
"Yes, I will."
Now that he has been caught, he is a hero if he knows how to adapt to the changing times.
The clerk pointed at Shopkeeper Zhou and said, "He asked me to do it."
"You——" Shopkeeper Zhou was so angry that he wanted to curse, but was stopped by County Magistrate Liao with a look.
"It was my boss who asked us to hide the inferior tea under a layer of good tea."
"He said that in the past when delivering goods to the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion, they didn't check them strictly and didn't look underneath."
"This time, once the people from the Bo's Mansion have inspected the goods, as long as they leave the tea house, they will have nothing to do with our tea house, and it will be useless for them to report to the police."
"The tea leaves hidden underneath are not just broken pieces, but were also gnawed by rats a few days ago. When I was packing the small boxes, I even saw a lot of rat droppings."
The guy was very aware of the situation and just spilled the beans and told him everything.
Everything that should and shouldn’t be said was said.
Shopkeeper Zhou almost fainted on the spot.
County Magistrate Liao's face suddenly darkened, and he asked again:
"What happened to you sneaking away just now?"
The man slapped his thigh and said, "Hey, sir, you have a sharp eye!"
"We still have a lot of inferior tea leaves in our tea shop that have not been processed yet. The shopkeeper asked me to find a way to destroy them."
"I just came to the county government office to inform the shopkeeper that the tea leaves have been processed."
County Magistrate Liao said "Oh" meaningfully and looked at Shopkeeper Zhou.
"No wonder Manager Zhou didn't seem anxious at all when I said I wanted to search the tea house. It turns out he had already made arrangements."
Shopkeeper Zhou's knees went weak and he knelt down, begging for mercy.
County Magistrate Liao asked the clerk, "What did you do with the tea leaves?"
"Buried it!" The guy was very positive, "But the small one can be dug out again."
County Magistrate Liao nodded and ordered a team of bailiffs to follow the man to look for evidence.
Not long after, the bailiffs returned with the inferior tea they had seized.
These tea leaves were buried beside an ancient well across the street from Yongye Tea House. County Magistrate Liao ordered people on the spot to compare these tea leaves with those purchased from the Ning'an Earl's Mansion, and they were indeed from the same batch.
Qian Liu, who had almost been beaten with a stick, was finally vindicated. He shouted, "See, it's clearly you black-hearted tea houses who saw our uncle as kind and daring enough to tamper with the tea leaves. You're even crying thief and turning the tables!"
The truth of the matter finally came to light, and the people outside the county government also suddenly realized it.
"Yongye Tea House is a time-honored brand in Yunzhou City. How could they do such a thing?"
"Didn't you hear what the guy said just now? There's rat shit in the tea. How disgusting!"
"Don't say that anymore. I just bought tea from his shop yesterday. Ugh..."
"Just now I thought that the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion was bullying others by taking advantage of their power, but it seems that I have wrongly accused a good person."
"Oh, what good guy? It's just dog biting dog!"
"You can't say that. I think that young master is quite fair. If it were any other prince or noble, how could they talk to others in such a nice and reasonable way..."
County Magistrate Liao finally realized that he almost misjudged the case. A look of guilt suddenly appeared on his face, and he personally stepped forward to help Qian Liu up.
"Manager Qian, I was arbitrary just now. Now that the truth is out, I will handle it impartially and give you justice."
Gongsun Yushu on the side said with a smile: "Why don't you thank the princess quickly?"
Qian Liu naturally thanked Murong Jing profusely, and there was a hint of flattery in his words.
County Magistrate Liao walked back to his seat and slammed the gavel.
"Bold Zhou Yang, you have been running Yongye Tea House for many years, but I didn't expect you to be so evil. Do you admit your guilt?"
"I...I know my crime."
County Magistrate Liao then announced the punishment for Yongye Tea House:
Yongye Tea House will cease operations from today, trace all inferior tea sold, and compensate buyers with five times the original price. If there is insufficient cash on the books, goods and houses will be sold to offset the deficit.
Zhou Yang himself would also be beaten with thirty lashes.
"Sir, please show mercy. I have a wound on my buttocks... I'm afraid these twenty strokes of the cane will cost me my life!"
County Magistrate Liao thought about it and decided that he couldn't ask him to take off his pants to check.
The sentencing method of Daliang law is relatively flexible, and Zhou Yang himself did not commit a capital crime.
Finally, his sentence was changed to six months in prison, and no visitors were allowed.
The case ended here and the crowd of onlookers finally dispersed.
Murong Jing looked at the sky. It was getting late and it was time for her to return to the camp.
Then he said goodbye to Gongsun Yushu.
In order to avoid being discovered, Liang Zhou and Ding Xiaoqiu also dispersed early with the crowd.
The two walked towards the Yunzhou government office. Ding Xiaoqiu said with emotion, "I didn't expect the truth of the matter to be like this... That County Magistrate Liao is really a good official."
He paused, a little confused again, "But Gongsun Yushu's performance today... Brother Liang Zhou, what do you think of him?"
Liang Zhou said nonchalantly: "Didn't you hear the people around you just say that the young master is not arrogant at all and is a very nice person."
Ding Xiaoqiu lowered his head and said nothing.
Liang Zhou glanced at him sideways, "Don't you still want me to investigate the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion? Do you still think they are bad guys?"
Ding Xiaoqiu held it in for a long while and said in a muffled voice.
"Although... although Gongsun Yushu looks like a good person, I just feel... that he makes me feel uncomfortable."
“I can’t explain it, it’s just a feeling.”
Liang Zhou laughed and said nothing.
Sometimes, something as instinctive as intuition can be more insightful.
"The prefectural government office is just ahead. I'll talk to my father and he'll arrange a place for you to stay."
Ding Xiaoqiu pointed forward, took out a piece of dried apricot from somewhere and put it in his mouth and chewed it.
"Where did you get the dried apricots?"
"I just picked it up when I went out."
"Why don't you ask me if I want to eat?"
Ding Xiaoqiu was stunned for a moment, and handed him the dried apricots, "But I remember you didn't like it..."
"No, I won't, thank you."
Ding Xiaoqiu: “…………”
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