Chapter 369 Friendly Forces
The Ciyun Pagoda has been abandoned for a long time. No one has taken care of it, and no one has ever climbed the tower. There are few people living nearby.
When Zhu Lan and Gong Shao walked out from behind the Ciyun Pagoda, their hands and bodies were covered in dirt, and Gong Shao was carefully holding a dirty booklet in his arms.
As soon as the two of them came out, they stopped where they were.
The road ahead was blocked, and many soldiers appeared from nowhere and surrounded Ciyun Tower and the two of them.
Zhu Lan narrowed his eyes slightly, and his sharp gaze fell on the man in the lead who was wearing the county magistrate's official uniform.
"Is he the Liao Xing you mentioned?" Zhu Lan asked Gong Shao beside him in a low voice.
Gong Shao hummed in a deep voice, and the fire of hatred in his eyes ignited again.
"Gong Shao, you are a wanted criminal, yet you dared to evade arrest by the government and escape from the city. You are so audacious!
Now you dare to come back, it seems that you really don't respect me and the laws of the court."
County Magistrate Liao's eyes fell on the booklet in Gong Shao's arms, and a barely perceptible hint of pride flashed across his righteous expression.
He and his uncle had always wanted to pry something out of Gong Yuanliang's mouth, but they didn't expect it would be so easy to get it.
If you take this thing to ask for credit, the young master will definitely reward you greatly.
He waved his hand, "Come on, take him down!"
"Wait." Zhu Lan stepped forward and stood in front of Gong Shao.
The voice was not loud, but it revealed an authority that was inconsistent with his age.
"Who are you?" Liao Xing asked, then sneered, "Since you are in the same group as the wanted criminal, it seems that you are also suspected of shielding him. Catch him as well!"
Zhu Lan shook his sleeves and showed the badge of the Hanlin Academy in his hand.
"I am a compiler of the Imperial Academy appointed by His Majesty. Who dares to act rashly?"
After hearing these words, the yamen runners dared not step forward and turned to look at Liao Xing's expression.
Liao Xing's face darkened a little, and he felt that this matter was a bit tricky.
Zhu Lan took the badge and said calmly:
“Sir Liao, in terms of official rank, I am higher than you.
There is something else going on in the case of Mr. Gong Shao, so I cannot hand him over to you."
Liao Xing, however, showed a somewhat gloomy smile.
"You said you were from the Hanlin Academy. Sorry, I don't recognize the badge of the Hanlin Academy. I have to send someone to the capital to verify it before I can confirm it.
Even if you are telling the truth, may I ask, Shangguan, are you coming to Yunzhou for official business or for personal matters?
If it is for official business, please also show the imperial edict.
If it’s a private matter…”
Liao Xing suddenly put away the smile on his face.
“Although the rank of the Hanlin Academy is higher than that of lower officials, it has no right to interfere in local county governance.”
He raised his voice a little more, "As the parent official of the people, I must act impartially."
"You might as well go out and ask. Even if someone from the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion commits a crime under my jurisdiction, they will be held accountable according to the law.
I have never shown favoritism when dealing with the Earl's Mansion, so how could I disregard the law and release the fugitive just because you are a member of the Hanlin Academy?
If this is the case, how can I face the people of Jiayu County? "
Liao Xing's words became more and more passionate and powerful, and even he almost believed them.
The yamen runners under his command could not help but look at their own county magistrate with admiration.
How can one not be excited to work under such a good official?
Zhu Lan let out a soft "tsk".
Really... I have never seen such a shameless person.
Zhu Lan clenched his fists, pretending to be angry but helpless. After hesitating for a long time, he finally "compromised" and said:
"In this case, I will not hinder Lord Liao from performing his duties.
But I will take my things away."
Zhu Lan said this and asked Gong Shao to hand him the booklet in his arms.
"Wait, that's stolen property..." Liao Xing said in a deep voice, his voice already carrying a certain threat.
"If you insist on taking the stolen goods, then I will have no choice but to detain you as well."
Although the words were sinister, Liao Xing felt secretly happy in his heart.
The other party cares so much about this booklet, it seems that this is definitely what I am looking for, there is no doubt about it.
Zhu Lan seemed angry and helpless, so he had to withdraw his hand in disappointment.
At Liao Xing's command, the bailiffs stepped forward and held Gong Shao down. Gong Shao held the book in his arms tightly and refused to let go.
But in the end, he failed to protect it and it was snatched away by someone.
The bailiff was just about to hand the booklet to Liao Xing when he heard footsteps nearby, as if a lot of people were coming towards this place.
"Sir...it looks like someone from the government office!"
Liao Xing's face suddenly changed. He looked in the direction of the voice and indeed saw the clothes of those people in the distance - they were indeed the runners of the government office.
A trace of panic suddenly flashed across his face. The prefect surnamed Ding had always been at odds with the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion. If the evidence in the hands of the Gong father and son fell into the hands of Ding, wouldn't the young marquis skin himself alive?
In a flash, Liao Xing had made the decision.
He decisively took out a lighter and directly set the dirt-stained book on fire.
The burnt pieces of paper flew in the air along with Gong Shao's panicked screams, and Liao Xing breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mr. Ding, the prefect, has arrived—"
"I am Liao Xing, the magistrate of Jiayu County, and I am here to pay my respects to the prefect." Amidst the flying paper ashes, Liao Xing bowed respectfully to Ding Wangyuan with a smile on his face.
Zhu Qingyan followed behind Ding Wangyuan and nodded slightly to Zhu Lan. The two exchanged glances.
"Lord Liao, I heard that an injustice happened here, so I came to take a look."
Ding Wangyuan's eyes fell on the burning book and his brows tightened.
"What's going on?"
Liao Xing rolled his eyes, pointed at Gong Shao and replied:
“Sir, the Gong family father and son run a tea shop. In order to make a profit, they mixed expired and poisonous tea with high-quality tea and sold it, causing people in the city to be poisoned and die after drinking tea.
I investigated the case according to the law, but Gong Yuanliang and his family fled for fear of being convicted and died suddenly in a ruined temple outside the city a few days ago. "
Ding Wangyuan said in a deep voice: "This government is aware of this matter, but the murderer has not been found yet."
Liao Xing took a few steps closer and lowered his voice, saying, "The Gong family father and son killed people and have no conscience. They must have made enemies. Gong Shao somehow escaped and now secretly returned to the city. He must have left some important evidence behind, so he risked his life to come back and destroy it."
Zhu Lan smiled coldly, "Lord Liao is really good at making up stories. The evidence is clearly a detailed record of how you assisted the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion in collecting tea taxes and squeezing tea merchants since you took office."
"What!?" Ding Wangyuan was shocked when he heard that. He walked forward quickly, not caring about the remaining sparks on the paper ashes, and directly reached out to grab them, as if he wanted to find some residual materials.
Seeing that the booklet had been burned beyond repair, Ding Wangyuan was even more anxious than Gong Shao.
Zhu Lan kept observing Ding Wangyuan's expression and had basically made a judgment in his mind.
There was no flaw in Ding Wangyuan's reaction. If he had taken refuge in the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion, he would certainly not be so anxious.
If they are friendly forces, everything will be easy.
When Liao Xing saw that the booklet was completely burned to ashes, a smile appeared on his face.
It's all burned, so no matter what anyone says is recorded in it, there is no way to verify it.
Liao Xing bowed to Ding Wangyuan and said, "Your Excellency the Prefect, Gong Shao is guilty of a heinous crime. He destroyed the evidence, and the woman beside him lied. I think they are all accomplices.
If you have no other instructions, I will take them back for questioning."
Ding Wangyuan frowned and his eyes fell on Zhu Lan's face. He felt that she looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who she was for a moment.
Zhu Lan spoke calmly, without any trace of anxiety or panic on his face.
"Liao County Magistrate is too anxious, but he doesn't know--
Which prisoner in the jail are you planning to replace with us this time?"
Liao Xing's face suddenly changed and he subconsciously looked at Ding Wangyuan.
Ding Wangyuan narrowed his eyes and asked Zhu Lan what he meant.
Zhu Landi glanced at Liao Xing with a half-smile, then turned to Ding Wangyuan and said:
“Sir, the prefect, could you ask Lord Liao to go somewhere with us?
I think there is someone there... Lord Liao would definitely like to meet him."
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