Zhao Lin said in a cold tone, "If he asks you to break the law, will you break the law? What if he asks you to commit suicide?"
Li Hu was speechless.
Zhao Lin ordered, "Lock them all up. I'll make a decision after I've thoroughly investigated."
The yamen runners forced Li Hu and the others to leave, while others carried Qiu Cheng's body away and cleaned up the bloodstains in the lobby.
Sudi finally reacted and looked at Zhao Lin deeply. He said shamefully, "I didn't even react. I'm so incompetent."
Zhao Lin smiled and said, "It's not your fault. I didn't tell you in advance."
Su Di shook his head and stopped talking about it. He asked, "We only have the right to inspect, not to punish. If you kill Qiu Cheng, not only Lord Li, but even the local prefect will not agree."
Zhao Lin sneered and said, "If he dares to disagree, I'll kill him too."
Sudi was startled and said quickly, "Don't do anything rash. Killing a county magistrate is a small matter, but if you kill the prefect, it will be a big problem."
The local official system of the Qi Dynasty was from small to large: county, prefecture, and province, with the highest officials being the magistrate, prefect, and governor.
For example, Hong County belongs to Qingzhou Prefecture, and Qingzhou Prefecture and several nearby prefectures belong to Jiangzhou Province.
It is similar to the county party secretary, municipal party secretary and provincial party secretary in Zhao Lin’s previous life.
If Zhao Lin killed a county magistrate, he could barely explain it by saying that he refused to cooperate with the collection of the flower and stone tax, but if he killed the prefect, then the problem would be serious.
Even Li Xingye couldn't protect him.
"Don't worry, I know what's going on."
Zhao Lin said: "Never mind that, we'll be busy from now on."
Zhao Lin summoned everyone in the county government office, from the county magistrate, the chief clerk to the lower-level yamen runners, and questioned them one by one, asking them to explain clearly all the evil deeds that Qiu Cheng had done.
Qiu Cheng took office after Prince Yu Li Jingzhong arrested the previous county magistrate. He was in office for only half a year, but he committed over a hundred evil deeds, which is almost one every two days. The number is simply too numerous to list.
"This thief died too easily," Sudi said angrily. "He should be tortured to death and burned to death."
Zhao Lin said: "It's a pity that I don't have time, otherwise I wouldn't be so anxious to kill him."
Zhao Lin sorted out Qiu Cheng's criminal records, thought for a moment, and said, "Call Shen Yuan."
Shen Yuanlai had inquired about it several times in the past few days, but Zhao Lin had indicated not to let him know the details.
The bailiff went to Shen's house to call Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan hid a dagger in his sleeve and went to the magistrate's study with a fearless attitude, but saw Zhao Lin sitting there.
"Mr. Zhao...Mr. Zhao?" Shen Yuan asked in surprise.
Zhao Lin smiled slightly and said, "Have you forgotten my name?"
When they met before, Zhao Lin had mentioned his name to Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan was so excited at the time that he didn't pay attention. Now that Zhao Lin mentioned it, he immediately realized: "Zhao Lin! You are Zhao Lin! The traitor Zhao Lin! How is that possible?"
Shen Yuan involuntarily took a few steps back, gripping the dagger in his sleeve tightly, and stared at Zhao Lin warily: "You are the traitor who proposed to levy the Flower and Stone Gang!"
Zhao Lin smiled bitterly and said, "I just passed the imperial examination and am not yet an official. I am not qualified to be a traitor."
Shen Yuan did not let down his guard at all and asked, "Master Zhao... Master Zhao asked me to come here. What business do you have for me?"
Zhao Lin said: "Qiu Cheng is dead. I killed him."
Shen Yuan was suddenly shocked: "Really?"
"Of course. We'll hang his head up in public as a warning to others."
Zhao Lin said, "Here is a copy of Qiu Cheng's indictment. I need you to deliver it to Lord Li in Shengjing Prefecture. Can you do it?"
Shen Yuan shuddered, fell to his knees, and shouted, "Yes! Your Excellency trusts me, and I will die for you."
Zhao Lin waved his hand and said, "There's no need to kill him, just send him to Lord Li."
Zhao Lin handed the indictment to Shen Yuan and said, "Ride my horse and go and come back quickly."
"yes!"
Shen Yuan took the charge, carefully put it in his arms, then took Zhao Lin's horse, looked at Zhao Lin deeply, mounted the horse and galloped out of the city quickly.
Sudi asked, "Is he trustworthy?"
Zhao Lin sighed, "I don't know, I can only take a gamble."
With only the two of them and no one else, they had no choice but to trust Shen Yuan.
"Sir, Magistrate Xie is here." A bailiff came over to report.
Zhao Lin said: "It's slower than I expected."
For Qiu Cheng to be able to become the magistrate, he must have had connections in the government. After his death, his accomplices would certainly report the news to the people in the government, and then those people would take action and only now send someone here.
The Tui Guan was an official position in the prefectural yamen, of the seventh rank, and was mainly responsible for judicial trial affairs.
Those people must have racked their brains to get the prosecutor to come.
Zhao Lin nodded, walked out slowly and came to the lobby, where the magistrate Xie Honghou was already waiting.
"Xie Honghou?"
Zhao Lin was not polite at all. He sat down and looked down at Xie Honghou condescendingly: "What are you doing here?"
Xie Honghou felt a little unhappy. He was a seventh-rank official after all. You were a small scholar without any official position. You were just lucky enough to get the position of Inspector. How dare you talk to him like this?
However, Xie Honghou was deep in thought. He remained calm on the surface and even acted flatteringly. He bowed and said, "Your humble servant Xie Honghou pays his respects to the Inspector General."
Zhao Lin nodded and said, "Are you here because of Qiu Cheng's death?"
Xie Honghou said, "Your Excellency is wise. No matter what mistakes Qiu Cheng made, he was the county magistrate. The country has its own laws, and he should not be killed like this."
Zhao Lin snorted coldly and said, "Then you know that if he doesn't die, you will die too."
Xie Honghou was shocked and said, "I'd like to hear the details."
Zhao Lin said, "This thief Qiu Cheng, under the guise of the Flower and Stone Gang, has been plundering everywhere, stealing property and abducting women. His crimes are extremely heinous. If Lord Li knew about this, what would he do?"
Xie Honghou said, "Of course he'll have to get stabbed. But no matter what, he shouldn't die like this."
"Getting stabbed? Do you think it's that easy?"
Zhao Lin sneered, "I don't need to tell you how important the Flower and Stone Gang is, do I? Qiu Cheng dared to ruin such a major event. If Lord Li knew about it, do you think you could get away with it?"
Just as Xie Honghou was about to open his mouth, Zhao Lin stopped him, saying, "Don't say it has nothing to do with you. If it really had nothing to do with you, you wouldn't have come all this way. We're not fools. Xie Honghou, I just want to ask you a question. Can you cooperate?"
Xie Honghou was oppressed by Zhao Lin's aura and could not help but lower himself three inches. He asked, "Excuse me, sir, how can I cooperate?"
"Of course, we must ensure that the Flower and Stone Gang is handled properly. There cannot be any mistakes or abuse of power for personal gain."
Zhao Lin slowly stood up and picked up the gavel on the table. Xie Honghou was sharp-eyed and saw that there was still some brown color on the black gavel that had not been washed clean.
"Lord Li has entrusted this matter to me, a sign of his trust in me and a stepping stone for my advancement. The Emperor is watching from above. If I do it well, everyone will benefit. If I don't, and my good fortune is ruined, I will bury your entire prefectural office with me!"
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