It wasn't appropriate to discuss such matters in public, so the fat Taoist priest sent He Zifeng to his shop.
Those of them who engage in metaphysics are always on a shady business, with no guarantee of tomorrow. Now that he has made a name for himself in the county, he no longer wants to travel around aimlessly. He has bought a shop in the county, not far from the shop in Lingshan Village, making it convenient for him to pick up and use things.
There were several young Taoist boys in the shop's main hall, and the fat Taoist priest led He Zifeng to the inner room.
“Master He, you can’t eat this!” the fat Taoist said. “I can tell at a glance that this is Five-Stone Powder. Although the formula is different from the old one, the smell is similar. After taking it, you may feel refreshed for a short time, but it will poison your internal organs.”
Although the fat Taoist priest also enjoyed swindling money from wealthy people, he was only after money and didn't feel guilty about taking the silver. If someone happened to fall seriously ill, he could easily cure them and collect a hefty reward.
But this Five-Stone Powder is an evil formula that our ancestors forbade.
The fat Taoist priest, who frequented the county, said, "It must be that evil Taoist." He often walked around the county town, and several of his fellow Taoists would get together to drink. They all said that they could swindle money but not kill people, so that they could continue doing this for a long time.
If one bad apple comes along, they might go hungry, which would be a terrible thing.
The fat Taoist priest had initially thought it was He Zifeng who was taking the medicine, and he was quite startled! Now that he thought about it, the fact that He Zifeng was asking about it meant that he didn't know about it. He had mentioned that the evil Taoist priest was always wandering around the county government office with a yin banner and even called himself a celestial master.
Those wealthy men must be blind to have dared to hire him!
After the fat Taoist priest described the demon's appearance and physical characteristics, He Zifeng vaguely seemed to recognize him.
The fat Taoist priest happened to run into He Zifeng and said, "Master He, can I go to the government office to report this case and have this person arrested?"
He Zifeng said, "Alright, I'll arrange this." He then asked about the appearance of Wu Shi's illness and the duration of his treatment before leaving.
He then went to the county government office. As soon as he entered, the yamen runners looked at him as if he were their savior.
Bingzi said, "Brother He, you've finally arrived! The magistrate was furious just now." His angry shouts at the clerk were loud enough for them to hear. They didn't dare breathe loudly, nor dared to go in and try to mediate. Inside, things were being smashed and people were being cursed. These two were people ordinary yamen runners couldn't afford to offend, and they'd been cursing for quite some time.
Someone needs to give both sides a way out. With Constable Zhu absent, He Zifeng is the best candidate.
During the most intense moment, they were all afraid that the county magistrate would kill the clerk.
Upon learning this, He Zifeng said, "Those on duty shall stay at the yamen, and the rest of you shall go and repair the city gate. The situation is special right now, so no one should slack off!"
Upon hearing He Zifeng's words, everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They quickly left, not wanting to get involved in this matter. If they were discovered, they would become cannon fodder.
After hearing He Zifeng's words, he left immediately.
He Zifeng then entered the magistrate's inner room, where, as expected, the floor was a complete mess. The clerk, who usually looked down on the magistrate, had caused trouble repeatedly and now dared not retaliate when being reprimanded.
When He Zifeng entered, the clerk subtly breathed a sigh of relief. He Zifeng said, "Sir, the city is already under repair outside. Would you like to go and take a look?"
The timing was perfect. The county magistrate was tired of scolding everyone, so he said, "Alright, I'll go take a look."
He then left without even glancing at the clerk. The clerk, overwhelmed by a series of emotions and burdened by his medication, was also on the verge of collapse and swayed. He was caught by He Zifeng, who said, "That's not what you meant, sir. Please take care of yourself."
The clerk, too preoccupied to settle scores with He Zifeng later, said weakly, "Don't you dare tell anyone what happened just now. Otherwise, I'll kill you!" He still wanted to maintain his dignity and self-respect, unaware that the entire yamen had heard his curses.
The clerk then left the county government office.
No sooner had the clerk left than the scholars arrived, claiming they had somehow received word that Gong San had been released. The scholars were furious. Although the prison officials said it was because Gong San was ill, it sounded unbelievable.
When the advisor saw their aggressive demeanor, he was furious! It was all because of these troublesome people that they brought up old grievances and subjected him to such humiliation.
However, they couldn't confront anyone directly at the moment, so they retreated into the government office.
These scholars were all furious. Last time they had sent them away, they had released them as soon as they turned around, but now they were determined not to let it go.
Several people clearly saw the clerk, but the clerk turned and walked away, which angered them: "Grab him."
Young people are prone to impulsiveness, and they immediately grabbed the clerk. The clerk was a man of status, usually surrounded by many people, but today his sedan chair bearers were nowhere to be seen. Otherwise, these few people would never have been able to get close to him.
But the clerk had taken Five-Stone Powder earlier, so he was incredibly strong and managed to break free from the scholars' grip and escape. One of the scholars, in a panic, pulled out a packet of powder from his person and threw it at the clerk's face.
Then the clerk let out a miserable scream.
Wherever the powder was sprinkled, blood immediately seeped out, terrifying all the scholars.
The person who sprinkled the powder was also stunned. He kept saying to those around him, "I thought it was chili powder." He had been persuaded to buy it by a man!
The advisor was still wailing. Everyone knew something serious had happened.
They went to report the case repeatedly.
The county magistrate returned with a large entourage and immediately summoned a doctor to treat him.
The county magistrate detained the scholars. The man who had sprinkled the powder was nearly scared to death.
The doctor came quickly and applied painkillers, which relieved the clerk's pain, but his appearance could not be restored.
As a member of the current government, appearance is also an assessment criterion; disfigurement makes it absolutely impossible to become a chief clerk or secretary.
The scholar was terrified after hearing this.
The other constables immediately arrested him, while the rest went to arrest the person selling the medicinal powder. They brought him back shortly afterward. Not only him, but also about fifty packets of similar medicinal powder!
The doctor took one look and exclaimed, "Good heavens, it's highly poisonous!"
The man said he found the drug. He was an idle person who liked to wander around and dig for treasure. He actually found signs of disturbing the earth in an abandoned house. After digging up the drug powder, he went around trying to sell it. He was arrested after selling only one packet.
The doctor examined the poison and found it to be very similar to the one used by the "Male and Female Demons" years ago. The remaining poisons were confiscated and destroyed. The seller was given twenty lashes and imprisoned. The scholar who poisoned the poison was stripped of his grades and banned from taking exams for life.
Once the advisor and others realized what had happened, they rushed over and began to tear at the two men, completely abandoning their usual dignified demeanor.
And he got really addicted, and soon started yelling and screaming.
His reaction was as if he were possessed. It was only after his trusted aide tremblingly took out some medicine powder, stirred it in a cup, and half-fed it to the clerk that he felt a little better.
But his hair had become disheveled at some point.
The county magistrate was caught off guard by this major turn of events and didn't know what to do. He Zifeng secretly reminded him, "Sir, the case can't be delayed any longer. So many things have happened in just a few days. It's best to close the case as soon as possible."
The magistrate composed himself and then said, "Go, bring that old man, his half-mad daughter, and the whole Gong family."
The case was reopened, causing another sensation.
The county magistrate was furious and issued an ultimatum to the Gong family: they had to come; otherwise, he would automatically be found guilty of wrongdoing.
Gong Sancai regained consciousness and was taken to the county government office by several servants.
There were many ordinary people outside, and many people from the Gong family also came. Although they were dissatisfied with the advisor before, they still hoped that he could help them. However, when they arrived and did not see the advisor, and were told that the ugly man was the advisor, they were greatly shocked.
The madwoman lunged at Gong San and bit him. This was the yamen (government office); how could they allow a madwoman to commit such a violent act? The others dispersed. But the madwoman, at this moment, was no longer mad. She recounted in detail how Gong San had forcibly taken her that day. What happened? Who was around?
Gong San denied it repeatedly, so much so that he coughed up something in his haste.
Suddenly, someone outside said, "I can testify that I did see Master Gong pull her into the carriage that day."
"A few years ago, the tailor's daughter also committed suicide, and it was said that it was related to him. Everyone knows that the third master of the Gong family is not a decent person."
"What a terrible thing!"
The magistrate quickly summoned the witness to testify. Once one of them stepped forward, the others followed suit.
Even the usually quick-witted Gong San panicked. He cried out, "My lord, I'm innocent!" But by then, no one believed him.
Seeing that there was no way to salvage the situation, Gong Xiyuan stepped forward and said, "My son deserves to be torn to pieces for such a heinous act. It's just a pity for this father and daughter. I promise to take her as my goddaughter and support them for the rest of their lives. If you are willing to forgive my son, I will give you one hundred taels of silver!" An ordinary family could not earn one hundred taels of silver in their entire life.
This kind of thing can't be sentenced to immediate execution. At most, he'll be imprisoned for a few years.
It was He Zifeng who mediated the situation, and in the end, the county decided to issue them travel permits so that they could take the 100 taels of silver and leave this place to live elsewhere.
As for Gong San, although he may be spared the death penalty, he will not escape punishment. He will be given fifteen strokes of the cane as a warning to others.
Gong Sansheng was ill, and after three strokes of the cane, he cried uncontrollably. After five strokes, his pants were soaked with blood. He received a full fifteen strokes, and after that, he fainted and was taken away by the Gong family.
Since Gong San has already confessed in court, it involves another matter: the case of the advisor covering up the crime.
The advisor had gone completely mad and said, "You deserve it."
One sentence sparked public outrage: "Your daughter is just too promiscuous, otherwise why wouldn't she go after someone else?"
The madwoman was already delirious, and upon hearing his words, she headbutted his stomach, making the advisor scream in pain.
The magistrate, knowing his advisor was no longer of any use, said, "How dare you! You first protected the clerk, then sent men to cripple the common people. And now you show no remorse! Remove him from his post and give him fifteen strokes of the cane!"
"What right do you have to hit me?" the advisor roared.
Seeing that the yamen runners didn't move, the magistrate said, "Beat him!" Only then did everyone come to their senses. They tied up the clerk, and to prevent him from saying anything more, they gagged him with strips of cloth. They gave him twenty strokes of the cane, but the clerk couldn't withstand it and died on the thirteenth stroke.
Just then, He Zifeng said, "Sir, the reason why the advisor made a mistake is because he took the evil Taoist's Five-Stone Powder, and the poison has already entered his internal organs."
The magistrate found He Zifeng increasingly astute. No matter how serious the clerk's mistake, he couldn't kill him; otherwise, it would be considered harming a comrade. Now that this reason was in place, it would be easier to distinguish right from wrong in the future, no matter where they were.
They immediately ordered someone to arrest the sorcerer, and sure enough, they found a lot of Five-Stone Powder in his and his advisor's possessions.
Then they summoned the fat Taoist priest to inquire about the matter, and the fat Taoist priest explained the dangers of the Five-Stone Powder. The evil Taoist priest was also given thirty lashes, and he no longer had the arrogance of a former Celestial Master. After only a few lashes, he told the truth.
After the beating, they were immediately imprisoned and exiled a thousand miles away.
After this matter was settled, the county magistrate ordered that the clerk be properly buried. Everyone felt a deep sense of sorrow.
After dealing with his biggest worry, He Zifeng left the county government office and went directly to Ranran's private school, picking the child up before the holiday. He told Master Lin that he had something to attend to at home and would send the child back the next day, to which Master Lin agreed.
Little He Ran, who had been brought out, skipped and hopped over: "Daddy."
He Zifeng picked up his son and kissed him.
Xiao He Ran laughed and hid in his father's arms.
He Zifeng turned his head and kissed his son again. Little He Ran's eyes sparkled as he asked, "Daddy missed me, didn't he?"
He Zifeng's throat tightened, and his eyes stung terribly: "Yes."
The little one nestled in his arms and said, "I missed you too."
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