The prison in Guyang County was overcrowded, and the simultaneous sounds of wailing and begging for mercy from all directions were quite intimidating.
Song Huan, still the head of the yamen runners, was somewhat disoriented when he realized that the new magistrate was far more ruthless and cunning than he appeared, leaving his brother-in-law far behind.
Look at him, standing there with his hands behind his back, he looks like a weak scholar. When he gives orders to them to use torture, he is gentle and kind. But where did he learn these tricks to torture people?
He was quite experienced in using torture, but after the county magistrate witnessed his use of torture, he shook his head and dismissed him, replacing him with someone he had brought from the capital.
It was actually quite simple. Inside the prison were five small, dark rooms, completely dark, filled with some kind of insects. Within a day, increasingly loud cries and pleas for mercy could be heard coming from inside.
The prisoners who were lucky enough to stay outside listened to those horrific sounds all night long, and their defenses had long since crumbled. When it was their turn to be locked in the dark room, they confessed faster than anyone else.
After reviewing the cases separately, Fu Qiyuan had gathered almost all the evidence he needed.
As they left the cell, the ringleader glared at Fu Qiyuan and said, "Sir, you'd better understand this first. Since our brothers dared to commit arson and murder, they must have someone backing them up. You're just a newly appointed magistrate; you'd better be sensible!"
Fu Qiyuan turned around, glanced at the man as if he were already dead, and said in a low voice, "You said the same thing to Lord Cao, didn't you? Lord Cao has no powerful backing, so naturally he doesn't dare to act rashly. But do you know how powerful my backing is? Fine, I'll let you die in peace. I am the newly appointed top scholar, and my backing is the Emperor!"
The man's pupils shrank dramatically, and his face turned ashen in an instant.
Stepping out of the cell, the bright sunshine warmed my head and felt very comfortable.
Song Huan followed closely behind Fu Qiyuan, swallowed hard as she looked at his flowing robes, and asked with difficulty, "Sir, what crimes should they be charged with?"
Fu Qiyuan said without turning his head: "Arson and assault, premeditated murder for money, both crimes combined, even if he doesn't die, he should be exiled three thousand miles away!"
Song Huan nodded, thinking to himself that this official was truly fearless, like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, imposing such severe punishments without any intention of leaving any leeway for the criminals!
In the back courtyard of the Jiao family, Jiao's mother was taking a walk in the yard with Jiang Huai in her arms when she casually mentioned that Fu Qiyuan would be staying at the county government office to hear cases for the next two days and would not be able to come back.
A single sentence reminded Jiang Shan that she began to seriously analyze the true purpose of the thieves who set fire to their shop and tried to steal the children.
All signs indicate that their target is her. Burning the goods and shops is all aimed at driving her out of Guxian Town. However, the child abduction was an accident. They originally intended to set fire to Jiao's residence, but it happened to coincide with her giving birth, so the abduction of the child became their ultimate goal.
What would a group of murderous and arsonist robbers want a newborn child for?
The more I think about it, the more alarmed I become.
She had that thought before; the scoundrel who ruined her reputation probably wanted to silence her, but after discovering she had given birth to a son, she felt she should take the child back to be recognized by his family. It's also possible that the scoundrel had made enemies, who followed the clues to her and now used her son to threaten him.
It must be said that Jiang Shan has a remarkably rich imagination; the scenario she conjured up was almost identical to the truth. However, it wasn't that the scoundrel wanted to kill her to silence her; it was his mother who wanted to get rid of her, this stumbling block.
Jiang Shan was unaware, but Jiao's mother's worries were no less than hers.
The mother and daughter were each calculating and worrying, but they never brought the real person to the forefront.
Jiang Shan was even thinking to herself that even if she wanted to date Fu Qiyuan, she would have to deal with that scoundrel first. If Fu Qiyuan still had the same feelings and intentions, she wouldn't mind having a passionate romance in ancient times.
Fu Qiyuan was unaware of Jiang Shan's thoughts; if he had, he would have vomited blood.
He finished tidying up the case at hand and wrote a letter to his father, who was far away in the capital, expressing his determination to make an example of him. As for the mess that might arise later, he, as his father, would have to cover for him.
The Pei family of Yuzhou ranks first among the city's wealthiest families. They've spent a fortune buying official positions for their members, though the highest rank they attain is only a fifth-rank local official. However, the Pei family's daughters have married well. The current patriarch, Pei Tianyou's, younger sister married Cheng Mu, the former Minister of Works, and his sister's daughter married Fu Ting, the current Minister of Works. The nepotism within these large families can be incredibly complex, and the intricate relationships involved cannot be explained in a few words.
The Pei family is now facing a rather thorny problem: Pei Wang, the youngest grandson of the younger generation who is most favored by Pei Tianyou, has been imprisoned in the Guyang County government jail.
The Pei family spent over three thousand taels of silver to find out this information.
Pei Wang's mother, Madam Xu, cried until her eyes were swollen. She twisted the handkerchief in her hand and cursed angrily, "My eldest aunt is now the head mistress of the Cheng family's main branch. Although the old minister has been retired for many years, does she not have any capable people under her? Why does she have to order our Wang'er around? Father, you can't abandon our Wang'er. You have to think of a solution!"
The eldest aunt Xu mentioned was Pei Tianyou's younger sister, who had married into the Cheng family. Even though she had been married for forty years, she still held a very high position in the family.
This eldest aunt was extremely shrewd. After marrying into the Cheng family, she quickly took charge and became the undisputed head of the household. Otherwise, she wouldn't have driven the second branch of the Cheng family to the point of separation.
Pei Cheng, the father of Pei Wang, the fourth son of the Pei family, was very displeased to hear his wife scolding his aunt like this. He said coldly, "This matter has nothing to do with my aunt. It's just that Wang'er can't swallow this anger and won't listen to my advice. He took it upon himself to go and seek revenge...!"
Madam Xu was unaware of the full story; she only knew that her beloved son had been arrested by the authorities for doing errands for her aunt. Quite a few people were arrested, including members of the Pei family, servants, and even hired guards.
“We are the Pei family, the most powerful family in Yuzhou. Even a lowly magistrate of Guyang County wouldn’t dare to offend the Pei family! Father, please send someone to bring Wang’er back!” Xu cried out with tears in her eyes.
"What are you yelling about? I have my own way of doing things. Shut up!" Pei Cheng glared at his wife impatiently.
The patriarch, Pei Tianyou, with a stern face, slammed his cane on the ground and said with utmost authority, “What do you know? The newly appointed magistrate of Guyang County is from the capital. How could he not have some background? Your aunt will bring news of the magistrate of Guyang County soon. We will discuss this further then.”
Pei Cheng said with a beaming smile, "That's right, Father, you've thought it through perfectly! When has our Pei family ever been afraid of trouble? A mere county magistrate, Father can make him regret it with a mere wave of his hand!"
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