Chapter 229 Imprisonment
Liu Zian merely glanced at him indifferently, offering little response, and instead bowed to the people of Linshui County.
"My lord, I don't know what crime my brother committed that led to his arrest and forced kneeling here. Please tell me everything."
The magistrate of Linshui County actually hated Liu Zi'an even more. This man was humble and smiling on the surface, and quite handsome, but behind the scenes he had done all sorts of bad things, and was even more vicious than Liu Daheng.
Liu Daheng's evil is at most superficial. Although he is despicable, others can at least avoid him. But Liu Zian is different. He seems easy to talk to on the surface, but he does all sorts of bad things behind the scenes, leaving people no chance to react.
"Of course, I have my reasons. Now, with witnesses and evidence, your brother cornered a weak woman in the alley with several burly men. What were you planning to do? Fortunately, I arrived in time, or who knows what the consequences would have been!"
Liu Zian glanced at Jiang Mi and smiled, "Really? This young lady doesn't seem frightened at all. I've heard she's quite skilled; perhaps my brother wouldn't be a match for her. Your words seem a bit far-fetched, sir. Could there be some misunderstanding?"
The magistrate of Linshui County slammed his fist on the table: "Absurd! What misunderstanding could there be?"
Liu Daheng was also indignant: "Who said that? I haven't even had a chance to lay a hand on this woman yet, and you're already saying I can't beat her? That's impossible!"
"I'm not afraid of god-like opponents, I'm afraid of pig-like teammates." Liu Zi'an closed his eyes and muttered helplessly, "Shut up!"
Upon hearing this, the magistrate of Linshui County laughed smugly: "Look, your brother himself has admitted that he did indeed intend to lay a hand on this young lady. I've heard that this isn't the first time. You even caused trouble at the Jiang Family Restaurant before, and you even hired one of the thugs who caused trouble earlier. It's utterly lawless!"
Liu Zian wasn't afraid at all; he simply refused to admit it: "Sir, you need evidence to support your claims. What scoundrels? I've never heard of them. Besides, my brother and I went to Jiang's Restaurant last time because we heard their peach blossom wine was good and wanted to try it. Who knew they'd get into a verbal argument? Is that even illegal?"
This Liu Zian is quick-witted and far more eloquent than Liu Daheng. The magistrate of Linshui County had previously tried to arrest the two, but he couldn't find any evidence. In addition, it seemed that they had someone backing them up, so he could only turn a blind eye. But now things are different.
"Really? Then I heard that in order to drive the Jiang Family Restaurant out of business, you paid people to bully this young lady from the Jiang family. The thug from before has confessed everything. He said that Liu Daheng ordered him to do it, and he was just doing his job for money."
"What? That useless bastard confessed everything so easily! I even gave him extra reward money. He's a complete waste. He didn't do a good job and even sold me out!"
Liu Zian rubbed his forehead: "Brother, it's not that someone else sold you out, it's that you sold yourself out. By saying these things, even if that person hasn't confessed, you've already admitted it yourself."
Liu Daheng then realized what had happened and hurriedly tried to cover his mouth in regret, but his hands were tied behind his back. He was so angry that his face turned red: "You corrupt official, how dare you trick me!"
The magistrate of Linshui County snorted coldly: "It's clearly your own stupidity that's the problem, who else can you blame? Guards, arrest Liu Daheng! He has already confessed to his evil deeds to my face, and everyone heard it. He still dares to show contempt for me. Lock him up in jail and await his fate!"
Liu Daheng panicked immediately. He turned to his younger brother and pleaded, "Brother, please save me! Please save me!"
Liu Zian sighed helplessly. He knew this older brother would cause trouble. Oh well, it's good to lock him up for a few days. It won't be too late to rescue him after he's done his job.
"Big brother, you can stay in the prison without worry. I will tell Aunt about our situation, and she will help us."
Upon hearing his aunt's name, Liu Daheng immediately breathed a sigh of relief. As long as his aunt was there, he was no longer afraid.
"Hmph, you corrupt official, you'll regret treating me like this sooner or later. Everything you've done to me today, you'll regret tomorrow."
It will all come back to you.
After Liu Daheng left, the magistrate of Linshui County couldn't help but show a worried expression. He knew that the backgrounds of these two men were indeed extraordinary. If he really failed to bring them down, then his good days would be over.
Liu Zian took one last deep look at Jiang Mi before slowly leaving. The crowd automatically made way for him; everyone was afraid of this man, not only because of his background but also because of his methods.
"Thank you so much, Magistrate, for upholding justice for me," Jiang Mi said with great gratitude.
The magistrate of Linshui County sighed: "This is only the beginning. Who knows what will happen next? These two have powerful backgrounds. I am just a small magistrate. I may not be able to control them. Otherwise, they would have been able to do evil for so long. I can only leave it to fate."
Zhao Decai pondered for a moment and asked, "Can't we report their situation to the imperial court?"
The magistrate of Linshui County glanced at him and said, "You're obviously a new official, yet you say such naive things. Everyone who's been in officialdom for a long time, who would want to meddle in such trivial matters? It's thankless work, and you might even get yourself killed. With their backgrounds, very few people would be willing to get involved."
However, the magistrate of Linshui County and Zhao Decai intervened, and in any case, they had already done a great job.
"It's a blessing for us ordinary people to have officials like you," Jiang Mi sincerely praised.
"Let's take it one step at a time. Liu Daheng has already been arrested. Look at Liu Zian, he doesn't seem scared at all. He must have something on his mind. If Liu Daheng is released later, you should go back to Shushan County. It'll be safer there. Those two brothers will definitely not let you off the hook."
Jiang Mi thanked the magistrate of Linshui County but did not reveal her plans. Not only did she not intend to leave, but she also wanted to continue running the restaurant. In Jiang Mi's life, there was no such thing as accepting fate!
Just as the magistrate of Linshui County had expected, within two days, someone came to him and asked him to take good care of Liu Daheng in the prison. However, strangely, he was not asked to release Liu Daheng. This was quite a strange thing.
When Jiang Mi heard this, she wasn't alarmed. She knew someone was trying to take advantage of her situation.
Sure enough, the next day an old man who came to eat suddenly collapsed on the ground while he was eating.
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