Chapter 54
When the county magistrate speaks, how dare the people below not respond? Boss Li personally took the person to the second floor. When going up the stairs, the guard who was pulling Lin Xing staggered and almost fell, and it was Li Xiaxi who helped him up.
The three were thrown to the ground. Looking at the unconscious people on the ground, the county magistrate signaled Boss Li to wake them up.
"Splash, splash!" Several basins of cold water were poured on them. As the county magistrate wished, the three of them gradually woke up, and the rest of them tactfully retreated to the door.
"You two, it's been a long time." He greeted Lin Xing and Chen Ling with a smile, but the look in his eyes when he looked at them was cold, as if he was looking at two dead people.
Lin Xing replied in a hoarse voice: "It is said that noble people tend to forget things easily. County Magistrate Zhao actually still remembers us. It is really touching."
The county magistrate said: "I wanted to get rid of you without anyone noticing, but I didn't expect that you had a close relationship with Li Dongyi. It was indeed inconvenient for me to do it, so I kept you until now."
Lin Xing: "If I remember correctly, Li Dongyi will be here soon. Do you dare to kill us?"
County Magistrate: "Why not? That guy is just a dog I raised. How can he really think of himself as a thing?"
Shen Ling added at the right time: "Doing such a harmful thing, aren't you afraid of being exposed?"
The county magistrate said: "Who would know? These are all my people. The guards you brought with you are probably killed by the sword."
Yu Hang, who had been lying on the ground without saying anything, asked, "Are you sure?"
The county magistrate did not take her words seriously, but instead focused on another thing, "You are a woman, why is your voice so rough?"
Lin Xing: "Do you know who she is?"
County Magistrate: "Isn't she just the maid of Li Dongyi's concubine? Do you really think I know nothing?"
Lin Xing asked in confusion: "But there is no concubine of Li Dongyi here?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? The coffin parked outside the post station..." The words stopped abruptly. County Magistrate Zhao stood by the window in a daze. There was no coffin outside, not even a carriage.
He turned around in a hurry. Yu Hang's sword was already on his shoulder. He also covered his mouth and said, "Don't scream if you want to live."
Then Lin Xing and Shen Ling on the ground also got up and brushed off the dust on their bodies under the gaze of the county magistrate. At this time, the county magistrate finally realized that something was wrong and made a "woohoo" sound.
"Yu Hang, let go of your hands and listen to what he wants to say."
Yu Hang let go, and the county magistrate immediately started shouting, "Hurry up and get some help!"
There was no movement outside the house, and all the people who were supposed to be guarding the door had disappeared. The sword pressed directly against his neck, forcing him to shut his mouth.
Lin Xing: "Keep shouting and see if anyone comes to rescue you."
"Impossible, where did you take my people?"
Lin Xing kindly reminded: "Could it be that the county magistrate forgot that there was a distinguished guest coming, so they naturally went to greet him?"
"I never gave this order." He seemed to understand something. "It turns out that Li Xiaxi has been yours for a long time. I should have killed her long ago, as she is a traitor."
"Boss Li is not one of us. She has a conscience, unlike you who have lost all conscience."
"Me? Absolutely heartless?" The county magistrate said unconvincedly, "If it weren't for me, would Li Xiaxi's brother have the status he has now? In my opinion, Li Xiaxi should work like a slave to repay me..."
“Bang!”
Lin Xing interrupted the county magistrate with a slap, then went to wash her hands at the bucket nearby. This time she washed her hands with enough force that red marks appeared on the county magistrate's face. Yu Hang covered his mouth with a look to stop him from talking nonsense.
Lin Xing: "The county magistrate should say less to avoid further physical pain. You just stay here and I will take you back to the city to see the county magistrate later."
She winked at Yu Hang and went out, and Shen Ling followed her. Inside the house, Yu Hang spoke the familiar lines again.
"Li Dongyi has been in cahoots with them for a long time. He deliberately asked you to come here today to catch you in the act. The Prime Minister had already guessed this and sent me here to rescue you."
In order to gain the trust of County Magistrate Zhao, Yu Hang put down the sword across his neck.
"What Prime Minister? What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I know you don't believe me. Lord Sun should have come to rescue him, but he has been following Li Dongyi and couldn't get away, so he delegated the task to me."
Hearing the familiar name, County Magistrate Zhao relaxed his guard, but still shook his head to indicate that he did not understand what he said.
Seeing that this trick didn't work, Yu Hang changed his trick, "That Li Dongyi is so abominable. In order to make up for his mistakes, he colluded with the county magistrate. County magistrate, you just need to write down the crime of that guy, and the prime minister will definitely seek justice for you."
"Is this also the Prime Minister's request?"
"right."
County Magistrate Zhao looked at the pale sky outside the window with complicated eyes, slowly walked to the table and began to write down the judgment on himself and Li Dongyi.
The progress of the post station was smooth, and the people in the city also began their plans in full swing.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" At the end of the morning hour, a burst of drum sounds broke the tranquility of the early morning.
Liu Qichang was on patrol today. He heard someone beating a drum in front of the county government office. He hurried over to check before he left. “Who is beating the drum here? What’s the injustice?”
Out of professional habit, he started asking routine questions before he could see the person clearly. The next second, he saw the person clearly, which was really unexpected for him.
"Doctor Li, why are you here? What happened? Come into the county government office and tell me slowly."
Doctor Li knelt on the ground with a thump and kowtowed three times, which frightened Liu Qichang so much that he was at a loss. "I want to see the county magistrate. I have an important case to file, and I hope the county magistrate will be fair."
Doctor Li lay on the ground and refused to get up. Liu Qichang said nervously, "The county magistrate is not here today, and I don't know where the county magistrate is. Doctor Li, please come in quickly."
More and more people gathered around, and many of them tried to persuade Doctor Li, but he was unwilling to get up, and even kept his head on the ground.
Seeing that the time was almost right, Magistrate Wu stepped out of the crowd, helped Doctor Li up, and said, "I am the magistrate. Tell me the truth about your grievance, and I will make the decision for you."
Strangely enough, the county magistrate succeeded in lifting up the man whom Liu Qichang couldn't even lift up with just a slight pull. He really had great strength.
Liu Qichang looked over, confirmed the county magistrate's identity, saluted him, and said, "Greetings, County Magistrate." Then he stood behind him.
"This matter is of great importance. I should kneel down and explain it."
The county magistrate did not stop him, and others were reluctant to speak over his shoulder.
Doctor Li knelt down again and said word by word, "I want to sue the Magistrate of Quyang County, Zhao."
This sentence caused a stir in the crowd, and the sound of discussion was endless. Shock, absurdity, and strangeness spread in the air. According to the script, Xiaomei, who was hiding in the crowd, shouted: "Zhao County Magistrate has worked hard for Quyang for more than ten years. Old man, do you know what you are saying?"
Many people in the crowd echoed the words, but a few remained silent. Magistrate Wu said at the right time: "That woman is right, Doctor Li, you should think twice before speaking."
"I know what I'm saying, but I know you won't believe me. Please listen to me before you judge."
"I'm sure you all know that a female corpse was found in the backyard of the clinic twelve years ago. That was the work of County Magistrate Zhao."
The discussion drowned out Doctor Li's voice. He stopped and waited for the right moment. Xiaomei took the opportunity to ask, "Why would the county magistrate do this? What good will it do him?"
"This matter has to do with a murder case that happened in Hongciyi twelve years ago. At that time, a family of four settled here, but they were robbed. Their two children accidentally escaped and went to Quyang to report the case. This matter must be handled by Zhao Xiancheng, who has just arrived in Quyang."
Xiaomei: "What does that mean?"
"When he heard about this, he personally led his guards to the Hongci Posthouse, only to find that it had been occupied by bandits. The bandits did not want to fight with the government officials, so they offered a condition: as long as County Magistrate Zhao stopped interfering with their activities, half of all the stolen money from the black shop would be handed over to the county magistrate. The county magistrate agreed immediately and has been protecting those people for more than ten years."
Xiaomei: "How do we know whether what you said is true or not?"
"I know you may not believe me, but there is one person who can prove what I said. At that time, the county magistrate did not completely believe them. These desperate criminals could bite him back at any time. The county magistrate not only arranged his own men among them, but also put forward a condition that the owner of this Hongci Posthouse must be arranged by him."
Xiaomei: "So? Who can prove it?"
Liu Qichang really couldn't stand Xiaomei's interruption. He raised his sword and pretended to catch Xiaomei, but was stopped by the county magistrate, who asked Doctor Li to continue his testimony.
"The county magistrate wanted to lie to the two children who escaped, but one of them saw through it. After a long negotiation, the two of them finally reached a consensus. The stolen money was split in half between them, and the boss of the black shop was to be the sister of the child."
"That girl was my apprentice twelve years ago. In order to avoid suspicion, the county magistrate planned to have her die in the backyard of the clinic and threatened me that if I told anyone about it, he would kill the girl."
Xiao Mei: "After all this talk, there is still no evidence?"
Apart from Xiaomei, there was no one in the crowd who spoke up for the county magistrate. Everyone had the ability to make judgments. Moreover, Doctor Li had been in Quyang for decades, and his position in everyone's hearts was irreplaceable.
"Even if there is no evidence, I believe what Doctor Li said is true. Ten years ago, I came here from Nanru and was indeed robbed and killed by bandits on the way. I was lucky enough to survive."
"I don't think Dr. Li would lie."
"I believe him, too."
More and more people stood on their side, but a small number of people still remained silent. But it doesn’t matter, their play is not over yet.
Doctor Li: "As long as the county magistrate sends people to search the mansion of County Magistrate Zhao, they will definitely find the stolen goods. If you bring the owner of Hongci Posthouse here, it will also prove my words."
"Okay, I'll do as you say." The county magistrate turned around and said, "Liu Qichang, take your men to the county magistrate's house and search every inch of it. Don't let go of anything."
Then he shouted to the county yamen, "You guys, go to Hongci Posthouse and bring the boss to me."
"Doctor Li, please stand up quickly."
"No, I won't stand up until the physical evidence is presented."
The people around began to discuss the matter in a low voice. Xiaomei walked among them and confirmed that everyone had begun to favor them. The county magistrate's house was very close to here. After a while, Liu Qichang returned to the crowd, followed by a group of people, all holding black bags.
Liu Qichang: “Put it down.”
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The bundle fell apart, revealing the gold, silver and jewelry inside. At this point, everyone believed what Doctor Li said.
"Why are there so many? I thought the county magistrate was incorruptible. What on earth is this?"
"Yeah, he must have made a lot of money in the past ten years, what a bastard."
The county magistrate looked at the indignant crowd and said, "Don't worry, I will make a judgment that will satisfy you. Now that the county magistrate is not in the city, I will immediately send someone to arrest him.
"I'm going to prepare some rotten eggs now. I'll smash that bastard to death."
"Count me in, I'll go with you."
The crowd dispersed, not knowing that they didn't have this chance.
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