Fu Changfeng had been working from dawn till dusk these past few days. It wasn't until late autumn, when all the leaves had withered and fallen, and the grain had been delivered to the prefectural city, that he finally felt a little relieved. He was just about to have a cup of tea when Zhao Yuping suddenly appeared.
"My lord, strange things have been happening in Shaoming County recently. It is said that the wronged spirit of the Long family has returned and is crying out for justice at the original Long family residence every day. Many people have also witnessed it."
“A wronged spirit? Ha, what kind of trouble are these people up to now? Confucius said, ‘I do not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.’ Who is behind this this time? Yu Ping, send someone to investigate secretly and see who has approached the Long family’s courtyard these days.”
"Yes, I will take care of it right away."
"No one lives in the Long family's mansion now. Why would anyone think of going there to scare people? Could there be some secret in the Long family's mansion?" Xi Chun also heard the conversation between the two. She looked up from her accounting and asked in confusion.
"I also had my suspicions about this matter. When the Long family's house was searched, although everything was taken, I always felt that it wasn't all. Perhaps there was some unknown wealth. This incident confirms my suspicion. It seems that someone knew about this and deliberately made it happen, wanting people to stay away from the Long family's residence so they could take advantage of the situation."
“Then we really need to investigate this thoroughly and find out who’s behind it and what they’re plotting.” These days, all she does is keep accounts and manage the household. Xi Chun has long been bored. Since becoming the county magistrate’s wife, her life has been subject to many restrictions, and she can no longer do business as she pleases as before.
"Alright, let's go catch these so-called wronged souls behind this and expose them to the light of day."
The couple exchanged a smile and made this their primary concern.
In the following days, everyone in the county heard about the strange things that had happened at the Long family mansion. They were so frightened that they dared not go that way. Even those who had to cross that street preferred to take a detour. Many people had witnessed the execution of the Long family members, so the thought of it now gave them goosebumps.
"You've all heard about the ghost story at the Long family's place, right? Tsk tsk tsk, it's terrifying. My neighbor's relative said that he was trying to get home early that night and accidentally passed by that road. Suddenly, he saw a headless, vengeful spirit floating by, which scared him so much that he ran away as fast as he could."
"What's this? We've heard about it before, and some people have already heard that every night at midnight, there are always shrill ghostly cries coming from the Long family mansion, shouting for my head back."
"But the Long family deserves their fate. These people didn't act like human beings when they could, and now that they can't, they still want to scare us living people. I want to see how terrifying they really are."
"No, you'd better not go. It's really creepy. I think we should all avoid that area these days. You'll get scared out of your wits. If someone is easily frightened, they might be scared to death."
Fu Changfeng had also heard the gossip among the people. He had already figured out who those people who were pretending to be gods and ghosts were, and these people would naturally not escape his grasp.
So on a dark and windy night, when everyone was at home and dared not go out, Fu Changfeng led the yamen runners with torches toward the Long family's residence. The blazing firelight illuminated the surrounding roads, and the neighbors who heard the commotion thought that the vengeful spirit had appeared again.
"Call all the people in the vicinity to surround the Long family's residence. Today, I, the magistrate, will personally catch this ghost and see where it came from." Fu Changfeng ordered his constables to knock on doors from house to house. When the people heard that the magistrate was going to catch a ghost, they instantly became excited.
Yes, the Long family was killed by the county magistrate. If the county magistrate wasn't afraid, what were they afraid of? Driven by curiosity, the men spontaneously took out their own torches, wanting to see what these wronged souls looked like.
"Men, open the gate for me, and come with me to catch the ghost." At Fu Changfeng's command, the gate of the Long family, which had not been opened for a long time, creaked open, and then all the yamen runners rushed in.
"Quick, quick, I saw someone run out! Catch them! I want to see what these wronged souls look like today!" The people waiting outside the door hadn't heard the commotion inside and were craning their necks to look when a person jumped down from the wall. The crowd rushed forward and subdued the person.
"Hey, why is it warm? It's not a vengeful spirit, it's a person. You little brat, why did you scare us like that? I haven't been able to sleep well for days."
"Exactly, it was a person in disguise. I was wondering where ghosts come from in this world. I heard a few days ago that someone was planning to hire a shaman to exorcise a ghost. Luckily, we didn't spend that money. We're so young, why are we learning such scary methods instead of good things?"
When the neighbors saw that he was still a young man, they couldn't help but start beating and scolding him.
"The county magistrate said that everyone will be questioned by the government. You should tie them up first and not beat them without authorization. If you kill them, you will have to pay compensation." A constable who was guarding outside heard about this and hurriedly ran over to stop them.
Inside the courtyard, Fu Changfeng led his men and quickly rushed into the residence where Long Shijin had once lived. A group of people were digging with shovels in the courtyard. When they saw the county officials, they scattered like birds and beasts. Some even tried to fight their way out.
Fortunately, these constables were also carrying knives, and they fought with the group. In the end, outnumbered, the group digging for the artifacts was captured by the constables and guards brought by Fu Changfeng. However, a few escaped under the cover of night. Fortunately, with the help of the local people, they were all brought down.
"Today I am here to arrest people. As you can see, these so-called wronged souls are all people in disguise. If there are any people who are unaware of the situation, please spread the word. Tomorrow I will hold a trial at the county court to see what their purpose is. Everyone, please disperse and go back to rest."
After Fu Changfeng persuaded everyone to leave, he led his men to interrogate the people who had been digging for the artifact. Finally, after two hours, he learned the truth from them.
“There really were some who slipped through the net. You all need to dig them out tonight. I will personally interrogate them tomorrow.” Fu Changfeng and his men worked all night and finally dug them all out.
The next day, those who were still unaware of the truth saw everyone heading towards the county government office and asked them questions. When they heard that the wronged souls in the Long family mansion had been caught red-handed by the county magistrate the night before and were about to be tried in court, they couldn't suppress their curiosity.
This time, Fu Changfeng was officially presiding over the trial in the courtroom. All the people gathered outside the county government office, and the serious demeanor of the constables made the people somewhat fearful.
However, soon after hearing the magistrate announce the start of court and the arrest of the prisoners, the atmosphere among the crowd noticeably heated up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
