frightfiction Chapter 21 Backer
Chapter 21 Backer
A moment later, the captain of the personal guards led a masked man in black into the room.
He Qiong asked, "Are you the assassin?"
"I'm not an assassin."
"Still trying to deny it? If you're not an assassin, why are you running?"
"Because he pursued me."
Captain of the personal guards: "I'm chasing an assassin."
The man in black said, "You've come to the wrong place."
He Qiong slammed her hand on the table: "Did you come here just to talk nonsense?"
The man in black said, "You asked me first."
Liu Shan was silent for a moment, then said, "Cut it off."
He Qiong waved her hand and ordered, "Drag her out."
The man in black was shocked and ripped off the black cloth covering his face: "Look who I am!"
Liu Shan and He Qiong exchanged a glance and shook their heads simultaneously, "We don't know them."
Upon seeing this, the captain of the personal guards grabbed the man in black and dragged him outside.
The man in black was truly panicked at this moment. "I...I...Tian Fugui."
Liu Shan and He Qiong jumped to their feet, both surprised and delighted: "It was you!"
……
The next day, on the way to the county government office, Liu Shan rode his horse lost in thought, while He Qiong sat in the sedan chair eating dumplings.
They traveled in silence and soon arrived at the Jinhua County Government Office.
To their surprise, Liu Xinian was actually standing outside the county government office, looking very anxious and as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Liu Shan immediately became alert. This was unlike Liu Xinian's usual behavior; something was definitely amiss.
Liu Xinian was very enthusiastic when he saw the two of them, holding He Qiong's hand and saying polite things to her.
He Qiong was also a seasoned veteran. As if overnight, she and Liu Xinian became old friends who hadn't seen each other for many years, praising and complimenting each other, and even generously inviting him to eat dumplings together.
After a while, the two seasoned veterans ran out of things to say, but neither of them showed any intention of leaving. They remained standing at the entrance of the county government office, chatting idly.
"Sir He, it's chilly outside. Please come into the county office and warm up."
“Magistrate Liu, standing is tiring. Why don’t you come into the county office and rest?”
The two looked at each other, then simultaneously turned their heads to one side.
Liu Shan also noticed something unusual. Judging from the situation, an important person was about to arrive.
Otherwise, Liu Xinian would not have stood in front of the county government office, which is unusual for him.
He Qiong must have guessed it too, otherwise she wouldn't have waited together.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, a yamen runner rushed over to report: "Magistrate, the person is coming soon."
Liu Xinian perked up and waved his hand, saying, "Come out and wait for me!"
Before the words were even finished, all the officials and constables of the county government, who had been waiting for a long time, filed out and took their places according to their official ranks, eagerly anticipating what was to come.
A procession emerged from the street corner, with a blue sedan chair carried by four men standing out prominently in the group.
Liu Shan glanced at He Qiong's sedan chair, which was also a blue sedan chair carried by four people, and deduced that the official rank of the person coming could not exceed the fourth rank.
During the Xia Dynasty, officials of the third rank and above could ride in green sedan chairs, while officials of the fourth rank and below could only ride in blue sedan chairs.
However, a higher rank can have a crushing effect. Even though the newcomer was only half a rank higher than He Qiong, it was enough to suppress the two of them.
Moreover, Liu Xinian is such a bureaucrat that he would never get up early without a profit, so the person who came was likely his patron.
Sure enough, when the person alighted from the sedan chair, He Qiong was first surprised, but the next moment her face was full of smiles, and she immediately went to greet him, "Your Excellency, what brings you here?"
However, the magistrate merely smiled slightly as a greeting, then bypassed He Qiong and began exchanging pleasantries with Liu Xinian.
The two talked as if no one else was around, their expressions becoming increasingly friendly, but Liu Shan's face grew more and more serious.
Is this man the Assistant Magistrate of Cangzhou?!
It should be noted that the Cangzhou Tongzhi was the deputy to the prefect, a high-ranking official of the fifth rank. In modern terms, he was He Qiong's superior, equivalent to a deputy mayor.
Finished!
Wouldn't He Qiong be completely controlled?!
Inside the main hall of the county government office, Song Bowen sat at the head of the table, with a painting of "Sea Water and Rising Sun" behind him, symbolizing clarity like the sea and brightness like the sun and moon; directly above his head were the four large characters "A Bright Mirror Hangs High," a metaphor for officials' impartial and incorruptible judgments...
He Qiong and Liu Xinian sat at the lower end of the table, the three of them adopting the posture of jointly judging a case, appearing upright, impartial and incorruptible.
However, almost everyone in the county government knew just how corrupt Liu Xinian really was.
At this point, Song Bowen said a few polite words, and then gestured for He Qiong to say a few polite words as well.
He Qiong managed to say a couple of words, then without giving Liu Xinian a chance to speak, directly ordered Liu Shan to submit the judgment document.
The so-called "judgment document" refers to the document formed after the interrogation of Ge Yuniang and Chen An, which includes the details of the case, the process, and the judgment of the interrogating officer.
Song Bowen stared at the judgment document in front of him, showing no intention of even glancing at it.
Unexpectedly, Liu Shan turned out to be a clever man. He stood beside Magistrate Song and thoughtfully helped him look through the judgment documents.
Song Bowen immediately felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.
Although Liu Shan was just a minor clerk, his status as the son-in-law of the Li family still had some advantages.
At this moment, Song Bowen gave Li Xiaowei some face and tacitly approved of his slightly overstepping behavior.
He Qiong was no pushover either, and seized the opportunity to begin her explanation.
With the cooperation of the two, Song Bowen quickly grasped the details of Wang Pinlian's case.
He couldn't help but glare at Liu Xinian, giving him a look that said, "You're always causing me trouble."
Liu Xinian bowed awkwardly, looking quite ashamed.
Liu Shan had been paying attention to Song Bowen's expression, and now his anxiety finally subsided.
This Song Bowen is indeed a scoundrel like Liu Xinian.
Song Bowen coughed twice and said without a doubt, "Even Prefect Yin thinks this case is full of doubts. How can the clerk be allowed to interrogate the suspect alone? How can a conclusion be drawn so hastily? Is there something fishy going on? This case must be tried by the three officials to be worthy of Prefect Yin's attention."
He Qiong: "..."
Liu Shan: "???"
Liu Xinian: "Your Excellency is wise!"
Liu Shan sighed inwardly. This Song Bowen was shameless.
However, since Song Tongzhi was the highest-ranking official present, no one in the county government could change his decision.
A moment later, Ge Yuniang and Chen An were carried into the main hall of the county government office.
The two men looked at the three officials sitting at the head of the table. When they saw He Qiong, their eyes were filled with surprise and hope.
Liu Shan stood not far from He Qiong, and after noticing the look in their eyes, he shook his head slightly.
Ge Yuniang and Chen An's hopes are likely to be dashed, and they may even suffer another undeserved disaster.
"Snapped!"
Song Bowen slammed his gavel and demanded, "Ge Yuniang and Chen An, do you two know your crimes?"
The two men sensed the unusual tone, but having come with only a sliver of hope, they were unwilling to repeat the same mistake.
The two men explained for a long time, their words almost identical to the judgment presented to Song Bowen.
But Song Bowen seemed determined, and angrily said: "I hate villains who don't tell the truth the most. You two are lying all the time, you must be the murderers!"