County Magistrate
The county magistrate's office was situated in the north and south of the county. It occupied a large area. There was a main entrance, a main hall, a second hall, a guest hall, and a third hall. Both sides of the hall were courtyards and an accounting room.
At this point, the County Magistrate had already woken up. The County Magistrate's wife had already served breakfast. Just as they were about to eat, a bailiff scrambled towards the County Magistrate's office. A constable blocked the bailiff's path and shouted, "What happened? Why are you in such a sorry state?
The bailiff pulled the constable over and whispered into his ear. The constable was taken aback, "What? This is a serious matter. Are you speaking the truth? "
The bailiff replied, "Your excellency, I am not mistaken. I am speaking the truth."
When the constable heard this, his expression changed as well. He then turned around and ran into the county magistrate's office.
"Your excellency, something bad has happened!" The constable ran into the county magistrate's office. The county magistrate had just taken a few bites of his breakfast when he was interrupted. He almost choked on his food as he glared at the constable.
The constable lowered his head and reported, "Your excellency, there were a hundred people at the city gates. They were all wearing white robes and were dressed in mourning attire. They were carrying dozens of coffins to the entrance of the county. They said, they said …"
"What?" When the county magistrate heard the constable's words, he was taken aback. This was a major incident. Could it be that someone had gathered to cause trouble? He then asked, "Tell me, what is it?"
"They said that there were soldiers among them. They were also wearing white robes and were dressed in mourning attire."
"What? Prepare an oxcart and send me to the county gates. "The county magistrate was taken aback. Could it be that there was a rebellion? He then ordered his men to prepare the oxcart.
Although there were many people at the gates, the soldiers guarding the gates were all former soldiers. They took a step forward and shouted, "Who are you? Why are you wearing white robes and carrying coffins to cause trouble in the county? Are you trying to rebel?"
Pei Zi Yun took a step forward and shouted, "I am the newly promoted High Scholar, Pei Zi Yun. Last night, my village was attacked by bandits, and dozens of people died. I am here to complain, and you dare to stop me?"
"Master Top Scorer?" The soldiers trembled, and their expressions changed as they looked at Pei Zi Yun. Pei Zi Yun's face was ashen, and he was dressed in the robes of a High Scholar.
At this point, Cao San took a step forward and shouted angrily, "Li Si, are you blind? You can't even recognize master Top Scorer. Furthermore, the Chief Patrol Officer is dead. Let me tell you, something big has happened today. Get out of the way. If not, you won't be able to bear the consequences."
Pei Zi Yun led the villagers and took a step forward. The soldiers retreated, not daring to block their way.
This group of people went straight into the county, playing mournful music along the way. The streets were still quite lively, but as soon as the mourning procession entered the city, there was a moment of silence. Only the mournful music and the crying of women and children could be heard. Many people came to watch, and the children were also squeezed in, waiting for the adults to scold them.
The County Magistrate's ox-cart had just been prepared, but it didn't take long before it stopped. A bailiff shouted, "Constable Wang, where are you going? Don't go, the roads are blocked. Master Top Scorer is leading a group of people carrying a coffin, saying that they want to lodge a complaint. We have to hurry and report this to the county magistrate. Things are getting serious. "
The constable's face fell, and was about to speak when the County Magistrate opened the curtains and asked, "Tell me in detail, what's the situation now?"
The County Magistrate heard the bailiff's report, and only spoke a few words before his face fell. He then ordered the constable, "Go back and make preparations!"
Before long, they arrived at the County Magistrate's office. Pei Zi Yun saw that the County Magistrate's office was facing south, and had a huge signboard with golden words written on it. The first half of the building had a drum, which was meant for the commoners to beat and complain about their grievances. Pei Zi Yun walked up and started beating the drum, "Peng, peng, peng."
The sound of the drum shook the heavens. One of the bailiffs had just started his morning shift, and didn't know what was going on. He stuck his head out and asked, "Who's beating the drum? What's the matter?"
The bailiff swept his gaze across the area, and saw that the coffins had blocked the entire street. The mourning procession had crowded the entrance of the County Magistrate's office, and he sucked in a deep breath.
"Open the court!" At this point, two rows of bailiffs had arrived, and entered the County Magistrate's office in a single file, and started beating the ground with their batons. The County Magistrate was seated high above, and a signboard was hung high above him.
Pei Zi Yun led the Village Chief and Cao San into the main hall. The moment the Village Chief entered the hall, he fell to his knees and cried, "Your excellency, please help me redress my grievances. Last night, an Elementary Scholar Zhang Jie Yu led a group of bandits into the village, and killed twenty three villagers. Luckily, the Chief Patrol Officer was in Snail Village at that time, and led the soldiers to kill the bandits. Unfortunately, the bandits were cruel, and even the Chief Patrol Officer died in battle. However, the bandits didn't have it easy either. Cao San and several other villagers chased after the bandits, and finally managed to kill them all."
Cao San, who was standing by the side, also knelt down and shouted, "County Magistrate, this lowly official is a military official from the Patrol Department. I followed the Chief Patrol Officer to patrol the village, and didn't want to be attacked by the bandits."
"This Zhang Jie Yu is most likely a sorcerer. Not only is his martial arts strong, but he also uses sorcery. The Chief Patrol Officer must have been affected by his sorcery, and was killed by the bandits. Amongst the attackers were the bandits from the Water Division, and the monks from Silver Dragon Temple. This lowly official managed to capture a few of the bandits alive."
As he spoke, Cao San waved his hand, and four archers brought up four men in black. These men in black were all injured, and were forced to kneel in the hall. They tore off their scarves and masks, revealing a monk with several scars on his face. The other three looked like ferocious bandits.
The County Magistrate's legs turned to jelly. He had heard of the Silver Dragon Temple and the Water Division. They were extremely powerful, and had connections with many high ranking officials and nobles. If this case were to be reported, it would be a big one.
He then heard the beating of the drum for redress of grievances, as the bailiff brought the complaint in. A man with disheveled hair and a few Elementary Scholars followed behind him. The man rushed forward and cried, "Your excellency, save me. Your excellency, save me."
The County Magistrate saw the disheveled haired man barging in, and slammed the gavel on the floor, "Silence!"
The scholar raised his head, and saw Tang Zhen crying, "Your excellency, I have been wrongly accused. I am Tang Zhen, who has been stripped of his Elementary Scholar title. However, I am not being ridiculous. I have an inside story. In the past, there were a few Elementary Scholars who were framed by this man. They fell for Zhang Jie Yu's evil plot. If they don't obey, they will die."
Behind Tang Zhen, a few Elementary Scholars rushed forward, crying out loud.
Just as the few Elementary Scholars were crying, a few old women came in. The women were beating the drum, and as soon as they came in, they cried, "Your excellency, we are here to seek justice."
The County Magistrate then asked, "Why aren't you women at home? Who are you here to sue?"
"County magistrate, I am the mother of Elementary Scholar Zhang Quan. A year ago, Zhang Quan drowned in the river. Before he died, he left behind a letter saying that he was being coerced. If something happened to him, someone must have caused his death. He asked us not to report this to the higher-ups immediately, but to report this to the higher-ups in the future."
Seeing the evidence presented to him, the County Magistrate was trembling in fear. This was a huge case!
Twenty three coffins blocked the entrance of the County Magistrate's office. The County Magistrate and the Registrar Official were all present. When they heard the news, their faces turned ashen and drained of blood.
The County Magistrate sat high up in the main hall, with a plaque hanging high above him. At this point, he felt as though he was sitting on pins and needles.
The County Magistrate sighed and walked in. He then heard the County Magistrate say softly, "Damn it, how dare this man. How dare he. He's threatening the officials. Does he not want to take the Imperial Examinations anymore?"
The situation was very obvious. Pei Zi Yun had joined forces with the officials, Elementary Scholars, and the victim's family. This was a huge crime in the bureaucracy. Wasn't he afraid that he wouldn't be able to pass the Imperial Examinations?
"County Magistrate, he is a High Scholar. His next step is to take the Imperial Examinations in the capital city. This is a huge matter for the local authorities, but not for the capital city." The Registrar Official then reminded him, "Besides, I've heard everything clearly. I'm afraid we can't suppress this matter any longer."
"Not to mention the fact that the bandits killed over twenty villagers, the Chief Patrol Officer's corpse is still outside. What's more frightening is that this man has been working hard for some time now. Now the order for him to be promoted has been given. He is now a County Magistrate. He has been promoted from a Ninth Rank official to a Ninth Rank official. This is the rank of an official."
"The dynasty has just begun, and yet he was killed by bandits. This matter cannot be suppressed."
The County Magistrate trembled as he followed the Registrar Official and whispered, "But now that something like this has happened, all of our examinations are over. Not to mention demotion, it would be difficult for us to retain our positions."
"My dear County Magistrate, it's no longer a question of whether or not we can retain our positions. It's a question of whether or not we can keep our positions." The Registrar Official rolled his eyes and came up with a plan. He then lowered his voice and said, "County Magistrate, the only thing we can do now is to investigate this case. We have to make it seem like the County Magistrate ordered the Chief Patrol Officer to investigate. Who would have thought that the bandits would make their move. We have to make it seem like the Black Wind Bandits were involved."
"Your excellency, you are the one who attacked the bandits, and thought of ways to get rid of the scourge. If that's the case, who can say that your excellency isn't in the right. We have lost a County Patrol Officer, and he died in the line of duty. The bandits are taking revenge on us."
When the County Magistrate heard the Registrar Official's words, he paused for a moment before laughing. It wasn't easy to handle a case lightly. If someone were to gossip about him, he had to handle the case more seriously. He had to dig deeper into the case, and not let go of any suspicions. How many people would be able to stay clean?
As long as he could hold on to them, with so many people dead, and so many things happening, he might even be able to get a promotion.
The Registrar Official retreated to one side. The County Magistrate had a look of deep thought on his face, as he thought about the conversation he had just had. He then continued to ask questions. He slammed the wooden block, and asked for silence. He then said, "Silence. Report the case to me. I want to interrogate each and every one of them."
The County Magistrate asked questions, while the County Magistrate took notes. Every statement was signed by the person involved. Tang Zhen looked at the statements, and his face turned ashen. He thought about the sufferings he had suffered over the past few days, and pressed his hand down on the paper.
The officials, soldiers, women and children all signed their names as well. The bailiffs then handed over their statements to the Magistrate. The Magistrate looked at the statement and said, "I have already heard of this case. Everyone, go back. I have long heard of this thief, and ordered the Chief Patrol Officer to investigate in secret. Who would have thought that this thief would attack Snail Village in the middle of the night, and kill the Chief Patrol Officer and the villagers.
The County Magistrate stood up and said with a strong sense of righteousness. After everyone had left, the County Magistrate turned to Pei Zi Yun and said, "This time, I have implicated High Scholar Pei. I didn't expect this demonic man to be so savage. We had just started investigating, and this demonic man took advantage of the Chief Patrol Officer's absence to kill him. I will definitely report this to the Imperial Court, and punish him accordingly."
For those who do not obey the Imperial Court, the law states, "Demonic men are the same!"
Pei Zi Yun couldn't help but feel suspicious. Why did the County Magistrate say this? But since it was beneficial to him, he cupped his hands and thanked the County Magistrate profusely.
The County Magistrate then entered the inner courtyard and called the County Magistrate to discuss the matter with the County Magistrate. When he entered the inner courtyard, he said, "County Magistrate Li, although we have fought against each other before, this matter concerns our positions. What do you suggest we do?"
The Registrar Official and the County Magistrate stared at each other. County Magistrate Li sat down, and seemed to be deep in thought. After some time, he raised his head, and his eyes were filled with killing intent. He then said, "This matter must be confirmed. After this, we can discuss it again."
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