Magistrate Liu had just stood up when the door opened and Ji Shuhan entered.
His face was grave and stern, his brows were tightly knitted, and a faint white smoke seemed to be coming out of his nostrils. One hand was in front of him, and the other was behind him.
His entire body looked like a ball of fire.
This caused the magistrate to faintly sense a trace of shock.
"Lord Ji, it's already so late. Why are you here?" Magistrate Liu immediately went to greet him.
Ji Shuhan let out a muffled groan and sat down.
Of course he had to come at night!
Ji Yunshu had been accused of being the murderer and imprisoned. His Ji family had lost all face, so he didn't have the face to come here in broad daylight.
"Lord Liu, you should know why I'm here, right?"
"I know, I know." Magistrate Liu sighed and sat down. He clenched his fist and lightly pounded it on his thigh. "This matter involves the lives of two people. The Wei mansion's people all pointed out that she was the murderer. This official has no other choice but to lock Yunshu up in prison for now."
Ji Shuhan glared at him, his eyebrows almost bursting into his hair.
He snorted and said, "Lord Liu, you should know that my Ji family is a prestigious family. Now that you have ordered my daughter to be arrested, it's the same as slapping my face."
"Lord Ji, this official definitely doesn't have that intention!"
"I don't care what your intention is. In short, you must release her." Ji Shuhan's words were harsh.
It was as if he had an overbearing attitude!
Magistrate Liu wore an awkward expression and helplessly said, "Lord Ji, this official also doesn't want to imprison Yunshu, but as the yamen's magistrate, I can't disregard the law. The Wei mansion's people have also submitted evidence. Even if Yunshu is innocent, we can only release her after the truth is revealed. For the time being, she can only be wronged in prison."
After he finished speaking, Ji Shuhan raised his hand and slammed the table, glaring fiercely at Magistrate Liu.
He angrily said, "Do you know that my daughter was originally betrothed to the Wei family? Now that Lord Wei and Madame Wei are dead, this marriage is ruined. Now, my daughter has become a suspect. How can my Ji family establish itself in Jinjiang?"
After beating around the bush, he still couldn't get around the word 'reputation'!
He said that he wanted the magistrate to release Ji Yunshu, but in the end, his intentions weren't in the cup!
Magistrate Liu's lips trembled, but he didn't manage to say anything.
Ji Shuhan pressured him again. "Both of my sons hold official positions in the capital. Lord Liu, you must be aware of this, right? No matter what, I was once an assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, and I have some old friends. I believe that it should be enough for Lord Liu to give me some face, right? "
Now, he had even brought all of this out!
Magistrate Liu was so nervous that sweat beaded on his forehead.
Not knowing what to do!
Even Jing Rong did not pressure him to release them. He understood the importance of the law!
This Ji Shuhan had really eaten a leopard's ambition.
After a while, Magistrate Liu's face turned bitter.
He said, "Please don't make things difficult for me. This official really has no choice! However, as long as there is evidence to prove Yunshu's innocence, this official will immediately release her. But now, it's a thorny problem, a thorny problem! "
Magistrate Liu's repeated excuses seemed to have made Ji Shuhan lose his patience.
He took out a few banknotes from his sleeve, placed them on the table, and pushed them in front of Magistrate Liu.
The moment he saw the banknotes, Magistrate Liu was so shocked that his jaw almost fell off!
Ten thousand taels!
He had to work for the rest of his life!
"This … Lord Ji, what are you doing?" His voice trembled.
Ji Shuhan moved closer to Magistrate Liu and lowered his voice. "Lord Liu, since you're an official, you must understand what it means to give others a chance, but also to pave a path for yourself."
"Huh?"
"This matter concerns the reputation of my Ji family. Lord Liu is a smart person, and there are some things that shouldn't be taken too seriously. You must know that in the entire Jinjiang City, only you can wave a pen and pardon even a prisoner on death row! The sky is high, and the emperor is far away. You know this better than anyone! "
These words made Magistrate Liu's eyes widen in shock.
His whole body froze.
Ji Shuhan didn't forget to continue, "Although Lord Wei and Madame Wei were poisoned to death, as long as you say that they accidentally ingested poison and release my daughter, everything will be cleared up, and the Ji family's reputation will be preserved. Lord Liu, you will also receive these ten thousand taels. It's the best of both worlds. Why not?"
It had to be said that Ji Shuhan's words were indeed very attractive.
Magistrate Liu was slightly swayed. His eyes stared at the banknotes, and his heart felt as if it was tugging on a string.
He was hesitating!
After all, he really hoped that Ji Yunshu would be fine.
Ji Shuhan probably saw the hesitation on Magistrate Liu's face, so he pushed the banknotes in front of him.
"Lord Liu, you must consider this carefully."
Magistrate Liu's body swayed, as if he had woken up from his stupor. He raised his head and stared at Ji Shuhan. He steeled his heart, pressed his index and middle fingers on the banknotes, and pushed them back to Ji Shuhan.
Then, he said with a serious expression, "Lord Ji, this official cannot accept a reward without merit. This official should take it, so I can't say a single cent. However, please accept these ten thousand taels."
Ji Shuhan was shocked. "You really won't accept it?"
Unbelievable.
"This official will never accept it." He continued, "Yunshu is your daughter, so you should believe that she didn't poison anyone. This official will definitely investigate the truth and give her justice. As for you, Lord Ji, for the sake of your Ji family's reputation, you instigated this official to hastily close the case and disregarded the law. Lord Ji, you were also an official, but you knowingly broke the law. You used money to bribe this official to distort the truth. If you want to punish me, wouldn't that be an additional crime?"
Wow!
Since when did Magistrate Liu's eloquence become so good?
These words truly startled Ji Shuhan.
His originally aggressive posture also slightly dissipated. First he was angry, then he panicked, and finally, he was angry.
He took back the banknotes and stood up in anger. His fiery eyes were filled with unwillingness as he said, "Since Lord Liu is so determined to be a good official, I have nothing else to say."
He flicked his sleeves and left in anger!
Magistrate Liu heaved a heavy sigh of relief. His forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and his hands were pressed against his chest, as if he was still in a state of shock.
He probably didn't expect that the words he just said would come from his own mouth.
His heart was on tenterhooks and uneasy!
When Ji Shuhan returned to the Ji mansion from the yamen, he smashed his cup and slammed the table.
The entire Ji family's main hall became 'lively'.
Old Madame Ji sat at the side with a sullen face, while Ji Muqing, Ji Wanxin, and Ji Yuanzhi sat on either side.
After Ji Shuhan finished venting his anger, Old Madame Ji asked, "How did it go? You smashed things as soon as you came back. What did that Lord Liu say? "
Ji Shuhan couldn't help but slam the table again.
"He was like a stubborn rock, completely impervious to everything."
"How could that be?"
He snorted and shook his head. "I don't know. He even brought up the Great Lin's law."
Ji Yuanzhi anxiously interrupted, "Father, was that ten thousand taels not enough?"
Ji Shuhan didn't answer, suppressing his anger.
"Why don't we give him twenty thousand taels and see if he'll relent?" Ji Yuanzhi suggested.
"It's not about the money."
"Then what's the problem? Even with so much money, Lord Liu isn't softhearted? We can just let him record the case and say that Lord Wei and Madame Wei ate poison by mistake. Isn't that simple? "Ji Yuanzhi was unusually agitated.
Ji Shuhan shook his head and sighed, not knowing what to say.
Ji Muqing snorted and pursed her small red lips. "In my opinion, there's an eighty percent chance that she poisoned them to death. She just didn't want to marry that fool."
"Muqing, Yunshu wouldn't do that. She's a kind person and would never poison someone to death. Moreover, the Wei family treats her so well, how could she bear to do that?"
Ji Wanxin furrowed her brows in worry as she refuted.
"Ji Wanxin, I know you're very close to her, but shouldn't you open your eyes and take a good look? She pushed Lingzhi before, and then I fell into the water. Who knows, maybe she pushed me too. Then, she blamed it on Lingzhi. If she can do something like that, what else can't she do?"
"Impossible. In short, I believe that Yunshu wouldn't do it. Let's talk about the matter as it stands. Don't mix it up."
"Since when did you mix it up? That Ji Yunshu is ruthless. If she said that she poisoned someone, I would definitely believe it. She should be beheaded. "
Bang!
As soon as Ji Wanxin's last word fell, Ji Shuhan once again slammed the table.
His eyes burned with anger as he glared at Ji Muqing. "Do you know how humiliating it would be if our Ji family really produced a murderer? How could I establish myself in the future? Your eldest brother and second brother's career in the capital would be greatly affected."
Ji Muqing felt wronged and lowered her head. "Father, I …"
Before she could finish, Ji Shuhan interrupted her. "And you, think about it. If Yunshu really killed someone, can you still be the Crown Prince's Consort?"
"Ah!"
This scared Ji Muqing to death.
"If our Ji family produced a murderer and the Emperor and the Empress heard about it, you can forget about being the Crown Prince's Consort. The road father has paved for you will be ruined." Ji Shuhan's words hit the nail on the head.
Ji Muqing's face turned green. Ever since she was young, she had been groomed to be the Crown Prince's Consort.
Soon, she would enter the capital and be selected as the Crown Prince's Consort. If something happened at this critical juncture, she would be smashing her head against the wall.
She panicked and her eyes reddened. She quickly said, "Father, this daughter must become the Crown Prince's Consort. In the future, when the Crown Prince becomes the Emperor, this daughter will be the Empress. Nothing must go wrong. Why don't we add more money to Lord Liu? It shouldn't be difficult to buy his words."
Old Madame Ji also said, "That's right. If we give him another ten thousand taels, our Ji family doesn't lack money. As long as we suppress this matter, we can do anything."
"I already said, it's not a matter of money." Ji Shuhan shook his head helplessly. He had no idea what to do. "That Lord Liu seems to have hardened his heart. He doesn't listen to my words at all. No matter how much money we give him, it's useless."
"Then what should we do now?"
Old Madame Ji was also anxious.
Ji Wanxin said, "Grandmother, Father, Yunshu definitely wouldn't poison someone. The truth will come to light and prove her innocence. Won't everything be fine then?"
"What do you know?!" Old Madame Ji hurriedly said, "In our Ji family, when did anyone go to prison? No matter how you look at it, it's inauspicious. If this matter were to spread to the capital, it would affect our Ji family."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
