Detective Di Renjie: The Mysterious Dynasty

Chapter 366 Judgment Day (Part )
Having provoked the wrath of Jiangzhou officials, and with two imperial envoys in charge, Xue Qinglin no longer dared to be arrogant or indulgent.

He begged for mercy in horror, "I was not handling the matter properly, but Du Er and his men have been brought to justice, and I have already apologized to County Magistrate Lin and am willing to mend my ways. Please forgive me, Your Excellency."

Di Renjie waved his hand gently, and the officials' noise gradually subsided.

Xue Qinglin reached out to wipe the cold sweat from his face, and looked around in fear, only to see the officials looking at him with angry eyes.

When Lin Yongzhong saw that Di Renjie intended to punish Xue Qinglin, he felt that his great revenge was about to be avenged, and a surge of joy surged in his heart!
Di Renjie snorted softly and sneered, "Xue Qinglin, Du Er and his gang of evil slaves have been brought to justice, but what about you?"

Xue Qinglin was dumbfounded when he heard this, and he hurriedly defended himself, "I am a marquis personally appointed by the emperor. Even if you two are imperial envoys, I can't just punish you!"

"How dare you!" Di Renjie slammed the gavel and scolded, "This cabinet and His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan are on duty on behalf of the Emperor. We have the right to act at our discretion. Even if we execute you in court, it is within our discretion!"

Xue Qinglin was instantly sweating profusely, like a deflated ball, without any arrogance left.

Seeing this, Zhao Ji leaned over to Di Renjie and whispered, "It is better to spare his life for now. Your Majesty still has unfinished business..."

Upon hearing this, Di Renjie looked at Zhao Ji in surprise and gave up the idea of ​​arresting Xue Qinglin in court.

Lin Yongzhong stood in the hall, observing Zhao Ji and Di Renjie whispering to each other, and felt a little uneasy.

Zhao Ji waved his sleeves and turned to look at Lin Yongzhong: "Lin County Magistrate!"

Lin Yongzhong was startled and took a step forward: "I'm here!"

Zhao Ji ordered: "From now on, all privileges of Pingnan Marquis' Mansion in Wuping will be abolished. The land occupied by the Marquis' Mansion must be returned to the people; those who invaded property must return the property to the people; those who brought unjust lawsuits will be strictly tried, and Wuping must be governed by Chengping!"

"As for Xue Qinglin himself, he is temporarily detained in the Marquis' Mansion and is not allowed to move around freely. He is awaiting the court's decision!"

Although Lin Yongzhong was dissatisfied, he could only agree: "Yes!"

Xue Qinglin wanted to argue again, but looking at Di Renjie's majestic face, he knew it was futile, so he had to wait for his punishment.
-
A huge notice to reassure the public was posted next to the gate of Wuping County.

The yamen runners cooperated with the officials from the governor's mansion to beat drums and gongs along the streets, announcing the arrival of the imperial envoy and the fall of the Pingnan Marquis's mansion.

This time, when people heard that a prince had come in person, the public reaction was much more enthusiastic than last time.

There was a long row of desks in front of the county government office. Dozens of county officials were sitting behind the desks, busy recording people's complaints by taking notes and drawing.

A long queue formed in front of the table, with hundreds of Wuping residents queuing up to appeal for justice, and the place was bustling with noise.

In the distance, more people are gathering here.

Lin Yongzhong walked out of the yamen and witnessed this scene. His originally solemn face finally broke into a relieved smile.

At this moment, someone in the crowd shouted in surprise: "Hey, that's our Wuping's new county magistrate, Lord Lin!"

Everyone's eyes instantly focused on Lin Yongzhong, which made him stunned.

Then, someone else shouted, "Brothers, let's kneel down and thank the great Lord of Heaven for making the decision for us!"

Before he finished speaking, hundreds of people knelt on the ground and kowtowed to express their gratitude.

Lin Yongzhong's eyes were moist. He stepped forward quickly and called out loudly: "Fellow villagers, please get up!"

The people then slowly stood up.

Lin Yongzhong bowed his hands to greet everyone and said affectionately: "Fellow villagers, I, Lin Yongzhong, swear here that from now on, Wupingding will be completely renewed and will never be the same as it was in the past. If I break my promise, I will be condemned by both humans and gods!"
-
Deep inside the government office, Di Renjie asked Zhao Ji: "What exactly did you mean by the 'unfinished business' of His Majesty?"

Zhao Ji did not hide it and said frankly: "Two years ago, when Xue Qinglin was drunk, he made a wild statement, claiming that he had a secret letter that could be used to suppress the local people and hold the emperor hostage."

"Before I left, His Majesty ordered me to find out the truth about this matter and then deal with it properly. I hope no rumors will spread..."

"You can control the locals and hold the emperor hostage? What a big tone!" Di Renjie was shocked for a moment: "... Could it be related to the Huang Guogong case?"

Zhao Ji nodded slightly, pretending to be confused and said, "I think so."

Di Renjie frowned and asked again: "Then what are you going to do?"

Zhao Ji blinked his eyes: "Today, Xue Qinglin will definitely take action after making a show of force in the court. Isn't Yuan Fang still in the Marquis' Mansion? I'm sure he will find something!"

Di Renjie nodded slightly: "Yes, that's exactly what I meant!"

At this moment, Ruyan suddenly called out from behind: "Uncle!"

Di Renjie and Zhao Ji turned around when they heard the sound, only to see Ruyan running towards them. She looked pale and said in panic, "Jinniang is gone!"

Di Renjie's heart sank when he heard this: "What? Jinniang is missing?"

Ruyan was extremely anxious, tears welling up in her eyes. "She's not in the room. We searched the whole mansion but couldn't find her. Zhang Huan and the others all followed her to the county government office, but no one saw her go!"

Di Renjie's face became increasingly gloomy and solemn, as if water could drip from it.

But Zhao Ji seemed to be thinking about something, and said gently: "Don't be anxious, think carefully, where is the most likely place for her to go?"

Ruyan nodded, forced herself to calm down, and fell into deep thought.

After a moment, she suddenly raised her head and said in unison with Di Renjie: "Xiao Pu Village!"
-
But Jinniang was in her own home in Xiaopu Village, rummaging through boxes and cabinets, looking for something, and throwing valuables all over the floor.

Suddenly, she screamed in collapse and threw the pillow in her hand against the window.

Her lips began to tremble violently, her body staggered, and finally she slowly knelt on the ground, lowering her head and sobbing.

At this moment, a gentle hand gently rested on her shoulder.

Jinniang turned around suddenly and saw Ruyan standing beside her with a concerned look on her face.

She was a little confused: "Sister Ruyan..."

Ruyan asked softly, "What are you looking for?"

Jinniang looked flustered and stammered, "Ah, nothing, nothing, just taking a look..."

Ruyan sighed: "Jinniang, why didn't you tell me you were going home? What if we get attacked again like last time? I'm so worried!"

Jinniang wanted to get angry, but seeing Ruyan so worried, her heart softened and she whispered, "I'm sorry, Sister Ruyan."

Ruyan smiled slightly, as gentle as before: "I'm glad nothing happened. Did you find what you were looking for?"

Jinniang smiled sadly and shook her head painfully, her eyes full of despair: "Everything is in vain..."

Seeing this, Ruyan couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking for? I can help you find it."

When Jinniang heard this, her emotions suddenly lost control and she screamed, "Stop asking!"

Ruyan was startled by the sudden cry and said nothing.

Jinniang gradually calmed down, sobbed for a long time, and finally choked up and said, "Sister Ruyan, I'm sorry."

Ruyan looked at the nearly collapsed girl in front of her, her eyes full of sympathy and love: "It's okay, let's go back!"

Jinniang suddenly looked up and locked her eyes with Ruyan: "Sister Ruyan, can I ask you something?"

Ruyan looked calm and gentle as she agreed, "Ask."

Jinniang's eyes were filled with tears, and her voice was as thin as a mosquito: "Why do you always stare at me?"

Ruyan was stunned when she heard this, then smiled gently and said, "Because I care about you."

Jinniang sighed softly, with a bitter smile on her lips: "Thank you for saving me. It allowed me to feel the warmth of the world for the first time."

"But I can also see that you have always been suspicious of me and have been monitoring my every move. This feeling is very uncomfortable. I...I don't want to go back!"

Ruyan was silent for a long time before she spoke: "It's okay, if you don't want to go back, then I will stay here with you."

Jinniang suddenly collapsed. She screamed, "Why do you always pester me? Why can't you leave me alone for a while? I beg you, please go away!"

With a plop, Jinniang fell to her knees and burst into tears.

Ruyan looked at her with pity, and finally sighed helplessly and said, "Well, since you dislike me so much, I'll leave..."

Having said that, she turned and walked out the door.

Jinniang looked up at Ruyan, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

(End of this chapter)