The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 567

The county magistrate was also very upset and said to Pan Yun, "Master, this is a case in our county. It is a serious case. I hope you will keep it confidential. Once you leave this door, you will know nothing. You don't need to worry about the rest."

Pan Jun: "You just throw it away after use. That's too cruel. What if I say no?"

"Then we can only ask the two Taoist priests to stay in the county jail for a while." The county magistrate said expressionlessly.

Pan Yun immediately changed his words: "I understand your concerns, County Master. Don't worry, we will definitely not say anything."

The county magistrate snorted and asked the county lieutenant to write down the names of the people he had found.

Pan Jun walked back and forth in the lobby with a headache on his face. From time to time, he passed behind the county lieutenant and could see the name above with a glance.

She has an excellent memory and it is hard for her to forget.

The county magistrate looked at her several times and couldn't help but call her: "Master Pan, if you continue like this, I will really ask you to live in the prison."

Pan Yun finally stopped walking around and leaned against the pillar with his arms folded. "I say, Magistrate Wu, you don't trust people at all. We reported the case and we dug up the body. Can we be their accomplices?"

The county magistrate said solemnly, "Many things in the world have been ruined by not keeping secrets. There are so many innocent souls. I will fight for justice for them even if it means risking my future. I cannot fail because of these trivial matters."

Therefore, the direct stakeholders, the father and son of the Li family and the county lieutenant, were all retained in the county government office.

However, one of them was once the county magistrate's confidant and right-hand man; the other was a gentry with a good family background, so the county magistrate was willing to show leniency and did not put them in jail. Instead, he locked them up in the backyard of the county government office and ordered people to guard them.

The remaining Pan Yun, Li Wenying and the county magistrate looked at each other in bewilderment.

The county magistrate was about to have them taken to the backyard and locked up, but Pan Yun was quicker to raise his hand and shouted, "County magistrate, I'm willing to lend you a hand!"

Mr. Li and the county lieutenant immediately looked at the county magistrate and saw that he was silent.

Master Li couldn't believe it: "Sir, I am willing to help you, please believe me!"

The county lieutenant was sad and said dejectedly, "Does the county lord no longer trust me?"

The county magistrate said unhappily, "We don't need you two right now, but Taoist Priest Pan... has some unconventional methods."

Pan Yun winked at him and said, "I know. Does the county magistrate want me to invite their remaining souls out to scare them?"

County Magistrate: “The bodies in the pit are still being dug out. News came from the suburbs that they dug out three more bodies this morning.

There are many people involved, the time span is long, and most of those involved are women and men from brothels. It is extremely difficult to find evidence. "

The county magistrate said, "This county knows that the people that Mr. Li and the county lieutenant have found are only a part of the total number. The most senior official among them is only the Right Counselor of the Provincial Government, a fourth-rank official. Two months ago, when Yang Ji was involved in the incident, the imperial censors from the capital arrested so many people and investigated for such a long time, but no news of this incident was leaked..."

He looked at Master Li: "Master Li is timid, and he is a local. He doesn't have much ability, and his family is poor. He dare not say anything about his family..."

Master Li: “…”

The county magistrate turned to look at the county lieutenant, expressionless: "He was persecuted before and is afraid of it happening again..."

"But what about the others who know about this or are aware of it? Are the people of Ji'an really so cold-blooded and numb that they remain silent because the victim has nothing to do with them?" The county magistrate shook his head slightly and said solemnly, "I don't believe it!"

"Yes, there are problems in Ji'an, but this county has been here for three years, and the scholars have not lost their sharpness, and the butchers have not lost their loyalty. How could there not be any news leaked?"

Pan Yun was silent: "You suspect someone has spoken out, but someone is watching them and making them unable to speak out?"

The county magistrate said: "There must be a force trying to stop it, otherwise, the censors and I would not have heard nothing at all.

I am just a county magistrate. I can make decisions within the county, but outside of Ji'an County..."

He shook his head, looked at Master Li, then at the county lieutenant, and finally his gaze fell on Pan Yun. He said, "You said before that your name was Pan Yun and that you were studying martial arts at Mount Longhu? But I don't know who Censor Pan Hong is to you?"

Pan Yun's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Although the rehabilitation of Xue Pan's case was a big deal, in fact, her existence was artificially downplayed. Officials in the capital still knew something about her, but outside the capital, few officials paid attention to Pan Hong's daughter, except for those who paid special attention to her.

Pan Yun: "My father."

Mr. Li and Mr. Li opened their mouths wide. They knew Pan Hong~~
Legend has it that Yang Ji was arrested because of the long-standing debate over the rehabilitation of the Xue and Pan cases, and Prime Minister Yang actually spoke for Wang Zhen at this time, wanting to release Wang Zhen to suppress Xue Xuan and Pan Hong.

Yang Gong's reputation was ruined overnight. The nobles were ashamed to be with him. Everyone suspected that Yang Gong had colluded with Wang Zhen. Then, after investigation, they found that his son Yang Ji was indeed arrogant and extravagant, causing trouble for the village. He killed many people in order to fight for land and property. He was just like Wang Zhen...

Mr. Li did not believe that Prime Minister Yang knew that Yang Ji had done evil, but he was certain that Pan Yun and Yang Shiqi had a grudge.

He took a step back in fear and asked in astonishment, "Master Pan, you came all the way here just to kill the Yang family?"

That’s right, although Yang Ji is dead, the Yang family is still doing well.

Although Yang Shiqi's prestige was greatly damaged and he was dead, his prestige still existed. Moreover, he had a second son who was an official in another place, so his clan members were still there.

With the fame and foundation accumulated by Yang Shiqi, as long as the Yang family does not continue to commit suicide, there is still hope of restoring their former glory if one or two Jinshi appear in the next ten or twenty years.

Pan Yun, who was always elegant and decent, faced Mr. Li's suspicion. She rolled her eyes unhappily and said, "I have no grudge against Mr. Yang or Yang Ji. Don't talk nonsense!"

The county lieutenant and Master Li looked at her suspiciously: "I heard that Wang Zhen wanted to kill your father, and Lord Yang has been helping Wang Zhen. When Wang Zhen was imprisoned, Lord Yang went to the palace several times to plead for him."

Master Li sighed and said, "Master Pan, admit it. It's not shameful. Put yourself in their shoes. If Mr. Yang stood opposite my enemy, I would also resent the Yang family."

Pan Yun: “…”

She turned to the thoughtful Mr. Li and said, "You have worked hard, and the Li family will rely on you in the future."

Mr. Li: ...

Ignoring the county lieutenant's gaze, she turned to the county magistrate and said, "Your Excellency has worked hard, but it is also true that the county lieutenant is only the county lieutenant. Didn't he even pass the imperial examination?"

The county magistrate said: "...He was transferred to the county government as a constable because of his military merits. He was promoted to county lieutenant because of his meritorious service in arresting thieves, but he was demoted within half a year. Fortunately, he values ​​friendship and loyalty, so the county hired him."

"No wonder," Pan Yun nodded and said, "I understand. There are some differences between warriors and scholars who have read classics and history."

The county lieutenant felt that something was wrong and asked quickly, "What do you mean?"

"It means you should read more books," the county magistrate said unhappily, "reading books can help you grow your brain!"

County Lieutenant: ...

The county magistrate turned to face Pan Yun and his expression softened again. He said, "Master Pan, you are a smart man, so I won't beat around the bush." ​​"From yesterday to now, they should have noticed the corpse pit. We don't have enough time to search for evidence slowly," he said. "Speed ​​is of the essence in war. The most this county can do is to capture the people from Ji'an Prefecture. But that has to be fast enough, even faster!"

The county magistrate turned around and said solemnly, "Otherwise, once they realize what's going on, I won't be able to investigate further, let alone arrest them.

At that time, we can only report it to the capital, and the three departments will send people to search, but this trip will take at least a month, or at most... indefinitely..."

The county magistrate pressed his fist hard on the table and said through gritted teeth: "Some of these wronged souls have been waiting for nine or ten years... Do we have to ask them to wait any longer?"

"If the evidence is destroyed during this period of time, and we cannot bring all the perpetrators to justice, I will not be able to face them in hell a hundred years from now."

Pan Yun: "So you want to arrest people according to the list?"

The county magistrate looked at him with a gleam in his eyes: "I can no longer be an official. It depends on whether Taoist Pan dares to take the risk with me."

Pan Yun laughed loudly upon hearing this, and said happily: "What am I afraid of? I even dare to drag Wang Zhen into this. Can their power be greater than Wang Zhen's?"

The county magistrate said, "Wang Zhen is from the north, but Taoist Pan's hometown is in the south of the Yangtze River. Sanqing Mountain and Longhu Mountain both belong to the south of the Yangtze River."

"Oh~~" Pan Yun said quietly, "I am a monk and have long severed ties with my hometown in the secular world. From the time I was born until now, I have never returned to my old house once; as for Sanqing Mountain, I am indifferent to fame and fortune and don't care about them; as for Longhu Mountain..."

Pan Yun looked back at Li Wenying, raised his eyebrows and winked at him: "If they have the guts, then come on, who have I ever been afraid of in Longhu Mountain?"

Li Wenying: …

"Good!" the county magistrate praised, "I will send someone to arrest them now. When they arrive, I will ask Taoist Pan to invite the wronged souls to come out and meet them, and get them to confess as quickly as possible."

Pan Yun nodded and said, "Okay, okay."

The county magistrate waved to the county lieutenant and left with the two lists.

Suddenly, only Pan Yun and his sister and Li's father and son were left in the room.

Pan Yun realized it belatedly and said, "That's not right. Didn't the county magistrate want to lock up the county lieutenant and you two? Why did he call the county lieutenant away? He locked us up here?"

Li Wenying: "It seems that you gave him the confidence to make a quick decision."

Pan Yun stroked his chin and thought, "Could it be that he suddenly realized that I'm my father's daughter, so he decided to rely on me?"

Li Wenying nodded: "After all, your father is famous, and you are also famous to a certain extent. Everyone believes in the character of you and your daughter."

Pan Jun sat there without saying anything. She always felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't remember what it was.

Li Wenying didn't disturb her. She leaned aside with her arms folded, turning her head to look at the bright sunshine outside the door.

Master Li quietly moved over and asked in a low voice: "Master Li, from what I heard from the others just now, Master Pan and Master Yang are not enemies?"

Li Wenying glanced at him and said, "No, Lord Yang pleaded for Wang Zhen to save Lord Xue and Lord Pan."

"Ah?" Master Li was confused: "But aren't Wang Zhen, Master Xue, and Master Pan enemies?"

Pan Yun finally realized what was wrong and said in a frown: "Was the evidence of Yang Ji's crime given by the county magistrate?"

Mr. Li nodded and said, "Yes, when the imperial censors from the capital came to Ji'an, the county magistrate took the risk of handing over the evidence he had collected to the imperial censors. When Yang Ji was escorted to the capital, the whole city celebrated, and the people in the city gave the county magistrate an umbrella. That's why he was not implicated in the Yang Ji case. He was only reprimanded and continued to stay as the county magistrate."

Pan Yun: "Did he also write a letter to impeach Lord Yang, saying that Yang Ji's arrogance was condoned by Lord Yang?"

Mr. Li's voice immediately dropped an octave, and he whispered, "I don't know about that. I'm not an official, just an ordinary citizen. How can I know about these official affairs?"

Pan Yun snorted twice, turned around and said to Li Wenying: "It seems that this Wu County Magistrate is my enemy."

Li Wenying: "So we're leaving now and not helping him?"

"That won't work," Pan Yun said expressionlessly, "Let's keep things separate. I'm not dealing with people, but with the matter."

After thinking for a while, she shook her head and sighed, "Forget it, I won't settle accounts with him. Political struggle is very dirty, how can it be clean? Fortunately, he is still a human being in this matter, oh, no, he is an official, so let's leave it at that."

Pan Yun was waiting in the county government office for the county magistrate to bring the man back.

Of course it was impossible for the county magistrate to rush to the door with his men to arrest people, as there were several officials of higher rank than him among them.

Oh, that right senator is the boss of his boss’s boss. Can he rush into Ji’an Prefecture to arrest people?

So the county magistrate made arrangements. For the gentry without official positions, he asked the county lieutenant to "invite" them. For the others, he personally wrote invitations and had people deliver them separately, and they all agreed to meet at a restaurant not far from the back door of the county government office.

It just diverted the time.

As soon as someone comes, they are immediately arrested, put into a sack, knocked unconscious and dragged directly into the county government office through the back door...

Each person is exactly fifteen minutes apart.

Based on the county magistrate's understanding of them, they would only arrive late, not early, so this time difference was definitely enough.

However, he felt that they would not be too late today because he hinted at the corpse pit in the letter and said that he had obtained some evidence.

The evidence seems to be against you, sir, so, would you like to talk about it?

The first person to come was an officer from the governor's office. This officer was the county magistrate's immediate superior and a sixth-rank official.

Every time the county magistrate went to the governor's office to ask for an audience with him, he would listen to his lecture like a grandson.

This time, he sat in the chair without moving. When he saw the experienced master coming in with a cup of tea in his hand, he just smiled and said, "Master, you are here. Please take a seat."

Seeing this, Jingli's face darkened slightly, but he quickly calmed down and pretended not to know: "Why did Magistrate Wu ask me to meet you at this time?"

"I thought you already knew." Magistrate Wu took a sip of tea with a half-smile, "Otherwise, why would you agree to come to this restaurant to see me?"

When his boss, who was unaware of the news, received his post, he would only scold him and send someone to reprimand him, but would not come to see him in person.

The senior official frowned, walked up to him, and asked directly, "I heard that a murder occurred in the suburbs after I went to the yamen today?"

"Yes, it's an old case," the county magistrate's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he looked directly at the officer: "Master Li found a corpse pit, and we dug out a lot of things from the pit. Can you guess what they are, Mr. Officer?"

(End of this chapter)