Longevity from Liao Zhai

Chapter 186 Deciding the Case
Qinghe County, county government office.

County Magistrate Lu sat in the lobby, feeling a little anxious.

There were a dozen yamen runners on both sides.

Kneeling on the ground were Engineer Yuan and a dozen witnesses.

Engineer Yuan brought a dozen witnesses to accuse Lu Chang of murder!
There were many people in front of the hall, including local people from Qinghe County and cultivators from outside.

Not only that, Zhou Ping, He Yunqing, Yan Yi and all the important people in Qinghe County were also there.

Magistrate Lu’s son was sued. This was a big deal and everyone was watching to see how things would develop.

"I never thought that these people would have a change of heart and serve as witnesses for Mr. Yuan."

"Yeah, I didn't want to fight. These people are so brave. If it were me, I wouldn't dare to be a witness."

"That's a fart conscience. The ghost of Mr. Yuan's daughter came back last night and tormented these people all night, so they came to the county government office early in the morning to serve as witnesses."

"I heard about it, too. Yuanyuan's ghost came back last night and made a fuss for them all night, so they came out as witnesses."

The people of Qinghe County know the inside story and they know who the real culprit is.

It’s just that the county magistrate’s power is too great, and even if they knew the inside story, no one dared to speak out.

"Bah! I didn't expect it to be this little beast. He actually dared to do such a thing." Yan Yi wished she could kill Lu Chang immediately. She had been a bodyguard for many years and had a straightforward personality.

He Yunqing shook his head slightly: "This may not be easy."

Yan Yi said, "There are already more than a dozen witnesses. How can it not be easy? Zhou Ping, don't you think so?"

Zhou Ping hesitated for a moment and did not answer.

The dozen or so witnesses were able to serve as witnesses because Zhou Ping found them and arranged for the ghost bride to scare them, which made them serve as witnesses.

"The Great Wei has nine prefectures, and each prefecture has hundreds of counties."

"Many people think that the county magistrate is a seventh-rank official, a minor official."

"His rank is indeed low. Many county governors or officials in Kyoto are higher than him."

"But the position of county magistrate is a position of real power, which cannot be compared with those empty positions."

"A county magistrate is in charge of the resources of a county, and his power far exceeds that of a civil servant in a prefecture or capital."

"Not everyone can become a county magistrate. The person who sits in this position must at least be related to the county governor."

"The county magistrate is also called the county magistrate."

Zhou Ping originally thought that by scaring the ghost bride, he could prove Lu Chang's guilt and make him get the retribution he deserved.

However, looking at the fearless Lu Chang in the hall, Zhou Ping still felt that he had miscalculated. If he had known earlier, he would have just killed him directly, and why would he rely on the laws of the Wei Dynasty.

Although Zhou Ping didn't know what means Magistrate Lu would use to help his son, he felt that the lawsuit might fail.

Yan Yi listened to Zhou Ping's words with a confused look in her eyes. She was a wanderer, so it was normal for her not to understand.

He Yunqing stared at Zhou Ping, with stars twinkling in his eyes.

"The county magistrate is also called the county magistrate."

She had also heard Mr. He say these words. At that time, He Yunqing only had a vague understanding of them. It was not until she took over the He family pharmacy that she understood the meaning of these words.

He Yunqing took a deep breath and her body unconsciously moved closer to Zhou Ping.

This man not only has a high level of cultivation, but also has good character and a sharp mind.

He Yunqing couldn't help but recall the first time he met Zhou Ping. Liu Ruyan wanted Zhou Ping to be a son-in-law, but was rejected by He Yunqing.

"If that day..." He Yunqing shook his head, sighed, and drove the thought out of his mind.

Zhou Ping's current status is special. He has a high level of cultivation and is the backer of the He family's pharmacy. Moreover, several of his good poems have been noticed by Fan Zhongfu, the foremost Confucian of the time.

No matter how you look at it, this small place of Qinghe County is not worthy of Zhou Ping.

"Who is this person in the hall, and what is he doing?"

"Mr. Yuan, it's because my daughter was killed by Lu Chang."

County Magistrate Lu and Engineer Yuan asked and answered each other. As they were the fathers of the person involved, they were naturally not polite in their words.

Yuan Gong was ready to swallow the bitter pill, but the appearance of the witness gave him hope. He also believed that it was really Yuan Yuan's ghost who came back.

So for the sake of his daughter, Mr. Yuan must reopen his scars.

"You said that your daughter was killed by Lu Chang. Do you have any evidence?" County Magistrate Lu snorted coldly.

Captain Leng and Wang Cheng not only threatened these dozen witnesses but also paid them hush money, and no one came out to testify.

However, the ghost of Yuan Gong's daughter still frightened them.

Engineer Yuan pointed at the thirteen witnesses and said, "They are the witnesses."

Magistrate Lu looked at the thirteen witnesses, slammed the table, and then stared at the thirteen witnesses and said, "Before you speak, I warn you first. If you give false testimony, I will punish you."

At this time, outside the lobby, foreign cultivators had already begun to mock.

"Damn it, with more than a dozen witnesses, how could it be fake?"

"It's his son who committed the crime. It's all your fault that you don't have a good father."

These foreign cultivators are all entry-level warriors, at least ninth grade, and there are also eighth and seventh grades. Who among them doesn't have two lives on his hands?

They have high cultivation levels and roam around everywhere, so even the county magistrate doesn't want to mess with them.

County Magistrate Lu was a little embarrassed.

"Mr. County Magistrate, we can testify that it was Lu Chang who violated Mr. Yuan's daughter, and it was he who killed Mr. Yuan's daughter."

"Yes, yes, we can testify."

More than a dozen witnesses testified that Magistrate Lu was indeed very powerful and could kill them quietly.

But ghosts are a greater threat!

Between the county magistrate and the ghost, more than a dozen witnesses chose the ghost.

As Yuan Gong listened to the descriptions of more than a dozen witnesses, his eyes gradually turned red. He looked at Lu Chang with a sob, "Brat, is it you?!"

Lu Chang just snorted coldly: "If they say so, then so. I just played with her because she was cute. I didn't kill her."

Although Lu Chang was arrogant, he was not stupid. He knew that he could not admit it under such circumstances.

County Magistrate Lu looked at the dozen witnesses and said, "Since you said that it was Chief Lu who killed Mr. Yuan's daughter, why didn't you come out to do this at the beginning, but come out to testify now?"

The dozen or so witnesses looked at each other, and then they looked at Captain Leng and Wang Cheng.

Captain Leng and Wang Cheng had paid them hush money and even threatened them.

"You don't want to tell the truth, right? Beat them!" Magistrate Lu shouted immediately and was about to attack these witnesses.

"Sir, sir, it was Captain Wang and Captain Leng. They gave us money and threatened us."

"Yes, yes, that's right. It was the two adults who didn't allow us to testify."

The dozen or so witnesses no longer dared to hide. Ghosts were still scarier!
County Magistrate Lu nodded, and looked at Captain Leng and Wang Cheng. Wang Cheng was a little annoyed, but Captain Leng didn't even raise his eyelids, looking very calm.

"Regardless of whether this is true or not, if it is true that Lu Chang harmed someone, and you accepted money and did not act as witnesses, this is the crime of harboring someone. According to the laws of the Wei Dynasty, the crime of harboring someone is punishable by five years in prison."

"If the claim that Lu Chang harmed someone is false, then you are bearing false witness and are guilty either way."

"Come here, give him fifty lashes first." County Magistrate Lu called to the runners.

This action stunned Zhou Ping and others.

"Can this still happen?"

"But what the magistrate said seems to make sense. Whether it's true or not, these witnesses are guilty."

The onlookers were talking about it, but it seemed that what County Magistrate Lu did was correct.

If you knew about it but didn't report it, you would be guilty of harboring someone and you would be sent to jail. If you were to testify, that would also be a crime.

The witnesses were guilty anyway.

“Ahhh, ahhh.”

The witnesses were wailing one after another. The bailiffs were beating people to death. One of the old men couldn't hold on and died on the spot.

There were also a few weak ones who were knocked unconscious.

Zhou Ping thought to himself, "These scholars are really amazing."

"Scholars are still the best." Yan Yi snorted coldly. County Magistrate Lu's operation was flawless and there was nothing wrong with it.

After more than a dozen witnesses were beaten with boards, only a few were still lying on the ground awake.

Even though the board only has fifty blades, it has considerable power!

Engineer Yuan watched Magistrate Lu's actions and could only grit his teeth and remain silent.

"Okay, Captain Leng, Captain Wang, have you given them money? Have you threatened them?" County Magistrate Lu turned to ask Captain Leng and Wang Cheng.

Naturally, the two would not admit it.

Magistrate Lu nodded, then looked at the witnesses with a gleam in his eyes: "Since you said you took the money before, why are you willing to be a witness later?"

"To answer your question, the ghost of Mr. Yuan's daughter came to us last night and frightened us all night, so we are willing to come as a witness."

"Yes, it must be that Mr. Yuan's daughter is too resentful. We are all afraid of her."

Witnesses all told stories about the ghost of Yuan Gong's daughter.

County Magistrate Lu nodded and said thoughtfully, "It turns out that a ghost has been scaring you all night, and a ghost is looking for you."

When Zhou Ping heard what County Magistrate Lu said, he felt something was wrong.

Sure enough, Captain Leng spoke.

"Sir, these people encountered a ghost yesterday. They were probably bewitched by the ghost's magic, so they came as witnesses."

"I think someone wants to harm Lu Chang and you, sir, so I used ghostly means."

After Captain Leng finished speaking, he glanced at the still conscious witness and said, "I think the witnesses are not guilty. They should not be imprisoned. They are not guilty of harboring a criminal, nor are they guilty of giving false testimony. They pointed the finger at Lu Chang because of a ghost!"

"Well said!" County Magistrate Lu looked at Captain Leng with admiration.

It has to be said that when it comes to handling cases and confusing right and wrong, Captain Leng is better, while Wang Cheng seems much more immature.

"Someone come and wake up those who have fainted." County Magistrate Lu arranged for someone to come and pour a basin of cold water on the unconscious people.

The salt in the cold water made the witnesses grimace.

The water splashed onto several other witnesses as well, making them feel heartbroken and miserable. It was so painful!
In the blink of an eye, except for the one who was beaten to death, the other twelve witnesses woke up.

"Well, now that you are all awake." County Magistrate Lu pressed the word awake, "Let me ask you again, what exactly happened? Did you sue Magistrate Lu because you were bewitched by a ghost?"

After Magistrate Lu finished speaking, Captain Leng lowered his voice and said, "Don't be afraid, witnesses. Just tell us what you have to say. What's so scary about ghosts? The He family has had ghost troubles several times, but weren't they all subdued? If it was a ghost that bewitched you, the government will take care of it and kill the ghost."

A dozen witnesses looked at each other, then looked at the employee.

At this moment, Yuan Gong looked at Lu Chang, who seemed ready to kill at any time. He knew that he had lost, and he wanted to rely on witnesses and the law to seek justice for his daughter, but the other party caught his weakness.

If a ghost appears in the case, then anything can be said.

If there are still witnesses who do not admit that they were bewitched by the ghost, then they will be charged with giving false testimony and will be sentenced to jail.

So after weighing the pros and cons, the witnesses had no choice but to admit that they were bewitched by ghosts.

And Captain Leng just promised that he would find someone to kill the ghost.

A dozen witnesses looked at each other. They were not stupid and knew how to make the best choice for themselves.

"Your Excellency is truly observant."

"Yes, yes, we are bewitched by the devil."

"Yes, sir. I was woken up by a beating just now. I was wondering why I was so dizzy today. It turns out that I was bewitched by a ghost last night."

"Your Excellency was right to hit me with the stick, otherwise I would still be bewitched by the ghost."

"Sir, it wasn't Lu Chang who killed Yuan Gong's daughter. Only those two young men did it."

"Yes, yes, I can testify to that. We didn't see Master Lu Chang, but we saw the other two people."

The witnesses changed their testimonies one after another.

Magistrate Lu stroked his moustache, and could hardly suppress the smile on his lips.

The head of the road even stood up and looked at Mr. Yuan. He said, "Old man, stop staring at me and go home to live a good life. I remember that you don't have a daughter, but a son, right?"

Lu Chang's words were full of threats.

The onlookers were also shocked. They did not expect that in such an ironclad case, more than a dozen people would actually change their testimonies in court.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I've really broadened my horizons. This Qinghe County is really a ruthless place."

"Hey, that's nothing. Let me tell you something about our county that you won't even think of."

"Yes, this kind of trick of calling a horse a zebra and confusing right and wrong is the basic method of these officials. If they don't have this kind of trick, how can they be officials?"

Some of the outside cultivators were shocked, while others said that this was a routine operation and that officials in some places were much darker than this.

Yan Yi clenched her fists. She already knew the truth and couldn't help wanting to kill Lu Chang. However, her reason prevented her from doing so.

He Yunqing sighed. She had been through a lot and had seen this kind of thing before. Without power and influence, it was impossible to move to Luchang.

As for Zhou Ping, his face was dark. He thought the matter was simple, and he didn't expect the officials to be so powerful. This must-win situation was reversed with just a little trick.

The brain is not enough! Zhou Ping is deeply aware of the power of officials.

Everyone can see that there is something wrong with this verdict, but no one can find any reason why it is wrong.

"Okay, now that the case is closed, let's leave it at that. Captain Leng and Wang Cheng, take all the witnesses back."

"As for the ghost issue, the government will take care of it. If the ghosts come to trouble you again, you can bring your family to the county government office."

County Magistrate Lu was yawning and talking. Lu Chang hurriedly walked to County Magistrate Lu, supported him, and then walked into the inner courtyard.

The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Yuan Gong kneeling in the lobby.

"This guy is too cowardly. He didn't even dare to kill the murderer when his daughter died. Unlike me, when one of my brothers' women was bullied, he killed the man's entire family."

"Hey, are you talking about your brother, or yourself?"

"I'm a friend, I'm a friend. I'm a good person who keeps to the rules."

"Hahaha, good man, you're right, we are all good people."

(End of this chapter)