Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 3: Old Clam Holding a Pearl

The next day, as the sky gradually brightened in the morning, servants in the county government office had already gotten up to sweep the floor and feed the horses.

Although I went to bed late last night, I didn't feel tired when I woke up early in the morning. Even the fatigue from riding a horse for several days was gone.

Liu Bei put on his clothes, tucked in the felt mat and bedding for his wife, and came to the lobby to review the bamboo slips and documents that he had not finished reading yesterday.

After a while, I heard a noise outside.

The county yamen runner came in and said respectfully, "County magistrate, there's a murder in the market!"

"The gatekeeper has arrested the murderer. The officer asked if he should be brought to the hall for trial?"

Liu Bei nodded upon hearing this.

Judging cases according to the law is also one of the responsibilities of the county magistrate.

The Han Dynasty attached great importance to laws and decrees, with Confucianism on the outside and law on the inside. According to the system of memorial and adjudication, if the people had any questions about the judgment, they could report it to the county, then to the Supreme Court, and finally to the emperor.

After a while, a strong man tied with ropes was escorted in by the police, followed by an ugly middle-aged scholar with a goatee.

When he saw Liu Bei, he did not bow, but casually said, "Ximen Ru of Dongwu, Jizhou, greets the county magistrate."

His every word and action revealed his arrogance, and he did not take the county magistrate seriously.

"How bold!"

"How dare you, a commoner, disrespect Magistrate Liu!"

"How dare you, you little rat!"

When the officers saw this, they stared in astonishment, their eyes widened, and they raised their fists to hit.

Ximen Ru, who had a goatee, suddenly felt dizzy and let out a sharp scream.

"Okay, stop it." By the time Liu Bei opened his mouth to dissuade them, he had already been punched several times in the face, and his nose and face were swollen and looked pitiful.

Liu Bei didn't know what to say. A stranger came to Pingyuan County and didn't even ask about his current status.

Whether in the black or white world, he is someone who cannot be easily provoked.

Because of his outstanding ability in officialdom, even the prefect had to give him some face.

In the market, the knights-errant called him an elder brother who was generous and righteous, helping the poor and needy, and was extremely righteous. The knights-errant from all the counties in Qingzhou vied to join him.

As a result, there were too many people, and it happened that the county government dismissed its officials, and all of them were arranged to work as errand boys in the government. Some of the most prestigious knights were transformed into gatekeepers, thief catchers, and city officials in charge of market management.

Liu Bei offered much higher salaries and rice allowances than those in other counties. He used kindness first and then power, which earned him a reputation for being magnanimous and generous. This consolidated his position and also enabled the knights to spread his fame further.

Not only among the knights-errant, but even many ordinary people wanted to get his protection.

He is not afraid of others asking him for help. The more people ask him for help, the greater his influence will be.

The hardest thing to repay is human favors.

Outsiders in the plains were not aware of this, and those who dared to go against Liu Bei would probably disappear from the world once they left the county and reached the mountains.

Death is too common in troubled times.

Ximen Ru was punched several times for his rudeness, and perhaps he realized that this was not Jizhou, so he lowered his head and stammered, "Reporting to County Magistrate Liu, Qian sold pearls to my brother, and because the pearls were lost, he accused my brother of stealing, and in anger, he pushed him and he fell to his death."

"Please ask the county magistrate to do justice for the Ximen family."

Liu Bei did not comment, but asked: "Are the Ximen clan of Dongwu descendants of Ximen Bao of Wei?"

"It is my ancestor!" Ximen Ru said this, with his head held high and chest puffed out, stroking his beard and answering. Liu Bei turned his head to look at the bound strong man, and after a careful examination, he said in surprise: "Aren't you Han Leng from Gaowangli, Dongxiang? Why are you here in the county town to hurt people instead of staying at home to serve your mother?"

When the strong man saw that Liu Bei recognized him, he was so excited that he took a few steps forward. The officer on the other end of the rope almost lost control and staggered and almost fell.

"Liu, Magistrate Liu, my mother was seriously ill and I had no money to buy medicine, so I went to the river to fish out some pearls to sell for money. His brother stole my most valuable pearl. I wanted to search him, but he wouldn't let me. I pushed him, and he fell to his death."

Han Leng pointed at Ximen Ru as he spoke, and the more anxious he became, the more he stuttered.

When Ximen Ru heard this, he immediately became anxious and loudly retorted: "This is nonsense. The Ximen family is a well-known family. Everyone in the world knows it. How could they cheat the common people? County magistrate, please don't believe it!"

Han Leng hurriedly shook his head and said, "Many people saw him arguing with me, and they can pass it on as evidence."

Ximen Ru finally sneered: "You brat, do you think I don't know? Those are your fellow villagers, they will definitely favor you. Now that my brother has passed away, I ask the county magistrate to kill this beast and pay for my brother's life."

He turned around and saluted Liu Bei solemnly.

After hearing this, Liu Bei understood the dispute between the two.

I asked the police where the death occurred and who was present. I heard that not long after the commotion started, the police from the county government arrived and took all the people present out of the government office.

Also including Simon's servants.

Liu Bei asked again whether the stolen pearls were found on the deceased. The officer replied that there were none. Ximen Ru came later.

He thought to himself, "As expected, if Han Leng is not lying, the beads should be hidden on the Ximen family's servant. They are hidden so hidden that searching may not find them. Then..."

Liu Bei ordered the officer Shen Er to come over.

He then said solemnly to the two people in front of the hall: "There is plague in many places in Qingzhou. You two are both dangerous and plaintiffs. You should go to the county government office first. The other witnesses should take off their clothes, wash themselves, and drink the soup to remove the plague before entering. You should wait for a moment."

There is no such thing as a soup to get rid of the epidemic; it's just a laxative.

"This...this..." Ximen Ru's eyes flashed with a trace of panic and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Although he was not afraid of his servants being searched, he was frightened when he heard about the soup to cure the disease. He had been traveling around the country for many years as a merchant and had never heard of such soup.

Now that I am passing through the plain, I am not sure if I will fall over again. I gradually put my heart back in my stomach.

But this wait lasted almost an hour.

What arrived was not the summoned witness, but a huge bead placed in the officer's bamboo tray, which was the rare item he had accidentally seen in the market yesterday.

Ximen Ru’s face turned pale instantly and he felt dizzy. It was over, it was over.

Not only would Ximen's reputation be ruined, but he himself might also be imprisoned.

Didn’t the servant say that he would swallow this thing?
How come he suddenly appeared? Has he been ripped open?
How could the county magistrate here be so bold and fierce? !

Ximen Ru couldn't help but shiver, his knees went weak, and he bowed his head and confessed his guilt.

Seeing that he was willing to plead guilty, Liu Bei didn't want to say anything more and sentenced the two men according to the law.

He found a compromise and bought the beads at the original price so that Han Leng would have money to buy medicinal herbs to serve his mother.

Upon learning that the deceased was old and had no children, although there were reasons for the incident and it was all his own fault, he was ultimately killed by Han Leng's pushing. In an era that encouraged revenge, the emperor was afraid that Han Leng, a commoner, could not defeat the powerful merchants, so he was asked to pay part of the funeral expenses.

He was then ordered to wear mourning clothes for the deceased at home for half a year to silence the people and prevent Ximen from taking revenge openly.

As for Liu Xuande, he is not afraid of Ximen family of Jizhou.

(End of this chapter)