Volume 2 Chapter 115 Case of Ren Ping Sheng

  The drumhead was made of the finest cowhide, extremely tough and tightly stretched. When Chen Jian's fist hit it, a tremendous force rebounded instantly, causing his finger joints to ache secretly. However, Chen Jian's fists took turns to strike, fearlessly punching one after another on the drumhead.

  Knock knock knock!

  Although the voice was not loud, it was steady and rhythmic, enough for the big masters in the government to hear.

  The old official's face turned red with rage, and his voice became shrill: "You dare to be so bold, you riotous commoner, beating the official drum like that! What a big nerve you have!"

  Chen Jianchen's sword-like eyebrows rose: "This drum was originally a drum for proclaiming grievances, and anyone who has been wronged can beat it. You, as an official, have privately set rules and collected money at will, your crime is punishable by death."

  The old official was so angry that his three corpses were jumping wildly. Since ancient times, "the eight characters of the yamen open to the south in the morning, if you have reason but no money, don't come in." The rules for collecting drum fees had been set for many years, and who would dare to speak out? Unexpectedly, today he encountered a fool, and directly used his fists to hit him, almost challenging the authority of the official mansion.

  As he thought of this, he took out an iron chain from his waist and went to bind Chen Jianchen.

  Chen Jianchen sternly shouted: "I am a scholar by birth, how dare you lay hands on me without reason?"

  At this time, Wang Fu and others also came up and stood on Chen Jianchen's side. In fact, Wang Fu was secretly thinking: the official wants money, just give it to him, after all, it's only a few taels of silver, besides, this is Suzhou, not Jiangzhou, if things get out of hand, the other party can easily set up countless obstacles, and this case will be difficult to handle.

  As for the twists and turns in officialdom, black and white, Wang Fu is much clearer than Chen Jianchen, but he doesn't know that even if Chen Jianchen is clear, he won't follow others' rules with a humble attitude.

  Upon hearing his loud shout, the old official's face changed color and he hesitated: The other was a scholar, and as a minor official, he couldn't take action arbitrarily. He'd better go in to report to Master and make a decision afterwards.

  He turned around and ran quickly into the government office.

  The gavel sounds, the trial begins, this is the rule. The efficiency of Suzhou Prefecture's trial is still good, after about a cup of tea time, the court is set up, two rows of officials stand, holding a water and fire mallet, beating on the ground, shouting "Majestic!"

  Chen Jianchen and Wang Fuguan entered with an air of confidence - they were scholars who had achieved distinction, possessing the privilege of not having to bow when meeting officials.

  The hall was majestic and solemn, with a horizontal inscribed board hanging high in the center: "Bright Mirror Suspended High". Below the signboard sat an official, short and stout, with a body like a calabaza, a round face, small eyes, and two wisps of eight-shaped whiskers, looking just like a roly-poly.

  Magistrate Mo Zhenzong is indeed a pillar in the officialdom, and although there have been three changes of Suzhou prefects, he remains as steady as Mount Tai.

  In the Tianyun dynasty, if the position of Zhizhou was considered to be a high-ranking and powerful one, equivalent to the highest leader of a state, then the position of Fuyin was roughly equivalent to the president of the state court, presiding over the trial of major and minor cases in the state. The fertile water and abundant resources made it comparable to the Suzhou River, so this was a position that everyone wanted to take on, a fat and lucrative post.

  Bang!

  No matter what happens, first knock on the wooden board and then talk, this is official power.

  "Who is it under the hall beating the drum and ascending the hall? Having seen the official, why didn't you kneel?"

  Wang Fu hastily stepped forward and bowed: "Student Wang Fu of Jiangzhou Minghua Academy, at your service, sir."

  "Student of Minghua Academy, Chen Jianchen, has seen you, sir."

  The old man beside him suddenly shouted: "Do you have a guide with a name tag?"

  What is called a "travel permit" is something that proves one's identity, especially when leaving one's home state to go to another state. One must obtain a travel permit from the government office; without it, if discovered by the authorities, one will be charged with "escape" and punished according to law. In other words, this is the world's "passport".

  Wang Fu and Chen Jianchen presented their nameplates to Lu Ying, who checked them over before returning them.

  Two xiucai came to beat the drum and report to the official, one of whom was also a linsheng from the government school, with a somewhat special status. The usual set used to deal with common people wouldn't work anymore. Mo Da Ren said: "What brings you here beating the drum? Do you have a complaint?"

  The indictment is a document for litigation, and it must be presented when the court is in session. Chen Jianchen had already written it out on the road, and now he handed it over.

  Magistrate Mo finished reading and was shocked: in broad daylight, they blocked the road, kidnapped someone, and even killed one person. This is a huge case! He quickly regained his composure, discussed with the teacher for a few words, first called the coroner to examine the victim's injuries, then recorded their testimonies, signed and stamped them, and then dispatched two catchers to lead a team of officials to rush to the scene to investigate.

  All these were usual practices in handling cases, and there was nothing to pick at in terms of procedure. After finishing all this, Magistrate Mo told Wang Fu and Chen Jianchen to return to the inn and wait for news.

  They can wait, but the lost opportunity is one they cannot afford to wait for.

  Disaster struck, and such an accident happened. Wang let out a long sigh, his brow furrowed, and the journey back was delayed. Returning a few days late wouldn't be a big deal, but Chen Jianchen had entrusted Lu Xiyue to him, and she was unexpectedly kidnapped, which made it hard for him to explain. In fact, Chen Jianchen didn't have any intention of blaming him; with his quick thinking, he immediately thought that the other party might be someone from Li Yifeng's side...

  Li Yifeng and the Lu family have a deep-seated vendetta. In order to seize the Lu family's property, Li Yifeng colluded with local officials and government authorities, using every means possible, including despicable tactics, to murder Ru Xiyue's parents, thereby snatching away the vast Lu family estate, which is now one of Suzhou's largest wealthy families.

  The process was deeply remembered by Lu Xi and told to Chen Jianchen.

  Chen Jianchen listened and evaluated Li Yifeng as "Like a wolf and a tiger, an evil person is more ferocious than a ghost".

  After many years, Lu Xi returned to Jiangzhou to pay respects to his parents and harbored a desire for revenge. He attempted to assassinate on the boat but was unsuccessful... It is unknown whether Li Yifeng had suspicions at that time...

  The current situation is unclear, and many things are not easy to make a judgment on. The only certainty is that this judgment cannot be waited for from the authorities. Countless examples have already proven that by the time the authorities have made a judgment, the mother pig has already climbed up the tree.

  Reporting to the authorities is just a routine action on the surface.

  Secret actions require the use of all available factors, and the greatest help is undoubtedly the father-daughter duo of Huangfu. Unfortunately, Huangfu was injured and couldn't transform into a human to take action, otherwise it would have been even more effective with him at the forefront. The old fox spirit's mobility being hindered could only resort to second best, so she asked the young fox spirit to take action instead. Although Nana is somewhat reckless, she does possess magical abilities after all.

  Moreover, when leaving Hu Zhuang, Jiao Na had also mentioned a name called "Song Niang", saying that she could help investigate the news. Could it be that she was also a demon?

  Chen Jianchen temporarily didn't understand, instructed Wang Fu a few sentences and then returned to Hu Zhuang alone - leaving Wang Fu in the Suzhou City government, on the one hand for listening to news needs; On the other hand, some things were known by Wang Fu, which was not good for both parties.

  Gazing out at the green mountains, the green mountains are everywhere with wind like knives and rain like swords. Not many people can truly withstand it...