Chapter 379: Stalemate 02

  Lü Zhi was soon taken to the county magistrate's office. The county magistrate looked at Lü Zhi, who was furious, and a faint, imperceptible smile floated on his lips. Yes, looking at this beauty in front of him, the county magistrate's mood was very complicated. He had to admit that when his old friend Lü Gong brought his whole family to Pei County to seek refuge with him, he had taken a liking to Lü Zhi at first sight. He acknowledged that this woman not only had a beautiful face and figure, but also possessed a particularly special temperament, which seemed to combine coldness, charm, pride, and elegance, with an indescribable charm.

  The county magistrate, who often boasted that he had also been a favorite of many imperial concubines in the past, couldn't help but be moved by this strange and exotic woman. Ah, she was truly stunning! How did Lord Lü produce such a daughter?

  Later, the county magistrate inadvertently revealed his intention to Lü Gong. Because he and Lü Gong were of similar age and close friends, if he had intentions towards Lü Yu, it would inevitably cause awkwardness between the two close friends. Therefore, a way had to be found to resolve this. However, Lü Gong did not respond to his probing questions, and no matter how many stones he threw into the deep pool, there was no response. Was his stone not big enough, or was Lü Gong's pool too deep? The county magistrate was also confused for a while.

  However, the county magistrate was not too anxious. Because no matter what, this is on his turf, and although Lü Gong had been a wealthy and influential family in the past, now he has fled to his own territory and still needs to ask for his help. If it weren't for their friendship in the past, he wouldn't bother with Lü Gong at all!

  Although the county magistrate also realized that he was taking advantage of Lü Gong's misfortune by asking for his daughter's hand in marriage at this time, he thought it was not a big deal given his own status. However, he did not expect that his request would fall on deaf ears and receive no response.

  However, the county magistrate naturally also smelled something from it, but he wasn't in a hurry. He thought to himself, as long as she's still within my territory, then even if she runs like a monk running away from his temple, as long as she's a woman I've set my eyes on, humph, there's no way she can escape my grasp!

  However, although the county magistrate was so confident, he never thought that halfway through, a Liu Ji would emerge, the Liu Ji who had helped with several cases, the Liu Ji whom he himself had promoted to be the head of Sishui Pavilion! Alas, how did that kid get Lu Lian? In terms of family background? Although not extremely poor, at most just barely enough to eat. In terms of official position, he was just a small pavilion head promoted by his father, yet dared to compete with him for women?

  However, the county magistrate also thought of this matter, and it's not actually strange for Liu Bang to do so, because he naturally didn't know that he had taken a liking to Nangong Yu. If he knew, he might not have dared to do so either. Hmph, in the end, it's still the doing of Lü Gong! This old thief will get his comeuppance sooner or later! Hmph!

  The county magistrate, having not obtained Lü Zhi, always felt stifled in his heart and was thinking of finding an opportunity to vent his discontent, but was worried that he had no chance. Ah, now it's good, the opportunity has finally come! The opportunity has finally come!

  The county magistrate chased away the bailiffs who were standing on duty in the hall, then smiled and untied Lü Yu's ropes. He said to her: "I say, my subordinates are really too rash, haha, too rash, let you be frightened! It's really embarrassing, embarrassing! Alas, it's all because of that Liu Bang, a rough and unrefined man, who does things without considering anything, doesn't care about his wife and children, parents, or relatives. What kind of thing is he? How did I mistakenly appoint such a person to the position of Tinglong in Xiapi at the beginning? Alas, I was really blind at that time, blind!

  However, no matter what the county magistrate said, Lü Zhi remained silent. In her heart, she was quickly thinking of a countermeasure for the next step, and she had also made the worst plan, that is, if this corrupt official dared to be rude to herself, then she would fight with him! Even if she died, she wouldn't let this corrupt official tarnish her body.

  The county magistrate continued: "I say, Lü Zhi, you know that Liu Bang's crime this time has gone too far! Alas, the crime of releasing prisoners is not trivial. If it weren't for the fact that the incident occurred in my jurisdiction, even if I were a high-ranking official, I wouldn't be able to get him off scot-free. However, since Liu Bang is your fiancé and I have a long-standing relationship with your father, I will help you with this matter. But you must listen carefully to what I say, do you understand? You must listen carefully to what I say."

  The county magistrate smiled meaningfully at Lü Zhi several times as he spoke. However, no matter what the county magistrate said, Lü Zhi remained silent. In her heart, she was quickly thinking of a countermeasure for the next step, and she had also made the worst plan, that is, if this corrupt official dared to be rude to herself, then she would fight with him! Even if she died, she wouldn't let this corrupt official tarnish her body.

  The county magistrate continued: "I say, Lü Zhi, you know that Liu Bang's crime this time has gone too far! Alas, the crime of releasing prisoners is not trivial. If it weren't for the fact that the incident occurred in my jurisdiction, even if I were a high-ranking official, I wouldn't be able to get him off scot-free. However, since Liu Bang is your fiancé and I have a long-standing relationship with your father, I will help you with this matter. But you must listen carefully to what I say, do you understand? You must listen carefully to what I say."

  Lü Zhi, of course, knew what the county magistrate's intention was, but there is a saying that goes "when under someone else's roof, one must lower their head". If she were to bluntly refuse the county magistrate, he might become enraged and add more false charges against Liu Bang. At that point, things would be even harder to handle. It seems like she had to slowly dance around him, neither letting him succeed nor despairing him. Alas, although this would take a lot of effort, for the sake of Liu Bang's great cause, it was worth it.

  "County Magistrate, since you mention your friendship with my father, why not let me go quickly? I have an elderly mother and children waiting for me at home!" Lü Zhi said, standing up and preparing to leave. However, the County Magistrate would not let her go, grabbing her hand and laughing: "Ah, Lü Zhi, you think you can just walk away? This is no small matter! It's a case that could result in beheading! I am friends with your father, but if I don't investigate this case thoroughly, I'll have to answer to both my superiors and inferiors. If I let it slide, not only will I lose my official hat, but I might even lose my head! So, Lü Zhi, you can't leave yet. Why don't you stay here for a few days until I've handled the situation? Then I'll naturally release you."

  After listening to the county magistrate's words, Lü Yu knew that since he had come to the county government office, it would not be easy to get out again. He simply took a deep breath and said: "Alright, County Magistrate, sir, I'll do as you please!"

  Then, Lü Yu was locked up in a women's prison by the county magistrate. Later, the county magistrate also tried to persuade Lü Yu with both soft and hard tactics many times, but all were met with Lü Yu's polite refusals. Although the county magistrate had a strong lustful heart, he was after all a high-ranking official of the county and naturally knew that if he forced Lü Yu to submit, it would have an impact on himself. Moreover, he was also acquainted with Lü Yu's father, so if he did that, it would be difficult for him to explain himself to either side. Thinking about this, the county magistrate could only lock up Lü Yu tightly in the prison cell and wait for another opportunity later.

  But what Lü Yu couldn't have imagined was that after being thrown into the women's prison, the scene was no different from having just escaped a tiger's mouth only to be thrown into a wolf's den. The county magistrate was evil, but at least he was a government official and wouldn't dare to really do anything to her. But it was different here, those jailers spent their days interacting with prisoners, their mindset naturally became somewhat abnormal. Having finally seen such a beautiful woman, many of the lechers had already begun to have designs on Lü Yu.

  That night, Lü Cuī was resting when he suddenly heard the sound of the prison gate opening loudly. It was that guy Hei Wǔ who had come to deliver food, holding some dishes in his hand. Seeing him put down the food first, then suddenly and silently pounced on Lü Cuī, who was caught off guard and tightly hugged by him. Lü Cuī panicked and shouted loudly. Unfortunately, this prison was a hell on earth, even if the guards outside heard him, they were all in cahoots with each other, so no one would intervene.

  Lü Cuī after all is a weak woman, how could she have the strength to resist Hei Wǔ? It seems that Hei Wǔ, who was specifically responsible for delivering food to Lü Cuī, had long since set his sights on her. For tonight's opportunity, he must have made some kind of preparation. No matter how hard Lü Cuī struggled, Hei Wǔ remained silent, only making fierce movements. First, he tore open Lü Cuī's top, revealing her snow-white breasts. When he saw those snow-white breasts, his eyes widened in an instant, and with a vicious grasp, he reached out to grab them. Poor Lü Cuī could only let out a mournful cry, instinctively shouting and weakly resisting.

  And that black five, next was even more daring, for someone like him, no matter what he did, it was all a case of shooting an arrow without turning back. Since he had done it, he had to achieve a result. Suddenly, there was a "tear" sound, and Lv Wei's pants were torn open in an instant. Lv Wei, at this time, also didn't have much strength left, his eyes flowed with shameful tears, using all his might, let out a sharp, despairing cry: "Ahhhhhhh!"

  Perhaps this is fate. Lü Zhi's desperate cry was unexpectedly heard by another prison guard named Ren Rao. This prison guard, Ren Ao, had interacted with Liu Bang in the past and since Lü Zhi's imprisonment, he often intentionally or unintentionally tried to provide convenience and protection for her. On this day, he happened to think of visiting Lü Zhi's cell and coincidentally witnessed the scene of the prison guard molesting Lü Zhi.

  Ren Ao saw this scene and was furious, he rushed over and grabbed Hei Wu, then punched him hard, causing his nose to bleed. Hei Wu retreated several steps, stumbled and hit the wall with a "thud". However, Hei Wu was also a skilled fighter, and earlier he was caught off guard because he was busy dealing with Lü Qi. After getting up, he sneered and stepped towards Ren Ao, saying: "You really are a busybody! You really are a busybody! Today I'll let you know what it means to be a busybody!" As he spoke, Hei Wu punched at Ren Ao...

  All of a sudden, the prison was in chaos. Two jailers, for a female prisoner, actually started fighting. This has never happened before in the history of Pei County Prison. So this matter quickly shocked the county magistrate. The next day, the county magistrate opened the court and brought Hei Wu and Ren Ao to the public hall.

  At this time, those bailiffs holding batons couldn't help but secretly laugh in their hearts when they saw Ren Ao and Hei Wu kneeling on the ground. They thought to themselves: "Hehe, hehe, today is going to be a great show! Two prison guards fighting over a female prisoner, it's really ridiculous!"

  In fact, it's not just those bailiffs, the county magistrate is also extremely unhappy, thinking to himself: "My god, what a thing! For one female prisoner, they actually got beaten so badly! How embarrassing! Truly without dignity! Although he thought this way, however, he forgot that he was almost entranced by Lv Liu's beauty, and nearly couldn't extricate himself. It seems that this woman is truly a femme fatale!

  "How dare you, two bailiffs! As officials serving the government, you've actually done something so lawless and shameless! It seems that unless I give you a few dozen lashes, you won't even know what the law is!" The county magistrate glared at them with a stern expression.

  "Your Honor, Your Honor, I'm innocent, I'm innocent!" Although Hei Wu was extremely lustful, his body wasn't very sturdy and he looked almost as thin as a rake. So when he heard that the county magistrate was going to give him dozens of heavy blows, he became so frightened that he nearly wet his pants.

  It was Ren Ao, because he was open and honest, so he seemed calm and composed, without any fear. It seems that when one is true, the false becomes true, and when one pretends to be true, the true becomes false! No matter what time it is, as long as a person has no guilt in their heart, even if they are surrounded by evil, it will not invade their body.

  "Hmm, alright then. Now, the county magistrate will let each of you defend yourselves and see who is most reasonable!" As he spoke, the county magistrate heavily slapped the wooden block made of tatan wood, signaling the formal start of both parties' pleas.

  That black five was indeed guilty, so he took the initiative to report and complained: "County Lord, Ren Ao was originally in charge of the male prison, but he had a relationship with Lv Lian. As for me, I was in charge of the female prison, so he always resented me for interfering with his business. Tonight, Ren Ao asked me to switch shifts with him, letting me go to the male prisoner's side and he himself came to the female prisoner's side. However, I also knew the rules, without your permission, it was not allowed to change posts at will. Just because I didn't agree to his request, Ren Ao beat me almost to death, trying to kill me quickly. If you don't believe me, look at the wounds on my body..." Black Five spoke with a lot of nonsense, spitting and sniffling, even with tears and snot all over his face, sounding very pitiful.

  Here is the translation:

  And now, it's Ren Ao's turn to plead for himself. Since Ren Ao has always acted upright and sat straight, he wasn't flustered in the slightest. Calmly and composed, he spoke to the command: "County Magistrate, sir, please listen to my words. This Hei Wu has long been coveting Lu Yu's beauty, but had not yet succeeded. That night, I was patrolling inside the prison when I suddenly heard a woman's shrill cry coming from the women's cell. I rushed over to take a look and saw that this guy was trying to bully Lu Yu. I was so angry that I gave him a good beating. I thought that the female prisoner's crime should be decided by County Magistrate, sir, not by me, which would tarnish the reputation of the official family! In my opinion, it's better to execute such a scourge as soon as possible, rather than letting someone like this continue to shame the officials!"

  The county magistrate listened to the words of Hei Wu and Ren Ao, and felt that both people's words were very reasonable. For a moment, he didn't know how to make a decision. So, the county magistrate thought of his chief officer Xiao He.

  "Go and invite Chancellor Xiao He over, I have something to discuss with him!" The county magistrate ordered a bailiff to go and invite Xiao He.

  After learning that Lü Zhi had been arrested and thrown into prison, Xiao He was extremely anxious. His relationship with Liu Bang was very close, a fact well-known to everyone in Pei County. Therefore, when Liu Bang's wife was imprisoned, he naturally felt responsible for rescuing her. However, as the main clerk, without an appropriate opportunity, he could not help. Indeed, according to Qin law, Liu Shanhe's crime warranted not only his own death but also the execution of his entire family. So, from a legal standpoint, the county magistrate had done nothing wrong by arresting Lü Zhi. Since there were no loopholes in the law, it would be difficult to persuade the county magistrate to release her. Moreover, everyone knew about the relationship between the county magistrate and Lü Gong, and Lü Zhi was Lü Gong's own daughter. With such a connection, if the county magistrate refused to release Lü Zhi, what could Xiao He do? If things went wrong, he might end up with egg on his face, achieving nothing.

  So, there was no way for Xiao He to do anything, and he could only turn around in circles like an ant on a hot pot. However, he still had no solution. In a fit of rage, Xiao He couldn't help but scold Liu Bang: "Liu Bang, what kind of person are you? You only think about your own pleasure, but forget that you have a wife and children at home, as well as elderly parents! Liu Bang, what kind of person are you? You only think about your own pleasure, but forget that you have a wife and children at home, as well as elderly parents! This guy is really too impulsive! He's too reckless! When I get back, if I can see this thing again, I'll scold him to death! This guy is really too impulsive! He's too reckless! When I get back, if I can see this thing again, I'll scold him to death!" Xiao He thought angrily.

  Although Xiang Yu thought so, from another perspective, he could also understand Liu Bang's approach. Yes, many people ran away halfway, even if they barely escorted the remaining prisoners to Mount Tai in Xianyang, according to Qin law, Liu Bang would not have returned alive either. If it were him, Xiang Yu, he might have made a similarly helpless choice. There was no way out, yes, there was no way out! After all, who wants to be executed with their eyes open?

  Although Xiao He was scolding Liu Shanhe in his heart, he still tried his best to take care of Lü Zhi who was in prison. For example, he often gave the jailers some silver coins and asked them to take good care of Lü Zhi, not to let those jailers bully him, etc. It can be said that he had fulfilled his duty as a friend. However, Xiao He also knew very well that by doing so, he could only alleviate Lü Zhi's suffering to some extent, but could not solve the problem fundamentally. Nevertheless, Xiao He did not give up and was waiting for the best opportunity to come.