Chapter Thirty-Nine: Heartless and Ruthless

  It is said that Wu Zetian ordered Lai Junchen to try the case of Zhou Xing and Qiu Shenji's rebellion. Lai Junchen invited Zhou Xing to his home as a guest, and they discussed some cases while drinking wine together. Lai Junchen asked Zhou Xing, "Some prisoners refuse to confess even after repeated interrogations. What method can be used to make them surrender?" Zhou Xing replied, "This is easy! Take an urn, burn charcoal around it, and let the prisoner enter the urn. What crime will he dare not admit to?" Lai Junchen immediately fetched an urn, burned charcoal around it according to Zhou Xing's method, and then stood up and said to Zhou Xing, "Someone has accused you of rebellion, please come into this urn yourself!" Zhou Xing was extremely frightened and immediately kowtowed and confessed his crime. This is the origin of the idiom "to invite someone into an urn".

  Chen Gui never dreamed that this new Magistrate of Lu would dig a hole for him the moment they met, and what's more, he never expected that Cao Hu, whom he had personally supported, would collude with the new Magistrate. Everything happened too quickly, before Chen Gui could even react, Cao Hu rushed up and captured him in one move.

  "Cao Hu, you dare?" Chen Gui shouted loudly.

  Chen Gui's accumulated prestige had been intimidating for a long time, and this loud roar scared Cao Hu into shrinking back. However, upon seeing the seemingly smiling yet not quite smiling gaze of Lu Haoshan beside him, he didn't want to lose face in front of his "new master". He gritted his teeth, grabbed Chen Gui's hand with one swift motion, and used a capturing technique to subdue him. With a ferocious expression, he said: "Chen Gui, your good days are over. How dare you still be so arrogant? Make another peep, and don't blame me for not showing mercy."

  "Haha, joke" Chen Gui said with a cold smile: "Surnamed Cao, when did it become your turn to speak to me like this? What are you, if not for me, you would still be covered in mud and sweat, digging for food on the ground. You're nothing but a dog I raised, or rather, a white-eyed wolf that no one else can feed."

  Humiliated by Chen Gui in public, Cao Hu was scolded until his face turned red. Then, with a big hand as large as a winnowing tray, he pinched Chen Gui's neck and said: "How dare you, you're going to die soon but still so arrogant, wait till we get to the prison cell and see how I'll deal with you."

  Chen Gui was a man over fifty, while Cao Hu was a robust and vigorous young man. Cao Hu pinched Chen Gui's neck, somewhat like pinching a small chicken, and with a slight lift, Chen Gui's two feet were already off the ground. Unable to breathe, his face turned bright red, and in just a short moment, his eyeballs were about to pop out.

  "Alright, Captain Cao, stop it now." If they didn't stop, someone would get killed. Lu Haoshan hastily ordered Cao Hu to put the person down.

  "Consider yourself lucky." Cao Hu's hand relaxed, and Chen Gui fell to the ground with a "thud", crying out in pain.

  Fortunately, he didn't break any bones. Chen Gui lifted his head, with a resentful expression on his face, and said angrily to Lu Haoshan: "County Lord, we had no grudges in the past, nor did we have any enmity today. Just a few days ago, I even gave you the beautiful maid from my household. Why do you want to put me, Chen, to death?"

  "Is that so?" Lu Haoshan looked up at the sky with a cold smile and said: "Then thank you, County Magistrate Chen, for putting an informant by my side. This way, I won't be able to eat or sleep well, even in my dreams, I'll be afraid of saying something wrong that will reach your ears. Don't think I don't know, County Magistrate Chen, how do you want me to thank you?"

  Chen Gui was stunned, originally thinking it was a good move, but unexpectedly others had already seen through it. As a result, not only did it fail to achieve the desired effect, but it also made people disgusted. Upon careful consideration, he realized that he had been too careless at the time and hadn't taken Lu Xianzhang seriously enough, directly sending him to the mansion as his own beautiful maid. How could they not be suspicious? If another method was used, even if it was just a slight change, the effect would likely have been much better.

  "Sir, the woman has been given to you, and the deed of sale is in your hands. You are her master, and it's up to you whether to beat or kill her. Even if you were to beat her to death, that would be a domestic matter, and none of Chen's business. Why should we let a mere servant girl ruin our friendship?"

  He said in a low and humble tone, almost as if he was begging on his knees. Lu Haoshan, however, didn't seem to be moved at all. With an expressionless face, he said: "Friendship? What friendship is there between us? County Magistrate Chen, you're being too serious."

  This is clearly a case of "after finishing the meal, don't leave the monk behind" and "breaking the bridge after crossing the river". Chen Gui was so angry that he wanted to vomit blood. Although he didn't like this county magistrate, he had always been respectful to him on a daily basis, and even sent gifts during holidays. He also gave him a share of the benefits he deserved. But unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, he turned his back on him completely, without any hesitation, turning his face faster than flipping through a book.

  Not a shred of sentimentality, this doesn't resemble a simple and honest person at all, it's clearly an unfeeling and unscrupulous little person, also like a ruthless and decisive general.

  "Your Honor," Chen Guilian hastily said loudly, "I have committed what crime, you must give a reason. As the eighth-grade county magistrate, how can I be dealt with in just one sentence?"

  "If you want to keep it a secret, don't do it yourself. County Magistrate Chen, all these years you've done countless bad things, the number of complaints against you is piling up like mountains, and just the murder cases alone have over ten counts. Don't worry, I'll give you a chance to confess. Tomorrow, I'll hold a public trial in front of the elders and villagers of Jiangyou, and I'll count out your crimes one by one, let's see if you're still so stubborn then!"

  Chen Gui's eyes suddenly turned red, and he shouted in a low voice: "Public trial? Alright, good! I have something to say, none of you can escape. When the time comes, I will expose everything, and when the time comes, we will all die together. Even if I die, I will drag you down with me." After finishing speaking, he pointed at Lu Haoshan and said: "Good Lu County Magistrate, very good! Don't forget that before the New Year, those benefits were also shared by you. Don't think you're so noble."

  Lu Haoshan's attitude was not joking, while Cao Hu's eyes seemed to swallow himself. Chen Gui panicked and threatened to drag everyone down with him for self-protection. Anyway, they were all in cahoots, no one's butt was clean, but if they wanted to deal with themselves, it wasn't that easy to handle.

  "It's too noisy." Lu Haoshan said somewhat boredly.

  "With a dull thud, Cao Hu's palm blade chopped down on Chen Gui's back, Chen Gui was stunned for a moment, his eyes quickly rolled up, and then with a 'crash' he fell to the ground, caught off guard, he was knocked unconscious in an instant."

  Cao Hu said with a sigh of relief: "Sir, it's quiet now."

  "Take him to the main prison, and give him a single cell. Give him good food and drink, don't be rough with him, spare his life. I have my own plans." Lu Haoshan hastily instructed, fearing Cao Hu would take matters into his own hands.

  "Yes, sir." Cao Hu had just been thinking of a way to get Chen Gui killed in the big prison, but with Lu Haoshan's order, he couldn't disobey, so he reluctantly responded and then found two trusted men to carry Chen Gui away, taking him directly to the county yamen's large prison.

  After Cao Hu and his men left, another person came out from behind the screen. It was Zhou Dayuan, the head of the household department, who looked worried and said to Lu Haoshan: "Sir, Chen Gui has been an official for many years and knows many secrets. He also has a lot of leverage over people. If he reveals these things, not only will our superiors not let us off, but even the common people of Jiangyou will turn against us."

  Lu Haoshan sneered: "Speak out? Who said let him speak? When it falls into this official's hands, is he still in a position to speak?"

  "But isn't it that the adults said they would hold a public trial in the main hall tomorrow, and have a public trial in front of our fellow villagers from Jiangyou? If he speaks nonsense on the platform at that time, it will not be good."

  "He didn't have this opportunity."

  "What did the grown-up mean?"

  "You don't need to rush, just wait and watch the good show tonight."

  "Yes, sir." Zhou Dà Yuān vaguely felt that Lù Hào Shān was going to do something, but Lù Hào Shān didn't say anything, and he couldn't ask either.

  Lu Haoshan sat back in his own seat, picked up the cup of tea, and sipped it with relish. This ancient tea was made from organic tea leaves that had not been contaminated, and even the water used to brew it was unpolluted mountain spring water, making the tea all the more exceptional.

  Especially when the overall situation is settled, the victory is in hand, and the mood is too good, drinking naturally has a different flavor.