Chapter 74

Seeing the pretentious and hypocritical appearance of Magistrate Hu, Chu Huan felt nauseous. He smiled faintly and said, "Magistrate, you are indeed fair and incorruptible, which I admire greatly!"

Magistrate Hu forced a smile and was about to speak when Chu Huan continued, "Sir, you are the father and mother of the county. Now, someone has been mysteriously poisoned in the prison, and it is inappropriate for you to investigate this matter. I am just a villager, but I understand some principles. If the Prefecture sends someone to investigate, it will help you avoid suspicion, which is for your own good!"

At this moment, Magistrate Hu did not care why a villager would know about the Criminal Department. He only wanted to quickly retrieve the body and stroked his beard, saying, "Chu Huan, I heard you accidentally caused someone's death, but today someone tried to harm you in prison. It seems the matter is not so simple. Based on my years of experience, you are most likely innocent..."

Chu Huan stared into Magistrate Hu's eyes, his face expressionless.

In his heart, Chu Huan was as clear as a mirror. By guarding Fan Fatty's body, he had seized Magistrate Hu's Achilles' heel. This old fox must have realized the gravity of the situation, which was why he had come in person, trying to persuade and pressure Chu Huan to hand over the body.

Seeing that Chu Huan remained unmoved, Magistrate Hu finally could not contain his anger and put on an official tone, "Chu Huan, I am here to investigate the case. If you obstruct me, it is a serious crime... You are already suspected of murder, and if you add the charge of obstructing an official, I won't be able to protect you even if I want to." He coughed and whispered, "Move aside, and I will give you a hint. As long as you don't cause trouble, there might still be a way out for you in the murder case..."

But Chu Huan, like a mute swallowing a weight, remained silent and coldly guarded the prison door.

Seeing that Chu Huan was impervious to both persuasion and threats, Magistrate Hu became anxious and sneered, "Chu Huan, it seems you really want to obstruct the investigation. Let me tell you, this is the county prison, and you cannot act recklessly here. If you don't move aside, don't blame me for being unfriendly." He was filled with murderous intent, wanting to tear Chu Huan to pieces.

For a respected magistrate to be coerced by a prisoner was a matter that, if it became public, would be a laughingstock. But Magistrate Hu did not know how to handle the situation.

He did not want to publicize the matter and could only rely on his subordinates to deal with it. However, his subordinates were no match for Chu Huan.

In his many years as an official, he had never encountered such a situation.

He stared straight at Chu Huan, who returned his gaze without fear. The two men's eyes met, and the atmosphere in the dim and eerie dungeon became even more oppressive.

...

The moment Fan Fatty was poisoned to death, Chu Huan realized a great opportunity had arrived. He could not predict the outcome of the incident, but he sensed that it would give him leverage over Magistrate Hu.

County Magistrate Zhao's mysterious words in the dungeon made Chu Huan feel that a storm was brewing outside. He did not know what would happen, but his intuition told him that if he seized the opportunity, he might deal a fatal blow to Magistrate Hu.

He could not be sure what County Magistrate Zhao would do next, but he believed that Zhao was definitely doing something.

He had developed a keen sense of danger, and this time, he sensed not his own peril but that of Magistrate Hu.

Magistrate Hu's late-night visit confirmed Chu Huan's suspicion that the magistrate was filled with fear. Only fear would drive him to come at night and put on this act.

The more fearful Magistrate Hu was, the more certain Chu Huan was of the importance of the leverage he held. Chu Huan also felt that the magistrate did not want the matter to become public, and as long as he feared publicity, he would not take drastic action.

Seeing Chu Huan's determined expression, Magistrate Hu knew the situation was difficult. Being coerced by a prisoner, he was both angry and helpless. He crossed his arms and, after a long pause, sighed, "Chu Huan, name your terms, and I will let you go now!"

Chu Huan smiled, "Sir, you are trying to put me to death!"

Magistrate Hu's face darkened, "What do you mean?"

"Why ask when you already know!" Chu Huan smiled faintly, "The moment I step out of the prison, you can accuse me of escaping... I doubt I will survive this dungeon."

Of course, this was a humble understatement.

Although Magistrate Hu's men knew Chu Huan was strong, they underestimated his true strength. If Chu Huan really wanted to leave, it would not be difficult for him.

Magistrate Hu's lips twitched. He had tried both persuasion and threats, but Chu Huan remained unmoved. He finally lost his patience, snorted, and turned to leave, with Zhang Dahu quickly following.

Magistrate Hu entered the guard room, sat heavily in a chair, and slammed the table, his face ashen. "This is outrageous... outrageous!"

Zhang Dahu approached cautiously, "Sir, what should we do?"

Magistrate Hu stared at the flickering lamp on the table, which cast his shadow on the cracked wall, twisting with the light, like a ghost.

"Chu Huan must die!" Magistrate Hu said after a long pause, his voice sinister. "The body and evidence must be disposed of!" He looked at Zhang Dahu, his face grim, and said coldly, "This is your fault. Think of a way... or you can forget about being the jailer!"

Zhang Dahu broke into a sweat and stammered, "Sir, I...!" Suddenly, his eyes turned fierce, and he leaned in, whispering, "Sir, we have no choice but to use harsh measures!"

"What harsh measures?"

"I have two plans, sir. Listen." Zhang Dahu whispered, "The first plan is to burn this place down. We will pour oil everywhere, then go out and close the stone door... once the fire starts, there will be no water to put it out, and everyone inside will be burned to death!"

Magistrate Hu drew a sharp breath and glanced at Zhang Dahu, "You are truly ruthless. There are over thirty prisoners here. Do you want to burn them all?"

He narrowed his eyes and pondered, "What is the second plan?"

"Gather some men with bows and arrows. Say nothing, go to Cell A, and shoot everyone inside dead." Zhang Dahu said coldly, "Once everyone is dead, we can retrieve Fan Fatty's body."

Magistrate Hu nodded slightly and asked in a low voice, "What if the higher-ups investigate? They will send someone if we kill them without cause!"

"Say they tried to escape!" Zhang Dahu whispered, "They attacked and injured people, and we had no choice but to shoot them." He touched his swollen face, "Chu Huan injured us, which will serve as evidence..."

A sinister smile appeared on Magistrate Hu's lips, and he stroked his beard, "Zhang Dahu, I haven't wasted my time taking care of you. You are useful in a pinch!"

Zhang Dahu looked pleased and smiled, "Sir, if you agree, I will gather some men, go to the armory, and get the bows and arrows. We will say nothing and shoot them dead!"

Magistrate Hu pondered for a moment, his expression firm, "Do it. Go and gather the men now, and remember, this time, we cannot fail..."

Zhang Dahu nodded and turned to leave, opening the door. He saw a dark figure standing outside and jumped back, drawing his saber, "Who is it?"

Magistrate Hu was also startled and stood up abruptly.

The dark figure outside calmly said, "Is the magistrate here?" A figure stepped in, and it was County Magistrate Zhao, who appeared and disappeared like a ghost.

Zhang Dahu's mouth dropped open in surprise, and Magistrate Hu was also startled but quickly regained his composure, crossed his arms, and coughed, "It's County Magistrate Zhao. What brings you here at this hour?"

County Magistrate Zhao remained calm, smiled, and approached, bowing to Magistrate Hu, "Magistrate, you are here. I was checking accounts in the Revenue Department and found that many taxes have not been collected. I couldn't sleep, so I came to the office to find you, and they said you were here, so I came as well."

The County Magistrate was the deputy to the Magistrate and, in theory, could intervene in all county affairs. The six departments of the county office—Criminal, Revenue, Works, Personnel, Rites, and Military—and various county affairs were all within his purview. However, as a deputy, he had limited authority. If the Magistrate delegated power, it was one thing, but if not, the County Magistrate rarely made decisions.

In practice, few Magistrates truly delegated power to the County Magistrate. Even if they did, it was usually for minor matters. Thus, the County Magistrate was often a figurehead, appearing important but having little real power.

The Magistrate, though of a low rank, held significant power as the head of the county, controlling commerce, finance, taxation, justice, transportation, and public welfare.

Magistrate Hu controlled Qingliu County, and as his deputy, County Magistrate Zhao had almost no power. He was the most idle official in the Qingliu County system. Magistrate Hu did not take him seriously, especially since Zhao was extremely low-key and humble, making him even more dismissible. Zhao's low profile sometimes made Magistrate Hu forget he even had such a deputy.

Now, Zhao's sudden appearance in the dungeon startled Magistrate Hu, and a sense of unease rose within him. With years of experience in the bureaucracy, he sensed an ominous sign in this unusual situation.

------------------------------------------------------------------

ps: Desert sincerely asks friends for support. Over the past month, everyone has been very supportive, and my collection has easily surpassed ten thousand. Just a little more, and I can enter the top ten in the collection category. I ask for your help to push me into the top ten, and I will be deeply grateful!

{Piaotian Literature www.piaotia.com Thank you for your support. Your support is our greatest motivation.}

Previous page AD starts

Previous page AD ends