Chapter 77

In cell number one, Chu Huan sat cross-legged in front of the cell door, like a deity guarding the gate, immovable. The few prisoners behind him now felt both respect and fear for Chu Huan.

These prisoners still did not know the reason for what had happened. In their eyes, they only saw Fan Fat being poisoned to death by a bowl of braised pork. As the saying goes, "When the rabbit dies, the fox mourns." Fan Fat, after all, was a prisoner like them, and his death by poisoning naturally made this group of people extremely hostile and resentful towards the authorities.

Chu Huan's actions, as seen by these people, seemed as if he was standing up for Fan Fat. Although they had been severely tormented by Chu Huan that day, his bravery at this moment still earned their respect.

What surprised and admired them even more was that Chu Huan, a prisoner, dared to confront the county magistrate face-to-face. Such courage and determination were indeed rare.

Chu Huan heard the strange sounds coming from the corridor very clearly and immediately became alert, knowing that something had happened in the cell.

County Magistrate Hu left in a huff, but Chu Huan did not think he would give up so easily. He knew that the old man would surely come up with other vicious methods to deal with him. What he needed to do was to hold his ground, meet the soldiers with soldiers and the water with water. If it came to the worst, he would simply escape from prison.

The commotion soon quieted down, and after a while, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Chu Huan frowned and soon saw a person appear outside the cell door, standing straight.

Chu Huan looked up at the person and saw that he was a tall and robust man with broad shoulders and a tiger-like back, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, with a smile on his face.

"It's you?" Seeing the person, Chu Huan was greatly surprised.

This suddenly appearing man was actually someone Chu Huan knew, and they had even shared hardships together. It was Wei Tianqing, whom he had shared hardships with at Min River and Lanting Temple.

On that night at Lanting Temple, Chu Huan and Wei Tianqing had worked together to save everyone, but they had been separated in the chaos. Wei Tianqing had left with Lady Qiao on horseback, while Chu Huan had successfully broken through the encirclement to protect Su Linlang.

After that night, Chu Huan and Wei Tianqing had not seen each other again, and Chu Huan had even forgotten about this person he had met by chance.

But fate seemed to be playing a joke on Chu Huan. He thought he would never see Linlang again, but he became a helper in a winery under her name. He had forgotten about Wei Tianqing, but in such a situation, this almost forgotten person appeared before him.

Wei Tianqing saw Chu Huan and smiled, bowing his hands and saying, "Brother Chu, I'm sorry for your suffering!"

The few prisoners in the cell opened their mouths wide in disbelief. They could clearly see that Wei Tianqing's attire indicated he was from the government, and his status was not low.

But this government official bowed his hands to Chu Huan first and even called him "Brother Chu," which was simply inconceivable.

The prisoners were all guessing who Chu Huan really was.

Chu Huan slowly stood up, frowned, and after a moment of thought, finally asked, "Why are you here?"

"Without hiding from Brother Chu, I came here for you," Wei Tianqing said with a smile. "I heard that Brother Chu was unjustly imprisoned. After receiving the news, I immediately rode here as fast as I could..." His eyes suddenly caught sight of the corpse behind Chu Huan, and he frowned.

Chu Huan followed his gaze and looked at Fan Fat's corpse, saying calmly, "I hope this corpse will be useful to you!"

...

...

In the main hall of Qingliu County's government office, the lights were already lit, illuminating the spacious hall as bright as daylight. The four characters "Bright Mirror Hanging High" on the plaque above the hall shone brightly under the lights.

On ordinary days, the hall was flanked by two rows of imposing bailiffs, but tonight, the hall was not the domain of the county bailiffs.

On the main seat where County Magistrate Hu usually sat, a middle-aged man in his mid-forties was now seated. He wore a blue robe, a hat, and a silk belt, leaning back in the large chair with his eyes closed, resting.

Several chairs were set up below the hall, and County Magistrate Hu was sitting on one of them, his face pale but still trying to maintain a calm demeanor. Next to him, County Deputy Zhao was also seated, appearing much more relaxed compared to Hu's unease.

On both sides of the hall, five or six men in gray uniforms stood, their waistbands made of armor, their hats pointed in front and round at the back, looking very special. They stood like statues, holding knives, immovable.

In the center of the hall, Zhang Dahu was kneeling with his hands tied behind his back, his head hanging down, not daring to move.

The entire hall was eerily quiet, and no one spoke first.

After a while, a commotion was heard outside the hall. Soon, a group of people entered the hall, and a bailiff quickly came in, knelt down, and reported, "Your Excellency, the county clerk, the six department heads, the school official, and the inspector have all been summoned and are waiting outside the hall!"

In a county, with its many residents, a county government might seem insignificant among the many officials, but it was the foundation of the country.

The official structure of the county government was always very complete.

Generally, the county government could be divided into three levels: officials, clerks, and bailiffs. Officials made decisions, clerks handled documents, and bailiffs carried out orders.

The so-called officials included the county magistrate, the deputy county magistrate, and the county clerk, all of whom were appointed by the court. The second level of clerks were registered in the Ministry of Personnel and had formal positions, responsible for handling daily affairs, such as the six department clerks, the warehouse custodian, the inspector, the medical official, the postmaster, and the school teacher. There were not many of them, but they covered various systems.

The lowest level was the bailiffs, who stood in the hall, guarded, patrolled, collected taxes, and made arrests, handling practical matters.

Summoning the county clerk, the six department heads, and the school inspector and inspector in the middle of the night was a major move. Cold sweat trickled down County Magistrate Hu's forehead, and he clearly understood that a storm was about to break.

He only looked at Zhang Dahu kneeling in the hall, hoping that Zhang Dahu would look at him so he could give him a signal to understand the situation.

County Magistrate Hu was not an ordinary person. At this critical moment, he calmed down and carefully reviewed the events in his mind, realizing that he had not left any direct evidence. The biggest threat was Zhang Dahu kneeling in the hall.

In the poisoning of Chu Huan, County Magistrate Hu had secretly instructed, but the actual executor was Zhang Dahu. Hu now only wanted Zhang Dahu to meet his eyes so he could give him a signal. As long as Zhang Dahu insisted he knew nothing and did not confess, the Criminal Department would find it difficult to convict him.

Hu had someone backing him, and he was very clear that as long as he could survive the night, there might be a turning point. The city had his supporters, and their information was well-connected. Once they learned of the situation, they would certainly come to his aid.

In other words, as long as the Criminal Department could not convict him tonight, there would be a turning point. Therefore, Hu urgently wanted Zhang Dahu to keep his mouth shut and not let the Criminal Department convict him tonight.

Although Hu's position was not high, he was well-versed in the open and hidden struggles of the bureaucracy. The head of the city's Criminal Department, Lan Tingyu, had rushed to Qingliu County the night after Chu Huan was arrested, indicating the speed of the Criminal Department's action.

Such swift and decisive action showed that the Criminal Department was determined to succeed.

Hu sneered inwardly. Although he faced a crisis, he tried to remain calm. He was very clear that if he failed this time, the consequences would be catastrophic.

...

The head of the city's Criminal Department, Lan Tingyu, leaned back in the main seat of the hall, slightly opening his eyes and saying expressionlessly, "Let them all come in!"

The Great Qin had a three-province system: the Zhongshu, Menxia, and Shangshu provinces.

The Zhongshu proposed, the Menxia reviewed, and the Shangshu executed. The Shangshu province was divided into six departments, with the main offices in the capital and the departments in the regions, and the counties had six offices.

Lan Tingyu was the head of the city's Criminal Department, the highest criminal official in Yunshan Prefecture, a position of great importance.

At Lan Tingyu's command, the officials outside the door entered the hall, bowed, and then stood on both sides according to their ranks. Many of these officials had been woken from their sleep and were still a bit dazed. Seeing Lan Tingyu, the head of the Criminal Department, sitting in the hall, they were greatly surprised, and seeing Zhang Dahu kneeling in the hall, they were even more shocked.

Lan Tingyu glanced at everyone, then sat up straight, his expression calm, and his voice slightly hoarse, he asked Zhang Dahu, who was kneeling in the hall, "Who is kneeling in the hall?"

Zhang Dahu lowered his head and replied, "This humble person is Zhang Xuan."

"Zhang Xuan, this official asks you, why did you attempt to assassinate County Deputy Zhao?" Lan Tingyu asked calmly. "What grudge do you have against him that you want to kill him?"

Zhang Dahu looked up and cried, "Your Excellency, this humble person... this humble person is wronged...!" He looked nervously at County Magistrate Hu.

At this moment, his gaze directly met Hu's, making Hu's heart race. Zhang Dahu's action seemed to suggest that Hu was the mastermind behind the plot.

Hu was terrified. At this moment, many people followed Zhang Dahu's gaze and looked at him, but he could not give Zhang Dahu any more signals, so he turned his head away, not looking at Zhang Dahu.

Lan Tingyu smiled faintly and looked at County Deputy Zhao, asking, "Zhao Hongwen, did Zhang Xuan attempt to assassinate you?"

County Deputy Zhao Hongwen stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, this humble person was patrolling the prison at night, and Zhang Xuan accompanied me. He suddenly attacked me with a knife. This was witnessed by Lord Wei, and this humble person dares not lie!"

A voice from outside the hall said, "That's right, this humble person can testify that Zhang Xuan did indeed attempt to assassinate County Deputy Zhao in the prison." As he spoke, the robust Wei Tianqing entered the hall.