Chapter 58: I’m a Good Person
Translated by algoo | Proofread by algoo
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East City Yamen.
Jail.
Lin Xiu had been imprisoned for the second time.
It was quite a miserable situation. Although he held a ninth-rank official position, in the Great Xia’s official system, only those of the seventh rank and above were considered significant. A ninth-rank clerk, strictly speaking, wasn’t a formal official rank. Even a small yamen like the East City Yamen could arrest him as they pleased.
His status as the Earl of Ping’an’s son was even more useless.
If he were the Earl of Ping’an himself, matters involving nobles would at least require the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice to handle. The son of a noble, before inheriting his father’s title, was nothing.
Of course, if one had a powerful father, even if they committed a crime, the East City Yamen wouldn’t dare to arrest them, not even if they had ten times the courage.
Perhaps it was fate, but Lin Xiu was currently in the same cell as last time.
Not long after he was locked up, footsteps approached from outside.
Several figures walked in from the corridor. At the front was an unfamiliar young man, followed by jailers and constables. Wu Qing trailed behind. Seeing Lin Xiu, his enemy, imprisoned again, he wasn’t happy, but rather a bit afraid.
Once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of well ropes for ten years.
He feared that Lin Xiu was plotting against him again.
Last time, he had truly brushed with death. He held a genuine fear of Lin Xiu.
The unfamiliar young man stopped in front of Lin Xiu’s cell, arms crossed, scrutinizing him. “Murdering someone in broad daylight, how audacious! Do you think you can do whatever you want just because your father is the Earl of Ping’an? Some nobles in the capital are truly lawless…”
Lin Xiu looked at him with an impassive expression. “Who are you?”
A constable said, “This is City Governor’s son. Speak respectfully!”
Last time it was the East City Captain, this time it was the City Governor. Just as Li Bozhang had said, the entire East City Yamen was like the backyard of the Marquis Yongping’s estate.
Lin Xiu looked at the City Governor’s son. “Some nobles in the capital are truly lawless. To frame me, they didn’t hesitate to sacrifice a life…”
The City Governor’s son, Wang Hong, smiled. “You can eat whatever you want, but you can’t speak nonsense. So many people saw you commit murder with their own eyes. This is undeniable. Justice will prevail. You’ll know when you’re in court.”
After speaking, he turned to leave. Just before he left, he looked back and lowered his voice, “Don’t blame me. Blame yourself for provoking someone you shouldn’t have…”
Wu Qing followed Wang Hong as he left. Until this moment, he hadn’t seen a trace of fear or panic on Lin Xiu’s face.
How similar was this to last time?
But he couldn’t understand. This time, Yang Xuan’s arrangements were flawless. Countless people witnessed Lin Xiu commit murder, and the City Governor was one of Yang’s men. How could Lin Xiu possibly turn the tables?
Filled with doubts, Wu Qing left.
Not long after, footsteps echoed again in the jail. The East City Captain, along with several jailers, arrived in front of Lin Xiu’s cell. He said helplessly, “Young Master Lin, come with me. This matter is under the direct orders of the City Governor, asking me to personally preside over this case. There’s nothing I can do…”
The East City Captain didn’t resent Lin Xiu. On the contrary, he felt somewhat grateful.
After all, last time, the other party had let him off the hook, allowing him to keep his position as the East City Captain.
He didn’t want to make things difficult for Lin Xiu, but he couldn’t disobey the City Governor’s orders. He could only say, “Young Master Lin, I truly don’t want to do this. I hope you won’t blame me.”
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Although he had a somewhat unreliable son, Lin Xiu had a decent impression of the East City Captain.
A few days ago, he had run into the old man who had been imprisoned with him last time. The old man said that after he left, the East City Captain had released all of them. The usual collusion between the East City Yamen, nobles, and wealthy merchants to oppress the common people was mostly the City Governor’s doing.
Although the East City Captain wasn’t a good official, he wasn’t entirely bad either.
As the cell door opened, Lin Xiu glanced at the East City Captain as he walked out, almost imperceptibly shaking his head.
The East City Captain noticed Lin Xiu’s gesture.
A chill then ran up his spine, making his scalp tingle.
There was something fishy going on!
This case was a setup!
Young Master Lin didn’t want him involved!
After glancing at the East City Captain, Lin Xiu walked straight towards the jail entrance. The East City Captain’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his expression changed several times. Suddenly, he bent over, clutching his stomach and groaning, “Oh no, oh no, why does my stomach hurt so much? I need to go to the latrine! Tell the City Governor that he should preside over this case himself!”
A while later, after learning that the East City Captain had a stomach ache and couldn’t try the case, the City Governor cursed inwardly, but he still changed into his official robes, walked out from the back office, and arrived at the court. After sitting down, he slammed the gavel and sternly asked the young man below, “Defendant in the court, do you know your crime?!”
Even a minor official held an official position, so Lin Xiu could be exempted from kneeling in court. He looked up at the City Governor. “I don’t know. Please enlighten me, Your Honor.”
The City Governor slammed the gavel again. “You murdered someone in the opera house. Countless people witnessed it. Do you still want to argue?”
Lin Xiu asked, “Since it’s a murder case, according to the rules, the East City Yamen doesn’t have the authority to try it, right?”
The City Governor snorted. “Don’t think I don’t know you are the Earl of Ping’an’s son, and also a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel. If I hand you over to them, who knows how they would exonerate you. As the governing official of the East City, how can I ignore such a major case happening within my jurisdiction? I will investigate this case first, and then naturally transfer the files to the Ministry of Justice. The officials there will take over.”
He spoke with such righteousness and indignation that uninformed commoners might truly believe he was a benevolent official who cared for the people.
The City Governor slammed the gavel again. “Lin Xiu, do you confess to the crime of public murder!”
Lin Xiu shrugged. “Whether I killed someone or not, isn’t Your Honor the one who knows best?”
“How dare you!” The City Governor stood up in anger, took a warrant stick from the container, threw it on the ground, and said, “Murdering in public and still unrepentant! Torture him! This kind of villain won’t be honest without suffering some physical pain!”
Quickly, several constables brought out various torture instruments.
The City Governor looked at Lin Xiu. “Do you want to be caned, tortured with the finger press, or with the branding iron? I’ll give you a chance to choose.”
Just as he finished speaking, a figure who had been standing outside the court for a long time slowly walked in.
It was Zhu Jin, who had been ordered to investigate the case.
His Majesty had told him not to rush, to wait for the people behind the scenes to reveal themselves. But now, Lin Xiu was about to be tortured. The Noble Consort had said not to let him suffer any injustice. If the City Governor really tortured him and angered the Consort, even His Majesty wouldn’t be able to protect him.
In the palace, the person he feared most was the Noble Consort.
Zhu Jin looked up at the City Governor and asked, “You just said someone from the Ministry of Justice would take over this case. Who is it?”
Someone had suddenly barged into the court and disrupted the proceedings. The City Governor was taken aback, then quickly regained his composure. “Who are you, and what qualifications do you have to question me? Someone, drag him out! We’ll interrogate him later!”
“You won’t say, then?” Zhu Jin didn’t look at him again, but raised his hand and waved. “Arrest the City Governor! First, caning, then the finger press, and finally the branding iron. Until he speaks!”
As his words fell, more than ten figures in black robes and masks entered, lining up on both sides of the court.
At the same time, for some unknown reason, the ground of the East City Yamen began to tremble slightly.
Outside the yamen, the nearby commoners were frightened as they saw rows of fully armed imperial guards surrounding the East City Yamen in layers.
“What’s happening?”
“Why are even the Imperial Guards here?”
“Why would the Imperial Guards surround the yamen? Something big has happened, definitely something big!”
…
In the court, upon seeing the figures in black and the emblems on their clothing, the City Governor was so startled that he stood up from his seat, trembling. “The… the Secret Investigation Division!”
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In the capital, if you were to ask what the City Governor feared the most, it wasn’t his superiors, not any nobles, not even Marquis Yongping, or even the Emperor. It was the Secret Investigation Division!
This department of the imperial court was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows. If they didn’t appear, then so be it. But once they did, someone was bound to suffer ruin.
He wondered who was the unlucky one this time?
Oh, it was him.
The City Governor’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Zhu Jin glanced at the City Governor lying on the ground and said indifferently, “Wake him up and then carry out the punishment.”
East City Yamen, back office.
The East City Captain hid in the latrine, enduring the stench. He didn’t come out until he estimated the time was about right and he couldn’t bear the smell any longer. He rushed out of the latrine and stood in the courtyard, taking deep breaths of fresh air.
The next moment, his breath hitched.
Because he saw dozens of figures standing in the courtyard besides himself.
Those rows of people in armor and holding weapons were undoubtedly Imperial Guards. But why were there Imperial Guards in the yamen?
And the East City Captain was also familiar with those dressed in black, their faces covered with black veils. They were from the Secret Investigation Division, the very Secret Investigation Division that struck fear into the hearts of officials and nobles in the capital…
As soon as the East City Captain appeared, dozens of sharp gazes focused on him.
The next moment, the East City Captain’s knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, raising his hands and trembling. “Don’t arrest me! I’m a good person! I’m a good person!”
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