Xu Qi An watched the Captain’s retreating, feeling less than optimistic.
So many days had passed, making evidence collection extremely difficult.
“We can’t check for fingerprints, and gathering evidence is nearly impossible. The footprints definitely can’t be Zhang Xian’s own… Hmm, aside from these, what other methods suitable for this era could help solve the case?” He wracked his brain for ideas.
…
“These incompetent clerks, they’re as clever as monkeys when it comes to lining their own pockets, able to squeeze oil from stones. But when it comes to doing their actual jobs, they’re all useless dogs.”
County Magistrate Zhu was fuming in the inner hall. Murder cases were always major, but this one was particularly troublesome as the deceased was related to Supervising Secretary Xu.
What kind of person was a Supervising Secretary?
They were self-proclaimed upright officials, censors who bit at everyone like mad dogs, impeaching anyone they disliked.
Clerk Xu, with his goatee and thin face, stood by smiling: “If you keep pressuring them like this, my lord, they’ll resort to slacking off.”
As seasoned officials, the superiors were well aware of what their subordinate clerks might be plotting.
When it came to shady practices in officialdom, clerks were at an elementary school level at best. The highest-ranking players were in the imperial court, followed by the regional governors.
“Slacking off?” Magistrate Zhu snorted, “That might have been fine in the past, but with the Imperial Examination approaching if someone impeaches me for coerced confessions, how am I supposed to defend myself?”
Just then, hurried footsteps approached. Captain Wang entered the inner hall, stopping after crossing the threshold. His attitude was respectful, but his voice brimmed with excitement: “My lord, I have a lead on the Zhang case. Please issue a warrant, and I’ll go make the arrest immediately.”
Magistrate Zhu and Clerk Xu exchanged glances. The former gave a cold smile, while the latter wore an expression that said, “Just as expected.”
Seeing their unusual expressions, Captain Wang urged, “My lord? Time is of the essence.”
Magistrate Zhu slammed the table and scolded, “You fool! At a time like this, you’re still thinking about slacking off? Is your brain made of pig fat?”
Coerced confessions could be used on ordinary days, but there was a problem here.
After a criminal confessed, the confession and case files had to be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for verification before a verdict could be given.
With the Imperial Examination approaching at the end of the year, the atmosphere in the capital’s officialdom was tense. Everyone was busy covering their tracks while keeping a watchful eye on others, eager to catch their political enemies slipping up.
This was a time when cases could be overturned at a moment’s notice.
Captain Wang hurriedly explained, “My lord, you misunderstand. I truly have confidence in catching the real culprit. This is not slacking off. Please trust me.”
You think I don’t know your capabilities? … Magistrate Zhu wasn’t reassured. He glanced at Old Wang and said, “Explain in detail.”
Captain Wang thought to himself, it’s finally my time to shine.
“My lord, allow me to elaborate. There are many suspicious points in the Zhang case…”
Old Wang replicated Xu Qi An’s deductions word for word, relaying them to the two superiors.
At first, Magistrate Zhu wore a cold smile, but as he listened, his back unconsciously straightened. By the end, he was silent but wore a serious expression.
He was deep in thought.
“Brilliant!” Clerk Xu clapped his hands with a loud “pa,” showing great excitement. “Unraveling the threads, clear logic, able to deduce the case’s details from such inconspicuous clues. Even the veterans at the Ministry of Justice couldn’t do better.”
Although it still needed to be verified!
But this set of deductions undoubtedly pointed a clear direction for the previously clueless county yamen staff.
Captain Wang smiled, “You flatter me, sir.”
Magistrate Zhu sneered, “Tell me, who taught you this?”
Captain Wang pondered briefly, suppressing the urge to take credit, and answered truthfully, “Constable Xu Qi An.”
Constable wasn’t a live-streaming platform, and Xu Qi An wasn’t a streamer. Constable was the term for a quick-response clerk, also known as a bailiff.
Xu Qi An… Magistrate Zhu was the first to react: “Ah, it’s him.”
Magistrate Zhu had shared drinks with Xu Pingzhi a few times and had some friendly relations. A few years ago, Xu Pingzhi had spent twenty taels of silver to secure this lucrative position of constable for his nephew.
In the Great Feng Dynasty, clerical positions could be passed down to sons.
It was a rock-solid iron rice bowl.
“If it’s him, then it must be right,” Magistrate Zhu smiled.
Clerk Xu’s eyes flashed, remembering the tax silver case that had implicated the Xu family. He immediately asked, “What do you mean by that?”
Captain Wang also listened intently.
Magistrate Zhu smiled, “The tax silver robbery case caused an uproar throughout the city, with the Xu family bearing the brunt of it. They should have been held accountable. Do you know why the Xu family was able to escape punishment?”
Captain Wang immediately said, “I heard it was because Imperial Blade Guard Commander Xu assisted in solving the case, and His Majesty was merciful and pardoned his offense.”
This was what he had just heard from Xu Qi An.
Clerk Xu glanced at Magistrate Zhu’s expression and tentatively asked, “Is there some inside story to this case?”
The details of the missing tax silver case were beyond Clerk Xu’s pay grade, but Magistrate Zhu was the father official of Changle County. Although in a place like the capital where powerful figures gathered, he was just a minor player.
But without backing, one couldn’t hold onto such a position.
Magistrate Zhu snorted, “Xu Pingzhi is just a crude warrior. In this case, he was merely a scapegoat…” He suddenly stopped, as if not wanting to reveal too much, and instead said, “The one who turned things around for the Xu family wasn’t him.”
“Who was it then?” Captain Wang asked instinctively.
Clerk Xu had already guessed the answer in his mind, waiting for Magistrate Zhu to continue.
“It was Xu Qi An. He unraveled the truth behind the tax silver case. This is recorded in the case files. One of my fellow graduates from the imperial examinations works at the Capital Prefecture,” Magistrate Zhu said. “Sons bear the father’s sins, sons repay the father’s debts. Although he’s a nephew, the principle is the same.”
Clerk Xu drew in a sharp breath, “After the incident, Xu Qi An should have been locked up in the prefectural jail. How did he manage that?”
Magistrate Zhu pondered, “I also found it unbelievable at first, but now I understand.”
Clerk Xu had the same realization, incredulous: “Just based on the case files?!”
Just based on the case files… Captain Wang’s mind was in a whirl. He occasionally heard such official inside stories from the three officials above him.
What he found hard to believe was that Xu Qi An had played such a significant role in resolving the tax silver robbery case, saving the Xu family.
Captain Wang thought this doesn’t make sense.
Back then, that kid was a newcomer, simple-minded and stubborn, only knowing how to work silently. He was truly a greenhorn.
How could such a greenhorn suddenly become a genius at solving cases?
…
When Captain Wang returned to the rest area with the warrant, Xu Qi An was asleep on the table. He had thought about too many messy things last night and didn’t sleep until after the third watch.
Someone reached out to wake Xu Qi An, but Captain Wang immediately stopped them, lowering his voice, “Let him sleep.”
He randomly picked two men, “You two come with me to the Zhang residence.”
Three constables, each bringing their own hired muscle, a total of nine people, quickly left the Changle County yamen.
The hired muscle were temporary workers, a form of corvée labor made up of common people. They received no wages, no food, and no lodging.
But there was one good thing about their job: they didn’t have to take the blame.
Xu Qi An was awakened by shouts of “Make way!” He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and walked towards the main hall of the county yamen.
He estimated that the suspects had been brought back and the County Magistrate was conducting the interrogation in the hall.
In the public hall, Magistrate Zhu sat high behind the magistrate’s bench, with the court clerk and the litigation maintainer on his left and right.
Below the bench, on both sides stood the three divisions of yamen runners. In the middle knelt two people: a young man wearing a blue robe embroidered with cloud patterns, and a beautiful woman in a purple silk dress.
The woman looked terrified and uneasy, while the young man appeared relatively calm.
“Bang!”
Magistrate Zhu angrily struck the judgment block and loudly asked, “Who kneels before the court?”
The woman instinctively glanced at the young man, who gave her a reassuring look before straightening his back and saying, “This humble citizen is Zhang Xian.”
The woman spoke in a soft voice, “This humble woman is Yang Zhenzhen.”
Magistrate Zhu shouted, “How did you two kill Zhang Yourui? Confess truthfully!”
The woman trembled in fear, her long eyelashes quivering as she looked terrified.
The young man, Zhang Xian, was shocked: “My lord, how can you say such a thing? How could I possibly kill my father?”
Magistrate Zhu asked, “Where were you when the incident occurred?”
“I was in the study.”
“Why were you not in bed with your wife?”
“I was reviewing the accounts.”
“Do you have any witnesses?”
“In the dead of night, where would I find witnesses?”
Zhang Xian’s responses were clear and coherent, neither panicked nor flustered. Either he was innocent, or he had prepared his story well in advance.
Based on his logical reasoning, Xu Qi An leaned towards the latter possibility.
Although Zhang Xian had no alibi, there was also no evidence proving he had committed murder. Reasoning was one thing, but without concrete evidence, the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” applied…
The County Magistrate turned to the woman and said, “Madam Zhang Yang, let me ask you this: You’ve been married to Zhang Yourui for ten years without bearing children. Why are you suddenly with a child now? Be honest, were you having an affair with your stepson and conspired to murder your husband?”
Madam Zhang Yang was startled and cried, “My lord, I’ve been wronged! My body was weak, and I’ve been taking remedies for years. I finally conceived my husband’s child. How can you accuse me of conspiring to murder my husband based on this?”
She began to sob softly.
This kind of interrogation won’t reveal the truth, Xu Qi An thought as he gazed at the beautiful woman for a moment. Suddenly, an idea struck him.