Chapter 25 The mirror hangs high and is fair and aboveboard
"No wonder, no wonder!" Qingfeng looked like he suddenly realized.
"No wonder that little girl Cuihong tried her best to drink me wine. At first I thought she wanted to sell more wine and make some profit.
Now it seems...it's clear that he just wants to get me drunk!"
Tie Tang connected the existing clues and thought secretly.
It seems that Cuihong is also an insider, so she was silenced by Wu Qing.
This should have been something Wu Qing did not expect, which is why he seemed so hasty and even left a lot of irrefutable evidence at the scene.
There should be someone behind him!
Compared with the neat and simple Headless Case in the Racecourse, the clues and evidence in the Yihongyuan case are too many and too obvious.
I wonder if he is an accomplice or the instigator?
Or maybe both?
Qingfeng was so drunk that in addition to becoming a scapegoat, he also lost a knife and his own badge.
But what kind of trouble can a person with the rank of a ninth-grade official create?
Tuk! Tuk!
A knock on the door came from outside the cell, interrupting Tie Tang's thoughts.
"What's the matter?" His tone was a little angry, and he always felt that every time he interrogated Qingfeng, it was not smooth.
Yuan Hua whispered: "Boss, Qingfeng's mother-in-law is here."
"Come here as soon as you come. If you let her stay alone, do you want me to make way for her?" Tie Tang didn't even take Qingfeng seriously, so how could he care about his wife?
"Ahem, head, it's different this time, different. She didn't come alone. I heard she was accompanied by a big shot from Qingshui County."
Tie Tang frowned, but still flatly refused: "Let her wait!"
"Ah...head, the county magistrate is accompanying you there too."
"Ha!"
"Interesting."
..........
County government, Sanshengtang.
Sanshengtang, taken from the meaning of "I will take care of myself three times in a day", is the place where the county magistrate normally conducts business and discusses affairs, and receives guests.
There are also some cases that involve confidentiality, privacy, and should not be made public.
In addition to the black plaque with yellow characters hanging high in front of the door, there are also couplets hanging on the left and right.
First couplet: ‘Eat the food of the people, wear the clothes of the people, don’t think that the people can be bullied.’
The second couplet reads: 'It is no honor to gain an official position; it is no disgrace to lose an official position; do not say that an official position is useless.'
The vocabulary is not gorgeous, the language is simple, but the meaning is profound.
Tie Tang moved here, looked at the couplets carefully for a few times, and then walked in unsteadily.
He doesn't come here much and doesn't take a good look at it.
In the middle of the hall hangs a plaque with the three characters "Qing Shen Qin", and directly below sits the magistrate in official robes.
Below him, on the left side, sat two people whom Tie Tang did not recognize, a man and a woman.
The man is about fifty or sixty, and the woman looks to be only thirty. Both of them look blessed, wearing brocade and robes.
They wore gold and silver on their hands and necks, and the reflected light was slightly dazzling. Behind them stood four or five servants, all equally well-dressed and looking complacent.
"Tie Tang pays homage to the county magistrate!"
"No need to be polite."
After two sentences, Tie Tang sat down on the right side without speaking.
The hall fell into silence for a moment.
The magistrate closed his eyes to rest, while Tie Tang looked at the two people opposite him without hesitation.
A few moments.
The rich man in his fifties or sixties stood up.
"Ahem, this must be the famous Iron God. I have admired his name for a long time. When I saw him today, he was indeed a young hero."
Tie Tang also took advantage of the situation and waved his hands: "Don't dare to take it, don't take it. It's all a false reputation. The rumors are often exaggerated. My father-in-law is promoting Tie."
The two exchanged a few words, each keeping their attitudes low, and then the magistrate of Yuncheng finally spoke.
"Haha~ Capt. Iron, you are busy investigating cases all day long, but you should not be too immersed in it. You still have to come out and relax.
Let me introduce you. This is Deacon Fang of the Fang family in Qingshui County. He is responsible for nearly 30% of the treasure pavilions of the Fang family in the county.
In the future, if you need any exotic flowers, rare herbs, concentrated minerals, jade, or even shamans, weapons, and techniques, you can ask."
"It's easy to talk to. If you need a general manager, just contact me directly."
"It turns out to be Deacon Fang, I'm disrespectful." Tie Tang stood up and raised his hands, then sat down again.
The scene became cold again.
At this time Qingfeng's wife stood up and saluted the county magistrate, Tie Tang.
"I am a commoner and don't know anything about officialdom. If there is anything rude in my words, I hope you will bear with me."
"Sister-in-law, there is no need to say more. If you want to see Qingxian's arrest, that's fine. But if you have other demands, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for Tie..."
"I wonder what happened to my official? Although he was arrested in a mere county, he was also a court official. He couldn't just be detained, right?"
"I have committed the serious crime of beheading, but don't worry, Tie will never wrongly accuse any innocent person."
"But is it related to the headless case at the racecourse?"
"Since you already know, why ask more questions?"
"Okay, Mr. Tie's reputation as a head catcher... I can trust you, so please let me meet him."
"Just go there."
After the group of them left, Tie Tang was a little dissatisfied and said, "Sir, why did you move out for such a trivial matter?"
The magistrate responded with a smile: "If I don't come forward, will you come? Can she see Qingfeng?"
Tie Tang was puzzled: "What's the harm in meeting each other? How can I stand in the way?"
"As a woman, my officials have been taken away by the government, and there has been no news. Wouldn't you be worried if it were you?
What's more... I know that you have been investigating the accident a month ago.
Arrested in Qing County, he is the number one suspect.
I thought you wouldn’t let outsiders see him easily.”
Hearing this, Tie Tang stood up suddenly.
"Please make it clear, sir."
"It was just an accident, don't think too much about it."
Tie Tang cupped his hands and looked directly at the magistrate: "Sir, as far as I know... this is not an accident."
"Is it important?"
"Don't worry, no one will attack you again."
You can hear a needle drop instantly in the hall.
The spring breeze blew and the doors and windows creaked, waking up Tie Tang.
He quietly looked at the magistrate in front of him. He looked thirty years old, and in the blink of an eye he seemed to be forty again. The few wisps of white frost on his temples added a bit of heroism.
Other than that, I can't see anything. I only know the opponent's cultivation strength, which is unfathomable.
Isn't it the person in front of me...who wants to kill himself?
Otherwise, how could he dare to assert that no one would take action against him again?
As if reading his thoughts, the magistrate stood up and walked slowly to Tie Tang.
"You just need to know that I, more than anyone else, don't want to see anything happen to you or the county magistrate."
"Sir, what do you mean by this?" Tie Tang didn't understand. He was not a relative of the county magistrate, and it didn't seem like it.
The magistrate walked to the left and sat down, raising his right hand in a move.
"Serve tea."
"Yes, sir." Someone from the inner palace responded.
"You sit down too." Tie Tang sat down.
"A big event happened in You County yesterday. Have you heard about it?"
Shaking his head, Tie Tang said: "There is no news from the Meihua inner guard, maybe it hasn't arrived yet."
"The magistrate of Youxian County was personally ransacked by the Supervisory Envoy Su, and his official hat was removed.
A whole family was beheaded, some were exiled, some were exiled, and some of their female relatives were sent to the Jiaofang Division.
Do you think it’s miserable or not?”
Tie Tang, who had not yet recovered from the news, nodded subconsciously: "It's so tragic!"
But then he added: "You should deserve it, right?"
The magistrate looked up at the plaque with the words 'Qing Shen Qin Qing' and said calmly: "You deserve it? Maybe.
If this happens to me one day, what will you think of me?"
"This..." Tie Tang never thought about this problem.
"People in the world fear supervisors like tigers. They claim to patrol the sky and supervise the world, but who will supervise them?
To tell you the truth, I also took the exam to become an inspector, but was not selected in the end."
"Why?" Tie Tang's impression of the county magistrate is that he is conscientious and diligent in serving the people, and is a good parent official.
Yuncheng, which was originally backward and depressed, was managed in an orderly manner by him. He prayed for wind and rain, and dealt with natural disasters in a timely manner, releasing food for disaster relief.
Now that the curfew has been lifted, Yuncheng's business is booming and there is a trend of moving towards a big city.
This kind of person definitely has the strength!
"The character is not up to par."
Tie Tang was stunned and didn't know what to say.
At this time, a maid came over with two bowls of tea: "Sir, please give me tea. The boss, please give me tea."
The magistrate lifted the lid of the tea, took a sip of the aroma, drank a few sips, and looked cold.
"This Supervisor Su will not give up so easily. He was demoted to You County and is eager to return to where he came from.
The magistrate of You County... is just the first to be dismissed, but he will not be the last."
Tie Tang disagreed a little: "As long as you keep yourself upright, what's the point of fear?"
"Haha! If someone else had said this, I would have regarded it as a joke, but coming from the mouth of the iron catcher...it has some strength.
Who are the real officials who are not afraid of being investigated? Can they withstand the scrutiny of the supervisors in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty?
It’s just that few dare to check them.”
"The county magistrate is also afraid?"
"I'm afraid too!"
The magistrate admitted it generously and did not shy away from it.
"Tie Tang, you remember!"
"If you want to be a good official, you must first be a corrupt official."
"Be more ruthless than corrupt officials, otherwise how can you defeat them? How can you just open your mouth?"
Tie Tang shook his head solemnly: "I'm sorry Tie can't agree with these words."
The county magistrate didn't seem to care and continued: "When I first arrived, the people of Yuncheng were squeezed to the last bit by the wealthy squires here.
Not to mention the heavy taxation, even if there were cases of human life, they were easily covered up.
You think, if I treat it according to normal methods, can it be cured?
This is not a terminal illness, this is a death sentence, and only a handful of people can live happily."
"With your master's cultivation strength...and the imperial court as your backer, why are you afraid of these local snakes?"
"A county arrest wife can bring out the Fang family in Qingshui County and all the wealthy squires in Yuncheng. Have you ever thought about how many people are involved inside and outside?
Even if it’s Inspector Su, what do you think he relies on?
If it weren't for his two brothers, even his status as an inspector wouldn't be able to protect him.
Even so, hasn't he been demoted to You County now?"
Tie Tang's head was as big as a bucket, and he was brainwashed by the magistrate's absurd reasoning. Even though he knew it was wrong, he vaguely felt that it made some sense.
"Sir, what does this have to do with me?"
The magistrate narrowed his eyes and said with a smile: "Nothing can happen to you or the county magistrate. If something happens to you, who do you think the supervisor will look for?"
No need to think about it, there are three leaders in a city, no matter who has a problem, the other two will be the focus of investigation.
"When something happens to you, the supervisor will first check me. I can't let him find the reason.
You don’t know how much energy and financial resources this officer spent on suppressing the matter when the previous chief arrest officer died mysteriously.
Therefore, if it is some minor misunderstanding, I will do my best to resolve it if I can. If I really can’t resolve it... I will let you know."
"Is it really just a small misunderstanding?" It involves his own family and life, and Tie Tang will not completely believe the magistrate.
"You can rest easy if you don't pursue that unresolved case anymore. I still have some methods."
Sure enough.
The problem lies in that case.
"Thank you for your advice!"
"Go ahead, Qingfeng. If it's confirmed that he's not the murderer, let him go as soon as possible. The Fang family in Qingshui County is not someone to be trifled with."
"Tiemou understands."
After leaving Sanshengtang, Tie Tang felt a little dizzy.
Turning around and looking at the couplets in front of the door, I felt a little dazzling.
It's almost dawn.
But Tie Tang felt that his world... seemed a little darker.