At the Gu'an County Government Office, several men dressed in police uniforms walked in from the gate in a swaggering manner.
"Where are the people from the county government office? There's not even a person on duty at the door. Isn't this the court's government office?" The leading detective shouted loudly toward the county government office hall.
"Coming, coming." A voice came from inside the hall, followed immediately by a thin man, dressed in an eighth-grade official uniform, trotting up to the crowd.
"Are you the detectives sent by Zhuozhou to investigate the case? I'm going to go to Gu'an County Prime Minister Li Jisheng." The man cupped his fists and saluted with a smile on his face.
Tilting his head, the police chief looked him up and down, and said disdainfully: "We came all the way, you are the only one in this county government office? Where are the others?"
County Magistrate Li hunched over, pulled the wrinkled official body on his body flat, and hurriedly replied: "Returning to your lord, the yamen officials have been sent to various places by the magistrate to supervise the spring sowing. At present, the entire county yamen
There is only one person on duty, the official."
"Nonsense." The police chief yelled, "If the government officials don't stay at the county government office, why are they supervising the spring sowing? We were ordered by the magistrate to investigate the case of the attack in Gu'an County. There are no government officials here, so we have to do it ourselves.
Are you going to look for clues?”
Li Xiancheng was stunned. Why did this sound so weird?
If you came to investigate a case and didn't look for clues yourself, what kind of case were you investigating? Could it be that you were just going through the motions and doing some errands?
The dignified county magistrate was attacked and almost died. Is this your attitude towards investigating the case?
Although I was dissatisfied in my heart, I didn't dare to say it with my mouth.
Still with a smile on his face, he said: "Our Gu'an government officials only know how to shout a few times and do some menial work. They can't find clues. But..."
Before Li County Cheng could say that the case was over, he was interrupted by the other party.
"What does Li Xiancheng mean? When we come to Gu'an County, there is no yamen available? We have to do everything by ourselves?" The expression of the chief of the police suddenly darkened.
A poor small county really thinks that it has status in the imperial court. Who would be willing to come to this poor county if it weren't for the orders of the prefect?
If the magistrate is attacked, the worst thing is to change the magistrate. There are not many other magistrates, but there are too many people.
"Your Excellency, you have misunderstood." Although he was angry in his heart, County Magistrate Li did not dare to contradict the other party at all. He could only explain patiently: "The case of the attack on the magistrate has been solved, so your Excellency does not need a Yamen servant."
I ran forward and backward for you."
"The case was solved?" The head of the police had a trace of doubt on his face, "Who solved it? You must not say that it was your Gu'an government officials."
After speaking, with a trace of sarcasm on his face, the police chief looked at the low county government hall and the dilapidated wall with disdain on his face.
"My lord, it's someone from Dongchang." Li Xiancheng said slowly.
"What?" The chief of the police suddenly turned around and stared at the other party closely, "You are right, right? This is a case handled by people from Dongchang?"
In Zhuozhou, I might have relied on my relationship with the prefect to swagger through the city, but facing Dongchang, the emperor's exclusive agency, I didn't even have the courage to look at him.
Now, a few days after the official document arrived, he came to handle the case. But who knew that the case had already been handled by people from Dongchang.
If it is really Dongchang who is here, then Dongchang will definitely report his responsibility for delaying the case. By then, not to mention the Zhuozhou police, even the prefect may be implicated.
No, it's impossible.
If a small county magistrate was attacked, how could the people in Dongchang be alarmed? Could it be that this person disliked my slow arrival and deliberately blocked my success?
That’s not right, he didn’t dare and didn’t need to use Dongchang’s name to frame me.
If you send me away like this, who will solve the case of the county magistrate?
Thinking of this, the leader of the police couldn't help but stare at Li Xian Cheng's face again.
In other words, this person is the mastermind behind the scenes and wants to kill the magistrate and replace him?
"My lord, I am from Dongchang." Li Xiancheng repeated it again.
"Haha." The police chief laughed, "Since the case has been solved, we have nothing to do with it. However, since the magistrate was attacked and I came to Gu'an, there was no reason not to go and take a look. Li
Magistrate, please lead the way, I will go and see the magistrate's injury."
The leader of the police sneered in his heart.
When I meet the magistrate of Gu'an, I will know what the actual situation of this case is. If everything is as you said, that's it. If there is a slight mistake, I will arrest you first and then talk about it.
If I can really solve a case, I will have more confidence to speak to the prefect.
"My lord, please come this way." Li Xian Cheng bowed his body and raised his hand to point to a low house in the yard.
The chief agent smiled faintly, winked at the other agents, and moved forward.
In the room, Wei Qi was holding a bowl of wild pigeon soup and a small spoon, preparing to feed his elder brother a little so that he could recover from his injury faster.
There was a sound of footsteps outside the door, and the policeman was the first to step across the threshold.
He glanced at Wei Qi, then at Wei Liang on the Tukang, and asked loudly: "Which one is the magistrate of Gu'an?"
Before Wei Qi could reply, Wei Liang, who was sitting on the kang, slowly turned his head and responded in a low voice: "I am Wei Liang, the magistrate of Gu'an County. I am a policeman from Zhuozhou?"
Hearing this, the leader of the police was very unhappy.
Those who come from Zhuozhou are those who come from Zhuozhou. Do you have to add the word "catcher" at the end? No wonder you have been serving as a county magistrate in a poor place like Gu'an. With your speaking skills, if you want to be transferred or promoted, just wait for the next life.
"Yes, we are the people who came down from Zhuozhou. Didn't we say that we were seriously injured and already unconscious? Why did we wake up now?" the chief of the police said angrily and walked towards the kang.
"Maybe God thought that the people in Gu'an were living too hard and I couldn't leave yet, so I woke up." Wei Liang smiled faintly and said as politely as possible.
With a trace of disdain flashing across his face, the chief detective said, "Xian Cheng Li said that your case has been solved?"
"Thanks to my lord, Dongchang has identified the murderer who attacked me." Wei Liang said slowly.
"Are you really from Dongchang?" The police chief looked surprised and shook his head, "Does the magistrate know anyone in Dongchang?"
If the county magistrate has connections in Dongchang, he can curry favor with him. Dongchang is an agency around the emperor. If he just blows the whistle in front of the emperor, he doesn't have to be the leader of the police in Zhuozhou, which is looked down upon by others.
.
Wei Liang shook his head hard and said: "Dongchang just happened to come here and handled my case."
"I'm just telling you, if the magistrate has an acquaintance in Dongchang, why don't you move around and be transferred away from Gu'an, a place where birds don't shit?" The chief of the police said calmly with his hands behind his back.
Hearing the other party speak like this, Wei Liang knew that the other party looked down on him as the magistrate of Gu'an County.
But since the other party is here, you have to entertain him anyway. Although the county government no longer has a copper to spend, you should have a casual meal on the street and let him go back. This etiquette should still be there.
"Li Xian Cheng, take these adults and go to a tavern on the street to have some food. It's been a hard journey here from Zhuozhou." Looking at Li Xian Cheng who came in after him, Wei Liang said in a low voice.
Although the person is awake, he cannot eat normal meals at all and can only rely on some liquid food to regain his strength.
A man in his prime cannot keep up with the nutrition of liquid food, and his body is still extremely weak.
"Sir, the county government has lost a single coin." Li Xian Cheng spread his hands, his face full of embarrassment.
"Find a familiar tavern and tell the shopkeeper to give it on credit first, and I will give it to him when my salary comes out next month." Wei Liang's voice became weaker and weaker.
After talking for a long time, Wei Liang's breathing could no longer keep up.
Wei Qi, who had been beside him, put down the soup bowl in his hand, hurriedly walked forward, put his hands on Wei Liang's shoulders, and leaned his body on the pillow behind him.
"Brother, you are weak, so stop talking and I will arrange this matter."
With that said, Wei Qi stood up, took out ten taels of silver from his arms, and handed it to Li Xian Cheng: "Master Li, take this silver and go greet these adults."
Just as Li County Cheng was about to reach out to pick it up, a voice came from the side.
"Ten taels of silver? There are five of us here. I know you are poor and can't take care of the food, so just leave it alone. Do you think this is sending beggars away?"
