Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 199 Ran away
Magistrate Cao felt that the matter was beyond redemption. With the Prefect and Vice Prefect of Daming Prefecture joining forces, it was as if all the officials and soldiers of Daming Prefecture had to obey their orders.

Since He Tan wasn't in charge of the overall situation at the Inspection Division, who could stop them?
Even if he and the county magistrate stepped forward, it would be futile, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Magistrate Cao took a deep breath, feeling he should do something. He looked at the constable beside him: "Go to the patrol office quickly and tell them what happened here. Tell them to find Inspector He as soon as possible, no matter what method they have to use. We can only guarantee... that nothing will happen in the prison."

All they could do was stop Magistrate Hu to prevent anyone from dying in prison.

He didn't know how many days he could hold them off.

The constable immediately ran out.

Magistrate Cao looked at the county clerk. The two wanted to say something, but both chose to remain silent, because neither of them could think of a good solution to the deadlock they were facing.

Without delay, the constables arrived at the patrol office on horseback, only to find the gates tightly shut.

The constables immediately went around to the duty room.

There were two patrolmen inside, warming themselves by the fire and talking.

Seeing their lazy appearance, the constables realized they hadn't received the message yet and immediately became anxious: "Inspector He is not here, where is General Chen?"

The two patrolmen shook their heads: "The general has gone out on business. The long break is not over yet. There are only a few of us in the yamen."

The constable stamped his foot, feeling that he had completely wasted the magistrate's efforts. He reached out and grabbed someone at random: "Go find General Chen immediately and tell him... the magistrate asked him to send a message to Inspector He, telling him to return to Daming Prefecture as soon as possible."

Seeing the constable's anxious expression, the two soldiers became serious and immediately ran out of the duty room. However, after waiting for a while, the constable saw the two men return panting.

The three people stared at each other.

One of the soldiers said, "Send someone...to...go and look for it."

The other soldier nodded as well.

That was all they knew, because there was no one in either the second hall or the backyard. The inspector was not in the yamen, nor was the registrar who served him.

The patrol office seemed to have become what it was like before Inspector He arrived.

……

On the other side, Judge Hu rode his horse into Yong'an Ward.

The group arrived menacingly, frightening the children playing in the neighborhood into scattering home. When Grandma Li heard the commotion and opened the door, her eyes widened in shock.

The government officials had come before, but none of them were like this... The leader looked like a high-ranking official, and he exuded a menacing aura. Something big was about to happen.

Judge Hu stopped in front of the Yang family's house and ordered his men, "Surround this place and don't let anyone escape."

Hu Tongpan had no reason to treat a woman this way, but he wanted to use it to deal with He Tan, which made a difference.

Prefect Liu was reluctant to take action personally due to concerns about his reputation. However, Magistrate Hu was different. He was young and ambitious, believing he had a bright future and could not be controlled by He Tan. Moreover, He Tan had cut off his path to making money, forcing him to stay at home. He had long been fed up with this humiliation.

With that thought in mind, Judge Hu stepped into the Yang family's gate.

Unlike last time, before the Yang family could react, Magistrate Hu ordered, "Bring Yang Xieshi here."

The constables responded and immediately went into the inner courtyard.

Judge Hu waited to see the woman's flustered appearance. Last time he took Yang Mingjing away, she still pretended to stand there and deal with it, as if he had no power to touch her.

This kind of woman deserves to suffer enough.

There were exclamations.

Then the Yang family members were herded into the courtyard.

Hu Tongpan sneered. Without the county magistrate getting in his way, he finally felt much more at ease.

"Take away anyone who resists." In front of the Yang family, Magistrate Hu gave the order again.

The Yang family members were probably frightened by these words, and they all stood there with their heads down like dead quails, not daring to say a word.

After a moment, the yamen runners came out from the inner courtyard.

“Judge Hu,” the constable whispered, “that Lady Yang Xie… seems to be not at the Yang family’s residence.”

"What?" Judge Hu's face stiffened. "How is this possible? Where did they go?"

The constable shook his head.

Judge Hu was immediately enraged: "Go find him! Turn the Yang family upside down! Find him for me!"

The constables and soldiers immediately rushed to every corner of the Yang family's ancestral home.

This time, they went even further. The items were thrown on the ground, and some people even took the opportunity to stuff valuables into their own pockets. Half an hour later, all the constables and soldiers returned to the courtyard.

"Where did the person go?" Judge Hu stared at Zhang.

Zhang shook her head and remained silent. Hu Tongpan's forehead veins bulged, and his eyes became even more ruthless. He was about to attack Zhang when Yang Qin's small figure rushed forward and stretched out his arm to protect Zhang.

Hu Tongpan paid no heed to a woman or a young child. He ordered his constables, "These two must know something. Take them away and interrogate them thoroughly..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than members of the Yang clan stepped forward to stop him.

But they were all pushed aside by the constables.

Yang Qin showed no fear, and even clenched his fists, like a small leopard with its back arched, ready to attack at any moment.

"and many more."

A deep voice rang out, and Yang Mingde strode over.

“Why did you have to lay a hand on a child, Magistrate?” Yang Mingde said. “You’ve searched the entire Yang family, and Sixth Brother’s daughter-in-law is indeed not at home.”

Judge Hu said coldly, "You have clearly hidden Yang Xieshi. She is a wanted criminal of the court. According to the law of Liang, what crime do you commit by protecting and covering her up like this?"

"If we cannot find Yang Xieshi today, we will take you all to prison."

A hint of fear immediately appeared on Yang Mingde's face.

Several young children were already crying in fear.

Only Zhang and Yang Qin remained steadfast in their expressions.

Seeing that the constables were about to take action, Yang Mingde finally couldn't help but say, "Wait a minute."

Hu Tongpan looked over, and Yang Mingde took a deep breath, looking again at the old and young in the courtyard. In the end, he couldn't bear to see the entire Yang family suffer along with him.

“She was taken away by Chen Jun,” Yang Mingde said.

"Uncle." Yang Qin tried to stop him, but it was too late. His little face was full of anger and disappointment.

Yang Mingde lowered his head: "This cannot be concealed. We can find out as soon as we check with the city gate guards."

After saying that, Yang Mingde simply said it all: "General Chen took Sixth Brother's daughter-in-law to find Inspector He. They left the city an hour ago."

Hu Tongpan's face immediately darkened. He had obviously lingered here for too long. If Yang Xieshi really found He Tan first, it would be quite a hassle.

"Go," Judge Hu said, "come with me and bring the man back." He had to go in person; only with him could he order the killing if Chen Ju resisted.

It's only an hour; Chen Ju won't be able to run too fast with Xie Shi.

He will definitely be able to stop them.