Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 208 Deserter
Tan Xiang looked at Wang Yan in astonishment. He hadn't said anything, yet Wang Yan had seen through him in one sentence. If he had been struggling before and was preparing to find an opportunity to immediately report to Prefect Liu, that thought had vanished completely now.

While Prefect Liu was still kept in the dark, Wang Tianshi had already figured out everything about Daming Prefecture. With the addition of the eunuch who had already escaped from Daming Prefecture, Wang Yan was about to take control of the situation.

Tan Xiang took a deep breath: "They... are soldiers, but... deserters." He subconsciously revealed Han Tong and the others' identities, but felt the pressure above him grow even heavier.

Tan Xiang's hair stood on end.

Wang Yan's voice was icy: "A deserter? He fled on the battlefield?"

Tan Xiang's palms were sweaty, and he said with difficulty, "No...no."

"Did they escape from the military camp?"

"No...no."

Wang Yan no longer needed to ask: "He escaped while transporting goods."

Tan Xiang forced a smile and said, "Yes."

Han Tong and his men, after transporting goods several times, became dissatisfied with the actions of the officials in Daming Prefecture... They joined forces with a dozen soldiers to subdue the leading general, intending to report the affairs of Daming Prefecture to the imperial court. However, their plan failed, and they fled into the mountains.

Tan Xiang told everything he knew.

“I only heard it from Feng Chuan later,” Tan Xiang said. “Feng Chuan said that it was exceptionally dangerous that time, and they almost succeeded, but fortunately…”

"Fortunately, Han Tong and his group went to Xingren Prefecture, where the prefectural magistrate was an old friend of Prefect Liu, so the matter was exposed."

The magistrate of Xingren Prefecture had won many battles in the Northwest and was quite famous in the army. Han Tong and his men thought of going to join him because of this. In their minds, once they found the magistrate in Xingren Prefecture, the matter would be mostly settled. However, they did not expect that what appeared to be a human being might actually be a demon hidden beneath the skin.

Wang Yan remained silent. Tan Xiang cautiously raised his head to look at him, and in those deep eyes, he saw a strong killing intent.

Tan Xiang was horrified and tried to get up and run away, but the next moment, he was pressed down on the top of his head by that hand.

Tan Xiang began to tremble uncontrollably.

Although Wang Yan was a civil official, he felt as if he were on a battlefield, facing only bloodshed and carnage, and he didn't even dare to beg for mercy.

Wang Yan said, "Continue."

It took Tan Xiang a long time to speak again: "The magistrate of Xingren Prefecture sent the message back to Daming Prefecture. Xu Renyuan led troops to 'suppress the bandits,' and those dozen or so people escaped with Han Tongyi."

"In order to capture Han Tong, Xu Renyuan carried out a massacre in Daming Prefecture. Later, he suspected that Han Tong was hiding in Chenyao Village, so... so..."

"They disguised themselves and killed all the able-bodied men in Chenyao Village to silence them."

Wang Yan coldly replied, "So you killed the men?"

Tan Xiang swallowed hard: "Those people related to Han Tong... were all killed, but fearing they wouldn't be able to explain to the court, some old and weak people were spared... and then the blame was placed on Han Tong."

"It is said that after that incident, all of Han Tong's deserters were dealt with."

"However, Xu Renyuan and others were afraid of causing the same trouble again, so for a long time they dared not use soldiers to transport goods on a large scale. That's why they sought out merchants in Daming Prefecture."

Tan Xiang's words were confirmed by the accounts.

“The collateral branch of the Han family is unaware of the whole story. Someone wanted to seek justice for Han Tong,” Tan Xiang licked his lips. “After the petition was submitted, Xu Renyuan secretly dealt with that person.”

The so-called "disposal" was simply to secretly kill the person.

After this incident, no one dared to mention the case again.

"Anything that happens in Daming Prefecture will be attributed to Han Tong's case. Anyway... everyone knows that there used to be a gang of ruthless bandits in Daming Prefecture."

Wang Yan thought of Jiao Da, the kidnapper. After Jiao Da died, the government also said that Jiao Da was related to Han Tong, naturally pinning the blame for human trafficking on Han Tong. In fact, human trafficking had been going on for a long time, and the Liu family probably also benefited from it.

The case file stated that many young women in Chenyao Village were abducted by Han Tong and his bandits.

Since Han Tong was wronged, the only ones who could have taken the woman away were Xu Renyuan and his soldiers. Where was the young woman taken? If she was sold to Daliang along with other goods, there would be no way to find out.

After Tan Xiang finished recounting everything, Wang Yan said, "That was truly a good deal. How much did you profit from it?"

The voice sounded calm, yet it was more biting than the cold wind of December.

Tan Xiang immediately kowtowed: "Angel Wang, I only... sold goods, I really didn't sell women, those things have nothing to do with me."

“I know I am guilty, and I do not ask to live, but only to help the angels investigate the case so that my young child can be saved.”

The man who harmed so many people and amassed wealth so lavishly still cared about his own child. A deep, bloodthirsty glint flashed in Wang Yan's eyes. Yet, he still coldly said, "I agree. As long as you help me investigate the case, I will spare your child and your life."

To spare his life is to prevent him from dying too easily.

Upon hearing this, Tan Xiang happily continued kowtowing.

Wang Yan said, "After we clean up here, we still need to go to the remaining armory workshops."

Tan Xiang hurriedly got up: "I'll take care of it right away."

Everyone wants to live, and they will struggle as long as there is a glimmer of hope. This is exactly what Wang Yan wants to see. He will make Tan Xiang and the others walk the same path that Han Tong did.

After the armory was tidied up, Xie Yuyan also finished sorting out the accounts and handed the evidence to Wang Yan.

With no one else around, the two looked at each other and guessed what the other was thinking.

Wang Yan said, "Chenyao Village."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "There are still people alive who know the inside story. Otherwise, the Zheng family wouldn't be so careful and wouldn't mention those past events."

If those people were really dead, they wouldn't have needed to do this, which was something Xie Yuyan and Wang Yan had already guessed.

When Xie Yuyan left Daming Prefecture, he did not tell the people around him the truth.

The fewer people who know about this, the better.

She could guess that they would fight for her; wasn't that what she was trying to achieve by changing her reputation in Daming Prefecture?
Public opinion can restrain Prefect Liu and his ilk.

However, she also had concerns about Chenyao Village.

The people of Chenyao Village might want to see her expose her secret to the world.

Those in positions of power are adept at controlling people's hearts, not just enemies, but also those around them; they use these people in their calculations.

Therefore, she said that she was not a kind person.

But as she left Daming Prefecture, she subconsciously turned to look at the city, and at that moment a subtle sense of concern and worry did indeed flow through her heart.

That's why Wang Yan asked her, "Are you worried or just feeling sorry for me?"

She is not soft-hearted; in her heart, there is only her own interests, not human feelings. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been called the "Demon Queen" in her previous life, right?

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(End of this chapter)