Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 330 Helper
Guo Xiong stood there, stunned, staring blankly at Xu Huaiyi. He almost wanted to stand up and run out immediately.

That's terrifying. It's like a trap. Otherwise, how could everything have gone so smoothly?
Guo Xiong asked, "How...how did you know, sir?"

Xu Huaiyi said calmly, "The Feng siblings have come to the capital to file a complaint and even want to beat the Dengwen Drum. There are quite a few cases in Bianjing City involving murder, but there aren't many like the Feng siblings who have come to file a complaint."

“I have reviewed all the case files in Bianjing in recent years, so I have some impression of them.”

This isn't just a vague impression; it's a crystal-clear memory.

"I know a little about the conflict on the Bian River that you mentioned. You didn't tie the sticks with cloth from the beginning. You only did it after you were falsely accused of assault."

“I believe you’re looking for the Feng siblings, and you probably also really want to save Feng Erniang,” Xu Huaiyi said, raising his eyes to look at Guo Xiong. “But… you really haven’t transported any spices?”

Guo Xiong was a man who had seen a lot. If he were timid, he wouldn't be making a living on the Bian River. Anyone else would have looked ugly upon seeing Xu Huaiyi's imposing presence.

When Xu Huaiyi presided over cases at the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice, his expression was solemn, and when you spoke to him, you always felt that there was a hint of interrogation and questioning in his voice.

It makes people involuntarily tense.

Guo Xiong felt a pang of panic, but he managed to keep his composure. After thinking for a long time, he finally nodded: "It was transported once."

As he spoke, he hurriedly added, "But it was very little, I only earned two hundred coins."

Xu Huaiyi's gaze softened slightly.

Guo Xiong pursed his lips before asking again, "How...how did you know, sir?"

Xu Huaiyi said, "Since we want to lure you in, we naturally have to throw out some bait first. You won't fall for it if we don't actually get any benefits." Only when Guo Xiong admitted to this matter would he believe what Guo Xiong said.

"You must clearly state how much spice you transported and how much silver you took. If there are any stolen goods, hand them over to the yamen as well."

The spices had long been sold, but it wouldn't be difficult to replenish them. Guo Xiong was glad that he had found this Lord Xu; otherwise, he would have truly had no way back.

Guo Xiong said, "That person asked us to meet in two days. One day has passed now, and we should go find him tomorrow."

“Then you can go,” Xu Huaiyi said, “but before that, go through the paperwork with me and leave the case file.”

With the case file and documents in hand, handing over the spices and five taels of silver together would be equivalent to having solid evidence. Unless this Lord Xu colluded with those people, no one could convict them.

Xu Huaiyi took Guo Xiong to the yamen. The Ministry of Justice had been busy with cases in Daming Prefecture for the past two days, with many people coming and going every day, so no one paid attention to Guo Xiong's situation.

Guo Xiong deliberately kept his head down, and with Xu Huaiyi clearing the way, he easily met the civil official.

Only after the clerk completed the paperwork and affixed his seal did Guo Xiong finally feel completely at ease.

The two returned to Xu Huaiyi's courtyard, and Guo Xiong couldn't help but ask about the Feng family's case: "Sir, after reviewing the Feng family's case file, do you find anything suspicious about it?"

A once-thriving cloth shop suddenly lost a large sum of money, and the owner was driven to suicide. Old Man Feng was a good man. When he was engaged to his second younger brother, he was just a peddler going from street to street. Even after he became wealthy, he never reneged on the marriage. That's why they wanted to help the Feng family when they were in trouble.

Xu Huaiyi was silent for a moment before saying, "I have only read the case file and have not personally tried the case, so I cannot make a judgment." He could speculate on the case, but he could not reveal unconfirmed results to others.

Guo Xiong was somewhat disappointed. If he could ask Lord Xu to jointly try the Feng family's case... that would be great, and perhaps Feng Erniang could also get away with it.

The two were talking when they heard a knock at the door.

Is Brother Xu here?

Upon hearing that familiar sound, Xu Huaiyi knew who it was: Cai Zheng from the Dali Temple.

Xu Huaiyi nodded to Guo Xiong to indicate that everything was alright, then instructed someone to open the door, and went to the door to greet him.

The door opened, and there was Cai Zheng, who looked somewhat haggard. Before Xu Huaiyi could speak, Cai Zheng entered the room familiarly, turned around and locked the door again, and waved the food in his hand.

"I finally got out of the government office after a day and a night, but I can't sleep when I get home. So I'll just have a couple of drinks with you. We won't talk about official business today, we'll just drink."

Cai Zheng pulled Xu Huaiyi into the house, only to find there was another person inside. He froze, stunned: "This is..."

Before Xu Huaiyi could speak, Cai Zheng said apologetically, "I didn't know there were people here. I'll come another day. I'll leave all of this for you. My mother at home doesn't allow me to drink alcohol. If she sees me drinking, she'll beat and scold me."

He put down his things and started to walk out.

Xu Huaiyi couldn't let Cai Zheng leave like that, so he grabbed him and said, "We've already finished talking, just wait a bit."

Cai Zheng clearly didn't believe it, fearing that Xu Huaiyi would be put in a difficult position because of it.

Knowing Cai Zheng's temperament, Xu Huaiyi immediately made no attempt to hide anything: "He came to report to the authorities, wrote a complaint at the yamen, and has other matters to attend to back at the moment."

He then looked at Guo Xiong and said, "I'll give you a name card. Once you get any news, bring the name card to the yamen immediately."

Guo Xiong immediately bowed to Xu Huaiyi and Cai Zheng.

After Guo Xiong left, Cai Zheng looked at Xu Huaiyi and asked, "What do you mean by this? This doesn't sound like an ordinary case. Why do we need to make arrangements in advance?"

"Even if they arrest someone, it's not the Ministry of Justice's responsibility; they should report it to the county government."

Xu Huaiyi and Cai Zheng sat down before he said, "If we really go to the county government, this case will be over."

Cai Zheng frowned: "You suspect someone tipped you off? What... exactly is this case?"

Having said all that, Xu Huaiyi revealed everything: "It was about the Bian River."

Xu Huaiyi recounted Guo Xiong's words in detail.

Cai Zheng said with a deep expression, "They are becoming more and more blatant in their attempts to cover up. How many cases have been linked to those four families in the past two years? Some have even resulted in deaths. Now, the Bian River is simply a den of iniquity."

Xu Huaiyi had long known about what was happening on the Bian River, but he lacked evidence. That's why when Guo Xiong came to him, he decided to let Guo Xiong continue this charade and find out who in the government office was colluding with the merchants.

“There are also problems with the Feng family’s case,” Xu Huaiyi told Cai Zheng about the Feng family’s case file, “Perhaps we can resolve them together.”

Cai Zheng said, "Then Feng Erniang became a prostitute? I do have informants in the entertainment district; I can have him investigate."

Xu Huaiyi looked at Cai Zheng: "You came here to drink with me, but now I need your help."

“I’ve been keeping an eye on those people for a long time, and I was just worried about where to start. Now that I have this opportunity, I can’t miss it. If I can find out who is backing these families, I will find all the cases from the Dali Temple over the years and make sure they don’t get away with it easily.”

At this point, Cai Zheng paused for a moment, then revealed a hint of worry: "You need to be careful. If this kind of thing gets out, I'm afraid someone might try to harm you."

Xu Huaiyi wasn't afraid of these things: "I actually hope to solve all the cases in Bianshui at once."

Even with Guo Xiong as bait, something is still missing.

(End of this chapter)