Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 349 Confession
He Fan led his men straight out and escaped. The journey was smoother than he had expected, because the constables were chasing after the guests everywhere. The remaining few men were no match for the He family's guards.
As He Fan rushed out of the manor gate, he finally breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, he had escaped unharmed. He would then hide at the Xia family's residence and not come out. Could they possibly go to the Minister of Justice's mansion to arrest him?
Just then, He Fan saw another group of people coming this way.

The leader was tall and imposing, dressed in a tight-fitting short coat over a brand-new suit of armor, with a sword hanging from his waist, looking quite imposing.

He Fan's pupils contracted. How could he have attracted a military general?

The troops that appeared in Bianjing must have been the Imperial Guards.

Now the manor is filled with government offices and imperial guards... He Fan's face turned ugly. It was as if these people had conspired to deal with him.
The leading general had clearly seen them and immediately drew his long sword from his waist.

The guards of the He family were so frightened that they dropped the sticks they were holding.

Resisting these Imperial Guards would mean certain death, especially when a troop of cavalry charged in; the oppressive atmosphere was overwhelming, and no ordinary person could withstand it.

With the guards acting this way, He Fan lost all desire to escape.

Fleeing might mean immediate death, while staying offered a sliver of hope. He knelt down like the other guards.

Xu En reined in the horse, and the dust kicked up by its hooves landed on He Fan's face, making it impossible for him to open his eyes.

"Are the troublemakers in the manor?" Xu En asked the messenger.

The constable nodded: "We followed the county magistrate to the manor to investigate, and we found them gambling. The magistrate ordered them to wait for questioning, but these people openly resisted with weapons. The county constables were injured, and some people inside died."

"When the county magistrate saw this, he told us to go back to the yamen for help. Fortunately, I met the chief magistrate on the way."

This explained clearly why Xu En had come here.

Xu En said, "I was practicing formations when, by sheer coincidence, this happened."

“But… without an official decree, troops cannot be mobilized. I cannot lead men in to help you capture the criminals, but I can have the soldiers train here in case of any unforeseen circumstances, in case they do anything rebellious…”

"According to the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty, if a civil uprising occurs, the Imperial Guards in the surrounding area can suppress it first and then report it to the authorities."

Upon hearing this, He Fan felt a churning in his stomach.

Military officers are not allowed to send troops out without authorization, so... that's why he said he came here for training.

Even without using their troops to help the yamen arrest people, their sheer presence was enough to intimidate the entire village. Those with sense dared not struggle any longer, because continuing to confront the yamen runners with weapons might be treated as a case of a civil uprising.

It's over now.

He Fan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. There was no way anyone could escape and report the news, so they could only be slaughtered by others.

As He Fan was pondering this, the magistrate's authoritative voice came from behind him: "Take down these people who resist arrest."

A moment later, He Fan was tied up and taken back to the manor.

Upon seeing their young master captured, the He family guards dropped their clubs. The guests in the courtyard also noticed the approaching soldiers and dared not resist any longer.

After a moment of silence, the sound of women crying could be heard.

The cries were exceptionally mournful, and some people kept protesting their innocence.

If the county magistrate hadn't witnessed their frantic shouting, he might have felt a moment of sympathy. Now, he merely sneered and ordered, "Bring all the people, money, and paper from the estate to the yamen without missing a single item."

After saying that, he looked at the clerk and said, "Now count the silver, compile it into a book, and send a copy to the government office as soon as it is ready. Also, report to Lord Xu Huaiyi of the Ministry of Justice that the Feng Erniang he is looking for is here. As for whether Feng Erniang has been taken hostage, we will have to ask him first."

He Fan's eyes widened. What, is this about the Ministry of Justice?

Who accused them of holding hostages? Could it be the Guo brothers? Although he had some doubts, he dared not ask them directly.

He couldn't let anyone know that what happened on the Bian River was related to him.

After the county magistrate finished giving his orders, the constables went to arrest the people on the estate again, and this time they encountered no resistance. Xu En's squad of guards also began to train in a proper manner.

Xu Huaiyi and Cai Zheng exchanged a glance from a distance. Xu Huaiyi hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, while Cai Zheng knew the inside story but couldn't say it, so he could only pretend to show a look of surprise.

“It seems everything is going even more smoothly than we thought,” Cai Zheng said. “It looks like this case will soon be in your hands.”

Xu Huaiyi has the Guo brothers' complaint in his hands, and he also learned about Feng Erniang's case from Guo Xiong. Now that he has found Feng Erniang, he can naturally join the case.

Since only he could explain the cause and effect clearly, he naturally wanted to follow it to the end.

Moreover, the Guo brothers, who filed a lawsuit claiming they were framed, have already been imprisoned. Xu Huaiyi could easily find an excuse to get involved.

Xu Huaiyi looked at Cai Zheng: "Then let's go back to the yamen and wait for news!" This is destined to be a sensational case in Bianjing.

……

Kaifeng County Government Office.

After Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan were imprisoned, the prison guards took Guo Xiong directly to the torture chamber.

Guo Xiongxian was whipped twenty times.

The jailer waved his arm and said, "You still won't confess now? I think you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."

Guo Xiong had already been gagged, so even if he wanted to confess, he couldn't say a word.

The jailer was obviously doing this on purpose. As long as he got the Guo brothers to their deaths, his job would be done, and no one would bother to investigate how the Guo brothers died.

After the whipping was finished, the jailer took the cloth out of Guo Xiong's mouth. Guo Xiong was prepared and immediately shouted, "Injustice! Injustice! We have been wronged!"

“I have already written a lawsuit and taken it to the yamen.”

"Someone deliberately tricked us to label us as smugglers."

"Injustice...injustice..."

After Guo Xiong shouted, the boatmen who had been locked up also responded.

"We've been wronged! We've been framed!"

The screams threw the prison into chaos, forcing the guards to whip more people. Guo Xiong, naturally, received a severe beating as well.

Guo Xiong's body was bruised and bleeding from the beating, but he remained calm, instead revealing a ruthless smile that sent a chill down the guard's spine, causing him to increase the force of his blows. No matter how he was beaten, whenever he had the chance, Guo Xiong would still shout "Innocent!"

"Sir, could there really be some hidden story?" The prison clerk couldn't help but step forward and ask.

“How could there be any hidden story? The officials from the Ministry of Justice saw it with their own eyes. All the stolen goods were brought back; they were the finest spices.”

The clerk wanted to ask more questions, but the jailer stopped him, saying, "Hurry up and interrogate him; the results must be out today."

The clerk never expected it to happen so quickly: "This... I'm afraid it's inappropriate."

"What's wrong with that?" the jailer said. "The higher-ups have given orders that they'd love to execute them immediately. The sooner they confess, the sooner we can claim our credit."

The clerk frowned: "We haven't taken any statements yet."

"Confession?"

The jailer gestured towards the table, and the clerk went over to take a look. Sure enough, there were two confessions on it, just waiting to be signed and sealed.