Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 350 Trouble is coming
Upon seeing the confession, the clerk understood the situation.

It would be best if the Guo brothers could plead guilty; if they cannot, they will be forced to sign a document.

Judging from the jailer's appearance, he was very familiar with this kind of thing and it was not the first time he had done it.

Guo Xiong refused to confess. The jailer glanced at the hourglass and thought there was still time, so he ordered Guo Chuan to be tied up and whipped with a whip stained with Guo Xiong's blood.

Guo Chuan bit his lip so hard it almost bled, but he didn't utter a single cry.

Guo Xiong knew his younger brother's intentions. His brother wanted to anger the prison guards so that they would use all the torture methods on him, giving Guo Xiong a chance to catch his breath.

What a fool.

Guo Xiong's eyes were red.

What does it matter if we suffer a little, as long as we both survive?

Thinking this, Guo Xiong cursed the prison guards: "You corrupt officials, all you know is how to force confessions. You're in cahoots with those people on the Bian River, trying to harm us brothers."

"Heaven has eyes, and you will surely be punished."

The jailer was finally enraged. He let Guo Chuan go and turned to deal with Guo Xiong. After being whipped, Guo Xiong had already fainted.

Guo Chuan was shocked and kept shouting from the side.

The jailer then went forward to check Guo Xiong's breathing and found that he was still alive. He breathed a sigh of relief, as he couldn't have killed him so soon after bringing him back; he simply couldn't explain it to his superiors. As for whether the man would still be alive the next day, that was not their concern. After all, many prisoners couldn't think straight after being arrested and committed suicide in prison.

The jailer pretended to put her ear to Guo Xiong's mouth, as if listening to something, and then she nodded and said, "The prisoner has confessed. Bring the confession over."

Guo Chuan couldn't believe his elder brother would confess. His brother had told him before they arrived that no matter what, he shouldn't say a word. He struggled to speak, saying, "My brother didn't confess... Someone come quick... Someone's lying... Someone's lying..."

"I want to see the county magistrate."

No one paid any attention to Guo Chuan. The jailer took Guo Xiong's hand, and just as he was about to press Guo Xiong's fingers onto the confession, a voice rang out.

"What are you doing?"

The jailer was startled and looked up to see an unfamiliar face.

No, upon closer inspection, he recognized the man; he was Xu Huaiyi from the Ministry of Justice.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice frequently visit the county government office; Xu Huaiyi even came to retrieve case files recently. Why is this Lord Xu here?

The jailer feigned composure and quietly released Guo Xiong's hand.

“Lord Xu,” the jailer said, “the prisoner has just confessed, and I am verifying his statement.”

Xu Huaiyi asked with a stern face: "Is this to verify the statements, or to fabricate false statements?"

The jailer winked at his men, signaling them to take the Guo brothers away, but it was too late. Guo Chuan cried out, "Sir, we're innocent! Please do justice for my brothers! They beat my elder brother until he fainted and tried to force him to sign a document right in front of me. We didn't smuggle any goods; we've been framed!"

A flicker of panic crossed the jailer's face, but luckily someone rushed over.

"What are you doing here, Lord Xu?"

Zheng Xu, an assistant secretary in the Ministry of Justice, walked quickly to Xu Huaiyi.

Xu Huaiyi didn't look at Zheng Xu, but instead kept approaching the jailer until he snatched the confession from the jailer's hand. The jailer didn't dare to fight with Xu Huaiyi and could only look to Zheng Xu for help.

Zheng Xu frowned. Even after being demoted to the Ministry of Justice, Xu Huaiyi remained unrepentant and looked down on everyone. He thought he could have a good future just by relying on his ability to solve cases, but he never thought that offending the Minister would have any good consequences.

“Xu Huaiyi,” Zheng Xu emphasized, addressing Xu Huaiyi by his given name, “This is the Kaifeng County government office, not our Ministry of Justice. The county officials are responsible for hearing and judging cases. How dare you overstep your bounds? Come here with me, I have something to say.”

Xu Huaiyi didn't move. He just looked down at the confession in his hand, then checked Guo Xiong's condition. After confirming that Guo Xiong had fainted, he looked at the jailer and asked, "Is this confession given by the prisoner himself?"

Guo Xiong was already unconscious, and the jailer couldn't possibly lie through his teeth. He could only stammer, "He had already confessed before he fainted."

"In that case, why not wait until the prisoner is sober before signing the document?"

The jailer swallowed hard: "This..."

Xu Huaiyi looked at the table beside him: "Whose confession is that on top?"

The jailer wished he could rush over and hide the confession immediately. His mind was in a mess, and he couldn't understand why no one had informed Xu Huaiyi of his arrival.

Zheng Xu, having been ignored by Xu Huaiyi time and again, could no longer suppress his anger: "Xu Huaiyi, I am speaking to you, yet you pretend not to hear me. What kind of logic is this?"

Xu Huaiyi finally raised his eyes and looked at Zheng Xu: "Were Guo Xiong, Guo Chuan and the others arrested by Lord Zheng and his men?"

Zheng Xu did not hide anything: "I happened to be inspecting the Bian River with the county government officials when we encountered these people smuggling goods, so I brought them back. What's wrong with that?"

Xu Huaiyi nodded and did not continue speaking.

Zheng Xu felt even more upset: "What do you mean by asking that?"

Xu Huaiyi bowed and said, "This official cannot speak with Lord Zheng in private."

Zheng Xu wanted to ask why, but this time Xu Huaiyi readily continued, "Because I want to impeach Lord Zheng."

Zheng Xu stood there, stunned: "What did you say?" Who would openly declare impeachment in front of someone?
"As for what to impeach, we cannot reveal it to Lord Zheng in advance."

Looking at Xu Huaiyi's calm demeanor, Zheng Xu felt like he was about to burst into flames. He wanted nothing more than to grab Xu Huaiyi and punch him hard.

After speaking, Xu Huaiyi put Guo Xiong's confession into his sleeve and then went to get Guo Chuan's confession from the table.

The jailer became anxious: "Lord Xu, this is the county jail, you can't take away our official documents." Surprisingly, despite the commotion, not only did the county magistrate and the county assistant not show up, but even the registrar and the clerk did not appear.

The jailer knew something must have happened.

Zheng Xu also sensed something and stepped forward to hold Xu Huaiyi's arm: "Don't go crazy in the county government office. If you don't impeach me today, I will impeach you, but first we have to go and argue with the Minister."

Zheng Xu's only current goal is to lure Xu Huaiyi to the Xia family; how to deal with him is up to Minister Xia.

"I cannot go," Xu Huaiyi said calmly, "and I'm afraid Lord Zheng will be unable to go either."

Zheng Xu's heart sank. Xu Huaiyi wouldn't be so deranged; something must have happened. Just then, footsteps approached.

The jailer turned his head and saw his own county magistrate. As if grasping at a straw, he hurriedly stepped forward: "Sir, this Lord Xu has taken our documents... Please, sir, do justice for us."

Although he was a prison guard, he had no choice but to say these words, because the confession was of great importance. If Xu Huaiyi had it, it would be proof that their confessions were false.

They knew perfectly well how the case came about, and they absolutely couldn't let anyone else get involved, otherwise... it would be a real disaster.