Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 226 This is more than just showing respect to talented people; it's downright utmost deference.
"You son of a bitch..."

Duke Dingguo, Xu Yande, lay sprawled on the ground, his chest heaving violently, his voice hoarse, clearly unable to continue cursing.

The Imperial Guards around them were also exhausted.

They dared not lay a hand on the Duke, but Xu Yande not only started cursing as soon as he entered, but also barged into the prison, forcing everyone to step forward to stop him.

Unfortunately, this person was also skilled in grappling, making it impossible for ordinary people to get close. It took a lot of effort to make him stop from exhaustion without harming him.

Lu Bing, who was not far away, watched silently and then turned and left.

The other party's goal was clear: to escalate the matter, even at the cost of damaging the Duke's mansion's reputation, in order to force them to resolve the issue.

The culprit behind Xu and Shen's marriage is undoubtedly the Shen family. Knowing that their son had a hidden illness, they still planned to ruin Xu's wife's life.

Secondly, there was the matchmaker, Madam Sheng, who brought the two families together in marriage.

However, the Shen family could not directly convict and confiscate their property because of this incident, and the matchmaker, Madam Sheng, was already dead. The only thing that could be done next was to arrange for the eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion to divorce the young master of the Shen family.

Originally, it was Xu's wife who would have suffered a loss in the divorce, but now, with this commotion, it is the Shen family and the Imperial Guards who have lost face.

'Things have escalated to this point, is there really any way to resolve this?'

Lu Bing sighed and headed towards the house where Sun Weixian was.

In such a quagmire, only a true brother like Haiyue would be willing to lend a helping hand, but the more he thought about it, the more pessimistic he became, and he decided not to drag the other person down.

The key point is that the person cooperating with Haiyue was not herself, but Sun Weixian.

This newly appointed commander is no ordinary man.

Wang Zuo had met with him several times and said that this man was extremely shrewd and never showed his emotions, making him much more difficult to deal with than his predecessor, Xiao Zhen.

Don't let this person invite Haiyue here and then scheme against her, or they'll regret it.

With that thought in mind, Lu Bing quickened his pace, hurriedly went outside, and looked inside.

However, there was no one inside. He turned around and went out into the courtyard, beckoning to a clerk: "Where is Vice Commissioner Sun?"

Although Sun Weixian brought a group of his own people and placed them in the positions of the Northern Garrison, they were mainly executive personnel such as commanders of thousands and hundreds, so that he could have his own confidants to use. As for the clerks and servants in the garrison, most of them were people from Wang Zuo's faction.

The man before him did the same, and immediately reported, "Commissioner Sun and Hanlin Scholar Hai have gone to the Shuntian Prefecture Office together."

"Go directly to the government office?"

Lu Bing frowned and quickly asked, "What was their reaction when they left?"

The clerk pondered for a moment and said, "I noticed that Vice Commissioner Sun treats Hanlin Scholar Hai with great respect, hmm, he's very courteous!"

"Okay! Go ahead!"

Lu Bing waved his hand, still somewhat uneasy. He returned to his room and summoned Hong Qi, intending to instruct him to quickly go to the Shuntian Prefecture to inquire about the situation.

But it's unnecessary.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside, and a group of people were escorted into the Northern Garrison Command. The man in the lead screamed repeatedly, "I am the Magistrate of Shuntian! I am an official appointed by the Imperial Court! Sun Weixian... How dare you! How dare you!!"

Lu Bing walked out and immediately saw that the person who screamed was none other than Judge Shen Mo. In addition to him, there was a group of clerks who were brought in, along with a group of prisoners who were already dressed as convicts.

"This...this is..."

Friday quickly came to his side and whispered, "Commissioner Sun has brought all the prisoners in Madam Sheng's case and the officials who handled the case here. It is said that it was because Hanlin Hai discovered that there were suspicious things in the interrogation process."

"Oh?"

Lu Bing was extremely surprised.

Could it be that we have wronged Sun Weixian?
Even if he cooperated with Haiyue, the level of support wouldn't necessarily be this great, right?

This wasn't just modesty; after all, Lu Bing's official rank wasn't high. People respected him because of his close relationship with the emperor, not because of his mere position as a minor official.

In comparison, Sun Weixian was indeed a true commander-in-chief, one of the absolute management members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If he were to really lose his temper, this would be the situation we see now.

Nothing else.

Arrest them!
At this moment, Sun Weixian reached out and grabbed Shen Mo's chin, the most unruly one, and shook it hard: "Shen Mo, I invited you here today to discuss important matters of the case, not to detain you or interrogate you. It is because you have repeatedly made excuses and delayed the investigation that I have no qualms about showing mercy!"

He had said this last sentence to someone else not long ago, but that person just smiled indifferently, as if a gentle breeze was blowing across their face.

But Shen Mo, faced with this threatening aura filled with ferocity, trembled slightly and finally quieted down.

The onlookers were amazed.

When I first saw this commander from the south, he had such a refined and scholarly demeanor that I thought he was an oddball influenced by the extravagance of Jiangnan. Now it seems that this is just the usual style of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

Look at them, they can speak with such a fierce and menacing tone when arresting an official who has nothing to do with them, as if they have a deep-seated hatred between them!

Rare indeed! After venting his frustrations on Shen Mo, Sun Weixian turned to Hai Yue, his eyes clearing again, and asked, "Hai Hanlin, what's next?"

Haiyue had been silent and only gave orders when arresting people, but now she was scrutinizing the prisoners in their uniforms.

There are three main people.

First, there is Madam Qin, the eldest disciple of Madam Sheng.

Secondly, there was Shuangxi, the personal maid of Madam Sheng.

Thirdly, there was Madam Gu, the third disciple of Madam Sheng.

The first two have been identified as murderers. According to the Shuntian Prefecture's judgment, the eldest disciple, Qin, was the mastermind, and the maid, Shuangxi, was an accomplice. The two conspired to murder Madam Sheng in order to obtain the family property. Later, when the three disciples gathered at the house, the second disciple, Feng, discovered the clues. Qin then struck again and killed Feng as well.

Through interrogation, the maid Shuangxi confessed that she was indeed instructed by the eldest disciple, Qin, to poison Sheng Niangzi's drink before bed that night, causing her death. However, the eldest disciple, Qin, refused to admit guilt and insisted that she was innocent.

Undoubtedly, although the methods of execution used by the local government were not as famous as those used by the imperial prison, they were not lenient with their victims. The eldest disciple, Qin Shi, was clearly stained with blood in his prison clothes, but he was in good spirits. From the outside, there was no sign of disability, at least his hands were not crippled.

Interestingly, according to Haiyue's observation throughout, when the Imperial Guards took them out of the cell and into the temporary prison cart, the eldest disciple, Qin Shi, first looked stunned, then astonished, and finally terrified.

Looking at the maid Shuangxi, her expression was completely numb, as if she had no reaction to the changes around her.

Finally, Haiyue spoke to her youngest disciple, Gu Shi, and asked, "Why are you still here?"

The young disciple, Gu, was mostly terrified, trembling and huddled in the crowd. Upon hearing the voice, she subconsciously raised her head and said in a hoarse voice, "Sir...Sir, are you asking about me?"

"I'm asking you."

Haiyue said, "The government has already identified the murderer. You are an innocent person, so why are you still wearing prison clothes and locked up in jail?"

"I don't know... Ever since my master passed away, I was taken to the yamen and have been locked in a cell ever since, and I haven't been able to get out!"

The young disciple, Gu, replied with a wry smile. After all, she was a matchmaker, experienced and knowledgeable. Seeing that Haiyue was both young and respected, she quickly kowtowed and said, "I beg Your Honor to grant me justice! Please grant me justice!"

Haiyue turned to her eldest disciple, Qin Shi: "See that? That's the normal reaction!"

Qin Shi had been listening subconsciously, but was startled by the sudden question: "Sir..."

Haiyue calmly said, "You cried out that you were wronged in the government office and refused to confess. You were tortured and forced to confess. Now you have been transferred to another place. Regardless of whether you recognize that this is the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you should at least try to prove your innocence. But you look more flustered than when you were in the Shuntian Prefecture prison. Why is that?"

The eldest disciple, Qin, grew increasingly pale, and opened her mouth, murmuring, "This servant...this servant..."

Haiyue then turned to her youngest disciple, Madam Gu: "According to the case file, Madam Sheng did indeed tell those around her many times that among her three disciples, you are the most filial and considerate, and also the most honest and kind. Since she has no children, she plans to give all her family property to you. Are you aware of this?"

Madam Gu replied in a low voice, "I understand."

Haiyue then asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Madam Gu said, "I am naturally happy, but my eldest and second sisters have taken good care of me in the past. I dare not keep the family property all to myself. Even if Master really leaves the whole house to me, I will share it with my two sisters."

"If these words come from the heart, then he is indeed a kind and honest person."

Haiyue nodded: "In that case, do you think your two senior sisters understand your temperament?"

Madam Gu glanced at the dazed Madam Qin and sighed softly, "They used to understand me, but in recent years, they've all said that Master is biased towards me, which has led to many misunderstandings. I don't know if they'll believe me..."

Haiyue asked, "Then do you think these two would kill Madam Sheng?"

After a slight hesitation, Madam Gu finally mustered her courage and said, "I believe that my elder sister would not kill Master. Although she has had some disagreements with Master over the years, she still respects him very much and would never kill him!"

Haiyue continued, "What about the Feng family?"

Madam Gu was stunned: "Second sister...wasn't second sister also murdered by the killer?"

"But that doesn't mean she wasn't the one who killed Madam Sheng!"

Haiyue said, "Who told you that two murders must have been committed by the same person?"

Madam Gu was stunned: "This servant doesn't know... Second Sister... Second Sister probably wouldn't know either..."

Haiyue turned to Sun Weixian: "Minister Sun, send someone to examine the injuries of our eldest disciple, Qin, and see if there's anything suspicious about the torture she suffered! Also, take new statements from our youngest disciple, Gu, the servants of the Sheng family, and these yamen runners, and thoroughly sort out the relationships between them!"

A hush fell over the room. All of Sun Weixian's trusted subordinates, including Tan Jing, looked at him. Sun Weixian's lips twitched slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Didn't you hear what Hai Hanlin said? Go check! Go take a statement!"

"Yes!"

Tan Jing personally lifted the trembling Qin Shi and dragged her to the back, while the others separated and imprisoned the group of people, beginning to interrogate them in detail.

"call!"

Lu Bing watched this scene from afar, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled at those around him, saying, "It seems I was overthinking it. Vice Commissioner Sun is not just showing respect to talented people, he is practically courteous. We can't even do that. He truly lives up to his reputation as someone from Jinling!"

(End of this chapter)