Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 336 I haven't even asked you yet, and you've already confessed?
Inside the county government office of Wannian County, the aroma of sandalwood and tea mingled, creating a sense of tranquility.

Wen He leaned back in the armchair by the window, her fingertips gently stroking the rim of the celadon teacup. Her gaze fell on the wisps of white smoke rising from the teapot, but her thoughts had already drifted to the case that was about to go to trial.

Sitting opposite him was Magistrate Li of Wannian County, who was holding a teacup and speaking in a somewhat ingratiating tone: "Although Fan Biao is a rough man and has not read many books, he is quite efficient in his work, especially when investigating cases. You don't need to worry about him making mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Wen He smiled and nodded.

He didn't know much about this Magistrate Li, only that his surname was Li.

I didn't specifically inquire whether he was a member of the royal family, but judging from his attitude towards me—respectful but not obsequious—I figured he probably didn't hold a title.

It should be noted that Wannian County is the premier county in the capital region, and the magistrate there holds a rank that is much higher than that of magistrates in other counties. To be able to sit in this position, one must either have a powerful background or be truly capable.

Wen He's highest official rank was only the lower seventh grade.

He's just occupying the title of Viscount of Gaoyang County.

Don't underestimate this second-to-last title; many who have made their mark in history didn't end up with a title as high as his.

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

Wen He replied politely.

Judging by the time, Fan Biao should be back with his men by now.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the government office. A man dressed in a blue clerk's uniform strode in, bowed, and said with a hint of excitement, "Reporting to the magistrate and the magistrate of Gaoyang County, Commander Fan has returned with his men and has taken two prisoners to the detention room in the backyard of the county government office. I have come to report this to you both!"

In the early Tang Dynasty, there was no clear distinction between "constables" and "yamen runners" as we know them today. Maintaining local order and arresting criminals relied entirely on unruly people.

Although the county government had bailiffs in charge of arrests, whose official rank was the lowest of the ninth grade, they generally did not go out and instead ordered unscrupulous people to do the work.

However, when it came time to reward those who had contributed, they themselves had to go to the Ministry of Justice to do so.

Wen He immediately stood up and bowed to Magistrate Li, saying, "Now that the person has arrived, I will go and take a look so that I can clarify the case as soon as possible and give the deceased an explanation."

"Hehe, thank you for your help, Magistrate Wen."

Magistrate Li quickly rose to return the greeting, a gentle smile on his face.

He knew in his heart that Wen He was not only a minister valued by His Majesty, but also the nominal "Crown Prince's Tutor". The fact that he took the initiative to come to Wannian County to investigate the case was already a great honor for him.

He was unwilling to deliberately cultivate relationships, but he knew how to treat people with courtesy.

After all, it's best to avoid offending this "little devil among a hundred riders" if possible.

Seeing that Wen He was about to go to attend to official business, Magistrate Li did not try to stop him, but only instructed the clerk: "Go ahead and lead the way. You must cooperate with Magistrate Wen in the investigation and do not be negligent in the slightest!"

"Yes!"

The clerk quickly agreed and turned to Wen He, gesturing for her to enter.

"Gaoyang County Magistrate, this way please."

Wen He followed the clerk out of the government office, through the corridors of the county government, and towards the detention rooms in the backyard.

Before long, they arrived outside the detention cell.

Fan Biao was standing at the door, looking tired but unable to hide his excitement. Upon seeing Wen He, he quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "County Magistrate, you've finally arrived! I've already brought Lin An and Na Qumei back and imprisoned them separately in two cells, preventing them from seeing each other!"

Lin An was the name of the steward of the Chen family, and Qu Mei was naturally Chen Gui's wife.

"Thank you for your hard work." Wen He patted his shoulder, her gaze sweeping over the tightly closed detention cell door.

Did the prisoner resist? Did he say anything?

Fan Biao clicked his tongue, his tone full of sighs: "There was no resistance, but those two are no good. Lin An was thinking of sneaking out the back door, but that woman named Qu Mei was even more ruthless. She disguised herself as an old servant buying groceries and tried to sneak out the front door. Neither of them greeted the other, and they both planned to run away alone before dawn, afraid of being dragged down by the other!"

"Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately. This kind of thing is not surprising," Wen He chuckled lightly, her tone calm.

Fan Biao immediately exclaimed in surprise, praising with admiration: "The county magistrate is so young, yet he understands such profound principles. He is truly amazing!"

Wen He didn't respond to his question, but changed the subject, her tone filled with anticipation: "Next, it's time for the interrogation, right?"

Yesterday, he specifically asked Fan Biao to separate the two prisoners so that he could "show off his skills" today.

Fan Biao paused for a moment, then shook his head, his tone relaxed: "No need for interrogation! As soon as Qu Mei saw our people, before we could even ask her anything, she confessed everything: her affair with Lin An, the murder of Chen Gui, and the fabrication of going to Huazhou—she told us everything!"

"Uh...you confessed everything?"

Wen He was completely stunned, and the expectation on her face instantly vanished.

He hadn't even had a chance to demonstrate his skills before everyone confessed?

Depend on!
That's not how it's portrayed in TV dramas!
Shouldn't villains always stick to their guns and only break down when the protagonist presents irrefutable evidence?
He had previously planned to interrogate Lin An first, then scare Qu Mei, so that their testimonies would corroborate each other.

Ironically, Qu Mei directly "exposed" herself.

The point of separating the prisoners instantly vanished!
These two have such poor mental fortitude!
He was the mastermind behind the murder, so why was he so terrified of the bad guys?

Wen He immediately lost interest, and even the energy she had when she woke up that morning was mostly gone. She muttered to herself.

If I had known it would be this easy, I should have slept in longer last night and wouldn't have had to get up so early.

Fan Biao, oblivious to his disappointment, added smugly, "Although we Bad People can't compare to the elite Hundred Cavalry, we are still renowned in the streets of Chang'an! Those criminals are terrified of us, how dare they not confess? Next, we'll organize the case file and submit it to the Ministry of Justice, and this case will be closed!"

"Thank you for your help, General Fan."

Wen He sighed helplessly, having no choice but to accept this unexpected outcome.

Fan Biao quickly waved his hand, his face full of obsequiousness: "You're too kind, magistrate! It's my honor to be able to help you solve cases! I'll go and organize the case files right away and personally accompany you to the Ministry of Justice!"

Before long, Fan Biao, carrying the organized case files, accompanied Wen He to the Ministry of Justice.

Upon arriving at the office of the Vice Minister of Justice, he was stopped by a minor official guarding the gate. After being informed, the Vice Minister of Justice, who had handed the case to Wen He the day before, hurriedly came out to greet him.

When he saw Wen He, he was taken aback at first, then quickly stepped forward, his voice filled with disbelief and shock: "Gaoyang County Magistrate? What brings you here? Could it be... that there's been a breakthrough in the case?"

Wen He yawned lazily, pointed to the case file in Fan Biao's hand, and said casually, "It's not that we have a lead, it's that we've cracked the case. The case file is here, and the criminal is still being held at the Wannian County government office. You just need to send someone to verify it." "Cracked it so quickly?!"

The Vice Minister of Justice's eyes widened instantly, and he almost dropped his teacup.

Although the news that His Majesty had ordered Wen He to solve the case within two days was not made public, it quietly spread within the Ministry of Justice.

Many people were waiting to see Wen He make a fool of himself, since this wasn't the kind of corruption case Wen He was good at.

Instead, it's a murder case involving personal relationships and requiring investigation of clues. In the past, such cases might not be fully solved in less than ten days or half a month.

It may ultimately become an unsolved case.

But only a day has passed, and Wen He has already revealed the truth?
He was shocked, but he dared not doubt Wen He. This was a crime of deceiving the emperor, and even if Wen He was unruly, he would not dare to joke about such a thing.

The vice minister hurriedly took the file, his fingers trembling slightly, and quickly flipped through it.

The victim's identity, motive, and the perpetrator's confession are all complete and clearly presented. Even the details of the two fleeing separately are clearly written, making it an irrefutable piece of evidence.

"Gaoyang County's son is indeed formidable!"

The vice minister suppressed his shock and bowed with a face full of admiration.

"I will immediately send someone to Wannian County to interrogate the prisoner and verify the facts of the case before reporting back to His Majesty!"

If an ordinary person solved this case, the Ministry of Justice would have reviewed it and that would have been the end of it.

But this case was personally assigned to Wen He by His Majesty.

Therefore, he had to go to the palace to report.

Wen He waved his hand, said nothing more, turned and left the Ministry of Justice. He just wanted to go back to his residence to catch up on sleep and make up for his disappointment.

Shortly after.

Inside the Lizheng Hall, Li Shimin was holding a teacup and looking at a memorial.

Suddenly, a palace attendant announced from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, the Vice Minister of Justice requests an audience, saying he has important matters to report!"

Li Shimin put down his teacup, his brow furrowing slightly: "Ministry of Justice? What's the matter that's so urgent?"

A moment later, the Vice Minister of Justice strode into the hall, bowed, and said with barely concealed excitement, "Your Majesty, the Magistrate of Gaoyang County has solved the murder case of Chen Gui on the south bank of the Wei River!"

"The case is solved?" Li Shimin paused in surprise as he drank his tea, the celadon teacup in his hand hovering in mid-air.

"It's only been a day."

He remembered that he had just given Wen He two days to solve the case. He thought that even if the kid could solve it, he would drag it out until the last minute, but he didn't expect...

"Yes."

The vice minister quickly replied and presented the dossier with both hands.

"After receiving the case yesterday, the magistrate of Gaoyang County immediately went to Weishui to investigate. Today, the case has been clarified. It turns out that Chen Gui's wife, Qu Mei, had an affair with the steward, Lin An, and became pregnant. After Chen Gui discovered this, he killed her and even faked a trip to Huazhou to seek medical treatment. Now the criminal has been captured, and the confessions and physical evidence are complete and irrefutable!"

Li Shimin took the file and quickly flipped through it. The surprise on his face gradually turned into astonishment, and then into a look of bewilderment.

He had thought Wen He would be overwhelmed and might even have to find excuses to delay, but he didn't expect that the kid would actually solve the case in one day, and so easily, without any "trouble".

"This kid..."

Li Shimin closed the dossier, a complex smile playing on his lips—a smile of surprise, relief, and a touch of helplessness at being "slapped in the face."

"It seems I underestimated him."

Gao Yue laughed from the side, "Your Majesty, the magistrate of Gaoyang County is indeed very capable. He solved the corruption case before, and he solved the murder case today as well. He will surely become a pillar of the Tang Dynasty in the future."

Li Shimin nodded, his eyes deep: "I underestimated him."

He also wanted to use this incident to punish Wen He.

Now it's all for naught.

He shook his head and said to the Vice Minister of Justice.

"Have the Ministry of Justice settle this case as soon as possible. How could there be such a vicious person in Chang'an, right under the emperor's nose? Such evil deeds are appalling!"

Even His Majesty has set the tone, so those two prisoners are naturally doomed to die.

"Brother, brother, tell me quickly."

The next morning, after Wen He got up, news of his solving the case somehow reached Wen Rou's ears.

The little girl curiously tugged at his sleeve, insisting that he tell her about the case.

Wen He naturally wouldn't tell the little girl about such unpleasant things, so she made an excuse and left.

Today I'm going to give a lecture at the East Palace.

Since the incident at Qingfeng Tower, Li Chengqian has returned to the Eastern Palace.

Since the other three little ones were there too, he sent them all to the East Palace for class.

These days of working from 5 am to 9 pm.

He's so tired every day, won't he stunt his growth?

He leisurely stepped into the imperial city.

Little did they know, it was on the second floor of a tavern not far away.

There was someone looking at him meaningfully.

(End of this chapter)