Chapter 14: Psychological Gaming

“Pop!”

Zhu magistrate once again angrily beat the shocking wood, loudly drank: “You said that you saw the black shadow kill people and then turned over the wall to leave, why the constable today searched the flower beds under the wall, there are no footprints, and there are no traces of trampling of flowers and grasses.”

Zhang Yang’s froze, her pretty almond eyes ‘gulped’ around, “This, this ….”

Zhang Xian immediately said, “Your Excellency, how did the thieves sneak into the mansion and how does my mother know? The county magistrate’s constable could not find out, and Your Excellency cannot impose the blame on my mother and son.”

God damn mother and son, don’t insult these two words, okay, Xu Qi’an can’t hear it anymore.

Magistrate Zhu was furious: “Coquettishness, come on, give me torture.”

That’s pretty much how the interrogation process works these days, coercion, torture, and in the absence of evidence, that’s all there is to it.

As a result, there is often submission to the law.

But there was nothing to be done; it was difficult to obtain evidence, and there was a lack of equipment and expertise. Thus criminal law became an essential procedure.

There are pros and cons.

Zhang Xian exclaimed, “Your Excellency, are you going to bend over backwards? My uncle serves as the Minister of Ceremonies, don’t you want to be impeached, my lord.”

The so-called family uncle is actually a distant relative out of the five services. However, although the bloodline is distant, the relationship is very close, because the Zhang family often conveys benefits for that distant relative.

Hitting the nail on the head, Magistrate Zhu’s eyebrows jumped, he knew that the Zhang family had so little background.

“You dare to threaten this official, come on, twenty strokes of the cane.”

Four magistrates stepped forward, two of them cross-imprisoned their necks with sticks, the other two stripped off Zhang Xian’s pants, and the magistrates began to exert themselves, and the sound of snapping resounded through the public hall.

Zhang Xian hissed miserably.

Zhu magistrate sank his face, twenty lashes were not enough to make a person confess to a murder charge, fifty lashes were still possible. But it was also possible to beat someone to death.

Moreover, even if Zhang Xian confesses and the case is submitted to the Ministry of Justice, Zhang Xian may still be able to overturn the case, and don’t forget that he has a relative who is a minister of justice.

Instead, they may then brand themselves as a quisling.

Taking advantage of the gap between Zhang Xian being pressed to the ground and beaten with a plate, Xu Qi’an beckoned towards the heeler on Zhu Magistrate’s side.

Heeldin hesitated, silently stepping back a few paces before trotting over to meet him.

“Take a message for me and ask the lord to temporarily adjourn the hall, I have an idea.” Xu Qi’an whispered.

“What idea can you have, don’t talk nonsense and get me involved.” Heel Ding looked disbelieving.

“Sok can’t get a result from the trial, the old master is now riding a tiger, he will agree, turn around and treat you to a drink.” Xu Qi’an said.

“OK ….”

Following Ding’s brisk walk to Magistrate Zhu, he said a few words with his ear, and Magistrate Zhu immediately turned his head to look in Xu Qi’an’s direction.

He pondered for a moment, withdrew his gaze, and slapped the shocking wood: “First, take the two into custody and adjourn the hall.”

……

Inner sanctum.

County Magistrate Zhu held the hot tea served by his maidservant and took a sip.

Mixed a few years of the system, half-knowledge of the rules of the officialdom Xu Qi’an saw the situation, immediately held up the tea to take a small sip.

“Xu Ningyan, what’s your idea?”

Xu Qi’an was surprised at Magistrate Zhu’s attitude, which was surprisingly gentle and did not display official authority.

As far as I can remember, Magistrate Zhu wouldn’t be so polite to the xuxing officials in the county office. Could it be that after crossing over, all faces look better?

“I can try.”

“No torture?”

“Naturally.”

Zhu magistrate was even more curious, putting down his tea and looking over, “Tell me about it.”

Game theory this thing you do not understand, say a hair ah …. Xu Qi’an laughed: “Allow me to keep you in the dark, your honor will wait for the good news.”

In the quiet forbidden room, Yang Zhenzhen was brought here, her watery eyes turning and fidgeting.

The fact that she had thought the Suxian was going to give her a hard time, and whoever had brought her here had walked away, didn’t dampen her uneasiness.

“Zee ….”

The wooden door was pushed open, and a young man in a constable’s uniform walked in, tall and straight, with a rigid face and fairly handsome features.

“Don’t be nervous, just talk.” The young man even made tea and smiled broadly, “You can call me Xu sir.”

Snake Hsu?

Yang Zhen Zhen, who had never received this kind of quality treatment, didn’t say anything and stared at him warily.

Xu Qi’an was also scrutinizing this beautiful woman, it was worthy of being a woman who was looked upon by a rich man, she was born with natural beauty, and her posture was just a step behind her aunt at home.

A good age too, a thirty year old woman, in his former life, right at her fattest and juiciest.

“Look at you wearing gold and silver, Zhang Yurui is treating you very well.” Xu Qi’an opened the topic.

Yang Zhenzhen was noncommittal.

“Actually, I think it, at your age, if you can’t conceive a cub for so many years, it’s mostly Zhang Yurui’s problem.” Xu Qi’an said.

Yang Zhen Zhen had originally thought that it would be a torture session, but she didn’t expect this young man’s attitude and tone to be surprisingly gentle.

It’s different from the impressionable image of an official.

Moreover, when it comes to not being able to get pregnant, most of the time it is the woman who is blamed for the crime, and Xu Qi’an said this in a very neutral way. She slowly lowered her defenses and wooed:

“It’s all my wife’s fault, it’s my wife’s stomach that’s not up to the task. It took so many years to conceive a child, and His Lordship was killed at this time.”

He said, his eyes reddening again.

“People can’t come back from the dead,” Xu Qi’an comforted, then asked, “Does Zhang Yurui usually go to greenhouses.”

“Since I’ve been there often.” She said, “From ancient times to the present, which of the great lords and officials did not go to greenhouses?”

I go, you careful words ah ….. Fifty-something years old, frequenting brothels, empty coffers ….. I can almost confirm that the baby in your belly is the next door old king’s …. Girls who love to go to nightclubs don’t have a bad pregnancy. The same goes for young women who stay alone.

“Suddenly understand you very well.” Xu Qi’an tsked twice: “Zhang Yourui is over half a hundred years old, lingering in greenhouses and leaving you out in the cold, it makes sense that you would go out with the red apricot wall.”

“But killing is wrong.”

Yang Zhen Zhen’s face changed slightly, “The people’s wife doesn’t know what the poor master is talking about.”

Xu Qi’an smiled, “I’ve read the dossier, that Zhang Xian is a full seven years younger than you.”

Yang Zhen Zhen had a stern face, “What does Master Differential mean by that.”

Xu Qi’an sneered, “You’re an eagle eating a chicken.”

“The people’s wife doesn’t understand.” Yang Zhenzhen really didn’t understand this time.

“Then say something you understand.” Xu Qi’an said in a deep voice, “Zhang Yang’s, you were alone in your room and could hardly endure the loneliness. So you seduced your stepson and did something shameless and backstabbing.”

“On the night of the incident, you took advantage of Zhang Yurui’s visit to the countryside to collect rent, so you cheated on him with your stepson. Zhang Yurui returned early and broke up the affair. Father and son fought, and you smashed Zhang Yourui to death from behind with a vase.”

“In order to cover up the crime, you dragged Zhang Yourui’s body to the courtyard and disguised it as a thief who stole and killed. Zhang Xian deliberately left footprints on the wall to confirm your story.”

Yang Zhen Zhen’s face turned white as she stared at Xu Qi An in disbelief.

“I didn’t, I was wrongly accused.” Yang Zhen Zhen exclaimed, her hands clenched into fists, her palms sweaty.

She was flustered …. Xu Qi’an, who had put in hard work in the field of interrogation, gathered his gentleness, and his face was expressionless, permeated with a coldness:

“Don’t you wonder why I know so well? Because Zhang Xian has already confessed.”

This is impossible …… Yang Zhenzhen flashed such emotions in her eyes, her face paled a few more points, forced herself to be calm, and still denied: “The people s wife is wrongly accused.”

“Is it because you think it’s impossible for your adulterer to confess?” Xu Qi’an’s face was expressionless.

Obviously there was no blistering threat, but it made the beautiful woman more and more furious in her heart.

“Because you think you’re handling it seamlessly, but you’re actually broken.”

“Zhang Xian only left footprints on the wall going out, but no footprints left by entering the house. If the thieves had good body skills, they would have been even more energized when they fled, and would not have left footprints at all. This is one of them.”

“Second, Zhang Yourui died from a blunt blow, not a sharp one. According to the law of the Dafeng, anyone who enters a home at night without a reason shall be given a cane of eighty. Those who are killed by the master’s family on board, do not discuss.” Xu Qi’an knocked on the table:

“Ask, which burglar who enters a house to steal would not carry a weapon? But it so happened that Zhang Yurui died from a blunt weapon.”

Yang Zhen Zhen’s features were dull.

“I haven’t finished …. yet.” Xu Qi’an sneered. After breaking down Yang Zhenzhen’s psychological defense, the next step was the killing move.