Chapter 61: Ironclad Evidence

He scrutinized Xu Qi’an without a trace, seeing his body tense and his smile forced, he relieved, “I was only ordered to bring you back for questioning, the specific insides are not quite clear. But then again, taking someone’s money and eliminating someone’s disaster, when you arrive at the Yamen, you keep one sentence in mind: don’t hide what you should say, and what you shouldn’t say, beat it to death and don’t say it.”

I fucking …. Don’t I know that? It’s not worth thirty taels of silver, shit, what’s the difference between this and the insincere excuse of “having asked the relevant authorities to deal with it.”…. Xu Qi’an wanted to slap the squinty-eyed man to death, but he didn’t dare.

The carriage drove through a downtown, a long street, and arrived at the night watchman’s office at the beginning of the sixth hour.

Xu Qi’an jumped off the carriage and entered this prestigious courthouse under the escort of two watchmen.

Its offices were converted from two three-entry courtyards with lofts towering over them, and night watchmen in black suits tied with gongs came in and out, their looks grim and imposing.

I don’t know if I’ll be sent to the prison of the night watchman, it’s a place where they eat people without spitting bones …. Let’s wait and see what happens, I’m a good citizen, I haven’t broken the law …. Xu Qi’an took a deep breath to calm his apprehensive mood.

In a short time, he was led into a small courtyard.

Two night watchmen stood at the entrance to the courtyard, and after both sides had made their exchanges, the squinty-eyed man stopped at the entrance to the courtyard and laughed, “Go in and help yourself.”

Having said this, he left with his grave-faced companion.

Xu Qi’an was brought in, and the two watchmen pushed open the door of the house, their tone indifferent: “Go in.”

It was a torture room, with all sorts of instruments of torture set out in the corners and a long, empty table in the center.

The presiding officer of the inquest didn’t show up.

Xu Qi’an didn’t dare to sit on the chair and stood in the room, pondering why the night watchman would be looking for him.

But before he could think much about it, footsteps came and someone entered the yard.

The door to the room pushed open and two middle-aged men with silver gongs embroidered on their chests walked in.

Xu Qi’an, whose muscles tightened for an instant, quickly swept his eyes at the two silver gongs and was surprised to find that one of them was still an old acquaintance.

He had a high nose, deep features, slightly lighter colored pupils, and was half southern barbarian.

It was the same silver gong that he had seen in the back room of the government office during the tax and silver case.

“Hello again.” Li Yuchun nodded, without the slightest bit of warmth in his eyes.

The two silver gongs sat behind the table, their demeanor serious and their gazes sharp as they scrutinized Xu Qi’an.

“I’ll ask you to answer, if you lie, great punishment will be served.” The strange silver gong said in a deep voice.

“Yes ….” Xu Qi’an’s heart sank, these two were completely looking at prisoners.

Li Yuchun frowned, “Tidy up your clothes before answering questions, this is the most basic etiquette.”

It was only then that Xu Qi’an realized that her sash was too loose and not symmetrical enough. It was the result of secretly pulling out silver tickets on the carriage.

When he tightened his lapel, Li Yuchun looked slightly relieved, as if he had unraveled a heartache.

The bespectacled silver gong asked, “Did you know that the mastermind behind the tax and silver case was the former Squire Zhou?”

Xu Qi’an answered truthfully, “I heard Miss Caiwei from the Si Tian Supervisor talk about it.”

“Then you know that Chou Li dealt with you out of revenge as well.”

“Come to think of it.”

Xu Qi’an kept in mind the squinty-eyed youth’s admonition to never conceal what he should say. That day when the white-robed men of the Heavenly Superintendent rushed into the Ministry of Punishment to save him, it was in plain sight for all to see and could not be denied.

Might as well admit it graciously and appear to be in the clear.

“Do you realize that Chou Li wants to put you to death?”

“Know.”

“So, in order not to be retaliated against by the Zhou Family, you kidnapped the concubine daughter of the Marquis of Weiwu and framed Zhou Li.” That unfamiliar silver gong, his eyes flashed with a sharp light.

Sure enough, it is for this matter ….. Xu Qi’an was not the least bit flustered, and even showed a certain amount of bewilderment, and panic at being wrongly accused: “What Your Excellency said, I don’t understand.”

“On the day the concubine daughter of the Marquis of Weiwu was abducted, you were not on duty at the Changle County Yamen, where did you go?”

“The villain has gone to listen to music at the hookah, and the villain has indeed been derelict in his duty, sneaking off from time to time to listen to music at the hookah.”

This is something that Sheriff Wang and the other Suxian officials can testify for him, because that’s how the guys touch the fish.

What’s more, my Changle County’s fastidious open shift strolling around the hookah has nothing to do with you night watchmen.

“Then how do you explain the vouchers? The records of the Yamen issuing the vouchers show that you went to the inner city many times.” Li Yuchun said in a deep voice.

“Villain is unjustly accused!” Xu Qi’an’s eyes widened as he excitedly defended himself, “I’ve never been to the inner city, and I’ve never picked up a voucher at the Yamen.”

They are framing me, I entered the inner city by entrusting someone to do the credentials, my hands and feet are clean…and the entrusted person is Yang Ling, what does it have to do with me, Xu Qi’an?

The two silver gongs interrogated for a few moments, failing to catch any clues from Xu Qi’an’s words.

They looked at each other and seemed a little surprised.

When it comes to interrogation techniques, I am also a professional …. Xu Qi’an breathed a sigh of relief, and his heart tightened again when his eyes glanced at the torture device.

Li Yuchun sighed, “That’s good, if we didn’t have the evidence in advance, just based on the conversation just now, I can’t say that I already believed you.”

Framing me again …. The tone of voice is still very sure as if …. Xu Qi’an’s face was expressionless.

As a professional who had graduated from the police academy and worked in the police department for a few years, Xu Qi’an was confident in dealing with all kinds of interrogations. Unless the other party bent over backwards, that was another matter.

Squire Zhou had already fallen, and without evidence, he believed that the night watchman would not be overly difficult.

The facetious silver gong, took out the small book from his pocket, opened it, glanced at Xu Qi’an, and read from it:

“On the first day of the tenth month, on the day of the ninth day of the ninth month, Xu Qi’an returned from the Cloud Deer Academy and purchased two gold pokers at the Treasure Craft Cuisine, and on the way, he was followed by someone suspected to be from the Zhou Mansion.

“That night, I surprised and repelled the assassins of the Zhou Mansion.”

“On the second day of the tenth month, on the tenth day of the tenth month, move the women’s families to the Yunlu Academy to avoid trouble.”

“On the fifth day of the tenth month, on the day of the bingyin, I entered the inner city and entered the Department of Education. Stayed overnight in the Shadow Plum Pavilion, and ‘Giving Floating Fragrance’ is suspected to have been written by Xu Qi’an.”

“On the seventh day of the tenth month, on the fifth day of the fifth month, he drove a carriage and rammed into the concubine daughter of the Marquis of Weiwu, and robbed her by unknown means.”

The faceted silver gong closed the small book, mockingly glanced at Xu Qi’an, and snorted.

Xu Qi’an’s body chilled inch by inch, like the lack of wrapping clothes in the cold winter months, and slowly shivered.

The night watchman was following me …. He followed me the day I went to the academy …. The night watchman has seen all the plots these days …. Finished!

Why does the beat shift person follow me, I am just a small fast worker, this is not reasonable …. Xu Qi’an growled angrily in his heart.

He felt an abyss of despair.

The framing of the Minister of the Household and the abduction of the Marquis’ daughter, both crimes combined, were enough to wipe out the entire family.

The great scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy couldn’t save him, the white clothes of the Szetian Supervisor couldn’t save him, no one could save him!

I cleaned up my feet and hands and left no incriminating evidence, but the night watchman who followed me witnessed my machinations the entire time …. Man’s plan is not as good as God’s plan.

Bean-sized cold sweat seeped from Xu Qi’an’s forehead, slowly sliding across his cheeks and dripping to the ground under the teasingly grim gaze of the two silver gongs.

And so on!

He suddenly noticed an implausible detail; since the night watchman had witnessed the whole thing, why didn’t he expose him?

As long as the book is submitted, Zhou Li will be exonerated, and the butcher’s knife wielded at the Xu family falls again after a month and a half’s delay.

Why did he wait until after the downfall of Squire Zhou before inviting him over for “tea”?

Xu Qi’an exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, along with all sorts of negative emotions, and lowered his eyebrows, “I plead guilty, everything was done by me. How the two adults dispose of it is at your disposal.”

That serious-faced Silver Gong raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Li Yuchun, and the two of them revealed smiles.

“Very smart, very sharp.” Li Yuchun laughed, “Just now it was to test you, if you reveal a crack in the interrogation or have your mind destroyed in front of hard evidence, then the real sanction that will greet you will be the real sanction.”

After a pause, he tightened his serious face and his smile grew easier, “And now, you are greeted with an invitation from the night watchman.”

PS: This chapter has been revised a bit, so it’s a late update.

Thanks to “Rong Xiaorong” for being a good ally.