Chapter 800
: Casting stones to ask for directions
No one saw Pan Yun flick the powder, so they didn't know that Sun Xin had been knocked unconscious by her. The guards who were watching the county government office turned around and saw Sun Xin being supported by Pan Yun. They immediately stepped forward to take over and frowned: "What happened to Lord Sun?"
Pan Yun: "This humble Taoist priest notices that his complexion is not very good. Should I take his pulse?"
The guards sized up Pan Yun: "You know medicine?"
"I am a Taoist physician from Sanqing Mountain, and I have some knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine."
Upon hearing this, the guards immediately showed it to her.
Anyway, with everyone watching, they weren't afraid of a mere Taoist priest causing trouble.
Pan Yun immediately extended three fingers to feel the pulse, and after a moment frowned: "The pulse is deep and weak, which indicates overwork and disharmony between the heart and lungs. Has this gentleman not been sleeping well lately, and has he been traveling and working hard, or thinking too much?"
Lord Sun has indeed had a few sleepless nights in a row. He has a heavy responsibility to catch thieves and also has to deal with local officials. He must have a lot on his mind.
In addition, they had been chasing the thieves the whole way and had hardly had any rest. Not to mention Sun Xin, the chief secretary, even the guards felt exhausted.
Guard: "So he collapsed from exhaustion?"
“Yes, his most important task now is to take his medicine and lie down to sleep,” Pan Yun asked with a frown, “Since this official is an official, why doesn’t he go to the county office to rest?”
She said worriedly, "If this continues, my heart won't be able to withstand the physical strain, I'm afraid..."
The guards only knew that the Prince's mansion had lost valuable treasures and money, but they were unaware that there were also secret letters and account books inside. Upon hearing this, they felt that it was best to go to the government office for help at this time.
Sun Xin was, after all, the chief secretary of the Prince's mansion and a court official. If something happened to him, all the guards would be implicated.
They exchanged a glance, then lifted Sun Xin and rushed toward the yamen, pulling Pan Yun along with him.
"Quickly prescribe medicine for our adults and prepare the medicine."
Pan Yun was staggered as they dragged her into the county government office, where she hurriedly agreed.
Wu Zhihong paced anxiously back and forth in the county government hall. When he saw Sun Xin being carried in, his eyes lit up. When he met Pan Yun's gaze, he barely suppressed his excitement and stepped forward with a calm expression, asking, "Who are you?"
“Magistrate Wu, this is our Prince’s Chief Secretary. He has fainted from exhaustion. Please arrange a room for him to rest and quickly have the doctor prepare and brew his medicine.”
The two guards who had been held captive in the side room by the county magistrate heard the noise and immediately came out. They were shocked to see what was happening: "What's wrong, sir?"
"He fainted from exhaustion. What about the thief and the stolen goods?"
"The county government wants the Prince's Mansion to issue a document authorizing the arrest of people and goods. It's incredibly troublesome."
"Stop talking for now, quickly save Lord Sun and heal him. Lord Sun will take care of the paperwork."
The guard thought it made sense and joined in urging Wu Zhihong to arrange a room and get medicine for Sun Xin.
Wu Zhihong was very hospitable and immediately took them to the guest rooms in the backyard. He also had a servant take Pan Yun to the storeroom to get medicine and prepare it.
They were busy working together, and it was already 45 minutes later when Sun Xin drank the medicine.
Fortunately, it was the incense that was playing; he had truly fainted from exhaustion. This whole ordeal had left him completely cold.
But the guards didn't know that after Sun Xin drank the medicine, his eyelids twitched and his fingers moved, as if he had opened his eyes and woken up, but then he quickly closed them again.
Pan Yun, who was standing nearby, immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's alright, thankfully he's been saved. He's just too tired. He'll be fine after taking the medicine and taking a nap."
The guards asked doubtfully, "Is it really healed?"
Pan Yun nodded.
One of the guards leaned over and pressed his ear to his chest, listening intently. He heard the sound of his heart and his breathing, which gradually became long and slow. He stood up and nodded to his companions, "Asleep."
The guards breathed a sigh of relief.
Pan Yun smiled.
Wasn't she asleep?
He was supposed to wake up from the drug, but she gave him a bowl of calming medicine, and she was sure he would sleep until midnight.
Pan Yun exchanged a glance with Wu Zhihong without making a sound. Midnight, perfect.
Taking the opportunity, the clerk stepped forward, bowed to the guards, and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, Lord Sun won't wake up for a while. I've had my servants take care of him here. Would you like to have a meal, wash up, and rest first?"
The guards exchanged glances. After several days of travel, they were exhausted and definitely needed rest.
And taking a bath...
Just thinking about it makes them feel dusty and uncomfortable, as if they're covered in dirt.
The guards nodded, and the clerk immediately led them away himself.
The advisor personally led them to the bathhouse for a scrub, changed them into clean clothes, and then they returned together to the warm and cozy room.
The advisor had a brazier lit in the room, and ordered the kitchen to bring out hot food and dishes, as well as a pot of warm wine.
The advisor sighed, "Today is the 29th, and tomorrow is New Year's Eve."
Upon hearing this, the guards were somewhat dazed and sighed, "Yes, tomorrow is the New Year."
Who's as miserable as them, having to run around catching thieves during the New Year?
The advisor smiled and poured them wine, saying, "There's always more to do than this. Now is the time to eat and drink to our hearts' content and make the most of our youth. Come, everyone, please have a drink."
The guards relaxed and no longer wondered why Sun Xin was unwilling to enter the county government office.
They're all officials, how could the county government possibly harm them?
The guards set aside their concerns and toasted the clerk. Being sent out during the New Year holiday, they were not without resentment, and at the same time, they had some doubts.
"Nobody knows how the thief got into the Prince's mansion or how he stole the treasures and money from the study without making a sound. What's even stranger is that instead of fleeing after taking the money, the thief swaggered around buying grain and cloth to help the poor. When we chased after him, it made us look like the villains."
"I've had something on my mind for a long time too. Do you think this thief who broke into the Prince's mansion is a righteous thief? What would that make our Prince's mansion then?"
“Our prince is a good man. He is always frugal and never makes things difficult for the people under his rule. He is very different from the late prince.”
The advisor sneered inwardly. Judging from the letter he had received, this Prince Lu was not as he appeared, and was even less capable than his father.
Although the late King Lu was absurd, at least he did not harm the people, and he died young.
The late King Lu died when he was only twenty years old.
If this Prince Lu had died young like his father, perhaps none of this would have happened today.
The advisor poured wine for everyone and said with a wry smile, "No matter where this thief comes from, in the end we're the ones who will suffer. With him here, we won't be able to have a good New Year."
"Oh, it's just three days of annual leave, it'll be over in the blink of an eye. If we don't want to take it, we don't have to. But you can't use the excuse of taking a holiday to not give us our people. Our Prince and Crown Prince are still waiting."
The advisor nodded perfunctorily and continued to pour them wine.
They were all so drunk they were staggering around, and soon they were all fast asleep.
The advisor had taken his medicine beforehand, but he was still a little dazed when he stood up. He shook his head, waved for the servants to put them all on the bed, and then staggered out.
From another guest room came terrified cries. The advisor sobered up instantly. He turned his head and saw that it was Xiao Hong playing with Sun Xin in the guest room. He shook his head and left.
The next day, when the guards woke up, they had been ransacked and thrown into prison.
They were furious, shaking the bars so hard they almost tore the prison apart: "Wu Zhihong, how dare you! You've actually imprisoned a guard from the Prince's mansion! Who gave you the audacity!"
Wu Zhihong ignored them completely; he was interrogating Sun Xin in the main hall.
On New Year's Eve, most of the officials and constables were on holiday, except for the county magistrate and a few trusted constables who were still on duty. They guarded the main hall, and there was no one to shout "Majesty!"
Several chairs were placed on the left and right sides of the hall, where Pan Yun, Xue Shao, Wang Cong, and others were sitting on either side.
Sun Xin was tormented for half the night, and was in a daze when she was dragged to the lobby.
But upon seeing Wu Zhihong, he immediately snapped out of his daze.
He glared at Wu Zhihong with resentment and said sternly, "Wu Zhihong, how dare you plot against me? Do you know who I am?"
“Sun Xin, the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Lu’s Mansion,” Wu Zhihong slammed his gavel down and pointed at Xiao Hong standing beside him, asking, “Do you know who she is?”
Sun Xin sneered: "I don't know!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hong lifted his chin, looked him straight in the eyes, and said, "How dare you! You were all lovey-dovey with me last night, and now you're denying it at dawn?"
Sun Xin caught a glimpse of the sunlight streaming into the lobby, and her confidence swelled: "Playing tricks, you think you can find someone who looks similar... uh... uh..."
Sun Xin stared wide-eyed as he watched Xiao Hong disappear before his eyes, only to reappear moments later, extremely close to him.
The shock of seeing a ghost during the day is different from that of seeing a ghost at night.
At this moment, Sun Xin felt ice-cold all over and stiffly looked up at Wu Zhihong in the hall.
Wu Zhihong said in a deep voice, "Sun Xin, there are gods watching over you. Now that things have come to this, are you still not going to confess?"
Sun Xin's lips trembled, and after a long while, she stubbornly said in a hoarse voice, "I...I don't know what you're talking about..."
Wu Zhihong slammed his gavel and roared, "Sun Xin, do you think I only have evidence against Liu Xiaohong as a victim? Guards, bring Cao Qianliu here!"
Cao Qianliu was a businessman who was quite well-known in Ji'an County. He was not on Fu Danian's list, and he never went to the Sanjing Villa. No one expected him to work for Sun Xin.
"You ordered Cao Qianliu to murder Qian Zhixiao, and you've been caught red-handed. What else do you have to say?"
Upon seeing Cao Qianliu being brought in, Sun Xin's eyes flashed with pain. After a moment, he made a decisive statement: "That's right, it was indeed me who ordered Cao Qianliu to silence Qian Zhixiao."
He gritted his teeth and blurted out, "I did kill Chaoyan, but I wasn't the mastermind. Yang Ji was involved too. We were just playing around, and things got a little out of hand. By the time we realized what was happening, she was already dead, so we had to bury her."
Wu Zhihong slammed his gavel: "Still not behaving yourself!"
Sun Xin: "I have already confessed to the murder, and I have also confessed to ordering the silencing. Does Magistrate Wu expect me to confess to fabricated charges?"
Wu Zhihong sneered: "Where is Jiang Fangzheng?"
Sun Xin stiffened, his body tense. The more nervous he became, the more relaxed his face became. He slightly shifted his gaze, avoiding Wu Zhihong's eyes: "I don't know who Magistrate Wu is referring to?"
“You may not know, but Qian Zhixiao does, and Xue Xin does too,” Wu Zhihong sneered. “Sun Xin, do you think you can exclude Prince Lu and Jiang Fangzheng by not saying a word?”
He looked at the advisor.
The advisor immediately stepped forward with a box in his hand.
Wu Zhihong opened the box, took out a stack of letters and two account books, and placed them on the table. He then looked sharply at Sun Xin.
Sun Xin knew it was all over when he saw these things, but he still didn't say anything and simply closed his eyes in silence.
From then on, no matter how Wu Zhihong interrogated him, or even tortured him, he never spoke again.
Xiao Hong was frantic, pacing back and forth: "Why do you have to ask him? He has already admitted to killing me. At this point, he should be sentenced to immediate execution to avenge me."
Wu Zhihong shook his head and said, "Among so many people, your death was different, and your death was different too. You must not have died because of sexual abuse. There must be another reason. I think this reason is crucial."
Xue Shao nodded: "It's so important that he doesn't dare to speak, as if speaking would drag Prince Lu down with him."
Pan Jun looked at Xiao Hong and said, "Xiao Hong, you must know a huge secret. If you reveal this secret, Prince Lu will be finished."
Xiao Hong was stunned: "Am I that amazing?"
“We need to re-examine it,” Wu Zhihong said through gritted teeth. “Several letters used coded language, and the other letters were also very cryptic. If we hand them over, Prince Lu will make excuses. The two account books are quite useful, but they are not enough to convict Prince Lu. We need to find other evidence.”
Pan Yun said with regret, "It's a pity the Embroidered Uniform Guard isn't here. Otherwise, if we handed Sun Xin over to them, what wouldn't they have said?"
Wu Zhihong: "...Master Pan, you are mistaken. Who knows what the truth will be if you use torture to interrogate someone?"
Pan Jun: "Magistrate Wu is such a good man; he even pities someone like him."
Wu Zhihong shook his head: "I'm not pitying him, but I'm afraid that in his fear he will make wild accusations and smear innocent people. Master Pan, learn from the past, we must be careful."
He would rather spend a hundred times the effort to find concrete evidence to implicate Prince Lu than torture Sun Xin to extract his confession. Once that door is opened, who knows what he might reveal?
Xue Shao nodded in agreement: "If we don't take evidence seriously and only rely on confessions to convict people, no one will be innocent under torture. Pan Yun, don't forget the Yue family's wrongful conviction back then."
Back then, the Yue family was wrongly accused. They were tortured into admitting they didn't commit the crime, and in the end, all the families were destroyed and their members died. Pan Hong and Xue Xuan were also wrongly accused because of this.
Pan Yun shuddered, realizing her mistake and nodding, "I understand."
She then looked at Xiao Hong beside her.
Xue Shao and Wu Zhihong also looked at Xiao Hong.
Xiao Hong took two steps back, feeling their gazes, and asked timidly, "Why are you looking at me?"
Pan Yun: "Sun Xin has been quite afraid of you ever since she found out you were a real ghost."
Xue Shao: "Even if you can't remember now, seeing the people involved more often might help you remember?"
Wu Zhihong said enthusiastically, "I can also decorate the guest courtyard to restore it to the appearance of the guest rooms in the Mitsui Villa back then. Xiao Hong, you'll have to bear with it for a while. Just interrogate him more tonight, but don't torture him or scare him to death."
Little Red's eyes darted around; she couldn't be happier, but... "Could I ask for a helper?"
Pan Yun: "Beauty?"
Xiao Hong nodded: "What's the point of having only one ghost like me? It's a pity you sent all the other victimized ghosts to be reincarnated, leaving only the beautiful woman to weave illusions."
Pan Yun nodded: "Okay, let Hongyan help you."
Little Red flew away happily.
Wu Zhihong indeed decorated the guest courtyard to make it more like the guest courtyard of the Mitsui Villa. Throwing Sun Xin inside, he felt as if he had returned to those days. (End of Chapter)