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Chapter 55: Redemption
"Were your family members killed by thieves?" Zhu Yu actually already had a guess in his mind, but he still deliberately led Dou Dajiang to speak himself.

Dou Dajiang had been very calm just now, but now his eyes became moist and he shook his head: "They were all killed by my brother.

The neighbors said they heard screams coming from my yard and didn't know what was going on, so they climbed up the wall to see what was going on. They saw my brother, knife in hand, chasing after my wife and hacking at her...

They were terrified and rushed to report to the police, but by the time the runners arrived, my brother was gone, and the rest of the family had already passed away with knife wounds...

Later they found my brother's body outside. They said that he was bleeding from all seven orifices when he died. No one knew what happened, and the coroner couldn't figure it out either.

They all said that my brother suddenly went crazy and killed the whole family, but I didn't think that was right.

My brother has been stupid and foolish for so many years and has never hurt anyone in his family. Why did he suddenly go crazy that day and hack his closest relatives to death? I think this is strange.

Later, when I went home to clean up, I found that the powder I had ground that day was mistaken by my wife for incense, and was poured into the incense burner to burn. I suspected that there was something wrong with the fake product sold to me by the liar, and later I found that there was something fishy about that thing.

After that, I could no longer live in my hometown. The scenes I saw day and night were heartbreaking and I really couldn't bear it. So I sold all my property, exchanged the money for silver, and went everywhere looking for that group of scammers, wanting to catch them and seek justice.

But I've been searching for years, and I've been everywhere. Not only have I never come across those scammers, but I haven't even come across anything like the one I bought. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, with little hope."

He wiped the tears from his face carelessly: "Forget it! I have no way to take revenge, so I feel pity for the little mute.

I was indeed the one who killed them all. If you want to chop off my head, go ahead! At worst, you can go down early to reunite with my parents, wife, and children!"

Zhu Yuchong waved his hand at the runes and talismans standing beside him: "Take these two away!"

Upon receiving the order, the two brothers immediately stepped forward, grabbed Dou Dajiang and the little mute, and dragged them to the back, leaving only Li Wencai lying on the ground, unable to get up.

"Bring up the county magistrate and the chief clerk." Lu Qing, who had been silent until now, spoke now.

Several yamen runners dragged the two people up.

If Lu Qing hadn't mentioned the identities of those two people, Zhu Yu would have had no idea who the two people who were pulled up were.

The county magistrate and the chief clerk had obviously been beaten. Like Li Wencai, their hair was disheveled. More importantly, the fingers on both of their hands looked as if they had been pinched off. Their faces were covered in blood, and the skin around their mouths was torn, which meant they had probably been slapped in the face.

"These two are Li Wencai's minions, helping him to wreak havoc in Qingshui County. Not only did they tamper with the accounts and files, deceiving their superiors and subordinates, they also lied to me in person, confusing right and wrong, in a vain attempt to fool my superiors and the court.

Tonight, tie the hands of these two corrupt officials and hang them at the gate of the county government office. Do not remove them until the new county magistrate takes office!"

Lu Qing spoke coldly and slowly, but his words were like a knife stabbing straight into the county magistrate and the chief clerk. Although he did not say the word "death" from beginning to end, it was clear that he did not leave any chance for them to survive.

Even death will not be a good death.

The imperial guards outside received the order and dragged them out, tied their hands with ropes and hung them at the gate of the county government office. The way they were hung was very particular, with both of them having their toes just off the ground, neither up nor down, which was the most torturous distance.

Unlike the two people who rolled their eyes and looked like they were about to faint, the people of Qingshui County around them were overjoyed. As soon as the imperial guards hung the two men up, the people outside the door gathered around them. Some people picked up stones and threw them at the two men, and others followed suit. It seemed that there were no stones left to pick up.

Someone reminded us, "Don't let us kill these two bastards! That would be a waste of money for them!"

Upon hearing this, the people around them hurriedly stopped and spat at the two men. In a short while, the chief clerk and the county magistrate were soaked to the skin, as if they had just taken a bath while hanging there.

Li Wencai, who had been lying on the ground groaning in pain, was now silent. It was not because he had fainted from the pain, but after hearing the censor's decision on his chief clerk and the county magistrate, he dared not utter a word.

At this moment, his not-so-bright head was still calculating the money he had spent before, thinking that he had given a lot of gifts to his superiors over the years, so it couldn't be that it was of no use at all.

No matter what kind of suffering this censor causes him now, when he returns to the capital, there will always be someone who will find a way to protect him. After all, everyone is from the same faction, and it will be good for each other to take care of each other.

Even though he had no way to deal with the Golden-faced Censor, the officials in the capital were all well-connected people with many abilities and means. Maybe they could find a way!

So he lay on the ground, enduring the burning pain on his buttocks, not daring to make a sound, for fear that he would accidentally anger the golden-faced censor and lose his life before he could reach the capital.

Fortunately, after dealing with the two chief clerks, the censor didn't seem to intend to pay any more attention to others. He just ordered someone to take him to the prison and lock him up. After a while, he called a doctor and sprinkled some gold medicine on the wound on his buttocks.

Although it was only the most basic punishment, it still ignited hope in Li Wencai's heart. He secretly thought that the censor really did not dare to let him die easily.

On the other hand, Lu Qing and Zhu Yu didn't know what Li Wencai was thinking. After leaving the court, they went to the prison. There were too many people around and it was not convenient to ask Dou Dajiang some things. Now they needed to find him again to ask.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Zhu Yu, who was forced to do something, acted very confident and at ease in front of the hall. But now that she was in the back hall, she quietly touched her chest, her heart still beating fast.

Lu Qing noticed her little gesture and turned to look at Zhu Yu. "The Chief Secretary just acted very tactfully, beating Li Wencai with a stick in court. This not only moved the mute, but also saved a lot of trouble later on, and also appeased the people of Qingshui County outside the court. It really achieved the best of both worlds."

"Your Excellency is too kind." Zhu Yu waved his hand. "I was just copying the tiger and drawing the cat. I was inspired by the way you beat the two unscrupulous shopkeepers to death that day."

"I didn't expect you to be so familiar with criminal law."

"When I have nothing to do, I generally look through all the books in my father's study. I just read a little bit." Zhu Yu replied.

What she said was true, but she did not mention that she had specifically looked for the relevant laws and regulations of the four seas and five countries. Especially after the marriage was granted, she paid special attention to the laws of Jin State.

After all, you are going to marry alone in a completely unfamiliar place, so you will feel more at ease if you are familiar with the various laws and regulations.

Lu Qing nodded without further comment. After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned to Zhu Yu and said, "Then do you know that according to the laws of Dajin, the five levels of punishment, flogging, imprisonment, exile, and death, can all be redeemed by paying copper?"

"I know." Zhu Yu nodded, "To redeem a prisoner, you need 20 catties of brass, and 10 catties more for every year of reduction.

For every thousand miles of flow, one hundred catties of brass is needed, and for death, one hundred and twenty catties is needed.”

"One penny of blazing jade is worth a hundred pounds of brass." Lu Qing looked at her.

Zhu Yu understood and nodded to him.

Runes and talismans have been with Lu Qing for many years, and the master and servant have a deep understanding of each other. When he brought these two people to the prison, he directly chose the most secluded corner cell.

When Lu Qing and Zhu Yu went over, the little mute was clutching Dou Dajiang's sleeve and crying so hard that she could hardly breathe. However, Dou Dajiang seemed to have really put life and death aside and was still trying to persuade the little mute in a gentle voice.

(End of this chapter)