Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Once the "false accusation" is put on, the government has the final say on whether the person is guilty or not...or rather, it's the money that decides it.

The shackles were put on Zhang Jingwei's wrists, and no one dared to move rashly.

Zhang Jingwei wanted to struggle, but after looking at the knives of several people, he gave up.

Mu Tou grabbed one of the officers by the collar and shouted, "Release my young master! I set the fire, it has nothing to do with him."

Zhang Jingwei looked as if he had eaten shit and cursed inwardly: "This blockhead, why did he have to blow himself up?"

In the end, Mu Tou got what he wanted. Not only was he taken away by the officers, but he was also beaten up.

The government officials were still intimidating in the eyes of the common people, and even Mu Tou, with such a strong body, did not dare to resist at all.

Finally able to go out...

The maid in the marquis's mansion, upon learning that her son-in-law was about to be arrested, hurriedly informed the young lady.

Zhang Jingwei was taken away by the officials, and Huangfu Ling was waiting at the door. She was wearing a thin white shirt and a robe that covered her entire body. Her pretty face looked very delicate even without any makeup.

Huangfu Ling asked, "Brothers, why are you coming to my house to arrest someone?"

"Miss, Steward Wang sent someone to report that someone set fire to the mansion. We are following the orders of the Tongzhi to enter the mansion to arrest the person. This is a warrant." Captain Yang took out a document with an official seal from his arms and handed it to Huangfu Ling.

"Tongzhi" is an official position, the deputy of the prefect, in charge of arrests, salt and grain, fortifications and military affairs in the prefecture, and the second-in-command in the prefecture.

Huangfu Ling didn't say much when she saw the official document. She asked her personal maid to take out some silver and told the officer not to make things too difficult for her.

"Young Master Zhang is so lucky to have such a wife at home, but he still has to make such trouble. It's really wrong... We only have the right to arrest him, and the decision on how to deal with him is up to the Tongzhi. Goodbye!" Captain Yang said as he weighed the big bag full of silver in his hand.

Mu Tou shouted loudly to Huangfu Ling: "Miss, the young master has been wrongly accused. You must rescue him!"

Zhang Jingwei turned his face away without saying a word.

Seeing Zhang Jingwei and the officials walking away, Huangfu Ling ordered her maid to call the housekeeper Wang.

……

In the lobby of the Marquis's residence, Huangfu Ling guzzled cup after cup of strong tea. She was already brooding over the day's events, unable to sleep, and now she had to exhaust herself and work hard at night.

"Miss, Butler Wang is here." The personal maid came in and reported.

"Tell him to come in."

Steward Wang bowed and walked over to Huangfu Ling, cupping his hands in greeting. "Greetings, young lady. I wonder why you summoned me here in the middle of the night?"

Huangfu Ling got straight to the point: "I know everything that happened today. The Yunzhou Tongpan is your cousin, and he has suffered the hardships he deserves. Let him be merciful, and besides, he didn't hurt you at all."

Tongpan is also an official position and a deputy of the prefect. He is responsible for supervising the officials in the government office and reviewing and approving all matters, big and small. He is the third in command of the provincial government.

Butler Wang said, "Young Lady, you have my orders, and I shall obey them. However, Young Master Zhang is a delicate and noble man, and the police station is full of rough men, so it is inevitable that he will have some minor injuries. I hope Young Lady will not blame me."

Huangfu Ling heard the sword in his words and said coldly, "I'm not negotiating with you. If anything happens to Zhang Jingwei, your entire family won't be enough to pay for his life. Do you understand?"

"Understood. I'll go clear it right away..."

After Butler Wang left the Marquis' Mansion, he took out two silver bills and said to his trusted subordinates.

"Here's fifty taels of silver. Tell the three Chang brothers to take the money and get out. Here's one hundred taels of silver. Give it to my cousin. As long as he's alive, it's fine."

After arranging everything, Butler Wang returned home, hugged his concubine and got on the kang, feeling very happy.

He kept muttering, "Zhang Jingwei, oh Zhang Jingwei, do you still think you're the arrogant Young Master Zhang? You were so arrogant and looked down on me before, but now I'm going to tear you apart."

As he said this, he pulled his concubine to fight.

But he was old and weak, and was defeated in two rounds.

……

Although it was night, the street scene reflected by the moonlight really shocked Zhang Jingwei.

The streets are very wide, not as narrow as in TV dramas.

There are shops of the same size on both sides of the street.

Not far away, there was a large archway with four big characters printed on it.

"Xichengfang City"

Zhang Jingwei looked around, catching the attention of Captain Yang. He stepped forward and said jokingly, "Master Zhang, do you feel regretful when you see your family property?"

It turns out that the entire market town belongs to the Zhang family!

Zhang Jingwei did not respond much, just smiled politely.

Seeing that Zhang Jingwei didn't say anything, Captain Yang didn't bother him any more.

After leaving the market, you can see a river. A wide arch bridge connects the two sides of the river. After crossing the arch bridge, you will reach a majestic residential area.

There are all these halls and places here.

This should be the government office, where officials work and live.

It was not like what Zhang Jingwei had imagined. As soon as he entered the yamen, an official asked him to kneel down, and the yamen runners on both sides shouted "mighty".

The lights in the government office were very dim, and the floor was paved with large square bricks, unlike the usual bluestone slabs. They were very comfortable to step on and did not hurt the feet.

There is a ceremonial gate in front, and through the gate is the court of Yunzhou City.

Zhang Jingwei was pulled into the "Yunzhou Tongzhi Fumin Hall" on the left side of the lobby.

And Mu Tou was taken directly to the "detention center" by them.

This office was huge, the second largest after the main hall, which meant the Tongzhi was the second-in-command of the prefecture. There was a staircase in the middle of the office, with a large desk on top and two smaller desks below.

"Sir, the person has been brought here!" Captain Yang knelt down and saluted.

An old man with white hair and frail face sat in front of a large desk, reviewing some documents.

The old man said, "Well. You guys go down first!"

Captain Yang agreed and retreated: "Yes!"

Zhang Jingwei was thinking at this time: Should I kneel down now?

Zhang Jingwei knelt on the ground with a plop, and said tremblingly: "Greetings, greetings to the great master..."

Perhaps amused by this funny scene, the old man said, "Hahaha, is this still the Young Master Zhang I know?"

"You are a scholar, so you don't have to kneel. Stand up."

Zhang Jingwei stood up dragging his shackles.

Perhaps it was his first time seeing a real ancient official, so Zhang Jingwei was a little nervous: "Master...Master!"

"Alas, now you won't even call me teacher? The rumor on the street is that you committed suicide by taking poison, and after coming back from the dead, you lost your memory. It seems that you lost not only your memory but also your mind."

Only then did Zhang Jingwei realize that the person teaching him was a high-ranking official.

Zhang Jingwei performed the same bow that Zhang Liu had taught him and called out, "Teacher."

The old man looked at him with lowered eyebrows and said, "Wang Heng has colluded with his brother, the magistrate, to beat you to death in prison."

Zhang Jingwei said: "I have guessed it."

The old man asked, "Is there any solution?"

Zhang Jingwei shook his head and said, "No."

The old man asked again: "Aren't you afraid?"

Zhang Jingwei sneered: "Don't be afraid."

The old man asked again: "Why are you not afraid?"

Zhang Jingwei looked at the old man with a determined gaze and said resolutely, "I'm not afraid!"

A hint of surprise flashed in the old man's eyes.

In the past, Zhang Jingwei always used money to solve any problem. He was arrogant and outspoken.

After such a big change happened in the family, I became a little more resolute.

Zhang Jingwei interrupted the old man just as he was about to speak.

"tomorrow……"

"If I can come out alive tomorrow, I will never give up."