The sister-in-law was wrong, please forgive her, my black-bellied brother-in-law

"Yes, my lord."

Kuzhu obeyed the order, put away his sword, took a few steps forward, picked up the things on the ground and opened them to look.

Shen Qingyan saw him frowning, with a look of surprise in his eyes: "What is it?"

Hearing his question, Kuzhu hurriedly showed him what he had in his hand.

Shen Qingyan looked at the "painting" on the paper and couldn't help but frown.

It is really hard to describe the artistry of this painting.

Fortunately, he asked the Ministry of Industry for a map before coming to Lingxiao City, otherwise he would not be able to tell that it was a topographic map.

However, seeing that Kuzhu still looked confused, Shen Qingyan knew that he didn't understand what it was, so he pointed out the approximate location and direction on the map to him.

Looking at such a small piece of paper, I didn't expect that there were so many things drawn on it. Kuzhu admired the person who drew the picture from the bottom of his heart.

After explaining it clearly to him, Shen Qingyan told him to take the map and follow the landmarks on it to find the circled location.

Kuzhu glanced at the court, then looked at Shen Liuguang.

Seeing Shen Liuguang nod at him, he felt at ease and led his men out of the yamen.

……

Qiao Xi looked at Xu Yi beside her. He stood tall, concentrating on the court, as if nothing could affect him.

The face was still the same face, but she always felt that this Xu Yi was not the Xu Yi in her memory.

Or did the original Qiao Xi not understand him at all?

It seemed that the Nie family had angered him first, but everything the Nie family was facing now seemed to be within his expectations. Otherwise, how would he know that from this position, he could see everything that happened in the court, while the people inside would never notice them.

As if noticing her gaze, Xu Yi suddenly turned around and looked over.

Seeing that her eyes were still on him and she was distracted, he knew that she was distracted. After thinking for a while, he did not disturb her.

Xu Yi once again focused his attention on the court in the yamen.

Because Kuzhu went to look for evidence, Shen Qingyan temporarily asked someone to invite Nie Shufeng to the waiting room, and then ordered someone to bring Nie Guizhou up.

I wonder if Nie Shufeng is just busy digging for silver, otherwise why would he raise his only son to be so stupid?

He had already been escorted up here, yet he still looked at Shen Qingyan with an arrogant attitude, even rolling his eyes at Shi Yuanshan, and said in a disdainful tone: "Hey, Mr. Shi, what do you mean? Quickly let these dogs let go of me."

As a yamen runner in Lingxiao City, he was actually called a "dog slave" by him. The county magistrate of Lingxiao City was actually belittled by him in this way. If Shen Qingyan had not been there, Shi Yuanshan would have been so angry that he wanted to slap him a few times to let him know the difference between respect and inferiority.

Shen Qingyan looked at Nie Guizhou, who was still so arrogant in the hall, snorted coldly, and said lightly: "Nie Guizhou, do you admit your guilt?"

"What crime? Tell me why you want to arrest me?"

Nie Guizhou questioned Shen Qingyan in a nonchalant tone.

"Also, where did you come from? You even dared to arrest me. I advise you to let me go immediately, otherwise you will suffer the consequences."

Shi Yuanshan couldn't bear to watch Nie Guizhou who was still courting death.

I didn't want to care about his life or death, but I was also afraid that he might say something unfavorable to me, so I had to warn him: "How dare you, Nie Guizhou! Do you know who this person is? He is a third-rank official of Tianle Kingdom and is trusted by the current emperor. How can we allow you to act so lawless? Kowtow and admit your mistake!"

"What third-rank official? Looking at his attire, it doesn't look like what a third-rank official would wear. What third-rank official would dress so simply? I guess his attire is worth less than what my Nie family's butler spent on it."

Nie Guizhou looked at Shen Qingyan with disdain.

Shen Qingyan lowered his head and took a look at his clothes. He didn't take Nie Guizhou's disdain seriously. "Oh! I didn't expect the Nie family to be so wealthy that even a steward's clothes are worth more than mine. I guess being the steward of the Nie family must earn you a lot of money every month."

"Of course." Nie Guizhou raised his chin, still proud. "How about this? If you let me go now, I will find you a job in my house. I guarantee you will earn more than you do now."

When Qiao Xi heard this, her eyes rolled up to the sky. This Nie Guizhou still had no idea what the Nie family would have to face.

Haha, he is so arrogant now, what will his reaction be when he sees that the Nie family is finished? Thinking of this, Qiao Xi felt a little expectant and curious.

The proceedings in court continued.

"Really? Then may I ask, Master Nie, do you know what kind of business your family is in that makes them so rich?"

Shi Yuanshan couldn't sit still the moment he heard this question. He looked at Nie Guizhou and winked at him when Shen Qingyan wasn't paying attention.

Unfortunately, Nie Guizhou didn't even look at him, so naturally he didn't know his good intentions.

"I can't tell you what kind of business my family does, but I can tell you that my family has enough money to cover several years of Lingxiao City's income. In a few years, it might even be enough to cover the treasury of Tianle Kingdom."

Nie Guizhou raised his eyebrows, looked at Shen Qingyan and said slowly, "Well, are you tempted? If so, then quickly let me go. Of course, as I said before, kowtow to me and admit your mistakes, and I will have the butler give you an extra salary."

"It seems that all your family's money has to pass through the hands of your housekeeper!"

Hearing this, Nie Guizhou looked at Shen Qingyan as if he were an idiot: "Of course, otherwise why would I need a housekeeper? But in addition to a housekeeper, my family also has an accountant.

You don't even know this, do you? Then how dare you say you are a third-rank official? Even the old man Shi next to you has an account office at home. You, a third-rank official, are not as good as a county magistrate. Tsk——"

Nie Guizhou looked at Shen Qingyan with disdain and laughed.

"Really? I didn't expect County Magistrate Shi to have an accountant in his home!"

This surprised Shen Qingyan a little.

After all, they are officials and their annual salary is only so much. Everything at home must be kept simple so that they can spend the year in peace.

If the wife who married in had more dowry, perhaps they could provide some help, but how many men would be willing to sacrifice their face and use their own wife's dowry?

If this gets out, how can I face staying in officialdom?

"In that case, I will speak to your housekeeper. Please wait a moment, Master Nie."

After saying that, Shen Qingyan waved his hand, and his men took Nie Guizhou away again.

After finally getting out, how could Nie Guizhou be willing to go back? He wanted to break free immediately, but he was used to a life of luxury and had no ability to escape from Shen Qingyan's guards.

He was like a little chicken, being grabbed by the back of the neck and carried out with one hand.

"Liuguang, bring out the Nie family's housekeeper."

Shi Yuanshan, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, was wiping his sweat when he heard that more people were going to be brought up. His hand suddenly stopped in mid-air. He looked at Shen Qingyan in astonishment and subconsciously asked, "What else does your Excellency want to interrogate?"

"Why, do you have any objections? Or does Magistrate Shi not want me to continue questioning?"

Shen Qingyan looked at him with a meaningful look.

Shi Yuanshan was startled, then realized that his mouth had been faster than his brain. He chuckled and said innocently, "Your Excellency is handling the case, and I dare not object. As for what you want to ask, please feel free to ask, and I will do my best to cooperate with you."

As he spoke, Shi Yuanshan stretched out his hand to signal him to continue.

Shen Qingyan nodded with satisfaction.

Soon, Qi Chunjiang was brought up.

He is much smarter than Nie Guizhou.

When he saw the situation in the court, he immediately knew that the person who arrested him was not an ordinary person, otherwise why would the county magistrate of Lingxiao City sit in the lower seat.

"I have been blinded by my ignorance, and I hope you will not blame me, sir!"

After saying that, Qi Chunjiang kowtowed several times to Shen Qingyan, not daring to raise his head, keeping a very humble attitude.

When facing a smart person, Shen Qingyan didn't want to beat around the bush and asked questions that went straight to the point.

"Qi Chunjiang, do you know what the crime is for offending a third-rank official of Tianle Kingdom?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Chunjiang lowered his head even lower, his face filled with fear. "Your Excellency, I have offended a third-rank official. According to the laws of Tianle Kingdom, I should be beaten with forty lashes. However, I dare to do so. Please, Your Excellency, spare me this time, considering my ignorance."

"Are you sure you are ignorant?"

Shen Qingyan looked at him with sarcasm in his eyes and a cold tone.

Qi Chunjiang was shocked when he heard his question. Thinking of the scene when he confronted him at the city gate today, he was speechless.

"Did you think of that? My people gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it. So don't blame me for being impartial. But—"

"But what?"

Qi Chunjiang heard a hint of opportunity in his words and said hurriedly without waiting for him to finish, "But what, sir, please tell me."

"But I can give you a chance to redeem yourself from your crime and make meritorious contributions. How about that?"

Hearing that there was still hope, Qi Chunjiang was delighted and said quickly, "Please explain it to me, sir!"

Shen Qingyan smiled faintly: "You just need to tell me everything you know about the Nie family. Don't worry, I always keep my word."

"this--"

Upon hearing about such an opportunity, Qi Chunjiang immediately fell silent.

It was because the opportunity that this gentleman mentioned was not an opportunity at all, but rather a step towards his death.

Besides, it doesn’t matter if he dies alone, but what about his family?

If the Nie family fell, he would have nothing to worry about. But what if the Nie family couldn't fall?

After all, there is someone behind the Nie family. According to his speculation in recent years, that person is also in a high position. If something happens to the Nie family, that person may not necessarily intervene.

For the sake of his family's well-being, he cannot take any risks.

Thinking of this, Qi Chunjiang looked at Shen Qingyan with some sadness, and there was a hint of pleading in his expression: "Sir, do you have any other way to atone for your sins?"

Shen Qingyan looked at him and shook his head.

"This is the only chance I have. I can give you some time to consider it."

Qi Chunjiang frowned, thought for a moment, then raised his head and said, "Okay, Your Excellency, please allow me to consider this."

"Okay!" Shen Qingyan looked up at the sky and said, "It's almost noon now. I'll give you an hour to think about it. I hope you cherish this opportunity."

Then he ordered someone to take him away.

He then interrogated several servants of the Nie family, but as he expected, he did not get any key information out of them.

During this time, he occasionally glanced at Shi Yuanshan who was busy wiping his sweat beside him, but did not say anything.

Seeing that he didn't mention anyone again, Shi Yuanshan thought that today's matter had come to an end, so he thought about how to entertain him so that it would be convenient for him to do things in the future.

As soon as I opened my mouth, I heard a lot of noise outside.

Fearing that someone would run into the gun barrel again, Shi Yuanshan hurriedly ordered people to investigate.

But before the man left the court, he saw Kuzhu coming back with nearly ten people following him, each of them carrying a backpack.

"Sir, I have fulfilled your orders."

Kuzhu held the sword and bowed in reply.

Shen Qingyan nodded and raised his hand to signal for the contents of the backpack to be taken out.

After receiving the order, the few people did as they were told.

With a loud "crash", a small white hill was formed on the ground.

There were gasps and sighs in the courtroom.

"Where did you get so much silver, Kuzhu?"

Shen Liuguang was a little young after all, and he couldn't keep his composure, so he asked the doubts in his heart.

Kuzhu first glanced at Shen Qingyan, and seeing that he had no intention of stopping him from speaking, he told Shen Liuguang what he was saying.

The other people in the court also pricked up their ears to listen.

He searched according to the map that had just been thrown into the courtroom, and when he found it, he discovered many backpacks hidden in the bushes.

He ordered someone to bring out a backpack to check, only to find that the basket was full of silver. The key point was that, just like the silver thrown into the court, there was a word "Nie" printed on the bottom.

Therefore, he was certain that the silver was mined from the silver mine by the Nie family and then refined privately.

After he finished speaking, the court was so quiet that even the people outside could hear clearly what they were saying.

"What did you just bring in?"

"I don't know, but seeing how hard they were carrying it, it must be quite heavy."

"If you ask me, it must be evidence of the Nie family's guilt. Otherwise, why would they bring something so important in at this time?"

"That's hard to say. It's possible that the Nie family gave it to that master."

"Indeed, isn't this the Nie family's usual method?"

"So, the Nie family is safe again? Then aren't we, the spectators, in danger?"

"That's right, should we continue watching?"

……

Everyone in the court heard the discussions outside.

The yamen runners first looked at Shen Qingyan, then looked at their own county magistrate Shi Yuanshan, and then all lowered their heads, and no one dared to say a word.

Shen Qingyan narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression showing no emotion, but his gaze fell on Shi Yuanshan.

It was because Shi Yuanshan's face looked very interesting at the moment, sometimes blue, sometimes red, and then sometimes white.

As if sensing something, he looked up, and his gaze collided with Shen Qingyan's in mid-air. He was startled for a moment, then he laughed twice, and was the first to speak to break the silence in the courtroom.

"Sir, the interrogation has lasted so long. Are you thirsty? Are you hungry? I'll have someone prepare some refreshments right away!"

After saying this, without waiting for Shen Qingyan to answer, he raised his hand to call someone over, gave him some instructions, and sent him away.

"stop!"

Unexpectedly, just as the man was about to leave the court, he was stopped by Shen Qingyan.

"Sir, what are you doing?"

Shi Yuanshan thought he was going to refuse and was a little puzzled. It was just some snacks, there was no need to be so serious.