The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

Sun Shan was conducting an intensive investigation, after all, this was his first real trial.

Sun Shan fantasized about being able to plan and strategize, have a far-sighted vision, be sure of victory, have the world in his sleeves and control everything in his hands, and try a brilliant case that would make his fans adore him.

Then Captain Yang came up and said directly, "Sir, has Zhang San confessed?"

Sun Shan was stunned for a moment, then asked, bewildered, "What confession?"

It's only been two days and the case has been solved?

Could it be that the government secretly used the "Ten Cruel Tortures of Daqian" and Zhang San couldn't bear it, so he confessed under torture?

Even if torture is used, Li Si has to make arrangements. One should not be too meticulous in life.

Sun Shan recalled Li Si's family background. It was ordinary. Because he lived near the town, his family was slightly better off than Zhang San's, but he was absolutely certain that he did not have the so-called "powerful background" and could not even get a single acquaintance from his hometown in the government office.

Logically, if Captain Yang wants to use torture to extract a confession, he should also join in.

Captain Yang continued, "Sir, Zhang San admitted that the cloth was not his, but Li Si's."

Sun Shan was stunned again.

Unexpectedly, the cloth belonged to Li Si, not Zhang San. This was completely beyond Sun Shan's expectations.

According to the background investigation of Captain Yang.

Zhang San is more honest and simple than Li Si.

Zhang San is just an ordinary farmer, living a farming life, working from sunrise to sunset. His fellow villagers all say that he is an honest country man.

Not only is he filial to his parents and caring for his siblings, he is also a good head of the household and a good father.

And what about Li Si?

The villagers have many complaints about him, not because of his character problems, but because he is not pragmatic and likes to engage in unrealistic things.

I dream of getting rich all day long.

Working as a peddler in the streets, the money earned with great efforts is often wasted because of the eagerness for quick success and quick profit, which leads to buying expensive and unrealistic goods, which then become unsaleable and the money is lost.

After losing all his money, he continued to go from village to village as a peddler. He did not learn from his mistakes and continued to sell strange and unsalable goods, and then lost all his money again.

This cycle repeats itself over and over again, and I spend all day dreaming of getting rich overnight.

If Sun Shan had known Li Si earlier, he would have definitely suggested that he go to Wuling Mountain to dig for immortal fruits and become a treasure hunter.

After seeing the background checks of Zhang San and Li Si, Sun Shan highly suspected that Li Si was the cloth snatcher.

Unexpectedly, the real "murderer" is Zhang San.

Tsk tsk~~Honest man, not honest.

Sun Shan asked in confusion, "Why did Zhang San admit to stealing the cloth so quickly?"

The triangular eyes that were raised high turned into triangular eyes that were raised high with doubt, staring at Captain Yang in confusion.

Captain Yang quietly avoided Lord Sun's strange eyes and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

It's broad daylight, why is it so cold?

Lord Sun is so scary that we shouldn't meet unless necessary.

Captain Yang said truthfully, "Sir, Zhang San said he deeply regrets his momentary greed, which harmed himself and possibly his sister, who was about to get married. He has been thinking about it over and over again for the past two days and feels that he is not a human being and should not have done such a thing."

Sun Shan frowned, expressing his disbelief.

A bad guy would never say that he regrets something. If he does, it’s because he was caught because of “regret.”

The government did nothing, but Zhang San confessed voluntarily, which was really unconventional.

Captain Yang continued, "Sir, I think your method may have worked, which is why Zhang San confessed so quickly."

Sun Shan ordered Captain Yang to lock up Zhang San and Li Si in special cells, each in a room next to each other, so they could become neighbors.

Captain Yang was in the darkroom observing what the two men were saying. If one of them confessed during the argument, the case would be solved.

On the first day, Captain Yang heard them arguing with each other. They all insisted that the cloth was theirs and the other party was trying to grab it.

The next day, they were still cursing at each other, and each insisted that the cloth was his and the other tried to snatch it.

What was speechless was that the two men were cursing at each other while twisting the hemp rope, which made the yamen runners on duty in the darkroom roll their eyes frequently.

On the third day, Captain Yang followed Sun Shan's instructions.

They approached Zhang San and Li Si and said, "Zhang San, Li Si, we will come to your homes today to question you and tell the villagers about your situation. Humph, now we'll give you one last chance. Tell the truth and we won't have to come to your homes."

When they heard that Captain Yang was coming home, Zhang San and Li Si became anxious.

Zhang San said palely, "Captain Yang, what do you mean by this? Why are you coming to my house? Are you going to tell my family that I'm robbing a thief?"

Then he shouted, "It's unfair, Captain Yang, you can't do this. If you do this, my reputation will be ruined. My reputation is gone, and I can't let my sister be implicated."

Li Si also became anxious and stopped rubbing the hemp rope in his hand.

He said nervously, "Captain Yang, you can't do this. I'm innocent. The cloth is clearly mine. How can you accuse me of stealing it? Captain Yang, I'm still a young man. I haven't married or had children yet. You're ruining my reputation by doing this. How will I ever find a wife in the future?"

Captain Yang thought the two were overthinking things and snorted coldly, "When did I ever mention your prisoners? I simply told your families the truth: you're in jail. Once the truth is revealed, you'll be released naturally."

In fact, Captain Yang had already done background checks on Zhang San and Li Si. And according to Sun Shan's instructions, he did it quietly, without telling the neighbors that the two were in the cell.

Not to mention the impact of being imprisoned in Daqian on one's reputation, even in the Celestial Empire, being taken back by his uncle to coordinate an investigation would cause a lot of rumors.

Sun Shan has always been considerate and was very considerate in giving the two of them enough face.

Of course, there is a victim among them and I don’t want the victim to be hurt again.

The two men couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when they heard that Captain Yang didn't say they were criminals.

Captain Yang added, "But once someone goes to jail, even if they clear their name, gossip and rumors will spread, haha..."

He looked at Zhang San and Li Si meaningfully.

Zhang San's face turned pale as he knelt on the ground, crying, "Captain Yang, you must not tell the villagers that I'm in jail. My sister is getting married soon. What if..."

Li Si also realized that even if he cleared his name, the gossips would still be as powerful as usual, so he shouted anxiously, "Captain Yang, I'm innocent. You can't just say I'm in jail. I'm not married yet."

Captain Yang whispered sinisterly, "I'll come over tomorrow morning and ask you again who the owner of the cloth is. I urge you to tell the truth, or I'll come knocking on your doorstep, haha..."

Zhang San and Li Si's faces turned pale.

Captain Yang paused and continued, "Don't worry. Our masters will not harm innocent people. After the truth is found out, the victim will be accompanied home by the officials and the villagers will be told with great fanfare that one of them is innocent.

Moreover, since you got this piece of cloth for saving someone, our family will also write a commendation notice to let the villagers know that one of you has acted bravely and is a good person in the surrounding area."

Then he added: "Of course, the one who grabbed the cloth wasn't so lucky. Not only was he beaten with a stick, but his actions were also publicized throughout the surrounding area. Haha... Just imagine the consequences."

Before leaving, Captain Yang said again, "I advise one of you to confess quickly, receive the beating quietly, and return home quietly. The villagers will not know what bad things you have done, and it will naturally have no impact on your family. If you still don't surrender, then... when the time comes, don't blame me for not warning you."