How did I, a mere son-in-law lying down, become a "Fenglang Juxu" (a legendary martial art

Liu Xinian still held onto a sliver of hope, and he turned his gaze toward Song Bowen.

Now that the situation has developed to this point, his life or death depends entirely on a single word from Magistrate Song.

But Song Bowen clearly didn't care about Liu Xinian's life or death; he only cared about something else: "Tian Fugui, do you have any other evidence?"

Tian Fugui was somewhat confused. He asked in return, "Sir, isn't this much evidence my father left behind?"

Song Bowen: "That's enough. It's just a routine inquiry."

Liu Shan was stunned for a moment. Why did he feel that Song Bowen seemed to have "breathed a sigh of relief"?

Subsequently, Song Bowen shamelessly interrogated Ge Yuniang and Chen An again, and "impartially" confirmed Liu Xinian's crimes of negligence, torture to extract confessions, and embezzlement. He was dismissed from his post on the spot and exiled two thousand miles away three days later.

Clearly, as a seasoned veteran of officialdom, Song Bowen knew how to make choices.

This is clearly not the best time to protect Liu Xinian, and in order to avoid getting burned, sacrificing the pawn to save the king is undoubtedly the best choice.

Liu Xinian's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died. His face was contorted in agony. He was determined to fight to the death, but the one who convicted him was none other than his powerful backer...

For the sake of the entire clan, he thought it over and over and could only swallow his pride and bear it!

Liu Shan spoke up at the opportune moment: "Lord Song, Lord He, Ding Lu's indictment and Tian Fugui's testimony both prove that Liu Xinian instructed Ding Lu to kill Yang Lian'er. This proves Jiang Ruolan's innocence, while Liu Xinian's crime is compounded!"

After considering for a moment, Song Bowen said, "Immediately notify the government office that those involved in the case can be released... As for the matter of Liu Xinian instigating the murder, due to insufficient evidence, it will not be accepted for the time being."

"..."

Liu Shan wanted to say something more, but He Qiong stopped him.

If you want to make a name for yourself in officialdom, you must know how to make choices and be patient.

Song Bowen looked at Liu Shan, who had a resentful expression, and asked, "Are you dissatisfied with my judgment?"

Liu Shan didn't speak, but his expression and attitude were already very clear.

"I will report this case to the Court of Judicial Review for review. What else do you have to say?"

Liu Shan knew that since Song Bowen dared to report the case to the Dali Temple for review, he must be fearless. However, he could no longer voice any objections.

The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate were collectively known as the "Three Judicial Offices," which were the highest and most important judicial institutions in the Xia Dynasty. One of the responsibilities of the Court of Judicial Review was to review death penalty cases.

Therefore, when Song Bowen said he would report the case, Liu Shan had no reason to object or question it.

Even He Qiong shook her head repeatedly, signaling Liu Shan not to say anything more.

Upon seeing this, Song Bowen immediately adjourned the court session.

Liu Xinian seemed to have lost all his strength, slumped to the ground, staring blankly at the county magistrate, lost in thought.

Although Liu Shan despised Liu Xinian, he didn't have the habit of kicking someone when they were down. He simply shook his head slightly and followed He Qiong out of the hall.

Tian Fugui, who was originally following behind Liu Shan, suddenly stepped forward and kicked Liu Xinian twice when he saw that Liu Xinian was alone and that even the constables were standing far away.

Liu Xinian was old and almost got kicked into the underworld by those two kicks.

Even so, he remained staring blankly at his original official position, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

Tian Fugui suddenly felt extremely bored. After spitting seven or eight times, he finally went to chase after Liu Shan with a satisfied expression.

Only after all the yamen runners had left did Liu Xinian dust off his official robes and stand up.

At this moment, he regained his mature and composed demeanor, and there was no trace of dejection or disappointment on his face!

He glanced again at the county magistrate's seat and muttered to himself, "Trying to bring me down? Ha! Dream on! Even if I want to step down, I'll have to see if I'm willing!"

Back at the post station, Liu Shan couldn't wait to ask, "Lord He, does Song Bowen also have connections at the Dali Temple?"

He Qiong sighed, "According to the normal procedures of this dynasty, this case should first be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice, and then by the Court of Judicial Review. Song Bowen dared to bypass the Ministry of Justice and report directly to the Court of Judicial Review. Do you think there's something fishy going on here?"

Liu Shan nodded; he had felt something was strange when they were in the county government hall.

He Qiong only added one sentence: "Song Zhongwen served as the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review."

Song Zhongwen? Song Bowen?

Could these two be brothers?

Dali Temple?

Liu Shan racked his brains for a long time before finally finding relevant memories about the Dali Temple.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is the highest-ranking official of the Court of Judicial Review, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is the second-in-command, and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review is a sixth-rank official.

"Lord He, even if Song Zhongwen is Song Bowen's younger brother, can a mere sixth-rank official of the Court of Judicial Review really influence the Court's review of this case? He doesn't have that much power, does he?"

"The Court of Judicial Review does not have such power, but the Minister and Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who work with him every day, do have such power."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan was stunned.

We all work in the same unit, so it's normal for us to have a good relationship since we see each other all the time.

But... judging from this, isn't the entire Dali Temple completely rotten?

He Qiong seemed to have guessed Liu Shan's thoughts and explained, "It will only slightly affect Liu Xinian's punishment, it's not as serious as you think. The Court of Judicial Review is generally competent, and there's also the Censorate supervising, right? They wouldn't dare to go too far."

Even so, Liu Shan's smile vanished, and he asked with a blank face, "Shall we set off back to Cangzhou tomorrow?"

He Qiong suggested, "Although Ge Yuniang and Chen An have been released without charge, the property that was confiscated is still in the county government office. If we do not insist on returning it to them, this money will be confiscated."

Liu Shan was at his wit's end. Could those officials be any more shameless?

"In that case, let's return the money to them before we leave."

At this moment, Tian Fugui suddenly knelt down with a thud.

He Qiong watched with great interest, while Liu Shan was dumbfounded.

As a modern person, Liu Shan had never been knelt to before in his life, and he never imagined that being knelt to in front of others would be such a shocking experience.

He wanted to help Tian Fugui up, but the little brat was up to something and refused to get up from his knees.

Not only that, Tian Fugui even kowtowed three times.

Liu Shan: "Emmm..."

If Liu Shan remembered correctly, in the Xia Dynasty, kneeling and kowtowing three times was a ritual performed for the dead.

This little brat!

However, Liu Shan forgot that he was only eighteen years old.

Tian Fugui knelt on the ground, "Although I haven't been in this profession for long, I've learned the skills of autopsy quite well. Please, sir, take me in."

Liu Shan was immediately in a dilemma. He would resign as a temporary clerk after returning to Cangzhou, and there would be no chance for him to participate in cases again. There was no reason to keep a coroner by his side.