PFC Chapter 421 Arresting People
Chapter 421 Arresting People
"Young Marquis, you heard right. It was you and Coroner Qin who personally arrested the Ghost-Faced Judge."
Shao Kun smiled cunningly. He never liked to let bygones be bygones; the saying "what goes around comes around" was his style.
Lu Qingchen glared at him fiercely, "Isn't capturing the Ghost-Faced Judge your Ministry of Justice's job?"
With a look of regret and guilt, Shao Kun said, "Young Marquis, you know that our Ministry of Justice has limited capabilities, otherwise we wouldn't have mistakenly arrested you. That's why we asked you for help!"
"You...you shameless..." Lu Qingchen was furious. He actually dared to say things that slandered his own government office. He really would do anything to be lazy.
Shao Kun smiled calmly, "Young Marquis, this is an imperial edict."
Lu Qingchen: "..."
Qin Miaoxi came to his side, patted his shoulder silently to comfort him, and smiled at Shao Kun, "Lord Shao, you don't need to play riddles with us anymore. His Majesty must have said something else."
"As expected of Qin the coroner, he is very meticulous. His Majesty also gave instructions: if the young marquis cannot capture the Ghost-Faced Judge within ten days, then he must lead troops into battle."
"hehe!"
Lu Qingchen showed no other expression but a cold laugh. As expected, that person had no intention of letting him go and was only doing all this to make him submit.
Qin Miaoxi was also disgusted by the emperor's actions. There were many capable generals in the court, but the emperor, based on a mere unfounded suspicion, sent Lu Qingchen, who had never led troops and knew nothing about battle, to the front lines.
This is not only a blatant disrespect to the generals under his command, but also a disregard for the lives of thousands of soldiers. Such behavior is truly hypocritical, attempting to maintain the dignity of the monarch while engaging in selfish and callous acts.
Qin Miaoxi argued, "Lord Shao, you must tell us what clues we have so far! We're completely in the dark, when will we be able to catch the Ghost-Faced Judge?"
Lu Qingchen glanced at her again. [Is my wife really going to catch the Ghost-Faced Judge? Wasn't he her idol? I know, my wife likes me more now; she's fallen for someone else.]
Qin Miaoxi secretly rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Young Master should read more books in his spare time, lest he become ignorant."
? ?
Lu Qingchen was bewildered. What did this mean? Did his wife like men with literary talent?
"Don't worry, my wife. When we get back, I'll tie up this year's top scholar and make him my tutor. He'll definitely be incredibly learned."
Qin Miaoxi: "..."
Never mind, it was her who was presumptuous.
Shao Kun had someone take the madman's body away for investigation, while he and the two others went to the front yard.
"We discovered the whereabouts of the Ghost-Faced Judge at dawn today. We received a Judge's decree at the Wang Family's outskirts. At that time, the servants had just gotten up and were busy, and none of them noticed that an outsider had stepped into the outskirts."
Qin Miaoxi muttered to herself, "Once the judge's decree is issued, it will surely appear within three days."
She looked up and asked, "What did the Wang family do? Why did they receive a judgment order?"
Shao Kun's expression was grave. "The problem is: the Wang family did nothing. The Wang family is a well-known philanthropic family in Jingzhao. After receiving the news, we immediately launched an investigation into the Wang family, but not only did we find nothing, we also found the Wang family's ledgers of donations over the years."
"Many years ago, during a severe drought, most grain merchants in Jingzhao raised prices and profited from the suffering of the people. Only the Wang family opened their granaries and sold grain at prices 20% lower than usual. For the suffering people, the Wang family even provided grain on credit, allowing them to repay the grain after the drought. Thousands of people inside and outside the city benefited from their kindness. It is no exaggeration to call them great philanthropists."
Qin Miaoxi looked at him meaningfully, "But the Ghost-Faced Judge has never issued a wrong judge's order."
"Yes! That's the most puzzling part."
Shao Kun had investigated the Ghost-Faced Judge for many years and knew him very well. In addition to his superb martial arts skills, he was also known for his meticulous and cautious style of doing things, rarely revealing any flaws or making any mistakes.
Lu Qingchen gave him a disdainful look. "It must be because you didn't investigate properly. I have a suggestion for you: arrest that Wang family and interrogate them one by one. We'll definitely find a loophole."
Ever since being imprisoned by the Ministry of Justice, Lu Qingchen has looked down on the Ministry of Justice. They have no ability, no execution, and are good for nothing. They are not even as good as the city guards. It is a waste of an important position in the Six Ministries.
Shao Kun nodded in agreement, "Young Marquis is absolutely right."
"Oh, it's rare to see Lord Shao so insightful." Lu Qingchen raised an eyebrow and teased, his words dripping with sarcasm.
"Of course, the case of arresting the Ghost-Faced Judge is now entirely in your hands, Young Marquis. You can do whatever you want, and our Ministry of Justice will not interfere."
Lu Qingchen: "..."
Damn it, I forgot about that. That damned old fox, he was waiting for him here all along!
Seeing that he was still not behaving himself even after falling into the trap she had dug, Qin Miaoxi decisively pulled him away. No matter how much she said, she couldn't win and it would only make things more ridiculous.
"Wife, why did you leave? I haven't even asked the Ministry of Justice for the man yet!" Lu Qingchen was seething with anger. She frowned indignantly and muttered under her breath, "They don't even give me any manpower to do the work. Where can I complain?"
"I already said it's under your jurisdiction, do you think the Ministry of Justice will give you manpower?"
Lu Qingchen pouted, feeling wronged. "If they won't give it to me, I'll just take it! Do you expect me to chase after them on foot?"
"Idiot, let your..." Qin Miaoxi paused abruptly, almost blurting out what she had overheard last night, and immediately changed her words without leaving a trace: "Of course you should go to your superior when you encounter problems!"
"My superior!?"
Lu Qingchen revealed a knowing smile. He had really forgotten that he was still a member of the Dali Temple!
"Ah sneeze~!"
On the other side, Liang Hongkai rubbed his nose and looked around, wondering who was thinking of him.
A question flashed through his mind, and then he heard a long-lost, warm greeting: "Lord Liang!"
Liang Hongkai's eyes lit up immediately, "Little Qin! How come you..."
When his gaze fell upon Lu Qingchen behind him, his voice instantly died in his throat, and he immediately put on a stern face and protested, "There are no cases at the Dali Temple, you can go back first!"
He was afraid of this young marquis. Ever since he joined the Dali Temple, he had caused chaos every day. He only acted like a normal person when handling cases. He not only treated the yamen runners like brothers, but also took them to brothels. He had completely corrupted the atmosphere of the Dali Temple.
To protect my exceptionally capable subordinate, I will absolutely not let him in this time, and I will not give him the slightest chance.
To everyone's surprise, Lu Qingchen laughed twice and said, "It's best if there are no cases. I'm here to borrow manpower from Lord Liang."
"What? Speak louder!"
Liang Hongkai's heart skipped a beat. He immediately squinted his eyes and deliberately put one hand to his ear, looking exactly like an old man.
"As people get older, they can't hear anything anymore."
Lu Qingchen smiled and grabbed his hand, then shouted in his ear, "Thank you, Lord Liang, for granting my small request. I knew you wouldn't stand idly by. I'll go and select someone right now."
Having said that, he rushed towards the training ground in the backyard with lightning speed.
"No, no! Young Marquis, you're back. What did I promise? I didn't promise anything."
Liang Hongkai was so anxious he was jumping up and down, unable to understand why this trick didn't work on the young marquis.
"Ahem, Lord Liang, are you not deaf?" Qin Miaoxi winked at her teasingly.
Liang Hongkai: "...I was just joking with the young marquis! You guys are here because of the Ghost-Faced Judge, aren't you!"
"Lord Liang has also heard about it?"
"The Ghost-Faced Judge appeared near Jingzhao for the first time, and everyone in the city knows it. Now the Wang family is probably surrounded."
"So exaggerated?"
“There are even more outrageous cases. Those busybodies formed a local government office and tried every means to investigate the Wang family’s crimes.”
Qin Miaoxi looked up at the sky speechlessly, then awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth, "That's really crazy!"