Chapter 14 Don't Make It Hard for Me
Xu Chong squatted down and slapped Zhang Youde twice, forcing him to sober up.
"Zhou Ze uses this method to control you. Isn't he afraid of violating the imperial court's taboos?"
The cost of this method of enslavement is too low. Apart from selecting targets, it only requires a lot of talking. If the court allows it, isn’t it afraid of shaking its foundation?
“Taboo…taboo? Hahahaha.”
Zhang Youde was in a daze, but suddenly laughed when he heard this question: "What kind of taboo is this? Even if you officials enslave more people, aren't you still enslaved by the court? How can you turn the tables?"
“…”
Xu Chong was silent.
"I know you're right. Even if it works, I'll probably die."
Zhang Youde struggled to move his body and lie down more comfortably. "But I am unwilling to accept this. It's fine for me, but I don't want Shunyi to be like me, living in a muddle-headed life and becoming an ant at the bottom of society."
"...It seems that Zhou Ze has a lot of things he didn't tell you."
Xu Chong stood up and looked up at Mingyue. "If you can pass the imperial examination, you will have the opportunity to be granted a title and become a noble. With Shunyi's talent, you don't need to do anything."
"What?!"
Zhang Youde's eyes suddenly widened.
"This is what the county school instructor told me himself. Believe it or not."
"I……"
Zhang Youde didn't want to believe it, but he had to.
Because in his impression, apart from the county magistrate Wu Wenjing, Wang Hezhi was the only person Zhou Ze was afraid of.
Why would a powerful clerk be afraid of a mere teacher?
The answer is obvious.
"Shun Yi is my good friend after all."
Xu Chong said, turned around and walked away slowly, "You...don't make it difficult for me."
Don't make it difficult for me?
Zhang Youde repeated it in a low voice, and when he came to his senses, he suddenly laughed.
“Hahahahahaha…”
"Okay, good one, don't make it difficult for me!"
"With such a tyrant, what else can I not let go of?"
Zhang Youde shouted at Xu Chong's back: "Please take care of my son..."
…
Xu Chong quickly returned to his previous position and stood at the intersection waiting quietly.
About another quarter of an hour passed, and gradually, bailiffs began to walk out of the alleys.
"Your Excellency, nothing was found in Hongshi Alley."
"Crescent Alley, too."
"Old Tree Lane..."
After everyone finished reporting, Xu Chong nodded and said, "Brothers, you have worked hard. There is one last place in Blackwater Dock. Everyone, cheer up. Once you catch the person, I will take credit for you."
Following Xu Chong's order, a large group of people began to rush towards Heishuiwu.
What followed was a normal manhunt.
Since there was no proper road in Heishuiwu, it was not until the early morning that someone found Zhang Youde, who had been dead for a long time.
It is worth mentioning that Zhang Youde’s body was far away from his ancestral home.
…
County government office.
The lights are bright and there are shadows of people.
Even though Wu and Zhou tried to pretend to remain calm, Xu Chong still caught a glimpse of shock on their faces.
Just wait, it will be your turn soon.
Xu Chong sentenced the two men to death in his heart, and said with a cold face: "Your Excellency, I led the people to hunt down the suspect late at night, and finally shot and killed the suspect, but why didn't we find the so-called evil book?"
“…”
Wu Wenjing and Zhou Ze looked at each other, and both of them had ugly expressions.
This was a trap in the first place. There is no such thing as an evil book.
The question is...shoot to death?
How could a group of ordinary people possibly kill Zhang Youde, who was at the second level of enlightenment?
Even though Zhang Youde was injured, at least there would be no problem escaping.
"Master Xu, your duty is only to arrest."
Zhou Ze took a step forward, his eyes flashing with coldness, and said, "As for the details of the case, I won't bother you, Master Xu."
Xu Chong looked at Zhou Ze deeply, then walked away to the Dianshiya Office with a flick of his sleeves.
After he left, Zhou Ze immediately looked at the yamen runner beside him: "I want to know the whole story!"
"this……"
The bailiff hesitated for only a moment, then told the whole story from beginning to end.
This included Xu Chong dividing his troops into the alleys and conducting a large-scale manhunt in Heishuiwu.
Wu Zhou and his two companions did not believe it easily. Instead, they questioned the runners separately, and finally got almost the same answers.
"Not only did he claim credit for our achievements, he even dared to ask us for the technique. Xu Chong is really very courageous!"
Inside the county government hall, Zhou Ze had a gloomy face.
"It's just a small matter. It won't matter who comes."
Wu Wenjing shook his head and frowned, "The question now is, who killed Zhang Youde?"
"Who else?"
Zhou Ze sneered, "With just one strike, Zhang Youde's heart meridian was severed, making it impossible for him to even resist. The killer must be at least at the fifth level of enlightenment."
"You suspect it's Wang Hezhi?"
Wu Wenjing pondered for a moment and said, "What went wrong that allowed him to see our plan?"
"The only ones who knew about this were you, me, and Zhang Youde. There is no doubt that it was Zhang Youde who exposed himself to his beloved son."
Zhou Ze said without hesitation, "Wang Laogui is extremely cunning. It's not surprising that he can infer the cause from some clues that Zhang Youde is responsible."
“It seems that this is the only explanation.”
Wu Wenjing nodded, and suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Do you think he has any evidence against you and me?"
"Don't worry about that. I checked Zhang Youde's pupils. They showed excitement, anxiety, and greed, but not fear. It's obvious that he was killed instantly, and he didn't see the murderer."
Zhou Ze paused after he finished speaking, and then said, "And even if Zhang Youde revealed something, the person is already dead. There is no evidence, so you and I are not afraid at all."
"That's good."
Wu Wenjing's heart was at ease, and he immediately said with a sinister look: "If the Lord had not had a past with this old man, how could he have kept him until now?"
"We'll talk about this later. The most important thing now is, what should we do with Xu Youan's illicit money?"
Zhou Ze was also in a bad mood, but he was more concerned about the benefits. "Without Zhang Youde, the martial slave, we have to do it ourselves."
"No, absolutely not!"
Wu Wenjing rejected the proposal without even thinking about it. "At least not now. Wang Hezhi is watching. I can only consider it after I step down."
“…”
Zhou Ze really wanted to turn hostile, but he knew he couldn't convince Wu Wenjing.
The atmosphere was stagnant for a moment.
At this time, someone came to report: "Your Excellency, Mr. Wang from the county school wants to see you."
Wang Hezhi?
What is he doing here at this hour?
Wu Wenjing's expression suddenly changed and he stood up.
Even Zhou Ze, who had been extremely confident just now, began to feel doubtful.
Could it be that Wang Hezhi really has some actual evidence?
Wu Wenjing pondered for a while, then flicked his sleeves and went out.
"Whether it is a blessing or a curse, let me go and meet him for a while."
Soon, the two met in the main hall.
Zhou Ze hid in the dark and observed alone, ready to cooperate in the killing at any time.
"I'm sure the county lord has guessed my intention."
After sitting down, Wang Hezhi spoke directly without any greetings.
"Oh? Forgive my stupidity, but what is it that you are talking about?"
Wu Wenjing is practicing Tai Chi.
Wang Hezhi was unhappy and said coldly: "Three years ago, I guessed that Zhang Youde was a martial slave. Why do you have to hide it, Lord County Master?"
"Wu Nu? What is this thing? Why have I never heard of it?"
Wu Wenjing looked surprised.
"Whatever."
Wang Hezhi lost all his patience and said directly, "I can turn a blind eye to other cases, but Zhang Shunyi is my student just like Xu Chong. If there is no solid evidence, I don't want Zhang Youde's case to involve him."
Wu Wenjing's heart sank, and he smiled and said, "Master, you worry too much. I will handle the case impartially and will never wrongly accuse a good person, nor will I let a bad person go."
"That's great. I won't stay any longer."
Wang Hezhi nodded and said goodbye and left immediately.
Come quickly and go even faster.
"It's definitely him."
Zhou Ze walked out from the darkness, his face extremely grim: "As soon as Zhang Youde's body was sent back to the government office, he came up to us, and his words were threatening us."
"Although it is a threat, it is not a bad thing. The only thing to worry about is that he cannot tolerate any injustice."
Wu Wenjing laughed, his expression more relaxed than before: "As long as we don't touch Zhang Shunyi, Wang Hezhi will never continue to fight us on this matter."
"What about the black money? Don't forget, he just mentioned Xu Chong specifically."
"No hurry, no hurry, let me think about it..."
