Female-male sex: Salted fish forced to rise to prominence

Chapter 253 Another Case

County Magistrate Zhong said "Yes".

As usual, he asked the little girl Niuniu what happened. The little girl might be scared and didn't remember much, but she clearly remembered that it was Liu Ermaizi and his two men who kidnapped her.

Seeing that there was no objection to the matter, County Magistrate Zhong ordered Constable Xu Yan to go to Xingfu Alley to arrest all the neighbors and have them give their statements together.

Constable Xu Yan immediately led a team of officers and soldiers out. The common people wisely made way for them. Judging from the constable's attitude, Liu Ermaizi and his two companions were probably in trouble.

County Magistrate Zhong looked at Liu Ermaizi and the other two in the hall and said, "What else do you three have to say? The people from Xingfu Alley will be here soon. If you three dare to lie again, I will have you executed immediately."

These words scared the three men so much that their faces turned pale, especially Liu Ermaizi. He looked at Constable Han Guang for help, but Han Guang didn't dare to pay any attention to him at this moment. He had already retreated to his own position and looked up at the sky.

It’s none of his business. He didn’t cause this.

Seeing that Constable Han Guang ignored him, Liu Ermaizi felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Was he going to die here today?

Before he could think more, he heard Ah Fei, who was kneeling beside him, say: "Sir, I am just Brother Liu's younger brother. We are just watching outside Madam Tao's house. We don't know anything."

Biao San also said naively: "Yes, yes, we just tied the little girl to the pillar, and didn't set anyone on fire. I don't know how the fire started."

Liu Ermaizi felt nervous when Biao San said that. What is this idiot talking about? He is confessing himself.

County Magistrate Zhong asked Biao San, essentially saying, "You three kidnapped this girl, then went out to watch the breeze, leaving Liu Ermazi alone in the house, right?"

Biao San nodded naively, "Yes, yes."

Liu Ermaizi, this idiot, this idiot, he is just selling him out. No, he can't plead guilty, he can't plead guilty.

"Sir, even if I was alone in the house, the fire was not set by me. It was set by Madam Tao herself. It has nothing to do with me."

When County Magistrate Zhong saw that Liu Ermaizi refused to plead guilty, he slammed the gavel and said, "You were the only one there at the time, and Niuniu has the evidence to prove that you were the one who set the fire. Yet you are still trying to argue. This is outrageous."

Liu Ermaizi was scared to death, but he also wanted to survive. He looked at the people in the hall again. He could not rely on Constable Han. He immediately glanced at County Magistrate Yang, and his mind became active again.

"I really didn't set the fire to hurt anyone. I don't know how the fire started. I guess it was because the weather was dry and the fire started accidentally in the kitchen."

Su Yu standing aside is a really stubborn person who is also very good at talking nonsense.

"Besides, County Magistrate Yang knows that I have always been a peaceful person. I often go from street to street to help the people. The small vendors on West Street all know about it. When they have problems, I am always the first to rush out to help them."

Su Yu, a protection fee collector, can be described as a person who loves the people. How amazing!

When County Magistrate Yang heard what Liu Ermaizi said, he felt completely different. Liu Ermaizi actually dared to threaten him. The vendors on West Street all had to pay protection fees several times a month, and of course all the money went into his pocket.

Otherwise, the salary of a small county magistrate would not be enough to support the expenses of his family, not to mention that he would need to maintain social connections in officialdom. Otherwise, how could he move up to the next level? All these require money.

Although County Magistrate Yang hated Liu Ermaizi to the core, he had to bite the bullet and speak up for him, "Sir, this may really be a misunderstanding. It may be that the weather is really getting hotter and hotter."

County Magistrate Zhong glanced at County Assistant Yang and said in a very official tone, "Really? Wait a little longer. When the person arrives, you'll know everything."

Seeing that County Magistrate Zhong did not directly reject his face and just said to wait, County Magistrate Yang did not say anything more.

Outside the government office, the secret guard An Huo hid in a corner and watched with his own eyes as the people he arranged followed the constable into the government office smoothly.

With this person here, Su Yu would definitely be fine, but he still wanted to go in and see what was going on. He thought about jumping a few times and the person disappeared. He found a good position and hid to watch the fun.

Soon, Constable Xu Yan returned with a group of men and women.

He reported, "Sir, everyone in Xingfu Lane is here, and one of the families said they have something important to report to you."

Then County Magistrate Zhong heard an old woman crying. She accused Liu Ermaizi of insulting her daughter and beating her old man to death. She was a weak woman and had no choice but to flee Xingfu Lane with her young son overnight to save herself.

County Magistrate Zhong's face darkened when he heard this, "Such a serious matter, why don't you report it to the authorities?"

The woman just cried: "I came to the county government office, but a constable here wouldn't even let me in. He also said that I had to hire someone to write a petition myself and I had to pay him some money before he would let me in."

These words made County Magistrate Zhong so angry that he felt like he could hardly breathe. "How unreasonable! Tell me who it is! I will not let him off easily."

"It's him, this constable who looks particularly silly. Fortunately, the old woman thought he was a good person. Who knew that he threatened me and said he would break my legs if I didn't leave. It's so scary."

The constable Han Guangmeng who was identified was shocked. How could he not remember such an incident? He quickly argued, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly handle things like this?"

The woman knelt down and kowtowed to County Magistrate Zhong several times, "My Lord, please, do something for my family. I only found out later that Liu Ermaizi and Captain Han are in the same group. They plundered the people's wealth for their own use and even abducted women."

County Magistrate Zhong didn't want to question these three people anymore, so he ordered the constable Xu Yan standing beside him, "Drag these three Liu Ermaizi out and give each of them 30 strokes of the cane first."

"Yes, my lord".

"No, sir..." No matter how hard Liu Ermaizi and others struggled, it was useless. They were dragged out and beaten with a stick.

The sound of the board hitting the buttocks continued, one after another.

Liu Ermaizi, “Ah…”

Ah Fei, "Ah..., sir, we are innocent."

Biao San, "Ah, sir,... sir, please spare my life."

As the board became heavier, blood oozed out of the clothes, but no one shouted to confess. The three of them knew that if they confessed, they would definitely have no chance of survival. It would be better to grit their teeth and hold on, perhaps there would be a glimmer of hope.

County Magistrate Zhong looked at Constable Han Guang again and said, "Han Guang, what do you have to say?"

Han Guang immediately knelt down and said, "Sir, this woman is talking nonsense. I really don't know anything about this. Besides, what evidence does this woman have? Did someone send you to frame me?"

Looking at these things, County Magistrate Zhong felt that Liu Ermaizi and the other two were definitely not innocent, so they could be beheaded or exiled. However, it was difficult to deal with Constable Han Guang, after all, this was just the woman's opinion.

He turned around and questioned everyone from Happiness Alley who had been brought to the hall one by one, using both kindness and force.

Everyone began to confess one by one, saying that they had indeed heard about the woman's family and that she was indeed harmed by Liu Ermaizi.

But they really didn't know anything about what was happening at Madam Tao's house. Only someone saw Liu Ermaizi entering the Tao family's yard. However, Madam Tao's family sold vinegar, and it was common for people to come and go. They didn't pay much attention to it and didn't know the truth.

Seeing that County Magistrate Zhong could not get any more information out of him, Su Yu suddenly thought of a good idea. He suggested: "I have thought of a good way to verify whether they are telling the truth."

County Magistrate Zhong was still thinking about how to handle the case when he heard Su Yu's words. He looked at Su Yu in the hall. Su Yu was not very old, but he had a handsome face and an elegant demeanor. He looked no less like a young man from a prominent family. Therefore, he had a good first impression of Su Yu.

He became interested in Su Yu's words, "Oh, tell me quickly."