Chapter 55 Relationship
Never did they expect things to turn out this way.
Not only was Gu Yu startled by the magistrate’s actions, but even the onlookers behind him fell silent. They exchanged glances, feeling that something was amiss about the quick resolution of this staged accident.
As a county magistrate, shouldn’t Bai Wangzhi conduct an interrogation and gather evidence before determining guilt?
Why was Ling Xue immediately judged guilty?
Could it be that this young man had a connection with Magistrate Bai, and that’s why…
While everyone was lost in conjecture, Bai Wangzhi remained unaffected. After smiling at Gu Yu, he resumed his serious and stern expression, appearing just and upright.
Gu Yu was also unaffected. He felt that being a favored individual and protected by the magistrate was quite good… He wondered if he could use Bai Wangzhi’s name to walk freely in Lian Town from now on.
However, this thought only crossed his mind for a moment before he dismissed it.
Even if he swaggered through Lian Town, it wouldn’t be meaningful. He didn’t rob local women or extort money from the populace. Instead, he could resolve some of the town’s rascally young masters.
“Advisor, please announce the evil deeds committed by this woman, so everyone can know her true face.”
Since Bai Wangzhi was so calm, he had naturally made arrangements.
When he asked the advisor standing beside him to speak, they exchanged a look, and the advisor nodded in understanding. He then quickly walked between Ling Xue and Gu Yu, turned to face the onlookers, and began to explain why the magistrate had immediately convicted this woman.
“Everyone, please don’t be deceived by this woman’s appearance. In fact, over a month ago, someone reported to the yamen that a woman had tricked them out of fifty taels of silver under the guise of a betrothal gift! When they realized it was a scam, they deeply regretted it and came to report the crime, wanting to get their fifty taels of silver back…”
“Wow, could this be this woman?”
“That’s right, it’s her! She approached the victim with the excuse of smashing a precious jade pendant passed down through generations to commit fraud.”
As soon as the advisor spoke, a heavy accusation was placed on Ling Xue. Her face filled with resentment, and when she tried to say something, she found her cheeks swollen to the point of being unable to speak.
Magistrate Bai of Lian Town is truly impressive. His methods of framing and slandering are quite adept!
It was just a pity that she couldn’t speak right now. Otherwise, she would expose the true faces of Bai Wangzhi and Gu Yu, letting people know how shameless these two hypocrites were, twisting black into white!
… After being framed by Bai Wangzhi’s men, Ling Xue knelt on the ground, filled with hatred.
As her hands clenched into fists, she thought that she would make these two pay dearly in the future, making them die!
“Wait, Advisor! Something’s not right! We just met, how can you be so sure this woman is a骗子 (piàn zi – swindler)?”
“Yes, what if it’s a misjudgment? It would be very detrimental to Magistrate Bai’s reputation.”
“Heh heh heh, who knows if it’s true or not! It’s best to show some evidence, otherwise, those twenty slaps were for nothing!”
“I knew long ago this woman’s intentions were not pure, spit!”
“Are you envious and jealous because she’s pretty?”
“Me, envious of her? Look at who’s prettier now, me or her. She’s turned into a pig’s head, surely disfigured!”
However, the onlookers were not easily fooled after the advisor finished speaking.
As they raised questions one by one, the advisor did not appear troubled by the accusations. With a smile, he stroked the small mustache on his chin. Then, when the crowd quieted down a bit, he continued speaking.
“Since I dare to say this, it means I have evidence to confirm she is a swindler. Everyone, please look! On this woman’s left palm, there is a scar, a mark left from an accidental injury when she previously smashed the jade pendant.”
Immediately after the advisor finished speaking, a bailiff beside him forcibly lifted Ling Xue’s hand, allowing everyone to clearly see a half-new, half-old scar on her palm.
Wow! She really is a swindler!
“I knew this woman was definitely not good.”
“Oh my, it’s really hard to get by in this world now, how can there be so many bad people! Always thinking of harming others, she deserves the slaps!”
“Alas! I should have seen through this woman’s true face long ago, what a pity about that child’s family heirloom jade hairpin.”
“Exactly, that’s a hairpin passed down from the grandfather of their grandfather, and now it’s broken like that. Where would you even begin to seek justice!”
“Alright, alright, let’s say less. Now that she’s been caught, the magistrate will conduct a fair trial later.”
“The mouth is on my body, I can say whatever I want, what business is it of yours!”
“Magistrate is truly wise!”
With the public opinion tilting one way, Gu Yu stood there feeling a little awkward. He thought that Magistrate Bai appeared upright and honest on the surface, but in reality, he also used some minor tactics.
If nothing else, Gu Yu had seen the advisor secretly watching Ling Xue for a long time, probably looking for a mark then…
Compared to Ling Xue’s sloppy attempt at a staged accident, the advisor’s actions were truly speechless.
Framing and slandering, at least do it with a bit more effort!
However, the advisor was in the yamen, and the crowd of onlookers would never imagine that the magistrate and his advisor would deceive them. Therefore, at this moment, they were all indignant, wanting the magistrate to properly punish Ling Xue, the female swindler.
The rest of the matters were relatively easy to resolve.
When the onlookers no longer suspected the magistrate of corruption, they all clamored for the swindler to receive due punishment. Magistrate Bai then took the opportunity to have the bailiffs take Ling Xue to prison and retrial her in a few days.
As for Gu Yu’s losses, when the magistrate asked him if he had any other requests, Gu Yu didn’t say anything more. He simply stated that the magistrate was impartial, solved problems for the people, and was a good official.
As for his great-grandfather’s heirloom jade hairpin, even though it was broken, it was broken without regret!
This statement further garnered the sympathy of the onlookers. They thought this child was truly ill-fated to encounter such trouble.
However, his mindset was also incredibly carefree.
Even though his great-grandfather’s hairpin was broken, he wasn’t discouraged and bravely faced his new life.
Such a person would definitely become a remarkable figure in the future… Even if not, he would be more formidable than ordinary people.
Gu Yu’s experience was admirable, while Ling Xue’s situation was completely the opposite.
The crowd that had gathered was almost ready to throw rotten eggs and tomatoes at the female swindler’s head, hoping she wouldn’t attempt to stage an accident for money again.
“Gu Yu, you… you’re ruthless, but don’t… don’t get too… arrogant, the Wang Clan… will not… let you… off.”
As the bailiffs were about to escort Ling Xue to prison, Ling Xue quietly uttered a harsh threat to Gu Yu. However, due to her swollen cheeks, her speech was slurred.
Once the pain subsided enough for Ling Xue to open her mouth, she couldn’t suppress her anger, thinking that even if things had come to this pass, she couldn’t let Gu Yu off easily.
Gu Yu had already been targeted by the Wang Clan, and there was no way he could escape!
“Heh heh.”
Upon hearing Ling Xue’s words, Gu Yu showed a dismissive smile, not taking her words to heart.
Gu Yu wasn’t raised to be scared. Even if Ling Xue hadn’t said this, wouldn’t the Wang Clan have come after him?
Gu Yu, who was fully prepared, felt no fear. After all, he would deal with whatever came his way, and the guys the Wang Clan sent would be no match for him.
After Ling Xue was taken into custody, this staged accident finally came to an end.
The onlookers who had come for the excitement, having finished their ‘meal,’ returned home satisfied, preparing to tell their relatives and friends about the day’s events.
Gu Yu also didn’t want to linger at the yamen any longer. He had come to town to find Yan Min and obtain the letters connecting Wang Changfang and the Wang Clan.
Although several days had passed since they last parted, Yan Min might have already met with misfortune.
“Young Master Gu, please wait. I have something I wish to discuss with you. Would you be willing to step aside with me for a private conversation?”
However, just as Gu Yu was about to leave, Magistrate Bai did not want to let him go easily.
Although Gu Yu wanted to refuse Magistrate Bai’s eloquent words, considering that the magistrate had indeed helped him just now, it was difficult to refuse.
But what could Magistrate Bai want to discuss with him?
The last time Gu Yu met Magistrate Bai was when Li Ye escorted Wang Changfang and his group to the capital… This was their second meeting.
Could it be about Bai Lin Yue?
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy Gu Yu became. As he followed Magistrate Bai towards the back of the yamen, he began to regret it.
If he were to meet the infatuated Bai Lin Yue later, he wouldn’t be able to put on a good face. And with Magistrate Bai standing nearby, it would be even more difficult.
“Young Master Gu, this is the place.”
As Magistrate Bai led Gu Yu to a house, the surroundings were eerily quiet, making Gu Yu feel that he shouldn’t stay there any longer.
What if Bai Lin Yue wanted to force the issue, and things got awkward!
“Um… I just remembered I have something at home, so I… Huh? Uncle Yan, why are you here?”
However, just as Gu Yu was about to make up an excuse to leave, the door of the house suddenly opened from the inside, and Yan Min appeared before Gu Yu.
This surprised Gu Yu greatly, thinking that destiny really did help him.
Why was Yan Min at Magistrate Bai’s house?
……
Hahaha, the author suddenly feels like digging a hole and jumping into it himself. Here’s a flag!
Once the monthly votes reach [6666] in April, the author will update five chapters a day for a week straight.
Lots of extra updates, more thrilling, more exciting!
