Chapter 387: Chapter 204: Traditional Craft, Familiar Face?
Xu Qing clicked his tongue and silently retreated outside the hall.
Familiar with the territory, he reached the side gate of the Government Office and headed towards the path the prisoners would be brought through.
Help people to the end, send Buddha all the way to the west.
The Wu brothers’ matter was just a breath away from resolution; he would help if he could.
Yang Hong was also just a breath away; he would send him on if he could.
If he managed to send people off, he might even get an extra business deal. No matter how you look at it, it’s worth it!
As shadows shifted in the sunlight, Xu Qing saw the Government Official bringing Zhou Heng over, just as the day was beginning to fade.
"Several brothers, working hard as always."
Xu Qing approached with a cheerful smile, cupping his hands in greeting.
Zhao Zhonghe’s nephew, Zhao Yuan, exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Xu, why are you out here instead of watching the trial inside?"
Xu Qing replied helplessly, "It’s too stuffy inside the Government Office; I came out for some air. Is this Zhou Heng?"
"That’s the rascal!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Qing approached the Government Official, clasped his sleeves, and said to Zhou Heng, "How can you, a good Official, engage in such inhuman deeds? If Yang Hong hadn’t already confessed to you, I wouldn’t have recognized you. With those thick eyebrows and big eyes, who would’ve thought you had such a vicious heart."
Zhou Heng bared his teeth and said, "Kid, save your breath. Others might fall for your talk, but I won’t. I was up to tricks in the office when you were still running around in split pants!"
"A tough mouth, but let’s see if your body will be just as tough later."
Xu Qing didn’t get angry; he leaned in closer, and the surrounding Government Officials, familiar with him, didn’t mind at all.
Zhao Yuan saw Xu Qing trying to coax a confession and subtly signaled the constable to cooperate.
Xu Qing got closer to Zhou Heng, just as if he was losing his balance, he leaned on him for support, covering Zhou Heng’s mouth with his hand.
Zhou Heng’s face turned red from holding back, coughing repeatedly.
"What did you feed me!?"
Zhao Yuan hurriedly separated them and shouted, "Brother Xu, don’t fool around!"
The other Government Officials held Zhou Heng down. After Zhao Yuan shouted, he pried Zhou Heng’s mouth open but saw nothing unusual.
"What did Brother Xu feed him?"
Zhao Yuan turned his head to see Xu Qing picking at his nose with his pinky, occasionally flicking it.
"Oh, nothing much, just fed him a little snack, see—"
Saying this, Xu Qing extended his pinky, which had nothing on it, towards Zhao Yuan.
"Brother Xu, don’t be ridiculous!"
Zhao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, scolding with a laugh, then escorted Zhou Heng, returning with Xu Qing to the Government Office.
In the hall, when Yang Hong saw Zhou Heng coming, his face was expressionless.
The latter glanced up briefly and looked away.
Both understood implicitly; Yang Hong felt relieved while raising the corners of his mouth uncontrollably.
"Defendant Zhou Heng, I ask you, were the Celestial Heart Sect members who framed Wu Yaohua under your orders?"
"Indeed!" Zhou Heng replied with unusual straightforwardness.
After answering, Zhou Heng appeared puzzled but didn’t dwell on it much. He already knew he was doomed before coming, but he didn’t expect himself to be so bold as to admit everything without any defense.
"I ask you again, was the helmsman Zhang Da and his deputy Yuan Hu, who attempted to harm the Wu brothers, under your orders?"
"Exactly, I instructed them!" Zhou Heng continued to confess without denial.
Wei Xiangshu raised an eyebrow and suddenly slammed the gavel, asking sharply, "I ask you lastly! In the case of hiding the silver coins at the Wu family and framing Wu Yaohua for colluding with the Celestial Heart Sect, were you under someone else’s orders?"
"Yes, I was under someone else’s orders. It was Yang Hong who gave me five hundred taels forged as bribe money to frame Wu Yaohua. Out of greed for that silver, I only put three hundred taels in..."
As soon as this was spoken, Yang Hong’s mouth opened in shock, momentarily disbelieving his own ears, thinking he was experiencing auditory hallucinations.
"And who ordered Yuan Hu and Zhang Da to harm the Wu brothers?"
"Yang Hong! He gave me two hundred taels of silver notes in total; I gave twenty taels to Yuan Hu and Zhang Da. They then did my bidding, drowning the Wu brothers on the Baishui River!"
The crowd smacked their lips in surprise at this utterance.
Wei Xiangshu’s expression eased a bit, dropping a green-headed sign and saying, "Bring Wu Yaohua forward for confrontation."
The constable, who was engrossed in the events, hurried to the prison. When Wu Yaohua was brought to the courtroom, not only was the judge Wei Xiangshu startled, but even Xu Qing was momentarily stupefied.
Wu Yaohua, having endured the suffering of imprisonment, looked quite plump and healthy, showing no sign of the hardships Zhao Zhiyuan had described.
After a moment of surprise, Xu Qing smiled quietly.
Wu Yaohua had taken his pills and received care from the Government Officials, so naturally, he wasn’t doing too poorly. The lack of exercise and sunlight in prison probably accounted for his weight gain.
Wu Yaohua, dazed and uninformed, was told his grievances had been vindicated, and everything was arranged clearly for him.
Baisha County Magistrate Zhang Yong alternated between anger and embarrassment, murmuring to himself, "So it was your doing, yet I was the one to lose face..."
Hearing this, Yang Hong’s anger surged, retorting, "Whose ideas do you think those were? Wasn’t it your wonderful daughter Zhang Yao’s!"
"Wu Zhiyuan was nothing more than a top Scholar candidate and not a full scholar. Not only did you give them half a mansion to live in, but you also hired a renowned tutor for him, plainly grooming him to be the future head of the Zhang Family. Now that things are beyond repair, you blame me?"
As the two began to bicker, Wei Xiangshu reprimanded loudly, reaching into the sign tube and tossing a red-headed sign on the ground.
"Dare show disrespect to the court again, and the penalty will be doubled! Attend! Strip Yang Hong of his official robes and rank, and give him thirty strokes, as a warning to others!"
During the pause when Yang Hong was being punished, the Wu brothers and Wu Yaohua’s family recognized each other. Wu Zhiyuan led the way, with Wu Wencai accompanying, as they both respectfully addressed the court, "Sir, before you leave, my younger brother and I have matters we’ve concealed. Would you grant us a moment for a cup of tea? We’ll return promptly."
"Granted, I still need to recount the charges. You two may go, but don’t delay for too long." Wei Xiangshu, along with Chen Guangrui and others, didn’t take the request seriously; one waved them off, the other allowed them to leave.
Below, Xu Qing watched Yang Hong and others, feeling more pleased than anyone else.
Including Yang Hong, he could at least obtain five bodies today. This trip was undoubtedly worthwhile!