Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 166

Chapter 166 Not Forget One’s Heart
When Lu Zhen walked out of the room, he saw Lin Lie greeting him, “What happened?” This was the backyard of the county government. He had already instructed that no one but him and Lin Lie should approach. Zeng Guang and the others would not have been able to alert them at this moment if something important had not happened.

Lin Lie took a step forward and whispered, “It was someone from the Shun Tian Manor who suddenly came to see you and asked for a question.”

“Oh?” Lu Zhen frowned slightly and then sneered, “Their reactions weren’t slow, but they found us overnight. Let’s go and meet them!” As he spoke, he walked out.

When he arrived at the second hall, Lu Zhen saw several servants of the Shun Tian Manor in separate courtyards. In his own public house, there was also a skinny and capable official sitting there. He immediately put on a smile and strode forward. “I don’t know if your Excellency has come to visit, but I hope you can forgive me for not welcoming you from afar.”

When the official heard this, he stood up and bowed, “County Magistrate Lu, you and I are both rank six officials of the Imperial Court. We really shouldn’t talk like this.” As he spoke, he straightened his waist and announced his identity, “This official is Yin Tian, the pusher of the Shuntian Prefecture.”

“So it’s Lord Yin. May I know why you came to my Daxing County Government today?” Seeing that there was already tea in front of him, Lu Zhen no longer instructed people to serve tea. Instead, he calmly sat down and casually asked.

“Last night, there was a case in the capital. The owner of the Spring Assembly House, Tang Qianchuan, was suddenly kidnapped. Does County Magistrate Lu know about this?” Yin Tian said as his gaze fell on Lu Zhen’s face, as if he wanted to see something.

Lu Zhen only shrugged his eyebrows and asked with a puzzled voice, “Is Pushing Officer Yin trying to get Xiaoguan to help him find his whereabouts?”

Seeing that there was nothing special about his reaction, Yin Tian was slightly disappointed, but he said, “This official is here to ask County Magistrate Lu, did you capture Boss Tang in Daxing County?”

“Lord Yin, why did you say that? Why would my Daxing County Government take people for no reason?”

“For no reason? I heard that someone from your county government went to Shuntian Prefecture two days ago to inquire about the murder of Feng Changchun, the boss of the Spring Gathering House. What a coincidence. In just a few days, the current Boss Tang has suddenly disappeared. Therefore, this official feels that this may be the county government inviting him here for an interview.” Yin Tian straightforwardly expressed his suspicions.

Lu Zhen’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t expected the other party to be so direct. Fortunately, his mentality was still strong, so he immediately shook his head and said, “I’m afraid this will disappoint Pusher Yin. The person is not from our county government. We do intend to investigate the previous case, but even if we want to ask questions, we will only go directly to the Spring Gathering House to look for Boss Tang. I’m sure he won’t dare to disappear from us.”

“Could it be that we’ve made a mistake? Could it be that some people in the county government have secretly detained Boss Tang?” Yin Tian continued to ask.

However, Lu Zhen’s response remained unchanged, “Impossible. The people in my Daxing County Government do not dare to hide such a big matter from me, this county magistrate. Therefore, Lord Yin, I’m afraid you will have to make a trip for nothing this time. However, if you don’t have enough manpower, my county government can send some people to help find the whereabouts of Boss Tang.”

“There’s no need for that.” Yin Tian immediately shook his head. After taking a deep look at Lu Zhen, he stood up and said goodbye, “Since he is not in the county government, then this official will not disturb him any further. If Daxing County knows Tang Qianchuan’s whereabouts, I hope to report it to Shuntian Prefecture.”

“Of course, Lord Yin. Take your time.” Lu Zhen smiled and stood up, sending him out of the door.

After bringing people out of the county government, a trusted aide beside him said with some disbelief, “Your Excellency, in my opinion, there is indeed something wrong with this county magistrate Lu. He is very likely in their hands. Why don’t you ask us to search him?”

“Search it? Do you think the Daxing County Government is a random place to search? Let alone me, even the governor himself would not dare to give such an order if there was no conclusive evidence. However, you are right. There is something wrong with this county magistrate Lu. Although he is very calm, he is too calm. This is a flaw.” As expected of Yin Tian, who often handled cases, he had already noticed some clues.

“Then why didn’t you say it in person? Then, why didn’t you take the opportunity to ask him to hand him over?” Another subordinate asked in confusion.

“If it was an ordinary citizen, just this suspicion alone would be enough to search people. However, the county government is also an official government, and the county magistrate is also the official of the Imperial Court. This kind of thing cannot be done without 100% certainty.” As Yin Tian spoke, he couldn’t help but sigh. This was the difficulty of being in Beijing City. If it was in another city, the government would naturally be able to investigate if they suspected the county government.

“Then, my lord … shall we just forget about it like this?”

“Of course not.” Yin Tian waved his hand and called two trusted aides, “You guys go back and change your clothes later, and then keep an eye on the Daxing County Government. If they do anything, they will come to the Times. This matter is too big for you to slack off in the slightest.”

Seeing the seriousness of his words, the two of them hurriedly lowered their heads to accept the order and went to the manor to change their clothes first.

However, Yin Tian was not in a hurry to return. Instead, he thoughtfully looked back at the Daxing County Government and frowned slightly. Recently, the limelight of the Daxing County Government was really high, and now it was interfering in the human life case that should have been closed a long time ago. This was truly troublesome.

Earlier, when he found out that someone was inquiring about the details of Feng Changchun’s murder in the government office, he felt a burst of unease. This case could not withstand further investigation, otherwise, the responsibility of the person who was the most direct judge of the case would not be small. However, before he could come up with a solution, someone from the Spring Festival Assembly House came to report that their boss, Tang Qianchuan, had been attacked at night and had actually disappeared.

Connecting with the previous incident, Yin Tian immediately suspected that the person was taken by Daxing County, so he rushed over early. However, the result was not as he had expected. This county magistrate Lu was not an easy person to deal with.

After letting out a sigh of relief, Yin Tian walked forward and quickly returned to the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen, which was only half a street away from the Daxing County Government.

Along the way, he was wondering what Lu Zhen was doing. How did this case end up in the hands of Daxing County? Was it because the Ministry of Justice didn’t investigate for a while, or was it because someone had deliberately sent people to continue investigating? If it was the latter, what was the other party’s intention? Was it to cause trouble for Shun Tian Prefecture, or was it against the person behind this case?

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy Yin Tuiguan felt. He was just a small sixth-grade pusher, but he couldn’t withstand the great figures in the court. What made him feel terrified was that this case was really handled by him. If the other party wanted to find a breakthrough, apart from the Spring Gathering House, it seemed that it would only fall on him.

“No! We can’t let them continue investigating this case like this. Daxing County … Lu Zhen … must disrupt their rhythm!” Finally, after sitting in his public house for a while, Yin Tian had already made a decision!

@ @ @ @

After Yin Tian and the others left, Zeng Guang and Yue Liqiu walked over. A trace of unease appeared on the faces of the two insiders, “Sir, this matter …”

Before they could say anything, Lu Zhen waved his hand and interrupted, “Don’t worry, they can’t do anything to us without any evidence. The most urgent thing now is to ask Tang Qianchuan for something so that we can find out the truth of this case.”

“But my lord, the Spring Gathering House has already reported to the officials. The Shun Tian Manor should have suspected us. This lowly official’s humble opinion, should we send people out of the yamen and hide them elsewhere first?” Zeng Guang asked worriedly.

Lu Zhen shook his head and said, “This is exactly what they are planning to do. Originally, they were unable to search people in the county government, but once we send them out, I’m afraid that we’ve already set up their spies outside. Once we leave, they will intercept us.”

“Ah” Zeng Guang was stunned for a moment before revealing a look of fear, “It was Xiaguan who made things simple.”

“So the safest way now is to do nothing. As long as you stay calm, there will always be a way.” Lu Zhen smiled and said, “Furthermore, that Tang Qianchuan was moved by my words just now. Perhaps it won’t be long before he will tell the truth about everything he knows.”

“My lord … We are not only enemies of the Shuntian Prefecture, we are also enemies of that powerful force that we do not know who it is. Isn’t it a bit too much for us to lose?” Yue Liqiu, who had not spoken the entire time, asked hesitantly.

“What’s wrong? It depends on how you know this. If you only want to use this case to get promoted and gain fame, then I can tell you right now that it’s definitely not worth it.” Lu Zhen’s gaze swept across the faces of the two subordinate officials and said, “But if we were to pursue the truth and calm down the grievances of the dead, it would be worth it for us to do anything! The citizens of the capital are already hard enough, can’t we even give them this guarantee?”

Hearing his words, the two subordinates couldn’t help but shiver. Facing Lu Zhen’s solemn expression, they unconsciously felt a little ashamed. As a local official, shouldn’t he plead for the people and protect the peace of the land?

When he first became Shangguan, he did have such thoughts. However, after experiencing several changes, from an unknown time onwards, this thought was indifferent, and even completely thrown away by him. This could not help but be said to be a sorrow, a sorrow that all officials would experience.

Seeing their thoughtful expressions, Lu Zhen smiled again. “So, I thought that what we did today was not only to deal with the Ministry of Justice’s business, but also to find our true heart. Do you understand?”

Zeng Guang exchanged a glance before lowering his head and replying, “Xiaoguan understands!” Although his voice wasn’t loud, it was very firm!