Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 71

Chapter 71 Skillfully Interrogate
Guangling County Government Second Hall.

As his name suggested, he looked quite happy. In his forties, Tan Huan, who was somewhat rounded, was looked at by several servants before and after. He staggered to Lu Zhen’s public house.

Lu Zhen had just returned to the yamen to change his clothes when he had already ordered Tan Huan, who had been hurriedly treated, to come over. This made the already uneasy businessman feel even more panicked. With a greeting from Lu Zhen, he almost stumbled onto a horse when he entered the house by the high threshold, so he was in a sorry state.

Fortunately, this person’s reaction was quite quick. He knelt in front of Lu Zhen and said, “Little … Little Tan Huan pays his respects to the county magistrate. Little Tan Huan knows his guilt …”

Lu Zhen waved his hand to make the surplus people retreat, leaving only the two of them to watch. Only then did he look at the person in front of him with a smile that was not a smile, “You said that you were guilty the moment you met, but I wonder what kind of sin you knew?”

“Little … Little one shouldn’t have thought of money and sold the goods to other guests, causing such a tragic incident. Please forgive me, my lord!” After finishing his sentence with a trembling voice, Tan Huan kowtowed again.

The heavens were pitiful to see that these words did not come from his heart. However, this was already the situation. The people of the yamen were injured, the soldiers stationed there were killed, and the entire discussion arena was in chaos. The root of this was all on himself. In front of the county magistrate, Tan Huan naturally had no choice but to admit his guilt calmly.

Although he was also a victim in this incident, not only was the goods snatched by someone, but he was almost hacked by someone with a knife, and now he was injured. However, the situation was like this, so he could only endure this breath. Who called him a merchant? And now, under the great tomorrow, the status of Shi, Nong, Gong, Yong, and Shang was really too low. It seemed that he was the only one to bear the blame.

Thinking of this, Tan Huan felt sad and tears flowed out of her eyes, but she did not dare to defend herself.

“You should get up and reply first.” Lu Zhen sighed softly. He could tell that the other party’s words were only meant to give him an explanation as an official of the Imperial Court.

“Thank you, Sir.” Tan Huan was slightly stunned, but she still stood up according to her words. She only said that it was because her attitude towards admitting guilt was not bad that the county magistrate was satisfied with the treatment.

As soon as he got up, Lu Zhen discovered that there was a thick bandage on his left shoulder. Obviously, the injury was not light, so he frowned again, “Is your injury okay?”

Tan Huan was a tactful person and hurriedly took the opportunity to express his grief for the casualties, hoping to make a better impression on the county magistrate. “It doesn’t matter if it’s small, rough, and thick. It’s just that the military masters and messengers” Tan Huan was a tactful person, and he hurriedly took the opportunity to express his grief for the casualties again, hoping to give the county magistrate a better impression.

Lu Zhen smiled. Looking at this cautious and ceaseless currying favor, it was truly pitiful and ridiculous. However, this was also the kind of reaction he wanted. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to ask more questions. Therefore, he did not interrupt him. After letting him say a few words of condolence, he asked, “Since you clearly know that what you did was wrong, why do you still want to do it in the dubious arena?”

‘”This …” The little one didn’t know that the Mongol would come back. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sold the goods to anyone else. By the time he found them, I had already reached an agreement with someone, and there was no way I could repent. ” Tan Huan explained to herself somewhat hesitantly, but she was somewhat pale and powerless.

But Lu Zhen didn’t believe this at all. Instead, he stared at the other party and said, “This official thought that you made this choice because of the merchant’s profit-seeking nature. Compared to the previous customer, the latter was paid more, so you sold the goods to the latter. Did this official say anything wrong?”

“I” Tan Huan wanted to say something, But when he raised his head and met Lu Zhen’s eyes, his heart tightened. He immediately knelt on the ground again and kowtowed again, “This lowly person knows his guilt. At that time, this lowly person really forgot about other things because of a small profit, causing …” As he spoke, his forehead was already completely red and his body was soaked in sweat. Obviously, he was frightened to death.

Lu Zhen sighed. Officials of this era were indeed powerful. A single sentence could frighten an adult man to such an extent. Then he waved his hand and said, “Forget it, let me ask you, where are you from?”

“The little one is from Pingyao County, Taiyuan Prefecture.”

“What goods did you bring with you this time? How much did it cost you?” Lu Zhen asked again.

Tan Huan replied honestly. His goods weren’t too expensive. They were mostly ordinary items such as iron pots and cloth. However, as far as he was concerned, he was not very wealthy. He had raised a foreign debt for this reason in order to make a profit.

Thinking of this, Tan Huan felt even more helpless and sad. He lowered his head and tears flowed out of his eyes. Even if the government did not pursue the matter, he seemed to have lost all of his capital this time. What should he do in the future? Moreover, from the current situation, how could the government not pursue their own crimes?

Lu Zhen looked at him for a moment before he said, “So, your loss this time is also enormous? Have you thought about how to recover it?”

“Little … Little …” Tan Huan fell asleep for a long time but was unable to say anything.

“This official knows that you have suffered quite a bit of grievance. It is the nature of businessmen to pursue profits. You can’t just let go of more money and wait for a priced target. Otherwise, you won’t have to do any business.” Lu Zhen suddenly changed the topic and said kindly.

This made Tan Huan suddenly stunned. For a moment, he didn’t know how to reply. He even subconsciously raised his head to look at County Magistrate Lu, ignoring any thoughts of superiority or inferiority.

“What? Is there anything wrong with what I said?” Lu Zhen asked again when he saw him like this.

“Ah? No, Your Excellency is wise. I was right about the little one’s worries. The little one … this time, the little one is truly wronged!” Tan Huan had already recognized Lu Zhen’s intention to defend herself, but she was overjoyed and quickly echoed.

“However, the people in my county government and army have suffered casualties because of you. You can’t just ignore them, right?” Lu Zhen suddenly said.

This transformation caused Tan Huan to fall from the sky back to the ground, and she was stunned again. He could no longer guess how County Magistrate Lu was going to dispatch him, so he could only stand there blankly.

‘”Tan Huan, do you know how many Tartars are causing trouble? How many of them are there, and what are their characteristics?” Lu Zhen then turned to the point he was most concerned about, “Tan Huan, do you know how many of those Tartars are causing trouble?” When he said this, his eyes were already fixed on the other party’s face.

Tan Huan was no longer able to think deeply about the matter at this moment, so she subconsciously replied, “These Dazi heard themselves say that they were from the Thorn Tribe. There were a total of five of them. The appearance of the person leading them … There was a red birthmark on his left face, and there was a tuft of black hair on it …”

The effect was indeed very good. After hanging him up and down for a long time, Tan Huan finally told him everything she knew. It wasn’t until he finished speaking that his mood calmed down slightly. It was only then that he seemed to have thought of something, and a panicked expression appeared on his face. “Could it be that the county magistrate wants to …”

If it was just a battle between ordinary businessmen, even if someone died, Tan Huan would report the murderer to the government truthfully. But when it comes to Dazi, things get subtle. Many people would choose to settle things peacefully, blaming themselves for their bad luck and not daring to tell the government the truth. If Lu Zhen had asked about the Meng people as soon as he arrived, Tan Huan would have probably inferred that he did not know. However, because of a series of sorrow and joy threats, his heart was completely messed up. When he was forced to ask, he spat out everything like a bamboo tube pouring out beans.

Lu Zhen nodded with satisfaction and added threateningly, “As long as what you said is true, this official will make the decision for you. However, if you conceal anything, the government will definitely investigate the relevant crimes.”

“Little one doesn’t dare to deceive my lord.” Tan Huan hurriedly cursed.

Lu Zhen waved his hand and asked someone to take him down to take care of him. Only then did he exhale, “I finally have some ideas. Someone, go and find out what kind of path that tribe is.”

There was no need to spend too much effort on this. In just a short moment, a clerk had brought the answer that Lu Zhen wanted. This tribe was located on the grassland not far from Guangling County, and could be considered to be the Mongolian tribe that had the most dealings with this county. Therefore, as soon as the discussion started, they rushed over as soon as they heard the news.

Finally, the clerk added with some hesitation, “Master, as far as I know, the Thoroughfare Division has always had dealings with the barracks …”

“It’s actually them?” Lu Zhen smiled thoughtfully. Xiao Mo must have been doing business with them when he smuggled military supplies to the grasslands without telling the higher ups. Thinking about it, this conflict was not only because of Tan Huan’s sudden change of heart, but also because of his revenge on Guang Ling County, which had cut off their business. Therefore, even if there was no such thing as Tan Huan, these Meng people would definitely find another excuse to disturb the discussion.

Thinking about this, Lu Zhen’s expression became even colder, and the anger in his eyes became even more intense. He had to retaliate fiercely, otherwise, he would definitely not be able to live peacefully in the future! This was not only for the sake of defending the dead and injured, but also for the sake of Guang Ling’s future!

After making up his mind, Lu Zhen rushed to the barracks the next day and found the new garrison general. After expressing his apology, he suggested borrowing troops to deal with the Meng people.

“This … I don’t have the authority to send troops into the grasslands. Besides, we don’t have a chance of winning even if there are only five hundred of us.” Hearing that, the manager shook his head like a rattle drum.

Lu Zhen said, “You misunderstand what I mean. I’m not going to send troops to the grasslands, but I want you to be stationed there. This official believes that they will come again. At that time, we can take them down and hold them accountable.”

“This … actually makes.” Since his subordinate had been killed by Dazi, as his superior, he naturally had to stand up for them. He naturally had no reason to reject such an opportunity. Moreover, they were only martial artists. They only cared about fighting, and if anything really happened, they would have their own local officials to support them.

Lu Zhen was delighted to see him nod. Now, just wait for those fellows to deliver themselves to the door.