Interrogation

The soldiers were clearly intimidated by Su Chenyu's boldness and hesitated to step forward.

"So that's what happened! No wonder Magistrate Feng went to such great lengths to protect him."

Suddenly, there was a commotion among the crowd gathered outside.

Magistrate Feng silently cursed his misfortune.

Several spectators were holding pieces of paper, clearly agitated as they stared at their contents.

"That's right! It was Magistrate Feng's son behind all this!"

"I heard people whispering that the magistrate's son is a real lech, and there were even rumors of murder." One of the onlookers said quietly: "They said he'd kidnap young women and then, with his other scoundrel friends, gang up on them. Talk about dehumanizing treatment!"

"Good grief! That's monstrous—worse than animals!"

"This is really not something a human can do. I've only seen him in and out of brothels before, but I didn't expect that he was not only lustful, but also did such disgusting things behind his back."

"Those are vile deeds that even a human wouldn't commit. I've only seen him hanging around brothels before, but I had no idea he was into that kind of thing, let alone doing something so disgusting behind closed doors."

"And with a governor for a father, he probably feels he can walk all over Xuanyang Town!"

In an instant, the crowd outside was filled with revulsion at Magistrate Feng's actions.

The person who started this chatter was none other than Ye Feng. Having achieved his goal, he allowed a small smile to play on his lips. When no one was paying attention, he slipped out of the crowd and vanished into the night.

Soon, news spread rapidly, drawing curious crowds to the prefectural office. Within minutes, the entrance was swarmed with people, leaving no doubt as to who had leaked the information.

Governor Feng's face darkened. His residence was now encircled by onlookers, the matter had become public knowledge. If he can't handle this, his future authority would suffer. His only option was to bring Zheng'er here. Even if convicted, Zheng'er could be detained within the governor's residence, making it easier to secretly secure his release.

Making up his mind, he signaled to one of the guards: "Bring the young master here."

"Yes, sir!" The guard rushed out.

The crowd outside only grew larger. There was nothing to be done about it, most people couldn't resist gossip. This was the first time they'd heard of someone daring to confront the governor in person, accusing his son of wrongdoing. Everyone wanted to see how things would end up, standing around with anticipation.

A woman dressed in patched clothing pushed her way through the crowd, squeezing forward and stirring grumbles from those she pushed aside. She paid them no heed, focused solely on moving ahead, mumbling to herself the whole time.

Everyone around her thought she was crazy, so they all avoided her, which actually helped her get to the front more easily.

The woman managed to stand right next to Qibao, but he just glanced at her and paid no attention.

Before long, Feng Zheng arrived with the officer and walked up to the main hall.

The woman stared at Feng Zheng with hatred in her eyes. She bit her lower lip so hard that it drew blood, and she wished she could bite him harder.

"Father, don't listen to what this shrew says. I didn't do such a thing. She is framing me!" As soon as Feng Zheng came up, he pointed at Fen Tao's mother who was kneeling on the ground and said righteously.

"Feng Zheng, you dare to say that you didn't send someone to my house the day before yesterday to ask me to give my daughter Fen Tao to you as a concubine. Last night you must have seen that we didn't send her there, so you sent these four people to my house to arrest my daughter!" Fen Tao's mother shouted loudly when she saw her enemy.

"What a joke! Your daughter is just a country girl. Even if I take a concubine, with my status, although it is unlikely that she will be a lady from a wealthy family, at least she will be a beautiful girl from a small family with some wealth. What kind of girl is your daughter?" Feng Zheng said with a sneer.

Su Chenyu said: "I knew you wouldn't admit it, so you should know these four people, right?"

Feng Zheng glanced at Su Chenyu up and down and asked: "Who are you?" Then he suddenly said: "Oh! I see, you must have bribed that shrew to frame me, right? As for these four people, I don't even know them!"

Su Chenyu shook his head and smiled: "You're such a shameless, two-faced liar!" He said. With that, he moved to stand in front of the four men and carefully removed a thin silver needle from their necks.

Before long, the four men's expressions slowly returned to normal. As they remembered what had happened the night before, their legs began to tremble. One of them glanced at Feng Zheng and immediately cried out in fear: "Young master, save us! They cut open our skin with a knife and put leeches on the cuts to suck our blood—it was terrifying!"

The man started to run towards Feng Zheng but froze in place at the sound of a deafening gavel.

The four men finally noticed their surroundings. Seeing the angry governor seated above them, they quickly dropped to their knees in fear.

Feng Zheng was also startled by this sudden development. He quietly berated the soldier beside him: "Didn't you say these four were in a trance and couldn't talk?"

The soldier looked like he was about to cry: "I don't know either!" He whispered back. "They really were in a trance just a moment ago. How did they suddenly come back to their senses?!"

Su Chenyu smiled: "Young Master Feng, these four seem very familiar with you! How can you say you don't know them?"

Feng Zheng glared at the four mutinously and retorted: "Lots of people know me, but that doesn't mean I know them!"

"Those four are clearly wearing the Feng Manor's guard uniform." Someone shouted from the crowd outside the door: "I remember—it's definitely the same."

Feng Zheng turned to face the throng of people outside, momentarily unsure who had spoken.

"There are plenty of similar uniforms." Magistrate Feng countered firmly: "How can you prove these are my manor's guards?"

"Of course I can!" Su Chenyu replied. With that, he lifted the collar of one guard's uniform, revealing a clear embroidered "Feng" in silk thread.

Magistrate Feng's face paled and flushed alternately. How could he have forgotten this?!

When he first assumed the post of Magistrate of Xuanyang Town, he was full of youthful vigor and ambition. He had ordered all his servants to have a "Feng" character embroidered on their uniforms—to signify his status and to remind his servants at all times that they belonged to the Feng family, preventing disloyalty. He never imagined that this simple, self-imposed rule would one day become the evidence to convict his own son.

Su Chenyu pressed: "What else can you say?"

Feng Zheng's expression darkened. After a moment, he retorted: "Who's to say they really stole those clothes?"

Hearing Feng Zheng's words, the four kneeling figures looked up at the young master, feeling a surge of resentment. They had followed Feng Zheng's orders to the letter, yet now that their actions were exposed, they risked becoming pawns to be discarded at will. Despite their unwavering loyalty, it seemed Feng Zheng cared not a jot for their service.

Su Chenyu spoke up: "Since this is a trial, we must neither wrong an innocent nor spare a guilty one. Every detail, no matter how small, could be crucial to the case. Now, Master Feng accuses these four of stealing clothes from your household. Let's send people to investigate and see if any servants have reported missing garments. That way, we'll know who's telling the truth."

Magistrate Feng agreed: "Very well. I'll dispatch an inquiry right away. We'll wait here for the results."

Su Chenyu laughed and said: "Magistrate Feng, I'm afraid it's hard to convince the public if you do this. Your son is the defendant. For fairness, this investigation must be transparent. We need to observe it ourselves. Only then can we be sure you're not playing favorites!"