The Tiger in the Prison

The members of the Five Immortals Sect stared blankly as Song the Jailhead hurriedly ran away, all exchanging glances with confusion on their faces.

The appearance of the document made Song's attitude shift drastically, and even a fool could guess that the document was highly significant.

An ominous feeling struck Tu Hai, and he felt that the Prison Temple had turned into a dangerous place.

The few strong men inside the cell also realized that the situation had changed for the worse. They dared not stay inside any longer. They carried the comrade who had been knocked unconscious by Wei Changle out of the cell and gathered around Tu Hai.

Wei Changle did not stop them, only giving them a smile that was neither fully a grin nor a scowl.

Someone leaned over and whispered into Tu Hai's ear. His expression grew even darker, and after a brief pause, he gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go, let's leave!"

As the group was about to leave, several jail guards burst through the door, armed with knives, blocking their way.

"The Jail Head has ordered that no one is allowed to leave the Prison Temple," one of the guards said. "Stay here and wait."

Zhi Nu turned sideways and whispered, "Second Master, it seems the Jail Head is quite obedient."

Wei Changle gave a faint smile and softly replied, "It's not that he's obedient. These people were let in, and the Jail Head can probably shift the blame onto others. But if they try to leave, he knows he will have to take full responsibility. That's why he stopped them. If it weren't for the responsibility, the Jail Head would probably want these people to leave right away."

"It's the one called Wang who brought them here," Zhi Nu thought for a moment and realized. "He used these people to intimidate us and then planned to extort us. That way, he wouldn't be worried about us not paying."

Wei Changle and his group were calm and composed, while the Five Immortals Sect grew increasingly panicked.

Tu Hai, who had come here with injuries to take revenge, now felt a shift in the situation. The wound on his back suddenly started to throb with pain.

Before long, footsteps were heard from outside the Prison Temple, and several people quickly entered. The leading man was dressed in dark blue official robes, looking around fifty years old, with a thin frame and a strand of blue-gray beard on his chin. The man behind him was around forty, wearing light blue clothes. They were followed by a dozen or so others, most of them slightly bent over, walking quickly.

The man in dark blue robes approached Tu Hai and the others, glanced at them, and said in a deep voice, "Who are you? What are you doing in the Prison Temple?"

His voice was low and stern, his face cold and serious.

"Lord County Magistrate!" Tu Hai immediately knelt down, bowing his head, not daring to speak. The others also quickly knelt down.

"Yan Cha, we must conduct a thorough investigation!" the County Magistrate said angrily. He then quickly walked to the prison and knelt before Wei Changle, respectfully saying, "This humble official, Ding Sheng of Shanyin County, greets the Hall Master."

"Yan Yun, the Assistant Magistrate of Shanyin, greets the Hall Master!" The official in light blue robes followed closely.

Behind them, the rest of the group also knelt.

Tu Hai, who had been kneeling and too afraid to raise his head, suddenly turned around when he heard the voice. He was stunned to see a group of officials from the County Yamen kneeling outside the cell, his face going completely rigid.

Hall Master?

The person who had caused trouble with the Five Immortals Sect today was the County Magistrate?

The old man, who seemed somewhat lecherous, was the new County Magistrate of Shanyin?

He had come to take revenge on the County Lord of Shanyin?

If this had happened in the Divine Capital or Taiyuan, a mere county magistrate would hardly matter. But here in Shanyin, at least nominally, no one had a higher position than him.

If it were only a small conflict with the new County Magistrate, Tu Hai, confident in the backing of his forces, might not have been afraid.

But today, he had brought people directly into a government stronghold, intending to commit murder in the prison.

According to the laws of Daliang, this was a capital offense.

Tu Hai's face went deathly pale, large beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. He felt his body go limp, and his mind went completely blank.

The rest of the Five Immortals Sect members also looked like they had seen a ghost.

None of them were fools, and they could all tell that tonight they had run into a huge problem.

Soon, Tu Hai's face grew even worse.

He had thought that the lecherous old man was the new County Magistrate, but now he saw Wei Changle slowly stand up and walk to the prison door. He looked at the group of officials as though he were a king surveying his subjects. His eyes slowly swept over each of them.

Could it be...?

How could this be?!

How could a young man under twenty be the new County Magistrate?

"Do you know that thieves have broken into the Great Prison, armed with deadly weapons, intending to commit murder?" Wei Changle asked. "I just want to ask one question: When these people entered the County Yamen, did anyone see them?"

Tu Hai's heart sank to the bottom.

He instinctively opened his hand, and the dagger he had been holding fell to the ground.

If the bamboo sticks could be argued to not be weapons, then the dagger was undoubtedly a deadly weapon, a clear instrument of violence.

"I was handling official business in the Central Court, and did not see anything," County Magistrate Ding Sheng replied calmly. "But someone broke in, and my subordinates failed to detect it in time. This is a failure on my part."

Assistant Magistrate Jiang Yun followed up, "I am in charge of administrative duties and mostly handle documents. Today, I was in the Central Office handling case files and did not notice anyone breaking in."

The other officials lowered their heads, not speaking.

"By the way, where is Head Constable Wang?" Wei Changle scanned the crowd and did not spot Wang, who had been extorting them earlier. He frowned and asked, "Which one of you is the Recorder?"

Ding Sheng replied, "Recorder Hou has been unwell these past few days, so I granted him leave to rest at home. He is not in the office today." He then turned to ask, "Where is Wang Kui?"

"I saw him earlier, but now he has suddenly disappeared," someone in the back replied. "I'll go look for him." The person bowed and quickly left to search.

"May I borrow a chair to sit?" Wei Changle, squatting at the prison door, complained, "I've been locked up here for so long, my legs are numb."

Ding Sheng quickly ordered, "Go get a chair for Hall Master." "Song De, open the wooden shackles for Hall Master."

Song, the Jail Head, hurriedly stood up and rushed forward, trembling as he opened the wooden shackles, then immediately knelt beside Wei Changle and stammered, "I was blind, I am guilty. Please punish me, Hall Master!"

"You are not blind, you are heart-blind," Wei Changle said indifferently. "Ding County Magistrate, I've handed you the official document, is this a proper handover? Does this mean I am now the County Magistrate of Shanyin?"

But before Ding Sheng could respond, he presented a small box wrapped in brocade cloth, carefully handing it to Wei Changle with great reverence. "This is the official seal of the County Magistrate of Shanyin. Once Hall Master accepts it, you will be the father and mother of this county."

Wei Changle took the box and placed it at his feet. At that moment, one of the officials carefully brought over a chair and set it beside him.

Only then did Wei Changle sit down with a sigh, massaging his legs and saying with a wry smile, "The Military Governor sent me here to serve as an official. If he knew that I had just arrived in Shanyin and was locked up in a prison, I wonder what he would think? Would he suspect this is some sort of trap against him?"

"We are guilty and deserve death!" Ding Sheng and the others cried in unison.

Song De, being quick-witted, realized there were still two others in the cell. He hurriedly crawled into the prison, carefully unlocking the shackles and ropes of Zhi Nu and Wei Gu.

Wei Changle coughed lightly before saying, "It's better to seize the day than wait for it. What happened today is not necessarily a bad thing. As the saying goes, 'A new official takes office with three fires.' I just arrived, and now there's a band of thieves breaking into the official prison. It's the perfect time to conduct an interrogation. Ding County Magistrate, do you think it's alright if I handle the case here?"

"Of course, it's perfectly fine," Ding Sheng replied with a forced smile, "But since Hall Master has just arrived and is weary from travel, should we not first lock them up and conduct a thorough interrogation later? I have already instructed the kitchen to prepare food and wine, and sent someone to find Recorder Hou to come and welcome you. Once you've eaten, bathed, and rested, we can proceed with the case tomorrow."

Wei Changle smiled and said, "In the blink of an eye, the extortionist Wang, who was supposed to be here, has vanished. If I were to sleep now, I doubt I'd see a single criminal by tomorrow morning. Since I've taken office, I should work diligently without hesitation. The welcoming banquet can wait, but the case must come first." He waved his hand and said, "Stand up, let's talk."

Ding Sheng and the others quickly stood and moved to the sides.

The members of the Five Immortals Sect, now aware of Wei Changle's true identity, dared not rise. They all kneeled before him, their faces ashen.

Tu Hai was kneeling in the center, his forehead pressed to the ground, but the dagger that had fallen earlier had already been secretly hidden away.

"Song De, come here." Wei Changle sat confidently on the chair, raised his hand, and gestured for him to come. "Let's start with you."

Song De, drenched in cold sweat, bent forward and crawled out of the back of the prison, kneeling in front of Wei Changle.

"You are the jailhead, so you are responsible for this prison," Wei Changle said, smiling at him. "I'll ask you, who is allowed to enter the official prison?"

Song De wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and replied, "Answering Hall Master, the prison is a restricted area. Only prisoners and the county jail guards on duty can enter."

"So, can officials of the county yamen enter freely?"

"According to the laws of Daliang, aside from Hall Master, the County Magistrate, and the Assistant Magistrate, if the Recorder wants to enter the prison, they must have an order from Hall Master." Song De reported honestly to Wei Changle, "Other than these officials, no one else is allowed to step into the prison without Hall Master's orders."

Wei Changle nodded slightly, satisfied. "Very well. So these seven members of the Five Immortals Sect, are they prisoners?"

[--------------------------------------------]

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