Open the skylight and speak frankly

It was dusk when the messenger arrived at the county government office.

Xia Shang really went there alone, and he was open and honest, without any worries or fears.

Xia Shang had lived in Yulin County for quite a while, and the county magistrate was no stranger to him. He knew that he was an idle official who spent his days in disarray. He was not stupid, but he was extremely unreliable. He was good at pretending to be pitiful. The whole county government office was very depressed by him, but no one said anything to him.

Now the county magistrate received the order from the prefect to punish Xia Shang.

Xia Shang took the initiative to come to the door to deal with this potential threat.

Now was the time when beggars were taking a nap after work. There were beggars all under the wall of the county government office, emitting bursts of stench. When the wind blew, the sand and stones flew everywhere, making it look even more desolate and depressed.

"Mr. Xia, please come in." The head of the police was named Wang. After leaving the Xia family, he respected Xia Shang very much.

How could the common people know the hardships of the county constables? On weekdays, they run around and seek benefits for the people, but they are feared and hated by everyone. They do a lot of things, but get little reward, and are not recognized by the people, let alone respected by the powerful.

But he just got the long-lost respect from the young master of the Xia family, so he wants to return this respect to him twice.

Small people are always the easiest to satisfy. As long as you give him one point of goodness, he will give you two points.

Therefore, the county magistrate said that Xia Shang would be taken back to the county magistrate, but now he was respectfully invited back to the county magistrate.

Xia Shang followed the crowd to the back door of the county magistrate, and walked from the backyard to the side hall of the court. On the way, he saw a boy in coarse cloth clothes, about twelve or thirteen years old, picking up stones and smashing the dead tree beside the yard. His face was covered with dust, and he must be a naughty master.

After the introduction of the head constable Wang, it turned out that he was the son of the county magistrate.

The boy didn't notice Xia Shang and his group, and passed by them quickly while playing.

When they arrived at the side hall, it was Mr. Liang who was waiting. The windows in the room were closed, and it was dark and gloomy.

Xia Shang was brought in by Captain Wang and his two men. Mr. Liang first let out a light "huh", and it seemed a bit strange to see the prisoner walking in elegantly. But he couldn't say anything, so he brushed his mustache, sat crookedly on the small stool of the lawyer, took out the brush, licked it with his tongue, and dipped it in a little ink: "Is this Xia Shang, the young master of the Xia family?"

"Yes."

"Do you know why I sent you here today?"

"I know."

"Then why don't you tell the truth, how much silver have you hidden?"

"I haven't hidden a penny."

"Not hidden?" Lawyer Liang sneered, "Humph... Then where did you get the money for your recent lavish renovation at home?"

"Of course I earned it with my own ability."

"Earned? What ability can make so much money in such a short time?"

"A lot?" Xia Shang asked back.

Liang Shiye laughed back: "Not much? Just the construction of the new house, the labor and materials cost at least 300 taels, the furniture and ornaments purchased recently cost at least 600 taels, and the feasting in Hua Man Lou cost 200 to 300 taels. Let me ask you, are all these silver earned by you? How could you do it without hiding the money of the Xia family?"

"Are you making a fuss about a mere 1,000 taels of silver? Liang Shiye, you have been living in this county government for a long time and don't know the changes outside the county government. Xia, a humble man, earned 10,000 taels of gold in three days in Yangzhou City. Everyone in Yangzhou City knows it now! What is a mere 1,000 taels of silver? If you don't believe it, you can go to Yangzhou City to ask around." Liang Shiye paused: "You are such a sharp-tongued boy! I don't care what gold and silver you have. No matter how you earn it, it is ill-gotten gains. Today I will see that you will not cry until you enter the coffin. Wang Captain, give me a beating first!"

However, Captain Wang did not move, and asked: "Master, it is not appropriate to beat someone without knowing the truth. Besides, the three-day appointment between Mr. Xia and his wife has become a good story, which has spread all over Yangzhou City. I think it is not false."

"Master Wang!" Master Liang slammed the table, "What are you talking about?"

"What are you yelling about?" Xia Shang said in a low voice, "You are a small master, unknown, and Master Wang is a ninth-rank official, appointed by the court. How can you yell at Master Wang? If you try the case like this, won't the world be in chaos? Do you want to try the case or beat people? Is it your idea or that of Magistrate Chai? If you really want to open the court to announce the case, open the door at noon tomorrow, let the people of Yulin County listen, and let people all over the world come to discuss it."

Master Liang is also a man who can speak well, otherwise he would not have become a master. Normally, he is eloquent and can talk endlessly about everything, but today he met a very reasonable mouth cannon, and after a few words, he swallowed all his words.

"Don't stare at me, you are not qualified as a lawyer. Please invite County Magistrate Chai to come out, we will talk about it later."

"Hey!"

A sigh came from outside the side hall, and it was the county magistrate Chai Guan who came in.

He had been listening outside the house.

He didn't show up because he knew that the person in the room was a hot potato.

On one side is the prefect, and on the other side is General Qin. It is really difficult for him, a small county magistrate, to be caught in the middle.

Originally, he didn't want to show up, and wanted to rely on Master Liang to use a quick plan to prove Xia Shang's crime, so that even if someone from the Qin family showed up, they would not dare to go against Dahua Law Calendar.

But he didn't expect that the rumored playboy would leave like this, and Master Liang was choked by a few words and couldn't speak.

In this situation, I can't hide even if I want to.

As soon as Magistrate Chai appeared, the dark side hall seemed crowded. Without waiting for him to speak, Xia Shang smiled coldly: "This room is closed on all sides, bad luck can't leave, and fresh air can't come in. If you don't open the skylight, are you waiting for a disaster to come?"

This Magistrate Chai was born as the second place in the imperial examination. How could he not understand what Xia Shang meant?

"Open the window less, see less light, open your eyes less, and be bright in your heart."

"If you are bright in your heart, you should know that someone has died recently?"

"People die every day, so what if one or two more?"

"I'm afraid that the person who died is not an ordinary person... Let's wait and see if a disaster will come?"

Hearing this, Magistrate Chai was shocked and felt that this guy really knew something.

"Tell me where the disaster came from?"

"The recent death of a person, not to mention you, a small county magistrate, even a prefect can't afford it. I admire your state of mind. Such a big man died, and you still hope to bluff him. I'm afraid that the master has already been ordered to be a fish on the chopping board, waiting for someone to cut it."

Chai County Magistrate was shocked, thinking that this person might be talking about the mysterious master?

How did he know?

"Quick, quick, quick! Open the skylight, all of you get out."

This time, Chai County Magistrate really attracted attention. After the window was opened and everyone left the side hall, he spoke:

"Who are you? How do you know the details here?"

Xia Shang said nothing and threw something over.

Chai County Magistrate took it and looked at the wooden waist badge with the number "one" in the tiger's mouth. His face changed immediately and he sat down on the ground.

"Supervisory Supervisor...Master of the Supervisory Council!"