The government official was wearing an official robe and an official hat while sitting in the high hall. He raised his hand several times to wipe the thin layer of sweat off his forehead with a square handkerchief.
He was looking at the man who was standing in the hall with his hands behind his back.
Compared to the official's uneasiness, Cui Yun was extremely calm.
Madam Dong was usually high and mighty, but when it came to the court, she was more afraid than anyone else. She was a person close to Old Master Dong, and she knew best how many lives the Dong family had taken.
If he really wanted to be convicted…
At this moment, she was kneeling on the ground. The hard ground seemed to be emitting a chill that spread from her knees to her limbs and bones. Madam Dong trembled and helplessly tugged at Old Master Dong's sleeve.
The servants of the Dong Residence were so frightened that they did not even dare to breathe loudly. All of them curled up into a ball, trembling with fear.
Outside, there was a crowd of people watching the show.
"What crime did the Dong family commit?"
"I heard that they killed someone."
"What a joke! Why should the Dong family pay with their lives? That year, the son of the Dong family was greedy for women and killed an entire family in a fit of anger. He was still released without any problems. What's happened today?"
Soon, someone mentioned Cui Yun.
"That young master is really handsome. I heard that he was the one who reported the case."
Someone's eyes curled, and they said shyly, "If I had known that I would meet such a person, I wouldn't have gotten married."
Soon, she was spat at. "You could be his mother at your age!"
"What if he likes older girls like me?" The woman placed her hands on her hips.
Cui Yun acted as if he was not being spoken about. "Lord Liu, it's time for the interrogation." He looked up calmly.
Lord Liu quivered and knocked the table with the stone in his hand, showing his usual dignity.
"Do you admit that the prisoner has harmed people's lives?"
"I don't acknowledge that." Old Master Dong knelt down.
When Madam Dong heard this, she mustered up her courage and shouted, "Sir, how can you believe this person's one-sided story?"
As she spoke, she looked at Cui Yun fiercely.
"My husband eats vegetarian food and chants Buddha's verses. He's the most kind-hearted! Who would have thought that he would one day be arrested and treated as a villain? This is a false accusation!
"Although my Dong family is made up of merchants, we won't let anyone bully us!"
As she spoke, she was about to get up from the ground.
"Silence!"
The county magistrate reprimanded him.
Very quickly, the official forced her to kneel down again.
County Magistrate Liu said some righteous words.
"If you are not guilty, I will definitely prove your innocence. But if you are guilty, I will not let you off."
Old Master Dong said in a deep voice, "My Dong Residence and Tongzhi Residence…"
"How can I be overcautious when handling a case? With the magistrate here, I will definitely investigate thoroughly."
His attitude made Old Master Dong panic.
At this moment, there was a commotion outside.
Soon, a magistrate wearing a black gauze hat entered with a cold face.
Seeing this, the county magistrate subconsciously stood up and prepared to welcome him. In the next moment, his legs stiffened.
How could he, a magistrate, protect the person that the young duke wanted to punish?
In the past, he had to take the magistrate's attitude into account for everything, afraid that he would be made to suffer. But now, compared to the young duke, the magistrate was nothing!
His eyes turned calculative, and soon, he bowed respectfully.
"My Lord."
The magistrate put on airs and did not even look at the magistrate.
"In my opinion, this is a farce."
He was a fourth-rank official, and in Fengzhou, he was the local emperor.
He walked in front of Cui Yun. He asked in a deep and unfathomable voice.
"It's you who wants to punish the Dong family?"
Cui Yun was neither humble nor arrogant. He stood with his hands behind his back, like a pine tree or a crane.
"The court is not a place for flowery words. Everything is done according to the law."
The magistrate's expression was very bad.
If something really happened to the Dong Clan, it would be a slap to his face. Moreover, he was still counting on the silver that the Dong family presented to him every year.
However, under everyone's watchful eyes, he really could not take him away.
He flung his sleeves.
"Ignorant fellow!"
The county magistrate was twitching smugly!
Oh my god, oh my god! This old thing had actually mocked Young Marquis Cui, who inherited his title, for being ignorant.
He gave Young Marquis Cui no face!
The magistrate tried his best to control his facial expressions. He made a gesture of invitation. "Sir, since you're here, I'd like to ask you to interrogate him personally."
The position of the magistrate was above his. With the magistrate around, he naturally had nothing to do with the situation at hand.
Of course, he wanted to see the magistrate slap his face!
The magistrate gave a fake smile and said deliberately, "This official will listen."
County Magistrate Liu quickly got someone to bring a chair over. Only then did he return to his seat.
County Official Liu paid attention to Cui Yun at all times and cashed out all the professionalism points he had.
At this moment, the official presented something.
"My Lord, this was found in Dong Feng's room."
County Magistrate Liu glanced at it and was so frightened that he almost fell off his chair.
The crowd also exclaimed.
"What a sin! If he killed someone, so be it. But why did he chop off his head? "
"You're insane. You're still hiding such a bloody thing in the house. Don't tell me you're hugging it to sleep!"
"Sir, this matter has nothing to do with me." Old Master Dong's body trembled.
"Do you know this person?"
Old Master Dong's expression turned unnatural for a moment. "Yes... He's a feng shui master that I invited into my home."
"Did he have any conflict with you previously?"
"I haven't ever had a problem with him."
"Is his death related to you?"
"It's unrelated!"
The magistrate was getting impatient.
What kind of question was this? He should be convicted.
He put down the teacup in his hand and sneered. "Lord Liu."
As he spoke, he looked at Cui Yun.
"Everyone in the Dong family is kneeling down, but this person is standing here brazenly. How can you allow him to behave so atrociously in court? Why? Does he have bad knees?"
County Magistrate Liu was silent.
The people of the Marquis of Yangling's Manor did not have to have bad knees to avoid kneeling.
He thought about Young Master Cui kneeling down to him. With the Emperor's favor towards Cui Yun, even if he kneeled down to the magistrate, the magistrate could still bring his head to see the King of Hell.
"County Magistrate Liu likes this pretty boy. It's not appropriate."
The magistrate narrowed his eyes.
Cui Yun's aura was really extraordinary, but he had never heard of any big shot coming to Fengzhou!
"What do you mean, inappropriate!"
The magistrate continued. "The minister of the Supreme Court is currently in the third rank. He is one of the nine ministers and is highly favored by the Emperor. How can I accept this?"
"In terms of etiquette, My Lord, you didn't even bow to Lord Marquis just now."
The expression of ridicule on the magistrate's face stiffened.
Huh?
Before he could be dumbfounded, he heard Cui Yun say indifferently,
"Fengzhou Prefect's Lu Yuan was appointed to come here every nine years. It has been eight years since then, but his achievements have been mediocre and worrying, and it is difficult for him to advance in his official position. Do you know why?"
Lu Yuan's eyebrows twitched.
Cui Yun's brows were cold, and his words were neither fast nor slow.
"Since you are the keeper of the common people, you should be happy to be a gentleman and protect the commoners.
"Eliminate thieves and relieve the poor. It's up to you to finish the lawsuit.
"Lord Lu, the Dong family will probably be able to rest easy with you supporting them, right?"