The jailer, Song De, lowered his head and stammered, "N-no... it wasn't!"
"Oh? So they must have had an official order to enter?" Wei Changle mused. "The former magistrate has gone missing, and I've just taken over. During this period, the county magistrate's duties naturally fell to the assistant magistrate. So if there was an order from the assistant magistrate, it would make sense for them to enter the prison."
"No!" The assistant magistrate, Ding Sheng, replied firmly, cupping his hands in respect. "Your Honor, I never issued such an order. I had no idea these people would enter the prison tonight. I plead guilty to negligence and await your punishment."
Wei Changle raised an eyebrow. "Not the assistant magistrate's order? Then perhaps it was the registrar, Jiang Yun...?"
"Your Honor, I certainly did not issue such an order," Jiang Yun, the registrar, immediately interjected. "Moreover, even if I had, it wouldn't grant access to the prison. I don't have that authority." He gestured to the other officials standing nearby. "Everyone here was able to enter because we received your official appointment notice and dared not delay, so we came under the assistant magistrate's lead to pay our respects. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't be allowed in."
Wei Changle nodded. "Good, that clears things up." He glanced at Song De and asked, "Jailer Song, if I recall correctly, it was you who led them in earlier, wasn't it?"
Song De trembled as he replied, "Yes, but... but I was following orders...!"
"Orders?"
"Your Honor," Song De gritted his teeth and looked up. "It was Constable Wang who approached me and told me to let them in."
Wei Changle leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "I had a feeling you'd say that. Now that Constable Wang is missing, you can just pin the blame on him, huh?"
"I wouldn't dare deceive you, Your Honor," Song De said.
"Even if Constable Wang did approach you, don't you understand the rules of the prison?" Wei Changle snorted. "Since when does a constable have the authority to order a jailer around? Does he have the right to let people into the prison?"
Song De replied, "I was foolish. Constable Wang leads the patrol unit, and I... I didn't dare offend him."
Wei Changle turned to the members of the Five Immortals Society and asked, "Tu Hai, what do you have to say?"
Tu Hai didn't dare look up. "It... it was Constable Wang who let us in. He... he took ten taels of silver from me and told me to... to teach you a lesson. As long as no one died, we could... do whatever we wanted."
"He approached you first?"
"Yes," Tu Hai said. "He came to us. He's a constable, and we didn't dare disobey his orders. Whatever he told us to do, we... we had to do it."
Wei Changle laughed. "Well, well, now that Constable Wang is missing, he can shoulder all the blame." His expression darkened. "But your story doesn't add up. If he wanted to teach me a lesson, he had plenty of men under him. Why would he need you? Even if he did approach you, he should have been paying you to do his dirty work, not the other way around."
Tu Hai clenched his teeth and said, "I don't know. All I know is... we were following Constable Wang's orders. We're just common folk, illiterate and ignorant of the law. We don't know who's allowed in the prison and who isn't. If Constable Wang gave us orders, we had no choice but to obey."
"Your Honor," Jiang Yun, the registrar, suddenly interjected, "I also believe these people wouldn't dare act so boldly on their own. Since Jailer Song also claims it was Constable Wang who ordered this, the key to this case lies with Constable Wang. Now that he's missing, the suspect isn't here, and we can't proceed with the trial. Perhaps we should send someone to find Constable Wang first and confront him face-to-face once he's found?"
Wei Changle glanced at Jiang Yun and retorted, "Registrar Jiang, if Constable Wang remains missing and is never found, does that mean this case can't be tried?"
"Not necessarily," Jiang Yun replied awkwardly, bowing slightly. "However, breaking into the prison is a capital offense. If Constable Wang is the mastermind, then these people are merely accomplices. They were coerced, so while they are guilty, their crimes may not warrant the death penalty."
Wei Changle said, "I've just taken office, and I can't let this first case fizzle out. This first case must be thoroughly investigated, no matter what."
The officials exchanged uneasy glances, unsure what the young magistrate had in store next.
"Tu Hai's testimony doesn't hold up under scrutiny," Wei Changle said, pointing at Tu Hai. "This man is clearly lying to me. Without resorting to punishment, he's unlikely to confess. Moreover, he led a group of thugs into the prison with the intent to harm me. If you hadn't arrived in time, my limbs would have been broken. By the way, Tu Hai, where's the dagger you were holding earlier?"
Tu Hai had been dreading this question. His heart sank, and he remained silent, face pressed to the ground.
"Zhinü, help him find it."
Zhinü walked over without hesitation. He first searched Tu Hai's body but found no dagger. After checking two more men, he finally retrieved a dagger from one of their robes.
"Hiding a weapon? Bold!" Wei Changle stood up and slowly walked over to the man. He took the dagger from Zhinü and lightly ran his finger along the blade. Suddenly, with a swift motion, he plunged the dagger into the man's shoulder.
The man let out a blood-curdling scream as Wei Changle pulled the dagger out. Blood gushed from the wound, and the man collapsed to the ground, clutching his shoulder and howling in pain.
Everyone in the room was stunned.
"Look at this dagger—so sharp." Wei Changle crouched in front of Tu Hai and asked, "Ninth Master Tu, did you bring this dagger to kill me?"
Tu Hai trembled and stammered, "N-no... never! It was just for self-defense!"
"Still stubborn, huh?" Wei Changle shook his head and ordered, "It seems we'll have to resort to punishment after all." He turned to Ding Sheng, the assistant magistrate, and said, "Assistant Magistrate Ding, fetch a few bailiffs who are skilled at administering the rod."
Before Ding Sheng could respond, a voice from outside interrupted, "Your Honor, there were no cases scheduled for today, so the bailiffs have already been dismissed. If you wish to use torture to extract a confession, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until tomorrow."
As the voice spoke, a man walked in from outside.
He was in his forties, with a broad, muscular build and a thick, needle-like beard. His heavy footsteps indicated he was no ordinary man. A half-finger-long scar ran down his left cheek, stark against his dark complexion, making him look even more menacing.
"Your humble servant, Hou Tong, the Registrar of Shanyin, greets Your Honor!"
He took a few steps forward and gave a slight bow to Wei Changle, but he did not kneel or kowtow.
"Ah, Registrar Hou!" Wei Changle stood up. "I heard you were unwell. Are you feeling better?"
Hou Tong replied calmly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Honor. I'm fine."
"I need to use punishment to interrogate the suspects. You just called it 'torture to extract a confession.' Care to explain?"
Hou Tong said, "That was a slip of the tongue. However, the bailiffs have already been dismissed for the day, so there's no one to administer the punishment."
"No matter." Wei Changle walked over, picked up a bamboo rod that the Five Immortals Society members had brought, and handed it to Hou Tong. "Registrar Hou, as the head of the three divisions, you must be quite skilled at administering the rod. Why don't you handle this?"
"Although I'm feeling better, I haven't fully regained my strength," Hou Tong said, standing straight and meeting Wei Changle's gaze without flinching. "Administering the rod requires precision—too hard or too soft, and it won't be effective. It's best to wait until tomorrow."
Wei Changle said, "So even if I want to use punishment, I have to wait for Registrar Hou to schedule it?"
"If Your Honor has someone who can administer the punishment now, of course, you can proceed immediately," Hou Tong replied, showing no sign of deference. "Otherwise, we'll have to wait until tomorrow."
Wei Changle laughed. "Without a butcher, must we eat hairy pigs?" Suddenly, he spun around and kicked Tu Hai in the back of the head.
Tu Hai fell forward, face-first onto the ground. Before he could react, Wei Changle raised the bamboo rod and, without a word, brought it down hard on the back of Tu Hai's knees.
"Crack!"
The sound was sharp, and Tu Hai let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.
Hou Tong's face turned pale, and he raised his hand as if to stop Wei Changle, but he hesitated and slowly lowered it.
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
Two more strikes, and with a loud snap, the bamboo rod broke in half.
"So flimsy?" Wei Changle tossed the broken rod aside, and Zhinü obediently handed him another.
Just as Wei Changle was about to strike again, he noticed something. He walked over, grabbed Tu Hai's hair, and lifted his head. Tu Hai's face was deathly pale, his eyes tightly shut, and his teeth clenched. He had already passed out from the pain.
Wei Changle shook his head and said nonchalantly, "So fragile. How am I supposed to conduct a trial like this?"
"Your Honor broke both his legs with just three strikes," Hou Tong said. "Truly impressive!"
"Just average," Wei Changle said, tossing the bamboo rod aside. "Registrar Hou, two things. First, detain these men and find Wang Kui so I can continue the trial. Second, gather all the bailiffs and search for Constable Wang immediately. The Five Immortals Society broke into the government prison with the intent to commit violence, and this directly implicates Constable Wang. He's definitely still in the city and won't get far. Please apprehend him as soon as possible."
"Second Master, the horses...!" Zhinü reminded from behind, still fixated on the three steeds.
Wei Changle smiled. "Ah, yes, and the three horses. Thank you, Registrar Hou!"
[--------------------------------------------]
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