Chapter 1246: Like a Roaring Drum

Zhang Weiyu said coldly, "This official wants to see how much preparation Jiang Wang has made for this day and what evidence you can produce!"

In front of so many people, he certainly couldn't refuse Dugu Xiao from producing evidence.

He also didn't believe that this loyal servant, who was completely devoted to Jiang Wang, could really produce any evidence to help Jiang Wang out of his predicament.

But he still cautiously added the phrase "Jiang Wang's preparation," leaving himself an opening to destroy this evidence.

Just as Dugu Xiao was about to speak, Chong Xuan Sheng reached out and stopped her.

This young master from a top noble family looked at Zhang Weiyu and said very seriously, "According to Sir Zhang's meaning today, our Great Qi's national prodigy is secretly colluding with the Diaohai Building?"

"I need to correct two of your mistakes," Zhang Weiyu said. "First, Jiang Wang is indeed a national prodigy, but he is not the only one. Second, whether he colludes with the Diaohai Building is not based on my opinion, but on the evidence. I can neither control Jiang Wang nor interfere with the Diaohai Building; I am merely enforcing the law impartially."

Even in a position of advantage, Zhang Weiyu was extremely cautious.

Perhaps his only "incautiousness" in leading this search mission to Qingyang Town was holding that protective talisman, which resulted in him owing a huge debt.

"You really do get stronger the more you're defeated," Chong Xuan Sheng shook his head and chuckled, then asked, "The court has a voice this time to investigate Qingyang Town, investigating whether Jiang Wang is connected to the remnants of the Yang family, and also his ties with the Kingdom of Equality and the Hell Without Doors, focusing on these three. Is it in accordance with the rules for you to bring up the Diaohai Building now?"

Zhang Weiyu looked at Ma Xiong in surprise: "Constable Ma, if you're investigating someone for theft, and you don't find evidence of theft but instead find evidence of murder, does that make it not in accordance with the rules? Would your Northern Office let this person go because of that?"

Ma Xiong stammered, as if this question was very thought-provoking.

And Chong Xuan Sheng didn't let him struggle for too long, taking over the conversation: "In other words, Sir Zhang, you believe that Jiang Wang has no connection with the remnants of the Yang family, the Kingdom of Equality, or the Hell Without Doors. His true identity is actually a secret agent of the Diaohai Building. Is that correct?"

"I'll say it again," Zhang Weiyu said indifferently, "It's not what I believe. It's what the evidence shows."

"Then what about those rumors in Linzi?" Chong Xuan Sheng asked.

Zhang Weiyu said, "Who knows? Perhaps they were a cover?"

Chong Xuan Sheng clapped his hands: "The evidence investigated by Sir Zhang Weiyu, Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel, shows that those rumors in Linzi were all a cover-up, and that the remnants of the Yang family, the Kingdom of Equality, and the Hell Without Doors were all false hypotheses. Jiang Wang is actually colluding with the Diaohai Building!"

Zhang Weiyu only said, "Let's speak with evidence."

"Very well!" Chong Xuan Sheng clapped his hands and sighed, looking at Dugu Xiao: "Prefect Dugu, as Sir Zhang said, let's speak with evidence!"

Dugu Xiao looked up at the sky and said, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen. My evidence is currently on its way and should arrive here in about half an hour."

"Haha, then this official will wait and see."

Zhang Weiyu was too lazy to pay attention to their blustering. He grabbed Fan Qingqing by the hair and dragged her into the Hall of Rectification, saying, "Constable Ma, since there's still half an hour, why don't we ask some questions first?"

Chong Xuan Sheng's face was expressionless as he also walked towards the hall, followed closely by Shisi.

Ma Xiong, Dugu Xiao, Zhang Hai, and Zhang Weiyu's two subordinates also entered the hall.

Zhang Weiyu casually threw Fan Qingqing onto the ground and sat down in the left seat.

At this moment, Dugu Xiao stepped towards the back hall.

One of Zhang Weiyu's subordinates followed behind her, keeping a close eye on her.

But Dugu Xiao made no secret movements. In a short while, she came back out, carrying a specially made large chair, which she placed in the upper seat. She whispered to Chong Xuan Sheng, "My lord said that after this hall is built, he will invite friends here. Among them is a close friend who is very wealthy and cannot sit on ordinary chairs... so we specially prepared this one and do not usually use it."

Chong Xuan Sheng looked at her and snorted, "Was that your idea? That brat is not that considerate!"

But he had already walked up and sat down comfortably.

He turned to Shisi and said, "Jiang Wang found a good housekeeper, didn't he?"

Shisi, covered in black armor, nodded in agreement.

Zhang Weiyu was too lazy to pay attention to them, only looking at Fan Qingqing, who was curled up on the ground. His tone was softened: "Shall we continue with the previous questions, all right?"

At this time, Fan Qingqing was weak, with disheveled hair and a dark face. She said miserably, "I don't know what the lord wants to know."

She should certainly know, but Zhang Weiyu certainly wouldn't say it directly.

Smart people should have the tacit understanding of smart people.

Zhang Weiyu only said, "Just say what you did. Don't hide anything, don't embellish anything."

Fan Qingqing was silent for a moment, then said, "I was originally an elder of the Five Immortal Sect on Youxia Island overseas. Later, my sect was destroyed by evil people, and I could only hide. Fortunately, Lord Jiang Wang took me in, so I came to Qi with the hope of protection."

Zhang Weiyu interrupted, "What is your relationship with Jiang Wang, and why did he take you in?"

Fan Qingqing said slowly, "We met because of a sea beast out of control incident. At that time, Lord Jiang, in order to save a ship full of ordinary people, took action to kill the out of control sea beast of the Furious Whale Gang, and I, on behalf of the Five Immortal Sect, was going to that sea area to investigate the situation. Touched by his uprightness and kindness, I took the initiative to make friends with him.

Later, after the Five Immortal Sect was destroyed, I was frightened and uneasy, hiding everywhere. I happened to meet Lord Jiang Wang again. He pitied my plight and, seeing that my cultivation was acceptable and I had some experience as an elder, took me under his command."

This was clearly not the answer Zhang Weiyu wanted.

Fan Qingqing's answer at this moment was clear and logical, but subtly different from her attitude in the Qingyang Town hall earlier.

At that time, she was distancing herself from Jiang Wang, but now she was subtly expressing gratitude.

Was it because she was hoping for the evidence Dugu Xiao mentioned, believing that Jiang Wang could turn things around, and was intimidated by Chong Xuan Sheng's power, thus not daring to bite?

Zhang Weiyu remained noncommittal: "Continue."

Fan Qingqing had clearly thought it through and said, "After I came to Qi, I had a period of peace and was able to recover from the sadness of my sect's destruction. But Qingyang Town is too small, with limited development space and almost no cultivation resources. Lord Jiang Wang also rarely returned to his fief, so we didn't have much time together. The person he trusted most was always Dugu Xiao. Later, people from the Diaohai Building contacted me, and I was momentarily infatuated with greed, so I agreed to exchange information for corresponding cultivation resources..."

Zhang Weiyu smiled. This old woman, who could change her tune so quickly, seemed to have nothing to do with Jiang Wang at all according to her story!

"How did the people from the Diaohai Building contact you without Jiang Wang knowing? Can Jiang Wang not even see clearly what the people under him are doing? You're somewhat slandering our Great Qi's national prodigy!"

"No, it's not like that," Fan Qingqing shook her head and said, "Behind the Five Immortal Sect in earlier years stood a practical elder of the Diaohai Building. This can be investigated. Therefore, I have always had a channel to communicate with the Diaohai Building, and they contacted me through this channel. As for Lord Jiang, he doesn't spend even one day a year in Qingyang Town, so it's indeed difficult for him to know what I'm doing."

The more she spoke, the more innocent Jiang Wang seemed.

Zhang Weiyu vaguely felt as if he had gone in the wrong direction, but at this point, he couldn't turn back.

"You'd better think clearly before you speak."

He said in a deep voice, "Fan Qingqing, you haven't been tortured yet. I want to give you a chance. Understand?"

Zhang Weiyu said he was letting Ma Xiong investigate, threatening to make Ma Xiong display the methods of the Green Badge, but in fact, he was asking the questions himself, clearly not trusting Ma Xiong either.

"What?" Chong Xuan Sheng, sitting in the special chair, spoke up, "Sir Zhang wants to extort a confession through torture? Why bother! How about this, whatever you want Fan Qingqing to say, just write it down on a note and let her read it. Wouldn't that make everyone happy?"

"Young Master Chong Xuan misunderstands," Zhang Weiyu said indifferently, "Some criminals may be holding onto hope. I'm just telling her to face reality."

He continued to look at Fan Qingqing and said slowly, "Look at him showing off here, relying on the legacy of his ancestors, as if he's very capable. But do you see him stopping this search? Do you know what it means for a fief to be searched? He can't even protect Jiang Wang, do you think he can protect you? If you bear everything alone, what do you think your outcome will be?"

It wasn't that he wanted to interrogate her in front of Chong Xuan Sheng, but that he simply couldn't have a private space to interrogate her alone.

Although Jiang Wang had only been in Linzi for two years, he was no longer a rootless wanderer.

Leaving aside the pressure exerted by Chong Xuan Sheng and the subtle protection from the upper echelons of the Northern Office, even Li Zhenshu, a scholar of the Eastern Flower, had mentioned to Chen Fu, an advisor of the court, that the case should be handled fairly.

With so many people supporting him and so many eyes watching, it was impossible to fabricate false evidence or force a confession through torture.

The information in the Hall of Rectification was true, and Fan Qingqing's transmission of information to the Diaohai Building was also true. There was no reason for Jiang Wang's collusion with the Diaohai Building not to be true!

He had to dig up this clue about Fan Qingqing and not let go of this person.

He was very sure that Fan Qingqing was just a scapegoat and the mastermind behind the scenes must be Jiang Wang. What he had to do was break Fan Qingqing's侥幸心理 and let her know who could save her.

"Oh my. Are you trying to induce a confession in front of me?" Chong Xuan Sheng turned to Ma Xiong and asked, "Constable Ma, is this inducing a confession?"

"Uh..." This experienced Green Badge constable from the Northern Office fell into difficult thought again.

This question seemed even more troublesome than deciding what to eat for lunch.

Zhang Weiyu spread his hands: "I'm just helping her face reality so that she doesn't think that in Qi, some aristocratic families can cover the sky with one hand. Removing external factors that influence testimony, I don't think I should be blamed."

"If you think this method of interrogation is also normal..." Chong Xuan Sheng was surprisingly easy to talk to this time, he just raised his hand: "You continue."

This cast a shadow over Zhang Weiyu's heart.

But he couldn't back down.

Instead, he took the opportunity to say to Fan Qingqing, "Did you hear? Now, describe the facts properly, and it's not impossible to atone for your crimes."

Fan Qingqing said mournfully, "My lord, every word I say is true. A part of the extraordinary power defense map of Rizhao Commandery was plotted by me little by little through exploration, and a part was information I bought from others privately. I can hand over the list of buyers and sellers... Every time there was any information, I would put it here. People from Diaohai Building would come to retrieve the information every fifteen days."

Putting the information in the chair in the Hall of Rectification seemed very risky, but in fact, it was extremely safe.

Because of the special nature of the Hall of Rectification, no one would usually come here when Jiang Wang was not present.

And Jiang Wang basically lived in Linzi for a long time, and every time he returned to his fief, he would come and go in a hurry.

Hiding it here was safer than any other place in Qingyang Town.

Fan Qingqing continued, "It is my deserved punishment that my lord discovered this matter. But no one else in the entire Qingyang Town knew about it."

"Alright, you don't need to say anymore," Zhang Weiyu raised his hand, feeling very annoyed.

The person in front of him was determined to bear all the blame, and it was meaningless to ask further. Limited by the pressure from Chong Xuan Sheng and others, he couldn't use other methods.

"There's still time," Chong Xuan Sheng, who was beside him, said with a half-smile, "Why isn't Sir Zhang asking anymore?"

"Do you think you've already won?" Zhang Weiyu said, "Can what she said, trying to completely clear Jiang Wang of any connection, convince anyone? I absolutely don't believe that Jiang Wang was completely unaware of this!"

Chong Xuan Sheng said indifferently, "If you think she's lying, you can report it to the court and ask Sir Chen Fu to personally search her soul."

Fan Qingqing's body trembled, and a look of horror appeared on her face.

Zhang Weiyu glanced at her disdainfully and said indifferently, "Automatically erasing relevant memories in the soul before soul search methods are applied... This method is not unfamiliar to you and me, and it's not difficult for the Diaohai Building either. Want to use my hand to help Jiang Wang erase the evidence of his crime? You're underestimating me!"

Chong Xuan Sheng sighed, "It's really the heart of a villain judging the heart of a gentleman."

Zhang Weiyu glanced at his belly: "Your gentleman's belly is quite large, it seems it can hold all sorts of messy things."

"That's right," Chong Xuan Sheng chuckled, "For example, some people's envy, jealousy, and powerless anger."

"Haha!" Zhang Weiyu took the opportunity to say to Fan Qingqing, "Did you see? What are you?! You think you're loyal and protecting your master, but who cares about you? It doesn't matter if your soul is searched. Do you still think you'll be protected?"

Fan Qingqing lowered her eyes, her expression complex.

Zhang Weiyu said, "Think clearly, then you can speak again. If you can't think clearly, you don't need to say anything."

He was almost explicitly telling Fan Qingqing to produce evidence of Jiang Wang's collusion with the Diaohai Building in exchange for her own escape.

But for Fan Qingqing, where would she have evidence? Jiang Wang was indeed unaware of this matter!

Unless...

She slandered him on the spot!

And she could be sure that even if Zhang Weiyu saw through her slander, he would help her perfect the details.

But she couldn't help but think...

What was Chong Xuan Sheng trying to do?

Why did this seemingly kind but actually extremely terrifying胖子 say the words "soul search" so casually and show no concern for her, let alone any struggle?

It seemed... he was waiting for her to slander him!

Fan Qingqing thought and thought, and finally remained silent.

Thus, this Hall of Rectification fell into a strange silence.

Chong Xuan Sheng looked at the outside of the hall with some boredom. Shisi behind him walked to the window and pushed open the window of this hall—

From the distant mountains to the nearby fields, from the horizon to the ears. All things in the mundane world were like beating drums, and all things in nature were at ease.

So the wind blew through the bamboo waves, rustling into sound.

The people in the hall listened in silence to the righteous sound.