Chapter 266 Black Clothes? Did You See It?
These vulgar and straightforward words made the magistrate and tongzhi freeze on the spot, unable to say a word. Bai Hu and Suzaku stared, holding back their laughter.
As for Tongpan, who was scolded by Zhao with his nose pointed at him, the corners of his mouth twitched crazily and he made no other movements for a long time.
After calming down for a moment, he asked intermittently: "Master Zhao, what is wrong with this...this...subordinate?"
Something wrong? Zhao looked at the aggrieved expression on his face and curled his lips mockingly. Zhao didn't even know what to say about this general judge. Can the confessions of several government servants convince the public?
Obviously not! I really can’t even pretend!
He waved to several people to gather them together. He lowered his voice and asked, "Don't tell me, you just tried a few government officials, right?"
Three of you, look at me and I look at you. Is there anything wrong with the trial officer? Block the news first, and then slowly make up the reasons. As long as it lasts long enough, the fake can become true.
"Is there any...is there any problem?"
Zhao was shocked and thought that these three people still thought it was okay! It seemed that he had come to Chuzhou right. If he left these three alone, there might be a lot of trouble!
He asked in a low voice: "No? You don't think that for such a big matter, the people will believe the one-sided words of a few government officials, right?"
After a pause, Zhao then asked: "Besides, even if the people believe it, what about the emperor? Will the emperor believe it? What if the emperor doesn't believe it?"
ah? The expressions of the three people changed drastically, especially the prefect. No wonder I always feel that my neck is chilly these days. It turns out it was an accident. I only remembered the imperial envoy and forgot about the emperor!
How careless! Fortunately, I didn't write it clearly in the booklet I submitted, so there is still room for change.
So he quickly asked: "Master Zhao, then, what should we do next? Who to arrest?"
Zhao waved his hand and corrected him with a smile: "It's not to arrest, it's to invite! Invite the people around the official warehouse to the Yamen for questioning. Remember, it's to invite!"
He smiled cheerfully, not to mention the three prefects, not even Suzaku and Baihu could understand what Zhao was trying to do.
But if you don't understand, you don't understand. The official level is overwhelming. The imperial envoy said so, so they just do it.
The prefect nodded and said, "Then I'll invite you over now?"
"Well, you know how to invite me, right?"
The prefect was asked about this, and he thought it was just a different explanation. How to invite? As usual, bring people to your door to arrest them!
Do those unscrupulous people still dare to come?
After hesitating for a moment, the prefect scratched his head and asked, "As usual, are you going to bring people to the door and invite them back in shackles?"
"Idiot!" Zhao almost jumped up in anger. How dare he say such a thing? Is this a please?
Why don’t you catch this damn thing!
He had no choice but to explain in a low voice: "The momentum must be loud. When you enter the door, give someone a tael of silver and say you just want to ask a few questions. Remember, your demeanor must be kind, your smile must be bright, and your posture must be low." "
"You can't put on airs, you can't show off your authority, you can't make threats, you can't say harsh words!"
"In short, we must treat them as our parents! If someone is following us, we must let them in generously! Do you understand?"
At this level, if you don't understand the prefect anymore, you will be a fool. He nodded quickly and promised: "Don't worry, sir, I will go in person and all the money will be credited to me!"
ah? this! Zhao was a little surprised, bro, how greedy have you been? Are you rushing to spend money?
Maybe it was because he had a lot of money, that was all Zhao could think. He waved his hand and said, "Go back quickly. I'll go to the Yamen to get ready first."
"good!"
The two people separated, and Zhao kept adjusting his facial expressions on the carriage without even saying a few words.
When I arrived at the Yamen, not long after I changed into my official uniform, a servant came to report. The person who was said to have been brought back was in the lobby, followed by a bunch of people watching the fun.
He casually responded with "Okay" and sent everyone off. He called Suzaku and asked her to stay in the room and not go out, while he took Bai Hu and walked toward the lobby.
Some distance away, the noise of the crowd was heard. Zhao was not annoyed, he just adjusted his expression and made sure it was correct before stepping into the lobby.
Before the others could react, Zhao hurriedly stepped forward and held someone's hand, "Fathers and fellow villagers, you have suffered! The emperor heard that someone in Chuzhou set fire to the official warehouse, and immediately sent me over to investigate. . Just to uncover the evildoers and restore peace to Chuzhou!”
After saying this, Zhao was not in a hurry to interrogate him, but first expressed his condolences to the people, asking them how their family was doing, whether their life was going well, and whether they were in good health.
After asking various questions, he sat back on the main seat and asked in a gentle voice: "Big guy, has anyone seen what the man who set fire to the official warehouse looks like?"
Several families in the hall shook their heads and said "I didn't see it". They were the families living around Guancang.
"Well, it seems that the gangster has some skills." Zhao nodded, turned around and ordered: "Record it in the record."
Then he asked: "Did you see anyone coming out of the official warehouse before the fire?"
They still shook their heads.
"Still a master! It's on record."
After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Does any of you know when the fire started?"
This time everyone in the hall nodded, but the time of reply was different. Some said it was at the end of Haishi, some said it was halfway through Zishi, and some said it was the end of Zishi and the beginning of Choushi.
In short, the range is between the end of Haishi and the beginning of Choushi. When Zhao heard this time range, he frowned and his eyes gradually became serious. He had entered the official warehouse and knew that there was a changing of guard during this period.
From the looks of it, maybe someone really set the fire!
In the noisy crowd, a childish voice rang out, "No, no, you are all wrong. The fire started shortly after the third drum beat!"
Upon hearing such an accurate time, Zhao turned his head instantly, slapped the table and shouted: "Quiet down, everyone! Who just said that there was a fire after the third drum beat?"
The crowd quieted down, and a woman came out with a child in her arms. She said fearfully, "Sir, it was a foolish girl who said this. Her childish words are unbridled. Please forgive me."
But Zhao ignored the woman's words, walked to the child, knelt down, and asked gently: "Tong'er, tell your uncle, how do you know that the fire started after the third drumbeat, okay?"
"Okay!" The child nodded crisply and said, "When I got up at night, I happened to hear the sound of the midnight drum. When I went back after peeing, I saw several adults jumping out of the wall through the crack in the door, and then Someone shouted a fire."
oh? Zhao curled his lips and asked, "How many adults are there? What are they wearing?"
"Black clothes!"
What a coincidence? Zhao nodded, "Black clothes? Did you see them?"
The child nodded childishly and said stubbornly: "I saw it! There were seven of them, all wearing black clothes and with black faces. They stood for a while in the alley without lanterns opposite my house."
Zhao was overjoyed, took out a few taels of silver from his arms, put it in the child's hand, touched his head and said, "Take it, go buy pen, ink, paper and inkstone!"
"This boy will be the number one scholar in the future!"