Can a System Have Bad Intentions? - Chapter 115

The servant trembled as he knelt, licking his dry lips and turning to look at Xie Jin with undisguised fear in his eyes.

“Young Master, it’s time to admit it. You kidnapped the eldest grandson of the Du family to force them to change their testimony. They reported it, and the authorities have already rescued him and caught you red-handed. We can’t argue our way out of this.”

As soon as the servant finished speaking, it was as if Xie Jin’s father had been struck by a massive axe. His mother rolled her eyes and fainted.

The murmuring from outside grew louder.

The prefect, seated high above, slapped the table and shouted, “Bring them in!”

Immediately, the constables brought in three strong men.

Someone in the crowd recognized one of them as Xie Jin’s family’s driver.

The three men were tightly bound and were forced to kneel as they reached the court.

“Did you kidnap Du Zhongming’s eldest grandson?” the prefect asked coldly.

The three men confessed in unison.

“Who ordered you?”

“The Second Young Master.”

Xie Jin lunged forward in madness, “Lies! When did I ever order you? Lies, all lies!”

His immense anger and fear made him lose all reason and composure.

However, before he could get off the ground, a constable pinned him down.

The prefect, with a stern face, looked at the three men. “Why did Xie Jin order you to kidnap Du Zhongming’s grandson?”

Xie Jin panted heavily in rage.

The three men didn’t dare look at him and only kept their heads down. “The Second Young Master wanted the Du family to change their testimony. He was afraid they wouldn’t cooperate, so he kidnapped Du Zhongming’s grandson to threaten them.”

“So, before the incident, you kidnapped Du Zhongming’s grandson to force a change in testimony? And Xie Jin did this to frame Lu Tang?”

The evidence and witnesses were irrefutable.

The prefect slammed the table. “Lu Tang, for your bravery and righteousness, you are acquitted and awarded one hundred silver taels as a reward. Xie Jin, for attempting murder, instigating a kidnapping, and trying to alter testimony, you are sentenced to prison. The accomplices will also be imprisoned. Court is adjourned!”

“I am innocent! You can’t sentence me! You corrupt official, worse than a pig or dog! Father, save me! Father~”

Dragged away by the constables, Xie Jin screamed in madness.

After the initial shock and rage, Xie Jin’s father calmed down, ordered his wife to be taken home, and rushed to the back gate of the prefecture.

“Please inform the prefect that I wish to see him.”

He slipped a roll of banknotes into the guard’s hand, politely pleading.

However, the guard refused bluntly, “The case has been publicly judged. The people of Yuhang are all watching. It’s best for you to give up. Our lord is not a corrupt official who would accept bribes to change a verdict.”

Xie Jin’s father, frustrated and angry, pulled out another roll of banknotes. “Please…”

The guard shoved him away. “This is the prefecture! You can’t just bribe your way in!”

With that, the guard shut the door in his face.

Failing to bribe the prefect, Xie Jin’s father fumed in anger, his chest hurting. He shouted, “Tell the prefect our Xie family has connections in the court. If he dares to sentence my son, he won’t keep his position!”

After yelling this threat, he waited for a long time but received no response.

Unable to meet the prefect, he angrily kicked a stone outside the door and then went to the prison to see his son.

But the jailer refused, stating that visits were not allowed until the final verdict was issued. No matter how much money Xie Jin’s father offered, the jailer did not relent.

Left with no choice, he went home.

When he arrived, Xie Jin’s mother was awake, crying anxiously. Seeing him return, she rushed over without putting on her shoes. “How did it go?”

Xie Jin’s father, furious, threw a cup on the ground to vent his anger. “The prefect refused to see me. I couldn’t even see Jin’er. This means he is determined to convict Jin’er.”

Xie Jin’s mother almost fainted again. “What do we do?”

Xie Jin’s father sat down, his face dark. “What to do? If he doesn’t let us off, he won’t have it easy either. This is about using Jin’er against us. As if he is worthy!”

He called a trusted aide. “Go to Qingshui County and invite Lord Huang immediately.”

The aide hurried off.

After he left, Xie Jin’s mother, still uneasy, asked, “Why is the prefect targeting our family?”

Xie Jin’s father gritted his teeth. “It doesn’t matter why. He will learn what it means to fall into a trap!”

Xie Jin’s mother: “Are we the trap?”

Uh! That’s not important.

She quickly returned to the main issue. “What do we do now? We can’t see Jin’er. What if he is tortured in prison? Should we go to Father? The prefect might not see you, but he would see Father. Every festival, he visits Father.”

Xie Jin’s father drank a cup of tea and then went to see Xie Chengnian.

Xie Chengnian’s courtyard was much more modest compared to his, adding to Xie Jin’s father’s annoyance.

It’s not like we don’t have money. Why live so poorly? It’s embarrassing!

Cursing internally, he walked through the courtyard to Xie Chengnian’s room. “Father?”

The courtyard was silent.

Not home?

He called again, “Father, are you in?”

Still no response.

He kicked open the door to Xie Chengnian’s sleeping quarters, holding his nose as he walked in.

The room was empty.

He went out, heading to the study. However, he found the study door locked.

Xie Chengnian always locked his study when he left. Despite the shabbiness of his home, he took great care of his books.

Frustrated, Xie Jin’s father went home.

Meanwhile, in the prefect’s prison.

Lu Tang was brought back to his cell by a jailer. “You have one quarter-hour.”

The jailer left after saying this.

Lu Tang smiled at Zhou Jing. Now close enough, she could finally see his face clearly.

Before the incident, this man looked kind and gentle.

“Uncle, I’ve been released today. It was fate that we met here. Do you have any messages for your family? I’m here just for a visit and will leave in a few days. Before I go, tell me if there’s anything you want to be done.”