Can a System Have Bad Intentions? - Chapter 79

The gavel slammed down, and Magistrate Zhao glared angrily at Zhao Dahu.

“You hold a grudge against the Qiao family because of Lu Deren, so you bribed these two to frame the Qiao family? Fine. Then tell me, where did you get that powder that causes fake death?”

There was no way such a thing could exist in a small town like Sihui.

Ever since Lu Deren had been arrested, Magistrate Zhao had been interrogating him about the mountain bandits. But Lu Deren kept claiming he was innocent, making Magistrate Zhao almost believe him.

Now, Zhao Dahu appeared out of nowhere!

Clenching his fist tightly, Magistrate Zhao’s gaze at Zhao Dahu could have frozen him.

If Zhao Dahu did this for Lu Deren, then there must be someone even more powerful behind them both! How else could Zhao Dahu have obtained such a rare powder?

Facing the magistrate’s raging fury, Zhao Dahu was momentarily stunned.

Sure, he had framed the Qiao family, but did it warrant such a look as if he had desecrated the magistrate’s ancestors?

Could it be that the magistrate had some connection with the Qiao family?

Zhao Dahu’s mind raced, but he replied with the rehearsed answer, “I bought the medicine from a traveling doctor.”

The magistrate slammed the table again, “Nonsense! Someone, bring out the torture tools!”

As he roared in anger, the magistrate suddenly remembered that the Attendant Minister was still present. Hastily, he turned to see the official’s reaction, only to find that Minister Feng remained impassive.

Relieved, Magistrate Zhao watched as the yamen runners brought the tools and clamped Zhao Dahu’s ten fingers. As the pressure increased, Zhao Dahu’s fingers began to bleed.

Zhao Dahu always thought of himself as tough.

But faced with the excruciating pain, he couldn’t endure for even two seconds before howling, “To hell with it! Yu Shunhai, I don’t want your one thousand taels of silver! I can’t spend it if I’m dead!”

His quick confession shocked Magistrate Zhao.

Couldn’t he hold out a bit longer? Most men would at least endure for the time it took to brew a cup of tea!

Waving his hand, the magistrate signaled for the torture to stop. His eyes moved from Yu Shunhai to Zhao Dahu.

The torture devices still clamped on Zhao Dahu’s fingers, causing his whole body to shiver with pain. The sturdy man wept with tears and snot running down his face.

“My son works in the capital and was proposed a marriage. He wanted to buy a house in the capital, and Yu Shunhai approached me, saying if I helped him, he’d give me one thousand taels of silver.”

Yu Shunhai, trembling on his knees, looked pale and terrified.

Magistrate Zhao snorted coldly, “Continue!”

“Yu Shunhai told me that once the deed was done, no one would trace it back to me. He said everyone in Sihui drinks at the Yunyang Restaurant, so they could testify that the restaurant’s wine was fine. If someone died at the Qiao Family Inn, it would be the inn’s problem, and the Qiao family wouldn’t be able to defend themselves.”

But who could have guessed that the Qiao Family Inn never touched the wine from Yunyang Restaurant?

And who could have guessed that the Ministry of Justice official would arrive right after the death?

And to top it off, who could have guessed that he would be judged for fake death?

Even after he confessed, prepared to serve three years in prison, the magistrate still used torture on him!

Why not just convict him directly?

It hurt so much! Boo hoo!

Trembling, Zhao Dahu continued, “I don’t know those father and son. They were arranged by Yu Shunhai. He said that even if things went wrong, I’d only serve three years, but my son would have one thousand taels to buy a house and marry.”

Magistrate Zhao slammed the gavel again, “What do you have to say?”

The son hadn’t expected that he and his father had risked their lives for just two hundred taels, while this man received a thousand! Feeling wronged, he glanced at Zhao Dahu, “I have nothing to say. It was indeed this man who gave me the powder and silver. He said the powder would cause death after being mixed into the wine, and three hours later, the person would wake up.”

Magistrate Zhao asked, “You never had contact with Yu Shunhai?”

The son shook his head, “No.”

“You didn’t know Zhao Dahu before this?”

The son shook his head, “No.”

Magistrate Zhao thought, “Are you an idiot?”

You didn’t know the man, yet you dared to give your father a powder from him?

“You, a scholar, why would you do such a thing?”

The son hesitated, looking embarrassed.

Magistrate Zhao immediately slammed the gavel again.

The loud sound startled the son, who quickly explained, “My father and Gu Yunhe were classmates and very close. But after our family fell on hard times, they lost contact. This time, I went to the capital for the exams and coincidentally met Gu Yunhe in Sihui. My father, proud as he is, didn’t want Gu Yunhe to know about our situation. He feared Gu Yunhe would offer us help.”

Feng Chunshan, who had been silent, sneered, interrupting the son.

Startled, the son looked at Feng Chunshan.

Magistrate Zhao also looked over, waiting for instructions.

Feng Chunshan said slowly, “For the sake of face, you and your father agreed to a stranger’s request to murder for money and even used a deadly powder? Do you think we’re all fools?”

He then flicked his robe and stood up, saying to Magistrate Zhao, “I think we should stop the trial for now. Without torture, they won’t tell the truth. That powder isn’t something any traveling doctor could make. The last time I saw such powder was in the capital.”

Magistrate Zhao immediately agreed, “Yes, yes.”

Turning to the yamen runners, he ordered, “Take them all away and lock them up separately.” Then, slamming the gavel once more, he declared, “Court is dismissed!”

The interrogation ended for now.

Among the onlookers, a servant quickly ran off.

Not far away, Qin Mo slightly lifted the curtain of his sedan chair, watching the servant leave. He lightly tapped the window, and a man in gray clothes followed the servant.

The case naturally became the talk of the town.

The crowd dispersed in groups, chatting about it. Qiao Fu walked through the crowd to Lu Tang, worriedly saying, “Young Master, you must have been scared.”

As he spoke, Zhou Shu, Xu Shen, Guo Dawei, and Liang Cheng gathered around.

Not wanting Qiao Fu to feel bad, Lu Tang smiled reassuringly, “You should tell my mother and sister the same thing when they return. Try to make me sound as miserable as possible.”

Qiao Fu couldn’t help but laugh, “Young Master, shall we go home?”

Lu Tang looked past Qiao Fu’s shoulder at the sedan chair in the distance, “Yes, let’s go home and have hotpot to calm down.”

Zhou Shu and the others immediately shouted, “We want to go too!”

Qiao Fu was about to agree with a smile when Lu Tang smacked Zhou Shu, “Go to hell! How long have you been in Sihui? Today is your first day back home, and you’re still running around? Be careful, or your father will chase you through the streets with a stick!”