Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

The room fell silent.

No one expected that Fang Zheng would really kill as soon as he said he would!

So decisive, without any hesitation.

Fang Zheng's hand hadn't even released yet when Old Master Lü struggled twice and died.

He pulled out the dagger, wiped it on the body, and looked at the trembling hostages, saying, "Continue the interrogation, and get out all the evil deeds the Lü family has done."

"First, kill two who have committed crimes, and every half an hour, throw a corpse out of the window."

"Anyone who doesn't cooperate will be executed!"

After speaking, he turned and left the South Building.

Du Lingfeng stared blankly at the scene before him.

He only felt his throat tighten, and he looked at Zhao Lie nervously, saying, "Your master won't kill me too, will he!"

Zhao Lie smiled and said, "No, you are a meritorious person, maybe you will even be rewarded!"

........

Fang Zheng, with a gloomy face, hurried out of the South Building.

Wang Qian immediately asked upon seeing him, "Lord Fang, how is it inside?"

Fang Zheng shook his head, "Old Master Lü is still safe, but the bandits are not the twenty or so you said!

"I see only a dozen people... The reason for not negotiating may be to stall us, secretly sending people to find the Lü family's vault!"

Wang Qian suddenly understood upon hearing this!

That made sense! No wonder these people wouldn't talk about anything.

A wealthy family like the Lü family wouldn't trust putting their silver in a money house; they usually have their own vault.

So they were eyeing the vault.

Wang Qian sneered, "These people have such big appetites, thinking they can successfully leave after stealing the vault? It's simply wishful thinking!"

"By the way, Lord Fang, how did they let you out so easily?"

"The food in the building is not enough, and there's internal strife! They demanded some food, or they would start killing people."

"Lord Wang, at this moment, you must hold on, you must not give it to them!"

Wang Qian smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lord Fang, I know the importance of things. Thank you for risking negotiations with those thugs today. You must be tired; I will send someone to escort you to find a place to rest."

Fang Zheng waved his hand, "No! Saving people must be done to the end, and helping Buddha must be done all the way. How can I give up halfway?"

"Where is the Lü family's vault? I will send people to search!"

"Lord Fang, you're joking. How would I know where the Lü family's vault is?"

Wang Qian was on the verge of tears. Why couldn't he get rid of this person? He was sticking around.

He really didn't know about the Lü family's vault either.

His cooperation with the Lü family was simple: the Lü family gave him money, and he helped smooth some relationships and handle some false and unjust cases.

That was it!

How could he know such a family secret as the vault?

Fang Zheng guessed that he wouldn't know either, turned and returned to his team, and found Bai Rui.

Bai Rui was a habitual thief, and it was most appropriate to leave this matter to him.

"Bai Rui, go find out where the Lü family's vault is. This matter is of great importance, so be as quick as possible!"

Bai Rui was a little timid and said in a low voice, "Master, this house is too big. I haven't stolen from such a big house before. I may not be able to find it for a while..."

"What are you afraid of! I'll send a few more people to you! The vault must be big if the house is big. Look for it openly while riding horses. We don't have enough silver on hand, and we need silver to get things done. This matter is of utmost importance, and you must find it for me today!"

Bai Rui nodded in agreement, and then led a group of people away to find the vault.

On Wang Qian's side, a person wearing a constable's uniform approached Wang Qian, pulled him to a secluded place, and said in a low voice, "Lord Wang, I just heard that Lord Fang said he was going to find the vault. Do you think there's news from the capital about the Lü family, and they sent someone here to check the accounts?"

"If there are account books hidden in the vault, and the Lü family recorded some things that shouldn't be recorded, then we..."

Wang Qian was shocked, "Yu Hai, what do you mean?"

"What I mean is that although the Lü family had an accident before, it was still within your control. But now that outsiders are involved, the situation has changed, and you should make plans early."

"If there are Lü family's account books in the vault, and there are things recorded inside that are detrimental to you... then we might as well take this Fang Zheng down! Blame everything on those robbers, and as for the Lü family... of course, they were also destroyed by the robbers."

"The Lü family is exterminated, the account books are destroyed... and there will be no evidence left. Even if the superiors come to investigate, you, sir, will be worry-free."

Wang Qian sneered after listening, "Yu Hai, you haven't made much progress after following me for so many years, but your courage has grown a lot. You dare to kill the governor?"

"I dare not, I am worried about your safety!" Yu Hai said aggrievedly.

Wang Qian sighed, "It is not advisable to act rashly. If they really find the vault, take people to escort Lord Fang to check it... and find the account books. If there really is content that shouldn't be there on the account books, report it to me in time, and I will test Fang Zheng's intentions."

Yu Hai retreated, and Wang Qian restored his calm and composed expression and walked to Fang Zheng's side.

He extended his hand and invited, "Lord Fang, since you have decided to stay here, then I won't say any more."

"You must be tired after such a long time. I will order my men to buy some wine and dishes, and we can rest in the pavilion over there for a while."

"Good! Lord Wang is thoughtful."

After waiting for a while, the wine and dishes were served, and the two began to exchange cups.

Fang Zheng raised his wine glass and said with emotion, "I didn't expect such a thing to happen as soon as I entered the city today. It's a pity that I haven't had time to fully appreciate Haiyuan City."

"However, after taking such a quick look when entering the city, it is already enough to see Lord Wang's governance skills."

Wang Qian smiled, "Lord Fang is praising me too much. These are just trivial achievements. I wonder what the imperial court sent you to inspect the place for this time? As far as I know, there hasn't been any major event recently."

"Indeed, there is nothing."

Fang Zheng put down his wine glass and looked at Wang Qian, "The case of Liu Xun, has Lord Wang ever heard of it?"

"I have heard of it. Lord Fang's thunderous methods, I admire it very much!"

"Then... do you know Liu Xun?"

"I don't know him. I have heard of him, but I have no dealings with this person."

Fang Zheng carefully observed Wang Qian's expression and, finding nothing unusual, continued, "The world has been peaceful in recent years, but the case of Liu Xun has exposed many problems, such as local officials' corruption and autocracy. Therefore, His Majesty specially ordered me to inspect the place. Alas... this trip will keep me away from home for another two or three years."

Wang Qian's heart tightened, and he raised his wine glass and said, "Does your Excellency have any gains on this trip?"

Fang Zheng sneered, "It's just you and me here, no need to be evasive. Everyone understands some things. The world is already peaceful, so why be so serious about going through the motions?"

Wang Qian didn't dare to answer and continued to eat his food with his head down.

"I think these bandits should be captured within two days. The city gates have been closed for five days, and the livelihoods of many people have been affected. Why not open the city gates?"

Wang Qian paused and immediately retorted, "Absolutely not! This group of people is quite capable. They can hold the entire Lü family hostage overnight!"

"Especially now that they are desperate people, if they are allowed to run into the city, I am afraid they will go on a killing spree!"

"Young people still have a chance to escape, but what about the others? This is also a helpless move to protect the elderly and children."

"Well, that makes sense! Lord Wang is righteous! I will toast you a cup!"

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes...

Bai Rui led a group of people back, panting heavily....

......

There is another chapter, it will be later