RPAGF Chapter 35 Prison Situation
Chapter 35 Prison Situation
"Bang!" Li Chong slammed his hand on the table. "The plaintiff's claims are untrue. There is no evidence to suggest that the defendant Hu Erniang's curse on the plaintiff is directly related to the plaintiff's broken leg. Therefore, the plaintiff's claim cannot be supported."
"Sir!" a woman cried out from below the hall, "If she hadn't cursed me every day, how could I have broken my leg? All the neighbors know about it, so why is there no evidence?"
Although she said that, Li Chong simply couldn't bring himself to sentence someone just because of a few curses.
At that moment, he could only put on a stern face and say, "Do I need you to teach me how to solve cases in this county?"
Relying on the authority of the county magistrate, Li Chong suppressed the woman's rebuttal.
"However, although this matter is not subject to criminal law, Mr. Hu should be punished for his unwarranted cursing of others. Mr. Hu is hereby fined two strings of cash to compensate the plaintiff for his emotional distress, as compensation for mental anguish. Court adjourned!"
After finishing the case, Li Chong got up and went into the back room, feeling deeply moved.
I thought that after dealing with Wu Song, there would be some big cases to come, but it turned out to be just these petty squabbles among the neighborhood.
Even if someone curses you, you can still brazenly go to the government office to file a complaint, and everyone else thinks it's perfectly normal.
This truly broadened Li Chong's horizons.
Looking at the sky, it was almost noon. Li Chong tidied up; it was time to go home.
It must be said that being an official in the Northern Song Dynasty was indeed comfortable; not only did they wield great power, but they also enjoyed considerable freedom.
If it weren't for the sense of crisis that Li Chong would face ten years from now, he would have completely relaxed.
Living like this for the rest of one's life isn't necessarily a bad thing.
"I wonder how well Choi Si-shik's inquiries are going, and whether they're reliable or not."
Li Chong walked along the corridor, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a person appeared and blocked their way.
Sun Jun bowed and clasped his hands in greeting: "Your Excellency, County Magistrate."
"Oh, it's Clerk Sun. What's up?" Li Chong looked Sun Jun up and down. Sun Jun was holding a book.
Sun Jun presented the book with both hands: "This is my budget for the past few days, including the materials needed to forge weapons and sew leather armor, as well as the money needed for various purchases. Please take a look, Your Excellency."
"So fast?" Li Chong reached out and took it, casually flipping through it a few times. "Okay, I'll go back and take a look. If I think it's about time, I'll have someone send it over to you."
Sun Jun stepped aside, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Excellency."
Li Chong took a step to leave, but suddenly remembered something: "Hey, right, this is the crucial time for collecting summer taxes. Registrar Yang has to go to each village every day to distribute tax notices. Didn't you go with him?"
Sun Jun's lips twitched slightly, then he lowered his head and replied, "With Registrar Zhu by Yang's side, things won't be delayed. I'm thinking of helping the magistrate first."
"Really?" Li Chong chuckled. "You've gone to a lot of trouble. You've already organized the account books in just a few days. You truly deserve to be called the county clerk."
Hearing Li Chong's praise, Sun Jun only felt that he was being mocked.
As a county clerk, he was the highest-ranking official besides the three chief officials, yet now he could only do such trivial tasks as accounting. How ironic!
But seeing no hint of sarcasm in Li Chong's expression, Sun Jun could only say against his will, "Your Excellency flatters me."
Li Chong waved his hand: "You flatter me. I know what I'm doing. I trust Clerk Sun to handle things. You can continue contacting people. As for the account books, I think there shouldn't be any problems. I'll send you a message after I've looked at them."
"Respectfully seeing off the County Magistrate," Sun Jun said in a low voice.
Li Chong took the account book and left.
He returned to the back office and looked through the documents, then did some calculations. To be honest, he didn't find any loopholes, and the price wasn't too high, so it didn't seem like he was being scammed.
"If they didn't do it here, then it must be somewhere else," Li Chong thought to himself. "Whatever, it's just a hoax anyway."
Li Chong closed the ledger and set it aside, too lazy to continue reading.
Li Chong tapped his fingers on the table, silently pondering: "Now that Sun Jun is in position, it's time to take action. An army marches on its stomach; it's time to play the next card and win over some more people."
As for who to win over, Li Chong already knew the answer.
There are so many people inside and outside the county government office, but not everyone is of the same mind as Yang Chengde. As long as you offer them great benefits, there will always be some who are tempted.
As for the saying that those who gather for profit will inevitably disperse for profit, Li Chong can no longer care about these drawbacks.
Only with people under his command can Li Chong have the leeway to develop his trusted confidants; now is not the time for him to be picky.
"Those few runners in the yamen, and those few in charge of the warehouse..."
"I'm back!"
Cui Shi's loud shout interrupted Li Chong's thoughts. He strode in and then plopped down opposite Li Chong without any ceremony.
"Everything has been clarified. Ask me anything about what's going on in prison; there's nothing I don't know."
After saying that, he casually picked up the teapot and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Li Chong's face darkened, and he glanced outside. Fortunately, there was no one else around. He guessed that Cui Shi was acting so recklessly because of this.
Not wanting to say much, Li Chong quickly asked about what he was concerned about: "What are the prisoners like in the jail? Are they well-guarded?"
"Oh dear," Cui Shi shook his head repeatedly, "That's no place for a human to live. You told me to ask Zhang Da, so I went to check it out myself, and it was awful..."
As he spoke, Choi Si still looked shaken.
The thought of Li Chong's identity being exposed and him ending up in the same situation terrified Cui Shi.
"How badly?" Li Chong pressed.
"That cell was dark and swarming with insects, and the floor was covered in dirty water. The prisoners were wailing and screaming like ghosts; they were practically unrecognizable. If you ask me, it wouldn't be surprising if they died there one day."
Li Chong's eyes flickered: "If a prisoner whose case is still pending dies of illness, how is it handled in the prison?"
"Hmm~~~"
Cui Shi pondered for a moment: "It's hard to say. Anyway, Zhang Da once boasted when he was drunk that in that prison, he could make anyone live or die at will."
Li Chong thought to himself, "Sure enough, there's a lot more to this than meets the eye."
He had already investigated and found that the county prison was not a shallow place. The prisoners there had a secure job, mostly passed down from father to son, forming a separate system from the yamen runners and constables.
Having been run for generations, it's no surprise that there are many unspoken rules involved, and it's not surprising that some underhanded tactics are employed.
Sitting up straight, Li Chong continued to ask, "Tell me in detail how they handle the patients and corpses inside."
"Oh." Choi Si nodded and told Lee Chong everything she had found out.
As time passed, Li Chong gained a preliminary understanding of the county's prison system.
After asking the questions, Li Chong sent Cui Shi to deliver the account books to Sun Jun, and then fell into deep thought.
"It seems it's time to see Wu Song again."