"Pa!"

The county magistrate Zhu angrily slapped the table again and shouted, "You said you saw a shadow kill someone and then escape over the wall, why did the constables not find any footprints or traces of trampled flowers and grass when they searched the flower garden under the wall today?"

Zhang Yangshi was stunned, her beautiful almond eyes turning around, "This, this..."

Zhang Xian immediately said, "My lord, how did the thief sneak into the house and how did my mother know? If the county constables cannot find out, my lord cannot impose the blame on me and my mother."

Damn, don't insult the words "mother and son", that's your stepmother... Xu Qi'an couldn't listen anymore.

The county magistrate Zhu was furious, "You have a silver tongue, bring in the torture!"

This is how interrogations are conducted nowadays, with torture and coercion when there is a lack of evidence.

Therefore, false confessions often occur.

But there's no way around it, gathering evidence is difficult without equipment and professional technology. So the legal system has become an indispensable procedure.

There are pros and cons.

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Zhang Xian shouted, "My lord, are you going to force a confession? My uncle is a member of the Ministry of Rites, won't you accuse him?"

The so-called uncle was actually a distant relative beyond the fifth degree of kinship. However, although the blood relationship was distant, the relationship was close because the Zhang family often provided benefits to that distant relative.

Zhu knew that the Zhang family had some background.

"How dare you threaten me, bring in the canes and give him twenty lashes!"

Four constables approached, two holding sticks to clamp his neck and the other two pulling down Zhang Xian's pants. The constables began to beat him hard, making a loud sound.

Zhang Xian screamed in pain.

The county magistrate Zhu had a serious expression. Twenty lashes were not enough to make someone confess to murder, but fifty lashes might. However, it was also possible to beat someone to death.

And even if Zhang Xian confessed, when the case was handed over to the Ministry of Punishment, he could still overturn the case. Don't forget, he had a relative in the Ministry of Rites.

At that time, he might even be accused of making a false confession.

During the interval when Zhang Xian was being beaten on the ground, Xu Qi'an gestured to Ding beside County Magistrate Zhu.

Ding hesitated for a moment, retreated a few steps silently, and then ran over.

"Help me pass on a message, let the lord temporarily suspend the trial, I have an idea," Xu Qi'an whispered.

"What idea can you have? Don't talk nonsense and implicate me," Ding said disbelievingly.

"It's impossible to get a result anyway, the lord is in a difficult position now, he will agree, and I will buy you a drink later," Xu Qi'an said.

"Okay..."

Ding walked quickly to the county magistrate Zhu, whispered a few words in his ear, and the county magistrate Zhu immediately turned his head towards Xu Qi'an.

After pondering for a moment, he withdrew his gaze and slapped the table, "Detain the two of them and suspend the trial."

...

Inner chamber.

The county magistrate Zhu held the hot tea brought by a maid and took a sip.After working in the system for several years, Xu Qi'an, who only had a vague understanding of officialdom, immediately took a small sip of tea when he saw the situation.

"Xu Ningyan, do you have any ideas?"

Xu Qi'an was surprised at the attitude of County Magistrate Zhu, who was unexpectedly gentle and did not assert his authority.

In his impression, County Magistrate Zhu was not so polite to the underlings of the county yamen. Could it be that his face had become more pleasant after he crossed over?

"I can give it a try."

"Without torture?"

"Of course."

County Magistrate Zhu became even more curious and put down his teacup, asking, "Tell me."

You don't understand game theory, so what's the point of saying anything... Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "Let me keep you in suspense, my lord."

In the quiet cell, Yang Zhenzhen was brought here, her moist eyes turning restlessly as she sat uneasily.

She thought the underling was going to make things difficult for her, but who would have thought that he would bring her here and then leave? However, this did not dispel her anxiety.

"Creak..."

The wooden door was pushed open, and a young man in a catcher's uniform walked in, tall and straight, with a hard facial outline and fairly handsome features.

"Don't be nervous, let's just chat." The young man even brewed tea and smiled, "You can call me Sir Xu."

Xu Snake?

Yang Zhenzhen, who had never received such good treatment, said nothing, watching him warily.

Xu Qi'an was also scrutinizing this beautiful woman. She was indeed the kind of woman that rich men would take a fancy to, naturally beautiful, and her looks were slightly better than those of his aunt in his previous life.

She was also of a good age, a thirty-year-old woman who, in his previous life, was at her most plump and juicy.

"I see that you wear a lot of gold and silver. Zhang Yourui treats you quite well." Xu Qi'an opened the topic.

Yang Zhenzhen did not respond.

"In fact, I think that, given your age, the reason why you haven't been able to conceive for so many years is probably Zhang Yourui's problem." Xu Qi'an said.

Yang Zhenzhen had originally thought that this would be an interrogation, but she did not expect this young man's attitude and tone to be unexpectedly gentle, unlike the image of an official in her mind.

Moreover, when it came to the inability to conceive, it was mostly blamed on the woman, and Xu Qi'an's words were quite reasonable. She slowly let down her guard and said, "It's all the fault of the common women. It's the common women who are not capable of carrying a child. The old master happened to encounter misfortune at this time."

As she spoke, her eyes became red again.

"People cannot be brought back to life," Xu Qi'an comforted her and asked again, "Does Zhang Yourui usually go to the brothel?"

"Of course, he goes often." She said, "From ancient times to the present, where have the big masters and officials not gone to the brothel?"

My god, be careful what you say... At over fifty years old, going to the brothel often, with an empty treasury... I can almost confirm that the child in your belly is from the old man next door... Girls who love to go to nightclubs are no different when they're pregnant. The same goes for widows who live alone."I suddenly understand you now." Xu Qi'an clicked his tongue twice. "Women are like wolves at thirty, tigers at forty, and sitting on the ground sucking dust at fifty. Zhang Yourui is over fifty, and it's only natural for him to abandon you for the brothel and for you to have an affair."

"But killing is not right."

Yang Zhenzhen's face changed slightly. "This humble woman doesn't know what the official is talking about."

Xu Qi'an smiled. "I've read the case file. Zhang Xian is seven years younger than you."

"What do you mean by that?" Yang Zhenzhen asked with a stern face.

"You're like a hawk preying on a chick."

"I don't understand," Yang Zhenzhen said, genuinely confused.

"Then say something you do understand," Xu Qi'an said in a low voice. "Zhang Yang, you were lonely and seduced your stepson, committing a shameless and immoral act."

"On the night of the incident, you had an affair with your stepson while Zhang Yourui was away collecting rent in the countryside. Unexpectedly, Zhang Yourui returned early and caught you both in the act. The father and son fought, and you smashed Zhang Yourui to death with a vase from behind."

"To cover up the crime, you dragged Zhang Yourui's body into the courtyard and disguised it as a thief who had killed someone. Zhang Xian intentionally left footprints on the wall to prove your story."

Yang Zhenzhen's face turned pale as she stared at Xu Qi'an in disbelief.

"I didn't do it. I'm innocent," Yang Zhenzhen shouted loudly, clenching her fists with sweaty palms.

She was panicking... Xu Qi'an, who had worked hard in the field of interrogation, restrained his gentleness and showed no expression, exuding a sense of indifference.

"Aren't you curious how I know so much? Because Zhang Xian has already confessed," Xu Qi'an said.

This couldn't be true... Yang Zhenzhen's eyes flashed with this emotion, her face even paler, but she forced herself to remain calm and still denied it. "This humble woman is innocent."

"Do you think your adulterous husband won't confess?" Xu Qi'an said expressionlessly.

Although there was no threatening tone, it made the beautiful woman even more frightened.

"Because you thought you handled it flawlessly, but in fact, there were many flaws."

"Zhang Xian only left footprints on the wall but not inside the house. If the thief had good agility, he wouldn't have left any footprints when escaping. This is one flaw."

"Secondly, Zhang Yourui died from blunt force, not a sharp weapon. According to the law of the Great Feng, anyone who enters a house at night without reason shall be punished with eighty strokes of the cane. If the homeowner kills them on the spot, they will be punished severely." Xu Qi'an knocked on the table. "Which thief would enter a house without a weapon? Yet Zhang Yourui died from blunt force."

Yang Zhenzhen's face was blank.

"I'm not finished yet..." Xu Qi'an sneered. After breaking down Yang Zhenzhen's psychological defense, the next move was the killing blow.