There is a god in the sky

Chapter 417 Doubts

"Shh... Lord Qian, if you promise me you won't make a sound, I'll let you go."

Qian Tai nodded.

Shen Lan released her hand, and just as the latter was about to shout, a wad of cloth was stuffed into her mouth.

He looked at the other person in surprise, only to receive a disdainful look in return, as if the other person had anticipated his thoughts.

Shen Lan told Li Ye to stand guard at the door and then pushed Qian Tai into the inner room.

She tied the person to the chair and moved the candlestick in front of her.

"Does Lord Qian still remember me?"

The two had only met once, and it was a brief night. At first, Qian Tai didn't think of the capital.

Shen Lan reminded him, "I came to Tongzhou with Lord Xiao on imperial orders to suppress bandits."

Qian Tai suddenly remembered, "Waaah..."

Shen Lan removed the gag from his mouth, and the other person called out her name accurately.

It's clear that he did understand himself.

"Lord Qian has already been dismissed from his post, so why is he still staying in Tongzhou? He even led men to kill the current magistrate of Tongzhou and rob the treasury. You really have no fear of death!"

Anger flashed across Qian Tai's face.

"That Zhou Dingyao is unfit to be an official. He has only been in office for a few months, yet he has squandered all the grain stored in the government granary that has been accumulated over the years. Now, the granary is filled only with moldy rice that has been switched out."

Not satisfied with that, he even set his sights on the treasury's silver and tried to pin old debts on me.

It's obvious that the imperial court would readily believe that I, a former county magistrate who had been dismissed, had embezzled and misappropriated treasury funds.

Such wicked villains are unworthy to be officials; they are utterly disheartening to the people of Tongzhou.

Shen Lan did not doubt his words, but that could not justify his killing.

“You killed an official of the imperial court and robbed the treasury. No matter how you look at it, you are doomed. If you can’t stand his actions, you can collect evidence and report it to the court.”

The new emperor, having just ascended the throne, naturally valued a clean and honest officialdom. No one dared to protect a mere county magistrate who committed such evil deeds.

Qian Tai sneered.

He knew his actions were inappropriate, but he had already been dismissed from his post and was furious. Even if the evidence was presented, countless people would doubt his original intentions.

Why should he become a laughing stock in the court?

“I killed the man, and the silver is right here. If Xiao Ji comes, I will hand it over with both hands. If he wants to take me back to report, I will not resist.”

Shen Lan frowned and asked, puzzled, "What is Lord Qian after?"

“I have lived in Tongzhou for many years, and you cannot understand my feelings for this place. I cannot bear to see the people who once lived in peace and prosperity suffer so much under cruel officials.”

Shen Lan had to admit that he was a good official.

Although his path to the imperial examinations was illegitimate, he did not betray his official position.

After learning what had happened, Shen Lan's initial guess was incorrect.

It seems the incident in Tongzhou was real, and not a trap designed to lure them out of Beijing.

So what about that altered list of officials?

"Lord Qian should know very well where the officials of the county government live, right?"

Qian Tai glanced at her and said, "You don't need to address me like that. I'm just a commoner now, and I can't accept that title."

"Master Qian, would you be willing to tell me about the county magistrate's residence?"

"The officials in the county government are all innocent. What do you want with them? They've been terrified by my killing and are probably all in hiding."

"You just need to tell me where he lives."

Qian Tai looked at her intently, hesitated for a moment, and then told her an address that was indeed different from the address Xiao Ji had found.

Has he moved in the last two years?

"No, he is a native of Tongzhou. Three generations of his family have lived there, and they are a prominent local family."

Therefore, the person who forged the address didn't put in any effort at all; they just made up a fake address to fool them, and its only purpose was to buy time.

Shen Lan couldn't understand it.

The truth and falsehood of the matter are intertwined, making it even more difficult to discern the true intentions of those behind the scenes.

Did you know we were coming beforehand?

Qian Tai shook his head, his gaze clear and honest as he replied, "If I had known that Lord Xiao would bring men to arrest me, how could I not have run away?"

Shen Lan couldn't tell whether he was telling the truth or lying, but based on common sense, it didn't seem like he was lying.

"Mr. Qian, I apologize for the inconvenience."

Shen Lan struck him on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious, and then had Li Ye carry him away from the villa.

Shortly after they left, someone rushed to look for Qian Tai, only to find that he was gone.

"Quickly go and invite a few great heroes."

Most of Qian Tai's servants were ordinary and mediocre in martial arts. He was able to fight his way in and out of the county government mainly because of a few friends in the martial arts world.

If Shen Lan were here, she would recognize these people as people she had seen in the capital before.

"What happened? Has Master Qian disappeared?"

Wang Qi was wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket, a dirty wool hat, and his left eye was covered.

He Nian's attire was similar to his, only less sloppy.

These people were clearly led by Wang Qi, and even Xiao Huzi was dressed like a chivalrous knight-errant.

"Yes, I came to help the master get up, but I found no one in the room."

"Perhaps Mr. Qian walked out on his own, since there are no signs of a struggle here."

"No way, my master hasn't been going out these days, and we have people on duty outside. How could he possibly leave without a sound?"

"That makes sense, but who would kidnap Master Qian right under our noses?"

Wang Qi and the others stopped thinking about it and immediately organized people to go out and search.

They were unaware that the imperial court had entered the city; otherwise, they would have immediately guessed who had kidnapped Qian Tai.

Xiao Ji waited until dawn before seeing Shen Lan return.

Li Ye, who was behind him, returned carrying a man who was bound hand and foot.

A crowd gathered around, scrutinizing the man with curiosity, as if he were a piece of merchandise.

Qian Tai was thrown to the ground, rolled over, met Xiao Ji's gaze, and revealed a helpless smile.

"Lord Xiao, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

“Mr. Qian, it has indeed been a long time. I never expected to meet you in this way.”

When Xiao Ji met him, he roughly deduced the ins and outs of the matter, but he didn't know the details.

After Shen Lan explained the whole story, he also admired Qian Tai to some extent.

Regardless of how he became the county magistrate, he truly lived up to his conscience.

He had also learned about the newly appointed Tongzhou County Magistrate, Zhou Dingyao, beforehand.

He was a distant cousin of the Minister of Rites and had been serving as an official in the southwest. He was lucky enough to send a large sum of money to the capital to try and secure a position as a government official. He didn't get the position, but the Minister of Rites did manage to get him a position as the magistrate of Tongzhou County.

Tongzhou is a much better place than any remote county town in the southwest.

Who knew that this Magistrate Zhou had an insatiable appetite, and he blatantly embezzled public grain as soon as he took office.

"Where is Magistrate Zhou's body?" Xiao Ji asked.

They went to the county government office, but Magistrate Zhou's body had long since disappeared.

Qian Tai shook his head. "I don't know either. We only kill people and don't bury them. Besides, there are many people in the county who hate him. Who knows which enemy has turned him to dust?"

That being said, in a place like the county government office, it's impossible to find a corpse without leaving any trace.