Cai Min was stunned when he heard this, and thought: You, a young kid, are so harsh in your words. Aren't you implicitly accusing me of lying
However, he could not speak openly about his feelings, so he pretended to be angry and said to the two gatekeepers: "You two, are you two holding a grudge because Master Qiu did not reward you with a gate gift, and are deliberately blocking the way?"
The two bailiffs were not stupid either. They knew that if they argued with their master on this topic, they would be in trouble, so they had no choice but to agree meekly.
Cai Min took the opportunity to teach him a lesson: "We two have been with me for many years. I have always treated you well, but you dare to do such a shameless thing! So, you don't need to receive your monthly salary this month. Go back and reflect on your mistakes!"
Upon hearing this, the two yamen runners knelt down, kowtowed, and retreated.
Qiu Yizhi saw that Cai Min's punishment of the two servants was not sincere, but her acting was quite impressive, so she agreed: "These are just some trivial matters, why are you angry?"
Cai Min said, "Master Qiu is right. These are all petty people who look down on others. No matter how much you scold them or punish them, they will never be punished. If you get angry with them, they will kill you. Oh, by the way, what is the purpose of your visit, Master Qiu?"
Qiu Yizi replied, "There was a big case in this county a while ago. A Taoist nun named Miaozhen in the Liaochen Palace killed thirteen people over the years. It is a rare big case in the country. I submitted a few documents to you, sir. I wonder if you have seen them?"
"Oh! So it's about this!" Cai Min pretended to be enlightened, "I knew about this a long time ago. Yuezhou is a place where cultural relics are cultivated, but such a big case happened. It's really jaw-dropping!"
Qiu Yizi nodded and said, "I just arrived and such a shocking incident happened within my jurisdiction. It is my fault for not governing the county well enough!"
Cai Min waved his hand and said, "How long has Lord Qiu been in Shanyin County? This responsibility cannot be attributed to you anyway. If we want to investigate the responsibility, I'm afraid Li Shenshi can't escape the blame!" He changed the subject and said, "By the way, isn't Lord Li going to take up his post in another place? I wonder if he has already set off?"
Qiu Yizhi was shocked when he heard this. He didn't know what Cai Min meant by asking this question even though he knew the answer. So he chose his words carefully and said, "This Lord Li seems to be involved in this case. He even attempted to murder the victim late at night and was caught red-handed by me. Therefore, I am afraid that he will flee or commit suicide, so I will temporarily detain him. I have already reported this to Lord Cai in writing."
Cai Min pretended not to hear the last sentence, and said with gritted teeth: "I'm afraid this is not appropriate. Although Li Shenshi is no longer the magistrate of Shanyin, he is still an official appointed by the court and has meritorious service. Lord Qiu is violating the law by taking this action without authorization!"
Qiu Yizi originally wanted to inquire about the progress of the handling of the "Thirteen Lives Strange Case", but somehow Cai Min, the old fox, dragged it to Li Shenshi, which really caught him off guard. He changed the topic and said, "It's called detention, but it's just to let Lord Li postpone his appointment. Now he is staying in the county government for a few days. After the case is settled, I will submit my own memorial..."
Cai Min interrupted Qiu Yizhi without any hesitation and said, "Master Qiu, what you are doing is a bit childish! Other places are eagerly waiting for Master Li to take office. If the government affairs are delayed because of Master Qiu, I am afraid Master Qiu may not be able to bear it!"
Qiu Yizi thought to himself: What is there that I cannot handle in the affairs of a small county magistrate
He could not speak out, so he only said: "Your Excellency taught me that this is what I think. That's why I went here in person to ask the higher authorities when the case can be tried, so that I can give an explanation to the people. As for Lord Li Shenshi... If he is guilty, I will impeach him; if he is not guilty, he can take office easily. In short, this case needs to be concluded quickly."
Cai Min did not expect that Qiu Yizhi's words, although polite, were a complete soft nail, and he immediately kicked the ball back to him. Cai Min seemed elegant on the surface, but in fact he was narrow-minded. If he had followed his original temper, he would have turned hostile and scolded this ignorant subordinate.
However, Cai Min was not sure about Qiu Yizhi's background after all, and he was also thinking about something else, so he suddenly had an idea and said, "I have received the case files a long time ago, and they are really shocking. I guess what this 'Miao Zhen Lay Buddhist' did, and I am afraid he will be executed by slow slicing. Lord Qiu is a Jinshi selected by the emperor, and he is naturally very familiar with the laws of the Han Dynasty. For any death penalty case within its jurisdiction, the prefecture government has no right to approve it. It must be reviewed by the governor, and then submitted to the Ministry of Justice for review, and then presented to the emperor for personal approval, and finally the death penalty will be imposed after the autumn - there is no rush."
"So, Lord Cai has already reported the case to the Governor, Lord Yin?" Qiu Yizi asked.
Cai Min nodded and said, "That's right!"
After hearing this, Qiu Yizhi continued to ask, "Then I wonder when Governor Yin will be able to report this case to the court?"
"Haha!" Cai Min sneered twice and said, "Lord Yin, the governor of Jiangnan, has always been very observant. Since the documents have been sent to him, he will make his own judgment. As for the time schedule... Lord Yin has a reputation for being upright and stern in the Jiangnan officialdom, so I dare not ask him. If Lord Qiu is really anxious, he can naturally go to Jinling City to visit him in person."
This is equivalent to kicking the ball back to Qiu Yizi.
Qiu Yizi was not a fool, so he naturally understood the meaning of the words, and said, "Although this is my first time as an official, I know that visiting someone above my level is a taboo in the officialdom. How about this, Lord Cai, can you go with me? Along the way, I can also listen to your teachings."
Cai Min would never be fooled by Qiu Yizi, and hurriedly said with a smile: "Master Qiu, don't worry about this. Although I am not very knowledgeable, I am not one of those boring people who stick to red tape. I will write a letter and Master Qiu can take it to Jinling. As for me, there is no need to go there!"
After saying this, Cai Min said "Excuse me" and turned to walk towards the back hall of the government office without inviting Qiu Yizi in, leaving him, Yuchi Jiming and Wang Laowu alone.
Qiu Yizi did not dare to leave, nor did he dare to go in. He truly felt the so-called "a higher-ranking official can crush a person to death" situation.
After a long time, Cai Min came back with a light piece of paper in her hand. She handed it to Qiu Yizi and said, "Master Qiu, is this how I write this letter?"
Qiu Yizhi hurriedly took the paper with both hands and saw that there were only three or four lines of elegant cursive script on it, but it only introduced Qiu Yizhi to the governor's office to assist in the "Thirteen Lives Strange Case" for a while, and there was no room for modification or polishing. Cai Min's handwriting was vigorous and strong, and there were hidden strokes in each horizontal stroke, which was quite impressive.
Qiu Yizhi praised him, "Master Cai is indeed a senior Hanlin scholar. His writing is smooth and simple. Even if I practice for a lifetime, I may not be able to achieve such accomplishments in calligraphy! I think the calligraphy of Master Yin is not as good as Master Cai's."
Cai Min was also a famous calligrapher in Jiangnan, and his regular script was well written. Therefore, the governor Yin Chengliang, who also loved calligraphy, often invited him to write. Cai Min also took this opportunity to increase communication and strengthen his relationship with his immediate superior.
However, in Cai Min's opinion, Yin Chengliang's calligraphy has too many traces of affectation and vulgarity, and has lost its natural ancient charm, which cannot be appreciated by true experts. But he is in an inferior position in the officialdom, so he dare not make any comments, so he can only try to flatter and flatter.
Therefore, Qiu Yizhi's flattery was just right, making Cai Min's face suddenly full of joy. He smiled and said modestly: "Master Qiu is the one who has the good fortune to receive Mr. Qin Guangyuan's calligraphy. What's the point of mentioning my lousy handwriting?" His mind was still clear, and he said, "I think it's getting late, and Shanyin County is quite a distance away from here. Why don't you go back quickly, pack up, and then go to Jinling to meet the governor?"
This is equivalent to an order to expel you.
Although Qiu Yizi did not make any progress on this trip, he did get Cai Min's handwritten letter, so it was not a complete failure. He could only sigh secretly, say goodbye and turn around to leave.
After leaving the provincial government office, the three men were already starving.
Qiu Yizi took the lead and found a busy restaurant, ordered some fresh side dishes, and invited the other two to have dinner.
After wasting time in the provincial government office, Qiu Yizi had less and less interest in sightseeing in Kuaiji, so after a quick lunch, the three of them hurried back to Shanyin County.
After returning to the county town, Qiu Yizi briefly told the sisters Yang Ying'er and Yang Qiao'er about the trip.
The two sisters were disappointed to hear that the county magistrate had suffered a setback.
However, Qiu Yizi saw the changes in the expressions on the sisters' faces, so she patted her chest and promised that she would set off for Jinling City tomorrow and go to the Governor Yin to ask for an explanation for them.
The next day, Qiu Yizi got up early and gathered the 18 personal soldiers he brought from the capital. He told them that he would be out of the city for a few days to handle some business and asked them to obey Zhao Chengxiao's orders, continue to practice martial arts, and not go out to the streets to disturb the people.
He also called several clerks in the county government and asked them to temporarily take charge of the government affairs. All matters, big or small, had to be discussed with Zhao Chengxiao before making a decision.
As for Zhao Chengxiao, Qiu Yizi took into consideration that he had not yet recovered from his serious injury and could not travel far, so he handed over the seal of the county government to him and asked him to temporarily take over the administration. He also specifically instructed him to strictly keep an eye on several important criminals who were temporarily detained in the county government jail.
Before leaving, Qiu Yizi specially took Yuchi Jiming to visit the main culprit, Miaozhen Jushi.
Although she was in prison, Miao Zhen was unexpectedly calm. When she saw Qiu Yizhi coming, she stood up like a master and said with a smile, "It turns out that the county magistrate is here. I wonder if there is any result for my matter?"
Qiu Yizi was struck by her words, and her face suddenly darkened. She said coldly, "Why? Are you still looking forward to the day of your execution?"
Miao Zhen smiled and said, "I haven't ascended yet, so how can I bear to give up the prosperity of this world? But this prison is very quiet. I have gained a lot from facing the wall for several days. If I had known this earlier, I would have surrendered myself!"
Qiu Yizi didn't know which of Miao Zhen's words were true and which were false, and she was in no mood to waste time talking to her, so she said coldly: "Since you like staying here, cherish this time! I'm afraid that days like this may not last long."
After saying that, Qiu Yizi winked at Yuchi Jiming.
Yuchi Jiming nodded, stretched out his hand and grabbed the shackled right foot of Miao Zhen, and with a burst of force, he dislocated Miao Zhen's ankle! (To be continued)