County Magistrate Gao vehently denied it.
"That’s not it!
You’ve misunderstood, my Prince. This humble official heard that bandits were hiding in the city, so I brought n to arrest them.
I truly didn’t know that the bandits were you!
If I had known your identity earlier, I wouldn’t have dared to offend you, not even if I’d eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard!"
Li Ji kicked the arrest officer who was playing dead on the ground and asked coldly.
"Is what County Magistrate Gao said true?"
The arrest officer said in an extrely faint voice, "Yes... it’s true."
Li Ji raised an eyebrow. "In that case, you were the one who took it upon yourself to arrest people indiscriminately?"
The arrest officer hastily defended himself, "No, no, this humble official didn’t!"
Li Ji looked down at him, his tone dripping with palpable danger.
"This prince will give you one last chance. If you still don’t tell the truth, this prince will place all the bla on you.
When the ti cos, not only will you die, but your family will also be exiled to the frontier. Think carefully before you answer."
When the arrest officer heard that his family would also be implicated, he was instantly terrified out of his wits.
He no longer dared to hide the truth and confessed honestly.
"It... it was County Magistrate Gao who ordered this humble official to arrest you!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the color drained from County Magistrate Gao’s face.
He was about to interrupt, but when he t Li Ji’s icy gaze, a shiver ran through him, and he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
The arrest officer spoke more and more fluently, spilling the beans on everything he knew.
"It’s because you offended Mr. Gao, and Mr. Gao is County Magistrate Gao’s older brother.
They’re family and are often in contact, so County Magistrate Gao wanted to get revenge for Mr. Gao.
This humble official was just following orders! I don’t know anything! I beg the Prince to spare my life!"
County Magistrate Gao was panicking.
He blustered, putting on a brave face, "Shut up! If you dare to spout any more nonsense, we’ll see how I deal with you!"
The arrest officer trembled with fear, lowering his head, not daring to look at County Magistrate Gao’s expression.
Li Ji sneered. "Such a display of official authority, County Magistrate Gao. How exactly do you plan to ’deal with him’? Tell this prince in detail."
When County Magistrate Gao t Prince Zhao’s dark eyes, which glinted with a cold smile, his bravado imdiately deflated.
He chuckled awkwardly. "My Prince, don’t listen to his nonsense. He’s only saying that to absolve himself of bla."
Hearing this, the arrest officer, afraid of being blad, quickly retorted.
"I’m not talking nonsense!
If you don’t believe , my Prince, you can summon all the constables from the county governnt. They can all testify for !"
Li Ji said nothing, rely watching County Magistrate Gao with a faint, unreadable smile.
To onlookers, his expression made him seem all the more profound and inscrutable.
The back of County Magistrate Gao’s robes was soaked with cold sweat, and his expression was awful.
Anyone with eyes could see that County Magistrate Gao had sothing to hide!
Bian Ziming’s eyes darted around. Sensing an opportunity to curry favor, he stepped forward and volunteered.
"This general will imdiately take n to the county governnt, arrest all those constables, and interrogate them under torture.
I will be sure to give Your Highness Prince Zhao a satisfactory explanation!"
Li Ji still said nothing.
He continued to stare at County Magistrate Gao, making the man’s scalp tingle and his limbs grow cold.
County Magistrate Gao knew full well that as soon as Bian Ziming arrested and interrogated those constables, the truth would be impossible to hide.
Although those constables usually followed his every command, when it ca to a life-or-death situation, they would surely grovel faster than anyone. They would never sacrifice themselves for him.
’Rather than be sold out by others, I should confess on my own initiative and hope for a lighter punishnt.’
Having co to this realization, County Magistrate Gao stopped holding out.
With a THUD, he fell to his knees, kowtowing as he begged for rcy.
"This humble official was wrong! I shouldn’t have abused my office for personal revenge! I beg Your Highness Prince Zhao to consider this my first offense and spare this once!"
Li Ji ignored his pleas and gave a casual order.
"Remove County Magistrate Gao from his post for investigation. Throw this arrest officer and all the constables he brought with him into the great jail to await judgnt."
Bian Ziming quickly replied, "Yes, sir!"
County Magistrate Gao hadn’t expected that even after he’d confessed, Prince Zhao still wouldn’t let him go.
He had worked so hard for so many years, finally managing to get the entirety of Fu’an County firmly under his control.
Now that he was being removed from his post and investigated, wouldn’t all his years of hard work be for nothing?!
County Magistrate Gao shouted, unwilling to accept his fate.
"Your Highness Prince Zhao, you can’t do this!
Though you are the esteed Prince Zhao, you do not have the authority to directly punish an official appointed by the court!
This humble official does not accept this!
I am going to report to the Crown Prince and ask him to deliver justice!"
He had barely finished speaking when Bian Ziming kicked him to the ground.
Imdiately after, two soldiers from the Tiger Roar Camp rushed in, pinned County Magistrate Gao to the ground, and forcibly stripped him of his official robes and black gauze hat. Even the official seal he wore at his waist was confiscated.
County Magistrate Gao had been an official for many years, but he had never been so humiliated.
He was furious and flustered, his face flushed crimson and his whole body trembling.
"You’ve gone too far! This is outrageous!"
Hua Manman suddenly found this scene very familiar, as if sothing similar had happened before.
She thought back for a mont and quickly rembered. Back at the Duke Zhen Country Mansion, that "male green tea" Li Lou had received the sa treatnt.
’It seems anyone who puts on an act and harbors ill intentions in front of Prince Zhao ends up with a bad fate.’
’Looks like Prince Zhao is quite a good judge of character!’
County Magistrate Gao was roughly thrown out.
The arrest officer, who had been beaten half to death, was also seized and thrown into the county governnt’s jail.
Prince Zhao’s identity had been exposed. It was no longer suitable for Li Ji and Hua Manman to stay at the inn. They prepared to go to the county governnt to et up with the Crown Prince.
Hua Manman looked at the Jin family’s siblings, who were scared stiff, and asked.
"What are your plans now? Will you leave and find another place to start a new life? Or will you co with us?"
Jin Ling’er ca to her senses, overjoyed.
"Sister-in-law, you’re willing to take us with you?"
Hua Manman gave a friendly smile. "If you call Sister-in-law again, it might be better if we go our separate ways."
Jin Ling’er hastily corrected herself, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort!"
In her eyes, if Li Ergou was His Highness Prince Zhao, then Sister-in-law must be the Princess Consort!
Hua Manman explained, "I am just a nanny by His Highness Prince Zhao’s side, not the main wife. You can just call Lady Hua."
Jin Ling’er quickly called out, "My Lady Nanny!"
Hua Manman chuckled, at a loss for words. "That’s not a real title. If others heard you, they’d say you have no manners. Just call Nanny."
Jin Ling’er blushed and shyly called her "Nanny."
Her parents were gone. She and her brother were now orphans.
She had been worried, not knowing where they would go to live.
Although she now held the huge sum of nine hundred taels of silver, for her and her brother, who were too weak to even truss a chicken, this wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
If soone saw their wealth and decided to harm them, the two of them wouldn’t even have the ability to fight back.
If she and her brother could go with Prince Zhao and Lady Hua, even as servants, it would be for the best.
At least their lives and safety would be guaranteed in the future.
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