County Magistrate Gong was of retirement age.
But he walked with the speed of a flying arrow.
This was because he feared Chen Nan would be tortured to death by the prisoners in the grid-patterned cells.
If Chen Nan were to truly die.
Then he would be finished too.
Not to mention whether Bi Cang would let him off.
Even Yuan Zun alone would not forgive him.
He arrived at the grid-patterned cells.
And saw Chen Nan sitting there leisurely.
All the prisoners were kneeling in a corner.
Magistrate Gong's heart gave a violent tremor.
He had expected Chen Nan to be severely injured, but he never anticipated this outcome.
It was evident.
That those prisoners were no match for Chen Nan, which was why they were kneeling in the corner.
"Quick, quick, quick, open the cell door!"
Magistrate Gong roared at the jailer.
The jailer hurriedly opened the cell door.
Magistrate Gong rushed into the cell, his face filled with panic: "Constable Chen, you have been wronged, truly wronged."
"It's all Wang Xingping's fault, he misunderstood my intentions."
"I asked him to invite you, but I didn't expect him to lock you up."
Saying this, he snatched the keys to the handcuffs and shackles from the jailer's hand and, bending over, moved to unlock Chen Nan.
Chen Nan, however, gave a cold smile: "Magistrate Gong, do you take me for a fool?"
Magistrate Gong nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva, then gritted his teeth and directly knelt on the ground.
He then reached out and slapped his own aged face, saying as he did so, "Constable Chen, this old man knows his mistake. I shouldn't have made things difficult for you back then, and I certainly shouldn't have had you locked up today."
"I beg you, for the sake of my impending retirement and return to my hometown, grant me some face, won't you?"
He had to admit his mistake.
Only in this way could he retire with honor.
In life.
What people pursued were nothing more than fame and fortune.
Although Gong Ping had not achieved great success, he had risen from humble beginnings to become the Magistrate of Tongcheng County.
He could be considered second only to the emperor.
Now that he could not advance further.
All he sought was to retire with honor and live out his remaining years in peace.
But if Chen Nan did not forgive him.
Then he was finished.
Therefore.
He had to kneel.
Chen Nan sneered, "Are you not comparing me to a dog now?"
"Woof, woof, woof!" Gong Ping let out a few dog barks, a fawning smile on his face: "This old man is the dog."
Chen Nan sighed, "If you knew this would happen, why did you act that way before?"
"This old man knows his mistake." Gong Ping lowered his head, genuinely recognizing his error.
Chen Nan felt a surge of regret.
Even if you have recognized your mistake.
The matter is settled.
Whether you admit it or not is no longer important.
"Constable Chen, the imperial envoy from Fengdu City is at the county yamen, and he specifically asked to see you. Will you accompany this old man?" Gong Ping's eyes were full of pleading.
Chen Nan extended his foot.
Gong Ping was overjoyed and quickly knelt down to unlock Chen Nan's leg shackles.
He then unlocked Chen Nan's handcuffs.
Afterward, he escorted Chen Nan out of the prison and towards the front hall of the county yamen.
The distance was not far.
But Chen Nan felt a sense of inexplicable crisis.
Would the imperial envoy suspect him?
Would they see that he was from the mortal world?
If that were the case.
Then things would become troublesome.
Soon.
Chen Nan arrived at the front hall of the county yamen.
And met Bi Cang and Gong Yi.
He bowed and respectfully said, "Your subordinate, Chen Nan, greets the Imperial Envoy!"
Bi Cang: "Rise."
"Thank you, sir!"
Chen Nan slowly straightened up.
Bi Cang scrutinized Chen Nan. Apart from being a bit too handsome, he didn't have three heads and six arms.
He asked curiously, "Why did you dare to kill the grandson of Marquis Wenbo, Liu Yu, on the street?"
Chen Nan answered truthfully, "Liu Yu, relying on his connection to Marquis Wenbo, attempted to murder a constable of the county yamen on the street, showing blatant disregard for the laws of the court. It was out of necessity that this subordinate executed him."
Bi Cang then asked, "Because of this, after killing Liu Yu, you led your men to Marquis Wenbo's mansion, intending to apprehend Marquis Wenbo and his son?"
Chen Nan replied, "Yes!"
"Although Marquis Wenbo possesses a posthumous pardon granted by the Great Emperor."
"It does not mean that a posthumous pardon can absolve the crimes committed by the Liu family."
"Of course, this subordinate never expected to completely convict the Liu family."
"After all, the Liu family holds a noble title and has a posthumous pardon granted by the Great Emperor."
"But in this subordinate's opinion, the noble title and the posthumous pardon only prove that the ancestors of the Liu family had contributed to the country and society."
"They cannot be used as a capital to rise above the common people of Tongcheng."
"This subordinate merely wished to use this opportunity to curb the arrogant behavior of the Liu family."
Bi Cang let out a noncommittal hum.
In fact, he had visited Marquis Wenbo years ago when he first came to Tongcheng.
At that time, although he was not an imperial envoy.
He held an important position in Fengdu City.
And was a seventh-rank underworld official.
But upon arriving at Marquis Wenbo's mansion, he was suppressed by Marquis Wenbo.
He was even forced to kneel.
Therefore.
He was more aware than many of Marquis Wenbo's arrogant and overbearing nature.
Chen Nan continued, "However, this subordinate did not expect that the Liu family's posthumous pardon was fake."
"So, you executed him in court?" Bi Cang narrowed his eyes slightly, and an invisible aura spread out.
At that moment.
Chen Nan felt a powerful oppressive force.
However, having weathered many storms, he remained unfazed. Enduring the pressure, he retorted, "My lord, Marquis Wenbo and his son used a forged posthumous pardon, refused to obey in court, and even drew their swords to attack public officials."
"This subordinate dares to ask, should they be killed?"
"Did this subordinate violate any laws by killing them?"
Bi Cang did not answer this question directly. Instead, he picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea, "As far as I know, you were an ordinary person before."
"It was only after Lord Yuan was appointed City Lord of Tongcheng that you began to display some skills and abilities."
Chen Nan's heart gave a violent lurch.
As expected.
He suspected him.
After all, this was a world where cultivators, fierce ghosts, and demonic creatures roamed. Possession was a common occurrence.
But Chen Nan remained calm. He said, "Whether it's low-profile or enduring humiliation, it's merely a means of survival."
Bi Cang seemed to recall something.
A hint of approval flashed in his eyes.
He then stood up and said, "Lord Gong and I are here to find the posthumous pardon. Since that is the case, let's find it as quickly as possible and report back!"
Saying this.
A palm-sized compass appeared in his hand.
He injected Yin energy into it.
The needle on the compass began to spin rapidly.
Then it stopped pointing southwest.
Bi Cang's eyes lit up: "Yo, I didn't expect the posthumous pardon to be nearby. It truly is a case of searching high and low and finding it effortlessly."
He had expected this case to become a cold case.
After all, no one knew when the posthumous pardon had been swapped.
Nor did anyone know if the posthumous pardon was even in Tongcheng.
He had not expected to sense the whereabouts of the posthumous pardon so quickly.
Gong Yi wore a cold smile: "I would like to see who dares to steal Marquis Wenbo's posthumous pardon from his mansion."
Then, everyone followed Bi Cang, led by the compass, and left the county yamen.
They wound their way to the front of a large mansion.
Magistrate Gong was stunned.
What did this mean?
Could it be that the posthumous pardon was in my house?