Well, before Fan Zehao had even finished dealing with the previous case of kidnapping a civilian woman, another report came in, and the parties involved were even brought along.
He turned to look at Liu Laizi, seeing his face turn deathly pale, his eyes wide with alarm. He didn't know if it was from fear or if he had seen a ghost, thinking someone had been burned to death, only to find they had reappeared.
Regardless of the reason, this matter still had to be thoroughly investigated.
As the case progressed, layers of mystery were peeled back, and Liu Daqing provided crucial details.
The young, beautiful girls who had gone missing from the town and villages were secretly captured by him. After toying with them to death, he threw their bodies into the dried-up well in the backyard of his mansion. Liu Daqing discovered this secret while anonymously investigating evidence of his crimes.
With both human and material evidence secured, Liu Daqing had no way to deny it. The number of skeletal remains the yamen runners pulled from his well was countless.
Such cruel methods sent shivers down Fan Zehao's spine, and the deceased women were all the more innocent.
At that moment, Fan Zehao immediately sentenced him to beheading at the waist, to be executed publicly at the market the next day, without waiting for autumn.
When the gathered citizens learned of this, they burst into applause, which echoed for a long time before finally subsiding.
The local people were deeply grateful to the Prince for eliminating another menace for them. However, for the deceased victims, the county coroner could only do their best to piece together the skeletal remains, perform a ritual, and then choose a propitious burial site for them.
Some people came to identify the bodies, but they only saw bones and could not discern which one belonged to their relative. Those who could not let go would claim one based on their feelings. The county yamen provided five taels of silver for burial expenses.
This was all that Fan Zehao could do; he was powerless to do more.
Returning to the inn, he was in low spirits.
Zhao Jiaqi held his hand and sighed, "You have already done your best and avenged the dead. There is no need for further self-blame!"
"I understand, but I still feel an unbearable guilt!"
If his own daughter had suffered such a fate, he truly might have taken up his sword to slay the perpetrator. Thinking from another perspective, he truly couldn't stand such wicked people.
"For those families who lost their daughters, after selling Liu Laizi's property, compensate all the victim's families. All the missing persons in the town are recorded; you can divide it equally among them!"
At least, this would help alleviate her husband's guilt a little. Although money couldn't buy back a life, now that lives were lost, they still had to think of the living.
The next day, at noon, at the market, the crowd not only held rotten eggs but also spoiled vegetables, which they hurled at Liu Laizi's head.
At noon, Liu Laizi was beheaded by the executioner. It was said that his intestines and entrails spilled out, making the scene quite gruesome.
In the afternoon, the examination of the magistrate began. For his absolute power in this region, his complicity in Liu Laizi's crimes, his acceptance of bribes, and his connivance with Wang Liang in extortion and coercion, he deserved to die a hundred times over for the wrongs he had committed!
The case was judged that day, earning the praise of the entire town.
That evening, Fan Zehao shared his thoughts with his wife. "I had people investigate the scribe, and it turns out this scribe is quite decent. He hasn't committed any heinous crimes and has even saved many people from the magistrate's clutches!"
Zhao Jiaqi listened to him ramble on and guessed that he intended to promote the scribe to the position of magistrate, but she didn't voice her speculation.
He continued, "Although the scribe didn't collude, he also didn't report the crimes. Based on the people he saved, let's consider it... a balance of merits and demerits!"
Zhao Jiaqi nodded slightly. "It is only right. After all, as a scribe, wanting to survive, he had to bow his head and live in the cracks. This is understandable!"
No one is perfect. Fan Zehao understood the meaning of this phrase now. One might not achieve perfection, but at least one should not be an evil person.
"I want to appoint this scribe as acting magistrate and then decide whether to officially appoint him based on his performance later!"
Zhao Jiaqi smiled and nodded gently, saying softly, "Okay!"
They looked at each other and smiled.
"I have handled all my matters here. How is your restaurant doing?"
Speaking of which, Zhao Jiaqi felt a headache coming on. "The double-entry bookkeeping is giving me a real headache!"
"The real ledger is densely filled with names, all of them for the hot pot ingredients he sold, and a bunch of unfamiliar names are those who sent him gifts. Even his bribes to others are recorded!"
"If I were to arrest people according to this list, it would be impressive if I could finish in half a month!"
Hearing his wife speak, Fan Zehao found it very complicated. He really couldn't help much with this matter!
However, he could still scare these people; that was possible!
"What do you think we should do? Have you thought of a solution?"
Zhao Jiaqi nodded. So far, she had only thought of one solution: "I want to summon everyone on this list and not just scold and warn them. Although these people's mistakes are not major, and their methods were not right, they haven't committed serious offenses. Let's give them a unified warning or punishment to instill some deterrence. What do you think?"
What could he think? It was already excellent that she could come up with this. Compared to him, who only knew how to fight and kill, this was much better!
Fan Zehao wholeheartedly agreed. "Good, I agree, wholeheartedly! Tomorrow, I will have the chief executive send invitations to these people, asking them to come to the county yamen in the afternoon. I'll treat them to tea!"
His serious demeanor amused Zhao Jiaqi. Inviting them for tea. These people would likely be scared to death. Anyone he invited for tea had already died.
That night, Fan Zehao quickly fell asleep. This was the best sleep he had had since arriving in this town. There was no particular reason, except that the matters that had been weighing on his heart had been resolved. The wicked people had all died, and the victims' families had received appropriate compensation. His guilt had eased somewhat!
The next day.
The chief executive, following the names on the roster, instructed the acting magistrate to find these people and bring them to the county yamen in the afternoon, where the Prince would treat them to tea.
As soon as this news broke, everyone whose name was on the roster received the message and trembled with fear. Some began to make funeral arrangements, while others started to move their valuables.
Even more so, some people who received the message fainted on the spot, while others convulsed with fear. All sorts of reactions occurred, but not a single person dared to refuse the invitation.
That afternoon, when these people left their homes, they would normally have traveled by carriage. However, today, by chance, everyone walked. They were drenched in sweat, and those accompanying them were their sons, partly to observe the situation and partly to collect their bodies.