Magistrate Xu nodded, "So, Xu Jieyuan, are you going to wait here in the Government Office, or what?"
Xu Qing smiled, "I might as well wait in the Punishment Room of the Government Office for your news, Magistrate Xu."
"Alright, I’ll go and find Duke Wei right now." Knowing that time was of the essence, Magistrate Xu hurriedly took the letter and left the Government Office.
Xu Qing headed towards the Punishment Room.
Su Lie personally oversaw the Punishment Room, which was staffed by his original brothers. Ever since he joined the Inspector’s Government Office, his trusted followers’ days were not as good as before.
Now that Su Lie had returned, leveraging the power of the Inspector’s Office, the constables of the Government Office feared him even more than before.
Su Lie felt as comfortable as if he had taken an Immortal Pill.
"Keep alert, everyone. This is a major case personally supervised by the Imperial Censor and Xu Jieyuan. If any mistakes are made, you’ll all be in for a beating," Su Lie said.
Not long after, Xu Qing arrived.
Su Lie rushed to greet him.
Xu Qing told him to get busy with things, which made Su Lie even more energized, wanting to make a good impression in front of his son-in-law. The surrounding constables, seeing that the Inspector’s son-in-law and Top Scorer came to oversee, did not dare to slack off.
Duke Wei warmly entertained Magistrate Xu and then, hearing the purpose of his visit, opened Xu Qing’s personal letter. Although nothing explicit was stated in the letter, Duke Wei could feel the implied message.
His face turned livid, "Magistrate Xu, does Xu Gongming think there’s no one in my house? Is he treating me like a fool?"
Catching his people and then demanding their families, what is he trying to do?
Magistrate Xu coughed and said, "Duke, I wonder what the relationship between the Giant Whale Gang and you is."
Duke Wei quickly denied, "No relationship."
He then felt like that statement was treating Magistrate Xu like a fool as well and continued, "Perhaps some of my subordinates have some business dealings with the Giant Whale Gang."
Magistrate Xu spoke again, "Does the Giant Whale Gang have anything to do with this recent pirate chaos?"
Magistrate Xu sighed, "Xu Jieyuan also said that Duke Wei is certainly unrelated to this unrest. However, the criminal’s family is at Tiger Roar Villa, and it’s inevitable that it might implicate your house. And if his family were to die in the villa, or be hidden elsewhere, it can’t be guaranteed that someone powerful isn’t related to this and isn’t trying to kill and silence people, or interfere with Court’s pursuit of the truth... Moreover, Xu Jieyuan also said, only by having the criminal’s family can he press the perpetrator into honestly confessing and settling the case, otherwise..."
Magistrate Xu said, "I urged Xu Jieyuan to prioritize the big picture, that it’s best to stop the case here. If the Duke doesn’t believe it, you can come to the Government Office, and I will close the case in front of you. What do you think?"
Duke Wei’s expression fluctuated.
This Gao Gongyuan is the Deputy Gang Leader of the Giant Whale Gang, and knows some secrets. But to say he could doom the Duke Wei Mansion was fantasy.
Duke Wei felt wrongly accused; this pirate chaos was indeed unrelated to him.
The problem was that the Giant Whale Gang had indeed made some effort.
"The Giant Whale Gang has been disobedient lately; it’s time for a lesson," Duke Wei pondered and decided that if the matter escalated, the Court would certainly demand an explanation.
Moreover, since the Giant Whale Gang was not listening to him, what harm would there be to take this opportunity to teach them a lesson?
He just couldn’t swallow his pride.
Seeing Duke Wei’s hesitation, Magistrate Xu remembered Xu Qing’s instructions and took out several pages of the account book, saying, "By the way, Duke, this is the account book Xu Jieyuan asked me to pass on to you."
Duke Wei took the account book, initially startled, "What’s this?"
"I do not know either," Magistrate Xu was baffled, as it seemed Duke Wei Mansion didn’t recognize this account book. Could Xu Jieyuan have made some mistake?
Duke Wei furrowed his brows; he didn’t know what the accounts meant, but Xu Qing would certainly not act without a purpose.
He called for his chief steward, Yan Fu, and spoke about the account book.
Yan Fu examined the accounts carefully and his expression suddenly changed. He whispered to Duke Wei, "Old Master, this is a list of gifts from Breeze Temple sent to the capital."
Duke Wei was initially shocked, then he understood.
It turned out this account book was regarding gifts he had sent to Chaotian Temple under the name of Breeze Temple.
Duke Wei felt a chill in his heart; did this young man find something out?
He had an illegitimate son who was now highly favored in Chaotian Temple. If Xu Qing discovered any clues and the Emperor came to know...
Duke Wei felt somewhat uneasy, but he didn’t let it show on his face and said, "Magistrate Xu, please tell Xu Gongming that it’s better to resolve enmities rather than to perpetuate them. I will give him this face."
He paused, then continued, "They will leave by boat early tomorrow morning."
Magistrate Xu understood Duke Wei’s intent and hurriedly bowed, "I shall return now."
Duke Wei hesitated for a moment but refrained from keeping Magistrate Xu any longer, clearly aware that Magistrate Xu mustn’t know about the gift-giving of Breeze Temple. This was not something to be known by more people.
After Magistrate Xu had left, Duke Wei smashed a teacup onto the floor.
Yan Fu looked at the shattered pieces with distress.
That smash had cost several hundred taels of silver.
Duke Wei calmed his rage, "How dare the people from Breeze Temple keep such an account? It seems these subordinates are getting out of control, not taking me seriously anymore."
Yan Fu said, "Old Master, it’s no use talking about this now. Besides, Breeze Temple has already been uprooted by Xu Gongming."
Duke Wei asked, "How much does Xu Qing know?"
Yan Fu pondered, "He probably doesn’t know about the young master, but he must have some clues."
Duke Wei: "Is this man a demon? Even the people of Breeze Temple only knew they were giving gifts to Chaotian Temple. How could he guess this matter is so important?"