bayedsolid Chapter 285 Telling the story
Chapter 285 Telling the story
Listening to Zhao Qiang's story, Tang Yu felt as if he were truly solving a case.
After all, this is what real detective work is like; it lacks the boring charm I had before.
Looking at Zhao Qiang, who was talking eloquently, Tang Yu realized that although the other party might not be a good local official, he was definitely not an incompetent fool.
After all, someone who can clearly recount the first case on the spot is definitely not just a pretty face; he must have real ability to serve as a prefect.
After recounting all the details, Zhao Qiang spoke with utmost seriousness.
"After this first case broke out, I conducted a very thorough investigation, as well as an analysis and planning of the case itself."
Zhao Qiang's words were full of seriousness.
Tang Yu looked at him without saying anything.
After hesitating several times, he said with a very ugly expression.
"Ladies and gentlemen, of course there is another reason."
"That was my first thought, and it seemed to be that the murder was committed by a nobleman from Handan."
"So I wanted to investigate the details of the case thoroughly and eventually cover it up."
That's why the investigation was conducted so thoroughly.
"Please believe me."
Hearing Zhao Qiang say this, the people around him all looked at him with disdain.
After all, as the local official in Handan, the governor of a prefecture, how could he handle the case in such an attitude?
Such collusion among officials is disheartening to the people.
As ordinary citizens, we felt our lives were so cheap in the eyes of nobles, that they could be disposed of so easily.
It's easy to imagine how many disappointed looks he would receive.
Tang Yu naturally agreed with his statement.
Because he had already investigated and found that the nobles in Handan City might indeed be innocent.
However, this doesn't mean Tang Yu is prepared to say anything in their defense.
After all, you might be innocent in this matter.
However, you have committed numerous crimes and exploited the people in your daily lives.
This whole pot of tea is enough for you to have a good drink about all this.
We'll definitely have to make an example of a few of them to scare others.
This will serve as a deterrent to other officials, encouraging them to behave properly in the future. It will also serve as a wake-up call to the people, giving them hope.
"I did not find any relevant traces or evidence at the scene."
"At the time, I was relieved that the scene had been cleaned up very well, and that only one object was left behind."
As soon as he said this, the nobles all nodded in agreement, indicating that they were innocent.
The faces of the common people changed repeatedly.
After all, they are not stupid.
They lost their minds simply because their loved ones had encountered problems and been hurt.
But now it seems there's more to the story.
Moreover, Zhao Qiang's confession was extremely detailed and logically sound, making it seem entirely genuine.
At this moment, Zhao Qiang looked at everyone and kowtowed again.
"Everyone, this is the second thing I, Zhao Qiang, have failed to do."
"After I, Zhao Qiang, did not investigate the murderer, I wanted to completely cover up the incident, so I took the initiative to look for the murderer."
"And I think if it really was someone from the nobility who did the killing, they would definitely admit it and then ask me to help them cover up the evidence."
"But no matter which family I went to, they all said it had nothing to do with them."
"In the end, I searched all the nobles in the entire city of Handan and found that no one was the murderer."
“They would never lie to me; this has indeed happened several times in the past.”
In the end, Zhao Qiang closed his eyes with some pain and helplessness.
He knew that the most important thing at this moment was to prove his innocence in this case.
This case has had a huge impact.
If the innocence in this case cannot be proven, it may affect not only one's own life, but also the entire family and nine generations of relatives.
Therefore, compared to the death penalty for the entire family, even if he was previously sentenced to beheading for dereliction of duty and collusion with others, it is still a relatively good ending.
Zhao Qiang naturally admitted it.
After he finished speaking, not only the common people fell silent, but the nobles did too.
The people looked at each other.
At this moment, they were all completely bewildered.
They knew that Zhao Qiang dared to admit it because it had actually happened.
If he admits to this, he will definitely not be able to escape responsibility.
But faced with this situation, the other party said that this was definitely not the work of nobles. Could there really be something fishy about this?
Seeing that no one spoke, Zhao Qiang was still not at ease and wanted to explain the core of the case.
As the presiding judge in this case, and as the local official in charge, he naturally wanted to solve the case.
Regardless of who is behind this, he at least wants to know the truth.
But the more he investigated the case, the more alarmed and bizarre it seemed.
That's why he lost his mind in the end and used such a foolish and stupid move, which led to this serious result.
However, he did not confide in anyone about this case.
He trusted no one, not even nobles or his own wife.
Now he can finally recount the details of the case without any psychological burden.
He could even find someone to help him solve the case.
Zhao Qiang really didn't know whether he should be sad or happy.
"And so," Zhao Qiang continued.
"So before all of you noticed that there was something wrong with this case, I had already noticed it."
Finally, he let out a long sigh and slowly spoke again.
"Alas, although I realized at the time that there was a person and force in this case that I had not been able to find, I did not take it to heart."
"I just felt that the man might have a grudge against Old Man Sun and wanted to frame the nobleman for his death."
"But to my surprise, I received similar reports on the second and third days."
"But what's even more outrageous is that the later cases were exactly the same as the earlier ones, without the slightest difference."
“Even the fabrics left behind are exactly the same.”
"Only now have I realized that there must be something fishy going on here."
"But at that time, I discovered something extraordinary."
"As for what it is, I think it's best if you all don't know."
Before the common people could react to his words, the nobles shuddered.
The people also realized that since the other party had admitted to the matter to this extent, it must be true, something that ordinary people could not know.
After he finished speaking, he looked at Tang Yu seriously and said...
"I implore Your Excellency to investigate thoroughly; this incident truly has nothing to do with us."