The yamen in Dayue has its own rules. There are two pavilions specially used to post notices in front of the gate, which are two pavilions to promote good and command evil. The door is surrounded by the screen wall, which is the magnificent yamen hall, which is the main hall. However, it is not used here. It is only used when the county magistrate teaches officials every month, or when he wants to hear major cases.

The place where the officials actually worked was bypassing the lobby and passing through the second hall behind a hanging arch. Li Ling and the other two entered the area with the servants passing through the door and saw more than ten houses lined up there, which were the signing rooms for the officials and others in the county government to handle various affairs. Depending on their identities, the size of the signing rooms in their offices was divided into different levels. The most spacious one in the middle was naturally the county magistrate's public hall, and on both sides were the public rooms of the chief clerk and the county magistrate. As for ordinary clerks and yamen, most of them had to squeeze in a signing room together.

However, judging from the current regulations, the public housing of this county, known as the Fourth Master, is no smaller than that of the county magistrate's public office, and is a first-class presence in terms of lighting environment. Li Ling, who was waiting for the yamen to report to summon him, looked at the green-robed official sitting in the desk and looking at the book in his hand. This man was only in his early forties, with a white face and a slightly bearded person, but he looked quite clean and honest.

However, as the man nodded and looked out, Li Ling's heart trembled as soon as he contacted his eyes, and he quickly lowered his eyes and closed his eyes. The other party's eyes were as sharp as a knife, and the two obvious nasolabial folds immediately gave people a strong sense of oppression, which made people feel anxious.

"The plaintiff comes in to speak." Dian Shi's voice was not good, but his majesty made Li Ling and the other two dare not neglect, so they quickly stepped into the room. Gu Yuezi and the other two knelt down fluently and kowtowed to the officials. Li Ling hesitated for a moment. He was really not used to treating people in such humble manner.

But soon, he persuaded himself to follow the local customs, and then knelt down and said, "The grass-roots Li Ling bowed to the fourth master."

"Raise your head." Dianshi didn't mean to get them up, but said after scanning their faces, "Didn't the paper say that there were thieves who entered the house while they were robbed at night and hurt people? Are you three from a family?"

"Sir, it is the one who was robbed and injured. Gu Yuezi and Xu Cang and Xu Cang are here to testify. Because we were also present at that time..." Gu Yuezi was worried that Li Ling was too nervous and so he helped explain first.

But Dianshi didn't finish his words at all, and immediately interrupted, "Since you two are just witnesses, then leave first. I said that I will only let the victim and plaintiff come in and reply."

He was so ruthless that Gu Yuezi could not speak. He only looked at Li Ling and handed him a look of careful reply. He then with Xu Cang, who was also in a daze, left the door and waited in front of the corridor.

After carefully looking at Li Ling up and down, Dian Shi said: "You should tell me carefully about what happened last night. There must be no omissions, and you must not add any damage. If you find out that you are lying, I will definitely not spare you!"

Li Ling browsed lightly. The words of Dianshi were so strange. How could he warn the plaintiff like a prisoner first? But since the other party said that, he could only nod honestly and slowly tell everything that happened last night. Fortunately, for him, this narrative was not difficult. As for the pressure the other party put on him, he could deal with it now.

Listening to him clearly and slowly telling the robbery and injury that happened last night, Dian Shi's eyes also showed a strange look. Until Li Ling said that his family had been robbed of nearly 100 taels of silver, he frowned and interrupted: "Hundred taels of silver? Where did you get so much money from your family? Don't think about talking big on this matter and tricking me. Do you know what that ends up?"

"The people who are in charge of the truth are not afraid, but the people who are in charge of the truth."

"Then where did you get so much money? Don't tell me that it was left by your parents."

"It was Cao Min's recent manuscript fee for writing a novel and running a bookstore." Although Li Ling felt that the other party's reaction was a bit strange, he still answered honestly and told him about his writing of "The Romance of the Gods".

Dian Shi then nodded: "So that's the case, it seems that it's true. But since you haven't even seen the other party clearly, I'm afraid that the official and the county government can't investigate it."

"But……"

He immediately waved his hand and interrupted Li Ling's speech: "According to my inference, it should be just a thief who wandered around. He was targeted by him when you brought the money and money to his death. I am afraid that at this time, the thief would have escaped from my Jiangcheng County. Even if I really sent county officials and other county officials to Dasuo City, I am afraid that it would be impossible to find anyone. What's more, you don't even know what he looks like, let alone find someone."

"Sir, Caomin actually discovered it. There was a tattoo on the thief's wrist, which looked like a flower and leaf. As long as I took a look, I would definitely tell it out!" After Li Ling was completely calm at night, he remembered the tattoo on the wrist when the thief waved his baton and attacked him. He felt that this should be an important clue to trace.

But the clues he thought were not valued by Dianshi at all, so the fourth master smiled: "What is a little tattoo? Do you know how many people in Jiangcheng County have tattoos? I dare not say that there are too many, hundreds of them. If they are placed outside, there will be as many as crucian carp as a river. Do you think the county government will spend a few months or even years looking for prisoners for a word of your words?"

After pausing, he waved his hand and said, "The yamen will take over this case, but when will it be possible to catch the thief for you and get the money back depends on your luck. Okay, I have other things to deal with, so you can step down."

Okay, I went to the yamen to waste half a day, but I got such an answer, which made Li Ling unable to accept. His case was robbery and injured. Isn’t it a big case? To be serious, it was to kill money. In addition to showing his authority, he put it aside so gently?

But I didn't dare to say the words in person, so I could only stand up in disappointment and retreat outside in a daze, and followed the same strange face to the yamen.

It was not until he was a distance from the yamen that Xu Cang took the lead and said angrily: "The people in this county government are too arrogant. Not only do they openly ask for bribes, but they also... can even ignore such cases. Is this still my official official in Dayue? Then what kind of guarantee do we have for the common people?"

Gu Yuezi smiled bitterly at it: "So I wanted to dissuade you when I heard you say you wanted to report to the official yesterday. It's really useless to come here, but it will lose some money. This time it's okay. If you really anger them, I'm afraid that the plaintiffs will be ordered by them as defendants and suffer."

"It's really outrageous!" Xu Cang looked angry again, and he still couldn't accept that the yamen was so dark.

"Who told us that we are all ordinary people? If the rich and powerful person goes to the yamen to report to the officials, that would be another matter."

"For example, Zhuang Qiang?" Li Ling asked casually as he thought about something.

"He is naturally the most special. Who said that the Fourth Master is his brother? Anyone who has a scholar and a reputation and goes to report to an official can be valued by them."

Li Ling was stunned: "Boss Gu, are you talking about Zhuang Qiang and Na Dianshi being brothers?"

"Yes, why don't you know? The fourth master's name is Zhuang Hong, who is Zhuang Qiang's brother. It is precisely because of such a brother who is in power in the county government that Zhuang Qiang can be rampant in my Jiangcheng County. No one is afraid of him."

This sentence made Li Ling's question find a vague answer. However, this matter is too big after all, and even if he doesn't say much to these two friends, he can only keep it in mind for the time being. Then he changed the topic and said, "But even so, this matter is a bit unreasonable. If the government doesn't care about such a case, aren't they afraid that the matter will spread and cause trouble for themselves?"

Gu Yuezi immediately smiled: "What are they going to worry about? Even if the superiors really blame him, they can't blame him for his clerk. Who made the county magistrate take office for half a year? So if there is any problem, it will be carried by the new county magistrate. Moreover, this banker has a deep root in the county town, which is much more powerful than the other three destiny officials, so he is naturally even more afraid."

Gu Yuezi was a businessman in this county and was quite familiar with some things in the officialdom. After his explanation, Li Ling and the other two finally understood the strange relationship between the county yamen now. In the absence of Zhengyin County Magistrate, although the position of the chief clerk and the county magistrate was higher than that of the four masters Dianshi, the power of the two foreign officials in the local area was far from comparable to Dianshi, because they were nine years long and three years short. Dianshi, a small official who was not as good as that of Dianshi, can serve as an official in this life for a lifetime, and can also pass on their descendants. In this way, Dianshi's power is much greater than that of the other two Assistant officials.

In a sense, Dianshi, who sits in the fourth seat, can even compete with the eldest county magistrate. It is said that the county magistrate suddenly resigned from office because he was forced by Zhuang Hong.

After understanding all this, Li Ling and Xu Cang didn't know what to say at all. Especially Li Ling, when he remembered that he still owed Zhuang Qiang so much money and his backstage was so tough, he felt a burst of pressure.

Finally, Gu Yuezi made a summary: "So now it seems that it is impossible to ask the government to help arrest people and get the money back. Mr. Li, you can only think of him to make up the gap of about a hundred taels of silver."
Chapter completed!