Fix Smile Order Chapter 36
Translated by Pure
Unedited
Chapter 36: The Right Path
After Zhou Zhengdao came back, he discovered that the young county magistrate had set him up.
Official Sun hurriedly visited him, and wanted him to help him get in contact with the county magistrate. Money was not a problem.
County Deputy Zhou and Official Sun had a good relationship. The day after he came to Tongling County, Official Sun came to visit him. The two were not dating, so there was no need to sneak around, the county magistrate must have noticed them from that time.
Therefore, as soon as he found out that Sun Bufan was a murder suspect, the county magistrate was not in a hurry to open hold the hearing, but sent him, Zhou Zhengdao away first. Otherwise, as the county deputy, he would be able to help speak for the Sun Family during the hearing, and maybe save Sun Bufan’s life.translat ed by pure tl. com / do not re post
This incident was too sudden and they were caught off guard. Zhou Zhengdao first met the new fair-skinned magistrate of Tang County, he thought he was an oaf, but now it seems that although the boy was young, he really had a ruthless character. This boy had some ability.
However, he was still naive. According to the rules in the officialdom, to be a stable official, you must first make good friends with the local gentry. Official Sun's family was wealthy, and he was a well-known figure in Tongling County. The Tang Magistrate did not deal with it well, but instead, directly sentenced his son to death without showing any sympathy. How could Official Sun not hate him? If he joins the local gentry to make trouble every day, will Tang Feilong still have a peaceful day? Sooner or later he will crash from a bank run.
But then again, there are benefits of being young. Zhou Zhengdao thinks that Magistrate Tang was smart enough to be a good candidate. Moreover, the young man seemed full of intent and easy to entice. At this critical moment, he only needs to give County Magistrate Tang a little nudge. Once he is aware of the benefits, this tiny magistrate will probably fall right into his palms.
With such wishful thinking, Zhou Zhengdao went to find Tang Tianyuan.
"My lord, I think that Sun Bufan's case needs to be reconsidered in the long run."
Oh, here we go. Tang Tianyuan's eyebrows moved slightly, "What is the opinion of County Deputy Zhou?"
Zhou Zhengdao stroked his goatee and said, "What I’m going to say may be unpleasant to the ears, please don't blame me, my lord. My lord is new to the area and does not have much foundation. If you want to do a good job in this county, the most important thing is to build a relationship with the county. This way, everyone can live in peace with each other. The Sun Family is a prominent local family, and they are wealthy, and can be regarded as the top gentry in this county. Not to mention in Tongling County, he is also well regarded by the highest ranking prefecture’s officials. This is the perfect opportunity now that Sun Bufan has committed a crime. Why don’t the lord take this opportunity to sell the Sun Family some face? Official Sun will definitely be grateful to the lord from now on. After subduing him, then my lord could peacefully be settled in Tongling in the future. "
Oh, he even has connections with the prefectural magistrate? Tang Tianyuan was unsure if Zhengdao was just talking big or telling the truth. Tang Tianyuan shook his head and said, "But Sun Bufan personally confessed to the murder in front of everyone, this matter may be difficult to overturn."
"It doesn't have to be overturned. Sun Bufan's murder had a reason. Please reconsider, to avoid the death penalty, you can sentence him to exile. Let him be pardoned later and released back."
Pipe dream. Tang Tianyuan sneered inwardly, but retained a calm expression on the surface, "This is not a trivial matter, this officer needs some time to think."
"My humble job is for the sake of the lord. I just hope my lord will not think too much and misunderstand my sincerity."
"County Deputy Zhou is overthinking. This official has only just arrived, and there are many things I am unaware of. This official is very pleased that County Deputy Zhou can speak so bluntly."
"I dare not."
Zhou Zhengdao left satisfied when he saw that the young county magistrate was successfully redirected on the right road.
Tang Tianyuan held his chin in thought, thinking about the situation he was facing now.
His father was the highest ranking official, and he himself was an imperial envoy, so people like Zhou Zhengdao and Official Sun, can only be regarded as small shrimps. He was not afraid to offend them. However, when he was currently in other people's territory, it was best not to offend anyone. Otherwise these little shrimps may group and cause him trouble later.
Of course, he also couldn't bend the law for personal gains.
And there was another tricky thing. From what Zhou Zhengdao meant just now, Official Sun seemed to have some connections with the prefect of Chizhou. If this was really the case, then if the prefectural magistrate were to intervene, things would be even more troublesome.
Fortunately, as long as the county magistrate refused to reverse the sentence, then it is very unlucky for Sun Bufan's case to be commuted. Because the death penalty was a felony, they are directly reported to the province and then reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple. This meant that the prefecture government officials had nothing to do with the death penalty cases tried by the counties under its jurisdiction. Even if it was a province, the prefectures could only play the role of intermediate, and were not able to amend a judgment. It was near impossible to save Sun Bufan, unless they could bribe the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple.
Having made up his mind, Tang Tianyuan was not in a hurry to reject Zhou Zhengdao. He decided to delay for a while to explore the details of the various forces in Tongling County.
Tang Tianyuan was tired from thinking. He rubbed his forehead, stood up, and walked back to his inner courtyard.
Before entering the yard, he heard a conversation coming from the inside. Tang Tianyuan didn't want to eavesdrop, but when he heard "Tan Lingyin" this and "Tan Lingyin" that, he unconsciously slowed down and stood outside the door to listen.
Xianggua was complaining to Xueli about Tan Lingyin in the yard. The story goes as follows: Xianggua had always loved to drink goat's milk, she had given money to a handyman from the kitchen to prepare a warm bowl of goat's milk every couple of days. The handyman got fresh goat milk today. He had put it in the kitchen and went out for a while, but when he came back, he found that the goat milk was gone. The handyman asked a few people, and some said that they saw Head Commissioner Tan walking away with a bowl of something. Right at that time, Xianggua just happened to come to look for her goat milk, so the handyman told Xianggua what had transpired.
Confused, Xianggua went to the Southern Study to find Tan Lingyin. When she arrived, she happened to see her feeding a dog her goat milk.
"Tell me, how could there be such an abusive person!" Xianggua's voice involuntarily increased. She was very angry.
Xueli comforted, "I’m sure she didn't know it was yours. I think Head Commissioner Tan is very nice and it wasn’t done intentionally?"
"You, you, what benefits did she give you? To actually buy you off?"
"No..."
"Actually, I can't blame you. With Tan Lingyin's ability, even the Young Master will be subdued by her."
Tang Tianyuan frowned. He was at odds with Tan Lingyin, how could he be subdued by her? It would be more feasible to say he will subdue her!