Chapter 335: Chapter 134: Public Indignation
What Zhang Lanshan didn’t say was that he had come to the Prefecture early under the guise of taking the Provincial Examination. His real purpose was to take advantage of Cui Wei and Cui Junrong both being in the city to file a formal accusation.
He just hadn’t expected that because of those two, someone would deliberately travel to Guyuan County and, after unraveling the matter piece by piece, manage to single him out from the whole affair.
Remembering Chen Song who had sought him out, Zhang Lanshan fought the urge to turn and look down.
’He’s my benefactor!’
Without his help, both behind the scenes and openly, and his efforts to persuade so many witnesses to step forward, it was unlikely that even this ironclad evidence would have been enough to topple Cui Wei and his son.
Mr. Sheng read the letter from beginning to end, and upon seeing the brazen and outrageous claims within, he laughed in anger.
He handed the letter to a constable, who then showed it to Cui Wei and his son. "The witnesses and material evidence are all here. Do you two confess to your crimes?"
Cui Wei gave the same response as before. "I have been wrongly accused. I implore Your Lordship to see the truth."
Cui Junrong, however, held the letter, hiccupping uncontrollably, unable to utter a single word.
"Stubborn till the bitter end. This official will see just how long you can keep up this act. Men, bring the finger press."
The finger press was brought out again. Just as the constables were about to place it on their fingers, Cui Junrong was so terrified he started wailing, "My Lord, I’m innocent too! We’ve been framed! AHHH! It hurts! My fingers are going to break! My Lord, I’ll talk, I’ll confess everything! I beg you, show mercy! Make them stop!"
Hearing his son’s words, Cui Wei knew all was lost. He collapsed to the floor, his composed expression finally shattering as tears and snot streamed down his face.
Cui Junrong confessed to everything. This included how he and his father manipulated the county examinations in Guyuan County and how they dealt with scholars who wouldn’t yield. He also gave a clear account of the murders and the seizure of people’s property.
However, after confessing to the crimes, Cui Junrong added, "This was all orchestrated by my father! A father’s command is heaven’s will. As his son, how could I dare to disobey? My Lord, the fault lies entirely with my father. Today, this humble citizen must uphold justice, even against my own kin."
At this critical moment, Cui Junrong had shifted all the blame onto his father, Mr. Cui, hoping to get himself off scot-free.
But the letter was in his own handwriting. No amount of sophistry could argue that away.
Cui Wei was stunned to hear his son turn the tables and blame him for everything.
’To think I raised such a monster!’
When matters had come to this, further denials and excuses were useless.
With both witnesses and material evidence present, Cui Wei and his son were taken into custody.
Their sentences had not yet been passed, as there were still many crimes the Cuis had not fully confessed to.
For instance, the matters Zhang Lanshan had mentioned—seizing property and driving the Tofu Beauty to her death—could not be judged on one person’s testimony alone. The victims had to be summoned to be questioned in detail.
Consequently, Cui Wei and his son were temporarily imprisoned, awaiting the arrival of each victim in the Prefecture for a full trial before the final sentences would be announced.
However, the two had committed a multitude of evils in Guyuan County. If news of their imprisonment spread, it was likely that even more victims would come forward to beat the drum and announce their grievances.
Therefore, it would likely take some time to fully uncover all the wicked deeds this father and son had committed.
The common folk were a bit disappointed they didn’t hear a final verdict.
But the reason given by the government office was valid, so they suppressed their dissatisfaction and began to file out, muttering amongst themselves.
"They’re getting off easy. The father and son get to live a few more days."
"Living in constant fear like this is the real punishment. As long as the executioner’s blade hasn’t fallen, they’ll be trembling with anxiety. Isn’t that more satisfying than just killing them outright?"
"That father and son are no good, so the County Magistrate’s wife must be no good either. And the constables in Guyuan County are surely just as bad. They should dig deeper, get them all in one go, and pull out this evil network by the roots."
"The clouds have parted to reveal the blue sky. There’s hope now for the people of Guyuan County."
The crowd chattered on, exchanging comments as they walked out.
As they departed, the story of how Cui Wei and his son had colluded in villainy—murdering people, seizing their wealth, and manipulating the imperial examinations—spread like wildfire throughout Xinghuai Prefecture.
Along with it, the great renown of Prefect Sheng also spread.
"The Lord Prefect noticed something was wrong as soon as he received the examination selections from Guyuan County. While there might be slight differences in the scholarly levels across Xinghuai Prefecture, they wouldn’t be that drastic. The selections from Guyuan County this time were utter nonsense, almost unbearable to read. Mr. Sheng sensed something was amiss back then and secretly arranged for someone to investigate thoroughly."
"That’s Mr. Sheng for you. He’s a seasoned official. No devious scheme can escape his discerning eye."
"Mr. Sheng doesn’t tolerate any corruption. The County Magistrate of Guyuan County showed no regard for the law and acted with impunity. Once all his crimes are brought to light, he’ll surely be executed without pardon."
