usatvline Chapter 53 Promotion
Chapter 53 Promotion
Did I have a premonition?
Li Wanqing asked in surprise, "Do you know how he died?"
Liu Shan shook his head. He wasn't a god; how could he possibly predict everything?
Li Wanqing continued, "The government claimed that the night watchman was killed by Jia Qingyi's accomplices."
Liu Shan was stunned and asked, "Really?"
“Yes.” Li Wanqing nodded affirmatively: “The government has issued an arrest warrant, claiming that they not only murdered the night watchman, but also recently robbed several caravans.”
"Robbery of a caravan?" Liu Shan asked in surprise. "Bandits? Do you have any evidence?"
"unambiguous evidence."
Liu Shan sighed. No wonder Jia Qingyi would do such lewd things; it turned out he was never a good person to begin with.
Then, Li Wanqing told Liu Shan all the information she had gathered from the Wei family.
After learning about what happened at the Wei residence last night, Liu Shan sighed to himself, "Every family has its own troubles, but the Wei family seems to have two."
However, Liu Shan was also at a loss. Collecting evidence of Song Bowen's crimes sounded simple, but in practice it was extremely difficult.
They had virtually no connections in officialdom, so bringing down a fifth-rank official like Song Bowen was simply a pipe dream.
Liu Shan sighed, "I originally thought that Song Bowen would leave some clues if he sent someone to kill the night watchman, but I didn't expect him to be so lucky as to accidentally reveal the true identity of the opera troupe."
Li Wanqing frowned and asked doubtfully, "Could it really be that Song Bowen sent someone to kill the night watchman? Then we should hurry and report it to the authorities!"
Liu Shan shook his head and said, "I'm just guessing, after all, there's no evidence."
"We can take the constables and coroner to the night watchman's house to look for evidence!"
Liu Shan sighed, "This is where Song Bowen's brilliance lies. The arrest warrant issued by the government has already clearly stated the cause of the night watchman's death, and that cannot be changed."
Li Wanqing then remembered that arrest warrants required the prefect's personal signature. Since Prefect Yin had signed the warrant, it meant he acknowledged the cause of the night watchman's death...
Liu Shan continued, "The prefect is the highest-ranking official in Cangzhou. Once he approves of something, almost no one in Cangzhou can overturn it."
Li Wanqing suddenly clapped her hands and said, "I've got it! The Prince of Kang's official rank is higher than that of the Prefect, he can..."
Liu Shan interrupted, "Prince Kang? Let alone the fact that the two of us will never see Prince Kang, even if we did, would Prince Kang care about the life or death of a night watchman?"
Li Wanqing fell silent immediately, realizing that her previous idea had been too naive.
Time flew by as they talked, and soon it was already past 9 AM.
Liu Shan and Li Wanqing were at a loss and looked at each other in silence.
At this moment, Li Wanqing suddenly cried out softly and rubbed her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Liu Shan asked.
Li Wanqing rubbed her eyes and said, "It's nothing, just some small grains of sand that flew into my eyes from somewhere. Rubbing them will make it better."
Seeing that her eyes were slightly red from rubbing them, Liu Shan quickly stopped her: "Don't rub them anymore, it will only make it worse and hurt your eyes. Let me take a look."
Liu Shan carefully lifted Li Wanqing's eyelids and examined them closely. Sure enough, he found a tiny grain of sand. He slowly leaned closer and whispered, "Bear with it for a moment, I'll blow it out for you."
Li Wanqing hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Mm."
Liu Shan continued to move closer, inhaling and pursing her lips...
Just then, Aunt Zhou pushed the door open with a "bang" and rushed in.
"Miss, son-in-law, there's great news..." Aunt Zhou's words suddenly stopped. She stammered for a while before awkwardly laughing, "Did I disturb you? It's all my fault, I should have knocked first."
She was filled with regret. She knew that the young lady and the young master slept in separate rooms, and now the two were about to get intimate, but she had rashly interrupted them. She almost hated herself.
Liu Shan didn't rush to explain. He first gently blew a breath to get the sand out of her eyes.
Li Wanqing immediately felt much better in her eyes, but her cheeks were burning hot. She felt that Aunt Zhou's expression was a little strange, but she didn't know how to break the awkward atmosphere.
Liu Shan then looked at Aunt Zhou and asked, "Aunt Zhou, what is this joyous occasion you mentioned?"
Aunt Zhou then remembered, and she slapped her thigh, her voice loud: "Miss, son-in-law, great news! Master has been promoted!"
Li Wanqing immediately stood up, disregarding her embarrassment and shyness, and asked eagerly, "Really? What official position did Father get promoted to?"
Aunt Zhou, beaming with joy, excitedly announced, "Master has been appointed as the Assistant Magistrate of the Prefectural Government."
"A sub-prefectural magistrate?" A hint of surprise flashed in Li Wanqing's eyes. "That's a sixth-rank official position. Most importantly, the sub-prefect is directly responsible for managing criminal affairs, including autopsies, investigations, trials, and judgments. This gives us the opportunity to investigate and collect evidence of Song Bowen's crimes!"
Liu Shan couldn't bear to tell the truth. Although both the Tongzhi and the Tongpan were the prefect's deputies, one was a fifth-rank official and the other was only a sixth-rank official. Although their powers were not much different, it was impossible for the lower-ranking Tongpan to investigate the higher-ranking Tongzhi without a reason.
The light in Li Wanqing's eyes gradually dimmed, clearly she had realized it too. She asked in a low voice, "Father, you've only just taken office and you're already investigating your colleagues. Isn't that inappropriate?"
"It's not just inappropriate, it's downright wrong! If my father-in-law does that, his life in the government office will be very difficult, and he will face obstacles at every turn. After all, no one wants to get too close to someone who might investigate a colleague without cause at any time."
Li Wanqing remained silent for a while, then lost her mind again.
Aunt Zhou listened with trepidation. What were these two little devils plotting?
That sounds terrifying. No, I must secretly tell the master later so he can be prepared.
Liu Shan comforted him, "There are still four days until the deadline given by Song Bowen. Don't be too anxious. Remember, there's always a way out, and things will work themselves out. Heaven will always make the best arrangements."
He silently added in his heart: Perhaps my transmigration was the best arrangement from heaven?!
"There's always a way out, and things will work themselves out," Li Wanqing said softly.
Aunt Zhou quickly interjected, "Miss, son-in-law, shall we go? Master and Madam are still waiting."
In the main hall of the Li residence, as soon as Madam Wang saw them arrive, she immediately got up to greet them.
She held her daughter's hand and said softly, "Your father has worked his way up from the sixth rank for many years, and now he has finally made it. From this moment on, our whole family must be careful with our words and actions and avoid getting involved in unnecessary disputes so as not to cause trouble for your father."
Li Wanqing smiled and said, "Mother, I understand. Don't worry."
Madam Wang gently patted her daughter's hand, her eyes full of affection. "What I worry about most is you. You've always been a tomboy since you were little, preferring red dresses to women's clothes, and always trying to outdo others..."