Making money, taking exams and supporting the family

chapter 54: Trial in the Bustling City

Because the County Magistrate Wang uttered the phrase “holding a trial in the bustling market,” the already densely packed crowd of onlookers grew even larger.

By the time the court was set up in the market, in addition to the people Lin Ze originally called from the village, almost everyone from the Qingshan County town had also come out to watch the excitement.

They occupied the open space, crowded the teahouses, and some even climbed onto the high walls of people’s courtyards just to get a better view.

After a brief moment of shock, County Magistrate Wang calmed down and sat upright in his chair, looking serious.

Without delving into the deeper darkness, he really looked like a clean official serving the people, which was why he had been promoted after only three years as a county magistrate.

Lin Ze quietly glanced at County Magistrate Wang above and felt more certain in his heart.

The reason why he dared to be so bold and make such a big fuss today, besides the laws of the Great Ji Dynasty, was that County Magistrate Wang was about to be transferred.

For an official about to be transferred, maintaining one’s final reputation was far more important than accepting bribes. There was only one position above, but there were millions of watchful eyes. County Magistrate Wang had to be fair even if he did not want to be.

Considering the distance between Nanyang Town and the county seat, Lin Ze listed all the names of the parties involved, suspects, eyewitnesses, and so on.

By calling everyone for questioning, he saved time and avoided complications that might arise from a prolonged investigation.

To catch his opponents off guard, Lin Ze also wrote a case analysis using the “case lateral writing” method*, which is commonly used in modern criminal investigations. It involves deducing the mindset and thoughts of criminals based on evidence to investigate cases.

*”a method of documenting or presenting a case from a different perspective or angle, possibly using a lateral or sideways approach to analyze or understand the details of the case.”

Although Lin Ze was not particularly professional in this area, he had seen enough crime dramas on TV to mimic the style.

Furthermore, with the help of the original owner’s knowledge, a well-reasoned case analysis left County Magistrate Wang amazed. He felt that there was no need for further investigation; the criminals could confess directly.

Even the people kneeling below for interrogation were stunned. If they could write, they might have thought that the analysis was their own confession!

Of course, those called out by name were not foolish enough to confess just because they were frightened.

“Your Honor, this is a mistake… I’m innocent…”

The people who spoke first were servants from Wei Hongjue’s residence, exactly the servants and maids who were supposed to be serving in the backyard at the beginning.

Then Lin Jianwen denied it. There was no way around it. He was the ‘number one suspect’ identified by Lin Ze. If he did not immediately plead innocence, he would be convicted immediately!

Anyway, the brothers had already fallen out, and Lin Ze was not going to show any mercy this time.

Seeing Lin Jianwen’s calm demeanor in the village, he guessed that the other party had cleaned up their tracks. It might not be easy to frame Lin Jianwen with Wei Yunying’s matter, so he changed the target and brought up some dirty things in the village.