Song Da was dragged out of the room by Lin Ji against his will.
The Song family had been awakened long ago, but they didn't dare to look outside, huddling in a corner trembling, praying that Lin Ji could stop the assailant threatening them.
At this moment, seeing the chaos in the courtyard, the collapsed walls on both sides, Song Da's panic grew even more.
"Head Lin, that villain."
"He escaped, but he won't come back," Lin Ji said with a grim expression.
Hearing this, Song Da breathed a sigh of relief.
"Head Lin, your great kindness, I will never forget." Song Da was about to kneel down and kowtow, genuinely frightened.
But Lin Ji grabbed his collar, preventing him from kneeling.
"The one who harmed you is Feng Yu, who specifically named to kill your whole family, one by one, torturing slowly," Lin Ji said coldly, "Think carefully about what happened."
"Head Lin, I really don't know anyone named Feng," Song Da said.
"He was a beggar, three years ago!"
"The beggar from three years ago," murmured Song Da for a moment, then suddenly widened his eyes.
He glanced at Lin Ji but said nothing.
"If you remember, speak up, don't force me to take action."
"I'll speak now."
Song Da trembled in fear, hastily saying, "When you mentioned the beggar, I suddenly remembered the winter three years ago. That day, I lost money gambling, so I was quite angry and drank a lot."
"You run a gambling den, why fear losing money?" Lin Ji raised an eyebrow.
Song Da chuckled, "Running a gambling den is business, playing cards is leisure, they're different."
"Go on."
"That night was very cold, I was in a bad mood, and I saw a beggar on the roadside, so I kicked over his bowl," Song Da said somewhat embarrassed.
"And then?" Lin Ji's gaze turned colder.
"Head Lin, as you know, I have some status in the county, everyone should treat me respectfully... except for you all," Song Da said softly, "Anyway, that stinky beggar dared to glare at me while begging, so I got my men to beat him up severely. Could it be that stinky beggar?"
"Yes, that stinky beggar almost killed your whole family, even I almost became a victim!" Lin Ji kicked Song Da to the ground.
Seeing him struggling in pain on the ground, Lin Ji gestured towards the inner room.
Song Er hurried out, having secretly observed when Lin Ji went to fetch someone.
"Did you hear what your brother said?"
"Head Lin, this is my brother's fault, please forgive him," Song Er apologized quickly.
Lin Ji, expressionless, pointed at Song Da.
"Hit him."
"What?" Song Er was puzzled.
"Break his legs, let this scoundrel lie in bed for two months," Lin Ji said coldly, "Or I'll strip off your official position and raid your family's shady business. Two choices, you decide."
Song Er dared not speak more, looking down at his elder brother.
"If it weren't for me causing trouble for no reason, we wouldn't have gotten into this mess. Head Lin saved our family, Second Brother, listen to Head Lin and take action," Song Da gritted his teeth.
Lin Ji was tired of this farce, preparing to leave for his own courtyard.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly realized the walls had collapsed, there was no point in going around.
Soon after, Song Da's screams echoed.
Lin Ji glanced over.
"Evil deeds will lead to self-destruction. If you hadn't been relatively restrained in your daily life, I would have dealt with you before Feng Yu arrived," Lin Ji said.
"You're right," Song Da replied through the pain, then fainted.
Early the next morning.
Lin Ji was about to go out to buy breakfast when a constable stopped him, saying the county magistrate wanted to see him.
Thinking it was something important, Lin Ji hurried to the yamen, bypassing the main hall and heading to the study at the back.
The county magistrate Li was sitting at the table, looking through a dossier.
When Lin Ji arrived, Li nodded in greeting but continued to focus on the documents.
Seeing this, Lin Ji chuckled softly.
"Magistrate Li, if there's nothing urgent, I'll take my leave. I haven't had breakfast yet," Lin Ji said, then pushed open the door and walked out without delay.
"Hold on!" Li's voice sounded, with a hint of annoyance, "What, I, as the county magistrate, can't even make you wait for a moment?"
Lin Ji stopped in his tracks, turning to face Li.
"I'm not one to be arrogant and overbearing, if you have important matters, I don't mind waiting for days. But Magistrate Li, you're just flaunting your authority," Lin Ji shook his head slightly, "Sorry, I don't fall for this."
"You...!" Li was so angry he couldn't even complete a sentence pointing at Lin Ji.
"If you have something to say, just say it," Lin Ji returned to the study.
Many people had overheard his conversation with Li, but there was no need to publicize such matters.
Although he was nominally under the jurisdiction of the county magistrate, he was appointed by the Monitoring Celestial Bureau of Liangzhou. Even if he offended the county magistrate, there was nothing the magistrate could do to him. The civil official system couldn't touch the Monitoring Celestial Bureau.
Li's chest heaved for a while before calming down.
He threw down the dossier and pointed at Lin Ji, asking, "How come the case of the Song family is closed? Why haven't I heard anything about it?"
"Evil deeds were done, what can you do about it?" Lin Ji retorted, "Do I have to specially inform the yamen to notify you before I go arrest someone, wait for your approval before taking action?"
"I..."
"The case is closed, looking at the dossier is enough for you. How about it, are you also looking to gain some credit in this matter? I can add your name, but do you dare to claim the credit?" Lin Ji said impatiently, "Or is it that you don't care about the Ministry of Personnel's commendation in Great Qin?"
Li's expression changed slightly.
Lin Ji knew Li had a strong desire for recognition, aiming for higher positions. If not for his reputation for being clean, Lin Ji wouldn't bother talking to him.
"Head Lin, as the county magistrate, I should be the one to decide on matters big and small in the county," Li finally said after holding back for a while.
"Ha, you're right," Lin Ji chuckled wryly.
Before Li could get angrier, Lin Ji pointed at the dossier on the table, asking, "Have you finished reading? Once you're done, give it to me, I need to send it to the Monitoring Celestial Bureau in Liangcheng."
"Oh, right, you can't enter Liangcheng now," Lin Ji slapped his forehead, laughing, "So take your time reading it."
With that, Lin Ji perfunctorily bowed and left the study.
Just a few steps out, the sound of something being smashed behind him could be heard, along with faint words like 'unbelievable.'
Lin Ji shook his head and left quickly.
(End of Chapter)