Reborn Together: The General and I Reach for Power
Chapter 40 - 38: Fight First, Trial Later

Chapter 40: Chapter 38: Fight First, Trial Later

Xie Shaoshan finally released a breath of resentment, no longer paying attention to the people of Chen Family Village, and hurriedly went to greet Li You.

The people walking at the forefront, one was the Zhenzhou County Magistrate, and the other, judging by his official attire, was Mr. Li You from the Capital City.

Xie Shaoshan stepped forward to salute: "Mr. Li, Lord County Magistrate."

Li You merely nodded, without saying much to Xie Shaoshan, and lifted his foot to walk towards the courtyard of the Xie Family.

As the Zhenzhou County Magistrate passed by Xie Shaoshan, he said in a deep voice, "When you see Mr. Li You later, make sure to tell him everything you know clearly."

Seeing the knowing glance, Xie Shaoshan was delighted in his heart, certain that the Song Family had made arrangements, and he should speak freely and boldly in front of Mr. Li You.

Xie Shaoshan whispered, "Rest assured, my lord."

The Zhenzhou County Magistrate nodded, clearly aware of the discord among the three sons of the National Guardian General, and the officials arrested this time were those closely associated with Second Young Master Song,

At the moment, he hadn’t decided whose side to take, intending to go with whichever side seemed more powerful, in other words, it depended on the stance of the National Guardian General and the court.

Li You entered the courtyard and spotted the people from Chen Family Village. Without engaging them, he turned to Xie Shaoshan, "Let’s go directly to the main hall!"

Xie Shaoshan felt a bit more confident; since Mr. Li You didn’t summon the Chen Family people to speak, he clearly didn’t want to deal with those troublesome villagers.

Several people entered the room, and as Xie Shaoshan was about to have tea served, Li You directly asked, "What is the current situation?"

Xie Shaoshan cleared his throat to reply, suddenly spotting a small figure beside Li You, realizing that at some point, Chen Zigeng had slipped into the room.

Xie Shaoshan wanted to drive Chen Zigeng out, but with Mr. Li You waiting for his reply, he didn’t dare delay.

Xie Shaoshan saluted, "My niece suddenly went missing, and the people of Chen Family Village broke into the Xie Family to demand her, claiming that I took Liangchen. Sir, I’m wrongly accused."

Li You didn’t respond to this, but instead asked, "I hear you know the inside story of the ’Paper Medicine’ recipe?"

Xie Shaoshan’s heart raced wildly; since Mr. Song had paved the way, he had no reason not to follow, but he still feigned difficulty, pondering whether to speak.

Li You said flatly, "Just go ahead and speak, I will naturally make the decision." _{fr.eew eb novel..com}

Xie Shaoshan almost couldn’t help laughing, but he still pretended to be serious and said, "I happen to have overheard that my niece doesn’t actually understand medicinal herbs, and the ’Paper Medicine’ recipe was given to Chen Family Village by someone else. My niece was merely following someone else’s instructions."

Upon hearing this, the Zhenzhou County Magistrate became enlightened, understanding whom this matter pointed to. He preferred allowing Second Young Master Song and Third Young Master Song to take power, unwilling to see Zhenzhou fall into the hands of Song Xian, because Song Xian didn’t tolerate any impurity in his eyes.

The Zhenzhou County Magistrate, unruffled, asked, "Who instructed them?"

Xie Shaoshan swallowed, showing a frightened expression, "I... don’t know either, but I heard the Chen Family speaking highly respectfully of the person, saying they mustn’t let him down, and mentioning that General Song Xian gave them ten days."

Xie Shaoshan was silently praising his own performance when he heard Li You in front of him continue, "Did you hear that by accident, or did you intentionally stay in Chen Family Village to gather information?"

Xie Shaoshan was stunned, his expression immediately becoming unnatural.

Li You’s tone remained unchanged, "And who informed you of the hidden mystery in this matter and instructed you to go to Chen Family Village?"

Xie Shaoshan’s jubilant mood plummeted, and he instinctively glanced at the County Magistrate beside him, who was deliberately looking away to protect himself.

Testing the waters, Xie Shaoshan said, "I happened to overhear it, no... no one instructed me to go."

Seeing Xie Shaoshan’s demeanor, Li You sneered, "Do I need to interrogate you?"

Xie Shaoshan quickly added, "Sir, please discern, every word I said is true."

Thinking he could cover it up like this? Did he take me for a fool? Li You looked at his attendant, "Xie Shaoshan has deceived me, drag him out and flog him twenty times."

Xie Shaoshan’s eyes widened in disbelief at Li You, only calling out loudly after the government officials grabbed his arms, "Spare me, sir... sir... I’m not lying... sir..."

Li You’s face was cold as iron: "If twenty strokes don’t make him speak the truth, continue until he confesses."

Even the hands of the Zhenzhou County Magistrate began to tremble.

Li You paid no attention to the County Magistrate, instead picking up the tea bowl, looking at the side where Chen Zigeng was, and gently said, "Come over and have some water."

The small child stood straight, lips tightly pressed, not having said a word, but when he heard Li You calling him, tears once again welled up.

Chen Zigeng saluted Li You, "Thank you, sir, I’m not thirsty, I’ll drink when I find my sister."

Suddenly, the Zhenzhou County Magistrate couldn’t comprehend the situation before him or which way the wind was blowing.

The sound of Xie Shaoshan’s wails echoed through the air.

Li You sat upright in the main hall of the Xie Family, no longer touching the tea bowl in front of him, having glanced into the courtyard upon entering the Xie Family.

In the courtyard stood several people, some missing arms, others with scars on their faces; those were the wounded soldiers. When Li You was a young man, he was favored by the Emperor and brought into the army, following the Emperor in campaigns. He was not only familiar with the soldiers in the barracks but also the civilians evading the chaos of war.

The people of Chen Family Village looked on frankly, their emotions uniform, anger mingled with worry, without the slightest evasion. In contrast, Xie Shaoshan appeared different, dodging and covering in front of him, insincere in his words.

It couldn’t be clearer who needed to be interrogated.

To investigate why Miss Xie disappeared, clues could undoubtedly be found in Xie Shaoshan’s words.

The twenty strokes hadn’t finished yet when Xie Shaoshan’s voice came through: "Spare me, sir, it was... Dong Jiang... who told me, and also he... who prompted me to gather news from Chen Family Village."

Li You lifted his eyes and said, "Find out who Dong Jiang is, and where he is now?"

The next step was to apprehend Dong Jiang.

After instructing people to handle the task, Li You continued, "Go see where Song Xian is? I want to meet him."

...

Song Family.

Song Qizheng had heard of Li You’s visit to the Xie Family.

Madam Rong sat nearby waiting for news, and in just this short time, her eyes were swollen from crying.

"Master," the steward entered to report, "The eldest master has returned."

Song Qizheng frowned slightly, while Madam Rong seemed startled, moving quickly to Song Qizheng’s side, seeking protection.

Song Qizheng frowned, "Why are you panicking?"

No sooner had he spoken than a servant in the courtyard called out, "Eldest master."

Next, the curtain was lifted, and Song Xian strode into the room.

Song Xian’s facial contours were distinct, his deep eyes mesmerizing. Rarely showing emotion, he appeared even more austere.

Song Min often said that Song Xian was born with a cold disposition.

Now, with a slight hint of anger on Song Xian’s face, even before he spoke, the atmosphere in the room turned tense.

Song Xian looked toward Song Qizheng, who sat in the main seat, and simply saluted before speaking, "Where is the person?"

Song Qizheng seemed provoked, his face somber, "Who are you referring to?"

Song Xian spoke again, "Where is Miss Xie?"