Chapter 182: Questioning the Knife and Pen

Seeing Liu Cheng clenched his fists, his shoulders rising and falling with his breathing, with tear stains on his face, his eyes straight, as if possessed by madness.

The strong barbarian walked out and shouted at Seeing Liu Cheng: "Open your mouth! Looking for a beating?"

Seeing Liu Cheng pointed at the strong barbarian, his voice exploding like a suppressed volcano: "A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated! Give me his head, and I will tell you!"

Wang Yang acted as if he was trying to persuade him earnestly: "Young Master! A good man doesn't suffer immediate losses! You are..."

Seeing Liu Cheng pointed at Wang Yang: "You stop pretending to be a good person here! I won't do you, I will do him today!"

"Lowly person looking for a beating!" The strong barbarian went up to beat Seeing Liu Cheng, Seeing Liu Cheng was so scared he hurriedly retreated.

The youth stopped him, pointed at the strong barbarian and said to Seeing Liu Cheng: "If you don't speak, he will ask you."

The strong barbarian grinned at Seeing Liu Cheng, revealing a mouth of black and yellow teeth, Seeing Liu Cheng's tears fell down, he stiffened his neck and roared: "My father's taboo is Shang Shi Xia Long, he is the Palace Attendant, Left Guanglu Grand Master, Duke of Zhenyang! His old subordinates are all over the world! I am the legitimate son of the Duke, the heir of the Hedong Liu family! You dare to touch me, I will make you die without a burial place!"

Wang Yang helped: "Our young master has a noble status! He is the beloved son of the old Duke Liu, the treasure of Jingzhou! You don't just want brocade? As long as you let the young master go, there will be as much brocade as you want!"

Seeing Liu Cheng realized something was wrong, and hurriedly pointed at Wang Yang: "He is the Langya Wang family! His family is in the brocade business! Take him away, and you won't have to worry about not having brocade?!"

Wang Yang stepped forward, righteous and awe-inspiring, and said to the tiger-patterned youth: "As long as you are willing to let the young master go, take me away! I will give you brocade!"

The youth sneered: "You give brocade?"

"Yes! I am in the brocade business! I am the Langya Tian... Langya Wang family! Detain me, let the young master go back!"

Seeing Liu Cheng was about to cry: "He is really the Langya Wang family! He is really the Langya Wang family! All the brocade in Jingzhou is purchased by him!"

Wang Yang stepped forward and bowed to Seeing Liu Cheng: "Young Master, stop talking! I have received great kindness from the Liu family! I am willing to repay it with my life!"

Seeing Liu Cheng was about to vomit blood, jumping and shouting: "He is playing a trick, playing a trick, do you understand—"

Wang Yang bowed to Seeing Liu Cheng: "Young Master, stop talking! I have received great kindness from the Liu family! I am willing to repay it with my life!"

Seeing Liu Cheng was about to vomit blood, jumping and shouting: "He is playing a trick! He is really the Langya Wang family! He really has brocade!"

At this time, a string of whistles came from far away in the forest, which is a bamboo whistle for barbarian contact, representing the meaning of discovering the enemy.

The youth waved his hand and said a sentence in barbarian language, translated into Chinese as "plunder the living mouth."

Seeing Liu Cheng was quickly gagged and tied into a zongzi, during which he was hammered by a barbarian: "People save you, you harm people, your heart is black!"

Seeing Liu Cheng twisted wildly, making muffled sounds.

It's no wonder Seeing Liu Cheng failed, Wang Yang laid the groundwork too early. When Seeing Liu Cheng said "A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated," Wang Yang began to persuade him with "Young Master, Young Master," and then was scolded by Seeing Liu Cheng on the spot. The high and low status was very obvious at a glance. Coupled with the fact that when Wang Yang ran to the rockery, he shouted for Young Master Liu to run first, the preconceived concept plus Wang Yang's deliberate creation later, and Seeing Liu Cheng's own "self-explosion," if they didn't catch him, who would they catch?

And according to the barbarians' observation of the relationship between the two, if they catch this one, that one will definitely try his best to rescue him when he goes back, and if they catch that one, this black-hearted one might not care at all when he goes back.

Wang Yang was still exerting force: "Let my young master go, as much brocade as you want!"

"Tell his father, want the person back, three thousand brocade robes, three thousand red vests, to Wenyang Gorge!"

Brocade robes and red vests again?

The Prince of Badong also asked him to make brocade robes and red vests, what is the connection between the two?

The youth gave a whistle, and the barbarians carried Seeing Liu Cheng and retreated like a tide, leaving Wang Yang in place shouting: "Young Master Liu! Young Master Liu, take care!"

Night, torches shining in the sky, ten thousand people searching the mountains.

The garrison troops of Jiangling, Zhijiang, Songzi and six battalions and thirteen outposts were dispatched urgently, and the magistrates of the four neighboring counties all arrived. Messengers and officials, reporting letters and flying horses, looked at each other on the road. Officials from various offices came and went, verifying identities. Five manor villas, searching and guarding, servants and subordinates, assisting in the investigation.

The Military Governor (special envoy of the Ministry) Fang Yan, on the order of the Jingzhou Chief Clerk, led the Southern Commandery Defense Captain (city defense and security officer) Cao Yong to lead seven hundred infantry to station in the Le family villa, forcefully taking over the case, excluding the thief, law, criminal prison, and long-flow departments of the commandery and county levels.

Le Zhan had already rushed back to Jiangling. At this time, in a hall of the manor, the candles had burned out for several roots, Wang Yang sat on the couch, opposite was Fang Yan, and two clerks were recording beside him.

"How did the young master determine that they were barbarians?"

Wang Yang said impatiently: "I have already said it, don't ask me the same thing again."

Fang Yan took a few sheets of paper from the document table, turned them over while asking: "The young master said, 'cone buns and shaved hair,' is it that some people have cone buns, some people have shaved hair, or do all people have cone buns and shaved hair?"

"I didn't look at them one by one, how do I know?"

"Even if you didn't look at every single one, you saw the gist of it, right?"

"What exactly do you want to ask?"

"The young master said, 'cone buns and shaved hair,' is it that some people have cone buns, some people have shaved hair, or do all people have both cone buns and shaved hair?" Fang Yan asked again.

Wang Yang looked at Fang Yan and didn't speak.

The clerks stopped their pens, waiting for Wang Yang to answer.

Fang Yan smiled: "If the young master can't remember, you can say 'can't remember'."

Wouldn't that just hit your trap?

Wang Yang could guess that if he said "can't remember," this guy would ask him what next.

Wang Yang smiled: "Has the Governor ever visited a brothel?"

The two clerks looked up, eyes wide, looking at Wang Yang.

Fang Yan's face turned cold: "Please young master, don't talk about things unrelated to this case."

Wang Yang said as a matter of course: "It's related, your answer can help you understand my answer."

Fang Yan swallowed his anger and said: "I have been."

"What color clothes do the girls wear?"

"Colorful."

"Which five colors? Which six colors? Is it a total of five colors, a total of six colors, or eleven colors combined?"

Fang Yan snorted: "It's just a general term, how can it be verified?"

"What I said is also a general term, why do you want to verify it here?" Wang Yang asked back.

"How is 'cone buns and shaved hair' a general term?"

"'Cone buns' comes from *Lunheng*: 'Transforming the customs of the Southern Barbarians, going against the king's system, cone buns and sitting with legs spread'; 'shaved hair' comes from *Shuoyuan*: 'Guests must shave hair and tattoo body.' How is it not a general term? The Governor still needs to read more books!" Wang Yang sighed with regret.

A murderous aura appeared on Fang Yan's face.

This kid is as slippery as a loach, asked for so long, didn't catch a handle!

He is a noble of a high family, not only can he not be tortured, but even heavy words are not easy to say, it's really unbearable, how to complete the explanation of Lord Liu?

He took a small arrow from the box: "The young master recognizes this, right?"

Wang Yang took a look: "Don't recognize it."

Fang Yan wanted to set a trap, didn't expect Wang Yang to say he didn't recognize it directly!

He endured his anger and said: "Didn't the young master say before that he was shot by a small arrow? How can you say you don't recognize it now?!"

"I don't know if it's this one. Besides, it was dangerous at the time, I didn't look carefully, and I don't know archery, how do I know what a small arrow looks like?"

Fang Yan immediately asked: "Then why did you say small arrow?"

Wang Yang's expression was innocent: "Allusion! Zhang Ying's *Later Han South Record* says: 'Southern Barbarians use small arrows, convenient for close shooting in dense forests, running through grass like flying,' I followed Zhang Ying, is there a problem?"

Fang Yan's face twitched slightly, took a breath and said: "The young master uses allusions in every sentence, do you have any words of your own?!"

Wang Yang said seriously: "What is the Governor saying? The *Book of Changes* says: 'The gentleman uses broad knowledge of previous words and past deeds to accumulate his virtue.' *Yin Zheng* of Xi and He, narrates the teachings of the *Political Code*; *Pan Geng* warns the people, narrates the words of Chi Ren. This is what is called clarifying reason and citing general terms, and raising justice to human affairs. I imitate the sages, cite classics, what is wrong?"

Fang Yan was so angry that the blood vessels in his temples were beating, he had questioned cases for many years, was old at the knife and pen (criminal litigation), but never thought that one day he would suffer from lack of culture! This kid was clearly talking nonsense, but he took the sage's words as a tiger skin, and he couldn't even find words to refute! Questioning a case to this point can be considered cowardly! Is it great to be a noble child who can master the classics? Isn't it just having a good surname? Heh!

"Fourteen people were shot to death outside the corner door of the Le family's green hedge wall by this kind of small arrow, does the young master know?"

"Don't know."

"The barbarians are so vicious, why were they just intimidating you, not shooting you?"

Wang Yang glanced at Fang Yan: "Are you still regretful hearing this?"

The two clerks held back their laughter.

Fang Yan said seriously: "Please answer my question."

Wang Yang's expression was playful: "Then why am I listening to your nonsense here, instead of slapping you twice?"

Fang Yan was furious, patted the table and said: "Wang Yang! I am questioning you on the order of the Chief Clerk, do you dare to insult me?"

"Fart! Is there such a way to question? Am I a prisoner? Do I have suspicion? I am out of sympathy for Brother Liu, so I cooperate with you to answer, and you take it seriously?"

Fang Yan stood up, staring at Wang Yang's eyes: "The Wenyang barbarians are more than three hundred miles away from here, even if they walk through the mountains, how did they bypass the Cheng'an and Lingzu outposts?!"

"How do I know, you go ask them!"

Fang Yan showed his dagger, staring: "Is there really a barbarian tribe? I heard that you and Young Master Liu are not on good terms..."

"Are you really not a eunuch? I heard that you are impotent..."

"You!"

Wang Yang pointed at Fang Yan: "The false accuser will be punished! If you have evidence, come and take me. Without evidence, you are circling around, do you think I am chatting with you! Go!"

Wang Yang stood up.

Fang Yan sneered: "I'm afraid the young master can't leave!"

Wang Yang smiled arrogantly:

"Oh? I'm leaving now, let's see how you stop me?"

——————

Note: In ancient times, writing bamboo slips required knife and pen, pen for writing, knife for scraping errors, so "knife and pen official" specifically refers to literary officials, later gradually narrowed to legal officials specializing in criminal litigation, because playing with literary words, whether knife or pen, can manipulate cases, and the weight is in their hands. And using the pen as a knife can also kill people. So nobles in the Han Dynasty hated knife and pen officials, thinking they were harsh and framed people with literary traps (called "literary depth"). And they were ashamed to face knife and pen officials, so Li Guang would rather commit suicide than be questioned by knife and pen officials: "Moreover, Guang is over sixty, and can no longer face the officials of knife and pen."

However, the reasons why ministers in the Han Dynasty would rather commit suicide than face knife and pen officials are more complex, there are cultural customs, and there are institutional ones, not just the problem of knife and pen officials, it is too large to unfold. ===== CHAPTER 183 =====