northernbook Chapter 39 If you didn't kill him, why did you bury him?
Chapter 39 If you didn't kill him, why did you bury him?
after one day.
Inside the interrogation room of the yamen, Lin Fan, who was hanging up, spat a mouthful of blood onto the face of the constable opposite him.
"Pah, a bunch of useless trash! The man was nearby, and you let him get away, you good-for-nothing black dogs!"
The constable was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was being disliked. He was there to interrogate a prisoner, so why was he being insulted?
He snapped out of his daze, slammed his hand on the table, and stood up, his face flushed: "Prisoner Lin Fan, get your facts straight! You should be explaining what happened, not asking us questions!"
The atmosphere in the interrogation room suddenly became awkward.
As is customary, the constables should have picked up the wet whips nearby and given Lin Fan a good beating.
But he didn't do that. After cursing a few times, the constable, his neck bulging, returned to his seat.
The clerk, who was taking notes on the side, was already trying not to laugh.
"Lin Fan, you're too dishonest! We caught you red-handed that day, and you still wouldn't confess! Haven't you had enough of the whipping? Confess obediently, and you'll suffer less!"
Lin Fan sneered and did not respond.
By the end of the day, Lin Fan had figured out their routine: once the constables left, a jailer would whip him while asking if he confessed to his crimes.
The whip hurt terribly, but Lin Fan gritted his teeth and refused to say a word.
Lin Fan has come to terms with it now. If he's not afraid of death, why should he be afraid of pain?
If it were the Lin Fan who had just transmigrated, he might have succumbed to the pain and confessed without fully understanding the situation. But the current Lin Fan was determined to stick to his guns. Doing so might not do him any good, but seeing the people in the yamen running around anxiously and getting worked up made him very happy.
He also learned something very important: the other party didn't want him to die.
Yes, the jailer did try to torture him in various ways, such as not giving him food and splashing him with cold water at night, but he always kept his methods within limits.
They are experts in this area; they know how to keep someone alive while simultaneously inflicting severe torment.
"You bunch of useless trash! You can't even catch the real culprit. What's the point of wasting your time on me all day!" Lin Fan felt very annoyed when he thought about how they had gone to great lengths to force him to confess, but they couldn't catch the dog-skinned Taoist priest. He cursed again.
They just want to force me to confess. As long as I don't confess, I'll be tortured indefinitely. It makes no difference whether they're nice or mean. It's pointless to curse them; what's wrong with venting a little?
"Lin Fan, you need to think this through. You have four lives on your hands, and the evidence in two cases is irrefutable. You can't escape the death penalty! Whether you plead guilty or not makes no difference!"
"What? Four?" Lin Fan looked up in confusion, staring at the constable opposite him.
"Hmph, you don't actually think nobody knows what you've done, do you? Someone saw you burying people outside the city, and it wasn't just one person!"
"I didn't kill him," Lin Fan emphasized once again.
"You didn't kill him, so why did you bury him?" the constable pressed.
"I buried him all for you," Lin Fan said, sounding somewhat aggrieved.
Upon hearing this, the other constable and the registrar both looked at the constable who had just spoken.
His face, which had just calmed down, flushed red again. "Lin Fan, don't talk nonsense! You, you're making false accusations! I didn't know you at all before, and I had no idea you killed anyone."
"You don't even know, what are you talking about!" Lin Fan was extremely weak, and his voice wasn't loud, but it immediately angered the constable who was questioning him.
The other party no longer cared about the clerk's previous instructions, picked up the whip next to him, and was about to teach Lin Fan a lesson.
Lin Fan closed his eyes. He was going to get whipped sooner or later. There was no difference between being whipped by a constable and being whipped by a jailer. He might as well get it over with sooner and go back to rest.
The whip did not fall as expected.
The registrar waved to stop the constables, and the refined middle-aged man smiled and said, "You all go out and let me have a talk with him."
The constable was still indignant, but dared not contradict his superior. After bowing, he prepared to leave.
"Wait, untie him, put him down, and find him a chair." The clerk said, moving himself onto the interrogation table and taking a sip of his tea.
The constables quickly untied Lin Fan's ropes. He was like a rag doll, and the two constables grabbed him and threw him onto a chair. Lin Fan slumped onto the table, his body looking as if all his bones had been removed, his thin and small body resembling a tattered garment.
"Registration Officer Jia, this is a murderer. Perhaps we should stay here with you?" a constable said with concern.
Registrar Jia waved his hand impatiently, "Do you think he can even crush a bug now? What are you worrying about! Get out!"
After driving away the constables, Registrar Jia put away his stern expression, and the middle-aged man with narrowed eyes looked like an elder who cared about his juniors.
“Oh, what a pitiful child. My surname is Jia, and I am the registrar of Baishi.” Registrar Jia paused, then continued, “If my eldest son were still alive, he would probably be about your age. I’ve long disliked these stupid dogs. They deserve to be scolded more. Child, I truly feel sorry for you. Why do you have to suffer like this? Look at how badly you’re injured.”
Lin Fan slowly raised his head and looked at the man in front of him. He felt disgusted from the bottom of his heart.
"So you've had your fill of playing the good cop, now it's your turn to play the bad cop?"
Clerk Jia was immediately exposed, and the smile on his face gradually turned cold. "Being smart isn't a good thing. Seeing things so clearly won't do you any good. Fine, if you want to handle things officially, then we'll handle things officially. Now let's talk about what happened that day. What did you use to kill Master Wanshou?"
"I didn't kill him," Lin Fan said again.
"Then let me rephrase the question: what did the murderer use to kill Wanshou?"
"Iron sword".
"How did you kill him with the iron sword?" Clerk Jia asked quickly.
Lin Fan opened one eye and glared at the registrar. "It was that Taoist priest named Yun Xiangzi who pierced Wanshou's heart with an iron sword and then chopped off his head. Have I made myself clear enough?"
Clerk Jia continued, "How did that iron sword end up in your hands?"
"Yunxiangzi gave it to me."
"He gave it to you, and you just took it?"
Lin Fan propped his head up with all his might, his eyes blazing with anger: "Are you never going to stop? How many more times are you going to use the same trick!"
Clerk Jia gave a cold laugh: "Lin Fan, it's no use being stubborn. I'll tell you the truth: whether you admit it now or not will not affect your conviction."
“I believe you,” Lin Fan replied. “But why do you insist that I admit it? Hmm, let me guess, would it be beneficial for you if I admitted it? Or would it be harmful for you if I didn’t admit it? Is that right?”
Clerk Jia looked as if his tail had been stepped on, and said with a grimace, "I told you that being too smart is not a good thing. What's the use of guessing about things that have nothing to do with you?"
However, Clerk Jia's mouth was effectively shut. After thinking for a long time, he said, "In that case, let's make a deal. As long as you confess, I'll move you to a clean cell for the next few days, provide you with clean meals every day, find a doctor to treat your wounds, and give you a meal of meat before you leave. Hmm, you can also drink alcohol if you want!"
Lin Fan smiled dismissively and shook his head.
Registrar Jia refused to give up: "Child, why make yourself suffer? I see you're not very old, you probably haven't tasted a woman's pleasure yet. You'll be unwilling to go on your journey like this, won't you? If you encounter other ghosts on the road, you might be laughed at. As long as you sign here, I'll find you a prostitute to keep you company in prison tonight. Don't worry, I'll find you a young and caring one, and I guarantee you won't regret being born after tonight."
This time, Lin Fan did not refuse immediately, but fell silent.
Seeing the other party hesitate, Clerk Jia knew that his proposal had a chance. He immediately pushed the written confession and inkpad in front of Lin Fan: "As long as you put your fingerprint here, I'll take care of tonight's business. Everything else I promised you will be done."
Lin Fan neither refused nor agreed, but his tone became resigned: "Before that, can I ask a question?"
"Of course," Clerk Jia replied with a smile, it seemed this little prisoner was about to give in.
"I don't understand why you insist on making me confess, and why you don't dare to just kill me. To be honest, I'm a very curious person. If I don't understand something, I won't be at ease on my way."
Clerk Jia was not surprised by Lin Fan's question. That's how smart people are; curiosity is more important than anything else.
The refined-looking middle-aged man said, "If it were any other prisoner, I definitely wouldn't tell him these things. But Lin Fan, you're a smart man, and I like smart men. So I'll tell you, so you know how difficult things are for us."
"Our Great Qian Dynasty is prosperous and peaceful, and its officials are honest and upright. Although there are murder cases in various parts of Great Qian, the case-solving rate is over 90%. In my Baishi County, there has not been a single unsolved case since I took office as the registrar."
“In the past, some officials would try to cover up the truth, use dead people to take the blame, or torture people into confessing. The higher-ups abhor such behavior! So I hope you will cooperate with us sincerely, which will be good for everyone. However, if you really refuse to confess, that’s fine too. Although I don’t want my resume to be tarnished, it’s really not a big deal if it happens once in a while.”
After Jia, the registrar, only said a few words, Lin Fan immediately understood. The reason was quite ridiculous. He thought it was because the Taoist priest was having illicit dealings with someone, or that the county government and Linglong Temple were plotting something.
Ultimately, it turns out that this has nothing to do with him personally.
"Well? Young friend Lin, you're so smart, you must understand my predicament now. Can you sign the document now?"
Lin Fan smiled and pushed the confession back. Even a thin piece of paper was difficult for him to move: "Forget it. My body can't take any more of that."