How did I, a mere son-in-law lying down, become a "Fenglang Juxu" (a legendary martial art

Chapter 61 Trespassing

Zhang Tienan said smugly, "My family just opened a restaurant, and I'm not bragging..."

Liu Shan interrupted, "No, not this sentence, but the next sentence."

Zhang Tienan looked puzzled, but still said, "After dinner, let's go to Lou Wai Lou... Peony Fairy is quite beautiful."

Liu Shan clapped his hands and laughed, "That's right, that's it, Peony Fairy, hahaha!"

Zhang Tienan froze, forcing a smile: "Brother Liu... the Peony Fairy is dead."

"Yes, I know." Liu Shan nodded.

Then he called out, "Officer Han? Officer Han! Han..."

Officer Han pushed open the door and entered, respectfully asking, "Sir, what are your orders?"

Liu Shan ordered, "Gather your men immediately. They will come with me to Louwailou shortly."

Officer Han asked in surprise, "Sir, isn't this... a bit too much of an expense?"

Liu Shan stared blankly at Officer Han. "Aren't you overthinking this? Let's go investigate the case!"

Han, the head constable, was embarrassed and gave an awkward laugh: "Oh, I'll go and gather the men right away."

After he left, Zhang Tienan asked in confusion, "Brother Liu, although the clerk's position is higher than that of the head constable, the difference is not that big. Why is he so obedient?"

Liu Shan laughed and said, "Don't you even know who my father-in-law is?"

Zhang Tienan immediately understood that he knew about Li Polu's promotion to Tongpan (assistant prefect).

Liu Shan continued, "Background is one aspect, but more importantly, rewards and punishments must be clearly defined, especially rewards, which must not be stingy."

Zhang Tienan understood this point again: it all boils down to using money to pave the way; with money, even the head constable can run himself ragged.

Liu Shan thought for a moment and said to Tian Fugui, "Go home and tell the master that I have asked him to work overtime at the government office."

Tian Fugui left as instructed. Liu Shan was increasingly satisfied and decided to repay his good father-in-law properly—from now on, whenever he was handling a case at night, he would definitely have to bring the magistrate along.

Soon after, Constable Han arrived before Liu Shan with a large entourage.

Liu Shan roughly counted more than thirty people. Had Constable Han summoned all the constables in the government office?

Han, the head constable, cupped his hands and said, "Sir, all thirty-three constables from the Cangzhou Prefecture are here, awaiting your orders."

Liu Shan nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that the power of money was greater than he had imagined!

He said in a deep voice, "Let's go!"

Louwailou was brightly lit, and guests came in an endless stream, including many high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants.

Liu Shan wasn't stupid; he knew that even the government office wouldn't dare to clear the area easily, let alone tonight's events, which didn't require clearing the area.

He led his team straight to the backyard, intimidated the guards, and then pushed open the door to the boudoir of the most beautiful courtesan in the Louwailou.

The room was filled with a fragrant aroma, and the two women stared in disbelief at the seven or eight officials who had barged in.

The newly appointed courtesan remained relatively calm, but the old woman was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground.

The courtesan rose, discreetly shielding the matron behind her, and respectfully bowed: "Little Sunflower greets all esteemed gentlemen."

Liu Shan's sharp eyes swept around the room, and he said coldly, "No need for formalities. We are here tonight only to investigate a case."

Little Sunflower nodded slightly and asked softly, "May I ask what case you are investigating, sir? I will certainly cooperate fully."

Liu Shan nodded. "You did a good job, but this case has nothing to do with you. You may leave."

However, to everyone's surprise, Xiao Kuihua was not intimidated by the dozens of constables; instead, she rose to the challenge.

After bowing again, she asked, "Sir, do you have any official documents for the investigation?"

Liu Shan was taken aback. Time was of the essence, and he was unfamiliar with the Xia Dynasty's investigation procedures, so he had not prepared any official documents.

But he reacted quickly, pulling out a token from his pocket and saying in a deep voice, "This is a token personally bestowed by the Prefect, equivalent to an official document. Do you have any objections?"

Seeing this, Little Sunflower shook her head and said, "This humble woman has never heard of a token. Please show me the official documents for the investigation, sir."

Liu Shan frowned, then pulled out a folded blank sheet of paper from his pocket, flashed it in front of the courtesan, and asked, "This is the official document. Have you seen it clearly?"

Little Sunflower shook her head again.

Liu Shanquan pretended not to see it and said to himself, "Now that you have seen the official document, you may leave."

Little Sunflower insisted, "Please allow me to verify the authenticity of the official document."

Liu Shan was furious. How could this girl be so ungrateful?

Eager to solve the case, he naturally didn't want to get entangled any further, and snorted coldly: "If you dare to obstruct me again, I will treat it as obstruction of official business!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Shan waved his hand to signal for the arrest of the old woman.

However, Little Sunflower did not back down. She stood up and blocked the nanny's way, saying righteously, "If the adults do not have official documents, the crime of trespassing on Lou Wai Lou is not something you can bear."

Liu Shan laughed. What a quick-witted girl!

He ordered, "Tie up this maid who is obstructing the government office from handling the case!"

The constables swarmed forward and, without any mercy, tied Little Sunflower up tightly.

Liu Shan picked up a towel from the table, regardless of its purpose, and pried open Little Sunflower's mouth, stuffing it inside.

Then, he took a deep breath, turned to the old woman, and coldly demanded, "I'll only give you one chance. Tell me where the Peony Fairy's belongings are?"

The old woman's face changed drastically, her eyes darted around, and her lips trembled, clearly showing extreme fear within her.

She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking: "My... my lord, I destroyed all of Peony's belongings."

Liu Shan smiled. If the old woman's answer was "I don't know," then he would be at a loss. But "destroyed" gave him a reason to press her for an answer.

Liu Shan snorted coldly, his eyes sharp as knives, his tone suddenly turning icy: "But to me, with the relics destroyed, you have no reason to live anymore."

The old woman's face turned pale. She didn't believe these officials would dare to kill someone on Lou Wai Lou's territory. She wanted to take a gamble.

So she insisted, "Sir, the belongings have really been destroyed."

Liu Shan sneered and ordered, "There should be needles in the room. Find them."

Soon, a constable found a long, thin embroidery needle and handed it to Liu Shan.

Liu Shan took the needle, approached the old woman, and said with an icy look in his eyes, "If you don't tell the truth, this needle will prick your fingernail."

The old woman trembled all over, but she gritted her teeth and refused to tell the truth.

Just as Liu Shan was about to make his move, Tian Fugui finally arrived, panting, and said, "Young Master, let me do it!"

"You'll do it? You can do it too?"

Tian Fugui nodded, "Young Master, I know a few acupuncture points that are extremely painful to prick with needles, but they won't leave any marks."

Liu Shan laughed, "Then what are we waiting for? Let her tell the truth."

Under the gaze of Xiaokuihua and the old woman, Liu Shan smiled like a demon.

Tian Fugui was skilled and accurately inserted the needle into the old woman's acupoints. The old woman screamed in pain and broke out in a cold sweat.

Soon, the old woman finally couldn't hold on any longer and pleaded in a trembling voice, "My lord, I'll tell you... the belongings are hidden in the dry well in the backyard."

Liu Shan nodded in satisfaction and signaled Constable Han to lead his men to the backyard to investigate.