Chapter 512: Frame-Up

Worried about his uncertain future and the possibility of being dismissed before the end of his term, Hu Changyong was also anxious that the Linji Inn would attract Zhang Yuquan’s attention because of his order to open it, resulting in heavy losses. His mood was so poor that he wished he could bury himself alive to end his suffering once and for all.
Yet, he had no choice but to force a smile and carefully serve tea and water to Zhang Yuquan and Xin Yuehong. His servile attitude made both customers and staff feel embarrassed, making them want to slap those two despicable people away.
“Sir magistrate, madam, what would you like to eat?” Hu Changyong asked, sweating profusely.
“Just a few dishes—what’s there to choose from? Go get me a basin of water first,” Xin Yuehong replied with a disdainful look. On her first visit, she still respected Hu Changyong as the county magistrate, after all, he was an important figure. But after seeing him bow and scrape in front of Zhang Yuquan, she stopped treating him as someone important. She gave orders freely, even treating Hu Changyong’s wife like a maid.
“Madam, please wait. The water will be here soon. If you need anything else, just let me know. If it’s not available at Linji Inn, I can have someone bring it from another restaurant,” Hu Changyong said eagerly, nodding repeatedly.
“That’s better,” Xin Yuehong said, slightly more energetic, ready to order food. But then Zhang Yuquan spoke up again, “No need. Just bring whatever is available.”
Hu Changyong remained silent. He had intended to have food from other places delivered through Xin Yuehong, so that even if Zhang Yuquan found faults, it wouldn’t be Linji Inn’s fault. He could blame it on the county government—after all, one more problem wouldn’t make a difference. But Zhang Yuquan wasn’t stupid. Though he might not be as capable as Hu Changyong in governing the region and was far less honest and fair, he was skilled at deceit. That’s why he could become a magistrate while Hu Changyong, despite his abilities, was still just a county magistrate—the gap was obvious. Otherwise, Hu Changyong wouldn’t have been forced to resort to extreme measures to deal with Zhang Yuquan.
With no other choice, Hu Changyong turned to Jiang Wei and asked, “Shopkeeper Jiang, could you take me to get a basin of water?”
“I’ll go!” the county magistrate’s detective stepped forward.
Hu Changyong hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Jiang Wei glanced at Lin Dong, who was watching Hu Changyong with interest. In Lin Dong’s eyes, it was already remarkable for a county magistrate to go to such lengths for an inn—after all, Hu Changyong was struggling to protect himself.

“Who’s the owner?” Zhang Yuquan’s gaze fell on Lin Dong sitting behind the counter, his expression stern and imposing.
“I am!” Jiang Wei replied without hesitation. He didn’t want Lin Dong to kill Zhang Yuquan in a fit of anger—killing an official was something even sects wouldn’t dare do.
“You?” Zhang Yuquan frowned slightly. Jiang Wei’s dirty clothes made him think even more of him as a lowly clerk.
Jiang Wei was too lazy to answer; let them believe what they wanted. Just because he couldn’t kill Zhang Yuquan didn’t mean he had to be polite to him. Knowing that Zhang Yuquan wouldn’t last long, Jiang Wei didn’t care about his attitude at all.
“Dare you ignore the lord’s question?” A bailiff raised his staff and charged at Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei came from a criminal background. In the past, he might have feared bailiffs, but now, as a registered martial artist, they were nothing but pests he could crush with a single finger.
Seeing the bailiff approaching, Jiang Wei was about to act when Hu Changyong, with his fat frame, rushed forward desperately to block the bailiff.
“Calm down, calm down!” Hu Changyong gasped for breath, then turned to Zhang Yuquan. “In this small rural town, we ask for your forgiveness for our disrespect.”
“Daring to defy an imperial official—this man must be a bandit! Bring them all away!” Zhang Yuquan suddenly slammed the table, changing his tune. Initially, he planned to wait for the food to be served, take a few bites, then frame this inn for poisoning, accusing them of acting on Hu Changyong’s orders. That way, he could arrest Hu Changyong.
But now it wasn’t necessary. He could see that this self-proclaimed owner dared to defy him even after seeing him trample Hu Changyong—clearly a tough opponent. Such a person might confess under torture but could deny it later.
So Zhang Yuquan decided to go even further, accusing Hu Changyong of colluding with bandits to assassinate him. Of course, since this accusation involved bandits, the county government wouldn’t dare make a hasty judgment even if bribed. Thus, he changed the outcome as well.
In Zhang Yuquan’s view, by arresting everyone, including Hu Changyong, others might remain silent, but Hu Changyong would surely confess under torture. Then, he could use Hu Changyong’s confession as evidence to threaten him, ensuring Hu Changyong wouldn’t dare trouble him again.
This way, not only could he avoid the risk of a reversal that might implicate him, but he could also save a large sum of money that would otherwise have to be given to the county government. With Hu Changyong firmly in his grasp, he wouldn’t even have to give him a penny—another significant saving.

killing two birds with one stone — Zhang Yuquan surely wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.
The yamen officials immediately became agitated.
“It’s a misunderstanding, all of it. Your Excellency, it’s a mistake,” Hu Changyong said anxiously.
“Could it be that County Magistrate Hu has connections with bandits?” Zhang Yuquan asked coldly.
“No, no — how could Master Jiang and the others be bandits? It’s a misunderstanding, Your Excellency, really!” Hu Changyong was drenched in sweat. He never expected Zhang Yuquan to go to such extremes for money. Last time, he had fabricated evidence using bloodstains from a silk shop to frame the owner as a murderer. Now he was even accusing the innkeeper of being a bandit — if proven true, it wouldn’t be enough to just cut off one head.
Undoubtedly, Hu Changyong still hadn’t seen through Zhang Yuquan’s true intentions. If he had known, he might have thought of committing suicide.
Forcing confessions through torture?
Hu Changyong knew his limits. When hearing cases in court, unless the criminal was extremely vile and angered him, he would never use torture, as just looking at those instruments made him nervous.
“Is that so? This man defies the law and dares to insult imperial officials — he fits the profile of a bandit perfectly. Then why is County Magistrate Hu so sure they’re not bandits?” Zhang Yuquan snapped. “Could it be that County Magistrate Hu is colluding with bandits?”
With a thud, Hu Changyong collapsed to the ground. Zhang Yuquan’s words truly scared him. Colluding with bandits — if the accusation succeeded, not to mention his family being destroyed, even the punishment of slow dismemberment would terrify him to death.
Hu Changyong had never seen slow dismemberment; he didn’t dare imagine it, but he knew what it was. Just a slight cut could make him gasp for breath for hours — having his flesh torn off piece by piece would make him prefer to die by crashing his head.
“Bring them here! Arrest Hu Changyong and all those so-called bandits!” Zhang Yuquan waved his hand.
Hiss…
Xin Yuehong took a deep breath. Her face turned red with excitement, like a tomato. Having followed Zhang Yuquan for so long, she had experienced flattery and power — but this feeling of controlling others’ lives was something new for her.
In an instant, chaos erupted in the hall. The yamen’s detectives grew angry, each wielding a staff to protect Hu Changyong. Some patrons, initially shocked, tried to back away to distance themselves. Seeing Hu Changyong trembling on the ground, one of them gritted his teeth, picked up a bench, and joined the detectives. The others also mustered courage, grabbing benches and following suit.
“You… you…” Hu Changyong stared at Zhang Yuquan, his teeth trembling. Fear and anger left him unable to utter a word.

“Look how scared he is—such uselessness,” Xin Yuehong muttered a few times, actually feeling somewhat disappointed. Ordering around a county magistrate like that wasn’t a bad feeling at all. If Hu Changyong could be captured, it was unlikely they’d encounter another county magistrate who would bow down even to a prefect’s concubine.

Zhang Yuquan snorted coldly, “What are you still standing around for?”

The clerks from the yamen immediately sprang into action. Though there were as many as forty of them, and they usually didn’t practice fighting to stay in shape, the dozen or so yamen clerks and four patrons still had their advantages—first, they were willing to fight to the death, and second, the main hall was only so big; no matter how many people there were, they couldn’t make full use of the space. Thus, when the battle broke out, it became a back-and-forth struggle, with neither side showing any clear advantage.

Poor Hu Changyong, in the center of the battlefield, trembled violently, his lips shaking. He didn’t want to drag the clerks and patrons into trouble, but the sound of the fighting scared him so much that he couldn’t speak.

Jiang Wei’s gaze turned once again to Lin Dong. Though he came from a rough background, he was also a man who valued loyalty and righteousness. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been chosen from a hundred candidates to work as a guard at Lin’s Inn. Having been in Chengfeng County for some time, he knew Hu Changyong well and admired him deeply. That’s why, as soon as the clerks sent a message, he ignored Lin’s Inn’s rules and opened the door to resume business. If Lin Dong weren’t here, he would have immediately grabbed a weapon and knocked out the unshakable Zhang Yuquan and the excited Xin Yuehong. Although even registered martial artists didn’t have the right to kill officials, beating them into bed for three to five months could be settled with a fine.

Registered martial artists of the Great Han Nation enjoyed immunity from prison, as long as they didn’t commit treason or rebellion.

Lin Dong smiled and suddenly shouted loudly, “The sky is falling! The corrupt officials are framing Lord Hu for colluding with bandits and ordering his immediate execution…”

Yun Lan chuckled. She understood that Lin Dong hadn’t intervened because he wanted to build Hu Changyong’s courage, but those words sounded like he was trying to stir up chaos.

Inside the main hall, the fighting continued. Zhang Yuquan sneered while Xin Yuehong remained excited, seemingly unaffected by Lin Dong’s words.

Outside the main hall, everything was quiet, and the entrance remained empty, also seemingly unaffected by his words.

“Owner!” Jiang Wei couldn’t help but speak up.

“The delivery gate is open. Go to the capital, tell Ma Chun what’s going on, and ask him to see if the queen has anything good to give to Hu Changyong. I remember that for assaulting an official, whether justified or not, one must first be beaten with a hundred sticks,” Lin Dong said calmly.

Jiang Wei nodded and vanished in an instant from the lobby.
“A bunch of fools! If they can’t take it down in fifteen minutes, no one needs to return to the yamen!” Zhang Yuquan slammed the table angrily, clearly furious that the 40-versus-10 battle was still so stale.
“Sir, calm down,” Xin Yuehong cooed as she stroked Zhang Yuquan’s chest. She preferred the battle to drag on longer so she could watch more.
Boom…
While the yamen officials were also fighting fiercely, a loud uproar suddenly erupted at the entrance of Lin’s Inn.
“What a lively scene!”
Lin Dong couldn’t help but praise it. Within his perception, thousands of people on the streets outside Lin’s Inn continued to pour in, armed with kitchen knives, axes, and shovels. Their faces were pale, and murderous intent filled the air.
With such a massive force and momentum, Lin Dong had no doubt that a single charge would completely destroy Lin’s Inn, which was built entirely of solid wood.