“Zhengyang, Gangchuan went to the North Canal to catch eels with Xiaohao the night before last. How could he steal someone’s money?” Cao Gangchuan’s mother sobbed. “I heard that you know the local earth god and have a good relationship with him. You have to help your aunt. You and Gangchuan have been good friends since you were little. You have to ask the earth god for help with this.”
“Auntie, don’t worry. If you’re innocent, you have nothing to fear. Do you think they can force a crime on us?” Xu Zhengyang comforted her. “I think the police are just taking Gangchuan away for an investigation. After all, such a big thing happened, and Gangchuan had a conflict with Guo Haigang that day. Of course, the police will suspect him first. Once the investigation is cleared up in a couple of days, they will release Gangchuan.”
Cao Gangchuan's mother shook her head repeatedly, saying, "Your uncle went to the Futou Town Police Station last night, but Gangchuan and Xiaohao were both taken to Fuhe City..."
Xu Zhengyang was taken aback, and his anger grew even stronger. Damn it, that bastard Guo Tian is really going to take drastic measures!
If things continue like this, the hatred will never be resolved, and it will be a lifelong issue...
"Auntie, don't worry, everything will be alright. I'll go out and look for Zhijun. He knows a lot of people at the Fuhe City Public Security Bureau. I'll see if he can ask around..." Xu Zhengyang said as he got up to leave.
"Yes, Zhengyang, remember to talk to the local earth god later..." Cao Gangchuan's mother was desperate and grasping at straws.
Xu Zhengyang nodded and walked out of Cao Gangchuan's house.
I had originally planned to visit Zhang Hao's family to offer some comfort, but I never expected to be met with such a cold reception from Zhang Hao's father, Zhang Ziqiang. Zhang Ziqiang seemed completely unconcerned about his son being arrested by the police, muttering and cursing, "That brat deserved to be arrested! He should be sentenced and spend a few years in prison to reform himself!"
Zhang Hao's mother, however, had red eyes and a mournful face, clearly having cried countless times before.
Xu Zhengyang knew perfectly well that Zhang Ziqiang was just like that. On the surface, he was cold and ruthless as if Zhang Hao wasn't his own son, but deep down he was worried about his son's safety.
When Xu Zhengyang left Zhang Hao's house, Zhang Hao's mother cautiously followed him out and said something to him. The gist of what she said was similar to what Cao Gangchuan's mother had said. She said that Xu Zhengyang supposedly had some kind of relationship with the local earth god, so she hoped that Xu Zhengyang could get in touch with the earth god for help.
Xu Zhengyang gave a vague and ambiguous answer.
In fact, Xu Zhengyang was unwilling to visit both families and waste time chatting, but there was nothing he could do. That was the custom in the village. If something happened to someone's family, those who were close to them would always go over to offer their condolences. It was a kind of courtesy.
Xu Zhengyang rode his old bicycle hurriedly out of the village and stopped on a country road in the north.
After retrieving the local records, Xu Zhengyang began to find out everything that had happened in Guo Haigang's family in the past two days, even the whispers Guo Haigang made while sleeping with his wife. He had to read and listen to them all... Damn it, if he didn't have the position of the local god, he wouldn't know the tricks involved. The problem was that he knew very well that Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao had been framed, which made him much angrier.
Originally, Guo Haigang's family was from Futou Town. Logically speaking, Xu Zhengyang, the local earth god of Huaxiang, should not have had the authority to see the situation of Guo Haigang's family. However, coincidentally, Guo Haigang's construction company was located in Huaxiang, and his current home was also within Huaxiang's territory, not far from the company. He bought a piece of land next to National Highway 107 and built a three-story villa.
Huaxiang, that's Xu Zhengyang's territory!
Sure enough, whatever he wanted to know, the local record immediately showed the scenes of what had happened in Guo Haigang's house in the past two days. Xu Zhengyang could hear clearly in his mind and see clearly in his eyes the conversations between his family members and the guests.
Hmm, so in the future I'll be able to watch whose wife and husband are together at night... Why didn't I think of that before? What a pity!
Xu Zhengyang slapped himself hard. What time is it? How could he still be thinking about this?
After quickly scanning the images and carefully reading and listening to the important ones, Xu Zhengyang let out a heavy sigh of relief. His eyes were already narrowed. This time, Guo Tian's family was really going to deal with Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao!
To be fair, Guo Tian was the culprit, but Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao were really unlucky!
Originally, when Guo Tian's father, Guo Haigang, learned about the incident that night, he scolded his son. Then, he thought that since his son had already done such a stupid thing, he might as well let Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao suffer a bit and learn a lesson. He also wanted to make an example of them and let the construction workers in the nearby villages know that Haigang Construction Company was not to be messed with!
Initially, he genuinely didn't intend to send Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao to prison. He thought that if he didn't cooperate or urge them on, the police would eventually give up. At most, Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao would be detained for a few days to cooperate with the investigation before being released without charge.
To his surprise, his brother-in-law, Shen Qun, the director of the Futou Town Police Station, was furious when he first heard about the incident. Accustomed to lording it over the locals, he couldn't tolerate anyone daring to mess with him. He immediately arrested Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao and subjected them to a severe beating...
Cao Gangchuan held firm, refusing to admit that he had stolen from Haigang Construction Company and injured someone.
Zhang Hao couldn't withstand the beating from the police station's auxiliary officers and confessed in a dazed state.
Now it doesn't matter whether Cao Gangchuan pleads guilty or not. Shen Qun is convinced that these two guys did it. After the interrogation that day, he took them to the Fuxin District Public Security Bureau in Fuhe City. He originally planned to go through the formalities quickly and then put the two in the detention center, and then wait for them to be convicted and sentenced.
A robbery and theft case was solved in less than a day, and the perpetrators were arrested!
Shen Qun felt he had made a name for himself in the bureau this time, and was even somewhat grateful to Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao. Weren't they deliberately giving him an opportunity to earn merit? Who said our local police station couldn't solve major cases? However, the leaders of the Fuxin District Public Security Bureau believed that crucial physical evidence was lacking; the murder weapon hadn't been found, the stolen money hadn't been recovered, and the suspect had recanted his confession on the spot, requiring further investigation…
After calming down, Shen Qun realized that it was true; he had let his anger cloud his judgment, and upon closer examination, the whole matter seemed to have more and more suspicious points.
I hope it's not a case of being forced to confess! If that comes out, my job will probably be in jeopardy.
When Guo Haigang returned to his brother-in-law's house and told him what had happened, he was shocked. How could his brother-in-law be a policeman? And a station chief at that? Had he lost his mind? How could he be so reckless? Guo Haigang immediately urged Shen Qun to go to Fuhe City to bring Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao back. If the Fuhe New District Public Security Bureau really got involved in the investigation, and if they found out the truth... not to mention whether his brother-in-law's official position would be secure, his own son would be thrown into jail.
The problem is, the person has already been sent to the police station, and Shen Qun now wants to get him back. What reason can he give? That he made a mistake and arrested the wrong person? That he used excessive force, torture, or forced confessions?
Obviously not.
Guo Haigang and Shen Qun were both worried. What should they do?
After discussing it for a long time, they decided to go all out. Guo Haigang would provide the money, and Shen Qun would go to the Public Security Bureau to find some acquaintances to make this case airtight, so that Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao would both serve two years in prison!
Anyway, those two country bumpkins can't cause any big trouble!
As for the stolen money and the murder weapon, that's simple. Just find someone you know to participate in the investigation, bribe them, take Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao to a field for a drive, find the 30,000 yuan in cash that was laid out beforehand, and say that the two confessed to pointing out the hiding place. As for the murder weapon, it's even easier. Just find a wooden stick to represent it.
The most compelling reason for them to do this is that, according to the initial interrogation of Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao, the two of them said that they went to fish for eels in the ditches in the north that night. Apart from their own parents, who could prove whether the two of them went to fish for eels or did something bad?
After reaching an agreement, Guo Haigang and Shen Qun looked at each other for a while and then smiled.
This isn't difficult at all; it's just a matter of spending some money to settle things. As for those two scoundrels taking the blame and going to jail... that's their own bad luck. Who told them to be so blind as to provoke Haigang Construction Company?
Guo Haigang and Shen Qun certainly hadn't considered the old saying: "Heaven is watching what people do!"
As the saying goes, "Heaven sees all," and all of their shady private actions and words were clearly seen and heard by Xu Zhengyang, the current local earth god of Huaxiang.
Xu Zhengyang gritted his teeth in hatred, but what troubled him was, even if he knew the truth and the conspiracy behind it, what could he do? Report it to them? What evidence did he have? He couldn't very well tell people he was the local earth god, so he knew about this, could he? Besides, even if someone dared to reveal their identity as the earth god, they would still need evidence. Were they going to show the police the footage?
That means it has to be visible to ordinary people!
What should we do?
"Hmm, I'll go find Uncle Zhongshan first!" Xu Zhengyang slapped his forehead, deciding to hurry to Huaxiang Police Station. Zhongshan was the station chief, and they were all from the same village. Besides, the young men had always had a very good relationship with his son, Zhong Zhijun. He should at least listen to what I said and think it over before helping me out, right? Besides... he should have heard about the local deity appearing in my dream. I can just be skeptical!
Thinking of this, Xu Zhengyang immediately rode his bicycle to Huaxiang Police Station.
Suddenly, another thought came to mind: why were the police looking for me? His previous worries made him anxious. Xu Zhengyang absolutely did not believe that Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao had been tortured into confessing about him, but it was a bit strange that the police were questioning him about this matter. When he was watching the footage on the local recorder, Guo Haigang and Shen Qun did not mention him. So why would the police come to his door to ask him about this?
Could it be that people from the Fuhe City Fuxin District Public Security Bureau came down to investigate? That's unlikely...
Xu Zhengyang stopped, summoned his local recorder, and used his mind to inquire whether anyone had been trying to trip him up or saying anything bad about him recently... The result surprised him greatly!
Damn it, am I really that unpopular?
Why are all those women, uncles, and older men in the village holding such a grudge against me behind my back? Xu Zhengyang gritted his teeth, while also reflecting on himself. It seems that I've behaved very well over the past year!
As he continued flipping through the pages, Xu Zhengyang finally discovered why the police had come looking for him!
You son of a bitch, Han Fusheng, you cripple, how dare you team up with Guo Tian to teach me a lesson?
Xu Zhengyang retrieved his local record, lit a cigarette, and rode his bicycle northward. He thought viciously to himself, "Han Fusheng, I'll fix your lame leg later, and cripple your other leg, then your path will be smooth, right? As for Guo Tian, does he miss the days in the hospital after his legs and arms were broken?"
Volume 1 Land Chapter 029 I Know Everything
In the morning, the sky was clear and the sun was rising. But around nine o'clock in the afternoon, the weather suddenly turned gloomy, with dark clouds, rumbling thunder, and lightning flashing like snakes through the clouds. It seemed as if the heavens were about to unleash a torrential downpour at any moment.
A gust of wind blew by, stirring up a cloud of dust, and pedestrians immediately shut their mouths, squinted, and lowered their heads.
Xu Zhengyang rode his bicycle into the courtyard of Huaxiang Police Station, which faces south, with practiced ease.
In the center of the Huaxiang Police Station compound is a circular flower bed filled with evergreen plants. A low wall, painted gray-white, stands in the middle, bearing the phrase that is common in police station compounds: "Serve the People." Several police cars are parked on the east side of the compound. To the right of the entrance is the guardhouse, and to the left, facing south, is the household registration office. Directly opposite the gate to the south is a row of offices.
Xu Zhengyang parked his bicycle against the west wall and was on his way to Zhong Shan's office when the door to the guardhouse opened, and police officer Wang Yue came out, calling out, "Hey, what are you doing here?"
"Hey, Brother Wang, it's me, Xu Zhengyang!" Xu Zhengyang greeted him with a simple, honest smile, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket.
When Wang Yue saw it was Xu Zhengyang, he couldn't help but laugh. He wasn't fooled by Xu Zhengyang's innocent appearance. He took the cigarette, lit it, and joked, "What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time? Turning yourself in? Hmm, I'll give you leniency..."
"Hey, as a police officer, you can't just frame innocent people!"
“That’s true, but we can’t let a bad guy get away with it…” Wang Yue laughed and patted Xu Zhengyang on the shoulder, saying, “I remember every time you came here, we brought you here. Why did you come here on your own today?”
Xu Zhengyang smiled wryly, thinking to himself, "You're making it sound like I'm always the one getting arrested. I didn't even hold you accountable for what happened with Zhao Laoguang last time." Xu Zhengyang said, "I need to talk to Uncle Zhong about something."
"Oh, then wait a moment." Wang Yue's expression darkened slightly, then he kindly whispered, "The people from Futou Town Police Station are inside. Hey, if it's nothing serious, come back another day. The station chief's in a bad mood today..."
"What's wrong?" Xu Zhengyang asked.
“It’s all because of your group…” Wang Yue suddenly frowned and glared at Xu Zhengyang, saying, “If you’re here because of Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao, I advise you not to go looking for trouble. You should leave now.”
Before Xu Zhengyang could reply, he saw Zhong Shan walk out of the office with a frosty expression.
Two police officers followed him out of the office. One of them frowned and said, "Old Zhong, do you really need to get so angry? I've already told you, we need to cooperate with each other in our work..."
Zhong Shan turned his head and roared, "No way! Your Futou Town Police Station is raised by the city's mother! Our police station is raised by the county's stepmother. We're not as powerful or influential as you. If you want to arrest people, go ahead and do it. Why do you need our cooperation? Fine, we can't afford to associate with you! I'm not doing this!"
"Old Zhong! What are you saying? We are all people's police officers..."
"I've said it, go ahead and sue me!" Zhong Shan roared, his temper flaring like a bull.
The other person seemed to have been provoked by Zhong Shan's words, and snorted coldly, "Fine, Lao Zhong, when our police station goes to arrest someone, don't say we didn't warn you!"
"Whatever!" Zhong Shan tossed his hand and walked towards the police car by the east wall. He caught a glimpse of Xu Zhengyang out of the corner of his eye, then paused for a moment, turned to look at Xu Zhengyang, glared at him, and stomped over to him. He then slapped Xu Zhengyang on the head. "You've grown up, huh? Run! Go ahead and run!"
Xu Zhengyang was completely bewildered by the beating. He rubbed his head and said with a wronged expression, "Uncle, why did you hit me?"
"You know what you're doing! Wang Yue, handcuff him! Damn it!" Zhong Shan waved his hand, his face full of anger.
"Alright, alright, come inside, come inside!" Wang Yue didn't know what was going on either, and quickly pulled Xu Zhengyang toward the guardhouse.
Zhong Shan didn't stop him. He turned around and shouted at the two policemen standing at the office door, "Hey, this is Xu Zhengyang. Arrest him!"
"What?"
The two police officers clearly hadn't expected that the person they wanted the Huaxiang Police Station to summon would coincidentally appear at the Huaxiang Police Station... The question is, should they take him away now? Or leave him at the Huaxiang Police Station?
Normally, if the person to be arrested appears, they will naturally be taken away with the cooperation of the local police station.
But today, Zhong Shan, the director of Huaxiang Police Station, was in a very bad mood! The reason was that Futou Town Police Station went to Shuanghe Village and arrested Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao without even informing him... Well, after all, many times when handling cases and arresting people, they don't notify the local police station because they are worried about the operation plan being leaked and causing the operation to fail, etc. Zhong Shan could understand this.
But your Futou Town Police Station arrested the person more than a day ago, and even sent him to the Fuhe City Fuxin District Public Security Bureau, and only now has the Huaxiang Police Station found out... Okay, okay, that's understandable! What Zhongshan finds most unbearable is that this case isn't exactly small, but it's not a big case either. Is it really necessary to keep it so secret from the Huaxiang Police Station? You might as well just shut down our police station!
Yesterday, Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao's parents came to Zhong Shan, hoping he could help them. They also explained that their children had gone to the northern region to fish for eels that night and could not possibly have committed theft or robbery.
Psychologically speaking, Zhong Shan tends to trust Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao.
Zhong Shan knew all too well the relationship between Shen Qun, the director of the Futou Town Police Station, and Guo Haigang of Haigang Construction Company, and he had long heard about the shady dealings they had done.
Such a case was settled and resolved in less than a day, and the people involved were taken to the police station. Before that, even the higher-ups didn't know that a theft and robbery had occurred here!
Is this because you, Shen Qun, are capable? Or are you, Shen Qun, and Guo Haigang abusing your power to bully others?
Damn it, you scum, you parasite, you piece of trash! Zhongshan was furious!
Wang Yue pulled Xu Zhengyang into the guardhouse, but didn't actually handcuff him. He told him to sit for a while, and then he would go out and ask about the situation. When he went out, Wang Yue was more cautious and closed the door tightly from the outside.
"Did I just deliver myself into this mess?" Xu Zhengyang sat in the room, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Since no one was inside, he simply summoned the local record to see what had happened that made Zhong Shan vent his anger on him.
I see...
Xu Zhengyang shrugged, took out a cigarette and lit it. He had just taken two puffs when the door was opened from the outside, and Zhong Shan walked in with a stern face and the two policemen from Futou Town.
"Stand up! Who told you to sit down?" Zhong Shan snapped.
“Uncle…” Xu Zhengyang quickly got up.