Le Pang said, "Zhao Clerk, you tell us."
Third Master Du turned his hawklike eyes on Zhao Clerk.
Zhao Clerk: ???
The county commandant is right here. Why don't you have him speak?
He dared not defy the Provincial Deputy's son, nor openly push County Commandant Chen forward. Besides, he did oversee penal administration, so he could only steel himself and say, "They abducted a child and forcibly resisted arrest by the authorities..."
Third Master Du abruptly stood, walked over to the two prisoners, and angrily rebuked them:
"I've always told you to uphold your duties and obey the law, yet you've flung every word of mine beyond the ninth heaven! How could you commit such unlawful acts? And now I have to run around outside smoothing things over for you! Go spend a few days suffering in there and learn your lesson."
Third Master Du was ostensibly scolding them, but in truth he was setting their minds at ease: it was nothing serious, and he would handle everything.
Wang Yang immediately understood what Third Master Du was plotting. He could not let him have his way. Since he had made his move, he would catch the whole lot in one net! He said coldly:
"This isn't a matter of spending a few days behind bars. Abducting people is a serious crime! Whether they seized someone to sell or took a hostage to extort money will only be established after questioning. At the very least, they face the Three-Year Punishment of Shaving and Cangue."
Shaving meant removing the hair, and the cangue was a penal restraint. Three years meant precisely that: having one's head shaved and laboring as a convict in restraints for three years.
The burly man panicked at once:
"Three years won't do! Jiao Jiao will definitely run