Lu Qiqi and Madam Wu stood in the front hall for a while before they saw a fat man with big ears wearing an official robe sit down behind a desk.

Behind him followed a thin, middle-aged man who appeared to be assisting him.

Lu Qiqi glanced at the person seated at the head of the table and finally saw clearly what kind of despicable face Magistrate Zhu, the corrupt official of Heshun Prefecture, had.

He has a face that looks exactly like a pig's head, no wonder his name is Zhu Datou!

Zhu Datou was sitting in a chair, his large belly pressed against the desk. He reached out to grab the gavel, but his arms were too short.

It was the sharp-eyed advisor behind him who handed him the gavel, a thoughtful gesture that earned him a glare in return.

Then, Zhu Datou slammed the gavel on the desk and shouted,

"Who is in the hall?"

Startled, Wu quickly broke free from Lu Qiqi's hand, knelt down, and kowtowed to Magistrate Zhu.

"I am Miao Wu from Tianmiao Village. My husband was brutally murdered by a wicked man. I beg Your Excellency to do justice for me!"

After saying this, Madam Wu kowtowed deeply to Magistrate Zhu.

The sound pierced Lu Qiqi's heart as she watched the frail Wu Shi bow deeply to Zhu Datou.

Little did they know that Tongzi was murdered by Zhang, the steward of the county magistrate's office.

If a real reckoning were to take place, Zhu Datou, if not the mastermind, would be an accomplice in harming the villagers!

When Wu kowtowed to Zhu Datou, it was as if she were kowtowing to the enemy who killed her husband.

In an instant, Lu Qiqi felt even more indignant and hated this damned monarchical world!

After listening to Wu's words, Zhu Datou said, "Miao Wu, do you know that if you strike the Dengwen Drum, no matter what injustice you have suffered, you will be severely beaten with twenty strokes of the cane before the court is held again?"

Lu Qiqi's eyes widened. She had never heard of such a thing before. Even when she reported to the authorities in Luzhou Prefecture, she had never heard of such a regulation.

Wu, who had been looking down, suddenly raised her head and looked at Zhu Datou with a firm gaze, saying, "This humble woman understands."

"Since you know, guards! Miao Wu has disturbed the government office; give her twenty strokes of the cane!" Magistrate Zhu shouted.

Two bailiffs obeyed the order and stepped forward to drag Wu off the stage.

Wu stood up, gave Lu Qiqi a smile, and then turned her head to look straight ahead with a firm gaze.

Before the two bailiffs could escort Wu off the court, Lu Qiqi shouted, "Wait!"

"How dare you!" Magistrate Zhu roared. "Who are you! Why don't you kneel before me? How dare you obstruct my orders!"

Lu Qiqi pulled Wu Shi behind her and said, "The Dengwen Drum is beaten by my village head, and the person who comes here to seek justice is also my village head."

Miao Wushi is merely a witness brought in by the village head. May I ask, Your Honor, what has become of the laws of this dynasty that a witness must first be given twenty strokes of the cane before being allowed to testify?

Lu Qiqi deliberately raised her voice to announce her identity so that everyone present could hear her clearly.

Zhu Datou heard Lu Qiqi refer to herself as the Township Head, but in the territory of Heshun Prefecture, there was only the Township Head of Kangle, who was personally appointed by the Emperor.

The thought that all the money he was fined had gone into Lu Qiqi's pocket made him furious.

Heaven rewards those who persevere. Since he had such a good opportunity, how could he not make good use of it?

He then said, "Since the person beating the drum is not from the Miao Wu clan, then the village chief should naturally take the punishment! Guards!"

"Wait!" Lu Qiqi interrupted Zhu Datou.

"This village lord holds no official position, yet she is still personally appointed by the Emperor as the Kangle Village Lord."

The village head came to the county magistrate's office to appeal his case, but Magistrate Zhu refused to hold court.

Instead, he immediately demanded that the village head be punished.

Now, on my fiefdom, villains are fighting with knives and clubs to seize it, resulting in the deaths of villagers.

Lord Zhu knows better than anyone how I obtained my position as the head of the township. Now that the plague in Heshun Prefecture has been cured, do you intend to discard me after I've served my purpose?

Lu Qiqi's words were piercing, leaving Zhu Datou with no room for rebuttal.

The newly appointed head of Kangle Township, personally bestowed by the emperor, came to the county magistrate's office to appeal his case, only to be beaten with twenty strokes of the cane. How is this any different from directly slapping the emperor in the face?

Thinking of this, Zhu Datou broke out in a cold sweat.

However, he quickly calmed down. Lu Qiqi had come here to seek justice and needed his help. He just needed to let the matter drop.

Zhu Datou said, "The township head of Kang Le just said that some people were fighting over the fiefdom, which led to the killing of villagers. May I ask what evidence the township head has?"

“Of course,” Lu Qiqi said, taking out the petition and having the bailiff hand it to Zhu Datou.

Zhu Datou took the petition from the bailiff, stretched out his hands, and held it far away, looking as if he had become farsighted.

A moment later, Lu Qiqi saw the clerk behind Zhu Datou and whispered a few words in Zhu Datou's ear.

Zhu Datou then showed a look of sudden realization, and Lu Qiqi seemed to be deep in thought upon seeing this.

Zhu Datou heard the indictment, every word of which was a scathing account of Steward Zhang's crimes.

Although he didn't show it on his face, the petition in his hand was already crumpled and unsightly.

Steward Zhang is Aunt Zhang's cousin, and he has been helping Aunt Zhang with her work all these years.

If Steward Zhang was responsible for this, then Aunt Zhang must be implicated.

But Zhu Datou didn't believe that Aunt Zhang was so stupid as to send her servants to seize her fiefdom.

Even bandits wouldn't dare to do such a thing, and even if she had a hundred times the courage, she would never dare to rob the fiefdom bestowed by the emperor!

The middle-aged man stood back down, and Zhu Datou put down the petition and said, "Miao Tongzi is already dead. How can you prove that he was murdered?"

How can I prove that I was murdered?

Could it be that this guy, a young and strong man, died suddenly before he even turned thirty?

Lu Qiqi felt a lump in her throat. She hadn't even thought to report the crime, and there was no such thing as the burden of proof being on the one who reports it.

Before she could speak, the advisor walked over to Zhu Datou and whispered a few words in his ear.

Zhu Datou immediately changed his words, "Miao Tongzi is dead, but the cause of death still needs to be investigated and determined. I will immediately send the coroner to Miao Tongzi's burial site to examine the body."

If we send the coroner to the cemetery to examine the body, it will take at least half a day, so the court hearing will have to be postponed until tomorrow.

Too many things can change overnight, especially since she was alone and powerless in Heshun Prefecture.

Nowadays, it is only thanks to the support of public opinion from the people in front of the government office that Zhu Datou dares not arbitrarily adjudicate cases.

Once Zhu Datou returns to the manor and understands the situation, Lu Qiqi doesn't believe he won't try to cover it up.

Lu Qiqi raised her voice, "No need to go!"

Zhu Datou was very dissatisfied with Lu Qiqi's words, "The head of Kangle Township is not allowing the coroner to examine the body, is there some hidden reason?"

It was common practice in the government offices to have a coroner open the coffin and examine the body to determine the cause of death.

Despite Lu Qiqi's repeated attempts to stop him, Zhu Datou even began to suspect that what she said in the complaint was actually a false accusation!

Lu Qiqi had long anticipated the matter of a coroner examining the body. Her expression remained unchanged, and she parted her thin lips slightly, saying, "No need for you to trouble yourself, Master Miao is waiting at the entrance of the government office."

Is Miao Tongzi right at the entrance of the government office?

Is he not dead?

Just as everyone was puzzled, Lu Qiqi suddenly shouted, "Bring the coffin inside and examine the body!"