Lin Yong frowned, his gaze sharpening: "Old Yu is your son. Ever since he returned to Fuyou County, he has instigated a collective uprising in your entire village. As his father and the village head, do you dare to say you knew nothing about it?"

The old village chief's eyelids drooped, and he shook his head without saying anything, looking as if he was ready to be dealt with at will.

Lin Yong's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. At this moment, Su An stepped forward slightly, his gaze fixed directly on the old village chief.

“Do you know that your son instigated a riot, attacked officials and innocent refugees, and even instigated Xiaoyu to lie in ambush in front of my house? Each and every one of these things is punishable by law.”

"He can hide for a while, but he can't hide forever. If you can tell us where he is hiding now, you might be able to stop him from causing a disaster in time. Otherwise, he will only make more and more mistakes, and then he will lose his head."

Unexpectedly, the old village chief remained unmoved upon hearing this.

He chuckled and said, "Miss Su, you've really taken a huge blame. It's true that my son hit the refugees, but we can settle things by paying some money. I'm sure the refugees are in dire need of gold, silver, and food right now, so they won't refuse."

"As for the attack on officials and the alleged attempt to commit misconduct, where did this come from? Does Miss Su have any evidence? It's just a trumped-up charge."

Su An's lips twitched as he listened. This old man was implying, both openly and subtly, that the government couldn't punish them. He was shameless and impervious to reason!

No wonder he was so calm and fearless!

Suddenly, Fu Zhun spoke in a cold voice: "The craftsman in the workshop who was beaten by your son is Lu Ming, a royal craftsman from the capital. His exquisite craftsmanship has contributed greatly to the Great Chu, and even the current emperor treats him with respect."

“Your son injured him in public, which is tantamount to disrespecting the imperial authority and is tantamount to being a traitor.”

"You can think this through carefully. Those who harbor such individuals will bring disaster upon their entire families."

Fu Zhun's cold words, still carrying a lingering force, exploded in the old village chief's mind like a thunderclap, causing him to drop his cane.

"W-what... royal craftsmen..."

The old village chief trembled, his old face deathly pale.

Su An and Lin Yong were both surprised, not expecting Lu Ming to have such a powerful background.

"You're such a cheat, God of Wealth! You didn't tell me about something this important." Su An nudged Fu Zhun secretly.

I actually directed the royal craftsmen to work before; thinking about it now, I was really...impressed!

Fu Zhun, with a half-smile, grasped her slender white fingertips and said, "The one I found for you is definitely the best."

Su An's ears turned red, and she quickly withdrew her claws, a thrill spreading through her heart.

He did so much for himself without saying a word...

"My lords, my son didn't know they were royal craftsmen. It was all an unintentional mistake. Please, my lords, have mercy on my son!"

The old village chief was no longer as calm as before; his expression was terrified, and he knelt down in front of the group in a pitiful state.

“My son was just acting impulsively and confused. He’s not a traitor, not a traitor! This old man is willing to take all the blame for that unfilial son!”

The elderly man burst into tears, his face filled with sorrow, a scene that made one sigh.

Lin Yong pressed his advantage, shouting, "If you want to plead for leniency, then confess everything truthfully, including the whereabouts of Lao Yu and the others. Confess and you will be treated leniently!"

The old village trembled, no longer daring to conceal the truth, and tearfully revealed the facts.

Originally, Yujia Village started by selling fish, so it was also called Yujia Village (Fish Village). When Old Yu was young, he accidentally became an apprentice of a craftsman. After completing his apprenticeship, he led the villagers to switch to construction and formed a group to make money in the surrounding villages. They were very prestigious and their lives gradually improved.

But these good days came to an end after the refugees arrived.

“Those refugees only ask for a meal or a few copper coins to work, leaving our Yu family village without any jobs. We wanted to come and repair the road, but that work was given to the refugees again!”

"My lords, we have no other choice but to do this. We just want to find a way to survive, otherwise the old people and children in the village will starve to death... Although my unfilial son has acted somewhat extremely, he is doing it all for the sake of our villagers. He has absolutely nothing to do with rebels!"

"Please, sirs, have mercy! If you must punish someone, punish this old man instead!"

"So that's how it is." Lin Yong frowned and fell into deep thought as he listened to the tearful pleas.

There was a reason for this; it wasn't a baseless act of evil. This is actually quite difficult to handle...

He subconsciously looked at Su An and Fu Zhun.

Su An's eyes were filled with complex emotions, and she felt somewhat uneasy.

She thought she was doing a good deed by hiring refugees, but she never expected that it would indirectly cause Yujia Village to lose its livelihood.

My conscience suddenly started bothering me.

Seeing the struggle on her face, Fu Zhun knew what she was thinking. After a moment of silence, he turned his gaze to the old village chief.

"If what you say is true, then it can't be considered a heinous crime."

Upon hearing this, the old village chief immediately raised his head with great joy.

Fu Zhun narrowed his eyes and said, "Although you have your reasons, you did not inform the magistrate and instead took the lead in gathering a crowd to injure people. This is disobedience and you cannot escape punishment."

"As punishment, all villagers except the elderly and children in Yujia Village shall be forced to work as laborers to repair the road, as a way to atone for their sins. During this period, they will not be paid for the work, but will be provided with food and drink."

After saying that, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Su An, "What do you think of this punishment?"

Su An breathed a silent sigh of relief, then nodded vigorously.

Fortunately, this minor punishment served as a deterrent to others with ill intentions and also ensured that the people of Yujia Village had food to eat, relieving their immediate crisis.

She softened her gaze and said to the old village chief, "Now that you've joined the road construction, you're one of us. You can bring your families with you in the future, and we'll make sure you have plenty of food!"

The old village chief trembled in disbelief, then burst into tears of gratitude, saying, "Thank you all for your mercy! Thank you so much, Miss Su, for your kindness!"

After kneeling and bowing, he walked out quickly, his legs trembling, to announce this joyous occasion to the villagers.

On the way back, Su An couldn't help but sigh and discuss it with Fu Zhun.

"This country is still too poor. The people can't even guarantee their basic needs. If there is any change, it's easy for one thing to affect the whole country."

In this small, floating county, even a simple road repair has caused so much trouble.

This sigh struck a chord with Fu Zhun, whose gaze also turned serious: "Food is indeed of paramount importance, and with the severe drought in the north, the amount of grain will have to be reduced even further."

“Su An, the secret guards have found ten Persian merchants who trade goods in various countries and regions. They should arrive in a few days. When they arrive, please check if you have any seeds you need. This matter cannot be delayed.”

Su An nodded worriedly, "Of course."

She escorted Fu Zhun back to the clinic, just as Xie Qingfeng came out at the sound of her voice and said, "You're finally back! Lu Ming just woke up and started making a scene, demanding to settle scores with someone. I could barely stop him!"