"What kind of corrupt and worthless officials are these! Whether they're high-ranking or low-ranking, isn't anyone going to reform this bureaucracy?!"

Such blatant behavior is unimaginable in Fuyou County, let alone other places!

Exhausted, Lin Yong's voice betrayed deep bitterness and helplessness as he said, "With corruption rampant, how can we reform it?"

“I was originally a prefect, but because I refused to compromise my principles, I was ostracized and eventually demoted to Fuyou County.”

He smiled bitterly and gritted his teeth: "I thought that as a county magistrate, I could just do my job and keep to my duties in this small place. I never expected that someone would still reach out to me! How hateful!"

Upon hearing this, Su An stared at him in a daze.

It turns out that Lin Yong's life as a county magistrate was full of ups and downs.

His ability to maintain his integrity and uprightness is truly commendable.

Seeing Lin Yong's expression of deep disgust, Master Lu burst into laughter: "Sir, you've been an official in Fuyou County for quite some years now, don't you understand the rules of officialdom?"

"Why be so stubborn? Only by following a powerful patron can you rise through the ranks and achieve success! If you're willing to come with me today and let this matter rest, you'll certainly receive many benefits when you serve under the Prefect in the future!"

As he spoke, he confidently waved his folding fan, as if he could already see Lin Yong's compromising expression.

Lin Yong's eyes sharpened instantly. Then, he placed his hand on the sword at his waist and drew it with a "whoosh." The blade gleamed coldly, and six characters were engraved on it.

“Fairness breeds clarity, integrity breeds authority—” A look of amazement appeared in Su An’s eyes.

Beautiful calligraphy, beautiful sword!

"I, Lin Yong, will never associate with treacherous officials in this life!" With that, he strode towards Master Lu.

Master Lu's eyes widened in horror, never expecting Lin Yong to suddenly draw his sword.

"Lin Yong, how dare you!"

He panicked and tried to dodge, but Lin Yong raised his long sword high and brought it down with immense force, as if he wanted to cleave through the injustice of the world.

"ah--!"

Master Lu only had time to let out a horrified scream before his head rolled to the ground, blood gushing out like a fountain, splattering onto the floor of the inner hall, forming a glaring red stain.

Lin Yong stood there, his long sword dripping blood, his eyes still cold and resolute, and said coldly to the headless corpse, "If your backer wants to come looking for me, I, Lin Yong, will certainly accompany him to the end!"

"Hahaha! That's great! No wonder he's the Magistrate Lin that everyone talks about!"

Upon seeing this, Lu Ming stood up with a passionate and generous expression, laughing and praising.

"In all my years in the palace, I have never seen an official as fearless, demanding, and impartial as Magistrate Lin. How pitiful and lamentable!"

Su An's eyes gleamed with admiration. "Such courage and righteousness are truly admirable."

He then touched his chin with some concern and asked, "But Lord Lin, if the Prefect of Qingzhou questions you, won't that put you in a difficult position?"

Lin Yong let out a heavy sigh before saying, "I will report this matter to the capital truthfully. There is always justice in this world. I refuse to believe that none of the officials in the capital can punish that prefect of Qingzhou!"

Su An nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

To save face for the imperial court, the palace would probably not ignore such a heinous act. Even if it's just to save face, they would probably punish the prefect.

Thinking about it this way, Su An felt much more at ease. After saying goodbye, he and Lu Ming got back to road construction.

They thought that without Master Lu as the supervisor, the road construction would be much more complicated, but unexpectedly, without the interference of villains, they went even more smoothly and the construction progressed even more vigorously.

However, this peace was suddenly shattered just three days later.

Early in the morning, the once bustling market was in complete chaos, with people running around in panic, spreading the news.

"The sky has fallen! The sky has fallen! Our county town is surrounded by Qingzhou soldiers!"

"What's going on? Why are government officials surrounding our county? We're all honest people!"

"Don't you know? I heard that a few days ago, our Magistrate Lin offended the Prefect of Qingzhou because of the road construction issue! Magistrate Lin is really cursed by heaven. He offended such a high-ranking official, but he has caused us honest people a lot of trouble!"

These last words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.

The people in the market were stunned at first, and then panic and anger spread like wildfire.

"Damn it! This is outrageous! We must go to Magistrate Lin and get an explanation from him!"

"That's right, one should take responsibility for one's actions. At this time, as the county magistrate, he must step forward!"

The crowd, filled with indignation, immediately responded, and in an instant, the crowd surged toward the government office like a tidal wave.

People pushed and shoved each other, shouting and cursing, and soon broke through the defenses of the yamen runners at the gate.

After searching everywhere, they still couldn't find Lin Yong!

"Where did Magistrate Lin go? Did he just cower and make us common people bear the consequences of his mistakes?" A burly man roared, his voice echoing in the empty hall.

A fat man in the crowd rolled his eyes and suddenly said, "Wait a minute, I think this has something to do with Su An. Wasn't it her who suggested building the road in the first place?"

"Have you noticed that ever since Su An started taking over shops and getting rich, Magistrate Lin seems to have become a different person? She's been reforming and repairing roads. It must be her doing behind the scenes."

As the fat man spoke, he suddenly patted his chest and said, "Everyone knows me, right? I, Liu Bao, was the original owner of that shop, but Su An took a fancy to it and seduced both the prince and the magistrate of Shanglin County. It was only under the pressure of power that I was forced to give up the shop!"

"Now that the Prince is away, she and Magistrate Lin must have some shady dealings going on, which is why she offended the Prefect of Qingzhou!"

If Su An were here, she would definitely recognize Liu Bao as the same Liu who had tried to harm her several times before, and who even volunteered to work for her and learn from her after she bought the shop.

The matter caused quite a stir at the time, but after Liu Bao explained it, everyone suddenly realized the truth.

"Yes, that must be it! A few days ago, Magistrate Lin was frequently visiting the Su family's shop. They must have done something heinous while repairing the road!"

"Then let's go find Su An, we can't just let this go!"

Like an enraged swarm of bees, the crowd turned around and surged toward the Su family's shop in a mighty wave.

As word spread, the Su family learned that the county town was under siege, so they temporarily closed their shop and stayed home.

At this moment, Zhang San, who had gone out to investigate, rushed back anxiously.

"It's terrible, boss! I don't know how it's been spreading outside, but now everyone's saying that you colluded with the county magistrate and did something bad, which is why the prefect is furious and sent troops to suppress you. People are coming to our Su family to demand justice!"