Chapter 1088 Injustice

After receiving confirmation, the father and son respectfully kowtowed again.

Upon seeing the young general, they were overjoyed. They not only had a hearty meal, but the villagers also gave them thick coats. The two of them even managed to get a good night's sleep by the stove.

That's why the father and son had a glimmer of hope.

"Young General, Young Madam, my surname is Sun, and this is my second son."

As he spoke, Old Man Sun couldn't help but burst into tears, his voice trembling as he couldn't utter a word.

"Father, let me tell you."

Sun Xiaoer was anxious when he saw his father's hands trembling and his lips quivering, unable to speak at the crucial moment.

They came to file a complaint and seek justice. It was already a rare treat for these high-ranking figures to even grant them a meeting. If they couldn't give a clear explanation and were kicked out, they would miss a golden opportunity.

Sun Xiaoer didn't care about anything else and kowtowed, saying, "Young General, Young Madam, I live in Sun Family Village, about 20 miles outside Wuzhou City."

Sunjia Village is nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with surrounding hills rich in medicinal herbs and wild game, and the villagers live a prosperous life.

Just two years ago, the villagers' peaceful lives were shattered when they received a notice from the government that the river in the village was at risk of flooding and advised the entire village to move away from the area.

"At first, the villagers disagreed."

Sun Xiaoer tried to keep the story short. His family had lived in Sunjia Village for generations, and they couldn't just move away like that. However, the government kept issuing documents saying that if the river flooded, it would inundate the farmland and endanger the villagers.

"The officials told the common people that they were only temporarily staying at the resettlement site and would move back after the rainy season. They also promised to take care of the villagers' livestock."

When they arrived at the resettlement housing, men and women were separated, and a dozen or twenty people were crammed into a large communal room. There was no room to store livestock.

The officials reasoned with them and appealed to their emotions, and considering the long-standing tradition that the people would not fight against the officials, the villagers had no choice but to agree.

"My family raises two pigs, a dozen chickens, and several acres of farmland."

The Sun family has seven or eight members. These products, plus a dozen or so taels of silver, represent all the savings left by their ancestors.

After they moved away, Sunjia Village was taken over by the government. Villagers who wanted to go home to retrieve their belongings were driven away on the grounds of danger.

"The rainy season in Wuzhou is short, and I have never heard of Wuzhou experiencing flooding."

Qi Heng passed through Wuzhou several times and gained some understanding of the local customs and traditions.

Furthermore, before he blasts mountains to build roads, he must appease the people and provide them with substantial compensation.

The way the Wuzhou government arranged things for the villagers was enough to show how incompetent they were.

"The young general is wise."

Sun Xiaoer breathed a sigh of relief for no reason and continued, "If it were just a matter of moving out for a while, the villagers would understand. But with winter approaching and the rainy season long over, the government still hasn't made a decision."

The village chief was anxious and frustrated, and went to the government office to inquire many times, but the officials only gave vague and perfunctory answers and dismissed him at will.

For the first few months after the resettlement, at least someone delivered meals on time. But after the village chief went to the government office several times, those people became angry and embarrassed, and then no one even delivered meals anymore.

Before leaving home, the villagers only took their savings with them; their firewood, rice, oil, salt, and other household items were left in the village.

The group discussed the matter and concluded that things couldn't continue like this. The government wasn't giving them any clear answer and wasn't taking any action against them, so they could go back to their village on their own.

"To my surprise, when I returned to the village, Sunjia Village no longer existed."

All the houses in the village were demolished, and the area was enclosed by a wall with guards at the entrance.

The village chief bribed the guards to tell the truth.

"Back then, all the villagers were tricked away, not because of the government, but because the prefect's brother-in-law, Wang Changhao, falsely conveyed the government's orders and lured the villagers away."

Wang Changhao abandoned them near a dilapidated temple in the city for half a year. During those six months, the villagers longed to return to the village every day, but the news they received was that their houses had been demolished, their fertile fields had been seized, and they were left homeless.

The village chief was already old, and he died suddenly. After his death, he was not allowed to be buried in the ancestral graveyard of Sunjia Village.

The villagers went to the yamen (government office) to beat the drum and appeal for justice, but were severely beaten by the officials and a group of people were arrested and imprisoned.

"General Qi, the prefect of Wuzhou is incredibly audacious. It's impossible that he was unaware of the matter. Otherwise, why would he have tried so hard to suppress it and not give this humble citizen a chance to seek justice?"

Of the village's several hundred residents, half are in prison, and the remaining elderly and children are struggling to survive, forced to beg for food.

Sun Xiaoer had long wanted to go to the capital to file a complaint, but he had no money for the journey and was afraid he would starve or freeze to death on the way.

What did the brother-in-law of the prefect of Wuzhou do with the fertile land he occupied?

Wuzhou is not too far from Yingcheng, yet the prefect of Wuzhou dares to openly oppress the people right under Qi Heng's nose. He's truly something else.

Local officials are like local emperors, especially those far from the capital. They can immediately cover up any wrongdoing, leaving people unable to seek redress.

Compared to reading memorials in the capital, traveling incognito is a much better way to understand the people's conditions and can catch corrupt officials off guard.

"Wang Changhao built a horse farm and a hunting ground."

Sun Xiao'er's voice was very nasal, and he barely managed to hold back his tears. He aimed at General Qi's thigh, wishing he could hug it and cry his heart out.

They have no land and can only do odd jobs. Some people are afraid to hire them when they find out they come from Sunjia Village.

There were also kind-hearted people in the city who would lend a helping hand from time to time, warning them not to offend the prefect's brother-in-law. This was not the first time this had happened.

How can an ordinary citizen fight against a government official? In such a situation, one can only accept one's bad luck.

"How are the rest of the people in Sunjia Village?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuesha was furious. These were merely relatives of a minor prefect, yet they were so arrogant as to disregard the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, openly bullying the people and extorting their wealth. They had no regard for human life.

"Not good."

Sun Xiao Er cried again, this time it was Old Man Sun who recovered.

In winter, the government had already cut off their rice and grain supplies. The villagers had not brought enough money to get through the winter and could not afford firewood, so they could only scavenge for firewood everywhere.

Sun Xiaoer's mother went out and got caught in a heavy snowfall. She got lost and they couldn't find her when they went out to look for her. By the time the snow stopped the next day, her body had already frozen solid.

In the village, every household was in dire straits. They tried many methods, even going to other cities to appeal to the authorities, but unfortunately, the officials protected each other, and they could not find a place to seek justice.

They came to Yingcheng Fishing Village because a passing merchant took pity on them and pointed out a bright path. This was the last hope for the father and son representing the people of Sunjia Village.

"My lady is fiercely opposed to evil. Rest assured, I will do my utmost in this matter."

Qi Heng remained clear-headed and calm, but Lin Yuesha was troubled by her subjective emotions and wished she could smash the head of her corrupt official brother-in-law.

If what the Sun family father and son said is true, I have never seen anyone more shameless. In order to seize the people's fertile land, they used such shady means to deceive people, and afterwards they even arrested people and gagged them. Do they think they can control everything in Wuzhou City?