"I am Li Ru, the magistrate of Heyang County. I greet you, gentlemen!"

"Magistrate Li, there's no need for such formalities. His Majesty has issued an imperial edict for you!"

As they spoke, the Imperial Guard officer took out a scroll of imperial edict and announced loudly, "Magistrate of Heyang County, Li Ru, receive this edict!"

Li Ru bowed respectfully before the imperial edict, saying, "Your subject, Li Ru, receives the imperial edict!"

Then, the Imperial Guard officer unfolded the imperial edict and read it aloud: "Li Ru, the magistrate of Heyang County, has oppressed the good and honest, wantonly confiscated other people's land, and privately sold grain and salt. He is hereby dismissed from his post as magistrate and will be escorted back to the capital for investigation at a later date!"

"Your subject obeys the imperial edict!"

Li Ru accepted the imperial edict with trembling hands, and the surrounding people looked at Li Ru and several Imperial Guard soldiers in disbelief.

Li Ru, who had just been full of enthusiasm, now felt utterly disheartened. He couldn't understand why the emperor would issue such an edict to him, when he had clearly reported everything he had done to the emperor in writing.

How did I become someone who bullies the kind and acts recklessly?

Li Ru did not cry foul or offer any explanation. He did not believe that the wise emperor would treat him this way; something must have happened in Luoyang.

Li Ru pondered all the possibilities with a cold expression. He quickly realized that it must be the local tyrants of Heyang County who had been working with high-ranking officials in Luoyang to impeach him, and that the emperor must have been misled by some people.

Seeing Li Ru accept the imperial edict, the Imperial Guard officer said in a deep voice, "Since Magistrate Li has accepted the edict, let's make preparations and return to Luoyang together!"

Li Ru glanced at the refugees and then said, "Could this official grant me two days to settle these refugees?"

The Imperial Guard officer nodded. "Alright! This is His Majesty's national policy! We can wait a couple more days without any problem!"

The soldiers of the Imperial Guard were also puzzled. They had traveled all the way here and the people here were clearly living in peace and prosperity, much better than in other places. The emperor couldn't possibly not know that.

Why would a wise emperor issue such an edict?

After a day of arrangements, seeing that all the refugees had their own houses and had received seeds and farming tools, Li Ru finally felt relieved and returned to the county government office.

Upon returning to the county government office, Li Ru summoned all the officials and yamen runners of Heyang County to the office and told them about the emperor's summons for him to return to the capital.

"What? His Majesty has always been wise, how could this happen?"

After hearing this, the county magistrate looked at Li Ru in disbelief.

This county magistrate was also a poor scholar who had passed the examination in Luoyang. Because his ranking was not very high, he came to Heyang County with Li Ru.

Li Ru's expression was cold and his face filled with murderous intent as he said, "It must be that our previous actions harmed the interests of certain people, and we were framed by them, to the point that even the emperor was deceived by them!"

"Then what should we do?"

Li Ru sneered, "I can leave, but I have one more day. Before I leave, these menaces must be eliminated."

"So that after I leave, the people of Heyang, who have finally managed to stabilize, won't be plunged into misery again!"

"Magistrate, what do you say we should do? We'll do whatever you say!"

The constables also expressed their opinions. They were all promoted by Li Ru from among the poor people and had suffered greatly from the oppression of those powerful landlords. Naturally, they did not want to see them committing evil deeds again.

Li Ru said coldly, "Based on the evidence we've uncovered, visit each of them individually. Arrest those who should be arrested, and kill those who should be killed! Leave no one alive!"