Chapter 333 Internal Strife

This person has a thick skin, actually using the guise of protecting the people to make a point!

"Really? You're such a good person, always thinking of the people's best interests. In that case, explain where these poppies came from."

The man was taken aback for a moment, then quickly distanced himself: "How would I know? I'm just an ordinary citizen. Poppies are harmful plants; the government doesn't allow them to be grown. Where would I get them? I found them in your yard anyway. Why are you trying to extort me?"

Seeing that he was unmoved by reason, Jiang Mi sneered inwardly: "You're quite the talker, aren't you? Then why did you see this little bit of poppy I have here? If I really put poppy in the food or wine, how could I put so little? Even if you're lying, you should at least be serious. This stuff is clearly something you brought to frame me!"

The man stammered in panic, "You...you're talking nonsense. Why...why would I harm you? I have no grudge against you. Everyone's here, and I couldn't possibly do anything under the watchful eyes of everyone."

Jiang Mi didn't stand on ceremony. She reached into the man's chest, pulled out a purse, and dumped it on the table. The purse was full of gold coins.

What are these?

The local people stared in disbelief. They had never seen so much money before, especially gold, which ordinary families couldn't afford, let alone so many golden beans!

"This...this is my own stuff, what are you doing? Don't think you can do whatever you want just because the magistrate is here. What you're doing is theft, it's robbery!"

Jiang Mi scoffed, "You? I wouldn't even look at your little bit of money. The clothes you're wearing are old and worn out, your face is sallow, and you're so thin. Don't tell me you have money but you're unwilling to spend it on yourself. Did someone just give you these gold coins?"

The man's eyes darted around, but he didn't forget to snatch the gold bean back and hide it in his pocket.

"What are you saying? I don't understand anything."

His companions were also stunned. Jiang Mi had just noticed that the man's chest was bulging, as if there was something hard inside. Moreover, the clothes he was wearing were made of very poor material, which could not hide the thickness of his purse at all. It would be impossible for a wealthy family to have such a situation.

"Do you have this many too?" Jiang Mi asked the person next to her.

Those people's eyes were fixed on him, filled with jealousy and anger.

"No, so much gold couldn't possibly belong to him alone. Maybe he embezzled someone else's."

The man quickly covered the gold in his arms tightly, refusing to admit it: "This is mine, it has nothing to do with anyone else, don't talk nonsense."

The faces of the people behind them turned ferocious: "Is it all yours? Or a group's? All the good stuff is yours, but when something goes wrong, we're the ones who suffer. It's been like this for years. You, surnamed Sun, you made us take such a huge risk, and you've pocketed all this gold for yourself. You're truly inhuman!"

The man surnamed Sun panicked immediately: "What nonsense are you talking about? The county magistrate is here, you can't just say whatever you want. Are you tired of living?"

As soon as Mr. Sun said this, everyone immediately understood what he meant. Obviously, these people didn't want to continue working with Mr. Sun because of the unfair distribution of money. After all, he took all the lion's share, and the others were naturally unhappy.

"So you all know each other. No wonder you were the most active just now. Looks like you were paid to do this. The magistrate is right here. Tell me who instructed you. Maybe you can get a lighter sentence."

The man surnamed Sun was unwilling to give away the money he had already obtained. He clutched the money bag tightly and said warily, "Of course I know them. We are all from Linshui County. I know people from outside too. What's the big deal? We see each other every day. It's not like I've left my hometown. This money is mine. No one instructed me to do this."

Jiang Mi knew perfectly well that once someone took the money, it would be extremely difficult for them to get it back.

The others, however, were unwilling to let him off so easily: "Sir, we confess. We were indeed hired to cause trouble today, but..."

We don't know who instructed them, otherwise they wouldn't have let him take all the money and only given us a little bit of silver, like we're beggars.

"That's right, Mr. Sun, so this is how you've always treated us. You even made us work for you, saying there would be plenty of benefits, but it was you who would get your share, wasn't it? All these years we've been blind and followed the wrong person, but this time you won't get away with it either."

It seems they're all going to die together. Even if they go to jail, they'll only be there for a year or two, but the ringleader will face much harsher punishment. Besides, the guy surnamed Sun took such a large sum of money; he certainly won't have an easy time.

The man surnamed Sun was so scared that his legs were trembling. He had thought that after this was over, he could live a carefree life. With so much gold, he could squander it for the rest of his life without having to do anything. But just as it was about to end, everything was disrupted.

"Nonsense, you're all talking nonsense. You're just jealous of my money, Your Excellency. Don't listen to these people. They've always been jealous of me. This money is what I've saved up over the years."

The magistrate naturally didn't believe it. Jiang Mi didn't know this man surnamed Sun, but the magistrate had heard of him.

"Really? What do you do to accumulate so much money? As far as I know, you are not a businessman. You idle away your days doing menial jobs to make a living. Don't think that just because I don't go out often, I don't know anything about you."

Mr. Sun was stunned and didn't know what to do. All he could think about was that the gold couldn't be taken away from him; it was his hope and the guarantee of his future life.

"Alright, I understand. You people should go in and reflect on your actions. Guards, take them away for questioning. Make sure you find out who is behind them. That concludes today's matter."

Since even the county magistrate said so, the rest of the people naturally had no objections.

"Sir, what should we do with this old man?" Jiang Mi pointed at the old man who was still sleeping. They couldn't just leave him here forever, could they? Although the doctor said he was fine, Jiang Mi was still worried about what might happen later.

The magistrate glanced at the man surnamed Sun and said, "I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. What's the story with this old man? Were you with him?"

The man surnamed Sun was completely preoccupied with the fact that his gold was gone and couldn't process what was happening.