This was exactly the effect Zhu Yunwen wanted—to let them fight like dogs, and then leave a mess of fur in their mouths.

As expected, thanks to Zhu Yunwen's instigation, these bandits and mountain brigands have escalated to this point of no return with Magistrate Zhou.

They even publicly confessed their shady dealings in detail.

At this moment, many constables, yamen runners, and militiamen in the county government office all looked at Magistrate Zhou with shocked eyes.

Clearly, they never imagined that their former county magistrate had been secretly colluding with these bandits all along.

Moreover, they were even swindling money allocated by the imperial court and higher authorities for bandit suppression.

Only then did the officials and soldiers in the county government understand why, every time they had a chance to win in suppressing bandits, the county magistrate would shout "Don't pursue a desperate enemy!" as soon as the bandits ran away.

So this was a secret code they had agreed upon!

If we meet, we'll fight; if you run, I won't chase you.

In this way, these bandits will never be completely eradicated.

As a result, the officers and soldiers all understood the reasoning behind it, but Magistrate Zhou didn't care at all.

He felt that his life was now in the hands of the Axe Gang leader, and if he didn't explain things clearly, the Axe Gang leader would probably kill him with one blow.

At this point, worrying about those things is completely pointless.

When County Magistrate Zhou heard Zhu Yunwen's words, both he and the Axe Gang leader were stunned for a moment.

Then they all turned around and looked at Zhu Yunwen.

After a moment of silence, Magistrate Zhou suddenly stared wide-eyed at Zhu Yunwen and said:

"It's you, it's you! I understand now, I understand everything! This was all your conspiracy, wasn't it?"

Zhu Yunwen frowned and said:

"Intrigue? I'm afraid the word 'conspiracy' is somewhat inappropriate for me, but it would be quite inappropriate to use it to describe the two of you."

The Axe Gang leader suddenly realized what was happening and looked at Zhu Yunwen, saying:

"So it turns out it was you, you bastard, who was stirring up trouble."

County Magistrate Zhou said, "That's right, it was this guy who stirred things up. Otherwise, how could we have gotten to where we are today?"

I suspected those ten bandits and outlaws were his men. Because of this, I even misunderstood and thought you had also sided with him and were no longer cooperating with me.

The Axe Gang leader also came to his senses and said:

"So that's how it is. I thought those ten bandits were something you and he did together, but it turns out it was all his doing all by himself? We've both been completely fooled by him."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen hurriedly spoke up:

"It seems you two are quite angry, which is rather strange. The people of Heiyun County, as well as the various levels of government offices, have all been fooled and played by you for so long."

You deceive your superiors and subordinates, taking the imperial funds meant for suppressing bandits while simultaneously robbing and plundering the people. And now you're here saying I've completely fooled you? That's a bit of a double standard.

Why don't you two think carefully and decide whether I went too far or you went too far? I was just giving them a taste of their own medicine.

You two haven't even suffered any losses yet, and you've already reached this point. Who should the imperial court be angry with? And who should the people whose homes have been looted and robbed be angry with?

"You all set up such repetitive schemes for your own selfish gain. Don't you think your own problems are even greater?"

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, County Magistrate Zhou snorted and said:

"Say what you will, the victor is king and the loser is villain. We've been defeated by you this time, so we have nothing to say."

Zhu Yunwen squinted and said, "You understand this point, which shows you have some last bit of awareness. It's a pity that you've been meticulously accumulating wealth for so long, but you're not alive to spend it. Is this deal really worth it?"

County Magistrate Zhou gritted his teeth:

"At least I've enjoyed it. The life I've lived over the years is something most people can't even imagine in a lifetime, and that's enough."

Zhu Yunwen couldn't help but ask in confusion:

"As the magistrate of this county and the governor of a hundred li, you are already in a high position in this place."

If you live a peaceful and stable life, just be a county magistrate and manage this place well. Your life will be no worse than that of an ordinary person.

Why, of all people, must you do something that incurs the wrath of heaven and man, only to end up like this, and still think it's worth it? I truly don't understand what you're thinking."

"The head of a county, the lord of a hundred li? Hahahaha... You're joking. Yes, I used to be a county magistrate, and in this place, I was indeed all-powerful. But what good was that?"

Is the government's salary enough for me to support myself? I have elderly parents to care for and young children to raise, but can that meager salary really support so many people?

You're a county magistrate, yet you only earn a little over twenty taels of silver a year. Divided up, that's barely two taels a month. To put it bluntly, the prostitutes in those brothels probably earn more than I do.

I studied diligently from a young age, and only at the age of thirty did I manage to pass the ancient imperial examination and obtain the meager title of Juren. It took me thirty years! My parents raised me for thirty years!

I passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations)—a feat most people could only dream of… I thought that once I entered officialdom, I would be set for life, living a life of comfort and bringing honor to my ancestors…

Indeed, I became the county magistrate. I thought I could fight hard and govern the area well, so that my thirty years of hard study would pay off and I could have a brighter future, so that the people of the area would sing my praises and remember me.

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