Fu Changfeng was already waiting ahead with his soldiers. When he saw that the family had indeed come out of the prison, a smile appeared on Fu Changfeng's lips. This was exactly the result he wanted.

"The Long family, unrepentant, attempted to escape from prison while awaiting sentencing. Guards, take them away and keep them under strict guard. All prison guards will be investigated separately. Anyone who helped the Long family escape and confesses will have their punishment reduced. Those who do not confess will suffer the same fate as the Long family once this official finds out!"

The soldiers were all guarding outside the prison. Everyone in the Long family knew that their escape had failed. The county magistrate looked young, but he was actually a cunning old fox. They had made a mistake!

Long Shijin never expected that the county magistrate would be so meticulous. It seemed that the Long family was destined to be caught this time. He could only slowly walk back to the prison under the drive of those people.

The prison guards had also woken up and learned what had happened outside. Many of them were furious. Who was it that had implicated them? Even if the county magistrate didn't pursue the matter, they feared it would be difficult for them to continue working there.

Since the Long family was placed under strict guard and the jailers were interrogated one by one, they no longer dared to help the Long family. Now, anyone who gets involved with them is doomed and hates them too much to bear. They are only given leftovers every day, and when the weather gets hot, the food will spoil.

"My lord, the reply from the prefectural city has arrived." Li Cheng held a stack of documents in his hands; the so-called reply was naturally about the Long family.

"Bring it up here quickly so I can take a look. It's been over a month now, and we can finally give all the victims an explanation." Fu Changfeng received the official document, and the reply on it was to be carried out as Fu Changfeng had reported. It was autumn now, which was the perfect time for the execution.

"The verdict will be made public the day after tomorrow. Go and inform the people that the execution will be carried out at Caishikou the day after tomorrow, and the exiled people will be taken away on the same day."

"Yes, I think the suffering people will be happy with this result. It's truly gratifying to see the Long family members sentenced." Li Cheng left happily.

"My lord, this matter has finally come to a conclusion, and we have successfully established our authority. In my opinion, these families and ordinary people will all know your methods, which will make things much easier for them in the future." After Li Cheng left, Zhao Yuping congratulated Fu Changfeng.

"Yes, the biggest obstacle in Shaoming County has been removed, and my investigation will be much easier. The Long family left behind quite a lot. Besides what they handed over, you can calculate the rest and give some salaries to the government staff. They haven't received much over the years, so naturally they won't be willing to work hard."

"Yes, Your Excellency is wise. I have heard the people below complain several times. They say that sometimes the government takes several months to pay their salaries. They have elderly parents and young children to support, and they are all in urgent need of money. Now that Your Excellency has done this, it will surely win the hearts of the people."

Zhao Yuping's salary was naturally not included in the yamen's expenses. He was hired by Fu Changfeng alone, so Fu Changfeng was responsible for his salary. Naturally, he would not be shortchanged. However, the people below him were in a bad situation, as their salaries depended on the yamen's income, which led to their complaints.

The news that the Long family would be executed at Caishikou the day after tomorrow spread throughout the streets and alleys. Today, no one came to buy anything in the shops; everyone was busy going to see the Long family beheaded.

The leaders were Long Shijin and his two sons, along with many others who had followed them in committing evil deeds in the past, all of whom had murder charges against them. Long Gengcai's wife had also been beheaded. Over the years, she had brutally harmed many innocent women who had been forced into the family in the backyard. The families of those girls only dared to come forward to file complaints after the Long family fell from power.

The autumn wind was bleak, but it couldn't hide everyone's excitement. The county magistrate, dressed in his official robes, sat at the head of the table and read out the crimes committed by the Long family again before picking up the token on the table and throwing it down.

The executioners had already sharpened their gleaming knives. At the magistrate's command, twenty-three members of the Long family were beheaded. The remaining women and underage boys were all taken away, to a harsh land three thousand miles away where they awaited them.

"Good, good! The Long family has finally gotten their comeuppance! Hahaha, hahaha, the magistrate is wise!" A white-haired old man shouted a few times before kowtowing in the direction of Fu Changfeng.

Seeing this, bystanders told the other onlookers about his situation: "Ah, this old man has had a hard life. His daughter-in-law was taken away by the Long family, and not long after, she was rolled up in a thin mat and thrown into a mass grave. His son went to the Long family to demand an explanation, but he was also beaten to death by the Long family's thugs. Only his grandson was left, but who knew that the grandson would catch a cold and die soon after."

"Alas, this old man is truly pitiful. No wonder he's so agitated after witnessing the Long family's downfall. I heard he rushed to the county town before dawn just to see what happened to the Long family."

"Alas, the Long family has done so many bad things, they deserve their current fate. The county magistrate is really powerful, he actually brought down the Long family, and now we can finally live a good life."

"Yes, the county magistrate is truly wise. With him around, I think we're going to live a good life."

"The magistrate is wise! The magistrate is wise! We are so lucky to have such a magistrate!" The people around were so moved that they spontaneously knelt down and began to praise Fu Changfeng's wisdom.

Seeing this scene, Fu Changfeng was filled with emotion. He said to Li Cheng beside him, "Alas, today I finally understand what it means to have the will of the people. If we want the people to live a good life, we must continue to work hard and govern the people here well. It will not be in vain that we have studied for so many years."

"Yes, since you came, sir, the atmosphere in our Shaoming County has improved. From now on, I will follow your orders. I am a native of this place and I also want the people here to improve their lives with my help."

Li Cheng was also deeply moved at this moment. He had never seen such a scene since he took office. Now that he thought about it, this was perhaps what they, as officials, truly desired.

"Okay, let's all work hard together from now on. You can let them know later that we'll pay everyone their salaries this afternoon, so they can all be happy too."

"That's wonderful! The people below will surely appreciate your wisdom. I'll go and inform them right away." Li Cheng smiled.

In the afternoon, the constables lined up to collect their wages, their faces beaming with smiles. When they spoke of the county magistrate, they were all sincerely grateful and said that they would definitely follow his arrangements in the future.

Seeing this scene, Fu Changfeng and Zhao Yuping were filled with relief. Being able to subdue these people would make things much easier in the future.