Chapter 252 Turning Point

In the alley, Qin Huiyin blocked Chen Yongniang and others behind her and looked at the uninvited guests in front of her vigilantly.

"What do you want to do?"

The people in front of him were all tall and mighty, and there was danger in everyone's eyes. It was obvious that they had come with bad intentions.

Qin Huiyin had long expected that after this incident, Qian Baotou would definitely not let them go, but she did not expect that the other party would act so quickly.

"Miss Qin, don't be nervous. Our Qian Baotou thinks there is some misunderstanding between you and him, and wants to find you to talk to him and explain the misunderstanding."

"I don't think there's anything to say." Qin Huiyin said, "If we don't go, can you still kill us?"

"Miss Qin, we are all rough people. If you force us to take action, we will not be polite." The burly man in the lead waved his hand, signaling to take action.

"Someone come, someone is murdered..." Chen Yongniang shouted at the top of her voice.

The strong men looked dangerously at him: "If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink the wine for punishment. You old woman, you're looking for death."

Just as the strong men rushed over, a large number of people rushed out from the alley.

"They dare to bully Miss Qin, beat them to death..." Those who rushed over were none other than the refugees taken in by Song Ruize, that is, the people from the snack shop.

There were fewer strong men than people in the snack shop. After a chaos, several strong men were beaten so badly that they couldn't get up.

Chen Yongniang picked up a stone on the ground and smashed it hard on the strong man's head.

Qin Huiyin's mouth opened wide, as if she had swallowed a duck egg.

Chen Yong's mother cursed: "Do you think you bastards can bully my son? I'm so angry, but I have no place to vent it, so I came to you to get beaten."

Qin Huiyin suddenly understood where Chen Yong's immense strength came from.

"Miss Qin, how do we deal with these people?" asked the person next to her.

"Tie them up first. These people are also evidence delivered to your doorstep, don't let them get away." Qin Huiyin said.

The crowd escorted the strong men to walk on the street, from East Street to West Street, from South Street to North Street. Whenever someone asked, they would spread the news about how these people threatened them and how they beat them up. Qin Huiyin and others had many bruises on their faces and arms, which made the people even more angry.

Outside the county government office, countless people gathered there, shouting slogans: "Release the county magistrate, release Mr. Wen..."

"Release the county magistrate, release Lord Wen..."

"Punish the evildoers and give justice to the good ones..."

Inside the government office, Jiang Ruji listened to the shouting outside and was furious: "These unruly people, what does this have to do with them? They are really not afraid of death."

"Sir, there are too many people causing trouble. If we suppress them forcefully, I'm afraid it will get out of hand. Then we won't be able to hide what's happening here."

"We can't let Wen go, but we can use the county magistrate. Isn't he popular among the people? If we bring him into our camp, the people won't cause trouble."

"But the county magistrate is also a stubborn person. No matter how much we threaten or bribe him, he just won't change his mind."

"Doesn't he have a son? If he doesn't obey, he will castrate his only son. I want to see if he is willing to do that." Jiang Ruji sneered viciously.

In the afternoon, the county magistrate appeared at the county government office.

He opened the court to try the case, and Jiang Ruji listened nearby.

People gathered at the door to watch.

Everyone in the Tang family was also listening to the trial outside.

Qin Huiyin looked at the county magistrate's expression and felt a little uneasy.

"Do you think the county magistrate's expression is not right?"

Li Taohua said: "I'm afraid the county magistrate has been threatened."

"A higher-ranking official can crush a person to death, not to mention that the position of a governor is much higher than that of a county magistrate."

Jiang Ruji said, "Since you all want the county magistrate to hear this case, I will hand over the decision-making power of this case to him. Now you have nothing to say, right?"

The people did calm down.

"Sir Zhong, let's start!" Jiang Ruji looked at the county magistrate coldly.

County Magistrate Zhong glanced at the people at the door and a determined look appeared on his bloodless face.

"Bring up the plaintiff, the defendant, and the witness."

Qin Huiyin stretched her neck and stared at Song Ruize, whom she hadn't seen for several days. The prison uniform he wore was tattered and his body was covered with scars.

Tang Luwu covered her mouth and said, "Oh my God, how could I be beaten like this?"

Qin Huiyin was so distressed: "Corrupt officials, incompetent officials, damned officials."

County Magistrate Zhong began to try the case. All the witnesses, evidence, and coroner's testimony were replayed. From these evidences and witnesses, it was impossible to refute that Song Ruize violently beat Song Tiegen on the spot.

"It means that Song Tiegen did not die on the spot, and he was in good spirits when he was dragged away. In addition, from the details you described, Song Ruize did not hit Song Tiegen's head, but his real cause of death was due to severe brain damage."

"Sir, Song Ruize is so cruel and merciless. I don't know how he abused my son in a place where no one can see." Uncle Song cried, "This man has been hunting in the mountains since he was a child. He can even kill a tiger with three or two punches, let alone such a person. Sir, Song Ruize is the murderer who killed my son."

"There are still many doubts in the case of Song Ruize's murder. In addition, only one person testified that he and his men were responsible for the deaths of the dozen people. That person still has an old grudge against Song Ruize, so his testimony may not be credible..."

Jiang Ruji's face was grim: "Master Zhong, are you wrong? This case is terrible, you must try it carefully and don't make the wrong decision."

"Sir Governor, I am the father of the people. I will redress the grievances of the people and will never be coerced by force. I am sorry that I cannot obey your order."

"Mr. Zhong..." Jiang Ruji lowered his voice and said, "Don't you care about your son's life or death?"

Magistrate Zhong's eyes flashed with grief: "I am willing to die to atone for my sins and make amends to my son. However, I will never do anything without conscience."

"Master Zhong is indeed very perceptive." A man in a brocade robe squeezed out of the crowd, fanning himself and saying, "This prince really admires you."

Jiang Ruji was about to scold him, but when he heard the man claiming to be the prince, his face changed drastically and he quickly stood up.

"Who are you……"

The man took out a jade pendant from his waist.

When Jiang Ruji saw the jade pendant, he immediately knelt down and saluted. He wanted to speak, but was stopped by the man.

"I am just passing through for a few days and will not stay here. If you expose my whereabouts, I will not let you go." The man said, "You continue to try the case today, and I will come to join in the fun."

Qin Huiyin pulled Li Taohua's arm and said, "Mom, this prince seems to be quite powerful. My brother is saved."

Li Taohua looked the young man in front of her up and down, and said in a low voice: "Don't be too happy too soon, this prince is a little strange. You see he is dressed in silk and satin, but..."

"But what?" Qin Huiyin asked.

"His shoes really don't look like something a prince would wear."

After listening to Li Taohua's words, Qin Huiyin looked at the man's shoes.