Yue'er's figure slowly walked in through the doorway. In Wang Tieshuan's eyes, she seemed like a demon crawling out of hell. He subconsciously writhed backward a few times.

Yue'er's reaction was surprisingly calm. She did not curse or punch Wang Tieshuan on the ground.

She walked calmly to Magistrate Duan, bent her knees, and knelt down in front of him with a thud.

Yue'er knelt very heavily, and Jiang Ling frowned subconsciously when she heard it.

"This humble subject, Wang Hu, whose maiden name is Hu Yue'er, greets Your Excellency!" Yue'er's head slammed to the ground with a thud, and when she looked up, a faint trace of blood had seeped from her forehead.

"Yue'er!" Jiang Ling couldn't bear to see Yue'er in this state, so she quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe Yue'er's forehead.

Unexpectedly, Yue'er shook her head and looked at Jiang Ling with a firm gaze, saying, "Sister Jiang, you don't need to worry about me, I'm not in pain!"

Looking into her eyes, Jiang Ling's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and that look made Jiang Ling feel a pang of bitterness in her heart.

“I can testify that what this guy said is all lies! My husband, Wang Siniu, was brutally murdered by him, and his body is probably already in the stomachs of these guys. But I believe that some of the body parts are still near the dilapidated temple 500 meters outside Pingxi County! I hope Your Honor will investigate thoroughly!”

As she spoke, Hu Yue'er's whole body trembled, her eyes reddened, and two lines of tears fell from her eyes.

She glared at Wang Tieshuan and continued, enunciating each word clearly, "Sir! This guy heard that the Jiang family of Lujia Village is wealthy, so he took us hostage, trying to take advantage of the Jiang family. He even killed a young girl in front of everyone! The body is not far from the entrance of Lujia Village. I beg you, sir, to investigate! If it weren't for the compassionate Jiang family who saved us, we would probably be dead by this guy's blade by now!"

Every word here is filled with Hu Yue'er's boundless hatred; every word is like a sharp dagger piercing the hearts of everyone present!

Magistrate Duan was on the verge of a breakdown. He turned around with a slightly embarrassed expression, rubbing his aching temples. At that moment, he felt terrible, as if a huge rock was pressing down on him.

The room fell eerily quiet. Hu Yue'er stared at Wang Tieshuan with eyes that were practically bloodshot.

Wang Tieshuan's face was pale, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripped incessantly from his forehead to the ground.

"My lord, we have already settled those refugees. If you do not believe Hu Yue'er's words, you can go to where the refugees are and ask them!" Jiang Ling said quickly when she saw that the time was right.

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Duan nodded quickly and said to Jiang Ling, "Alright, go and check on the refugees. After all, Hu Yue'er's words alone aren't enough to convince them!"

In truth, Magistrate Duan didn't distrust Hu Yue'er; he simply didn't want to stay in this oppressive place any longer. He feared he might lose control and grab Zhao Liu's knife to stab this beast to death.

Jiang Ling understood the meaning behind Magistrate Duan's words, and he quickly led Magistrate Duan, the village chief, and Hu Yue'er toward the place where the refugees were settled.

At this moment, Lightning Father was watching the refugees working with a wary expression. These people had been brought here last night and settled here. They were all working hard to repair their houses.

The days of fleeing famine filled them with fear and dread. Now that they had a stable place, most of them cherished this hard-won opportunity.

"Greetings, Magistrate Duan!" Lightning's father immediately prepared to kneel down upon seeing Magistrate Duan.

Upon hearing this, the people around him also knelt down in unison, following in the footsteps of Lightning's father.

"Get up, all of you!" Magistrate Duan could not bear to see the group of tattered, emaciated people kneeling before him, trembling with fear.

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly stood up again. The appearance of the county magistrate made the group very restrained. They all hung their heads and nervously twisted the hem of their clothes.

Seeing this, Magistrate Duan quickly said again, "You all go about your own business! Don't worry about me!"

Even after hearing this, no one moved. The village chief quickly gave Lightning's father a wink, and Lightning's father said to everyone, "Just do whatever the magistrate tells you to do! Our Magistrate Duan is a good official! Don't worry, hurry up and continue building the house! Otherwise, you'll freeze when it gets cold!"

As soon as Lightning Dad said those words, everyone immediately scattered and went about their own business.

Looking at the bustling refugees, Magistrate Duan whispered to Jiang Ling, "Are these people alright? Could there be any danger?"

Jiang Ling told Magistrate Duan about the results of her discussion with the village chief yesterday. After listening, Magistrate Duan nodded and looked at Zhao Liu behind him, saying, "You've worked hard these past few days. Keep an eye on these refugees in Lujia Village!"

Zhao Liu cupped his hands and nodded.

"My lord, what should we do with Wang Tieshuan?" Jiang Ling asked calmly.

“Extorting court officials and harming court ladies is a capital offense! I’ll have Zhao Liu take this man back first, and then I’ll write a letter to the prefect explaining the situation!” Magistrate Duan said through gritted teeth.

Jiang Ling looked at Magistrate Duan without saying anything. Magistrate Duan glanced around and then instructed Jiang Ling, "Things will be very chaotic in the coming days. You must be careful if you are taking care of the child and doing business alone!"

Jiang Ling nodded without saying anything.

Zhao Liu had already brought Wang Tieshuan before Magistrate Duan. When the refugees saw Wang Tieshuan, they all gasped in surprise. Several timid women showed extremely frightened expressions and subconsciously took several steps back, hiding behind their men.

"I will take this guy away today! You can live in Lujia Village in peace, but I must emphasize one thing: you must not have any bad intentions and harm anyone in Lujia Village, or this will be your fate!" With that, Magistrate Duan grabbed Zhao Liu's knife and held it to Wang Tieshuan's neck.

Upon hearing this, the refugees breathed a sigh of relief. The refugee closest to Magistrate Duan mustered his courage and said, "Your Honor, please rest assured, Lu Family Village has been kind to us. How could we possibly repay kindness with enmity!"

Once someone spoke up, others followed suit.

Wang Tieshuan was already ashen-faced. He never expected to end up like this. Zhao Liu naturally didn't give him a kind look and dragged Wang Tieshuan onto the carriage with a mix of beatings and curses.

“You’re lucky to have met Madam An. With Madam An’s guidance, your lives will definitely be much better than before!” Magistrate Duan said, glancing at Jiang Ling.

These words surprised Jiang Ling. She never expected that Magistrate Duan would reveal her identity at this time.

However, this title was completely unfamiliar to these uneducated people who didn't know many words. They looked at each other, seemingly at a loss once again!

"Madam Jiang is a ninth-rank lady bestowed by the current emperor! She even has an official title! She's about the same rank as me, now you understand, right?" Magistrate Duan immediately explained.