Chapter 204 Collusion

"Bang, bang, bang! Open the door!" Acai knocked on the corner door hard.

"Who is it? You won't let me have peace on New Year's Day!" After a long while, a police officer came to open the door, cursing, "Why are you here again? I told you not to!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he burped, his mouth full of alcohol.

"It's not me, it's the governor!" Acai was no longer humble and pointed behind him with full confidence.

The jailer looked up and saw two men in official robes.

One of them, whose face was light crimson, was so frightened that he almost sobered up and stammered, "Greetings, hello, my Lord!"

Lu Zhaoshi frowned in disdain, walked into the yamen and headed towards the detention center.

"Six six six, five first place winners..." The policemen inside were playing finger-guessing games, and the sound was deafening.

The police officer who opened the door ignored these brothers and deliberately dawdled and fell behind. When no one was paying attention, he ran to the front yard of the Mei County magistrate to inform him of the news.

"Bang!" Lu Zhaoshi kicked the door open.

"Damn little six, you went to pee for a long time, and now you're eating shit in the pit, ha ha ha..."

The policeman in the room was drunk and stood up staggeringly, without even noticing who came in.

"Haha, Xiao Liuzi just poops and pees a lot, ignore him, let's continue..." The other one took a sip of wine, his eyes blurred.

Wang Yannian shook his head, knowing that most of the yamen runners were like this, but he still felt furious when he saw it.

Lu Zhaoshi walked to the table, which was filled with delicious wine and food, and threw the food box aside.

"You are going too far. This is the food I sent to Mr. Su!" Ah Cai was furious, knowing that it would not reach Mr. Su's mouth.

"You, how did you get in? Where is Xiao Liuzi..." The police officers were half drunk and half awake, shaking their dizzy heads.

When he saw Lu Zhao with a frosty face, he shuddered, "Sir!"

"Where is Mr. Su from Wu County imprisoned?" Lu Zhaoshi ignored these villains.

“Yes, yes…” The squad leader hesitated and glanced at Lu Zhaoshi from time to time.

"Speak!" Lu Zhaoshi knew it was not a good thing.

"In the cell!" the squad leader said with his neck stiffened. He couldn't escape it anyway whether he stuck his head out or hid it.

"You bastard! You threw him into jail without even having a trial. You guys in Tong County are really an eye-opener!" Lu Zhaoshi was so angry that he kicked the squad leader.

The squad leader staggered two steps and fell to the ground, then staggered to his feet.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and ask Mr. Su to come out!" Wang Yannian shouted when he saw that the police officers did not move.

"Yes!" The police officers woke up as if from a dream and hurried to the prison.

Lu Zhaoshi and several others followed. The prison was dark, damp, and filled with all kinds of foul odors.

Many prisoners lay on the railings with dull eyes and numb expressions. In the prison without sunlight, they could only estimate time by their two meals a day and the air vents on the wall.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the prisoners all looked over. Another prisoner was being sent in?

A man was just brought in. He was beaten with a black eye and swollen face, but he stood straight. No one knew what he had done wrong. He came in without saying a word and sat quietly in the corner.

The prison door is open again now. Who has been arrested?

Seeing the crimson official robe behind the jailer, the prisoners suddenly became excited.

"Sir, sir! I'm innocent! I didn't sell the land. They bullied me because I couldn't read and coerced me into putting my fingerprints on it! I hit them because I was so angry!"

"Sir! Sir, I have an eighty-year-old mother and a three-year-old child at home. Please let me out, wuwu..."

The prisoners actually saw the official in the prison, and they cried out for justice, some even slamming the wooden bars.

"Shut up!" the squad leader shouted, and the prisoners fell silent instantly, looking at Lu Zhaoshi blankly.

Lu Zhaoshi had seen this many times, so he ignored it and walked straight in.

When I walked to the innermost part, I saw Su Bucheng sitting in the corner with his eyes closed, his head swollen like a pig's head.

"Mr. Su!" Lu Zhaoshi couldn't describe how he felt.

Su Bucheng slowly opened his eyes and smiled, "Sir!"

The squad leader opened the door, Lu Zhaoshi came in, and helped Su Bucheng up, "You've suffered so much!"

"Mr. Su!" Wang Yannian came in with a compassionate look in his eyes.

Seeing Su Bucheng's current state, Wang Yannian inexplicably thought of himself one day.

"Lord Wang! Happy New Year!" Su Bucheng still had the leisure to tease.

"Mr. Su, are you okay?" Hu Dalang squeezed in.

"It's okay! Thanks to Ah Cai for taking care of it, I'm not in any trouble anymore." Su Bucheng bowed to Hu Dalang, "Thank you for your hard work!"

"Sir, please excuse me. I deserve it!" Hu Dalang dodged to the side.

"This is not a place to reminisce. Let's go to the provincial capital and talk about it!" Lu Zhaoshi led his men out.

"Sir!" the squad leader called out, "This is a fugitive from Wu County. The county magistrate only just… just…"

"Mr. Su was appointed by me personally to assist Magistrate Hu of Wu County. Every year during festivals, he is ordered to report to me at the provincial capital.

What? My appointment as governor required Meishan's approval? And the Wuxian County Magistrate refused to acknowledge the official seal of his decree? Your Tongxian County is a foreign land, not part of the Great Tang's territory?"

Lu Zhaoshi is so imposing. What kind of fugitive is this? He is really taking the opportunity to blackmail people!

Tong County doesn't even recognize the official seal, and has exploited the people to an unscrupulous level.

Several police officers hesitated for a long time and did not dare to answer.

"Let Meishan come to the provincial capital to ask me for the person!" Lu Zhaoshi did not want to get entangled with the police officer in order to avoid losing his reputation.

"Sir, I am innocent, let me out!" When the prisoners saw Su Bucheng being taken away, they slapped the railings and roared.

After leaving the prison and breathing the fresh air, I felt like I was alive again.

Su Bucheng looked up at the gray sky. The winter in Lingnan is always filled with mist.

"Sir, sir!" Meishan trotted after him.

Lu Zhaoshi stopped and looked at Meishan coldly.

"Sir! Why did you come here without saying hello?" Meishan was panting, emitting strong smell of alcohol, and his face was flushed.

If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. Look at the county magistrate and the police official who love wine. This is what Lu Zhaoshi felt was the real Meishan.

All the counties were poor, and the governor's evaluation was only average. Naturally, the county chiefs were not much better, all of them were average, low, and very low.

Lu Zhaoshi was already a veteran in officialdom and had never thought about how capable his subordinates were. However, he was still shocked and angry by the collusion between the upper and lower levels in Tong County to exploit the people.

The whole prefecture takes Wu County as an example to promote various advanced farming techniques, make vermicelli, and strengthen cooperation with the Li people.

Judging from the nonchalant look of the Mei County Magistrate, there is a high probability that he did not implement the order at all and just did it perfunctorily.

"The magistrate of Mei County is in a good mood! Tong County is a paradise, with fine wine and delicious food, and life is really leisurely!" Lu Zhaoshi said sarcastically.

"Haha, it's the New Year, let's have fun!" Meishan grinned.

"Hmph!" Lu Zhaoshi waved his sleeves and didn't want to say more.

I have more important things to do right now and don't have time to take care of Meishan.

"Sir! Sir..." Meishan shouted anxiously when he saw Su Bucheng was about to be taken away.

"Mr. Su is an official I appointed to assist Magistrate Hu. He has come to the provincial government to report on his work with Magistrate Hu's order. The procedures are complete. Is there any problem?" Lu Zhaoshi stared at Meishan.

"Uh..." Meishan was unwilling, "But he is a fugitive, sir..."

"Why is Mei County Magistrate's Tong County not under the jurisdiction of the Governor? Or has Mei County Magistrate been granted special privileges to control the prefecture?"

Wang Yannian saw that Meishan didn't know what was good for him, so he questioned him in a deep voice.

"I dare not, I dare not!" Meishan hurriedly put on a smile.

Wang Yannian was a notoriously cold-faced person. As the recorder and military officer in charge of official evaluations, the county magistrates were very afraid of him.

The departing carriage disappeared from sight. Meishan did not speak for a long time, and there was no sign of drunkenness in his eyes.