Along this straight official road, you can find all kinds of things, and the shops range from two to three stories high!

There were very few pedestrians on the road, which made the unusual sight ahead all the more noticeable!

They quickly stepped forward! Pushing aside the crowd of people, they saw a group of soldiers surrounding an old man, punching and kicking him!

"Old man, did I tell you to fetch water? Don't you know you have to pay to fetch water from the river!"

"You didn't pay at all, yet you still dare to ask for water? A poor wretch like you should just die of thirst!"

"Or you could just take your little grandson and leave! And don't come back!"

"Anyway, the river water outside is drinkable!"

The old man was thin and bony, with dark skin, clearly someone who did manual labor regularly, and his clothes were covered in patches!

They look like a poor family!

The old man was already bleeding from the corner of his mouth from the beating, but when they stopped, he still managed to sit up with difficulty, kneel on the ground, and kowtow!

"My lords, please have pity on me!"

"My little grandson! He's going to die of thirst if he doesn't drink some water soon. Please, for the sake of a human life, let me get some water!"

"There's so much water in the river, one more mouthful won't make a difference!"

"If my little grandson doesn't get any water soon, he'll die!"

"Besides, the refugees outside are so vicious. If our whole family goes out, we'll all die there!"

"Please, please show leniency!"

Ignoring the old man's desperate pleas, the man kicked him to the ground again and then beat him severely once more!

"What does it matter to me whether your little grandson lives or dies?"

"Without money, even if your whole family dies, don't even think about getting a sip of water!"

"Let me tell you! If you want water, you have to pay. If everyone came here begging like you, how would we explain it to the prefect?"

"Besides, this wasn't my rule, it was the prefect's. If you want to beg, go find the prefect!"

"These are extraordinary times!"

"For someone to die outside, it's as simple as an ant dying!"

"If you don't want to be really kicked out of the city, you'd better pay up!"

That old man was kicked half to death!

He was still muttering, "Please, give me some water!"

Finally, seeing that the old man really couldn't produce any money, and that the surrounding crowd was grumbling louder and louder, their faces full of resentment, they realized that if things continued like this, it might cause some serious trouble that would be impossible to resolve!

So he left, grumbling and cursing!

Lin Ru also learned from the discussions of the onlookers that Shanping County was a place with mountains and rivers, and people relied on the mountains and rivers for their livelihood. Many families did not have wells.

Normally, we rely on the river water in the inner city for drinking water. The water in the inner city is very different from that in the outer city. The water in the inner city is actually spring water flowing down from a mountain behind it!

Another part is underground spring water!

Long ago, everyone suffered greatly because of this mountain spring, because whenever it rained, the mountain spring would overflow, and the underground spring water would also gush out!

This means that whenever it rains, Sanpyeong County will be flooded!

Later, through the efforts of officials of all dynasties, following the routes of the mountain springs and underground springs, this inner city moat was finally carved out by hand!

The country is currently experiencing a severe drought, and water levels have dropped. Not only are the wells in villagers' homes drying up, but springs are also almost dry!

So the governor issued an order: if you want to fetch water from the inner city river, it will cost 200 coins per bucket!

Don't underestimate these 100 coins!

Last year there was a food shortage, and everyone spent almost all their money on food! Now a bucket of water costs 200 coins, and that's for a small bucket! This is causing immense suffering for ordinary people!

Especially for poor people!

These 200 coins were an astronomical sum for them!

Ma Minghao tried to intervene by squeezing through the crowd, but Lin Ru stopped him!

"Don't cause any unnecessary trouble!"

"Getting down to business is the priority!"

Ma Minghao wanted to say that these people were doing something important; their goal was to protect the people!

Lin Ru glanced at him indifferently!

That one glance was enough to freeze him in place!

That look was so cold, it even contained a hint of killing intent, as if if he really made a move, the little girl in front of him would kill him without mercy!

That one glance brought him back to his senses from his anger!

If we intervene now, we can only save one person, but if we succeed, we can save an entire city!

He could only pretend not to see it and walk away from the wounded old man with great indifference!

Just as they walked about five or six hundred meters ahead, a group of people hurriedly came over!

The man in the lead was dressed in luxurious robes and had a very ordinary appearance, but his eyes were fierce!

He rode a tall horse and nearly hit several civilians along the way!

But this person seemed to be invisible!

Their eyes are practically on top of their heads!

A group of people were running behind them!

Lin Ru looked at the situation and then glanced at the reactions of the people next to her!

She sensed that this man must be the prefect's brother-in-law!

Moreover, this person was already very close to them, but he didn't intend to rein in his horse!

It was as if he wanted to ride a horse and run them all over!

They only stopped when Ma Minghao and his men were a meter or two away from each other, when they tightened the reins!

He looked down at Ma Minghao with a sarcastic smile.

"As expected of the Commandant's adopted son, he certainly has courage!"

"I'm coming, and you didn't even try to hide!"

"That's interesting!"

Ma Minghao smiled!

"You're joking! I was so scared that my legs went weak and I couldn't walk!"

"I didn't mean to offend you!"

Pang Da was shocked that Ma Minghao would say such a thing!

He's had his share of arguments with him before!

After going out for a while, he actually learned his lesson!

That's quite surprising!

"I didn't expect your personality to change so drastically after you went out for a while. But it's true that a wise person knows when to yield! Now I'm your boss!"

"The Prefect has already appointed me to take over the position of Commandant!"

"It seems the first one is probably in grave danger. Don't keep thinking that if he works obediently under my command, you'll get your share of the benefits!"

Ma Minghao knew that this person was deliberately provoking their group of trusted confidants in public!

If even one person dares to resist, that person has every right to deal with everyone!

After all, not all the soldiers at the gate were from the Commandant of the Prefecture; otherwise, the news wouldn't have been relayed back before they even reached the Prefect's residence!

These people should also know the reason he gave for the other people being killed when he was at the city gate!

There were also some outrageous remarks; I wonder what they thought after hearing them!

Pang Da looked at the group of soldiers below, who showed absolutely no intention of resisting!