As the sound of gongs and drums grew closer, everyone involuntarily looked in the direction of the sound.
Outside the gate, a group of yamen runners in neat official robes were seen leading a sedan chair on the street. Their expressions were solemn and their steps were synchronized, attracting the attention of the surrounding people.
At the front of the procession, two constables carefully carried an object tightly covered with a red cloth.
"What's going on? Why are there government officials here?"
"I don't know. Judging from this scene, could they have arrested some wanted criminal?"
"What are you saying... What kind of good official arrests a wanted criminal with fanfare? Are you afraid the criminal won't hear you or run fast enough?"
"That's true..."
The crowd was abuzz with discussion, wondering what this sudden commotion was all about.
Just then, the officials had already pushed through the crowd and were heading straight for Shi Weitian.
The men under Master Zhao, who were originally confronting the Gan family, dared not make any more moves upon seeing this, and instead nervously retreated to the side.
The official sedan chair slowly came to a stop at the entrance of Shiweitian. A man dressed in a dark blue official robe stepped out of the sedan chair and walked directly toward the crowd inside Shiweitian. Everyone's eyes followed his steps.
The official walked to the center, looked around, and noticed the disorderly sounds coming from inside the restaurant. He asked with some confusion, "Is the manager here Manager Gan Li?"
Gan Li looked closely and realized that the person who came was very familiar—wasn't it Magistrate Lu Yuan?
She was overjoyed and was about to speak when someone beat her to it.
The village headman, who frequently went to the county office on business, recognized Lu Yuan at a glance and was immediately startled!
Although he didn't know why the county magistrate would condescend to come here, he was already a step ahead and hurriedly went up to greet him:
"My lord, I am the village head of Cangxi Town. I was unaware of your arrival and have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me!"
Upon hearing that this person was actually the county magistrate, the people around became excited and knelt down to pay their respects.
Lu Yuan hurriedly shouted, then asked, "Why does it look like there's been a fight here? What could have happened that warranted such a large-scale conflict?"
"This..." When the village head asked about this matter, he didn't know what to say for a moment. Just as he was stammering, someone rushed up.
When Master Zhao heard that the visitor was actually the county magistrate, and remembering that he had come looking for Gan Li as soon as possible, he felt uneasy and anxious.
—Could it be that this little bitch really knows some important person? No, I have to strike first!
He suppressed his anger, stepped forward, bowed deeply, and tearfully pleaded:
"Your Excellency, please be wise! This Ganli, she, she is simply a viper, utterly devoid of conscience!"
She sold me a useless prescription at a high price, causing me huge losses and ruining my reputation! Your Honor, you must do me justice!
Gan Li, not to be outdone, sneered and calmly said:
"Sir, don't listen to his nonsense! This Zhao fellow is a wicked and unscrupulous businessman!"
He coveted the ice-making recipe I had. When I went to the county town to present the recipe last time, he conspired with the village head to kidnap my older brother, all in an attempt to force me to hand over the recipe!
I was so angry that I decided to play along and set him up! Now that the imperial decree promoting ice-making has been issued, his scheme has failed, so he brought his men to vandalize my shop!
She recounted the whole story in detail, and concluded by saying:
"Sir, Master Zhao is abusing his power. First, he plotted to frame my elder brother, then he brought people to smash my shop, and now he dares to distort the truth in front of you. Such behavior is simply outrageous!"
After hearing this, Lu Yuan's face darkened, and he turned his gaze to Master Zhao, asking sternly, "Is this true?"
"I...I..." Master Zhao cried, trying to explain, but the truth was exactly as Gan Li said, and he had no way to deny it!
He was filled with fear, and in his panic, a figure flashed through his mind. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he said:
"My lord, this is all a misunderstanding... I am acquainted with the magistrate, how could I do such a thing? If you don't believe me, I will have the magistrate come and tell you!"
He was truly at his wit's end, so he could only invoke the county magistrate's name, hoping that the magistrate would show leniency.
To everyone's surprise, Lu Yuan sneered upon hearing this:
"The county magistrate...don't you know? He's already been dismissed. If you want to talk to him, go to the county jail and talk to him."
Upon hearing this, Master Zhao trembled like a leaf. Only then did he realize why the messages he had sent to the magistrate had gone unanswered. It turned out that the magistrate himself had already made a mistake!
Lu Yuan ignored his reaction and said coldly:
"Master Zhao, as a member of a prominent family in this town, you should set an example and benefit the community. However, for your own selfish interests, you have gone so far as to frame others and disrupt market order. This is utterly absurd!"
Not only that, but I have also discovered that you are involved in the county magistrate's bribery case. Since you are here today, I will save myself the trouble of searching for you at your home. Therefore, I will take you into custody and bring you back to the county office for trial!
"What?!" Master Zhao was terrified, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
"Your Honor, please spare me! I know I was wrong, but I don't know that magistrate at all!"
Lu Yuan had no patience to argue with him about these things. With a single glance, someone immediately dragged Master Zhao away.
Old Master Zhao was unwilling to accept this and wanted to protest his innocence again, but the officials were impatient. They grabbed his collar and slapped him twice across the face, then took a smelly rag from the side and stuffed it into his mouth.
The world is finally peaceful.
Lu Yuan then turned to the village head and said sternly:
"Village head, as the local official in charge, you should be impartial and selfless, maintaining peace and tranquility in this area. However, you listened to one side and almost caused a serious mistake. I hereby dismiss you from your post. If you cause trouble again in the future, I will not let you off lightly!"
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