Guo Hongyang was initially a little scared, but when he saw that some of the constables recognized him, he immediately said smugly:
"Of course I'm fine! It's all that wretched woman's fault. She ruined my plans in the street and even hit my man. I'm going to teach her a lesson today."
His family originally had some connections with the county magistrate. To put it nicely, the two families helped each other; to put it bluntly, the county magistrate needed the Guo family to secure his position.
But to his surprise, the person presiding over the case in the county government office today was not the county clerk, but the county magistrate, Xue Qizheng. He had heard his father say that this magistrate was upright and incorruptible and that he liked talented people the most.
Guo Hongyang was still stubborn, thinking that even if it was the county magistrate, what could he do to him? His Guo family was rich, and his elder brother was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. With money and power, how many people would dare to touch him!
Xue Qizheng had already heard of Guo Hongyang. He frowned as he looked at Guo Hongyang, who was standing in the middle, and then at the two women beside him.
Before he could even ask a question, Guo Hongyang rushed forward and said, "Sir, I must ask you to do me a favor!"
Ning Huan frowned slightly, feeling that Guo Hongyang was up to no good.
Sure enough, the next second he started to say in a tearful voice, "I was walking along the street when that woman insisted that I take her out to eat and that I should buy her drinks."
“This woman was drinking with me. I was worried that it would be bad for her reputation if word got out, but just as I was trying to persuade her, this woman rushed over from the side like a madwoman and beat me up.”
"My lord, I've been so wronged, so mistreated! You must do me justice and punish this wretched woman properly!"
Magistrate Xue raised an eyebrow and asked with some curiosity, "So how do you want me to punish you?"
Guo Hongyang didn't think anything was wrong. He actually thought about it carefully and then said with a wicked smile, "Sir, I think this woman beat me up. She should be locked up so she can apologize properly."
Then, as if he had just remembered something, he said, "No, no, sir."
Magistrate Xue asked, "What? Have you changed your mind again?"
Guo Hongyang shook his head: "Sir, I was just thinking that it wasn't just this wretched woman, but also the woman next to her. If she hadn't insisted on pulling me aside in the first place, I wouldn't have encountered this situation. Maybe the two of them are in cahoots!"
"Sir, I think we should arrest them both!"
As he spoke, he actually called out to the constables beside him: "Quickly, quickly, arrest them now and lock them up in jail to reflect on their actions."
When the magistrate didn't speak, the constables assumed that was the correct meaning and actually set off to lock up Ning Huan and the woman.
Just as they were about to grab Ning Huan's arm, Magistrate Xue shouted angrily, "Insolence!"
Everyone was so frightened that they dared not move.
"I never knew that in this county government office, you would listen to anyone other than me."
This time, even Guo Hongyang didn't dare to utter a sound. He still had the smug smile on his face, making him look very strange.
Magistrate Xue looked at Ning Huan and asked sternly, "Madam, tell me the truth about what happened on the street today. I will definitely help you get justice."
Ning Huan replied, "In response to your question, Magistrate, I did not hit him for no reason. I saw him harassing this girl in the street, and I couldn't stand it, so I acted impulsively."
Magistrate Xue looked at the young woman beside him and asked, "Young lady, please tell me what exactly happened?"
The young woman hesitated before stepping forward, kneeling down, and kowtowing, saying, "Your Honor, all of this was caused by me. This woman is a kind-hearted person; please do not make things difficult for her. I am willing to bear all the blame."
She knew Guo Hongyang's identity and knew that she couldn't easily provoke him in this town, and even in the county government, she might not be able to find so-called justice.
Guo Hongyang smiled and said to Magistrate Xue, "Sir, did I tell you? This woman is deliberately trying to cause trouble and extort money from me!"
"Shut up!"
Xue Qi glared angrily at Guo Hongyang: "In court, you are not allowed to utter a sound unless I ask you a question!"
No one had ever dared to speak to Guo Hongyang like that before; even the county magistrate made him somewhat angry.
"My lord, what do you mean by this? I've already said I'm innocent, but you don't believe me. You insisted on questioning these two women, and they confessed. Now you're blaming me?"
"Could it be that I've somehow offended you, sir, and upset you? If that's the case..."
Guo Hongyang paused for a moment, then asked, "Would it be alright if my father and elder brother came to apologize to you on my behalf sometime?"
Not only could Magistrate Xue understand the meaning behind these words, but even the bailiffs standing nearby understood. Guo Hongyang's father was the head of the Guo family, and his elder brother was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. This wasn't an apology; it was clearly an attempt to intimidate someone using his family's influence!
Unexpectedly, Magistrate Xue remained completely calm, merely glancing at Guo Hongyang and saying indifferently, "If you have such intentions, your father and elder brother will hardly have the face to do so."
"If your father knew that the second young master of the Guo family was like this outside, he might be so angry that he would kick you out of the house."
Before Guo Hongyang could speak, Magistrate Xue looked at the young woman and said, "Young lady, just tell me the truth. I know perfectly well who is right and who is wrong. Just tell me."
The woman nodded. Although she was still a little scared, she was also very angry when she thought about how she had been bullied on the street earlier.
If she could, she would certainly want to teach that bastard a lesson.
"My lord, my name is Er Ya Tou. I went to the market today to buy some food for my younger siblings, but I never expected to encounter this man blocking my way on my way back."
"He insisted on taking me to some restaurant for dinner and wanted me to drink with him. When I refused, he blocked my way and wouldn't let me leave. If it weren't for this lady, I don't know what would have happened to me."
Er Yatou choked up as she spoke: "That's why I just said that everything happened because of me, and it has nothing to do with this lady."
Magistrate Xue nodded slightly, then looked at a constable standing to the side and asked, "Have you inquired? Is the situation true?"
The constable stepped forward, bowed to Magistrate Xue, and replied, "Sir, I have already asked the passersby on the street, and the situation is basically the same as what this young lady said."
Upon hearing this, Guo Hongyang rolled his eyes and quickly tried to think of a solution.
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