Chapter 104: Turning the tables
"Are you sure those children were fine before coming here?" Zhang Liang raised his eyes, everything in front of him was reflected in his eyes, and a sarcastic smile appeared on his lips.
Mrs. Fan felt timid, but when she thought about how no one saw her throwing the person at the door, what would happen if someone saw it? She didn't believe anyone would dare to testify.
She instantly raised her voice, "Are you still trying to say I'm falsely accusing you? I spent a fortune buying those children. Who would leave the money behind and instead cause trouble for themselves?"
"Really?" Zhang Liang narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze as if he was looking at prey in a cage.
Mrs. Fan's heart skipped a beat and she looked back hurriedly, as if asking those big men.
The big man looked at each other, then secretly made a gesture to Mrs. Fan, stretched out two fingers, and suddenly clenched them.
This is the jargon in their industry, meaning that they will only be left with two breaths to breathe and will not be allowed to survive.
Mrs. Fan finally calmed down. It had been more than two hours, and the weather had cooled down. What else could they do?
Thinking of this, Mrs. Fan felt a little sorry for herself. The other words might be false, but she did spend money for those children.
If these people hadn't been sick, she really had no other choice. They couldn't be sold, and leaving them there would be a waste of food. As for treating their illnesses? That was even more impossible. With the money for their treatment, she could exchange it for some healthy animals.
Instead of letting them die in her yard, it would be better to use them to ruin this crappy academy and then extort some money from them, which would be the best use of their resources.
"Clerk, have someone bring the children here, and also invite Doctor Qu over."
There were more and more people around, almost blocking the street.
Zhang Liang still looked like a modest gentleman, with a faint smile on his face, and was followed by a group of indignant children. On the other hand, Mrs. Fan looked ferocious and accompanied by several burly men. It was obvious that she was not a good person.
The confused crowd subconsciously sided with Zhang Liang, and those who knew the whole story felt that Mrs. Fan was aggressive and bullying a group of children.
But the matter has not been clarified yet, so no one is speaking loudly at the moment, only whispering in the corner.
Mrs. Fan vaguely heard someone scolding her, her eyes filled with resentment. She could only angrily curse at Zhang Liang, "What's the point of carrying the body out? You killed my child. If you don't compensate me today, don't even think about getting away with it."
Zhang Liang ignored Mrs. Fan's words and bowed to the clerk, saying, "My mistress is kind and compassionate, with a heart that loves all the world. This academy is a way for her children, who are starving in the winter, to survive. Not only does she provide them with food and clothing, but she also employs teachers to teach them how to read and write. This kind act is now being viewed as human trafficking. I must demand an explanation today."
The clerk was a little annoyed by such a tough attitude, but he was by no means a stupid person. Although the young man in front of him was still childish, his aura was no less than those nobles he had met.
Although this person's clothes are simple, the fabrics are not cheap.
Yuanxi—Yuanxi! The clerk muttered these two words silently, and suddenly a light flashed before his eyes. He remembered where he had heard these two words before. Wasn't this the academy that the county magistrate mentioned?
The owner of this academy can even make the county magistrate feel apprehensive. The clerk took a deep breath and recalled his actions just now. He was slightly relieved when he realized that he had not had time to do anything.
"Of course. I will handle this case impartially."
Mrs. Fan was immediately displeased when she saw that the clerk was frightened by the boy's words. "Clerk Zhou, he has the lives of several of my children on his hands. You can't just believe he didn't do anything wrong just because of his hypocritical words!"
"How dare you! I am judging a case, do I need you to teach me?" the clerk scolded.
Frightened, Mrs. Fan quickly withdrew her hand, bowing in a fawning manner. "Of course I know you're the most impartial. I'm just worried you'll be deceived! If I can't get those children back, I'll have lost a fortune! If I still don't get compensation, I won't be able to live like this."
However, she was puzzled. This official had a good relationship with her son on weekdays, and they were even brothers. Why did he turn against her son today?
However, seeing so many people around her, she seemed to understand something. Some things cannot be done too obviously. If she is criticized, she will not be able to clear herself from the blame.
At this time, several children were carried out. Because the weather was too cold, they were still wrapped in quilts, with their eyes closed, and looked no different from dead.
When Mrs. Fan saw the children, she immediately rushed over and started howling, "My children! Why are you so miserable? I haven't found a good family for you yet! Why did you go?"
"You've seen it all! This is a place that harms people. You send your children here to kill them!"
This mournful scene stunned the people around, who all thought that these children were really dead. They couldn't help but start to look at Zhang Liang with some suspicion.
There are four people in total, but there are only three people here.
Mrs. Fan counted them and realized something was wrong. "Where is my other child? Hand him over to me now."
"Cough cough!" The child was helped out. Because he had been sick for too long, his face had an unnatural blush and his lips were pale.
After just a few coughs, he was already out of breath.
"You - my child! Fortunately you are okay, otherwise I would be heartbroken!" Mrs. Fan shouted, and her two strong hands were about to pull the person over.
Zhang Liang took the stick from Lian and lightly hit her arm. The pain made Fan immediately withdraw her hand and said with gritted teeth, "Did you see that? He, he did that to me!"
"Sir, do you still remember that I was the first one to report to the post?" Zhang Liang said lightly.
Mrs. Fan's expression froze.
Zhang Liang clasped his hands and said, "I want to sue this old woman Fan for kidnapping and trafficking people, and for wantonly beating and killing them."
Trafficking is the use of abnormal means such as kidnapping and robbery to traffic in human beings.
Mrs. Fan was indeed engaged in the business of human trafficking, but human greed is insatiable. Normal human trafficking is not as profitable as this kind of business with no capital investment.
On the surface, she was doing a legitimate business, but secretly she abducted and sold many children from ordinary families.
Although the Qin State had strict household registration checks, there were always some areas where children could not be taken care of, so she targeted underage children for trafficking.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm doing a clean business." Mrs. Fan stared at the child standing beside her with a cold gaze, as if warning him.
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