Chapter 16: God's Help
It's almost lunch time now, but Lin Xiaoyue only sees a few people walking on the street. This is completely different from when she came here before!
She felt strange, so she pulled a man over and asked, "Hey, did something happen in town? Why are there so few people on the streets?"
The man didn't know what he was thinking about, and his face instantly became very distorted. "Don't ask me, I'm going to vomit when I think about it. Anyway, you can go to the county government office and take a look!"
Lin Xiaoyue immediately understood what was going on. It seemed that the county magistrate was already interrogating He Yuan.
"So that's how it is. Thank you, young man!" After thanking the man, she went straight to the county government office.
Sure enough, the gate of the county government office was crowded with people. Lin Xiaoyue looked so ordinary now that it was hard to find her in the crowd, so she was not afraid at all when standing at the gate of the county government office and squeezed to the front directly.
The county magistrate's name was Ye Qingtian. He had been offered the prestigious position of county magistrate of Furong Town because of a relative who held high positions in the capital. Furong Town was the wealthiest town, and many people were desperate to join. However, Ye Qingtian was very clever. Every year, he would share most of his profits with his relatives who held high positions in the capital. As a result, no one had been able to dethrone him from this position for many years.
In the court, Ye Qingtian sat upright, and a man was kneeling below him. He was dirty all over, and an unpleasant smell came from behind him from time to time. Based on the smell, Lin Xiaoyue guessed that the man was He Yuan.
He Yuan was indeed a martial artist. Even after suffering from diarrhea for so long, he still spoke with great strength. He faced the County Magistrate fearlessly and defended himself, "County Magistrate, I was framed by the owner of Huichuntang. You see, not long after I left Huichuntang, I started having uncontrollable diarrhea. Who else but the owner of Huichuntang could have administered such a powerful drug without anyone noticing?"
Ye Qingtian glanced at Gu Shanren from Huichuntang and asked, "Manager Gu, what do you say?"
Gu Shanren snorted coldly and said with a smile, "I was thinking of suing you for owing me the medicine money, but you were the first to sue me! If I had drugged you, do you think you would still be alive today? Don't flatter me too much, I don't have that ability!"
From the moment He Yuan saw Gu Shanren sitting on the throne, he knew that the county magistrate and Gu Shanren were deeply in cahoots. But even so, he was not afraid because he had witnesses! As long as Lin Xiaoyue spoke for him, he was not afraid of the county magistrate's arbitrary judgment!
"Master, there was an exiled woman with me at the time. Her name is Lin Xiaoyue. She can testify for me!"
Hearing He Yuan's words, Ye Qingtian's face showed an ugly expression. What if the female protagonist spoke for He Yuan? No matter what, he had to deal with He Yuan today, otherwise it would be hard to say whether Huichuntang would still give him money as a filial piety in the future!
Therefore, he did not immediately order the arrest of Lin Xiaoyue for questioning. Instead, he looked at Gu Shanren and asked tentatively, "Manager Gu, have you seen that woman?"
Gu Shanren immediately showed a puzzled expression on his face, shook his head and said, "No, the guys in my shop can testify to that!"
At this moment, Lin Xiaoyue outside the court felt as if she had divine help. This kind-hearted Gu was really awesome! She had stuffed so many gold coins into Gu's pocket before, and it really paid off!
Although she had already prepared evidence of her fake death at the mass grave outside Dongyuan Town, it wasn't foolproof! Furthermore, in Furong Town, the words of the kind-hearted Gu were more effective than anything else!
Just as Lin Xiaoyue had guessed, Ye Qingtian in the hall directly agreed with what Gu Shanren had said. The gavel was slammed heavily on the desk. Ye Qingtian angrily shouted at He Yuan, who was kneeling on the ground: "You bold and unruly commoner, how dare you deceive me! Come, give this man fifty lashes!"
He Yuan had never expected the county magistrate to go so far in protecting him. He angrily pointed at Ye Qingtian's nose and cursed, "You bastard, open your eyes and watch carefully! I'm a bailiff in the capital, responsible for exiling criminals. You can't just beat me up if you want! If I delay the affairs of the court, not only me, but you too will be in trouble!"
Ye Qingtian had a scornful smile on his face. He had had He Yuan searched before the court session, but there was no badge, not even the imperial documents. He Yuan was lying so brazenly. Did he really think that he, the county magistrate, was just a figurehead?
"How dare you! I've already sent someone to investigate. You once yelled in the street that you were insane. So, how can I believe the words of a lunatic? Come on, pin him to the ground and beat him hard until he confesses!"
He Yuan's eyes were bloodshot, the rage in his heart nearly swallowing up his reason. "That wasn't what I wanted to shout. That woman forced me to shout. Otherwise, she wouldn't give me money to treat my brother's injuries! You bastard official, I'm going back to the capital to sue you for colluding with Huichuntang. You'll die a miserable death!"
Ye Qingtian originally just wanted to dampen He Yuan's arrogance. As long as he confessed, he would be imprisoned for half a year or a year. When Gu Shanren's anger subsided, he would release him.
But he didn't expect He Yuan to be so ungrateful that he actually said in court that he would go back to Beijing to sue him. No matter whether He Yuan was a yamen runner or not, if he really sued him, his official hat would be in danger!
After all, Furong Town is a hot spot, and so many people want to take its place!
Humph, since this kid is so ungrateful, don’t blame him for being cruel!
"Haven't you eaten yet? Beat me to death!"
The killing stick hit He Yuan's buttocks harder and harder. He Yuan could hold on for a while at first, but later the severe pain like broken bones in his buttocks spread throughout his body. He felt that he could hardly breathe because of the pain. His head was buzzing and his vision became more and more blurred. In a trance, he seemed to see Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai was waving at him, saying that he was so bored and asked why he came so late, so he should drink three glasses of wine as a penalty!
He recalled what had happened to him, smiled bitterly, picked up the bowl and drank three cups in a row, then followed Jiang Bai away.
At this moment, the officer saw that He Yuan had stopped crying out in pain, so he retracted his club and leaned over to sniff his breath. "My Lord, the man is dead."
Ye Qingtian nodded with satisfaction, brought down the gavel in his hand once more, and shouted majestically, "This man pretended to be a yamen runner from the capital and defrauded people. According to the law, he should be executed, but since he's already been beaten to death, he should be thrown into a mass grave! Dismiss!"
After saying that, he walked over with a smile and invited Gu Shanren to have tea. Gu Shanren readily agreed, and the two of them walked into the back yard together.
As the officers made powerful noises with their killing sticks, the common people knew the fun was over and they all dispersed.
Lin Xiaoyue looked at He Yuan who had died on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. It was better that he was dead!
After going through so much, I am still lucky, especially the girl's body in the mass grave helped me escape!
Although I don't know her name, the scars on her body are too shocking. Now that I know that she was killed by the people from Bandit Mountain, I must go to Bandit Mountain to repay her!
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