"That's impossible." Because it was the first thing he did after taking office, Su Jing was extremely serious. He could recite this document from memory, so how could he have misread it?
But now, he looked at it over and over again, and everything else was exactly the same, even the position of the chief's seal hadn't changed, except for the wheat distribution.
Zuo Xun, who was standing to the side, had already grasped the key point. His face immediately turned extremely ugly: "Lord Dong, Lord Wei has just left, and you're already doing this? Aren't you afraid we'll report you?"
Dong Yue looked at the two men in confusion: "Lord Zuo, Lord Su, what are you talking about? I don't understand a word you're saying."
"This is the document handed over by the boss, it's definitely correct."
“You—” Su Jing pointed at his nose with a livid face: “I don’t believe it. If the documents are wrong, how could the grain be wrong?”
After he finished speaking, he snorted coldly and walked towards the granary with Zuo Xun.
But when they opened the door, they found that there was only millet inside. The wheat that had been piled up all day yesterday was gone.
Dong Yuechao and the other man smiled kindly: "My lords, I have already said that you must have seen it wrong. There is no wheat at all."
"It's a famine year now. It's already quite good that the chief can give each person a peck of millet. How could he possibly give them a peck of wheat as well?"
Su Jing and Zuo Xun knew that Dong Yue must have embezzled the goods, but they had no power or influence.
After exchanging a glance, the two mounted their horses and charged outside, determined to deliver the news to Lord Wei.
The county constable stared at the two men's retreating figures and asked in a sinister tone, "Sir, should we arrest them?"
"No need," Dong Yue said calmly. "Proceed as before."
When Wei Qing heard Su Jing's account, he was first shocked, then filled with endless guilt: "It's all my fault for leaving him here without investigating properly."
“Sir, how can this be your fault? It’s just that Dong Yue is too good at pretending. We only just found out he’s this kind of person ourselves,” Su Jing said.
"Furthermore, with several powerful families helping them cover it up, it became even harder to detect, and we always thought he was a good official."
Since the facts were already stated, Wei Qing stopped dwelling on it and decisively said, "Let's go. I want to see what this Dong Yue has been up to."
However, when Wei Qing arrived and questioned him, Dong Yue looked aggrieved and said, "My lord, how could this be? These are life-saving grains that the chief had painstakingly set aside for the people."
“No matter how heartless I am, I could not do such an inhuman thing. I have distributed all the millet and wheat, one peck for adults and half a peck for children.”
What?
Su Jing and Zuo Xun stared wide-eyed: "You're lying! You only distributed millet, not a single grain of wheat, and you even altered the chief's documents."
"I have no grudge against either of you, so why are you saying such things about me?" Dong Yue glanced at the two men with humiliation, then lifted his robe and knelt before Wei Qing.
“Lord Wei, I have served the people wholeheartedly and worked tirelessly without complaint, yet I have been falsely accused. Please do me justice.”
“You—” Su Jingzuo’s vision blurred: “We are stating the facts. Who is framing you? If you have the guts, bring out the documents to confront us.”
Dong Yue straightened his back and said righteously, "I am upright and have nothing to fear. Let us confront each other."
He then instructed a servant to bring the document and handed it to Wei Qing, saying, "Please take a look, Your Excellency."
Looking at his expression, even if Wei Qing was stupid, he would know that the other party had anticipated this matter and made a comprehensive plan.
Sure enough, upon receiving the document, it turned out to be the same document issued by Rosie, with not a single word changed.
Wei Qing silently handed it to Su Jing and the other person.
Su Jing took a look and immediately collapsed to the ground: "This is impossible, how could this be? I clearly saw it written differently before, it's impossible..."
He gritted his teeth and insisted, "Sir, I request that a few people be randomly summoned for questioning. They certainly did not receive the wheat."
At this point, Wei Qing already knew he wouldn't find anything, but he still agreed.
Soon, people from several different villages were brought up, but they all said that each of them had received a bushel of millet and a bushel of wheat, and they knelt down gratefully, thanking Rossi from afar.
Su Jing and Zuo Xun turned pale instantly and knelt down in front of Wei Qing with a thud: "My lord, everything we said is true, and we did not frame anyone."
At this moment, Dong Yue also kowtowed heavily to Wei Qing: "My lord, I have never done such a thing. Please uphold justice and clear my name."
Wei Qing knew perfectly well that Dong Yue was faking it, but he had no evidence, and was caught in a dilemma.
Just then, the heads of several major families in Cangfeng County arrived with their entourage.
“Lord Wei, Lord Dong has always been dedicated to serving the people. How can we allow these two villains to slander us like this? Please execute them on the spot as a warning to others.”
"Yes, to serve as a warning to others!"
Su Jing and Zuo Xun looked ashen-faced. The two of them glanced at Wei Qing over there, then closed their eyes.
Ah, those born into poverty have never had a way out.
They're delusional!
As the person in charge of this selection of officials, how could Wei Qing possibly let two innocent people die? His mind raced.
How can we save both of them?
"The Boss has arrived!"
Just then, someone shouted something.
As the words fell, a figure dressed in silver armor and a red cloak, carrying a horse-slaying saber, walked step by step toward them.
Behind her, Qi Lei followed slowly with several thousand Crimson Soul Army soldiers. They were all dressed in uniform armor and weapons, each with a blank expression and a murderous aura, forming a protective circle around Luo Xi.
What a valiant woman! What a formidable Red Soul Army!
Dong Yue swallowed hard, feeling a pang of regret for his actions.
"Dong Yue greets the Chief." He lowered his head and bowed softly in greeting.
Luo Xi glanced at him indifferently, then looked at Wei Qing: "What's going on?"
Wei Qing let out a long sigh of relief.
Great! With the boss here, things will be much simpler.
He quickly explained the whole story in a few words and handed over the documents as evidence.
Rosie didn't answer, but instead asked, "Whom do you believe?"
“This…” Wei Qing glanced at Su Jing and the other man, then looked at Luo Xi, and finally said, “Of course I believe Su Jing and Zuo Xun, but… I have no evidence.”
Luo Xi smiled, a slight smirk playing on her lips: "Very good!"
"Lord Wei, how could you do this?" Dong Yue panicked and resorted to his old trick: "This humble official is wholeheartedly for the people, and many clan chiefs and commoners of Cangfeng County can testify to this."
"These two have neither witnesses nor physical evidence; they've framed me based solely on their words. How can you believe them?"
The heads of the major families over there also began to feel indignant on behalf of Dong Yueming: "Yes, Lord Wei, what you're doing will discourage scholars all over the world. Everything must be based on evidence, how can you speak based on feelings?"
After Wei Qing finished speaking, those people knelt down before Luo Xi again: "Please, Chief, handle this matter impartially and restore Lord Dong's innocence."
"Innocence? I'll prove it myself." Luo Xi clicked his tongue twice, picked up his saber, and walked over.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
