Zuo Li had anticipated this scenario.
So as soon as he finished speaking, the yamen runners put down their batons, and the men that Prince Yi had lent him all came out from the inner hall and pressed Qi Weiwu, Miao Hongye, and the others down on long benches, holding them down tightly.
Miao Hongye and his group were not ordinary people; they knew some martial arts. Ordinary yamen runners couldn't subdue them, so they borrowed people from Prince Yi, who readily lent them to them.
With the help of Prince Yi's men, after a little commotion, Miao Hongye and the others were all pinned to benches. Then the yamen runners raised their batons and beat them mercilessly, causing them to cry out in pain.
The sound was extremely piercing, like a demonic chant, and it scared away all the birds above the county government office.
"Zuo Li, how dare you! Do you know who I am? Who is behind me? If you let me go, I won't cause you any trouble! Otherwise, the day we leave the county office will be the day you, Zuo Li, are doomed!"
"Zuo Li, think carefully about the previous magistrate. What kind of life did he lead in our Wenhong County? So you'd better treat us well and not make us angry!"
"Zuo Li! Are you deaf? Let go of me! Ahh...it hurts! Zuo Li, you're something else, just you wait!"
*Smack! Smack! Smack!*
No matter what Miao Hongye and Qi Weiwu said, Zuo Li remained unmoved, coldly watching the disciplinary rod fall on them, beating them until they were in excruciating pain and fell repeatedly.
Seeing this scene, Rong Sheng felt no pity for them whatsoever. Who told them to disregard the magistrate's authority, the solemnity and power of the courtroom? Who could they blame?!
Not only Rong Sheng thought so, but the Rong clan members also thought so, including the onlookers.
But everyone was very worried that Zuo Li's strong stance might provoke Miao Weifeng's retaliation. After all, Miao Weifeng had been a bandit his whole life and hadn't been wiped out for so many years, so he must have some strength.
When the Gu family saw Miao Hongye and the others being beaten so badly and painfully, they trembled with fear, wishing they could dig a hole and bury themselves to avoid being seen by Zuo Li and getting beaten up as well.
Gu Changqing and the others were a little better off, after all, they weren't as clueless as Miao Hongye and the others, but Du Qincai was so frightened that she trembled all over, her originally swollen face turning deathly pale in an instant, as if a demon was standing next to her.
"I don't know, I don't know anything, I really don't know anything!" Du Qincai was too scared, afraid that Zuo Li would ask her questions, so she kept muttering the same sentence over and over again.
Zuo Li ignored the Gu family. After the twenty strokes of the cane were finished, Zuo Li ordered the bailiffs to make Miao Hongye and the others kneel obediently in the courtroom. If they did not behave, they would be given five more strokes of the cane!
This time, Miao Hongye was much more obedient. Although the fierce look in her eyes was very obvious, she was not as arrogant and domineering as before.
She knelt down when told to, even if her kneeling posture was crooked and awkward.
Rong Sheng smiled coldly at this. If only they had known this would happen in the first place. If Miao Hongye and the others had been more honest, more respectful to the magistrate, and taken the laws of Qingluan Kingdom seriously, they wouldn't have suffered this.
"Miao Hongye, Qi Weiwu, do you know why I'm putting on such a grand show for you?" Zuo Li deliberately rubbed salt into their wounds.
Qi Weiwu and Miao Hongye did not expect that Zuo Li would disregard them so much and even beat them up. It seems that this magistrate must have some kind of backing, otherwise he would not be so bold as to deal with them.
No, they must find a way to leave the county government office and go back quickly to tell their father. They need their father to bring the brothers from Miao Village to the county government office to give Zuo Li a good beating, return all the pain they suffered to Zuo Li, and make Zuo Li wish he were dead.
So the couple, being pragmatic, immediately softened their tone, saying, "This humble subject is unaware; please enlighten us, Your Excellency!"
A commoner?
hehe!
Whether it was Zuo Li, the Rong clan members outside the courtroom, or the onlookers, they all sneered when they heard Miao Hongye's words.
Talk to them nicely, but they insist on causing trouble. They get beaten up and then behave. How despicable!
"Ha! Qi Weiwu, you are the village head of Shanggui Village, you must be very familiar with the situation there, right? Then let me ask you, why did you send Du Qincai to Shanggui Village, and why did you come to Zhonggui Village?" Zuo Li asked.
Qi Weiwu and Miao Hongye's expressions changed, and their gazes suddenly became sharp. It was all because of this woman. If it weren't for her, they wouldn't have suffered like this. At this moment, they gritted their teeth and wished they could cut Du Qincai, who was kneeling to the side, into a thousand pieces.
Du Qincai was terrified when she heard this, especially feeling the piercing gaze. She knelt there, unable to find peace, crying out, "I don't know, I don't know anything, I really don't know anything!"
Miao Hongye gritted her teeth: "Your Excellency, Du Qincai came to our Shanggui Village to ask us to help her with some work. She has no other business with us. Please investigate this matter thoroughly and do not let a small misunderstanding ruin our relationship."
It's absolutely outrageous! How dare they bully her like that! Do they really think that just because their Miao village has become more docile in recent years, they're easy to bully?
A seasoned gambler? Du Qincai!
When I get back, I'm going to make sure you two suffer the most!
"Misunderstanding? We'll find out soon enough whether it's a misunderstanding or not!" Zuo Li didn't waste any more time on this matter. Instead, he turned his attention to the Gu family. Seeing that the Gu family was trembling with fear, he asked them the same questions he had asked Miao Hongye and the others.
Gu Changqing roughly knew why, after all, it had caused quite a stir a few days ago, but he wasn't sure, so he also said he didn't know.
Like Gu Changqing, Chai and Hui knew something, but neither dared to say it. They could only echo Gu Changqing's words and say they didn't know.
The five girls knew even less. They worked at home or in the fields every day, rarely talked to anyone, and were not very aware of anything that happened in the village.
As for Gu Jinbao? Zuo Li didn't even ask him. Seeing him kneeling crookedly in the courtroom, he scolded him and told him to kneel properly or he would be beaten.
Gu Jinbao was very excited yesterday, but after being arrested and locked up in jail for a day, and then being frightened by the scene of Miao Hongye and the others being beaten, he stood there dumbfounded next to Gu Changqing, as if he had fallen ill.
Faced with Zuo Li's reprimand, Gu Jinbao was even more frightened, tears welling up in her eyes and streaming down her face like a light rain.
This made Du Qincai feel very sorry for Gu Jinbao, and she wished she could hold Gu Jinbao in her arms and comfort him, but she held back because it was a courtroom.
But in his heart, he hated Zuo Li immensely. Even if the adults had done wrong, the children were innocent. How could he so heartlessly drag the children into court and berate them? He had no conscience at all.
Zuo Licai ignored the thoughts of the Gu family or Miao Hongye and others. After seeing that everyone had behaved themselves, he slammed the gavel down heavily: "Summon Gu Sanniu to the court!"
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