Chapter 140 The Magistrate Makes Things Difficult!
Liu Laohu happily took the travel permit and handover documents into the yamen, but before he could finish speaking, he was detained by the county officials!
"Why did the county government seal disappear after we left the capital?"
Why did you arrive so early?
"What did you do during all that time?"
Liu Laohu quickly explained, "Due to the drought in the north, there was a peasant rebellion. We led the prisoners and took a detour all the way to arrive safely!"
The county magistrate immediately interrupted, shouting, "Nonsense! What drought? What rebellion? In the clear and bright heavens of our Great Zhou, there is no drought, much less rebellion. I think you are just spreading rumors and deliberately covering up the facts."
Liu Laohu was wronged to death. Just as he was about to refute, he was seized by the constables!
"Search me!"
"He was all fat, wearing a leather coat and boots. He must have taken bribes from the prisoners. He was blatantly breaking the law!"
The constables searched Liu Laohu's body and found all his belongings.
"My lord, we found a lot of silver notes, gold, and jewelry!"
Some of these items were found in Liu Laohu's bundle, while others were found on his person.
Liu Laohu can't explain any of this!
"So much?" The gold and silver alone amount to no less than three or four thousand taels, and the gold and silver jewelry is even more incalculable.
Such wealth made even the county magistrate envious!
"Tell me, where did all this wealth come from?" The county magistrate's face changed, and he questioned fiercely.
It was an unwritten rule that exiled officials were secretly bribed by prisoners, and the local authorities never questioned this during the handover.
When Liu Laohu thought of the Shen family, his heart skipped a beat!
"Sir, I picked these things up on the road!"
The county magistrate sneered and immediately ordered, "Tie up those constables outside and search them!"
Liu Laohu's expression changed; the county magistrate was now trying to confirm their crimes!
"Sir, I'm not lying. I really found these on the road." Liu Laohu was filled with regret. He should have hidden the things in the carriage.
The county magistrate slammed his gavel and glared angrily: "Still not behaving? Beat him!"
The constables swarmed forward and started beating Liu Laohu!
Shen Lanxi never expected that instead of Liu Laohu, she would be greeted by the yamen runners from Baihe County!
"The escorting constables have been tied up, and all the prisoners have been locked up in jail!"
"yes!"
Dozens of constables rushed forward, ignoring all explanations, and immediately tied up anyone who resisted!
"Lanxi, what should we do?"
"Young Miss, please save us!"
“Lanxi…”
Shen Lanxi stared grimly at the constables who were about to strike, then raised her hand and made a gesture!
Everyone called out for Shen Lanxi and looked at her. The leading constable immediately shouted, taking advantage of the situation, "Arrest that person too!"
The women of Liuzhao Village, along with the students of Qinglan Academy, immediately stood in front of Shen Lanxi without saying a word!
"We are not criminals, you have no right to touch us!"
The head constable said arrogantly, "In this Baihe County, I'm the one with power! They're causing trouble, arrest them all!"
Just as the constables were about to take action, several loud shouts suddenly came from inside.
"He's dead! The magistrate is dead..."
The head constable and his men immediately changed their expressions and ran into the county government office!
The person who just saw Shen Lanxi raise her hand felt their heart skip a beat!
The sudden death of the county magistrate was no small matter. Doctors and coroners were summoned in fear. One group of yamen runners guarded the magistrate's body, while another group kept an eye on them.
Shen Lanxi said coldly, "Find a restaurant and eat!"
Chunxue shouted, "Yes!"
When the constables saw that they were about to leave, they immediately rushed over to stop them.
"You are not allowed to leave!"
Chunxue, hands on her hips, retorted, "We're not prisoners, why won't you let us go?"
Qiu Shuang: "Don't tell me you're the only one with power in Baihe County!"
Seeing their reaction, the constable's eyes darted around, and he said rather hesitantly, "The magistrate is dead, and you're right here at the county government gate."
Chunxue glared angrily: "Don't you dare say we killed the magistrate? There were so many people watching in the courtroom, and there were also yamen runners watching outside. If you dare say it's related to us, we'll go to the prefectural government office and file a complaint!"
The constables were bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. Seeing Chunxue's confidence, they assumed she had powerful backers and dared not truly offend her.
"You wait here, I'll go ask our head constable!" The constable hurriedly went to ask for instructions!
They went there and it took half an hour.
When that constable returns, announce something loudly!
"The magistrate died suddenly from a serious illness. Those who should leave, leave now!"
Shen Lanxi sneered and left with her people!
The Shen family panicked and (Lanxi and the eldest young lady) stopped caring about them!
If the county magistrate gets into trouble and the constables are tied up, how can they possibly survive?
Hongxiang Inn
"My lord, the prisoners and the constables have all been locked up. They say they'll wait for the next magistrate to arrive before making a decision!"
Shen Lanxi's eyes were deep and unfathomable, like two bottomless whirlpools.
"Let's have a good chat tonight with the head constable, the county magistrate, the secretary, and the clerk!"
Let's talk about who made things difficult for them at the request of the county magistrate!
Unexpectedly, before nightfall, another incident occurred at the county government office!
The head constable and the county magistrate are dead!
"The head constable slipped and fell on his way out and died. The county magistrate, it is said, was overwhelmed with grief and, in a daze, accidentally fell into a well and drowned!"
Shen Lanxi's face was as cold as frost; these two must have been silenced!
"Keep an eye on the prison, send messages in, and make sure they don't touch the food or drink inside!"
"yes!"
With the three most powerful people in the county government dead, Baihe County was leaderless. In less than three days, the prefect appointed someone to temporarily act as the magistrate of Baihe County.
“The acting magistrate is the prefect’s brother-in-law!” Wei Dongzhu said, and everyone else looked at the empty seat next to him.
Along the way, "brother-in-law" had become Liu Yan Hui's nickname. People who knew him well would jokingly call him "brother-in-law".
Everyone felt something was off when he wasn't in the meeting!
Shen Lanxi pondered for a moment and said, "Spread the word to the prefect that the Shen family members are imprisoned!"
Wei Dongzhu's eyes flickered slightly: "Won't there be any danger?"
Shen Lanxi: "If he were smart, he would understand how the county magistrate and the other two died."
Wei Dongzhu immediately went to do it.
The next day, before dawn, Liu Laohu and the others, along with the exiled prisoners, were released. They were quickly registered and settled in Hongliutun, a village under Baihe County. They were given advance payments, seeds, and farm tools, and then left as fast as they could!
The sun rises late in winter, and by the time I finished all this, it was barely dawn!
The sixty-odd prisoners were only allocated three dilapidated houses. Each family was given ten taels of silver as a resettlement allowance, which seemed like a lot, but in reality, they still had to buy food, repair their houses, and purchase daily necessities. Families with many members couldn't even survive the New Year!
"Where are the Shen family's things? Where are ours?" a prisoner shouted.
When they were imprisoned in the county government office, all their valuables were put in the carriage.
The other prisoners reacted quickly and immediately surrounded the Shen family.
"Yes, where are our things? I still have silver hidden in my bundle."
"I still have quilts, cotton-padded clothes, and lots of dried meat."
"My family has one too..."
(End of this chapter)
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