Chapter 179: The Boldness of the Dog
The fire was not extinguished until dawn.
Half of the Jichang Pharmacy was burned down, and the shops on both sides were affected.
Fortunately, the people were quite active in putting out the fire, which saved the yamen runners a lot of effort, so they were able to devote most of their manpower to arresting the murderer.
Shopkeeper Huang was under strict surveillance and had no chance of escape.
On the way to the county government office, the man was still arrogantly protesting his injustice.
"You've failed to frame me, and now you've dared to destroy the body. I'm going to file a complaint with the emperor in Beijing! Dark clouds are covering the sky. How miserable are the people of Honglu County!"
Tian Wanglin was almost laughed out of anger.
Fortunately, no one wanted to pay attention to him.
"Bah! You are so shameless!"
"I heard it from so far away, and I was wondering if Master Xue had finally revealed his true face... Then I got closer and saw that it was Fatty Huang. It's all right then!"
"If I wasn't afraid of hitting the officials, I would have brought some rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs!"
Shopkeeper Huang glanced around with a grim expression. Although he didn't show it on the surface, his heart sank.
Wait until you arrive at the county government office.
Several patients who were almost buried were already kneeling in the hall. They were already weak, and now they were frightened, their faces were pale and they were shaky.
But he was unwilling to go to the back hall to rest, but forced himself to kneel here to testify!
Xue Yongan changed into his official uniform and went to court in the presence of many people.
There is actually nothing much to judge in this case, as there is both human and material evidence.
No matter how tough Shopkeeper Huang was, he was powerless to refute.
He himself couldn't figure out why someone would be buried in the yard. Who was the idiot who came up with this idea?
If his men had not already fled in all directions, Manager Huang would have wanted to find out more.
"Merchants are motivated by profit, and there's nothing wrong with that. But you, as doctors, have no mercy on the weak. Not only do you sell fake medicine, you even commit such a cruel and inhumane act as burying people alive! Now that the evidence is irrefutable, I will report it to the court and then determine your guilt! Immediately, have you imprisoned!"
Cheers suddenly rang out outside the yamen.
The people were all saying that Lord Xiao Xue was truly a good official!
"Without Fatty Huang, we can finally buy cheap herbs!"
"I'm looking forward to this day. I'm even thinking about whether I should take on the job of repairing the city wall..."
"Forget it! No matter how much medicine you have, it's no match for the enemy's spear! I've had enough of fear. If there's a chance to leave here, I'll have to think of a way!"
"Well, let's wait and see... I heard that County Magistrate Xiao Xue is good at suppressing bandits. Maybe he can make the enemy afraid to attack?"
Everyone looked at the person who was speaking as if he were a fool.
Can suppressing bandits be compared to fighting a war?
That's the difference between an egg and a stone! Even if County Magistrate Xiao Xue is very skilled, without thousands of garrison troops, his power is useless!
——
Inside the county government office.
After closing the door.
Xue Yongan did not leave his seat, but flipped through the stack of letter papers in his hand.
After arresting the fugitives one by one, Tian Wanglin rushed back and just heard the final verdict. He was hesitant to speak.
After much hesitation, he finally reminded: "If you really want to deal with Manager Huang and his group, you have to do it as soon as possible."
Jichang Pharmacy has the support of Prince Li, and who knows how many of his factions there are in the court. If we really submit the case, we are afraid that in the end we will be the ones involved in the controversy!
Xue Yongan looked indifferent and said nothing. He just handed over the letter he had read.
Tian Wanglin was stunned and quickly took it. After reading the content, a strange emotion appeared in his eyes.
There is excitement, shock, and a little fear...
During this trip, Liu Sanlang not only "raided the family's assets", but also found some account books and letters from Manager Huang's house, and placed them in the most conspicuous place in the house.
Xue Yongan had received the news early, and as soon as he entered, he put the things in his arms.
"These people... are so bold!" Tian Wanglin slammed the table angrily.
The gavel was shaken by the shock.
After being glanced at by Xue Yongan with an expressionless look, he retreated with a wry smile.
This person has many bad habits of a petty citizen, but he has never lost the last bit of righteousness in his heart.
Xue Yongan relaxed his expression and nodded, saying, "Selling counterfeit medicine, taking human lives, and the things mentioned in the letter are only minor offenses. If I had sentenced him just now, wouldn't I have let the big fish behind it go for nothing?"
Tian Wanglin swallowed hard, his throat so dry that he couldn't speak.
After a while.
He asked dryly, "Aren't you afraid, sir, that the fish is too big and will overturn your boat?"
Xue Yongan threw the letter onto the table, pointed at the eye-catching figures in the account book, and said something incomprehensible: "Ten thousand taels of silver! My little girl loves making money the most."
A cruel and brutal smile inadvertently appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Tian Wanglin didn't know why, but he suddenly felt relieved.
Perhaps it was because a month ago when he followed the adults to the Jiebei Mountains to suppress bandits, the figure in fine clothes and riding a horse, twisting the bandit's neck with one hand, was too handsome.
It was enough to make everyone who saw that scene deeply believe that as long as he had a spear in his hand, there was no reason why this city could not be defended.
What about Prince Li?
As long as you don't become emperor, your life will be like a floating cloud.
They colluded with bandits to kill people and plunder goods, kidnapped children to train assassins, colluded with merchants to raise grain prices, and even... there are too many things to list.
If it could really be handed over to His Majesty, no matter how noble Prince Li's status is, I'm afraid he would not get any good results.
Over the years, Xia Yuan State has been engaged in continuous wars and has been struggling to survive. Even if the royal family wants to protect it, all the generals in the court will not agree!
That was the peace they had bought with their blood. How could they allow anyone to sneak across the border and aid the enemy in the name of trade?
The fish behind is too big and Honglu County is too small. Many things will have to wait a little longer.
——
At this time, someone happened to enter the city and head towards Jichang Pharmacy.
The Li brothers discussed as they walked.
"Remember, no matter what they say later, we will insist that they are the ones who killed me! They must pay a hundred taels in compensation!"
Li Fugui looked at his wife. Mrs. Li hesitated and said, "If mother is not dead...wouldn't our trip be in vain?"
Li Zhaocai looked around and lowered his voice, "I came to see her yesterday. The old lady was only breathing out, with very little breathing in. She can't last more than two days. Even if she's not dead yet, the worst that can happen is we can wait a day longer... Anyway, we've already spent the money on the medicine, you don't want it to be wasted, do you?"
Mrs. Li's eyes flickered, but she didn't ask any more questions in the end.
The three of them walked all the way to the south city market and noticed something was wrong from a distance.
Black smoke was floating in the sky, and the streets that were bustling in the past were now deserted.
They stood in front of the burned-down shop in stunned silence.
"What's going on?"
The owner of the shop next door was directing his employees to count the losses. When he saw them, he greeted them with a smile.
"You are here to look for your family, right? Don't worry, they are all in the county government office and are safe."
Li Zhaocai's heart skipped a beat, and he was wary and didn't respond.
What he fears most right now is hearing the word "government"!
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