The roads in Angui County are wider than those in Qingshui Town, so the people coming and going on the streets are more dense.
Their swagger through the city attracted a lot of attention and soon attracted a lot of onlookers.
Knowing that they were going to report to the authorities, many brave people, out of curiosity, followed them to the county government office.
Arriving at the gate of the county government office, Lin Mo looked around carefully for a rare moment. He had come through a side door before, and this was his first time coming to the main gate.
It was not as majestic as he had imagined, but still exuded solemnity and dignity, especially the four yamen runners standing at the door with long swords on their waists.
The building with blue bricks and black tiles is not new, it must be quite old. There is a plaque hanging high above the gate, and a huge drum for complaining stands on the side of the gate. The center of the drum has turned white and wrinkled, and it looks very old.
The sun was still so hot that people couldn't open their eyes, and the air was a little distorted. Lin Mo didn't delay, and walked up the steps in a few steps to the huge people's grievance drum at the door. He took out the red-headed stick from the side and hit it directly on the yellowed drum surface.
“Knock, knock, knock…”
The deafening sound of drums resounded through the sky, and the onlookers became more and more noisy, chatting and chatting among themselves.
The yamen runners, who looked like statues with resolute and indifferent expressions, heard the drumbeats. One of them walked towards Lin Mo and the others with a cold expression and a majestic demeanor.
Lin Mo looked at the well-trained yamen runners, but he himself didn't feel much. Instead, all the employees behind him were frightened and took a step back, breathing a lot lighter. Even Su Mu beside him shrank back nervously.
Lin Mo looked down and saw that the little guy's cold and resolute face was tense, his long eyelashes with dense black circles trembled, and there was a bit of nervousness in his eyes.
When he arrived, the yamen runner said in a cold, emotionless voice, "Who is beating the drum? What's your grievance? Do you have a complaint?"
He was half a head shorter than Lin Mo, his head slightly raised but still with an indifferent expression. One hand was on the hilt of the knife at his waist, his body was straight, and he looked a bit intimidating.
Lin Mo immediately stood in front of Su Mu and said with lowered eyes, "We are villagers from Maolin Village. We opened a shop in Qingshui Town. We are suing the landlord of Qingshui Town, the third son of the Zhou family. He broke into our shop in broad daylight, allowed people to commit violence, oppressed innocent people, beat up my concubine, and damaged the tables and chairs in my shop."
"Here is the petition, Your Excellency, please take a look."
Lin Mo took out the petition that Fu Yanzhi had written long ago. His writing was brilliant and every word and sentence was shocking.
When reading it, one can feel all the evil deeds Zhou Laosan committed yesterday, from the crude and vulgar words to the violent beatings, and then to Su Yunxia's rough and tragic experience.
And the series of scenes such as Lin Mo's helplessness in saving someone's life and accidentally cutting off Zhou Laosan's fingers are all portrayed in a moving and moving way.
The yamen runner's cold face turned unhappy after seeing the petition.
These yamen runners were naturally familiar with the Zhou landlord's family. Every year, the Zhou family sent a lot of good things to the yamen. Not only did these yamen runners all benefit from it, but even the county magistrate received a lot.
He glanced at these people and found that they were indeed badly beaten, especially the one lying on the shelf, who looked like he was about to breathe his last.
Although he felt pity, based on the Zhou family's good relationships in the county over the years, as long as no one died, the county magistrate would most likely stand on the Zhou family's side.
Thinking of this, he drew his sharp sword, which still shone with a cold light, and said, "Old Landlord Zhou is a kind and elegant person, and Young Master Zhou San is also considerate to others. Please don't make any comments or slander them."
Lin Mo's eyes turned cold, and the kind expression on his face turned indifferent. Even though the complaint clearly stated everything, the yamen runner looked at the Zhou family with a bit of contempt when he saw them again.
It was as if they had been convicted in advance!
Su Mu's breath stagnated when he heard the words of the yamen runner. He couldn't help but raise his voice to emphasize: "We didn't wrongly accuse Zhou Laosan. You can go to Qingshui Town. Many people saw it that day!"
The yamen runner looked displeased by Su Mu's retort. He nodded slightly, and looked him up and down with narrowed eyes. When he saw the red mole at the corner of the other's eye that was so light that it was almost unnoticeable, he sneered contemptuously.
"How dare a young man like you make such a loud noise and act so unruly at the gate of the county government office! With your domineering temper, you deserve to be beaten!"
Su Mu's face flushed with anger. Facing the sarcasm of the yamen runner, she felt cold all over and couldn't help trembling. Her beautiful eyes were wide open, filled with uncontrollable surprise.
Obviously, he didn't expect that the yamen runner would say such nonsense and disregard common sense.
Lin Mo grabbed Su Mu's fist, which was clenched tightly due to excitement and anger, and stared at the yamen runner with cold and deep eyes: "The people beat the drum to complain about their grievances. Isn't the county government supposed to handle these matters for the people?
Since I've beaten the drum, whether or not the Zhou family has been wrongly accused must be tried in court, and the county magistrate must make the verdict!"
The yamen runner felt uneasy when he saw Lin Mo looking at him. He still frowned and said coldly: "This is just a small matter, why does it need to be judged by the county magistrate..."
"What? Your Excellency, do you mean that a mere gatekeeper like you can step in and try cases for the County Magistrate?"
"Tsk, what's your rank? What's your position? We country folk don't understand the rules of this county. My family members were beaten and covered in wounds. My second brother couldn't even stand up. It looked like someone was going to die, but the county magistrate didn't even want to hear the case. There's no place to try the injustice. He's forcing us ordinary people to die!"
Lin Mo deliberately shouted the last sentence loudly, and the onlookers instantly became excited and lively.
They were basically local residents of the county town, and they knew the most about the affairs of the government office. Lin Mo's last word "common people" directly heightened the people's sense of involvement, and several loud-voiced aunties started to shout.
"What do you mean! Aren't all the judges the county magistrate?"
"Now a gatekeeper can judge cases? Does this mean that if we are wronged or bullied in the future, we will have to bear the consequences on our own?"
"That's right. If the county magistrate doesn't try cases, what kind of county magistrate is he?"
"Look at how miserable this family is. Oh my, look at the one lying on the ground, his scalp has been torn off, and he looks like he's almost dead! If that was my child, I'd fight him with a knife!"
“…”
Everyone became more and more angry as they talked. They looked at the miserable plight of Lin Mo and his group and then applied it to their own families. Some women who hated evil were even shouting louder.
The yamen runner's face was ugly after being confronted. Seeing that Lin Mo had aroused public anger, he was even more furious. He could only glare at Lin Mo fiercely and went to the county government office to report.
Su Mu's face was full of worry at this moment, and even the people behind him all had sad expressions. They used to admire these officials very much.
Although there is fear, there is more respect. After all, the county magistrate is not only a county magistrate, but also a parent official. But now it seems that this parent official is not necessarily a good parent.
"Based on the attitude of this yamen runner, I'm afraid the county magistrate has a close relationship with the Zhou family. If we file a complaint with the county magistrate, will he really help us?"
Lu A'mo also had a sad face. He had worked for a wealthy family for many years and his horizons had broadened. The county government had a special relationship with the local wealthy businessmen, landlords and officials.
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