The four men who should have been proud and arrogant were now crying at the top of their lungs. They were crawling on the ground with great effort, trying to kneel and kowtow, mumbling and begging the county magistrate to give them a quick death.
When Zhou Laosan saw this, he was already in great chaos, and his hatred for Lin Mo became even stronger. If Lin Mo had not cut off his finger, he would not have been so angry as to go back that night to vent his anger on these four dissolute bad guys!
He wouldn't have accidentally beaten them like this, and he wouldn't have been brought to court as a witness by the county magistrate!
Before Zhou Laosan could prepare his rebuttal, the yamen runners brought two more people.
They were an old, hunchbacked couple, with pale faces, unkempt hair, and tattered clothes, as dirty as beggars on the street, which they indeed were.
The numb eyes of the two men were instantly rekindled the moment they saw Zhou Laosan. The overwhelming hatred was wrapped in a strong ferocity. The withered and dying bodies of the two men burst out with great potential at this moment.
He broke free from the restraint of the yamen runners, pounced on Zhou Laosan, beat and pinched him, and cried out with tears on his face and a choked voice.
"Sir! My son was beaten to death by this bastard!"
"My son is a scholar. If it weren't for this evil-minded person, he would have passed the exam to become a student, even if he hadn't become a scholar!"
"He was only sixteen years old, and he was beaten to death!"
Zhou Laosan was so scared that he frantically pushed the two people away. His face became increasingly gloomy and ugly, and it was obvious that he still remembered the couple.
The couple were originally merchants with a small fortune in Qingshui Town. Their son was also quite famous. It was said that he was outstanding in talent and literary talent in the academy, and was recognized by many teachers as a future scholar.
Zhou Laosan was not very interested in scholars. The reason why he fell in love with this scholar was simply because the man's appearance suited his taste. However, no matter how he coaxed him, the other party was unwilling to be his concubine.
He was even willing to replace the wife chosen for him by the old landlord Zhou with a concubine for the sake of this scholar. This was the man who was lying on the ground with one leg twisted and crippled, and only had one breath left.
But this scholar still looked down on him and always maintained a lofty attitude as a scholar. Zhou Laosan was not a patient person either. When soft tactics didn't work, he resorted to hard tactics. First, he made it impossible for their family's business to continue, and then he took the man home.
Because he had been scorned and looked down upon by this scholar when he was pursuing her before, Zhou Laosan had been pent up with anger for a long time. In addition, the other party had been uncooperative, so he hit her harder. However, he did not beat the other party to death, but the other party committed suicide because he could not bear the humiliation.
But in the final analysis, it was also because of him.
Disgust flashed across County Magistrate Qian's eyes. He was extremely disgusted with Zhou Laosan's behavior. Thinking that Zhou Laosan even dared to touch a scholar, he roared angrily, "Zhou Yan! You disregard the law, oppress the people, exploit merchants, and despise the authority of the government. Your Zhou family even bribed the officials of this county and the county magistrates of several other counties. It's truly despicable!"
County Magistrate Qian spoke of Zhou Laosan's series of crimes word by word in a resounding voice. The more he spoke, the darker his face became. Originally, he had ordered the investigation to start overnight just for the sake of formality.
Unexpectedly, not only was it discovered that Zhou Laosan was responsible for a murder, but it was also discovered that the Zhou family not only bribed him, the county magistrate, but also the county magistrates of several neighboring counties. Bribery would be fine, but why did the county magistrates of other counties receive more than him?
Although he was not a good official, he still hated such evil people who did not take other people's lives seriously and did not take him, the county magistrate, seriously.
County Magistrate Qian's eyes fell on the group of people in the court. Each one was more seriously injured than the other, and there was a hint of grief and pity in his eyes.
The whole case was not very complicated, the structure was clear, there were both witnesses and evidence, and the parties involved had no excuses. When County Magistrate Qian heard the cries of the concubines, he couldn't help but feel more angry towards Zhou Laosan, and he immediately wrote a verdict.
Zhou Laosan was dragged out and beaten with thirty sticks and sentenced to forty years of service in the mines. The old couple of the Zhou family, who were over fifty years old, were each beaten with twenty sticks because of their indulgence in discipline.
Because of the damage to the tables and chairs in the Lin family's shop and the medical expenses of several people, the Zhou family paid thirty taels of compensation, and Zhou Laosan's concubines were all compensated with twenty taels of medical expenses. County Magistrate Qian was also thoughtful and dismissed all the concubines. Anyone who did not want to continue to be a concubine in the Zhou family could get a divorce letter and leave.
The Zhou family had no way to object. Several injured people were lying in the courtroom. This was all solid evidence, so they could only grit their teeth and accept it.
When Zhou Laosan was dragged away, roars and dissatisfaction resounded through the sky. The young master, who had always been arrogant and domineering, did not understand why he ended up like this. Deep down, he felt no regret, but hatred.
He hated himself for not having more people to look after the student who committed suicide, and for not keeping Su Yunxia under control and letting him escape. He hated himself for not cutting Lin Mo into pieces!
Lin Mo's eyes were deep. He was quite satisfied with Zhou Laosan's ending. Zhou Laosan was not sentenced to death. After all, he insisted that the scholar committed suicide. Even if it was true as he said, the county magistrate would not sentence him to death. After all, the scholar was just a scholar, not a scholar with an official title.
However, mining for forty years is almost the same as a death sentence. Lin Mo has some understanding of the mines in this world. Every day is a high-intensity work, with poor food and sleep. Even young and strong men may not come out alive after entering.
After leaving the county government office, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's retribution for that bastard to be sent to the mine!" Su Yunxia spat viciously. Only at this moment did he completely relax, and there was a hint of joy between his brows.
Lin Mo also nodded: "Zhou Laosan has been used to being pampered since he was a child. He has nothing but a bully at home. Now that he has gone to the mine, I don't know if he can survive for another year."
Zhou Laosan is a typical person with violent tendencies, but he is just tall and not very good at fighting. After going to the mine and losing the protection of the Zhou family, his life will definitely be difficult in the future.
"Lin Mo, thank you so much this time. If it weren't for you, I would have died long ago!" Su Yunxia looked at Lin Mo gratefully.
Su Mu also turned his head to look over. The afternoon sun was not too glaring. He slightly closed his eyelashes and looked at Lin Mo with the same grateful eyes: "Lin Mo, thank you."
Thank you for saving me and my second brother!
Lin Mo grinned and rubbed Su Mu's face, which had become much whiter. "We are all family, there is no need to say thank you. Since we are already in town, why don't we have a good rest for a night and go back tomorrow. Let's find a restaurant for dinner first."
Wang Gangtie shouted with joy: "Boss, are we going to the restaurant for dinner?"
Not only Wang Gangtie was surprised, but everyone else was also full of anticipation. They had been running around and suffering these past few days, and they couldn't eat or sleep well in the county government office. Now when they heard that they were going to a restaurant, their eyes lit up at the same time.
Especially Wang Gangtie, her stomach growled a few times in cooperation, and she was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
