The people who arrived held up signs, and everyone was ordered to be quiet and make way. It seemed to be a group of government officials, and one of them was no ordinary official.
"The Prefect is here! All bystanders, make way!"
Tsk, Chen Yuanze is here, and he's making quite a fuss about it.
Cheng Qingyan and her group were still in front of the Ye residence's gate, not yet obstructing traffic. Therefore, they didn't need to give way; rather, it was a group of carriages on the right.
The two sides met in front of the Ye residence, neither willing to give way.
The prefect is in charge of the affairs of a prefecture and is a fourth-rank official. This is a small county town called Yuanning, and besides Shen Ziyu and Yun Yue, there are actually people who dare to block the prefect's carriage. It's really interesting.
The crowd that had been blocking the road to watch the spectacle had long since retreated, clearing the way. Now, only the prefect's carriages and his entourage were facing off on the main road.
Moreover, even though the prefect had already ordered the carriages to make way, the people in the carriages remained unmoved.
Cheng Qingyan whispered to Ye Lingyu, "My lady, do you think the person blocking the prefect's carriage is a friend or foe?"
Ye Lingyu looked at the carriage convoy and said confidently, "They are not enemies."
Cheng Qingyan curiously craned his neck to look at the carriage, trying to figure out what was going on. Why was Ye Lingyu so sure? Was it because they hadn't given way to the prefect's carriage?
Not long after Ye Lingyu said they weren't enemies, after exchanging a few words, the carriage convoy made way for Chen Yuanze and his group, who then continued on their way with drums and gongs.
However, Chen Yuanze wasn't blind. Before leaving, he sent a yamen runner to deliver a message, instructing everyone from the Ye family to be brought to the county yamen so he could personally preside over the court session.
Cheng Qingyan didn't hold any official position; she and Ye Lingyu were merely helping Shen Ziyu with his work.
So, under the clamor of Jing Qianqian and Ye Zongzhi, Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu were also brought to the county government hall.
Yun Yue and Ruan Banxia, who stayed behind at the county government office, met Chen Yuanze immediately.
He led his men directly into the inner courtyard of the county government office, claiming that he would drive out all the villagers who had forcibly occupied the office.
Although Shen Ziyu was not at the manor, the guards of the Prince's Mansion were not to be underestimated, and they directly defeated Chen Yuanze and his men.
Yun Yue and Ruan Banxia didn't even show themselves, only glancing at Chen Yuanze, who had been knocked to the ground by the guards, from a distance. After learning that a distinguished person was staying at the county government office, Chen Yuanze wanted to go in and meet them, but was refused.
They didn't want Chen Yuanze to know Cheng Qingyan's identity yet, so Yun Yue and the others only said that he was from the Prince's Mansion, but they were sure that it wasn't Prince Ning here.
After getting up, Chen Yuanze straightened his clothes and strode confidently toward the county government hall.
Having been humiliated here, I need to get back at them in the lobby.
Cai Wuping was stripped of his official hat and forced to stand in the hall. Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu were also brought to the hall. As for Ye Zongzhi and the others, they had already been freed from their restraints and were being pushed around on a cart in front of the hall.
After Chen Yuanze took the stage, Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu did not kneel down; only Cai Wuping was forced to kneel down.
With a loud bang, Chen Yuanze slammed his hand on the table, trying to intimidate Cheng Qingyan and the others, and angrily asked, "Who is standing below? Do you have any official rank or title?"
Cheng Qingyan replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Clad in white, without official rank or fame."
Chen Yuanze slammed his hand on the table again: "How dare you! You have no official rank, you are just a commoner, why do you not kneel before me!"
"Guards, seize these two! They have no respect for the law; give them thirty strokes of the cane!"
The constables hesitated to step forward, knowing full well the noble status of Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu, but they couldn't disobey the prefect's orders. Just as they were deep in worry, Chen Yuanze spoke again.
Seeing that the county yamen runners did not dare to step forward, he summoned the runners he had brought from the prefect and replaced all the original runners in the county yamen.
Now everyone in the hall is his man, and he still doesn't believe he can't take down two mere country bumpkins.
"Now look what's happened. Guards, take them away and give them thirty strokes of the cane."
The officials from the prefectural government didn't recognize Cheng Qingyan and her group, and immediately tried to arrest them.
Shen Ziyu carried Jiang Jiang from the main gate and said unhurriedly, "Wait a minute. I have received a complaint that the prefect has accepted bribes, seized farmland, oppressed the people, and sold official titles. Lord Chen, you must give me an explanation first."
Chen Yuanze looked at Shen Ziyu standing below the hall and was secretly shocked. Something was wrong. Why was the Marquis of Pingle here? Last time in the capital, he clearly heard the Marquis of Pingle tell others that she would not be leaving the capital for the time being. How did she suddenly appear here again?
But the person he saw before him was indeed Marquis Pingluo. He had met Marquis Pingluo during his recent return to the capital and even exchanged a few words with him.
Not only did he appear here, but he also possessed evidence of his crimes. Could it be that Marquis Ping Le is an imperial envoy sent by the emperor to inspect the realm on behalf of Heaven?
Chen Yuanze instantly broke out in a cold sweat and trembled as he got down from his seat in the main hall of the county government office.
"My lord, what brings you to Yuanning County all of a sudden?"
Shen Ziyu didn't bother to look at him: "What, do I need to report to Lord Chen where I'm going?"
Chen Yuanze immediately bowed and apologized: "I dare not, I dare not. It is only my dereliction of duty that I failed to go out of the city to welcome the Marquis."
"Stop talking nonsense, Chen Yuanze. Do you have anything to say about the charges against you that have been brought against you?"
"Slander, pure slander! I have always been diligent in my duties and loved the people, and I have never embezzled a single copper coin. I don't know who is trying to slander me. If I find out who is spreading these rumors, I will definitely pull out their tongue!"
"Then Lord Chen, you'd better prove yourself properly."
Anyone with doubts should testify themselves. Instead of the whistleblower coming forward to testify, Chen Yuanze immediately felt overwhelmed.
"My lord, may I ask where the person who accused me of corruption and perverting the law is? I want to confront him face to face!"
At this moment, Cai Wuping finally straightened his back and spoke in a loud voice: "I, Cai Wuping, the magistrate of Yuanning County, hereby accuse Prefect Chen Yuanze of accepting bribes, buying and selling official titles, forcibly seizing farmland, and other misdeeds. All of these are recorded in the petition I am submitting. I urge Your Excellency to take a look."
Shen Ziyu sat in the presiding judge's seat where Chen Yuanze had originally been, took the petition from Cai Wuping, and said with a smile, "Oh, Lord Chen, the petition has been handed over, and the accuser is here. As for the charges I mentioned before, what do you have to say about them now?"
Chen Yuanze knelt down with a thud, crying out his innocence: "My lord, I am innocent! Those charges were fabricated by malicious people. Since I became an official, I have never been negligent in the slightest, nor have I accepted any bribes. We don't even have the money to repair the roof of the prefectural government office, and it leaks when it rains. Please, my lord, do justice for me!"
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