Fu Changfeng, standing outside the door, had already guessed the father and son's thoughts, but it did not delay his trial. The people explained the case one by one, and the surrounding people, although indignant, knew they were helpless. So at this moment, they could only hope that the county magistrate was really thinking of them.
"Long Shijin, Long Gengcai, Long Gengqiu, and the entire Long family have harmed the people, concealed their private property, and committed numerous murders. They deserve to die. From this day forward, all members of the Long family will be imprisoned. Adult males will be beheaded and their heads displayed in public. Underage males and female relatives will all be exiled thousands of miles away. They will be executed after I report the case to the prefecture."
"Guards! Take the entire Long family to the prison, confiscate their property, and await trial!"
"Yes!" The constables and remaining soldiers below obeyed his orders. There was a lot of money to be made from confiscating property. Fu Changfeng had already hinted to the commander that they could take less, but the rest of the items needed to be registered and the property would be returned to the victims later.
Although these officers and soldiers came here on orders from above, with these incentives, they were naturally more cooperative with Fu Changfeng's actions.
The father and his two sons, who had originally planned to flee, did not expect the soldiers to enter so quickly. The thugs initially wanted to resist, but after Li Cheng, who had come with Fu Changfeng's orders, told them the verdict against the Long family, they dared not continue to resist.
They had helped the Long family with many things back then, and now these people were also to be investigated. If they resisted, their families would be implicated, so naturally they dared not.
The ransacking of the Long family's property didn't end until nightfall. The entire Long family's home was completely emptied, and the commander left the county government area with a smile.
Those families had also witnessed Fu Changfeng's methods. Originally, they were just trying their luck to see how capable this county magistrate was. Even if the Long family couldn't be seriously injured this time, they could still get a piece of the pie and make some money.
To everyone's surprise, the matter ended so quickly with the arrival of the officials and soldiers. They found it unbelievable. The Long family, which had stood here for decades, was a huge clan. But now, it had fallen just like that. All the members of the Long family were imprisoned, and other members of the collateral branches involved were also detained. They would be sentenced after the county magistrate had investigated the matter.
"What kind of person do you think this county magistrate is? Does he genuinely want to improve Shaoming County, or is he just making an example of someone? How should we act in the future? Do we have to pay the county magistrate to ensure our safety?"
The head of the Yang family summoned the heads of the Li family and several smaller families for a private discussion, wanting to hear everyone's thoughts on the county magistrate.
“I think this county magistrate is not simple. He is so young but so capable. In just a few months, he has completely destroyed the Long family. He is really not simple. In the future, who among our families will dare to provoke him? I think we should keep a low profile and see how this county magistrate acts.”
"Old Li, isn't your nephew the county magistrate? Have you heard any rumors? How much silver should we send to surrender?" The head of the Yang family looked at the head of the Li family, wanting to ask for his opinion. Back then, Li Cheng, the county magistrate, didn't hold a high position in their hearts because the government office had a very low status in Shaoming County.
However, things are different now. It seems that this county magistrate is a man with an iron fist, even able to get the soldiers to come and help. So, Li Cheng's status has suddenly risen, and he has become a bridge between them and the county magistrate.
“I don’t think this is a good idea. I heard from my nephew that the other day, Long Shijin’s eldest son went to the county government with a thousand taels of silver, but the county magistrate refused him outright and even kicked him out. This shows that he must be an honest man. Plus, he has money at home, so I’m afraid they wouldn’t even care about this amount of money. If we still do it, I’m worried that the county magistrate will target us.”
“I think so too. Think about it, where did those shops opened by outsiders come from these days? I heard that the owner behind them is the wife of the county magistrate. Someone who has the capital to go against the Long family and can still keep selling goods even at such low prices is not someone to be trifled with.”
"We can't deal with someone so wealthy and powerful simply. Let's wait and see what becomes of the Long family before making any decisions. We should keep a low profile these days and keep our family members in check. We mustn't cause any trouble during this time, or we'll offend the county magistrate."
"That's true. Let's wait and see, and not act rashly. We can feel at ease once the Long family's matter is settled."
Fu Changfeng was unaware of their private discussions. He was reviewing the documents overnight. These were all cases that were to be submitted to the prefectural city for the prefect to decide. They were also the first major case he had handled since arriving in Shaoming County, so he couldn't help but take them very seriously.
After three consecutive days of organizing all the reports, Li Cheng and Zhao Yuping were finally able to take a break.
"Be careful tonight. If there's any movement, be sure to report it to me immediately," Fu Changfeng suddenly said to his trusted confidant before leaving.
After exchanging a knowing glance, Fu Changfeng returned to the backyard of the county government office with a lazy expression. Xichun was already asleep. The two of them had been busy these days and hadn't spoken to each other for a long time.
As the night deepened and all was quiet, the night watchman struck the gong, and the entire county fell asleep. However, a group of people appeared in the county jail and quietly approached the jail.
Are you all asleep?
“They’re all asleep. Come in quickly. Chief Long and his family are all here. After you pick them up, run towards Mangzi Mountain. Chief Long has already arranged for people to meet you there.” A man dressed as a jailer was speaking to the group.
A short while later, the entire Long family walked out of the prison cell in neat rows, with Long Shijin's face full of smiles.
"Hmph, this Fu Changfeng, I'll make sure he can't explain himself. All the prisoners will disappear. I'll see if he can bear this crime!"
"Father, let's hurry up and leave, or we'll be discovered." The second son, Long Gengqiu, was sweating profusely, worried about being discovered.
"Why are you panicking? Do you think anyone is watching at a time like this? They've been busy dealing with our case these past few days. Are they resting today? They're not as composed as your eldest brother. Geng Cai, what are you looking at?" As they walked and talked, Long Shijin suddenly noticed his eldest son, who was walking ahead, stop and asked instinctively.
"Father, look ahead, are those people?" Long Gengcai's legs went weak when he saw the people holding many torches at the entrance of the old house. How could there be so many people in the middle of the night? Could they be ghosts?
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