Chapter 185 How dare you publicly bribe me
Meng Huaining waved his hand and said, "I'll give you half an hour. No matter what method you use, immediately have County Magistrate Cui come to see me."
The officers looked at each other in confusion, then took the order and left.
Meng Huaining was not idle either. He called the servant he brought with him.
"Meng An, go to the county government office now and spread the word that I will personally try County Magistrate Cui today. Those who have grievances and nowhere to redress them should all come forward. I will judge for them today."
As an experienced county magistrate, Meng Huaining was certain without hesitation that the fact that County Magistrate Cui could do such a thing to the Mohist school showed that he was just that kind of person and he must have bullied the people in his daily life.
He had just arrived in Yuncheng to take up his post today, and he started by taking action against the corrupt official Cui Xiancheng.
Meng An responded and ran out to do his work.
Meng Huaining looked at Mo Jiuye and his wife.
"Brother Mo and sister-in-law, why don't you come with me to the court?"
"Okay." Mo Jiuye pulled He Zhiran up and followed Meng Huaining.
After sitting in the court for a long time, no one came to accuse County Magistrate Cui of his evil deeds.
At this time, Meng An also ran back.
"Sir, I have just conveyed your meaning to those people, but..."
Meng Huaining raised his eyebrows: "Just what?"
"I can see that the people are gnashing their teeth in hatred when they hear the name of County Magistrate Cui. However, they don't seem to believe that you, sir, can help them get justice."
Meng Huaining stood up and walked out of the court.
"I will tell those people personally."
Opposite the court was the gate of the county government office, and Meng Huaining went straight to the gate.
There were more people at the gate at this time than when he came to welcome him to take office.
And many people had very complicated expressions.
Meng Huaining did not intend to waste time and said loudly to the people:
"I just arrived in Yuncheng today and have heard a lot of news about County Magistrate Cui being corrupt. Today, I will publicly try County Magistrate Cui in front of everyone.
If you have ever been bullied by County Magistrate Cui, please inform me and I will certainly bring justice to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, an elderly couple came to him, supporting each other.
The old couple both knelt in front of Meng Huaining.
"Sir, can you really make the decision for me?"
Seeing his master being questioned, Meng An quickly stepped forward and said, "Master Meng is a well-known honest official. He will naturally make decisions for the people."
Upon hearing this, the old couple kowtowed to Meng Huaining three times again.
Meng Huaining took the initiative to step forward and help the man up.
"There's no need to be polite, old man. Just speak up if you have any grievances."
When the old woman heard what he said, she burst into tears.
"My Lord, please help my poor daughter... wuwuwu..."
Seeing that his wife was crying and talking incoherently, the old man was worried that the county magistrate would be impatient, so he quickly spoke first:
"Sir, three years ago, my sixteen-year-old daughter went to the market to sell eggs. Because she was quite pretty, County Magistrate Cui took her home as a concubine.
Although our family is poor, we don't want our daughter to be someone else's concubine. After hearing about it, we took our two sons to Cui's house to ask for her.
The servants of the Cui family beat my two sons severely without any explanation. Now, one of my sons is still paralyzed in bed, and the other walks with a limp.
My poor daughter refused to obey County Magistrate Cui and hanged herself in Cui's house that same day.
My Lord, my family has been destroyed and all of us are the result of County Magistrate Cui. Unfortunately, we have no way to appeal and have been wronged for three years. Please, my Lord, help me and my family..."
As the old couple talked, they couldn't stop crying.
The people present kept wiping their tears and felt deep sympathy for the family's experience.
After listening to the old couple's story, Meng Huaining was so angry that his veins popped out and he clenched his fist and smashed it hard on the pillar at the door.
"County Magistrate Cui, good County Magistrate Cui, let me see how I deal with you today."
Looking at Meng Huaining's expression, the people were certain that the new county magistrate was indeed a good official who could make decisions for the people.
Then, more people came forward and told about their own experiences.
There were also several girls whose daughters were forcibly taken away by County Magistrate Cui to be concubines, and some whose family properties were embezzled by County Magistrate Cui.
Most of the time, it was because County Magistrate Cui accepted bribes from others, leaving the people with nowhere to seek justice...
For a time, the front of the county government office was filled with people kneeling to sue County Magistrate Cui.
Meng Huaining never expected that so many people would cry out for justice just because he made an appeal.
This was just a temporary appeal in front of the county government office. If this news were to be widely publicized, who knows how many people would come here to sue County Magistrate Cui.
Meng Huaining waved towards Meng An.
"Meng An, take these people in first and record their grievances and addresses clearly."
There are too many cases that require evidence collection and trial, and they cannot be handled in a short period of time.
Meng Huaining planned to focus on dealing with the matter of County Magistrate Cui in the next few days, and summon these people in turn according to the classification of the matter.
Of course, when he conducts the trial, it will be open to the public, allowing the people of Yuncheng to vent their anger.
At this time, the person who went to "invite" County Magistrate Cui had not returned yet, so Meng Huaining planned to go and see the detailed arguments of the people in their lawsuit against the latter.
As soon as he turned around, he heard a woman crying from outside the crowd.
"Your Excellency, County Magistrate, someone stole from my Cui residence in broad daylight and injured all of our female relatives. Please, Your Excellency, help me..."
Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran were standing inside the gate. When they heard the voice, they looked at each other and smiled.
The person who came was Liu, the wife of County Magistrate Cui.
Liu, along with two maids, walked past the onlookers and knelt down in front of Meng Huaining.
Before she could speak, Liu winked at the maid behind her.
The maid quickly knelt and crawled forward, handing something wrapped in a handkerchief to Meng Huaining, and whispered, "Sir, this is a little gift from my wife. Please accept it."
Meng Huaining smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
"Who are you to openly bribe this official?"
His voice was loud and the onlookers could hear it clearly.
The people all knew that the new county magistrate wanted to punish County Magistrate Cui, so they no longer had the same fear of Liu as before.
Some people in the crowd shouted and booed.
"Sir, this is the wife of County Magistrate Cui."
In fact, when Meng Huaining heard Liu's cry for justice, he guessed her identity and just pretended to be stupid.
"Oh? Are you the wife of County Magistrate Cui?"
Liu thought that Meng Huaining's smile was a friendly gesture towards the Cui family, and she immediately felt confident.
"Sir, I am the wife of County Magistrate Cui."
Meng Huaining sneered and his expression changed instantly.
"Come here, tie this man up."
Soon, several officers ran out of the yamen, hesitated for a moment, and then tied up Liu.
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