It seems that his living conditions were too good, which caused this unfilial son to be so irresponsible.
Magistrate Liu, with a righteous air, loudly proclaimed, "In broad daylight, how dare anyone utter such slanderous words! Once I've apprehended those individuals, I'll have them thrown into jail and given a good beating!"
Seeing how angry the magistrate was, no one dared to speak again.
Cheng Fang was tugged at the sleeve by his servant Afu, who asked worriedly, "Young Master, what should we do? Who knew the magistrate would come today!"
Moreover, he didn't even have time to tell those people what would happen if... what if they were really caught by the government officials.
The consequences of this are unimaginable.
Cheng Fang knew he had really messed things up, and he nervously slipped away from the crowd.
Once they reached a secluded spot, he anxiously asked, "Are those people you hired reliable? They won't betray me, will they?"
Afu was also a little unsure, as those guys were usually just reckless hooligans on the streets.
They're the type who'll get things done as long as you pay them. The matter was urgent, and he only found them at the last minute; who knows if they're reliable?
Afu shook his head with difficulty.
Cheng Fang was terrified. "It's all over! If this really gets to the county magistrate, my dad will beat me to death."
Lu Yu was also quite worried. Although this matter had nothing to do with him, his father knew that he had always been close to Cheng Fang.
If something happens to Cheng Fang, will his father let him off the hook?
After this incident, the number of people present did not disperse; on the contrary, it increased.
Magistrate Liu did not leave, but sat on the stage with Master Qin.
When He Tiantian saw Zhao Yanniang come down from the platform, she waved to her, signaling her to come over.
To be honest, with Magistrate Liu present, she felt a little embarrassed to go over.
But there was nothing He Tiantian could do; Zhao Yanniang didn't look well, and she felt a little sorry for her.
She pushed her way through the crowd, and it took her quite a while to finally reach the very front.
Zhao Yan moved his chair over for Aunt Zhao to sit down. He also found a chair for He Tiantian.
"Auntie, I'm entrusting my mother to you."
Aunt Zhao was in a very bad state; she seemed extremely tense. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably, and He Tiantian stepped forward and took Aunt Zhao's hand.
“Mother Yan, don’t worry. Zhao Yan is innocent; he was just framed by a villain.”
Zhao Yanniang naturally believed in her son, but as a simple village woman, she had never witnessed such a grand scene before.
“I…I’m just worried that public opinion can be devastating, and my Yan’er absolutely cannot have such a stigma.”
He Tiantian was somewhat surprised. It seemed that Aunt Zhao knew quite a lot. She was even better than the ordinary village women.
Just as she was about to say something comforting, she heard Magistrate Liu calling her from behind.
"Is that Madam He? Sister-in-law He?" Magistrate Liu called out uncertainly, having only seen her back.
He Tiantian turned around, pretending that she had just seen it.
"It's Your Excellency, Magistrate. This humble woman just..."
"No need for formalities, no need for formalities. What a coincidence to see you here today." Magistrate Liu seemed very pleased.
He has never been one for officialdom, and besides, this Sister-in-law He has helped him so much, he should treat her with the proper hospitality.
Before He Tiantian could speak, Magistrate Liu continued, "Sister-in-law He, how about we go to the government office for tea sometime?"
He Tiantian thought to herself, what's so good about this tea? And the government office isn't a place anyone can just go to.
So she declined, saying, "My lord, I am busy with the opening of my new shop today and really do not have time."
"Opening for business? Sister He has started a business?" Magistrate Liu was quite surprised.
He Tiantian nodded. "We just opened today, and I'll have to go back to the shop to get busy soon. If you have time, you can come and have a taste. It's in the alley ahead, just turn two alleys and you'll get there."
Magistrate Liu really got to the bottom of this matter. If his men hadn't been away arresting people and hadn't returned yet, he would have gone to check on them right now.
Hearing He Tiantian's conversation with the county magistrate, Zhao Yanniang's tense heart finally calmed down.
How could she forget that Wanzi's mother had worked at the government office before! She must be very familiar with the county magistrate.
Zhao Yanniang held He Tiantian's hand tightly and pleaded, "Wanzi's mother, you must talk to the magistrate properly. My Yan'er must have been framed."
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Liu comforted the old man.
"Zhao Yanniang, please put your mind at ease. I will find out the truth myself."
Just then, the government officials arrived with several students dressed in blue and white.
There were five people in total, all of them bound hand and foot, being escorted this way by the officials.
"Behave yourselves. I think you're asking for trouble, daring to cause trouble right under the magistrate's nose."
The leader, named Zhang Mazi, quickly begged for mercy, "Sir, sir, please spare us! We were blind to your greatness..."
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up!" Zhang Mazi was kicked hard in the butt.
Everyone watched as the soldiers escorted the man in, and they were all very curious about what was going on.
Upon arriving before Magistrate Liu, a soldier stepped forward to report.
"Reporting to the magistrate, all five men have been captured."
They really gave them a good run. These guys clearly know the streets of Changning City very well, and they specifically chose to run through those winding alleys.
Fortunately, the men he led were quick-witted and their actions were swift and decisive, managing to capture them all.
“Sir, they are not students of the academy; they are just wearing academy uniforms. These few scoundrels usually do petty theft on the streets,” the constable continued.
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