Chapter 181 What does this have to do with the county magistrate?
Because of the countless families that do good deeds!
Because of Wanji Mountain!
Zhao Tianyi came from a poor family, and his ability to study and pass the imperial examination to become a scholar was entirely due to Wan Jishan's financial support.
His father died early, and in his heart, he secretly regarded Wanjishan as his father.
Wan Jishan committed suicide in prison, blaming everything on Magistrate Xu and his son.
The others had also received favors from Wanjishan. After discussing it with them, Zhao Tianyi came up with a plan to sabotage the irrigation canal.
According to the laws of this dynasty, if a waterway is damaged and breaches due to negligence or corruption, resulting in casualties among the people, the local official will be dismissed and punished; in serious cases, he/she will be beheaded or exiled.
This is the reason for the flood.
That's all, just this ridiculous reason!
The incident resulted in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of civilians, countless livestock, and the destruction of nearly a thousand acres of houses and farmland!
This was only after Xu Rui noticed the leak in time and checked the dike overnight.
If nothing is done, the entire Ming'an County will be filled with lamentations and utterly destroyed!
Wan Yuting was extremely shocked and could not believe that this matter was related to the Wan family.
The Wan family never wielded their swords, yet the common people died because of them.
"Zhao Tianyi, you are plunging my Wan family into injustice!"
Wan Yuting lost his composure and kicked Zhao Tianyi.
Zhao Tianyi lay on the ground, his face ashen.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know it would turn out like this..."
"You didn't know it would turn out like this?" Xu Rui said in a stern voice, "You knew it would turn out like this! You just didn't know that I went there in the rain that night and saw signs of human intervention!"
A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole. Did you know that a single breach could cause the entire, well-maintained dike to collapse?
The villagers were filled with rage, their eyes bloodshot, and they wanted to rush over.
"So it was you who did it!"
"Those who deserve divine punishment, kill them! Kill them!"
"Give me back my parents' lives! Give me back my husband's life!"
"My child is only two years old, you all should die to pay for his life!"
"You beast, you animal!"
May he die a horrible death!
Stones were thrown at the five men, causing them to bleed from their heads.
...
Lu Qingqing was so angry that she could no longer bear it.
To destroy the lives of ordinary people for one's own selfish gain—what a vicious heart one must have to do such a thing!
They deserve to go to the deepest levels of hell!
Wan Yuting is such a starving guy, he can't even kick a person properly!
Lu Qingqing kicked Zhao Tianyi hard, sending him tumbling over and wincing in pain.
"Well done!" the villagers shouted.
Because the constables stopped them, they couldn't hit him, but their eyes were bloodshot, their teeth were grinding, and their hateful gazes made them want to pounce on him and tear him apart!
Lu Qingqing not only kicked, she also stripped!
She grabbed Zhao Tianyi's collar and ripped it open.
It wasn't that she was humiliating him; it was that she had seen all along that Zhao Tianyi was still extremely concerned about his clothes, which showed how much he cared about his status as a scholar.
But does he deserve it?
"No, don't take off my clothes!" Zhao Tianyi struggled desperately as he climbed up.
"What right do you have to study, take the imperial examinations, or become an official? You don't even deserve to be a human being!"
"You think Magistrate Xu and his son harmed your benefactor, so why don't you go and settle accounts with them? Why don't you go and kill them?"
Even if you commit assassination in the street, people will still think you're a hero!
But you dare not, you are a coward, you hide in the gutter, using the lives of innocent people to fulfill your revenge!
Gu Chengzhou: "..."
Not only did Miss Lu order the young master's murder, but she also brazenly stripped him of his clothes in full view of everyone...
He looked at Xu Rui.
Xu Rui raised his hand slightly, and Gu Chengzhou immediately tried to stop him.
Then I heard him say, "Suppress him!"
"..."
Gu Chengzhou was still wondering who to suppress, him or her?
Fu Leng rushed over, grabbed Zhao Tianyi's arms with both hands, and dislocated them with a snap.
Lu Qingqing then successfully tore off the clothes.
Gu Chengzhou: "!!!!!!!!!"
Damn it! Too late!
This guy really knows how to steal credit!
"Give me back my clothes! Give me back my clothes! These were given to me by Master Wan! Give them back to me!" Zhao Tianyi wailed.
He didn't cry out when he was beaten, and he didn't feel remorse when he saw the people's miserable state, but now he's crying and wailing as if he's been killed.
Gu Chengzhou then realized that Lu Qingqing's strategy was to win people's hearts!
"Stop disgracing my father!" Wan Yuting said bitterly.
"If my father had known what you were doing, he would never have sponsored your education in the first place!"
He helped you pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, hoping that you would stand out from the crowd and achieve something great, but you were so wicked and made such a big mistake!
Unforgivable!
He set it on fire and burned the clothes.
Zhao Tianyi struggled like a madman, trying to pounce, but his arms were dislocated and his legs were being stepped on by Fu Leng, and he finally lost his strength.
His eyes were vacant, and he remained motionless like a lump of mud.
"Wan Yuting, do you think you're innocent?" Xu Rui asked Wan Yuting.
Wan Yuting looked bewildered.
"Rumors about Wan Jishan's death have been circulating in the streets for some time, that he was forced to his death by the authorities. I think you are well-informed and must have heard about it."
But you didn't step forward to explain. Is it because you secretly believe that the government was indeed at fault?
Wan Yuting was startled.
Indeed, he harbored resentment towards the government.
The government was also partly responsible for his father's death.
If he hadn't been arrested and imprisoned, he wouldn't have chosen to commit suicide under such physical and mental oppression.
"But is the government in the wrong?" Xu Rui countered.
He addressed the villagers and said loudly:
"Today, I will tell my fellow villagers what really happened with Wanjishan's death!"
"Wanjishan colluded with wealthy merchants in the city to prevent the government's agricultural plans from proceeding smoothly, putting pressure on the county magistrate and trying to make him, like every previous magistrate, join them in their corrupt practices."
Furthermore, the merchant guild organized by the wealthy merchants in the city is also colluding with bandits in Fuhu Mountain outside the city!
Wan Yuting's handsome face turned deathly pale.
His father's good reputation, built up over many years, is ruined.
Seeing the villagers' wide eyes, Xu Rui continued, "Wanjishan purchased the forest during a time of agricultural crisis, which went against the government. Although he did not actually harm the interests of the people, he did violate the law."
The government imprisoned him in accordance with the law, and there was no abuse of power or favoritism involved!
According to the severity of his crime of harming the country, he was not sentenced to death, but exiled. He was not abused in prison. He was only ordered to give up his family property to be used as reserve food for the people during famine!
I ask you, has the magistrate made even the slightest mistake?
All the other merchants returned home safely, so why did Wanjishan commit suicide in prison?
He didn't want his hard-earned fortune to be used to buy his freedom.
It was because his relationship with Madam Wan had broken down that he became heartbroken!
What does this have to do with the county magistrate?!
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