CHAPTER 316: CHAPTER 310 COMPLAINT

"Looking at your expression, old man, it seems you’re not too willing to brew this wine, could it be that you’re not making it for your own use?"

The village chief sighed, "It’s being brewed for our County Lord."

Zhao Hanzhang, intrigued, squatted by the stove with him and asked, "County Magistrate Hu loves wine, does he?"

The village chief replied, "He loves it immensely, knowing that my family has this brewing skill, he often comes to get wine from us."

Zhao Hanzhang suggested, "What if you don’t give it to him, what would he do?"

The village chief gave a bitter smile, "If I don’t give it, not only will I lose this source of income, but the people in the village would also have to suffer with me."

Zhao Hanzhang squinted, "Is our County Magistrate Hu really so domineering?"

The village chief gave a bitter smile.

Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Do you receive any payment for making wine for him?"

"I’m lucky if he gives me some grain for brewing," the village chief complained, "When I first started making wine for him, he sent some grain, but after a couple of times, he only sent servants to get wine without the grain."

Zhao Hanzhang frowned, "Haven’t you refused him before, old man?"

"Of course, I’ve refused him, even directly to his face, but unfortunately, he said nothing then, but later strengthened the labor demands on our village. The following year, during the summer tax collection, the government officials were even harsher, demanding an extra third of the grain tally."

The village chief shed tears, "Because of me, everyone suffered, and I really felt uneasy. Since then, our family dared not refuse to brew wine for him again."

The smile on Zhao Hanzhang’s face slowly faded. At first, she was still listening with a skeptical attitude, but now, she was beginning to believe the old man’s words to some extent.

She carefully observed the village chief’s expression and asked, "Do you trust me so much, old man, not afraid that I’m with County Magistrate Hu, or that I might report you for personal gain?"

The village chief’s eyes were clear as he looked at her with a gentle smile, "Miss, you seem to be a kind and upright person at a glance, and anyone who can command over twenty servants naturally wouldn’t be someone that Hu County Magistrate can manipulate."

Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow, "Why is the village chief telling me about County Magistrate Hu’s actions?"

The village chief said calmly, "Our county magistrate loves elegance, keen on enhancing his reputation. When he does good deeds, he wants to publicize them, so naturally, when he does bad deeds, they shouldn’t be covered up."

"Hahaha..." Zhao Hanzhang laughed to the point of tears, slapping her thigh and laughing aloud, "The village chief is right, good deeds should be publicized to teach the people, and bad deeds should also be made known to make one face the consequences."

Zhao Hanzhang stood up, "I’ve taken this story to heart, it’s a good story, and I’ll make sure to spread it for you."

The village chief’s nose went sour as he stood up to bow to Zhao Hanzhang.

But Zhao Hanzhang stopped him, saying, "No need for formality, old man, I have something to ask of you."

Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze fell on a barrel of wine, "I’d like to purchase a jar of wine from you."

The smile fell from the village chief’s face, his previous warmth disappearing entirely as he coldly said, "Not for sale!"

In the end, Zhao Hanzhang still spent a hefty sum to buy a jar of wine, which the village chief had been adamant about not selling to her, but he couldn’t resist the high offer.

With this money, he could buy a good amount of grain, enough to cover this round of brewing.

Each time he brewed wine, he could get about ten jars. The village chief would send three jars to County Magistrate Hu each time, allowing for three rounds of delivery per batch. The remaining jar could either be sold to reclaim some grain or consumed at home.

The village chief had never sold at such a high price, but he wasn’t very happy.

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan looked like people of high status, and when he saw them asking about farming matters in the fields, he thought they were different.

That’s why he honestly spoke about County Magistrate Hu’s misdeeds, hoping these prominent individuals might take pity on them, ideally replacing the magistrate.

He didn’t expect that they would be the same as County Magistrate Hu, equally fond of good wine.

The village chief stood at the village entrance, watching them walk away, shaking his head before turning back home. His little grandson held onto him and asked, "Grandfather, will they report us to County Magistrate Hu?"

"Although they don’t seem like good people as I initially thought, they probably aren’t informers either," the village chief sighed deeply, "Moreover, it’s already like this. If I’m no longer the village chief, then so be it. If things continue like this, there won’t be many people left in the village. Our family can also find a place to make a living."

But if possible, who would want to leave their hometown?

The village chief never expected that shortly after, a big news came from the county town, that their county got a new magistrate.

Zhao Hanzhang traveled all the way in disguise, heading to the county town. By the time she arrived in Biyang County, she had a general understanding of the situation there, and of course, County Magistrate Hu.

Zhao Hanzhang directly led her group straight to the county government.

She arrived at the county government at noon, which was the time for official business, but the place was very quiet, with hardly anyone inside or out.

Two government officials guarding the county government gate were dozing off against the door. Upon hearing the sound of horses’ hooves, they lifted their eyelids to look.

Seeing so many people appear at the county government gate, they immediately jumped awake.

They didn’t recognize Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan, but they could sense the noble aura from Zhao Hanzhang and the others, especially with their solemn expressions.

The two government officials exchanged glances and immediately ran down the steps to greet them, "What brings such noble guests to this humble place?"

Zhao Hanzhang sat lofty on her horse, looking down at them, and asked in a deep voice, "Where’s your County Magistrate? Bring him out to see me."

The two officials gulped and cautiously replied, "Our County Lord is not in, may we know the noble guest’s name?"

"If not in the county government, then where is he?"

County Magistrate Hu was drinking and making merry in a villa not far away. Zhao Hanzhang broke in with her group and walked all the way to the villa’s back garden, where he was lounging with his chest bare on a wooden couch, accompanied by two middle-aged men similarly attired with bare chests. Many tubs of ice surrounded them.

Zhao Hanzhang walked briskly from under the sun, and upon entering the open pavilion, felt a chill, showing how cold it was there, yet the three men’s cheeks were flushed, with beads of sweat on their foreheads.

Seeing Zhao Hanzhang, the three were startled but only hastily covered themselves a bit, unashamed of their rudeness.

County Magistrate Hu happily greeted Zhao Hanzhang, "Didn’t expect Governor Zhao to arrive so quickly, I’m truly honored, how many counties have you visited?"

Zhao Hanzhang grew calmer, her lips curved slightly, but there was no trace of a smile in her eyes. She walked to the front of the wooden couch, using her longsword to push aside the bottles and jars on the table. "Biyang is the second county."

County Magistrate Hu had just taken some medicine and was not very perceptive as his senses hadn’t fully recovered, showing no awareness of Zhao Hanzhang’s anger. He laughed heartily, "The Governor’s speed seems a bit slow, having left Xiping for so long, yet only visited two counties."