CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 46: DEATH BY BEATING WITH RODS

Lu Qing glanced at the two sets of weighing tools on the ground, one large and one small, and sneered: "Take all these, leave two people to guard the government granary, and the rest of you bring those audacious government officers with us. We’re going to check the accounts at Mr. Li’s grain and flour store."

The imperial guards, normally strict and disciplined, had never seen such audacity, daring to secretly replace the grain from the government granary!

On their way from their station in Runzhou, they were already shocked by the desolate farmland in Taiping County under Congzhou jurisdiction. Now, looking at this government granary filled with straw and yellow sand, they had an understanding of the situation.

Hearing Lu Qing’s arrangement, they immediately responded loudly, efficiently tying up the ashen-faced governmental officials, half-dragging and half-pulling them to follow Lu Qing and the others straight towards Li Wencai’s privately operated grain store.

Originally, there were seven or eight curious residents of Qingshui County outside the government granary, kept three zhang away by the imperial guard, straining their necks to see what was happening inside. When they saw the grain-guarding officials being dragged out with their hands tied, they immediately erupted in cheers.

"Finally! Those big rats in the granary! Someone is finally dealing with them!"

These people followed the dejected officials joyfully as if it were a festive celebration.

Unlike the remote government granary, Li Wencai’s private grain store was in the most bustling part of Taiping County.

As they walked along, people were drawn to Lu Qing and his party. Initially, some didn’t understand the situation, but the residents behind them quickly explained.

Thus, the crowd following behind, celebrating with joy, grew larger and larger.

By the time they reached the street where the grain store was located, countless people had gathered behind them, those at the front able to see something, but those at the back couldn’t see anything at all.

Not only couldn’t they see, but the scene was so lively that those at the back couldn’t hear the front at all, only the cheers and applause of the people beside them.

Despite this, they were still willing to follow step by step, unwilling to disperse.

Zhu Yu, riding on horseback, looked back at the jubilant crowd and sighed.

Sure enough, the people of Qingshui County had suffered under Li Wencai for a long time! Now, seeing his underlings paraded through the streets was enough to excite them to this extent. If it were Li Wencai himself being paraded, who knows how happy they would be.

The three grain stores were almost at the very center of this street, situated on both sides, giving a sense that there was no escape from Li Wencai’s grasp.

The shopkeepers and staff of these stores were usually arrogant, even when customers came to buy grain, they looked down their noses, with no good attitude. Having heard the news early, they realized something was wrong and tried to abandon the shop and flee before Lu Qing and his party could block the entrance.

Unfortunately, the streets of Qingshui County had heard the news as well.

The shopkeepers and staff couldn’t even get out of the street before being caught by the excited residents and brought back.

By the time Lu Qing and his party arrived at the entrance, the individuals were already being forced to kneel on the ground by a few young men, begging for mercy, with no strength to resist.

Lu Qing paid no heed to these small fry, directly instructing Fu Lu to search the shop for the account books, which were quickly produced.

Flipping through the account books presented by Fu Lu, Lu Qing looked down at the kneeling shopkeepers with disdain: "Your three grain stores are indeed prospering, making a fortune daily!

I had only heard of rain falling from the sky, called rootless water. Today I learned something new; Qingshui County apparently has grain that flies into shops all on its own!

Where are your three stores’ large warehouses located?

Stealing grain from the government granary is a capital offense. I’ll give just one of you the chance to speak. The first to confess will be spared the death sentence, while the other two will face immediate execution by being beaten to death."

His words were firm, with no room for negotiation. The shopkeepers were scared out of their wits. While one was still stunned, two were racing to confess, fearing being beaten by the others to the punch.

Lu Qing waited for the two to finish and honored his promise, gesturing for a few imperial guards to come over, pointing to the shopkeeper who first revealed the location of the warehouse: "Take this man and the other staff of the grain store to the county government, lock them in the jail, and they will be tried later.

As for the remaining two, this place is too crowded to alarm others, drag them to the open ground before the government office, and execute them by law!"

The shopkeeper who temporarily saved his life heaved a sigh of relief, collapsing like a puddle of mud, allowing himself to be dragged away by the imperial guard. The remaining two made a lot of noise as they were taken away, pleading desperately. One of them was so frightened after shouting a few times that he foamed at the mouth and collapsed unconscious.

Half of those following Lu Qing promptly dispersed, trailing the imperial guards, eager to witness firsthand how the two shopkeepers would be executed.

"Does the Chief Historian wish to observe the execution?" After giving instructions, Lu Qing noticed Zhu Yu had been watching the direction where the shopkeepers were taken and assumed she wanted to go see.

Zhu Yu shook her head without hesitation, still not fully accustomed to Lu Qing’s swift decision to execute people publicly.

Seeing this, Lu Qing said no more, riding on ahead with his party to the grain store’s large warehouse, where they indeed found it full of grain.

This entire warehouse of grain was immediately sealed and entrusted to the imperial guard. Until the case was finally settled, no one was allowed near, nor to open the warehouse door.

After handling everything, by the time they returned to Li Wencai’s mansion, it was already nightfall. Zhu Yu had not spoken much on the way back, nor did she eat anything when reaching the side courtyard, going straight to her room to rest.

Fu Lu couldn’t understand her behavior. It seemed that after sealing the warehouse, on the way back to Li Mansion via the county office square, the two shopkeepers had already been executed there, and their bodies had been taken away, probably to be thrown into the mass grave.

As they passed by, only two trembling old governmental officials were scrubbing the remaining bloodstains on the stone slabs with buckets of water.

It seemed that from then on, her complexion wasn’t quite right.

But... that didn’t make sense! Fu Lu couldn’t figure it out.

His mistress wasn’t an ordinary woman. Not to mention ordinary women, even ordinary men didn’t have her courage and capability.

She wasn’t afraid of dead, rotten, smelly corpses, so how could a little blood be different from killing two chickens, causing her to lose her appetite and not eat?

"Sir," Fu Lu asked, holding the hot meal just brought back, "should I take some over to the Chief Historian?"

Though there were officials borrowed from Runzhou Prefecture guarding outside the side courtyard, Fu Lu was especially cautious in addressing.

Lu Qing looked at Zhu Yu’s pitch-dark room, shook his head: "No need, if she doesn’t want to eat, she can rest. Skipping one meal won’t starve her. Make sure the cook prepares a few dishes she likes for breakfast tomorrow."