CHAPTER 459: CHAPTER 459: CONFRONTATION

County Magistrate Xu watched as a large group of people charged towards the government office, terrified, he pounded the gavel and shouted: "Stop them, stop them."

He then pointed at the crowd that had rushed in, shouting angrily: "How dare you, this is the county government; breaking into the county government hall is a serious crime. Withdraw immediately, don’t bring disaster upon yourselves!"

"Ptui, you dog official, you’re in such a hurry to make us leave, aren’t you trying to protect that Zou?", someone in the crowd became frantic, pointing at County Magistrate Xu and cursing recklessly: "You’re the County Magistrate, you must know about Zou Youlian trafficking the peaceful folk for labor service, you being the County Magistrate, how could you not know? Or are you saying you also have a share in selling people for money!?"

County Magistrate Xu was almost crying; him sheltering County Magistrate Zou? Him selling people for money? Without him, would County Magistrate Zou have been brought to the public trial?

Wronged, truly about to die of injustice.

County Magistrate Xu glared fiercely at Steward Tian, who hurriedly said: "Fellow villagers, fellow villagers, Lord County Magistrate is absolutely on your side. He was born to a farming family, has been an official for so many years yet remains so poor. If not for the dowry of the County Magistrate’s wife to sustain the household expenses, County Magistrate Xu couldn’t afford even his seasonal clothing, let alone buying brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

County Magistrate Xu’s face turned green with embarrassment; although Steward Tian was helping him, he didn’t need to make him seem so pathetic.

Steward Tian brandished the correspondence between County Magistrate Zou and several town clerks, village chiefs, and village leaders, saying: "These cases are all from ten years ago. Ten years ago, County Magistrate Xu had not yet taken his post in Tianfu County, you’ve blamed the wrong person. The blame should be placed on my predecessors!"

The commoners were straightforward; it was only when Steward Tian explained the situation plainly that they understood and stopped scolding County Magistrate Xu.

But there were still angry citizens who wanted to rush into the hall and beat County Magistrate Zou, who were stopped by County Captain Jiang: "Fellow villagers, don’t be impulsive, Lord County Magistrate has already captured Zou Youlian. This Zou fellow won’t be able to escape this time. Don’t rush, committing the crime of breaking into the hall for such a beast isn’t worth it. Let’s all step back and listen by the government gate."

County Captain Jiang held a high reputation in the county, and the citizens of the county were willing to listen to him. Hearing him, they stepped back, saying: "We’ll listen to Lord Jiang, with him here, with County Magistrate Xu here, justice will surely be served for us."

Some citizens felt it was wrong to have just blamed County Magistrate Xu and wanted to speak well of him, saying loudly: "Exactly, didn’t you hear what Steward Tian said? County Magistrate Xu was born to a farming family; he must have also carried manure, transplanted seedlings, and threshed grain, just like us. We must trust County Magistrate Xu and shouldn’t add to his troubles."

County Magistrate Xu’s face was no longer green but completely darkened... Carrying manure and farming, could we not mention these things anymore? That was decades ago, for goodness’ sake.

Besides, his family was wealthy, and during the busy farming seasons, workers would be hired, so he didn’t have to carry manure himself.

"Your Honor, you must seek justice for us. When the government office said my man died serving labor duty, he was only twenty-three-years-old, and I became a widow before turning twenty... Look at my face, it’s worn out by sheer exhaustion. I’m only forty-four now, but everyone who sees me says I look close to sixty."

"If my man were still around, with a man supporting the family door, would I have aged like this?" The old woman, crying on the ground with her grandson, already knelt down before County Magistrate Xu, begging him to seek justice.

Seeing this, others who also lost sons, brothers, or fathers to labor service without receiving their bodies knelt down as well, crying and shouting: "Lord County Magistrate, you must seek justice for us and uncover the truth of those years. Are these people dead or alive? Where are they now? We need an explanation. Even if they are dead, you must give us their bodies. To have neither seen them alive nor dead, what sort of situation is this?"

County Magistrate Xu, seeing their pitiful crying, felt a bit moved and spoke to them, "Rest assured, today I am holding court to review the case specifically to uncover the truth and restore justice to the people. However, the review of a case does not yield results in a day or two. Since Zou Youlian is an official and even if there is conclusive evidence, the case must be sent to the Prefecture Government Office for review before Zou Youlian can be prosecuted for his crimes."

He continued, "So, for those whose family members have been sent for labor and have been notified of their death without the return of a body, please line up and register with the Government Official for the record; the government will conduct an investigation for you. If they were truly sold by Zou Youlian, we will make sure you get an explanation."

"Aye, we’ll line up for registration right away." The onlookers quickly stirred into action, some lining up to register, some hurrying away.

"People from our village were sent to labor and ended up missing, with neither life nor body to be found, probably sold off by Zou Youlian too. No, we must go back and find the village chief, and have our villagers rush to the government office."

"Our village has them too; I must hurry back to call upon others."

"Haohao, stop your work and don’t go on with it. There is a big issue at hand, we have to rush back to the village to call for people!"

In an instant, the entire county was abuzz with peasants rushing out of the city to fetch villagers.

County Magistrate Xu feared just this, as he pointed at the running peasants and furiously glared at County Magistrate Zou: "Look at the ’good’ deeds you have done, Zou Youlian. Now you’ve harmed the entire Tianfu County, what a sin."

With so many villages in Tianfu County, it was expected that many villages had people who were sold off into forced labor. Peasants in the countryside hold to the notion that if "you bully one from our village, the whole village will come to beat you." If all village men came wielding hoes to the government office, his days as a magistrate would be over.

County Magistrate Zou calmly reassured himself: "Lord County Magistrate, although you are the chief official of the county, you have no authority to sentence me. This case must be decided by the Prefecture Government Office."

County Magistrate Zou gave County Magistrate Xu a sidelong glance and sneered: "Moreover, the evidence presented by Zou Jiang is fabricated; I am innocent. I have been framed!"

County Magistrate Xu was infuriated by County Magistrate Zou’s words, trembling with anger as he pointed at him: "The evidence brought by Zou Jiang has been verified by the government office, and everyone has recognized it as true. You dare to claim it’s fabricated."

County Magistrate Zou remained composed: "Verified? Was it verified by your steward and Jiang Dahu? Let’s not even talk about your ambition to achieve merits and promotion; just considering Jiang Dahu’s enmity with me, he is not qualified to verify these evidences. Even if he did, his words should not count for anything."

Steward Shao was extremely agitated, almost shouting in excitement... Fabricated evidence, how did he not think of these evidences as fabricated.

"Lord County Magistrate, Lord Zou is right. We have been framed by the false evidence manufactured by Zou Jiang, we are innocent! Zou Jiang, he..."

Steward Shao’s words were cut short as a constable stuffed his mouth with a hemp gag, rendering him unable to speak.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!" Steward Shao was extremely angry, glaring hatefully at Squad Leader Yang’s nephew, wishing he could kick him to death.

Zou Jiang, observing the sweating County Magistrate Xu, knew that County Magistrate Xu was no match for Zou Youlian, and spoke up: "My lord, as long as you, along with County Captain Jiang, the constable Squad Leader, the criminal master, and experienced clerks conduct a review of the evidences and unanimously determine the evidences to be genuine, the accused can be detained. Then, hand over the case and its evidence to the Prefecture Government Office for them to take over the investigation. As a suspect, Zou Youlian has the right to challenge but no authority to interfere with your handling of the case."