Upon seeing the arrival of Lord County Magistrate, everyone kneeled promptly in unison.
"Everyone, rise. I am here on inspection. Common folk should go about their business; don’t gather around here to watch the excitent!" Wen Congrui lifted his hand and announced loudly.
"Thank you, Lord." People began to get up one after another.
Lu Da and his group were trembling inside, feeling that the situation had spiraled out of their control.
"My Lord, I am Ma Xingyuan, the Mayor of Taiping Town. Your long journey here is due to my negligence in welcoming you. Why doesn’t the Lord co with to my place to rest a bit?" Mayor Ma stepped forward with a smile, cupping his hands and bowing.
Wen Congrui glanced at him indifferently and asked, "Does Mayor Ma’s presence here an that you have also received word of a diseased pig epidemic in this area?"
Mayor Ma’s heart skipped a beat, and with a forced smile, he replied, "You’re too serious, my Lord. It’s just a few pigs that are a bit off, hardly an epidemic. I’m having people deal with this imdiately; the safety of the common people’s lives must co first." After speaking, he glanced at Lu Da, his eyes conveying a threat.
Lu Da quickly stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed, "Lu Da has seen the Lord."
"Are you the pig farm owner?" Wen Congrui looked down at him and asked.
Lu Da crawled on the ground: "To answer the Lord, indeed, it is ."
"Lu Da, are you aware of your cris?"
Wen Congrui’s stern shout made Lu Da shiver all over, nearly flattening himself to the ground, and he stamred, "My, my Lord, I am not aware of any cri I may have committed?"
"Mixing diseased pork with good at at your pig farm, treating the lives of the people like weeds, is this not a cri?" Wen Congrui said coldly.
"My Lord, I’ve been wronged!" Lu Da raised his head.
Wen Congrui let out a cold laugh, "I never wrong anyone innocent. Whether the Lu Family is being wronged or not, everything will be judged by . Bring forth the n."
"My Lord!" The Yan Runners surrounded them.
"Disperse the common people and encircle the pig farm; no one is allowed to enter," Wen Congrui commanded.
"Yes."
Upon hearing this, Lu Da collapsed weakly on the ground.
Wen Congrui didn’t look at him; instead, he turned to the few individuals he had brought with him and said, "Please trouble the doctors to examine everything thoroughly."
"Yes, my Lord."
Everyone looked on to see that these individuals were all dressed in coarse cotton robes, carrying a dicine chest in their hands—they were several Senior Doctors.
But seeing the lethargic live pigs inside the pen, they all wore grave expressions. They each pulled out a cloth and covered their faces before entering the pigpen.
The Lu Family and Mayor Ma, upon seeing this, all turned ashen, with layer upon layer of sweat breaking out on their foreheads.
With such a display, who would dare say the pigs were fine, with no serious problems?
"Big brother." Lu San hurried to help Lu Da up, his face filled with panic.
Mayor Ma wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "My Lord, this pig farm is filthy, and it might take so ti to inspect, so why not rest for a while first?"
However, Wen Congrui asked, "Mayor Ma, are you aware of the Lu Family’s practice of passing off inferior goods as top-quality? I have heard that the Mayor himself has a stake in this pig farm."
Mayor Ma’s legs went weak, yet he struggled to maintain composure as he said, "My Lord jests. I knew nothing about it, and as for having a share in this business, that is utterly unfounded. I implore the Lord for your discernnt!"
In such a circumstance, if Mayor Ma still dared to admit his involvent with the pig farm, it would be seeking his own demise; he might find himself in jail at the next step!
Indecision leads to disaster. The Lu Family’s misfortune was beyond saving. He couldn’t afford to involve himself; there would always be firewood to burn as long as the green hills remained. If the Lu Family fell, there would still be the Zhang family, the He family.
With Mayor Ma dodging responsibility like this, the Lu Family mbers were filled with indignant resentnt. At the very mont of calamity, he renounced recognition of them; where now was the grinning face that showed all teeth but no eyes when collecting Silver?
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