Clerk Zhao frowned, "Village Chief Sun, don’t make a fuss without reason. If you dare question the county governnt’s edict again, Squad Leader Yang won’t be polite to you."
Village Chief Sun’s head buzzed, his mind reeling, as he staggered out of the main room, tears streaming down his face, and blurted out, "There’s been a mistake, surely a mistake. I have to go to the Lord County Magistrate to argue my case!"
"Stop him." On Squad Leader Yang’s command, the Governnt Officials sward up and subdued Village Chief Sun.
Seeing Village Chief Sun being pinned down, Sun Youqian hurriedly shouted, "Let go of my grandfather, he is the village chief, the chief of several nearby villages."
Bang!
Luo Wu threw a punch at Sun Youqian, causing him to reel and fall onto an old servant.
That old servant was already too frightened to react, and before he could steady Sun Youqian, Luo Wu had grabbed him and rcilessly pounded him with several punches.
"To dare question the veracity of the Lord County Magistrate’s edict is to slander a court official, a cri that warrants the extermination of one’s entire family!"
Luo Wu had long been eager to beat Sun Youqian, and this beating was ruthless. In no ti, Sun Youqian was unable to stand, groaning in pain on the ground.
Afraid that Luo Wu might beat the man to death, Squad Leader Yang finally said, "Constable Luo, enough is enough. We’re here to assist Steward Tian with his duties; we shouldn’t be beating people like this."
Steward Tian was the confidant of the Lord County Magistrate. When he saw Sun Youqian slander the Lord County Magistrate, he imdiately said, "Constable Luo is right. To defa a court official is indeed a cri that could result in the slaughter and ruin of one’s household. Arrest Sun Youqian."
"Yes!" Luo Wu twisted Sun Youqian’s arms and then untied the rope provided by the governnt office, binding Sun Youqian.
Sun Youqian was utterly confused, having been beaten without understanding why, and now just as confusedly arrested.
"Steward Tian, Steward Tian, please show rcy. Brother Qian is still young; he rely misspoke without the intention of slandering the Lord County Magistrate," Village Chief Sun threw himself on Sun Youqian, pleading with Steward Tian.
Clerk Zhao mocked, "A man who’d steal a widow, how innocent can he be?"
With that remark, laughter erupted amongst those present.
Village Chief Sun’s face turned an ugly shade of green and purple, but he could find no words to refute the accusation—for Sun Youqian had indeed stolen a widow.
Squad Leader Yang raised his hand to stop the Governnt Officials’ laughter, reminding Steward Tian, "Steward Tian, it’s getting late, let’s take Sun Fuxiong back to the county governnt to report back."
What?!
Village Chief Sun wore an expression as if struck by lightning, "Arrest, arrest ? I’ve not slandered the Lord County Magistrate, why should I be arrested?"
Steward Tian looked at Clerk Zhao.
Clerk Zhao took out a docunt and handed it to Village Chief Sun, saying, "Look carefully, Village Chief Sun. Ever since your grandfather’s generation, your Sun family has exploited and oppressed the people. Your family’s fields, houses, shops—all are ill-gotten gains. While quite so ti has passed, soone reported to the county governnt office, and the Lord County Magistrate had no choice but to accept the case."
Soone reported to the county governnt?
"Who? Which bastard ran to the governnt office to falsely accuse my Sun family?!" Village Chief Sun’s eyes nearly split with rage as he stared at the arrest warrant, wishing he could tear it into pieces.
With the elder grandson arrested, he still had other grandsons; even if stripped of the title of village chief, his substantial family wealth remained. But if soone reported to the governnt that his family’s wealth was usurped unjustly, then his Sun family would be utterly dood.
"It was !" A disfigured old man with a limp walked in through the Sun family’s front gate.
He walked very slowly and it took him quite a while to co in front of Village Chief Sun.
Village Chief Sun stared at him, utterly unaware of who he was.
The old man sneered: "Sun Fuxiong, back then your father used to follow mine, addressing him as ’young master’ at every turn. Now, just one generation later, you don’t even recognize your family’s forr employers. You truly have the heart of a wolf and the lungs of a dog."
Upon hearing these words, Village Chief Sun still failed to recall who it was, but an old servant in terror exclaid, "You, you’re the young master of the Xue Family, Xue Mingyu! Weren’t you dead abroad? How did you co back?"
Beigou Village once had a landlord whose family owned five hundred mu of paddy fields and nearly a thousand mu of dry land. They had shops and mansions in both the town and the county—a truly prominent household in Qingfu Town.
However, this family was not blessed with many children; they had only a single heir for several generations. When Village Chief Sun’s grandfather’s sister married the County Magistrate at the ti, Village Chief Sun’s grandfather reached out greedily towards the Xue Family property. Together with the County Magistrate, they used despicable ans to sche against and utterly annihilate the Xue Family’s vast fortune.
In the end, the Xue Family was ruined and its mbers dead.
Xue Mingyu was just a few years older than Village Chief Sun, but he beca an orphan and was forced into begging.
But Village Chief Sun’s grandfather, fearing that Xue Mingyu would seek revenge when he grew up, bribed the beggars who begged with him. While Xue Mingyu slept in a decrepit house, they set it on fire.
Although Xue Mingyu survived the calamity, he was left disfigured and with a crippled leg.
Only after seeing Xue Mingyu ruined did Village Chief Sun’s grandfather feel at ease.
Years later, Xue Mingyu left to make a living elsewhere and did not return for many years. After so much ti had passed, everyone had forgotten about him. So how co he has returned now?
Actually, Xue Mingyu had returned a while ago, but he had been living in Hukou Town and never showed himself in front of the Sun family People.
However, each year during the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, he would go to the mountains outside Beigou Village to tend to the graves of the Xue Family People. One year, a bachelor from Beigou Village happened to co across him.
A few days ago, He Sanlai rounded up two ruffians and several bachelors from Beigou Village to drink, and during the gathering, the bachelor spoke of this encounter. Gu Jinli took interest and inford Gu Jin’an of the matter.
Gu Jin’an then relayed this information to Scholar Shang, who dispatched soone to investigate the Xue Family. Once they found out that Xue Mingyu was in Hukou Town, Scholar Shang wrote a letter and had Old Luo deliver it to Xue Mingyu.
Yesterday, Xue Mingyu brought all the property deeds of the Xue Family estate to the county governnt, filing a lawsuit against the Sun Family for fraudulent acquisition of the Xue Family’s property through the use of fake deeds.
Upon learning of this, the Lord County Magistrate was overjoyed, promptly took up the case, and today sent soone to arrest people at the Sun family ho. The notice for the removal of the village chief was rely incidental, brought along to show Village Chief Sun; the true purpose today was to make arrests and overturn the old judgnt.
Clerk Zhao diligently recounted the lawsuit filed by the Xue Family against the Sun Family.
Upon finishing, Village Chief Sun flew into a rage, pointing at the old man and shouting, "Nonsense! Fake house deeds and land deeds? All the deeds held by the Sun Family are genuine!"
Clerk Zhao sneered, "The current house and land deeds of the Sun Family have been reissued, and could be considered authentic. But the old deeds you took to the county governnt for updating previously were forgeries. Back then, County Magistrate Gao was in cahoots with you, and even though you brought those fake deeds for na changes and new deeds, he processed them for you."
Such incidents were not unheard of in Great Chu and the forr dynasty, but County Magistrate Gao’s conduct was particularly repulsive, not only using such crude thods to covet the wealth of the Xue Family but also leading to their total destruction.
Coincidentally, the Lord County Magistrate was looking to advance his career and currently needed a rit; so he took up this old, unresolved case.
The old servant of the Sun Family, upon hearing this, broke into a cold sweat, his body trembling like a sieve... He was aware of this matter; he had heard Village Chief Sun’s father talk about it.
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