After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

The local thugs, terrified that they would dare to kill, immediately retreated, exclaiming, "You...you actually dared to kill someone!"

They came to cause trouble without intending to kill anyone; they just wanted to beat people half to death. They never expected that people would die right from the start—four lives, no less!
Liu Laosan coldly ordered, "Take them all down! Don't let a single one escape!"

The thugs thought Liu Laosan was going to kill them all, and they were so scared that they ran away in all directions.

Anyone who could run fast enough was knocked down, and those who couldn't run away immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

"My lord, spare us! Someone paid us to come and cause trouble. There's a reason for this, and it really has nothing to do with us! I can identify them, I can identify them, my lord, spare us!" The local thug was nearly driven mad with fear.

Liu Laosan shot them a glare, and they all quieted down.

When Shen Ying arrived with the villagers, they were all dumbfounded when they saw the four corpses on the ground. They swallowed hard in fear, not daring to breathe.

The county officials came mainly because of the beating of Shen Ergou and Shen Tian, ​​but they never expected that someone had died. They immediately went back to dispatch more people.

Liu Tiechui rushed over upon hearing the news.

Shen Ying was extremely anxious. "What are we going to do about this? Someone's died! That's a death sentence! Where did Shen Yi find this guy? How could he be so impulsive!"

"If all else fails, we'll spend money to see if we can persuade the magistrate to give a lenient sentence."

Amidst the villagers' fear and unease, the county magistrate indeed entered the village.

"Where are the bodies? Weren't you saying four people died?" The county magistrate's face was extremely grim. Such a heinous murder had occurred in the area he governed; it was unforgivable!

When the magistrate arrived at Shen Yi's house and saw a group of thugs kneeling on the ground, his face turned completely black.

"What happened? What exactly happened?"

Faced with the furious magistrate, the villagers were at a loss for words, not even knowing how Su Tai had provoked this group of people.

"Let me speak," Liu Laosan said, stepping out with his hands behind his back. He strolled down the steps and calmly walked up to the magistrate. "You must be Duan Ren, the magistrate of Zhaohua County!"

"You are..." Duan Ren saw that Liu Laosan had an extraordinary demeanor and dared not easily lose his temper.

Liu Tiechui crawled out of the house, walked quickly to the county magistrate's side, and respectfully replied, "Your Excellency, this is the Marquis of Yong'an, a newly appointed nobleman of the capital, and also a native of Liu Family Village, Moshi Town, Zhaohua County."

"Hiss!" Duan Ren gasped and quickly bowed, "This humble official greets Your Excellency."

The group of thugs looked ashen-faced. It was all over! Utterly over!
Liu Laosan waved his hand and said, "Get up! These people tried to harm me, but they were dealt with by my guards. They were all given to me by the Emperor. I will explain this to the Emperor personally."

"No, no, no, Your Excellency is of the highest rank and noble status. These unruly commoners dared to plot against you. They deserve to die ten thousand times over. You have only punished four of them, which is already a great act of mercy. Leave the rest to me, and I will punish them severely!" Duan Ren firmly assured him.

Liu Laosan was very satisfied with his attitude. "Good! These people will be handed over to Magistrate Duan. Magistrate Duan must find out who is behind them. I don't want scapegoats. Do you understand?"

"Understood, understood," Duan Rencheng replied trembling with fear. He quickly ordered the officials to take the thugs away, and then asked in a friendly manner, "Is there another case?"

Su Tai came out of the courtyard and curtsied to Duan Ren. "Lord Duan, it's like this."

Su Tai recounted how Cen Mingzhu had trespassed on private property and injured Shen Ergou and Shen Tian, ​​and even had them brought over for Duan Ren to inspect. In reality, the Shen siblings' injuries weren't that serious; Su Tai deliberately had the doctor wrap them up tightly and carry them on a stretcher, making them appear half-dead.

When Duan Ren heard that the matter also involved the Zhu family, who were at the height of their power, he felt it was extremely troublesome.

However, with the Marquis of Yong'an overseeing things on the Shen family's side, he had no choice but to handle the case according to the law.

Upon returning to the Zhu residence, Cen Mingzhu angrily smashed everything in the house, only calming down after the doctor came to treat her injuries.

"Those lowly people from Shenjiazhuang, I must kill them all. I can't eat or sleep until I get this revenge." Cen Mingzhu became more and more unwilling as she thought about it.

Xiao Shuang touched her sore lip and said softly, "Madam, we've already called so many thugs over to cause trouble. They're sure they'll draw blood. Let's just wait and teach them a lesson first. It's not too late to deal with them after they reveal the whereabouts of the Ke family."

Hearing this, Cen Mingzhu finally felt much better.

Just then, the steward rushed into the courtyard in a panic, "Madam, something terrible has happened! The county officials have arrived and want you to go to the court to assist with the trial."

"What? Has the magistrate lost his mind? How dare he send me to court?" Cen Mingzhu was furious and somewhat shocked. She was a noble lady of the capital, the daughter of a general. How dare a mere magistrate humiliate her like this!

The butler was sweating profusely with anxiety. "I don't know! I've already sent someone to inform the master and madam, but they're being very adamant..."

Before the butler could finish speaking, Zhu Yixuan strode angrily into the room, demanding, "What exactly did you do? Why do the officials keep asking you to go to court to cooperate with the trial?"

"How would I know?" Cen Mingzhu said impatiently. "Just say that I am ill. It seems that the magistrate, that dog, can be replaced."

Zhu Yixuan would naturally not allow Cen Mingzhu to go to court, as that would be a disgrace to the Zhu family.

The steward hurriedly went out to report, and soon returned. "Master, Madam, the officials won't leave. They say that since Madam is ill, they will carry her over. In short, they insist that Madam be present, along with her maid Xiaoshuang and the coachman."

Xiao Shuang's expression changed drastically. She immediately guessed the reason and exchanged a worried glance with Cen Mingzhu.

Cen Mingzhu looked puzzled. "Why is the magistrate protecting them?"

"This servant does not know!" Xiao Shuang knelt down; she truly did not know.

Zhu Yixuan was extremely frustrated. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Fetch a veil for Madam. I will accompany Madam on this trip."

“I’m not going! He’s just a seventh-rank county magistrate, he has no jurisdiction over me!” Cen Mingzhu stubbornly refused.

Before she got married, her father had already said that she could do whatever she wanted in Zhaohua County, and that no matter what happened, her father would help her sort it out.

Zhu Yixuan's face immediately darkened. "Mingzhu! Don't be ridiculous! It's true that your father-in-law is a high-ranking official, but I, Zhu Yixuan, am nothing. They've only come to invite you. If you insist on not going, the next time they'll break down the door and force you to go. That would be quite a sight!"

"They dare!" Cen Mingzhu exclaimed in shock and anger. "Weren't you so capable? You can't even handle a seventh-rank county magistrate, what kind of skill is that!"

Zhu Yixuan didn't lose his temper in the face of Cen Mingzhu's ridicule and provocation. He simply closed his eyes slowly, rubbing his temples with a headache. "I've said what I needed to say. There's nothing I can do if you don't want to listen." (End of Chapter)