Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 206: Crying for injustice
Before Liu Shizhang could figure out a way to stop them, another commotion broke out at the entrance of the county government office.

Someone was carried forward to beat a drum.

"I'm innocent!" the man shouted as he banged on the door. "I am Miao San, and I was harmed by the Xie family eight years ago."

At this point, the man gritted his teeth and lifted his long robe, revealing his withered legs.

Those around them gasped in surprise at the sight.

“Back then, they ordered people to knock down the pile of ore and bury me in it. If I hadn’t been lucky, I would have died then. Over the years, it was Seventh Master who secretly helped us, giving us money and rice, which allowed my family to survive… I never thought that Seventh Master would also be murdered now.”

The man's expression became even more agitated as he spoke: "Madam Miao, you're so foolish! You shouldn't have listened to Xie Chongjun back then, made him your concubine, taught the Xie family the Miao family's kiln firing techniques, and even helped them open a porcelain kiln."

“Once the porcelain kiln opened, the Xie family started harming people. You died, and the craftsmen you brought were either wrongly imprisoned or became useless like me. Now even Seventh Master's fate is unknown…”

As the man spoke, two people squeezed out of the crowd.

"Third Brother, were you harmed by the Xie family back then? Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Miao San looked at the newcomers. One of them came from Miaojia Village, and the other lived nearby. Both were craftsmen in the porcelain kiln. However, when the Miao family was around, they only did odd jobs at the kiln and were not noticed by the Xie family. Miao San was different. He was the kiln master craftsman, and he controlled the kiln temperature entirely with his skills. That was why the Xie family went to great lengths to learn his skills and then threw him out of the Xie family.

Miao San shook his head: "I thought it was just a coincidence at first. But after Seventh Master grew up, he inquired around the house and found out that it was Master Xie who sent people to deliberately knock down the ore. Seventh Master knew that they could not admit it and wanted to persuade the person who did it to go to the yamen to turn himself in, but before he could get to the bottom of it, something happened."

It turned out to be the case.

Miao San said, "Seventh Master's accident was probably because of us. Otherwise, he would have left the Xie family long ago. Seventh Master has always protected us. Now... it's our turn to speak up for Seventh Master."

"Correct."

Miao Qing squeezed through the crowd: "Back then, the Xie family framed me for stealing porcelain clay, and I've kept this grudge because I wanted to sue them. But our cases always get put off until the very end..."

Miao San nodded: "We also need to ask the yamen to investigate Seventh Master's case, to give Seventh Master justice, and to give Madam Xie justice."

"Yes, I don't believe that Madam Xie killed Seventh Master."

"Seventh Master once praised Madam Xie in front of me."

"Seventh Master said that Madam Xie's inspection of the clay stove was correct. If Xie Chonghai had listened at the time, the Xie family's clay stove would not have been damaged."

"But the Xie family did wrong and refused to admit it. Seventh Master advised Xie Chonghai to take back all the clay stoves that had been sold, but Xie Chonghai refused."

Upon hearing this, one of the onlookers said, "I remember now, when we went to Xie's shop to return the clay furnace, it was a young man who came to talk to us."

"That's Master Xie Qi."

"At the time, Master Xie said that the Xie family would definitely handle it properly and that we could rest assured."

That makes perfect sense.

"Seventh Master and Madam Xie had no prior grudges, so why would Madam Xie hire someone to kill him?"

"The Xie family is truly ruthless."

"Master Xie said long ago that he would deal with the Yang family and Madam Xie. We've all heard that," said a worker from the Xie family's pottery kiln in the crowd.

"Actually, when the Yang family came to the pottery kiln to inspect the clay furnace, they didn't lay a hand on anyone. It was all arranged in advance by Master Xie. The injuries on those people were also inflicted on them beforehand."

"Seventh Master Xie didn't have any conflict with the Yang family. If you don't believe me, go ask the people at the yamen. What does it say in Seventh Master's statement? Didn't he see the Yang family hitting people?"

"If Xie Chonghai hadn't deliberately framed them, the Yang family wouldn't have had to go to jail at all."

There was a great deal of discussion in front of the government office.

People began to cry out for justice for Miao San and others.

Liu Shizhang watched from afar, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. The county magistrate and the county assistant magistrate still hadn't come out. If this delay continued, wouldn't the crowd just keep growing? These two couldn't possibly be careless at this time; they were clearly doing this on purpose to make things spiral out of control, leaving them with no choice but to "force" the Xie family to summon them for trial.

Liu Shizhang took out Prefect Liu's name card, intending to hand it to a servant, but hesitated at that moment.

Taking out the calling card would be evidence of the Liu family's interference.

If they don't give them a visiting card, those two people will never pay any attention to them based on just a word from their servants.

Just then, Liu Shizhang heard someone say, "Do you know who went to Yong'anfang to arrest Madam Xie?"

Grandma Li pulled Xu away, saying, "Anyway, I'm an old woman, so I'll say it."

Xu refused.

Grandma Li said, "If it weren't for Madam Xie, I wouldn't have had the money to see a doctor, and I might have died long ago. If my old lady is taken to prison, you can go to the capital and beat the drum to appeal."

Unable to argue, Xu had no choice but to help Granny Li forward.

Granny Li said, "The one who came to arrest Madam Xie is our magistrate."

"What a big case this is that it requires the magistrate to personally arrest people? Back then, when a murderer killed three people in the street, the magistrate didn't lead troops to arrest him."

Laughter suddenly erupted from the crowd.

Someone shouted, "What's a sub-prefect? ​​Maybe the prefect will send someone over soon."

"They've come to arrest this old woman?" Granny Li straightened her back. "It's an honor for this old woman that the Prefect has sent people to arrest her."

Liu Shizhang's face immediately turned ugly.

He can't go now, or these words will come true.

The servant whispered, "Young master, what should we do now? Should we send the invitation in?"

After much deliberation, Liu Shizhang put the invitation back in his pocket. Given the current situation, he dared not make a decision and decided to go back and ask his father first.

The county magistrate and his assistant are not scary; what's scary is that they turn around and tell the scholars, and then publish it in the tabloids.

Liu Shizhang only now realized that the most troublesome thing was those tabloids.

No wonder Wang Yan wrote inscriptions in the tabloids.

“My lord…look, who’s that over there? It looks like Tong…Tong Chen.”

Tong Zixu led a group of disciples over, and Zuo Shangying and the others stepped forward to greet him.

Tong Zixu said in a deep voice, "This time, no one is allowed to write any unfounded speculations in the tabloids."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then someone said, "Who is this scholar? Could he have been bribed by the Xie family?"

"They won't let us write about the Xie family? Such a big thing happened in Daming Prefecture and they won't write about it. We might as well not read such tabloids anymore."

"that's right."

Tong Zixu clasped his hands in a fist salute to those around him: "When the Yang family was taken to prison, we wondered if the tabloids should avoid writing about this case. But Madam Xie said that we didn't need to worry about her. This is the Daming Prefecture tabloid, not the Yang family tabloid. We should write about everything that happens in Daming Prefecture."

"However, one thing must be done: we cannot make unfounded guesses or write down false information."

Tong Zixu paused for a moment, then said, "Now that Madam Xie is not in Daming Prefecture, I will take charge of the situation on her behalf. We will write about this case, and we can only write about what actually happened. Before the case is judged by the yamen, we will not speculate on the outcome, nor will we close the case for the yamen."

“Every article written in the tabloids must be shown to me before it can be printed. If one day the government wants to find someone to punish because of an article in the tabloids, then they will come and arrest me.”

I'm home now. Chapter 2 will be posted later.