The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 145 Taking a Blow to a Mistress

Zhang tearfully recounted how Xu Si dragged Gu Xiaocao into the haystack, how Gu Xiaocao resisted, how Granny Yan turned the tables and ruined Gu Xiaocao's reputation, and how her family was driven out of the village.
She told him everything in detail.

“It’s not just my Xiaocao; many young wives and girls in the village have been harassed by Xu Si. Anyway, Xiaocao’s reputation is already ruined, and since it’s ruined, I’m going to get justice for her. Lord Liu, you can see for yourself that Xu Si is a beast. His manhood has been broken today, and Sister-in-law Tong has done a service to the people. Please, Lord Liu, don’t punish Sister-in-law Tong.”

"Xu Si, that beast who does nothing right, is spoiled by his mother, Granny Yan. Whenever Xu Si harasses a girl or woman, Granny Yan runs to their door and berates them for seducing Xu Si, never mentioning her son's fault. The girls and women in the village who are harassed not only have grievances they can't voice, but they also get blamed by Granny Yan. They can only swallow their bitterness and remain silent. Why is Granny Yan so arrogant? It's because Xu Yong and Xu Kun are behind her. They are the ones who spoil her."

"Heaven sees all, and today Qinghe Bay has finally welcomed the upright and just Lord."

After Zhang finished speaking her mind, she was almost exhausted and was pulled back by Gu Taohua.

She didn't have the courage at first, thinking that since Tong Huaqiong didn't care about her reputation, what did she have to care about?

Since Gu Xiaocao has no reputation in the village anyway, and Gu Xiaocao works in Tong Huaqiong's shop, she might as well go all out to seek justice for Gu Xiaocao and also support Tong Huaqiong.

She hated Granny Yan and Xu Si, as well as Xu Yong and Xu Kun. If they hadn't joined forces to kill her, would Gu Xiaocao's reputation have been so bad?
She feared that relying solely on Tong Huaqiong's actions would not be enough to severely punish Xu Si, nor would it be sufficient to bring down Xu Yong and Xu Kun.

After hearing Qin Da Niang and Zhang Shi cry out for justice, Magistrate Liu looked at Xu Yong with extremely cold eyes.

These are the people who have the courage to stand up. How many others don't have the courage to stand up?

Seeing Aunt Qin and Zhang step forward, some people couldn't help but want to step forward as well, but they were quickly pulled back by those around them.

What if the Xu family doesn't fall today, and I offend them?
Liu Tielian observed everyone's reaction and reminded them at the right time: "Lord Liu came to our village to uphold justice for everyone. If you have any grievances, please speak up. Lord Liu has so many things to deal with every day and is in a hurry to get back to the county government. If we don't talk about it today, he'll have to go to the county government to beat the drum tomorrow."

It means that this opportunity won't come again, so hurry up and take advantage of it.

Gu Jingzhe added, "Fellow villagers, don't be afraid. Qinghewan belongs to everyone. Xu Si has no right to cause trouble. Lord Liu will enforce the law impartially, and not only Xu Si but also those behind him will be punished."

Gu Jingzhe almost blurted out that Xu Kun and Xu Yong were going to fall from grace today, and that everyone should kick them while they were down and keep kicking them until they couldn't get up anymore.

Gu Jingzhe had a youthful air about him, and even though his words weren't very tactful, Magistrate Liu thought it was just youthful righteousness at play.

The villagers who were watching started to have their own ideas. That's right, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

In any case, those who don't speak up for the Xu family have long been a thorn in their side. If Xu Yong doesn't fall this time, they will be the ones who suffer.

The wind is now blowing in Tong the Widow's favor. She's practically the godmother of the Liu County Magistrate's son, so the best course of action is to help Tong the Widow step on Xu Yong and Xu Kun.

Moreover, how could this be considered stepping on someone?
This is a fight against evil forces.

People couldn't hold back any longer and stood up to accuse Xu Si, Xu Yong, and Xu Kun.

“My daughter was touched by Xu Si, and then Granny Yan went around spreading rumors about my daughter, which led to my daughter being jilted by her fiancé.”

“My wife was washing clothes by the river when Xu Si lifted her clothes. I went to Xu’s house to seek justice for my wife, but I was beaten up by Xu Si’s four brothers.”

“Little Grass Mother is right. All four of Xu’s beasts are spoiled by Xu Kun and Xu Yong. Lord Liu, the Xu family is like a corrupt upper beam, and the lower beams are crooked too. Xu Yong is no good either. He has several mistresses in Niujiazhuang, Moon Bay. In my opinion, with Xu Yong’s long face, no young woman would want to be with him. He might even be the one forcing them. Lord Liu, you must interrogate him carefully.”

“Xu Kun is even worse. As the head of the Xu family, he coveted my family’s fertile land and offered me his land at the foot of the mountain in exchange. When I refused, the village chief made trouble for me. Lord Liu, please help me get my land back. If I can get back this year’s harvest, I will go to the temple to offer you a bowl of incense oil.”

The villagers emboldened themselves and revealed all the things that Xu Si, Xu Kun, and Xu Yong had done. Xu Yong roared angrily, "You audacious scoundrels, how dare you slander me, the village chief!"

Tong Huaqiong spoke frankly: "Where is this slander? Everyone is just talking about what you did. You also feel ashamed to talk about what you did, so why didn't you think of this when you did it?"

Xu Yong was speechless after being cornered by Tong Huaqiong.

"And your Uncle Kun, no offense, but you've been utterly disrespectful as the clan leader. Not only can you not control the Xu family members, but you've also colluded with the village chief to bully the villagers. The village chief is, after all, your nephew; you should have acted like a clan leader and put in a good word for him." Tong Huaqiong relentlessly criticized Xu Kun.

Xu Kun argued, "Just now, Da Xi's father said that it was all Xu Yong's instigation to exchange the land. Otherwise, why would I exchange the land and not cultivate it, but Xu Yong would be the one cultivating it?"

"Second Uncle, what do you mean? You said that the land was fertile and you insisted on exchanging it for someone else. After the exchange, you were afraid that Da Xi's father would retaliate and you wouldn't let me plant it. You said that if I planted it, Da Xi's father wouldn't dare to say anything. You said that after I planted it for a few years and the storm had passed, I could transfer it to your name."

The Xu family is about to have internal strife.

This is the result Tong Huaqiong wanted.

Magistrate Liu's face turned ashen. Xu Kun and Xu Yong were implicitly admitting to what they had done in Qinghe Bay.

"Well, Lord Liu, last summer I was cooling off by the river when Xu Si touched my arm. I'm fifty now and have grandchildren, and I've been keeping this to myself because it's too embarrassing to talk about it. I've been feeling chest tightness and shortness of breath for the past year because of this. I even had a doctor prescribe two doses of medicine for me recently, but it didn't help much."

"Lord Liu, you must give me justice! I demand that Granny Yan compensate me with two laying hens."

It was Granny Sun who said this.

Magistrate Liu: "."

“Madam,” Magistrate Liu said, “I do not take private punishments. You cannot simply ask for two laying hens as you please. You must provide facts and evidence. If the facts are clear, I will certainly get you justice.”

Magistrate Liu had visited Qinghewan many times and had met Xu Yong and Xu Kun, but he had never said such absurd things before.

So he couldn't help but say to the villagers, "I have been to this village many times before, why didn't you mention it then?"

The villagers all looked at Tong Huaqiong, fearing that Magistrate Liu would not believe them. If Xu Kun and Xu Yong didn't fall this time, and then they were in trouble later, wouldn't that cause a huge uproar?

“Lord Liu, it’s not our fault. The Xu family patriarch and the village chief control the whole village and keep everyone quiet. Plus, the Xu family has many members, and everyone has families to support, so we’re afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation,” Tong Huaqiong said.

“The villagers of Qinghewan are all illiterate, have never been to the county government, and don’t even know how to beat the grievance drum. Xu Kun and Xu Yong said that even if you file a complaint, you’ll be in cahoots with them. Before, we didn’t know that Magistrate Liu was an upright and just official, but now that we do, we dare to tell the truth.”

Tong Huaqiong's intentions are quite clear.

Previously, Xu Yong and Xu Kun held all the power, and no one dared to sue them.

They also sowed discord among Xu Yong and Xu Kun, slandering your reputation as Magistrate Liu and making everyone think you're in cahoots with them.

In short, it was Xu Kun and Xu Yong who misled everyone.

(End of this chapter)