The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 481: Grievance
Inside the main hall of the county government office, the blue brick floor is smooth.

In the center stood a judge's desk, upon which rested a gavel and a container for divination slips. Behind the desk hung a plaque inscribed with "A Bright Mirror Hangs High" and a plaque displaying official titles. On either side were racks of water and fire rods and instruments of torture. Sunlight streamed in obliquely through the high windows, outlining the dust particles floating in the air.

Li Miao waved his hand, pushing away the dust that drifted in front of him.

This government office hadn't been used for who knows how long. It was just swept up and dusted off, but there were still some cobwebs in some corners.

But if you only look at the middle row, it still looks quite imposing.

The county magistrate sat upright beneath the plaque inscribed with "A Clear Mirror Hangs High," which, combined with his imposing appearance, made him seem even more majestic. The two rows of bailiffs on either side, carrying fire and water sticks, were burly and robust, appearing even more formidable than the bailiffs of ordinary county towns.

The courage that Li Dabao had just mustered up with Li Miao vanished the moment he saw this scene, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to kneel down again.

Li Miao reached out and lifted him up.

"No kneeling."

"Stand up straight, have some backbone."

Li Dabao stood up cautiously, but said in a low voice.

"Hero, no... you should just leave..."

"We've gotten used to it... We can't let you lose your life for no reason... Many heroes have already given their lives for us, we—"

Li Miao raised his hand to interrupt.

"Wait a minute, are you saying that some martial arts practitioners came here before, discovered something amiss, and were prepared to seek justice for you?"

Li Dabao nodded vigorously.

"Yes... In the past year, seven heroes, young heroes, and heroines have come here... and they've all died..."

"A few others arrived, and after hearing what we had to say, they said they were going out of the city to return to their sect to seek help, but then we all disappeared without a trace..."

Li Miao suddenly realized.

"I see."

"I was saying that the bandit stronghold has harmed so many people this past year, yet they haven't faced any trouble with the authorities. I initially thought they had bribed the local officials, but now it seems that the bandit stronghold was just a group of thugs."

"Those martial arts practitioners who went out of the city to ask for help are probably all dead and buried in that mass grave."

Li Dabao was taken aback.

"What did you say, hero?"

Li Miao waved.

"It's nothing, let's talk about something else."

“Those cars outside are carrying children I found in the mountains. I think they must be children of the people in Kangfu County, right?”

Li Dabao nodded shakily.

Li Miao patted him on the shoulder.

"What else did the person who abandoned your children in the mountains take away besides your children?"

Li Dabao seemed to have been touched on a painful topic, and large tears welled up in his eyes instantly.

"My child's mother..."

Immediately, he choked up as he recounted the story.

A year ago, Kangfu County was not like it is now.

At that time, Kangfu County was poor, but thanks to the nearby mountains and rivers, as well as its remote location and the "advantage" of not having any thugs to make money, the people were still able to get by.

But... every story has a "but".

One day, a man came to the city. He brought many people and a lot of money, hiring almost half of the city's residents to build a city within a city for him in Fukang County.

After the house was completed, the man spent a lot of money to bring in wine and meat from other places and invited all the people of Kangfu County to his house for a three-day "housewarming banquet".

The people had never enjoyed such a hearty feast before, so this man won their trust and respect in just three days.

Then one day, this person posted a notice.

It is said that his concubine gave birth to a child, but she did not have enough breast milk, so he needed to find a wet nurse to feed the baby, and he would pay her two taels of silver per month.

Two taels of silver—that's a fortune that an ordinary family couldn't accumulate in several years.

In an instant, all the women in the city who had just given birth came to this man's house, and they even started fighting and scrambling for him.

At this moment, the man said with a smile.

"It's alright, we're all from the same village, and my family isn't short of money. Since you're here, you can all stay."

So the women stayed, and when they returned home the next time, they brought back the full amount of silver.

This is far superior to craftsmanship and weaving.

At that time, people generally believed that "more children bring more blessings," but they dared not have more children due to poverty or livelihood concerns. Now that they could earn money while having children, why not?

As a result, dozens more pregnant women appeared in Kangfu County that year, and after giving birth, they all brought their children to this family's home.

This man also smiled and said that all the women who were going to stay had stayed.

But this time, they never went home.

Several months later, the woman's family came to the house, wanting to see their daughter-in-law and children.

After that, no one ever saw them again.

By this time, even the most oblivious person would realize something was wrong. Some went to the government office to report to the authorities, some asked passing merchants to bring out the news, some begged passing江湖人士 (jianghu figures, people from all walks of life) to uphold justice, and some even gathered people to demand their release.

But all the people's struggles were like stones sinking into the sea, disappearing without a trace.

After all the people had given up in despair and abandoned the missing women and children, the situation not only did not stop, but deteriorated even further.

The first to be affected were the local soldiers and yamen runners, who either fell into wells, disappeared, or even died suddenly in their homes, vanishing without a trace in just one month.

Then, these burly men of unknown origin, under the magistrate's orders, quickly replaced all the positions and firmly took control of the entire Kangfu County.

At this point, the man finally tore off his mask, revealing his ferocious face.

No longer concealing their "recruitment of wet nurses," officers and soldiers forcibly entered the homes of every pregnant or recently given birth woman, abducting her and her child.

It was at this moment that the people made one last attempt to fight back.

They grabbed hoes, scissors, pitchforks, and even door bolts, and rushed into the street, trying to take the woman and children back.

At first, they succeeded.

These burly yamen runners and soldiers, though intimidating in appearance, were not particularly skilled in martial arts. They were outnumbered and driven away by the people, leaving behind a few women and children.

The people were overjoyed and agreed to go to the man's house that very night, forcibly demolish the gate and walls they had built themselves, and take back the woman and child.

But when the people gathered that evening, they suddenly realized that some people hadn't come.

None of the families of the women they had taken back appeared.

Even their neighbors didn't know where they had gone.

When the people rushed into one of the men's homes and kicked open the door, they found only blood everywhere and the man's body lying on the ground.

As for the women and children they had taken back, they have disappeared again.

(End of this chapter)