You've already caught the embroidered ball, and you still say it's not my husband?

yamen.

In the main hall, a bright mirror hangs high.

Magistrate Lou sat upright in the courtroom.

He was overweight with fair skin, and at that moment he was wearing a dark green official robe and a black gauze hat with flat feet...

It looks like a white cat dressed in official robes and wearing an official hat!

In fact, during the more than ten years that Magistrate Lou served in Qingyang County, he had neither outstanding achievements nor obvious mistakes, making him a typical mediocre local official.

He never had much ambition to begin with, and it almost completely disappeared as he got older, especially after taking his sixth concubine last year, when he felt his physical strength was failing him...

I'm starting to pay attention to health!

Aside from handling official business, he usually spends his time drinking tea, practicing calligraphy, playing chess, and appreciating scenery... He is always smiling and never easily loses his temper.

But at the moment.

His brows were furrowed, and his face was ashen... The docile white cat had transformed into a raging tiger!

The air in the lobby seemed to freeze.

Everyone was trembling with fear, their hearts pounding, large beads of sweat sliding down their cheeks, and they didn't dare to breathe!

Many clerks (such as clerks) were already complaining and grumbling in their hearts about Zhao Guang's "stubbornness and lack of understanding of the rules."

If local thugs cause trouble, you can arrest them, beat them up and throw them in jail, that's fine. But why do you have to arrest the county magistrate's father-in-law, Manager Pei, as well?

Even if Manager Pei is the mastermind, can't you, Zhao Guang, just turn a blind eye? Wouldn't that be better?

Look at them now, the county magistrate's father-in-law, Manager Pei, is kneeling in the hall, and his concubine is also kneeling, weeping and wailing...

What does this look like?

The most taboo thing in the workplace is to embarrass or embarrass your boss!

Do you think Magistrate Lou wouldn't be furious?

Almost everyone felt that Zhao Guang had angered Magistrate Lou this time and should prepare to face Magistrate Lou's wrath...

Seeing Magistrate Lou's anger, the concubine in green was overjoyed, thinking to herself, "The master is usually kind to everyone and dotes on me. He must be extremely resentful of that Zhao Guang right now..."

Ha ha.

She sneered inwardly, "Zhao Guang, since you're so ungrateful, don't blame me for whispering sweet nothings in the master's ear!"

Just now on the street, she clearly gave Zhao Guang a way out, but Zhao Guang didn't appreciate it at all and showed her no mercy, taking Manager Pei back to the yamen right in front of her.

Now the tables have turned, and it's her turn to cause trouble.

"Waaah..."

The young concubine in green covered her face with a handkerchief, sobbing as she spoke, "My lord, I heard that the people at that noodle shop were the ones who were unreasonable and beat up the customer. When Constable Zhao arrived, instead of punishing the perpetrators, he arrested the injured customer... because the noodle shop is owned by the wife of his subordinate, Constable Li. Constable Zhao is abusing his power for personal gain!"

"My father couldn't stand it and stood up to reason with them, but he pulled out a knife, intimidated and forced others to frame my father... I beg you, sir, to handle this case impartially and give my father justice!"

The concubine covered her face in sorrow as she spoke, secretly giving winks to the scarred man and the others beside her.

The thugs understood immediately and began to cry foul, recanting their previous testimonies.

"Sir! We just went into the noodle shop to eat noodles and didn't cause any trouble. After I ate the noodles, I felt a bit thirsty because they were salty, so I asked that woman to pour me a cup of tea. She refused and even kicked us out! Ouch, it hurts! Half of my teeth have been knocked out."

"Forced by Constable Zhao's tyranny, we had no choice but to confess our crimes, and even went against our conscience to frame the innocent Manager Pei. We beg Your Honor to see the truth and do justice for us!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Constable Zhao has abused his power and bent the law. Your Honor, please punish Constable Zhao severely to demonstrate the majesty of the law..."

These people are acting recklessly, smearing Zhao Guang with dirty water.

They wanted to take advantage of Magistrate Lou's anger, add fuel to the fire, and let the magistrate's rage burn even brighter before venting it all on Zhao Guang!

Magistrate Lou's anger burned even more fiercely, his face turning from gloomy to ashen, like a volcano about to erupt with molten lava.

"Hehe, Zhao Guang is definitely finished this time!"

Shopkeeper Pei, his concubine, and the scarred man sneered inwardly, feeling smug.

Zhao Guang stood still, without saying a word.

He's not very good at defending himself.

It should be noted that he had already informed Magistrate Lou when he brought these people back.

It all depends on how Magistrate Lou decides...

Snapped! !

The gavel slammed down heavily.

The entire hall fell silent instantly, utterly still!

Magistrate Lou's face was stern, his brows furrowed in anger, but he wasn't looking at Zhao Guang; rather, he was looking at the group of thugs below the court.

"Nonsense!"

"You dared to enter the shop causing trouble and extorting money, yet you dared to lie and claim you were just eating noodles! And now you dare to use clever words and sophistry in court, attempting to deceive this official!"

"Guards, drag him out and give him thirty strokes of the cane!"

Swish!

Everyone stood there, stunned!

Like statues struck by lightning, they're so disoriented they can barely process what's happening.

They originally thought that Magistrate Lou's anger was directed at Zhao Guang, who "did not know the rules," but unexpectedly, Magistrate Lou first targeted the local ruffians!

The thugs and Manager Pei and his daughter are in cahoots!

This...this situation doesn't seem right, does it?

"yes!"

The surrounding constables came to their senses and escorted the scarred man and more than ten others out of the hall.

Soon after, a mournful wail rang out...

The thugs were given thirty heavy lashes, leaving their buttocks ripped open and bleeding profusely. Although not fatal, they wouldn't be able to stand up for a month.

Hiss~ Hiss~

The people in the lobby gasped in horror at the sight of the thugs outside.

Manager Pei and his daughter, the concubine in green, were so frightened that their faces turned ashen and their lips trembled!

Why isn't Magistrate Lou on their side?

They were Magistrate Lou's father-in-law and concubine!

Snapped! !

While the father and daughter were terrified, Magistrate Lou, with a stern face, slammed the gavel again, nearly scaring the two out of their wits.

"How dare you, Old Man Pei!"

"Just because you're related to me, you disregard the laws of the Great Yan Kingdom, condoning thugs to bully the good, instigating hooligans to gather crowds to smash shops and cause trouble, disrupting the city! And in court, you dare to use your silver tongue and feign innocence?"

"The punishment is increased by one degree: forty strokes of the cane and a fine of three hundred taels of silver!"

"Anyone who dares to cause trouble again will be punished even more severely!"

What the hell!

In the main hall, all the yamen runners and civil officials stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

Magistrate Lou not only severely punished the troublemakers, but also ordered his father-in-law, Manager Pei, to be heavily punished!

What incredible... impartiality!

Two constables immediately stepped forward and restrained Manager Pei.

I've been putting up with this old guy for far too long!

Shopkeeper Pei was so frightened that his legs trembled, and he hurriedly begged for forgiveness: "Master, I know I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again..."

Magistrate Lou's voice was stern: "Personal favoritism cannot override the law. If I were to show favoritism towards you, how could the people of the city trust the laws of the court!"

The concubine in green hurriedly knelt on the ground, her eyes brimming with tears, pleading, "Master! Please, for my sake, forgive my father this time. He was confused for a moment; he will never dare to do it again..."

The master usually dotes on her. If she pleads for her father, the master should be lenient, right?

Snapped!

Magistrate Lou slammed his gavel for the third time, his rage even more uncontrollable: "And you, you wretched woman!!"

"The courtroom is a place of solemn law, yet you repeatedly spread rumors and attempt to distort the truth. Drag him out... and give him ten strokes of the cane."

"If you dare to do this again, I will divorce you!"

The concubine in green knelt on the ground, her face pale, her eyes unfocused, and she had lost her usual radiance.

The master who usually doted on her suddenly flew into a rage and even wanted to punish her severely...

The bailiffs, upon receiving the order, took Manager Pei and his concubine in green out and had them both flogged.

Crackling, popping.

It was another case of skin and flesh being torn open.

The people in the hall were terrified; even they were somewhat frightened.

Their magistrate, Lou, who was usually as docile as a white cat, was more terrifying than a tiger when he lost his temper, and he wouldn't hesitate to kill his own family for the greater good...

"Your Excellency is wise!"

"Your Excellency, you know everything!"

"My lord is selfless!"

The clerks immediately changed their tune and began to fawn over Magistrate Lou.

Magistrate Lou ignored them, simply letting out a soft sigh of relief.

He couldn't help but curse inwardly, "That blind old fool, and that unreasonable wretch... they almost caused me a great deal of trouble!"

Call ~

He took a deep breath, put on his usual kind smile, and nodded slightly to Zhao Guang. "Officer Zhao, you did the right thing in this matter!"

"I hereby reward you with twenty taels of silver!"

Magistrate Lou did not criticize Zhao Guang; instead, he praised him highly!

Zhao Guang respectfully clasped his hands in greeting, "Thank you, sir. I was merely upholding the law impartially; it is you who are truly wise."

Seeing this, the clerks and runners assumed that their magistrate was truly as impartial and incorruptible as the black-faced upright officials described in books...

Magistrate Lou waved his hand, then strode out of the courtroom. "Quickly prepare the carriages and horses!"

"Sir, where are we going?"

"East Street Noodle Shop".

……