After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

The group of people clearly hadn't realized the problem yet.

They were even wondering, "Who is so arrogant?"

Immediately afterwards, shouts and cries of pain came from outside the yamen.

Cheng Zhirong was taken aback, then shouted, "Who dares to make a scene outside the county government office?"

More than ten burly men rushed in, pushing and shoving any constables they saw and beating anyone who tried to stop them. The three shifts of constables were caught off guard and several of them were knocked down in an instant.

Liu San suddenly widened his eyes, pointed at a young man in brocade clothing among the group, and shouted, "It's him! It's him! The brat who beat me up during the day!"

The young man turned around at the sound of the voice, and it was Zhu Houzhao.

He saw Liu San and his eyes lit up: "Hey! You're here too? Perfect!"

After saying that, he rushed over and started hitting her head and face.

Liu San got beaten up by Zhu Houzhao yesterday and is thinking about how to get revenge!

Seeing the other party come to him, he immediately raised his fist, and then...

Snapped!

He got a solid slap across the face!

He tried to fight back, but Li Chun held him down firmly, preventing him from moving.

Although Zhu Houzhao was young, he was still a boy with a foundation in archery and horsemanship from a young age. When he swung his fists, they were powerful and forceful, and every punch landed on Liu San's face.

"Rebellion! Rebellion!"

Cheng Zhirong was both shocked and furious, and shouted, "Who dares to cause such a disturbance in court?"

A member of the Imperial Guard rushed to the table and, without saying a word, swung his fist and punched it.

"Ouch!"

Cheng Zhirong screamed and fell backward, his official hat rolling to the ground.

"Stop! Stop right now!"

Liu Jian stood up, wanting to stop him.

However, he underestimated the group's ability to execute.

The crown prince said that he would beat anyone he saw, including this old man.

Immediately someone came forward and punched Liu Jian in the eye.

Poor Liu Jian had never suffered like this before; he cried out and fell to the ground.

When he fell, his forehead hit the blue brick on the ground, and he immediately saw stars.

"Stop! That's Master Liu!"

Wang Shouren's expression changed, and he rushed over to help her up.

Zhu Houzhao then noticed Liu Jian and was taken aback: "Master Liu? What are you doing here?"

Liu Jian was helped to stand up by Wang Shouren. He felt dizzy and saw stars in his vision.

He composed himself and said, "Your Highness! What...what are you doing?"

Zhu Houzhao, however, paid no attention and turned to Wang Shouren, asking with concern, "Wang Sizhi, are you alright? They didn't hit you, did they?"

Wang Shouren smiled wryly and said, "I am fine."

"That's good!"

Zhu Houzhao glared again: "Where's that damned county magistrate? Get out here!"

Wang Shouren glanced around and pointed to the back of the desk.

Cheng Zhirong was lying face down on the ground with his buttocks sticking up, his hands covering his head, trembling.

Zhu Houzhao stepped forward, grabbed him, and said, "Master Liu, you have no idea what heartless things this bastard has done! His brother-in-law came to my kiln to collect protection money, and threatened to smash the kiln and arrest people if I didn't pay! Today, if I don't beat him so badly that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him, I'm not Zhu!"

Despite his headache, Liu Jian sternly said, "Your Highness! Magistrate Cheng is an official appointed by the imperial court! Even if he is truly at fault, he should be punished according to the law. How can you resort to violence? What kind of behavior is this?!"

When Cheng Zhirong heard the words "Crown Prince," his head buzzed.

That kiln... was actually opened by the Crown Prince?

Zhu Houzhao retorted, "Master Liu, I just said he condoned his brother-in-law's extortion!"

Is there any concrete evidence regarding the extortion?

Liu Jian rubbed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "I just reviewed the accounts of Wuqing County for the past three years. The money, grain, and criminal records are all clear and there are no obvious omissions. Although the floods this summer were severe, they were a natural disaster, and Magistrate Cheng has done his best to provide relief. Your Highness, by assaulting someone based solely on one side of the story, how can officials throughout the land be convinced?"

"I……"

Zhu Houzhao wanted to argue, but for the moment he couldn't find a way to do so.

However, he still has solutions when he encounters problems.

That is... calling for reinforcements!

Zhu Houzhao turned around and called out towards the gate, "Yang, the study companion, has Yang arrived yet?"

"They're here! They're here!"

As the sound came, Yang Shen jogged into the courtroom.

Upon seeing Yang Shen, Zhu Houzhao seemed reassured and quickly said, "Yang, Master Liu said Cheng Zhirong is fine. The flood was a natural disaster; you should speak on it!"

Yang Shen quickly stepped forward and bowed to Liu Jian, saying, "Student Yang Shen greets Lord Liu."

Liu Jian covered his eyes with one hand and waved his other hand, saying, "No need for formalities, just say what you want to say!"

Yang Shen straightened up, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall, and then said, "Under the esteemed Lord Liu, the flood in Wuqing County was not a natural disaster, but rather—"

He paused, then slowly said, "It was man-made disaster!"

Liu Jian was startled and asked, "What did you say? Say it again!"

Yang Shen looked at everyone present and said, "The flood in Wuqing County was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one!"

Liu Jian finally realized something was wrong and said, "Explain yourself clearly!"

Yang Shen said, "The breach in the Hun River's banks was not a natural occurrence; it was breached by human hands!"

The scene, which had been quiet, erupted in chaos upon hearing this!

Cheng Zhirong scrambled to Yang Shen's feet and shouted, "Who are you? Why do you say the dike was breached? Do you have any evidence? If you're making baseless accusations and falsely accusing others, this county will punish you for counter-accusation!"

The merchants also came to their senses and stepped forward.

Master Zhao exclaimed with deep sorrow, "Where did this young man come from, daring to slander an official of the imperial court like this! The county magistrate has served for three years, and every year he has been diligent and conscientious. This summer, during the floods, he guarded the dike day and night, and he has lost weight! We have seen it with our own eyes, and we swear to God!"

Master Chen nodded repeatedly in agreement: "The county magistrate has worked tirelessly for the people of Wuqing, and now he has been falsely accused. If we, the gentry and common people, do not stand up and speak the truth, who will dare to serve as an official in Wuqing in the future?"

Once Liu San had recovered, he covered his cheek and mumbled, "That's right! My brother-in-law is an honest official! A truly honest official!"

Cheng Zhirong's eyes reddened, and he bowed deeply to Liu Jian, his voice trembling: "Your Excellency, please understand! I know I am of limited ability and knowledge, and for the past three years I have been trembling with fear, never daring to slack off in the slightest. Today I suffer this injustice. If I am truly found guilty of this crime that would lead to the extermination of nine generations of my family, I would not regret my death. I only pity my eighty-year-old mother and my young child..."

As he spoke, his voice choked with emotion, and he even lifted his official robe, about to kneel down.

Liu Jian helped him up and said in a deep voice, "Magistrate Cheng, there's no need for this. Now that someone has reported this matter, I will get to the bottom of it."

He turned to Yang Shen, his gaze stern.

"Yang, what you just said concerns the life, death, honor, and disgrace of a county official, and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Wuqing. I'll ask you one more time: do you know what you're saying?"

Yang Shen raised his head and met Liu Jian's gaze.

"The students know."

"it is good."

Liu Jian nodded: "Then you'd better explain clearly."

Before Yang Shen could speak, Zhu Houzhao jumped over, pointed at the merchants, and shouted, "Yang Shen, these old geezers aren't good people either! They were just speaking up for that dog of a magistrate; they're definitely in cahoots!"

Yang Shen glanced at the group of people and suddenly said, "Zhao Xingye, Chen Wanyou, Zhang Yonggui."

The three of them were taken aback, looked at each other, and were momentarily at a loss for words.

Liu Jian's brow twitched slightly: "Yang, do you recognize them?"

"Reporting to Lord Liu, this student does not recognize him."

After Yang Shen finished speaking, he waved behind him, and soon someone came forward carrying several account books.

"I have a few account books here, and I've noticed these gentlemen's names appearing repeatedly. Let's just say I just recognized them!"