Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 47

Chapter 47 Attack The Heart
The disturbance at the county government today was even more dramatic than the one yesterday, and its outcome was even more unexpected.

One had to know that Xiao Mo was an existence that could always make everyone submit, but he actually retreated dejectedly shortly after aggressively barging into the county government. Furthermore, he had not rescued Zheng Fu yet. In an instant, he was stunned by the people who were originally a little nervous, afraid that the county government would really cause a big disturbance.

However, this place was still an important place for the county government. Ordinary people didn’t dare to approach it casually. After this disturbance, there was a sudden increase in reverence, and no one dared to inquire about it. However, the more this happened, the more curious the people became. Some people even began to spread some specious news, saying that County Magistrate Lu had displayed his divine might and righteously reprimanded a bunch of big-headed soldiers.

It wasn’t until the people from the county government came out and mentioned the situation to their families that everyone realized that the situation was far more dangerous and exciting than they thought. The two adults actually took action …

As a result, the legendary nature of this storm became even higher. Under the constant adding of the folk people, the image of Lu Zhen, the county magistrate, was infinitely raised. He was even called the reincarnation of Duke Bao. Because of his iron face and integrity, he scared away a bunch of people. As a result, he left behind many versions of the legends and several famous operas …

Of course, all of this was the latter part of the story. It was only in the next few years or decades that it slowly took shape. The insiders in the county government were even more respectful towards him. They were completely convinced by their county magistrate and began to sincerely work with Lu Zhen. After all, with such a strong and fearless superior as their backing, their own backs could be much tougher.

Some of them were excited and happy about this, and some of them were naturally afraid and uneasy. However, there was nothing the latter could do about it. They couldn’t resign first because they were worried that Lu Zhen would have too much enmity with him. The only thing they could do was pray that things wouldn’t go in a worse direction.

In addition, there were also people who were worried about Lu Zhen, afraid that he would cause even greater calamity. For example, Chu Yunrong, who was in the backyard, frowned uneasily after hearing Cuimei’s vivid and excited narration.

“Does he really have such courage and ability?” At the beginning, Chu Yunrong’s attitude towards this was unacceptable, believing that it was fake.

However, Cuimei insisted, “Although I wasn’t there at that time, I heard the people from the former government say the same thing. How could I be fake? Young miss, this time, uncle has a big face!”

“But he” Chu Yunrong’s heart was filled with surprise. How could this guy, who even appeared cowardly in front of her, have such courage? Even if he really had to fight for some reason, did Lu Zhen, whom he was familiar with, really have that kind of ability?

The more she thought about it, the more Chu Yunrong felt that things were strange, but she couldn’t find a good explanation. Moreover, she began to worry about the consequences of Lu Zhen’s actions. “Doesn’t he know that those fellows aren’t easy to offend? If they were really relieved by this, I’m afraid that this county magistrate of his isn’t in their eyes at all!”

The little girl was completely unable to respond to her young miss’ opinions, so she could only stand there dumbly. However, one thing she could sense was that Miss’s attitude towards her uncle seemed to be better. She had never seen her so worried about her uncle before. Even when he disappeared, Miss only casually mentioned it.

“Will he … be on guard against this?” After pondering for a long time, Chu Yunrong could not help but ask herself this question.

@ @ @ @

As a client, Lu Zhen naturally had a deeper understanding of Xiao Mo than Chu Yunrong, and knew how much he had offended Xiao Mo this time, so he had to do something. It was only the beginning to mention the Zheng Clan and military supplies in front of the other party. Now, he needed to grasp more evidence in this regard as a bargaining chip to deal with them.

Zheng Fu, who was in prison, naturally became the breakthrough point for him to obtain more information.

When everyone inside and outside the county government was discussing this storm, Lu Zhen, the person concerned, had already come to the prison of the county government to see Zheng Fu.

With his status as a county magistrate and his reputation in the yamen, it seemed more reasonable to bring Zheng Fu to the public house for interrogation. However, Lu Zhen did his best to resist the crowd and personally came to this narrow and harsh environment.

Although he had already anticipated the environment of the cell, after entering it, Lu Zhen was still a little surprised. In the past three to nine days, although the county government prison had walls, there was not much difference between them and the ones exposed to the outside world. Those broken gaps caused cold winds to continuously pour in. In addition, there was a somewhat dark and humid underground environment, causing him to tremble unconsciously when he entered.

“Looks like we have to find an opportunity to repair the prison. Otherwise, if the prisoner freezes to death in the prison, it won’t be a good thing.” Lu Zhen secretly made plans in his heart. However, he also knew that with the current income of Guang Ling County’s warehouse, it was obvious that he could not afford to spend such a sum of money.

Guangling County was a small place with a small population, so there weren’t many people who were arrested for committing crimes. As a result, there were only five prisoners in the prison. Apart from Zheng Fu, You Chang, and Tian Kui, there were only two thieves left. The two of them looked like magistrates dressed in county magistrates’ clothing. They were so frightened that they could only kneel on the ground, not even daring to breathe.

You Chang and Tian Kui were also frightened by Lu Zhen’s methods. They hid in the prison and looked at him with vigilant and frightened gazes. Only when they saw that Lu Zhen didn’t look at them properly did they let out a sigh of relief.

Compared to them, Zheng Fu was much calmer. Although he still didn’t dare to move from yesterday’s slab and was lying on the somewhat sour bedding, when he saw Lu Zhen, his eyes were still filled with provocation and resentment, “I didn’t expect that you, County Magistrate Lu, would also come here!”

“You, Zheng Dianshi, have been locked up here for a day. As a county magistrate, I should come down and take a look at you.” Lu Zhen looked down at him condescendingly and replied sarcastically.

As he spoke, the jailer in the prison had already brought a stool for Lu Zhen and invited him to sit down and talk. Lu Zhen didn’t refuse either. He immediately sat down on the front of the cell with a golden saber. He swept his gaze over Zheng Fu and sighed, “It seems like your life in this prison isn’t bad either, Zheng Dianshi. Other people only have hay to cover themselves, but you can still be slept on high. It’s truly admirable.”

A casual remark sounds significant to a suspicious listener. Hearing what he said, the guard who had arranged for Zheng Fu felt his heart tighten and he felt great regret. The situation in the county government had changed drastically. It seemed that even if Zheng Fu could leave, he would not have the power he had in the past. This time, he was betting on the wrong treasure. At the same time, he had made up his mind to take the quilt back later.

Inside, Zheng Fu’s expression turned uglier and uglier. He immediately snorted, “I think you, County Magistrate Lu, will be more comfortable than me when you enter this prison.”

“Really? But I don’t think there will be such a day.” Lu Zhen smiled and didn’t get angry because of the other party’s provocative words. He was the victor, so of course, it was impossible for him to lose his bearing because of such a trivial matter.

“There are no absolute things in this world. County magistrate Lu, we can wait and see!”

“Wait and see? I’m afraid you might not be able to see this day. Because just now, this official has already reported all your crimes to the Datong Prefecture. Perhaps in a few years, the other side will bring you to trial. With all the evidence you have now, it will be enough for you to be sentenced to death.”

“You” I didn’t expect Lu Zhen to be so straightforward. This made Zheng Fu feel both fear and hatred. He could only stare at Lu Zhen fiercely, but he couldn’t find anything to refute.

Lu Zhen fearlessly stared back at the other party’s eyes and even bent down slightly, “I know what you want to say. Your Zheng Clan has worked hard in this place for many years. Not only Guang Ling County, but also the Datong Prefecture has people who are close to you. Perhaps they will speak up for you on this matter. Am I right?”

Zheng Fu’s words froze when Lu Zhen tapped into his thoughts. However, Lu Zhen continued, “However, I’m afraid you will be disappointed this time. In front of all these crimes, even if those officials are close to you, I’m afraid they will have to consider their reputation. Not only will they not speak up for you at that time, but in order to avoid suspicion, it is very likely that they will even step on you.” “Zheng Dianshi, you have been in the bureaucracy for many years. You should have done a lot of things like this, right?”

These words really hit the nail on the head, causing Zheng Fu’s face to turn even paler. His breathing sank, and his eyesight almost burst into flames, but he could not say a single word of rebuttal in his mouth. Because he was too clear about these rules in the officialdom, especially for those who had relations with him. It was really difficult for people to send charcoal in the snow. It was already good that they didn’t hit a rock in the well.

Fortunately, he still had the last layer of support, so he was still struggling to support himself. “Don’t be complacent. My Zheng Clan has been operating here for many years, and the connections we have are not something a small county magistrate like you can handle.”

“I know what you’re relying on.” Lu Zhen sighed and said in a very disdainful tone, “Just now, Xiao Mo personally brought someone to the county government to ask me for someone, but I told him to leave. It’s impossible for you to ask the people from the military camp to save you!”

“What are you talking about?” Hearing this, Zheng Fu was truly shocked. He didn’t even care about the pain on his body. He struggled and jumped in front of the wooden fence. His eyes widened as he stared at Lu Zhen with disbelief.

Lu Zhen said in a very positive tone, staring into the other party’s eyes, “I say, Xiao Mo can’t save you anymore. You should just die this heart!”

“It’s not possible!” Zheng Fu immediately denied it loudly. However, his expression had already fallen into despair. It was obvious that he believed Lu Zhen’s words.

Lu Zhen clearly understood that attacking the enemy was attacking the heart!