The Shijie Village Turmoil Finally Ends; Song Jiang's Ruthlessness in Yuncheng Count

"So it's Commander Huang!" Liu Lu politely bowed to Huang An. Although Huang An was only a nominal commander, he was a true fifth-rank official, while Liu Lu, though the magistrate of Dongping County, was only a seventh-rank official! In terms of rank, Liu Lu was two ranks lower!

"Magistrate Liu, what has happened?" Huang An walked up to Liu Lu and asked in a low voice.

Liu Lu sneered inwardly. This Huang Anba had come as his brother-in-law, yet he dared to pretend to ask him questions! Just as he was about to speak, a wailing voice rang out, "Magistrate, we've been wronged! Magistrate, we've been wronged! We beg you, Magistrate, to do us justice!"

Liu Lu frowned. Claiming innocence now would only invite trouble, wouldn't it? But with so many people, he couldn't afford to make a scene. He could only say, "Who is claiming innocence? What grievance do you have? Speak quickly!"

The people around them started talking and pointing at each other!

Three burly men ran over from a distance, crying, "Your Honor, our mother has been taken away by Lai Wu, and we haven't seen her since!" If Song Jiang were here, he would surely laugh; the three Ruan brothers' acting skills were absolutely Oscar-worthy!

Liu Lu glanced at Huang An, then said to the three Ruan brothers, "Tell me exactly what happened!"

Ruan Xiaoer spoke first, recounting how Lai Wu had kidnapped his mother and threatened his three brothers to kidnap Wang Yuanwai's daughter near the Water God Temple!

Some of the villagers nearby also testified, after all, Lai Wu took advantage of the absence of the three Ruan brothers to brazenly abduct people, some of whom had witnessed it with their own eyes, and some villagers had also witnessed the three Ruan brothers later in the vicinity of the Water God Temple, so it could not be faked!

This also shows Ruan Xiaoqi's cleverness. When she left Ruan Xiaoer to find Song Jiang, it was already dark, and not many people saw her. After leaving Liangshan, she quietly rowed back to Ruan Xiaoer's side, so many villagers didn't think much of it. How could they know that Ruan Xiaoqi had left? After all, normally if you see two people in a room, and then a while later only one person is left, your subconscious reaction might be that the other person went to the toilet or simply moved out of your sight. When they reappear shortly afterward, you wouldn't even realize that they might have left!

After a moment's hesitation, Liu Lu spoke truthfully: "These bodies were just discovered. We don't know if your mother is among them. We only hope that your mother is safe and sound. I will also send people to look for her. But if something bad happens, please accept our condolences!" Liu Lu meant to give them some hope, but that their mother might be among these charred bodies, and to give them a heads-up in advance.

Upon hearing this, the three Ruan brothers were outraged and immediately began to argue! Many villagers nearby joined in the commotion, and the scene became incredibly noisy and chaotic, making it difficult for Liu Lu to control the situation!

Just then, a voice suddenly appeared from nowhere and said, "Lai Wu forced Liang into prostitution and oppressed the innocent. The county magistrate is our official, and we hope that you will do us justice and give us a fair chance!" These words were like stirring up a hornet's nest, and many people cried out that they were wronged!

Liu Lu wasn't exactly a corrupt official, and he'd heard rumors about Lai Wu before, but since no one had reported it to the authorities, he hadn't bothered to investigate further. He never imagined it would escalate to this point. Remembering that he was, after all, a local official, he couldn't shirk his responsibility! A surge of heroic spirit welled up within him, and he shouted, "Don't worry, I will definitely give you justice!"

Huang An was also in a terrible predicament, cursing his wife inwardly for causing him so much trouble. But could he even leave now? He could only pray that Liu Lu would be perceptive!

Unexpectedly, Liu Lu pointed at Huang An and said, "This Commander Huang is Lai Wu's brother-in-law. He will definitely give you justice today, won't he, Commander?"

Huang An cursed Liu Lu a thousand times in his heart, but he couldn't say he was irresponsible now. Lai Wu had angered the public and caused widespread resentment. Now that he was dead, he was still causing trouble for him. What a damned beast!

Huang An coughed and said loudly, "Since I am Lai Wu's brother-in-law, I will definitely give everyone an explanation for his matter!"

Liu Lu also spoke up at the opportune moment: "Everyone can come to me and tell me about the crimes committed by Lai Wu. I will negotiate with Magistrate Huang. Of course, if anyone lies and tries to cheat for compensation, and I find out, they will not be let off lightly!"

The noise subsided slightly. There were some attention-seekers and others looking to take advantage of the situation—after all, the man was dead, they could just make up a story. But after hearing Liu Lu's words, their thoughts calmed down considerably. Of course, there were also those who genuinely harbored grudges, who loudly praised, "The magistrate is truly a paragon of justice reincarnated!"

Huang An inwardly groaned; he had finally managed to embezzle some silver, and now he would probably have to give it away!

Liu Lu seemed to see through Huang An's thoughts and whispered, "Commander Huang, Miss Wang and the Prefect's son are in love. Lai Wu's actions can be considered putting you in an unjust position. If he really makes a move on Miss Wang, it's fine if this matter doesn't come out, but if someone finds out and it reaches the Prefect, what do you think the Prefect will do?"

Huang An immediately broke out in a cold sweat; he had almost forgotten about this! It seemed that Lai Wu really deserved to die!

"Magistrate Liu, what about Lai Wu's death?" Huang An asked cautiously.

"We can't identify the killer, but there were several people involved. The body has gunshot and knife wounds, and the perpetrators were highly skilled!" Liu Lu reported truthfully. The coroner had already informed Liu Lu of the body's condition.

"Is it possible that the murderer also died inside?" Huang An asked a question that seemed almost idiotic.

Liu Lu smiled but didn't answer. Even an idiot would know the answer to that question!

Huang An chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "What I mean is, the murderer dies inside, and then the case is closed!" Huang An really didn't want to get involved in this matter again!

Liu Lu pondered for a moment and said, "Has Commander Huang thought this through? There might be your wife's brother among those people inside. Although they are all villains, it is my duty to investigate the facts!"

Huang An shook his head and said, "There's no need for that. If I'm dead, I'm dead. I hope Magistrate Liu can do me this favor!"

It's better to avoid trouble, and since the one who died was an unpopular tyrant, Liu Lu didn't want to get involved and nodded in agreement since Huang An had already said so!

"Magistrate Liu, the murderer won't come after me, will he?" Huang An asked his final question!

Liu Lu thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Probably not. The murderer must have a blood feud with Lai Wu. Now that he's taken revenge, he shouldn't hold a grudge against you, unless you've also offended him!"

This Liu Lu was trying to scare him, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Huang An was too lazy to pay attention to him and finally breathed a sigh of relief!

At this moment, Song Jiang, who was in Song Family Village, naturally had no idea what had happened. Of course, even if he did know, he would just laugh it off!

Eliminating Lai Wu was merely a way to rid the people of a scourge and incidentally conceal my own identity; there was nothing else to it!

The grains had already been soaked, and the next step was to make the yeast and ferment it. The process was quite complicated, but Song Jiang was a patient person and he also took notes on paper!

In the evening, Song Jiang was in charge of cooking as usual. Dinner was as lively as ever, especially with Hua Baoyan, who, like a lark, filled the table with laughter!

The next day, Song Jiang arrived at the Yuncheng County Government Office. He had been unconscious for several days and had not come to the county government office for six or seven days because of the Ruan brothers. Now, his official identity was still that of a clerk in Yuncheng, and he could not keep not coming to the county government office, otherwise it would arouse suspicion!

There was nothing much going on in the county these past few days, and everyone was quite idle. When Zhu Tong and Lei Heng arrived at the county government office, they were about to go on duty. Upon seeing Song Jiang, they were delighted at first, and then exchanged a few greetings. Since the two of them still had to patrol the streets, they agreed to get together around midnight!

At this moment, another person stepped forward and said, "Clerk, I've truly missed you terribly these past few days!"

Song Jiang was taken aback. Why were these words so ambiguous? Upon closer inspection, he saw a man with rosy lips and white teeth, fair skin, and quite handsome, but with a sinister look between his brows and a frivolous air about him, which did not leave a good impression!

Searching his memory, he remembered, wasn't this Zhang Wenyuan? He was his roommate, a clerk and a scribe, and he had taken good care of him in the past!

The thought of it was him made Song Jiang sneer inwardly. Zhang Wenyuan was indeed a complete scoundrel.

Song Jiang treated him well, but not only did he cheat on Song Jiang with Yan Poxi, but after Song Jiang killed Yan Poxi, he also kept instigating Yan Poxi's mother to sue Song Jiang, and kept complaining about Song Jiang to Shi Wenbin, asking him to send people to arrest Song Jiang. He completely forgot the kindness Song Jiang had shown him in the past!

You have to understand, everything Yan Poxi ate, wore, used, and lived in was provided by Song Jiang, while Zhang Wenyuan was essentially a complete freeloader. What difference was there between him and a dog? Song Jiang felt that even describing him as a dog that bites its master was an insult to dogs!

In his past life, Song Jiang had no interest in romantic relationships. Just because he was cuckolded didn't mean he could tolerate it now, especially with such a despicable person. Who knew how he might scheme against him behind his back in the future!

Thinking of this, Song Jiang felt an overwhelming killing intent. This Zhang Wenyuan must die!

Zhang Wenyuan shuddered and looked at Song Jiang, saying, "Clerk?"

Song Jiang composed himself and asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Wen Yuan?"

Zhang Wenyuan said with a fawning smile, "I met a young lady yesterday. You have no idea how wonderful she was!" He then chuckled.

Song Jiang smiled but did not answer!

Seeing that Song Jiang remained silent, Zhang Wenyuan gave an awkward smile and said, "I'd like to go take another look today, but I'm a little short on funds!"

So it turns out they wanted me to pay them some money and be a sucker!

Song Jiang didn't care much for money, but he wasn't stupid either. Nevertheless, he took out a little over an ounce of loose silver and handed it to Zhang Wenyuan, saying, "I came in a hurry today and didn't bring much. This is all you need. Take it first!"

Zhang Wenyuan accepted the silver with some disappointment, but Song Jiang was never one to lie and was known for his generosity and righteousness, so there was no reason for him to cheat him. As he left, he sighed and said, "I'll just have to endure it for a few more days!"

Song Jiang watched his departing figure with a cold laugh, when a voice came from behind him: "Gongming is here. Are you alright?"

Song Jiang looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who came was none other than Shi Wenbin, the magistrate of Yuncheng!