The Diao family members in the hall were dumbfounded. Even if they were confused, they knew that Fang Yun might use drastic measures!
It was not until this time that they vaguely realized that this Fang Yun was different from previous officials.
A member of the Diao family hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, this matter has nothing to do with us common people! We are just here to serve as witnesses, we didn't do anything."
"There are no good people in Changxi Village! Perjury is a crime, and so is murder. Come, take all these people to jail and retry them tomorrow!"
Several members of the Diao family wanted to make a scene, but when they thought of the fate of Diao Nengchen and his mother, they immediately gave up the idea.
An old man said with a gloomy face: "Master Fang, don't forget that this is Ning'an City. You are a virtual saint, but you are also a county magistrate! If you can't be a county magistrate, you can forget about this year's top scholar!"
"Oh, can't you recognize that this county has put on the imperial uniform?" Fang Yun stood up and walked out.
The old man stared at Fang Yun with wide eyes, speechless.
Watching Fang Yun and a large number of officials leave the county government office, the Diao family slowly stood up and followed the yamen runners and walked slowly.
"Oh no, what should we do? It looks like he's going to Changxi Village to arrest someone!"
"Don't be afraid! Let alone a Hanlin, even if he is a Grand Secretary, what can he do? The Left Prime Minister is powerful enough. When he was the governor of Mizhou, he didn't dare to do anything to Changxi Village!"
"Yes! If thousands of people from Changxi Village come to the county government office to cause trouble, I don't believe he will be able to sit still!"
"Aren't all officials like this? They treat us like pigs, dogs, cows and sheep. As long as we unite, we are not afraid of the people above us, nor the people below us! Back then, the taxes in Mizhou were too heavy, and the people in the town were so anxious that they buried the mayor alive, which caused a stir in the court and the public. It was even reported in the Wen Bao, and finally forced them to exempt taxes. If it weren't for those people, our lives would be even more miserable now!"
"Yes! I don't believe Fang Yun is not afraid! I don't believe he doesn't want to be an official!"
The bailiff who was holding them could not help but sneer, "What a bunch of idiots! Our Xiaofang County Magistrate came to Ning'an not to be an official! After the palace examination, he will go directly to the Holy Academy. When he comes back from the Holy Academy, he will either be a governor or a minister of one of the six ministries. How can he be scared by a small village like you?"
"We, the county magistrate of Xiaofang, only treat people as human beings. You, the people of Changxi Village, are a bunch of beasts. Are you worthy of being compared with the heroes who buried the mayor alive?"
"Our master is already a Hanlin, how could he be afraid of you! If you have the time, you should just pray that you can return to Changxi Village alive."
Fang Yun led all the officials toward the east gate of the city. Along the way, he kept sending letters and issuing orders, asking the private soldiers and palace soldiers of Ning'an City to gather in the east of the city, and ordered all officials of different ranks and relevant clerks to follow.
Led by Fang Yun, the officials marched in a mighty procession. The civilians had no idea what was going on and hurriedly hid. When they recognized Fang Yun, they hurriedly greeted him, and some even knelt down to pay respect.
Before he could leave the east gate of the city, other officials from the Holy Court stationed in Ning'an County came together. They used their talents to convey messages and persuade Fang Yun, especially Tang Hanlin from the Criminal Hall, who was the most anxious.
"Saint Fang Xu, you must not act on impulse! You will soon be the top eight scholar, and you may even become the top ten scholar. This is the highest honor. If you delay it because of a mere Changxi Village, it will be more trouble than gain! I heard that the great scholar of the Saint Academy also reminded you, you must not make a mistake!"
Fang Yun didn't say anything either.
Tang Hanlin had no choice but to say, "If you must deal with Changxi Village, why not wait until the palace examination is over and the top ten scholars are in your hands? If you do this, how will the officials see you in the future? Being an official requires being humble and modest!"
"I seem to have said more than once that I am different from you. I came to Ning'an not to be an official!" Fang Yun answered calmly, and without using his talent to transmit his voice, he spoke in front of everyone.
"Then... then how do you plan to deal with the people of Changxi Village?" Tang Hanlin asked.
"Laws must be obeyed, violations must be punished, and law enforcement must be strict!" Fang Yun said.
"But... that's a village!" Tang Hanlin said.
"The village is the basic administrative structure of the human race. When the light of the law cannot shine on a village, it means that there is a big problem in the country!" Fang Yun said.
"Don't you think about it? It's just a village. Can the Left Prime Minister and the King really do nothing about them? Even great scholars have to bow their heads before the imperial power!" said Tang Hanlin.
"If the whole village is destroyed and the top leaders know it but still don't care, there are only two possibilities. The first possibility is that they are useless! The high-ranking officials can govern the country, but if they can't do anything about a village, then they are useless, right? However, I don't think they are useless, so I naturally think of the second possibility, that they don't care! They don't care about these abducted women, they don't care about the killed yamen runners, and they don't care about the millions of ordinary people!"
Tang Hanlin wanted to refute, but he couldn't say it out loud.
Fang Yun continued, "They are so high up in the clouds, how could they care about the lives of the people! As long as the people don't rebel, they will treat the people like pigs and dogs! If the daughter of the left prime minister was abducted and sold to Changxi Village and killed by a group of beasts, what would happen to the left prime minister? If the right prime minister was hit and killed by a carriage on the street, what would happen to the cabinet? It is precisely because they will not be hurt in this way that they don't care!"
"What if they care?" Tang Hanlinwen said.
"Then they are trash." Fang Yun said mercilessly.
Some of the officials present were extremely excited and supported Fang Yun, while others were full of helplessness. This was a truth known to everyone, but it could not be said out loud, and only Fang Yun dared to say it.
"This county doesn't have that much time to wait, nor does it have that much time to tangle with them. Since you dare to do such a heartless thing in front of this county, don't blame me for killing you!"
"Alas... You must act with caution. If you stir up a hornet's nest, you will probably be criticized by many people." Tang Hanlin said.
"If I don't do anything, then the Left Prime Minister, the Zong Family, or the Lei Family won't attack? If we compromise because of them, it means that this county has already lost!"
After Fang Yun finished speaking, he looked into the distance at the sky.
"No one in this world can make this Saint bow his head!"
The crowd was even more unable to refute. Even the Dragon Saint of the West Sea wanted to harm Fang Yun but failed, and he even lost the Ancestral Dragon's Sacred Fang. There were people who could kill Fang Yun, but there was no one who could make Fang Yun bow his head.
The official seal that was being transported kept moving along the way, which was a phenomenon caused by too many letters being delivered.
But Fang Yun didn't even look at it.
Outside the east of the city, Fang Yun's private soldiers and three thousand government troops had already gathered, as well as many empty ox carts.
When the cattle and horses saw Fang Yun, they all lowered their heads instinctively.
Fang Yun is the Dragon Duke, a high-ranking member of the dragon clan.
Fang Yun ordered the officials present to get in the car, and then he got into the Longma luxury car himself.
"Heading towards Changxi Village!"
Fang Yun felt a little lonely sitting in the empty carriage.
"Ao Huang is probably still training in the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea."
"If Peng Zouzhao had not died in the battle and had been blessed by the God of Literature, he would have been promoted to Grand Secretary by now. The Southern Saint would have healed his arms."
"Mr. Guo's granddaughter-in-law is about to give birth..."
The reason why Fang Yun left the Holy Court quickly was that he didn't want to meet the families of the dead in Sangu.
Fang Yun closed his eyes and silently recited Confucius' Six Classics, slowly eliminating the hidden dangers that might be caused by being promoted to Hanlin too quickly.
It has been less than two years since he went from being a student to a Hanlin. Without long-term accumulation and polishing, it is difficult for his talent to remain stable.
Nearly two hours later, the driver reminded: "Sir, Changxi Village is almost here."
Fang Yun opened the curtain and looked outside.
It was late at night, with a half moon in the sky. The demon commander Ying Cang was flying in the sky. As a private soldier given by Zhang Poyue to Fang Yun, Ying Cang had always been loyal to his duties.
The village ahead was dotted with lights, and looked no different from an ordinary village. It seemed very quiet in the night, but who would have known that every household here had a cellar and a prison.
Fang Yun watched for a long time, and then used his talent to transmit the message, ordering three thousand soldiers to surround the village.
The military strategist Hanlin used his tactics vigorously and decisively. In the dark night, three thousand soldiers surrounded Changxi Village like two big hands.
Fang Yun said: "Please be careful of the rebels in the Punishment Hall."
There was no one in the sky, only the sound of the howling wind.
Afterwards, Fang Yun's tongue burst into spring thunder.
"Someone has reported that Changxi Village is trafficking in people, abusing and killing young children, raping women, setting up private prisons, openly resisting the law, and even colluding with demons. Fang Yun from this county has come here to investigate in order to clear Changxi Village's name. According to our country's laws, surrendering yourself will be reduced by one level, and reporting and informing on others will be reduced by another level. I hope all villagers will surrender and report actively. This county will give you a quarter of an hour to think about it. After a quarter of an hour, once all suspects are convicted, their crimes will be increased by one level!"
Fang Yun was already a Hanlin, and the power of his tongue had reached a new level. His voice was like thunder, echoing over Changxi Village, rolling three times before stopping.
The specially made luminous pearls rose high into the sky, illuminating the entire Changxi Village like daylight.
Fang Yun lowered the curtains and said, "The car will be parked at the entrance of the village for a quarter of an hour."
"Yes, sir."
Fang Yun continued to close his eyes and rest.
Gradually, there were chaotic noises coming from the front, which became more and more chaotic, and someone even started swearing.
Fang Yun ignored him and continued to wait.
Just after a quarter of an hour, Fang Yun got off the carriage.
All the officials were waiting in front of the carriage.
Fang Yun nodded and walked towards the village.
There is a wide avenue at the entrance of the village, with trees on both sides. The avenue is crowded with Changxi villagers.
There are women holding babies, their eyes numb; there are old men smoking dry pipes, their faces silent; there are young men holding weapons, full of vigilance...
People of all kinds gathered in the front, almost everyone holding farm tools or weapons.
Fang Yun glanced at the front row of old men and said, "Where is the village chief? Come out and talk."
"I'm Diao Zhili, and I'm here to meet Magistrate Fang!" The old man casually bowed to Fang Yun without any courtesy.
Fang Yun looked at the old man carefully. He was wearing a gorgeous silk robe, had white hair but looked energetic, his face was full of wrinkles but his back was straight, and his cloudy eyes were filled with cold vigilance.
"Village Chief Diao, since your name is 'Zhili', you must be polite and law-abiding. Are you bringing the entire village here to surrender yourself?" Wucuo Novel Network does not skip words.
The officials behind Fang Yun secretly groaned. Fang Yun was really fearless and was simply saying that the whole village was guilty. To the officials, one person was not important, one family was not important, and even the people on the road were not important, but the people of the whole village were a powerful force that made the local officials afraid to act rashly. (To be continued...)