Chapter 118: You Are a Commoner

"Jiangxing City is truly a famous major city in the Nanhua Domain; it is indeed wealthy and prosperous!"

Walking along the street, Shen Yu could not help but sigh with emotion. Even within the entire Nanhua Domain, Jiangxing City of Songnan Prefecture was a major city worth mentioning. Shops stood in rows on both sides of the street, the flow of people was like a weave, carriages and horses clattered by, and the bustling noise of prosperity rushed toward him.

The sound of hawking on the street was endless; miscellaneous goods and snacks could be seen everywhere. Looking up, one could see the flags of shops fluttering high everywhere. There were even bursts of cheers from the commoners directed at the street performers.

A river flowed through Changxing City, with small bridges and flowing water; on it, a thousand sails competed, and merchant ships followed one after another, making one feel as if they were in the middle of a magnificent painting. Its wealth and prosperity could be seen at a glance.

However, the beggars crouching and begging at the street corners were far more numerous than those he had seen before. Even in a relatively remote place like Baian County, where he started, there were not so many beggars.

Shen Yu knew very well in his heart that if they were not truly unable to survive, who would be willing to abandon their dignity and become a beggar? Beneath the prosperity of Jiangxing City lay the hardship and suffering of a large number of commoners.

"My lord, why are there so many people outside the Prefecture Office?"

Following the main road inside the city, the two soon arrived near the Prefecture Office. However, at this moment, many commoners were gathered outside the Prefecture Office, and many were discussing something. Moreover, looking at their appearance, it seemed that those shaking their heads and sighing were in the majority.

"Let's go, let's go take a look!" Passing through the crowd, Shen Yu also saw the situation inside the Prefecture Office. At this time, the Prefect of Songnan Prefecture, Zhuo Yutang, was sitting upright in the main hall, and two other people were standing below the hall; they should be in the middle of a trial.

"Clack!" The sound of a gavel rang out. "Gu Mao, Scholar He says that this morning, while he was away, you broke into his home and defiled his wife's purity. In her shame and anger, the He family's wife threw herself into a well and died! Regarding Scholar He's accusation, do you plead guilty?"

"My lord, Scholar He's words are complete nonsense!" Gu Mao, who was below the hall, appeared extremely arrogant at this moment. He did not show the slightest bit of nervous emotion, appearing even more haughty than the Prefect on the bench.

"My lord, the young mistress of the He family and I hit it off at first sight. We were in love; it was the young mistress of the He family who threw herself into my arms. Where does this talk of defiling her purity come from?"

"You, you, you beast!" At this moment, Scholar He's eyes were splitting with rage, and he lunged forward. "You not only took my wife's life, but now you want to ruin her reputation after her death! I'll fight you to the death!"

"Seeking death!" With a cold snort, Gu Mao went straight up and kicked him. Scholar He, who had just lunged forward, was kicked down directly by Gu Mao's blow, rolling several times before stopping.

Struggling to climb up, blood seeped from the corner of Scholar He's mouth; it was clear he had been kicked quite hard. Yet he remained relentless, wanting to lunge forward again.

"Order!" With a strike of the gavel, Zhuo Yutang on the bench was clearly angered by this scene and shouted coldly, "What do you think this place is? Everyone, stop at once!"

"My lord, you must uphold justice for this student!"

"My lord!" Gu Mao glanced at Scholar He with disdain and then said loudly, "The young mistress of the He family told me before that Scholar He had already written her a letter of divorce. In other words, there was no longer any connection between them."

"So, no matter what happened between us, it was natural, reasonable, and fair. As for why the young mistress of the He family jumped into a well to commit suicide, I suspect that perhaps this poor scholar He Zhongquan forced her to do it for the sake of his face!"

Speaking of this, Gu Mao could not help but shake his head and say, "Scholar He is the type of person who cares most about face; everyone knows this. Once the young mistress of the He family was with me, he was naturally unhappy. So, it is eight or nine parts likely that it was under his coercion that the young mistress of the He family jumped into the well!"

"Prefect, the case is already very clear. The person was killed by this Scholar He!"

"You, you, complete nonsense!" At this time, Scholar He was so angry that he could not even speak clearly. "My wife and I have always been loving; when did I ever write her a letter of divorce? Slander, you are slandering me!"

"You say you didn't write it, but I say you did!"

"Order, everyone be silent for this official!" With a strike of the gavel, Zhuo Yutang said expressionlessly, "Scholar He, you say you have never written a letter of divorce; do you have any evidence?"

"This, this, how can there be evidence for such a thing? And why would there need to be proof! My wife was someone I married with a formal proposal and an eight-bearer sedan chair; how could I ever divorce her?"

"Scholar He, your word alone is not enough to be believed. Furthermore, regardless of the reason, your wife did indeed commit suicide!"

Shaking his head, Zhuo Yutang then said, "This official already knows the cause and effect. The He family's wife died by suicide, which has nothing to do with anyone else!"

"Therefore, this official declares that the evidence in the case of Gu Mao forcing the He family's wife to her death is insufficient, and thus Gu Mao is acquitted. Scholar He, regarding the matter of your wife, although this official expresses deep sorrow, I am unable to help!"

"What?" Hearing such an almost absurd verdict, Scholar He was full of shock, followed by a surge of anger. "My lord, you cannot disregard the laws of the country just because he is the steward of Vice Minister Gu's household. This student does not accept this!"

"Enough, this official has already delivered the verdict. Scholar He, you must not bring ruin upon yourself!"

"You, you corrupt official! Zhuo Yutang, as a Prefect, you are in cahoots with these people and oppress the commoners. A corrupt official like you is unworthy of being a scholar. One day, you will..."

"Presumptuous!" Seeming to have been poked in the heart, Zhuo Yutang appeared somewhat irritable at this moment, and his complexion was even more unsightly than words could express.

"This official acts uprightly and sits straight. In all these years, when have I ever taken a single coin in bribes? In the main hall, you dare to slander this official. Scholar He, what crime do you deserve?"

"Slander? Hahaha! What a joke! Go and ask around yourself; is what I said slander? Do you know what those commoners call you? They call you a lapdog, a dog for those powerful and noble people!"

At this point, He Zhongquan seemed to have completely given up, and his whole person appeared extremely manic. At this moment, the last bit of restraint he had as a scholar was cast aside. Now, he just wanted to be reckless; even if he were to die, it would be more satisfying than being so stifled.

The case is so obvious, yet this corrupt official is still playing dumb. Do you think the commoners are all fools, to be fooled by you at will?

"Scholar He, you are bold!"

"Today I am bold! Zhuo Yutang, you may not have taken a single coin in bribes, but you are nothing more than a person who occupies a position without doing any work. Ask your conscience, in all these years, have you ever done one thing for the commoners!"

"As a Prefect of a region, you only know how to play with words and pretend to be noble. When you see ordinary commoners, you are high and mighty, holding onto your status. When you see high officials and nobles, you wag your tail and beg, groveling and kneeling. A person like you, are you worthy of being a scholar? Are you worthy of being an official of the imperial court?"

"You, you!" Pointing at Scholar He, Prefect Zhuo Yutang wanted to say something but was so angry that he could not utter a single word. Finally, in a fit of rage, he threw all the command tallies from his desk to the ground.

"Men, beat him for this official, beat him heavily!"

Seeing the Prefect in such a state, the Yamen Runners naturally dared not be slow. They dragged Scholar He to the side, and the heavy boards were about to be brought down.

"Slow down!" Just at this moment, the board in the Yamen Runner's hand was grabbed by Shen Yu, who had come from outside. No matter how hard the other party tried, they could not move it even a fraction!

"Who are you, to dare disturb the Public Hall? Do you know what the crime is?"

"Disturbing the Public Hall?" With a light smile, Shen Yu glanced at the other party with disdain and said calmly, "This official is the newly appointed Prefect of Songnan Prefecture. How can there be any talk of disturbing the Public Hall!"

"Presumptuous! This official is the Prefect of Songnan Prefecture. Who exactly are you, to dare impersonate an official of the imperial court!"

"Impersonate?" Taking the Ministry of Personnel document from his bosom, Shen Yu threw it directly over. "Prefect Zhuo, see for yourself. This is an official document from the imperial court. From today on, this official is transferred to be the Prefect of Songnan Prefecture, in charge of all affairs in Songnan Prefecture!"

"This, this, is it actually true?" Holding the Ministry of Personnel document before his eyes, Zhuo Yutang looked incredulous. He had never received any notification that someone was coming to replace him. How could someone suddenly appear and say that he had been replaced?

"Then what about this official? How has the imperial court arranged for me?"

"Oh, now that Prefect Zhuo mentions it, I almost forgot!" Reaching into his bosom, he took out another document and threw it over. "This is the imperial court's document dismissing you, delivered to Prefect Zhuo together. From today on, Prefect Zhuo is a commoner!"

"A, a commoner? This is impossible!"