Chapter 121: Public Anger

"Prefect Shen, even a journey of a thousand miles must come to an end; let us part ways here!"

Shen Yu coming to see him off touched Zhuo Yutang quite deeply, and at the moment of parting, he revealed his true feelings.

Seeing Shen Yu's excessively youthful face, Zhuo Yutang could not help but warn him, "Prefect Shen, you have moved against the Gu Family. Those people are extremely insidious in their methods; you must be very careful!"

"Rest assured, Prefect Zhuo, I have noted it!"

"By the way, there is actually one more thing!" Zhuo Yutang, who was just about to leave, hesitated for a moment before saying, "This matter has actually been hidden in my heart; I do not know if I should speak of it or not."

"Please speak freely, Prefect Zhuo!"

"In truth, for these past years, I have been observing one thing. A large number of commoners in Songnan Prefecture have been oppressed by several great families year-round, so I do not know how many people have become beggars each year, yet the number of beggars on the streets does not seem to increase."

"What do you mean, Prefect Zhuo?"

"I mean exactly what I said. These people disappear for no reason! Most of the beggars seen on the streets now are new faces; many old faces have vanished and never appeared again."

"Are you saying, Prefect Zhuo, that people have actually been disappearing in Songnan Prefecture all along, yet no one has noticed?"

"Correct!" Nodding, Zhuo Yutang wore a face full of gravity and said slowly, "Commoners who have become beggars can no longer be considered ordinary citizens. These beggar children are like trash on the side of the road; even if they disappear, no one will ask after them!"

"Moreover, although I have been secretly investigating these matters, I do not have people I trust enough in my hands, so there has been little progress. Sometimes, I even wonder if all of this is just my own illusion."

"To think there is such a thing!" Shen Yu frowned slightly. Of course, he did not believe this was all just an accident. These commoners could never have disappeared for no reason; there are many secrets hidden beneath the stagnant water of Songnan Prefecture.

However, some things are fine if they remain hidden, but once exposed, there must be traces to follow. That Zhuo Yutang had no one to use and could not find out does not mean he himself has no way.

"I understand; I will take note of all this!"

"That is good. Prefect Shen, I shall take my leave!" Looking back at Jiangxing City once more, this was the place where he had struggled for nearly ten years. To him, these ten years of wind and frost were like a dream he did not wish to recall.

Too much bitterness and helplessness were left here, and too many regrets remained.

"Very well, take care, Prefect Zhuo!"

After seeing off Zhuo Yutang, Shen Yu returned to the Prefecture Office and began to get to know the people there one by one. These people were veterans of Songnan Prefecture and would be very helpful for him to understand the prefecture more quickly.

However, it was no surprise that none of these people should be used. It was just that he currently had no suitable personnel to replace them; once he did, all of these people would have to be purged from the Prefecture Office.

To Shen Yu, in this massive Prefecture Office, the only ones who might be usable were those few who had gone to see off Zhuo Yutang. These people probably never imagined that by simply going to see someone off, they would be remembered by the new Prefect.

"Boom, boom!" In the early morning, a burst of drum sounds arrived, causing Shen Yu to quickly dress in his official robes and head to the Public Hall. Once the drums sound, someone must be lodging a complaint. As a newly appointed official, he dared not be negligent.

However, what surprised Shen Yu somewhat was that the people who arrived were a dense crowd, roughly at least several hundred people. So many people were even carrying tools like hoes; no matter how one looked at it, they were here with ill intent!

"My Lord, the people who have come should be from Lin Family Town. The commoners in this town mostly share the same ancestry. They have a fierce folk style and sometimes do not even give face to the Prefecture Office!"

"Is that so?" It was one thing for those great families to not give face, but now even the ordinary commoners from a town often did not give face to the Prefecture Office; Zhuo Yutang's tenure as Prefect was truly not just ordinarily unsuccessful.

"It's him, it's him who killed my wife and child, it's him!"

The moment Shen Yu appeared, someone in the crowd shouted, the voice filled with a heart-rending hatred. It was as if they wished to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

Before Shen Yu could react, he was already surrounded by the dense crowd.

"All of you, shut up!" With a cold shout, the aura belonging to a Grandmaster Realm expert was released, and the surrounding people were instantly terrified. Everyone suddenly felt their bodies trembling uncontrollably, yet they still stubbornly gripped the items in their hands.

"Who can tell this official what exactly has happened?"

"You corrupt official! Yesterday you went to my Lin Family Town, defiled my wife's purity, and afterwards not only killed to silence her, but you didn't even spare my three-year-old child! He was just a child, how could you be so cruel!"

"You corrupt official, I want you to pay for this in blood!"

"A pack of lies! Yesterday, this official had just taken office and spent the entire night reviewing the files and gazetteers of Songnan Prefecture; everyone in the Prefecture Office can testify to this!"

After speaking, Shen Yu swept his cold eyes over everyone; the sense of oppression emanating from him was definitely not something an ordinary person could withstand.

"My Lord, we, we don't know. We all went home last night; we don't know if you were in the Prefecture Office or what you were doing!"

"What?" At this moment, the Yamen Runner behind him suddenly spoke, causing Shen Yu's expression to change. He turned his head sharply to look at the people of the Prefecture Office behind him. Shen Yu truly did not expect them to stab him in the back at this moment, and this stab undoubtedly drew blood.

And at this moment, Shen Yu also understood that he seemed to have fallen into a trap. And these people from the Prefecture Office were undoubtedly all accomplices!

"Good, you corrupt official, you have nothing to say now, right? It was you who harmed my wife and child, I will kill you!" As he spoke, the man directly swung the shoulder pole in his hand down fiercely, aiming for Shen Yu's forehead.

If an ordinary person were hit solidly by this, it would at least result in a broken head and bleeding; if the blow were heavier, it could even kill.

Subconsciously, Shen Yu blocked it with his hand. Unexpectedly, the man took the opportunity to fall to the ground, his head hitting the floor heavily, even causing blood to seep from his head. The blood flowed down and covered his face, making him look exceptionally ferocious.

Afterwards, the man wailed loudly on the ground, "The government is beating people! The government is beating people! These officials are bullying us too much; not only did they kill my wife and daughter, but now they want to kill me to silence me! Everyone, charge! Beat this corrupt official to death!"

"Charge! The officials are bullying us people of Lin Family Town; do they really think we are easy to bully!"

It was this very sentence that completely ignited all the commoners. So many people surged forward in a swarm, throwing shoulder poles, sticks, and even rotten eggs. In the heat of public anger, it was no surprise that they would do anything.

For Shen Yu, these commoners could not cause him the slightest harm, but it made him feel extremely aggrieved. Since he arrived in this World, he had never felt so aggrieved, and it was also the first time someone had thrown rotten eggs at him.

A fine show of force; he would remember this grudge!

At this moment, the man pretending to have a broken head quietly retreated to the back of the crowd and whispered, "How was my acting? Can the reward we agreed upon..."

"Good, no problem, come here!" Several people in the crowd exchanged glances and quietly approached him, their bodies blocking the view of most people. Then, a dagger was thrust in fiercely; in an instant, blood sprayed out.

"You, why!"

"Hmph, how could acting alone be enough? Only if you are truly dead can this matter be perfect. Rest assured, we have already sent your wife and child on their way!"

"You, you all!" With wide eyes, Lin Xiaowu's eyes split with rage as he slowly collapsed, his face full of unwillingness and hatred.

Only at this moment did he realize how ridiculous it was to seek skin from a tiger. From the very beginning, they never intended for him to live; in the end, not only did he not get a single cent, but he had personally pushed his own family into danger.

Looking at the person who had already ceased to breathe, the few men gave a cold laugh and then shouted loudly, "Xiaowu is dead! The government people killed him! Everyone, avenge Xiaowu!"