Chapter 277: Not Bad!

"Are you talking about me?"

Just at this moment, a voice drifted over from outside, and immediately following it, a figure arrived in a flash, standing right before them.

"Shen, Lord Shen!" Facing the suddenly appearing figure, County Magistrate Chen Zhao trembled uncontrollably, shaking all over as he stood up, wanting to kneel and kowtow immediately.

Yet he discovered he was being forcibly held up by a force, preventing him from kneeling. It's over, did he not have a chance anymore!

"I dare not, how could I dare to trouble the County Magistrate to address me as such!"

"This subordinate is terrified, this subordinate, this subordinate is guilty. My Lord, could you please spare my wife? Everything has nothing to do with her..."

Facing Shen Yu, County Magistrate Chen Zhao could not stop his whole body from trembling, feeling as if his time of Life and Death had arrived. The rumors about this Lord Shen were like thunder in his ears; which official targeted by him had ever survived?

Although he considered himself an upright official, he could not manage to be unafraid of the powerful and the influential.

Over these years, the various compromises he had been forced to make out of helplessness might very well be unforgivable in the eyes of those so-called loyal and righteous men.

How many people could understand the pressure borne by these officials from humble backgrounds who had no backing and no confidence?

So be it; dying at the hands of Lord Shen was better than dying at the hands of those hypocritical, treacherous villains.

"Who said I was going to kill you? Sit!"

Waving his hand at Chen Zhao, Shen Yu also had some opinions about this County Magistrate, subconsciously feeling that his backbone was too soft.

He had heard the conversation between the husband and wife clearly from outside, and he also knew that this County Magistrate was not the type to be corrupt or break the law.

It was just that for so many years, he had been dissembling and compromising with his superiors and those bullies who could not be offended, and Chen Zhao's backbone had already softened. Facing the powerful, he simply dared not resist.

Take recent events, for example: it was clearly not that young girl's fault, and clearly everyone knew it, yet he still had to feign ignorance while knowing the truth.

Now, the entire Santu City was discussing this matter, and they were practically stabbing him in the back.

Shen Yu was also very clear that Chen Zhao doing this was definitely a choice made out of helplessness.

But whether it was to protect that young girl or to appease the Prefect's fury, the final result was that kind people were punished while the guilty remained at large.

This matter actually could not be blamed on him, and Shen Yu fully understood this point. He could be dissatisfied with such things, but he could not judge the other party from a high and mighty position.

In all honesty, if he were in the same position, equally powerless, without any trump cards, without any background, and without any means, would he really dare to stand against the powerful?

Although he wanted to say "I dare," that he had an iron backbone and feared neither the powerful nor Life and Death, he knew very well in his heart that there were very few who truly dared.

It was just like how everyone on the internet was a hero, bragging more impressively than the next, but once in reality, even when encountering a robber with a knife, how many could stand up? Let alone facing the powerful who could decide one's Life and Death with a single word.

If Chen Zhao dared to resist firmly, what would greet him would be endless retaliation.

Facing the superior of his superior, the other party didn't even need to come forward themselves, nor did they need to reveal any corresponding intentions. Those below who wanted to curry favor and suck up would be enough to finish him off.

Afterwards, this Prefect might even express some regret to him, saying, "I didn't signal you to do this, why did you do it? County Magistrate Chen was a good official."

And then, shedding a few crocodile tears, as for those who did the dirty work for him, after a scolding and a lecture, they might be promoted and get rich before long.

How could one fight? Could one really drag the whole family into the water? Who could truly have such courage? Even if Chen Zhao dared to resist, would the result really be any better?

Chen Zhao, this County Magistrate, had long been polished into smoothness by reality; he knew better than anyone what the consequences of not being able to hold out were.

Acting on impulse for a moment of anger would not only implicate himself, but the woman's end would be even more miserable. By then, it wouldn't just be as simple as being exiled a thousand miles.

Reality was just this helpless, forcing him to have no choice but to bow!

"I hear that for these years, Santu has been relatively peaceful and prosperous, and you, as County Magistrate, have made no small contribution!"

"This subordinate is terrified!"

"You indeed should be terrified!" Glancing at Chen Zhao, Shen Yu then said, "I just heard about the case involving the Prefect's son recently!"

"This subordinate, this subordinate..." Hearing Shen Yu bring this up, Chen Zhao trembled again, stammering and not knowing how to start.

With this kind of courage, a scholar is useless!

"I have seen the young girl you exiled; go and bring her back, and tell them I have taken over this case!"

"Also, is this Prefect's son still in Santu City? If he is, bring him over as well!"

"Yes, yes, the Prefect's son, no, the criminal Yan Ying is still in Santu City; he is currently suffering from serious injuries and it is inconvenient for him to leave."

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Chen Zhao hurriedly said to Yang Yan at his side: "Quick, go and bring her back, and also send men to bring the Prefect's son here, quick!!"

Chief Constable Yang Yan did not dare to delay and hurriedly left in a rush. In the room, only Shen Yu and the couple Chen Zhao remained.

For Chen Zhao, every minute spent with Shen Yu was a torment; whether he would live or die, could he at least make a sound?

"My Lord, this case..."

"You don't need to worry about this case. By the way, how much do you know about this Prefect of yours?"

"This..." The couple looked at each other, not knowing how to answer.

"My Lord, the Prefect is my husband's superior, so he dares not judge him, but this commoner woman is not afraid. This Prefect deserves to die!"

"Wife!" He carefully tugged at his wife's sleeve, but she pulled it away, revealing a firm expression to her husband.

If they didn't report him now, what were they waiting for? Waiting for this Prefect to retaliate against them? He couldn't retaliate against Shen Yu, but couldn't he retaliate against the two of them?

"Deserves to die?" A woman actually dared to tell him the Prefect deserved to die; this courage alone was stronger than that of Chen Zhao, the County Magistrate.

"In what way does he deserve to die?"

"My Lord, you may not know, but three years ago, a great flood submerged the surrounding three counties. Nearly thirty percent of the people in Wuying County starved to death; hundreds of thousands of people just starved to death, isolated and helpless."

"The County Magistrate of Wuying County opened the official granary to provide grain and save the people, but was instead killed by the Prefect for the crime of privately opening the official granary!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Raising his head, Shen Yu became interested and then said, "Continue!"

"My Lord, privately opening the official granary is indeed an unforgivable crime. But were we to just watch so many people starve to death?"

"If even a single boat of disaster relief grain had reached Wuying County, the County Magistrate of Wuying County would not have had to do that, and Wuying County would not have had so many people starve to death."

"But all the disaster relief grain and funds were withheld by the Prefect. Not only that, he colluded with grain merchants to raise grain prices and resold the disaster relief funds. The magistrates of the other two counties were also in collusion with him!"

"As a result, more than seventy percent of the people in those two counties starved to death. Bones were scattered across a hundred miles, and the people had to trade children to eat just to barely survive."

"On the contrary, in Wuying County, the County Magistrate not only refused the Prefect but also called on all the officials in the city to donate grain for the people, and even took out all the grain stored in his own home. If the people had nothing to eat, he would not eat."

"Nearly thirty percent of the people in Wuying County starved to death, but four or five out of ten officials starved to death. By the time the Wuying County Magistrate was arrested, he was already on the verge of death from hunger."

"Yet even so, he was still killed. Just because he could not possibly cooperate."

"A County Magistrate who cooperates sees the commoners under their rule nearly wiped out, yet they are able to get promoted and grow rich. A County Magistrate who does not cooperate protects the commoners, yet they end up with their head hung for public display; such a good official is just beheaded like that!"

"In the entire Luyun Prefecture, which official still dares not to cooperate, which official still dares to act as master for the people."

Speaking to this point, the County Magistrate's wife bowed deeply to Shen Yu, "Therefore, this common woman says the Prefect deserves to die. Even if Your Honor wants to kill this common woman, this common woman must still say it!"

"You have much more courage than your husband; you dare to act and dare to speak. This County Magistrate position should be held by you instead!"

"Your Honor is joking; this common woman is merely a woman, after all!"

"Who says women are inferior to men!"