50: Section 50

Then he looked at the woman, observing her thick arms and thighs.

“Liu Laohei, the four of you, go and have your way with this woman now. I will bear all consequences!”

Chapter 59: The Key to the Evolution of Haoran Righteousness, the Power Of Will of the Common People!

Upon hearing your words, everyone was somewhat incredulous.

They almost suspected their ears had deceived them.

Liu Laohei also cautiously inquired.

“My Lord?”

“Do we really have to go and have our way with this woman?”

The others showed anticipation.

Evidently, they had never done anything so stimulating.

For a moment, there was an uproar in the main hall. The onlookers completely didn't understand why you would do this.

“How can a case be handled like this? How can officers do such a thing?”

“That’s right, what kind of judgment is this? Absurd, truly absurd!”

“I didn't expect the new County Magistrate to be such a person.”

“……”

Zheng Boyuan and other officials also spoke up to stop him.

“My Lord, this must not, absolutely must not happen!”

“My Lord, please reconsider. If this happens, how will the common people trust the County Government?”

“Doing this will harm the court’s reputation!”

Seeing this, you ignored them and continued to look at Liu Laohei and the other four.

“I told you to do it, so do it!”

“If anything happens, it’s on me!”

Upon hearing your assurance, Liu Laohei and the others no longer hesitated. They stripped off their clothes and began to act in the public hall.

However, because the woman had done farm work since childhood, even after being beaten fifty times with a plank, she was still full of energy. Lying on the ground, her legs and hands flailed wildly, making it almost impossible for Liu Laohei and the four others to get close to her.

After this continued for a while, you finally spoke.

“Alright, alright, the few of you, quickly retreat!”

Liu Laohei and the four others retreated with regret on their faces.

Clearly, they were upset that they hadn't succeeded.

The woman was also sweating profusely at this time, sitting on the ground and fanning herself continuously.

Seeing this, you immediately slammed the gavel.

“Bold scoundrel! How dare you frame a good person!”

“Just now, four strong and sturdy yamen runners couldn’t get close to you, yet you claim this frail merchant assaulted you in his home!”

“Clearly, you are making a false accusation!”

Upon hearing your words, everyone suddenly understood.

“So that’s how it is! Isn’t that right? In this situation, it’s clearly this peasant woman who framed someone else!”

“Yes, at first I thought this method was preposterous, but I didn’t expect it to actually work!”

“……”

Everyone chattered, making the peasant woman’s face turn pale. In the end, she could only admit that she had falsely accused the merchant.

Then, she recounted the entire story in detail.

It turned out that the peasant woman had an affair with the merchant while her husband was away. However, a few days ago, the merchant had to go to another place for business and wasn't expected to return, so he broke up with her.

Consequently, the peasant woman, driven by love turned to hate, immediately began to falsely accuse the merchant.

However, you noticed that the peasant woman kept looking at Zheng Boyuan when she spoke, and Zheng Boyuan turned his face away, looking livid.

Seeing this, you immediately understood that this peasant woman must have a connection with Zheng Boyuan.

“Come!”

“Find a doctor and treat this merchant well.”

“Take this peasant woman to death row and execute her tomorrow!”

The peasant woman had originally thought her crime wasn't punishable by death, but upon hearing your words, she immediately panicked.

“My Lord, My Lord, spare my life, My Lord!”

“It was Lord Zheng, Lord Zheng who told me to do it!”

At this point, the peasant woman had given up. She was going to die anyway, and she couldn't die unjustly like this!

Seeing this, you were quite satisfied in your heart, but you still showed a troubled expression.

“You bold, wicked woman, do you not know that slandering an imperial official is a capital offense!”

“How could Lord Zheng be as you say.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Boyuan's face was filled with anger, mixed with a hint of guilt.

“Bold, wicked woman, take her away!”

Seeing this, you stopped Zheng Boyuan for a moment.

“Lord Zheng, why the rush?”

“Why not hear what this wicked woman has to say? If it constitutes slander, a swift execution would be even faster, and it would save the County Government the cost of a last meal.”

Upon hearing your words, Zheng Boyuan was displeased, but with many Gulan County citizens watching, he couldn't go against public opinion.

If he forcibly stopped her, it would likely invite more criticism.

Subsequently, the peasant woman recounted in detail how Zheng Boyuan had instructed her to block the sedan chair, and all the benefits he had promised her afterward.

When they heard that Zheng Boyuan had actually tried to frame you in such a way, all the common people suddenly understood.

It turned out that Zheng Boyuan actually wanted to harm you in this way.

The common people were not unaware that most County Magistrates who came to their Gulan County met tragic ends, and they only thought it was bad luck. But now, after this exposure, everyone couldn't help but wonder what connection Zheng Boyuan had with these incidents.

“Take her away!”

“Take this peasant woman to death row!”

Zheng Boyuan, in a fit of rage, stood up directly and ordered the peasant woman to be taken away.

What do you choose at this moment?

Option One: Protect the peasant woman, preserve the key witness, and fight Zheng Boyuan and other Gulan County officials to the end.

Option Two: Imprison the peasant woman and await her execution in the autumn.

Option Three: Quit while you're ahead, sentence the peasant woman to immediate execution for false accusation plus false accusation of an imperial official, and play along with Zheng Boyuan and others.

...

Seeing the three options that appeared, Su Mo began to consider them carefully.

Now, Zheng Boyuan had been constantly digging pitfalls for himself, so quitting while he was ahead had become a luxury.

Even if he did quit while he was ahead, Zheng Boyuan wouldn't let him go.

It was better to stand firm to the end and also cultivate his Haoran Righteousness.

With this thought, Su Mo immediately chose the first option.

You chose the first option.

You had Liu Laohei and the others take the peasant woman to the prison and told everyone that it was not yet time to try this peasant woman.

You needed to discuss it with Lord Zheng Boyuan and the other officials. Only then could a convincing conclusion be reached.

When the common people saw you make this choice, they were somewhat excited, because Zheng Boyuan’s subordinates had been bullying the market for a long time, and no one had ever rectified them. Now with you, everyone saw hope.

Just as Su Mo was about to continue watching the evolution, a prompt appeared before him.

...

You gained the Power Of Will of the common people, and your Haoran Righteousness evolved, increasing its power tenfold!

...

Seeing that his Haoran Righteousness had evolved just by increasing the Power Of Will of the common people, Su Mo was both surprised and delighted.

Before its evolution, its power was enough to easily kill a female ghost. Now that Haoran Righteousness had increased tenfold, he wondered what level it would reach.

Moreover, this Zheng Boyuan must be connected to the Demon behind Gulan County.

If he pushed Zheng Boyuan too hard, it was very likely that the Demon behind him would be revealed.

With this thought, Su Mo felt a little impatient, and then continued to look at the evolution.

After putting the peasant woman in prison, you had Liu Laohei and the four others guard her in the cell.

Before adjourning the court, you vaguely saw a hint of resentment in Zheng Boyuan’s gaze towards you.

You felt a sense of unease, but you didn't know exactly where this feeling came from. You could only deal with problems as they arose...

Chapter 60: Encountering the Five Ghosts, Yu Luoniang the Great Demon Lurking in Gulan County

Your residence had always been in the rear hall of the County Government, but today, sleeping there, you vaguely felt something was amiss.

By midnight, you noticed shadows moving everywhere inside the County Government, as if someone had broken in and was holding a meeting on your territory.

But just as you were about to look closely, you found that there was no one there at all.

You realized there was a big problem.

Ever since you handled that case during the day, you felt that the Qi within your body had become extraordinarily powerful. Although you didn't know what this power was, you vaguely understood some ways to use it.

You immediately took out an inkstone and wrote the character “ 鎮” (zhen, meaning suppress) on a blank sheet of Xuan paper.

As expected, at the moment the last stroke of the “ 鎮” character fell, a powerful suppressive force descended upon the paper.

The paper glowed with white light, and the surrounding space shimmered like white lightning snakes, revealing Five Ghosts of varying sizes and forms.

At this moment, you clearly saw the true faces of the Five Ghosts.

The leader was eighteen feet tall, entirely black.

The second was a Green Ghost, emaciated and fierce-looking.

The third was a White Ghost, with a pale, bloodless face.

The fourth and fifth were short, like dwarfs, floating in the air, one red and one purple.

After your “ 鎮” character appeared, these Five Ghosts seemed to have encountered something terrifying. Their bodies froze in place, unable to move an inch.

It was at this moment that you understood the immense power within you.

Although you didn't know how the power came to be, it was enough that it could help you overcome crises; there was no need to seek its Origin.

You approached the Five Ghosts and began to question them.

“Who sent you?”

At this moment, in the eyes of the Five Ghosts, you were clad in white divine armor, your voice like a resounding bell.

Looking at you, like a Heavenly God descended, the Five Ghosts trembled like sieves, speaking everything they knew without reservation.

“I… I’ll tell you, the five of us were sent by Yu Luoniang. Yu Luoniang said… said that you are a menace in Gulan County, and she sent us here to harm you.”

“After it’s done, Yu Luoniang will give us a strand of Origin ghost Qi, so our cultivation can improve.”

“I’m sorry, My Lord, we were momentarily deluded. It wasn’t our intention to harm you!”