Chen Wenwei took a deep breath and looked at the crowded people below. More and more nearby villagers gathered there, not afraid of the heat or fatigue. They had seen and heard so much in recent days, but everyone had a heart longing for a bright future. They needed someone to lead them forward.
In the past, that someone was their local magistrate. But in the future, they didn't know who it would be.
There was hope in their eyes. They hoped that Lord Chen was not the huge greedy rat as the rumors said, who only sucked their blood. They recalled every bit of Lord Chen in the past. That was the kind of local magistrate they wanted.
This kind of hopeful look in their eyes made Chen Wenwei feel quite uncomfortable. He opened his mouth but found he couldn't say a word. It was the encouraging look from the young girl beside him that finally gave him the courage.
"I'm twenty - one this year. Just as... Miss Shen said, I'm just an ordinary person. I'm not thoughtful enough in many things. When a person makes a mistake, they should be punished according to the law, not intimidated. Especially as the magistrate of Yun County, I should set an example, not abuse my power. These days, I've been thinking at home and deeply realize my mistakes..."
A chubby woman stood up from below. "My lord, don't blame yourself. We believe you didn't do it on purpose. You've done so many things for us. This time you took private action. It must be that man's fault."
Chen Wenwei shook his head. "Whether it's him or me, we're both wrong. Since things have come to this, I'm willing to be punished with three strokes of the cane as a warning. It's the Dragon Boat Festival today, a time for family reunion, so it's not convenient to carry out the punishment. I'll set it for tomorrow morning in the yamen. I invite you all to supervise then."
The crowd exploded in an uproar and started talking loudly.
Chen Wenwei didn't care about the discussion. He continued, "I've never stopped any regular merchants who have registered with the government. The place I went to that day was a gambling house in Xitian Town. I didn't ban them from opening but advised them not to lend usurious loans privately. The gambling house should only receive customers properly and must never engage in usury."
He paused. "When I was in the capital before, when my father and elder brother were handling cases, I saw many cases where families were broken up and ruined because of gambling. At that time, I just thought those people who were crazy about gambling were ridiculous. They had no self - restraint at all, so I didn't look into it deeply. But after coming to Yun County and seeing so many families become penniless because of gambling, I really understand that a gambling house is not a good place for entertainment. My intention was just to correct the bad atmosphere in the gambling house. I never meant to ban them from opening."
The crowd fell silent for a long time. It was true that Yun County was now a prosperous place. But the more money people had, the lazier they became. After the brothels were banned, the gambling houses became the favorite places for men to go when they were free. Unfortunately, they were real money - swallowing dens. Once people went in a few times, they couldn't come out without losing a lot.
Actually, the gambling houses in Yun County were relatively good. Since they were under the eyes of the local magistrate, they did legitimate business. The stakes were not high, and the order was good. But there were also some people who gambled secretly for high stakes, even betting their lives and their families. Chen Wenwei had cracked down on them many times, but it was only a temporary solution.
Chen Wenwei always had a good reputation in Yun County. He was amiable and didn't put on any airs. He often observed the people's livelihood and ate and lived with the villagers without any fuss.
Now, after hearing what he said, those villagers who had been confused by the rumors woke up one by one. They looked at each other and found blushes of embarrassment on each other's faces.
Chen Wenwei didn't mind. He told everyone to go back and live a good life. Then some nearby villagers voluntarily came with brooms and dustpans to clean up the dirt in front of the Chen Mansion.
Some villagers stopped Chen Wenwei and said that he was a good official who benefited the people, and he shouldn't receive the three - stroke punishment.
Chen Wenwei waved his hand. "I've always said that mistakes must be punished. There's no reason to show favoritism when it comes to me. You don't need to worry about me. It's just three strokes of the cane. I'll recover after a few days of rest."
This kind of close relationship between the official and the people made Old Man Zhang's eyes turn red. He sighed, "It's really our fortune that Lord Chen came to our Yun County."
Shen Yuning nodded. She knew that since Lord Chen had caught those trouble - makers, he would surely interrogate them personally and have no time to take care of them. So she called Old Man Zhang to find Shen Fugui and the villagers from Dashu Village and go back to Xitian Town together.
However, Chen Wenwei quickly turned back, walked up to Shen Yuning quickly, and said earnestly, "Miss Shen, thank you very much today."
Shen Yuning looked at him with a smile and shook her head. "Lord Chen, you're a good official. It's really a great fortune for the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty to have an official like you. You don't need to thank me. I did all this not for you but for the hope that the villagers won't be blinded by malicious rumors. Moreover, they believed in you, so they understood so quickly."
Chen Wenwei and Shen Yuning smiled at each other. Suddenly, he felt like he was back in his childhood.
When his biological mother passed away, it happened to be his grandfather's birthday. All the familiar families went to the Chen Mansion to offer birthday greetings. In comparison, the death of a concubine in the mansion didn't cause much of a stir. Even his father only grieved for a short while and then got up to attend to his official duties.
As the fourth young master of the Chen Mansion, he should have gone out to accompany the familiar young masters and young ladies. But he could only prop up his face, endure until the end of the banquet, and then secretly hide under the tree and cry.
It was at that time that he met Xue Yuning. At that time, Xue Yuning was a stubborn girl. When she got sharp - tongued, even ordinary boys were no match for her.
But that day, Xue Yuning didn't laugh at him. She just seriously handed him a handkerchief and nodded at him.
He still remembered what she said, "Fourth Brother Chen, don't be sad. Everything will pass."
Chen Wenwei's heart skipped a beat. So many years had passed. She had changed from Xue Yuning to Shen Yuning. She had grown up, but her stubborn nature and her considerate nature remained unchanged.
He tilted his head slightly. "Come into the mansion and have a cup of tea."
Shen Yuning didn't decline. Holding Yuanbao's hand, she followed him towards the gate of the Chen Mansion.
By this time, most of the on - lookers had dispersed. There were still some bustling people lingering there, looking at Lord Chen gratefully.
Suddenly, a disheveled and ragged man rushed out from a corner, crying and shouting as he rushed forward. "Don't be deceived by this corrupt official. He used private torture to humiliate me. The owner of Shen's Workshop is his mistress. He beat me just for his mistress..."
Shen Yuning took a closer look. Who else could it be but Shen Jingui? It had only been a short time since they last met, but now Shen Jingui looked haggard. There were bloodstains on his clothes. It was obvious that he had suffered a lot and had managed to escape with all his might.
She subconsciously asked, "Why are you here?"
Shen Jingui laughed wildly and then angrily pointed at Shen Yuning. "This is the owner of Shen's Workshop. She's my younger sister! It's not the first day that she's had an unclear relationship with Lord Chen. Go and ask around in Xitian Town. Everyone knows that the backer behind Shen's Embroidery Workshop is Lord Chen..."
Old Man Zhang was extremely angry. He stepped forward to defend. "You're ruining your own younger sister's reputation. Everyone in Xitian Town knows that Lord Chen and Yuning have a clean relationship!"
Shen Jingui sneered. "Clean? Lord Chen is busy with official business every day, but he goes to Xitian Town every now and then. For what? Isn't it just to see his little mistress? And if Yuning is innocent, why haven't you arranged a marriage for her? It's obvious that you know..."
All of Shen Yuning's patience had been worn out by this elder brother. She didn't bother to argue anymore. She stepped forward and slapped him twice to shut him up. Then she said, "Lord Chen often goes into the folk to observe the people's livelihood in order to show concern for the villagers. According to your logic, as long as there are shops run by women and Lord Chen has shown a little care for them, they must have an unclear relationship? Are you ruining my reputation or Lord Chen's integrity?"
The still - dazed villagers thought her words made sense.
A woman sneered. "That's right. He's Lord Chen from the capital. Do you think everyone is like you, unable to walk when you see a woman? Besides, I think the owner of Shen's Workshop is both capable and good - looking. If there really was something between them, since they're both unmarried, they would have gotten together long ago. Would they still be slandered by your baseless words?"
Shen Jingui was stunned. He didn't know what to say for a moment. It was a long while before he found his voice. "You... I'm Shen Yuning's elder brother. How could I not know? I tried to persuade my younger sister several times because I didn't want her to keep making mistakes. I also didn't want my daughter to be a slave to my sister. That's why they held a grudge against me. What he said was just high - sounding. He..."
Old Man Zhang couldn't bear it anymore. He roared, "Shen Jingui, do you have any shame? A man who sells his own daughter still has the nerve to talk about others? A slave? When did Yuning ever make Yuanbao a slave? Yuanbao, tell us yourself. Do you want to stay with your aunt or your father?"
Yuanbao stared at Shen Jingui fiercely with her eyes wide open. "You're not worthy of being my father. Get out!"
Shen Jingui knew how to respond to this. He was confident and not afraid at all. He immediately knelt on the ground and wailed, "Poor my daughter. She's been instigated by these people and can't tell right from wrong. Does she really think her aunt is doing this for her? There's no unkind parent in the world. She's my only daughter. Everything I've done is for her. But now she's been raised by her aunt and doesn't recognize me as her father anymore."
His words were full of sorrow, and compared to before, they were well - organized. It was obvious that someone had taught him what to say.
Shen Yuning pulled Old Man Zhang and looked at Shen Jingui without any fear of the scrutiny of the people around her. "Do you... know what 'high - sounding' means?"
Shen Jingui was stunned.
Shen Yuning burst out laughing. "You can't read and haven't been to school, but you use the words accurately. Who taught you?"
Shen Jingui's eyes dodged nervously. He naturally couldn't have said these words. The person behind him had taught him to make Shen Yuning angry. But why didn't Shen Yuning show any anger on her face? Instead, she seemed quite happy.
He lowered his head and thought for a while. Then he gritted his teeth and continued to cry, "I'm so unlucky. My wife died early. As soon as my long - lost younger brother came back, he took my younger sister and my daughter away. I've been walking alone all the way and suffered so much. I..."
Old Man Zhang was almost driven crazy by his shameless words. The two slaps Shen Yuning had given just now had made his blood boil. He stepped forward, wanting to learn from Shen Yuning and give this shameless man a hard slap.