Chapter 74: County Magistrate Listens to Me
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Gu Yundong looked at him. Zhao Zhu was quite burly, completely different from Gousheng’s thin and weak appearance.
Gu Yundong did not beat around the bush. “Since your son was caught by me while stealing in my place, it’s simple. Each person will pay five taels of silver, and 1’11 let them go.”
Zhao Zhu frowned. Hu Qianlai had already cursed loudly, “Dream on. You can snatch five taels of silver. I won’t give you a single copper coin. Gousheng’s Father, why are you talking nonsense with her? Let’s attack together. You’re strong. Can a little girl like her beat a few of us at the same time?”
Zhao Zhu pursed his lips, but Gu Yundong smiled at Hu Qianlai. “I think you’ve forgotten who 1 am.” As she spoke, she glanced around. These words were not meant for Hu Qianlai and the others, but for everyone in the village.
“1 fled from Yongning Prefecture to Xuanhe Prefecture and then to Yongfu Village. On the way to Yongning Prefecture, thieves ran rampant, refugees were everywhere, corpses were everywhere, and people ate each other’s children. I saw more dead people on the way than the villages here combined. But now, I’m standing here unscathed with surplus food and my mother and siblings. What do you think I relied on?”
Everyone present fell silent. That’s right, what did she rely on?
Beautiful? She was about to starve to death. Who would fancy a little girl?
Money? Those bandits would snatch it right away. Could it be that you would be safe if you paid a portion?
There was only one way to do that—to be ruthless!!
Look at the two kicks she gave Hu Qianlai and Jin Yuexiang just now. Look at the way she held her shoes and slapped Liangzi. How was she like those thirteen-year-old girls in their village who didn’t even dare to argue with others?
“1 came to Yongfu Village to settle down, but that doesn’t mean I’m easy to bully. If you dare to come to my house to steal, you have to pay the price. Otherwise, don’t even think about leaving. You can try.”
Zhao Zhu stopped talking. Hu Qianlai finally realized that this girl did not seem to be easy to bully.
Only Jin Yuexiang did not understand the situation. She pointed at Gu Yundong and shouted, “1 won’t give them any money. If you have the ability, don’t let them go. If you have the ability, beat them to death. Do you dare?”
Gu Yundong shook his head. “I wouldn’t dare.”
Jin Yuexiang was pleased. She knew it. Could it be that Gu Yundong dared to kill someone? Escape was escape. So what if she was ruthless back then? Now, in their Yongfu Village, could she casually kill someone? She was just bluffing.
“I wouldn’t dare. Since you don’t want to pay, I’ll beat you up again… and report you to the authorities,” Gu Yundong said coldly.
The smile on Jin Yuexiang’s face froze. “Report to the authorities?? Are you crazy?”
The commoners were not willing to interact with the government. Entering the government office was not as simple as losing a layer of skin. At that time, it would not be something that could be resolved with five taels of silver.
“That’s right. Report it to the officials. When the time comes, let the county magistrate beat them up. They’ve been stealing for so long. They might be tortured dozens of times to extract a confession. They might be able to spit out a lot of things. When the judgment comes later, you’ll have to compensate for everything that has been lost in the village over the years.”
Jin Yuexiang’s expression changed slightly. “You, you’re saying that the county magistrate will beat them as you say? As if the county magistrate will listen to you. Let me tell you, if you report it to the officials, you won’t be able to gain anything.”
Gu Yundong raised her eyebrows. “How do you know that the county magistrate… won’t listen to me?”
Everyone present was stunned. No, it couldn’t be, right? Could it be that Gu Yundong knew the county magistrate?
After all, this person was not a local. No one knew her background. Seeing how confident she was, the villagers were a little skeptical.
However, just as everyone was whispering, a man’s voice suddenly sounded from behind the crowd.. “Why didn’t 1 know that the county magistrate knew a small village girl like you?”