The first county magistrate in history

Chapter 107: Slap in the Face

The three of them left the tea stall and walked forward leisurely.

Xia Bitu looked at Qin Zheng's handsome profile and said helplessly: "Why should I act with you? This doesn't benefit me at all."

Qin Zheng laughed and said, "North City's biggest problem isn't the people, but those in power. Even if we invest huge sums of money in developing North City, how much of that money do you think will actually be used where it's needed? Uncle, I daresay that even the entire wealth of your Prime Minister's Mansion wouldn't be enough to feed them. Do you believe it?"

Xia Bitu said nothing.

Qin Zheng added: "The benefit that uncle can get is that our cooperation is win-win and mutually beneficial!"

Xia Bitu took a long time to say, "Yue Shanlin, the prefect of Beicheng, is my disciple!"

Xia Jinzhong was shocked. Wasn't his adoptive father's words equivalent to begging for mercy from Qin Zheng?

Xia Jinzhong also knew that now that the princess knew everything, his adoptive father was beyond help.

Qin Zheng sighed: "Uncle, how about we make a bet?"

Xia Bitu wondered, "What's the bet?"

Qin Zheng said seriously, "As long as Beicheng Prefecture doesn't take human lives lightly, I will let Yue Shanlin go. But the premise is that we cannot reveal our identities."

Xia Bitu asked, "What's the deadline for the private visit?"

Qin Zheng: "They stole our money, they will never let us go, no later than tomorrow!"

Xia Bitu's expression changed. "So you want the princess to come and rescue us at 3:15 tomorrow afternoon?"

Qin Zheng nodded. "And to conceal our actions, we will be hooded and beheaded along with the other prisoners. Afterwards, our bodies will be taken outside the city and buried. If any family members come looking for us, they will tell us they've already been released!"

Xia Bitu looked at Qin Zheng: "How do you know so much?"

Qin Zheng didn't answer, but suddenly sighed: "To be honest, I don't feel confident about leaving my life to the princess! She is just a little confused!"

Xia Bitu and Xia Jinzhong were sweating!

Xia Jinzhong looked at his adoptive father's serious expression and knew that he was at his wit's end in the face of the trap set by Qin Zheng today.

The adoptive father knew that accompanying Qin Zheng in the play would be very disadvantageous to his side, but he had to participate.

Because Qin Zheng had brought the princess here today. If the princess knew the whole plan, the empress would also know it. There was no way for the adoptive father to recover from the disadvantage.

But if my adoptive father insisted on not accompanying me, he could still leave. At most, he would lose a disciple and avoid the risk of imprisonment. Once in prison, any accident could happen because they had no badges to prove their identity. The yamen runners would not believe me if I just said it!

Xia Jinzhong looked at Qin Zheng again, and felt even more afraid.

Even his adoptive father was in trouble. This Qin Zheng is so terrible!

At this time, Qin Zheng was silent.

He knew that what Xia Bitu was reluctant to give up was not Yue Shanlin, but the position of the prefect of Beicheng.

Qin Zheng is weighing the pros and cons.

For him, he wanted to give this position to the empress.

However, Xia Jinzhong would never give up after suffering such a huge loss.

Even if the Empress's men captured the Governor of Beicheng, Xia Bitu would not let him keep his position.

The victim will definitely be the development of the northern part of the city.

After pondering for a moment, Qin Zheng said, "Uncle, aren't all your men good-for-nothings?"

Xia Bitu understood and clasped his fists: "Thank you, Master, for your help."

But he also knew that if only Beicheng Prefecture was in trouble, he could just take down Yue Shanlin and give him the prefectural governorship. But he definitely couldn't appoint someone like Yue Shanlin.

If the scope of involvement is too wide, Qin Zheng will be powerless to do anything.

Xia Jinzhong looked at Qin Zheng. Was he still going to keep the position of the prefect of Beicheng for his adoptive father?

Qin Zheng, you have such a broad mind.

Xia Jinzhong suddenly remembered the story of the tea stall owner.

Asked: "Boss Qin, have you ever been to the imperial capital?"

Qin Zheng glanced at him and said bluntly, "I haven't been here!"

"Where is it?"

"Get 'em!"

"Don't let them get away!"

Suddenly, shouts rang out, people on the street fled, and a group of Beicheng government officials rushed over aggressively...

"Be loyal and don't take action!" Xia Bitu said seriously.

Xia Jinzhong was shocked: "Godfather, what about you?"

He could imagine it all; it would definitely be a beating.

It doesn't matter since he is young and strong, but his adoptive father is old after all.

Xia Bitu said, "I'm not made of paper!"

Xia Jinzhong clenched his fists, knowing that his adoptive father was determined to accompany Qin Zheng to the end.

I can also guess what my adoptive father's intention is. He really wants to see what the disciple he promoted looks like!

Qin Zheng warned: "Uncle, if you can't bear it, don't force it. Brother Zhong, if the Prime Minister is in danger, you can fight back!"

Xia Bitu and Xia Jinzhong looked at Qin Zheng in surprise.

Qin Zheng chuckled: "I am cooperating with my uncle. Without his support, I am afraid I can't do it well!" Xia Bitu: "..."

Xia Jinzhong: “…”

A group of yamen runners rushed up like wolves and tigers, punching and kicking the three men and knocking them down.

The yamen runners who had been beaten away by Xia Jinzhong before specifically kicked Xia Jinzhong violently.

There were also four yamen runners with red and swollen eyes, surrounding Qin Zheng and kicking him violently.

They were the yamen runners who had been harmed by Qin Zheng's chili powder.

Qin Zheng held his head with both hands, protecting his face and head, curled up on the ground, and endured the violent storm.

Qin Zheng was still shouting, "Don't hit my uncle, you will regret it!"

As a result, he was severely beaten.

It would have been better if Qin Zheng didn't shout, because when he did, Xia Bitu was also beaten up.

The yamen runners didn't care how old he was.

Xia Bitu was born a military general. Although he is old, he is still tough.

But, he was old after all, and he was beaten so badly that his body was bruised and his bones ached.

All three of them held their heads and stood up.

After being beaten, the three were forcibly searched.

Only a few dozen taels of silver were found.

The yamen runners originally thought they could find a lot, but in the end they only found a few dozen taels.

Another beating!

After the fight.

"Old thing, you are so old, but you are still a thief? You even dare to steal from our officers. You are so brave!" The squad leader slapped Xia Bitu's old face and scolded him.

Xia Jinzhong clenched his fists and looked at his adoptive father.

When has my adoptive father ever been insulted like this?

If Xia Bitu hadn't stopped him with his eyes, he would have fought back.

"Team leader Wang, two more guys have run away." said a yamen runner with red and swollen eyes.

The squad leader said: "It's just a fellow. He ran away if he wanted to."

He asked, "Who of them stole your banknotes, and how much did they steal?"

The yamen runner with red and swollen eyes understood immediately and glanced at Qin Zheng and the other two.

Xia Bitu's attire and age clearly showed that he was a big boss.

The yamen runner pointed at Xia Bitu and said, "He stole it. He stole five thousand..."

The squad leader glared: "How much?"

The yamen runner immediately changed his story: "He stole five thousand silver notes from me, and there was some change. I didn't remember."

Pointing to the other three yamen runners with red and swollen eyes, he said, "I don't know how much I stole from them."

The three yamen runners looked at each other.

"I lost seven thousand six hundred taels of silver notes and a dozen taels of silver."

"He stole more than 8,000 from me..."

The last remaining yamen runner was about to speak when he suddenly saw the look in the squad leader's eyes and quickly changed his words:

"I lost more than 10,000..."

The squad leader frowned and said, "We only found this much. The two people who escaped must have moved away."

Xia Bitu narrowed his eyes slightly, hiding his murderous intent.

The squad leader slapped Xia Bitu's face twice again and said, "Did you hear that? If you want to live, you have to hand over all the silver you stole from us immediately. There's also a fine of 10,000 taels!"

Xia Bitu was so angry that he laughed. He gritted his teeth and said, "How could you, a yamen runner, have so many banknotes on you?"

Snapped!

The squad leader slapped Xia Bitu hard in the face and cursed, "Do you think we are underestimating the Beicheng Prefecture? Are you going to pay it or not?"

Xia Bitu sighed inwardly, he didn't expect Beicheng Mansion to become like this.

No wonder Qin Zheng made a secret visit to North City. It seems he smelled something.

However, he still didn't believe it. Could it be that Yue Shanlin really dared to take human lives under the feet of the emperor?

He straightened his neck and said, "It's a small business, and this is all the money I have."

"Old man, do you want money over life?" the squad leader cursed.

He waved his hand and said, "Take them back and throw them in jail. These three have stolen a huge amount of money and refuse to repent. They will be executed at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon!"

Xia Bitu was stunned. There was no need to go to court for interrogation?

To kill or not to kill, it’s up to the squad leader to decide?