flstandardbreds Chapter 141 The thief shouts to catch the thief
Chapter 141 The thief shouts to catch the thief
The officer's face turned stern, his expression solemn, and his voice boomed like a bell: "It is true. You are deceiving the people and pursuing profit improperly. According to the law, the government will seize your shop."
This announcement was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing a huge ripple among the surrounding people.
This grocery store has always had high-quality goods at affordable prices. How much profit could one expect from something worth only a few taels of silver? The same item would fetch over ten taels in Jingzhao! Therefore, the government's claim was sheer nonsense.
In the crowd, a hot-blooded man could not help but stand up and loudly questioned: "This is simply nonsense, why..." Before he could finish his words, two policemen rushed forward like hungry tigers and forcibly dragged him away on the grounds of "obstructing the government's investigation."
The man struggled and shouted, but soon disappeared from everyone's sight.
This scene was like a basin of cold water, extinguishing the anger in everyone's hearts.
The originally noisy scene suddenly became dead silent. Everyone shut their mouths in fear, and even lost the courage to look up at the officers. They could only lower their heads silently, their eyes full of fear and unwillingness.
The leading officer held his head high, a smug smile plastered across his face. He glanced sideways at the people in the grocery store and shouted in a commanding tone, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and move the things! Don't delay the officials' work."
The shopkeeper showed a helpless look on his face, smiled bitterly and shook his head, his tone humble but with a hint of firmness: "Sir, we sincerely want to cooperate with you, but we are really powerless!"
As he spoke, he calmly pulled out a yellowed land deed from his pocket, carefully unfolded it, and handed it to the official, his eyes gleaming with sincerity. "Sir, please understand, this shop was not allocated to us free of charge by the government. We purchased it with real money, scraping together our savings. If you insist on taking it back, we dare not disobey you. We only ask that you compensate us accordingly according to the current market conditions. As soon as the money arrives, we promise to move out immediately, without any delay."
The officer took the deed, glanced at it casually, and then sneered, throwing it to the ground and shouting, "Hmph, don't try to play tricks on me! You're buying it with real money? It's hard to say whether this deed is real or not! Today, I have to take over this shop, whether I want to or not!"
The shopkeeper's expression changed instantly. He carefully picked up the deed and said coldly, "Sir, this deed was officially filed with the government office back then. Every procedure is clear and explicit. How can you conclude it's fake based on your own opinion? If you want to take it by force today, is there any law?"
Upon hearing this, the officer, far from restraining himself, took a step forward, his finger almost poking the shopkeeper's nose as he shouted viciously, "Law? In this land, I am the law! You ungrateful creature, how dare you ask me for formalities? I must do what the higher-ups tell me to do. This shop must be closed down today. If you know what's good for you and cooperate, perhaps I can spare your life. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble!"
"Haha! This county lady would like to take a closer look at who this person is. How could he possess such great authority?"
Yan Wanwan's cold voice came from outside the door. She looked at the officials with a half-smile, approaching them and asking, "Which government office are you from? This county lady has never heard of anyone robbing a commoner's shop. Isn't that just like bandits?"
The officer subconsciously shrank back when he saw Yan Wanwan, and the arrogance on his face turned into a flattering smile. "County Lady Yan, we are also doing this to ensure the livelihood of the people. Unscrupulous merchants like them must be severely punished."
Yan Wanwan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, a hint of disdain in her eyes. "Oh? For the livelihood of the common people? Then tell me, how did the owner of this small business become a profiteer?"
The officer paused for a moment, his eyes flickering as he stammered, "This...his shop often cheats people out of weight and harms them. The higher-ups have heard about this."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes immediately turned red with rage. He protested loudly, "Sir, please don't slander me! My shop has always been honest and trustworthy. My neighbors can all vouch for me!"
Yan Wanwan nodded slightly, glanced at the people watching around, and asked softly, "Everyone, is this true?"
The common people all shook their heads. A white-haired old man stepped forward and said, "My Lord, the shopkeeper has always been a good man. The goods in his shop are of good quality and low prices. We usually like to buy things from him. I don't know why these officials suddenly came to cause such a scene today."
Yan Wanwan already knew what was going on. She turned around and stared coldly at the official. "Did you hear that? The witnesses are here. What else do you have to say? You're robbing and plundering under the pretext of serving the people. You're simply destroying the reputation of the government. If you don't give me a reasonable explanation today, don't blame me for enforcing the law impartially!"
The officer's forehead was covered in sweat, but he still refused to give up. "County Master Yan, we are also following orders. The higher-ups said this shop is related to a major case, so we have to investigate."
Yan Wanwan sneered, "Since you are following orders, do you have any official documents? Do you have any proof? Take them out and let this county lady see them." The official's face turned pale and he hesitated, unable to produce anything.
Yan Wanwan's face darkened. "Without official documents, they dare to act recklessly and harass the people. Come, bring these officials back to the yamen and interrogate them thoroughly to find out who is behind this!"
As he spoke, the yamen runners behind him rushed forward and surrounded the officials.
The officers collapsed to the ground in fear, their eyes rolling as they pleaded for mercy. "County Lady Yan, this shop has been waging a price war with you, forcing you to lower your prices. We've been asked by General Qin to help you look after the shop!"
In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on Yan Wanwan's face like searchlights.
Before this, people on the streets had been talking about the open and covert struggles between the grocery store and County Master Yan, and County Master Yan seemed to have always been at a disadvantage.
Everyone couldn't help but wonder: Could it really be that officials were protecting each other, with County Master Yan manipulating things behind the scenes? Was she stepping forward now to confuse the public and pretend to be the good guy?
"Haha! You guys are really brave! Since you said you're doing this for this county lady, then give them ten times the money to buy the shop!"
As Yan Wanwan spoke, she took out a chair and sat in front of them, as if she was watching them do the work with her own eyes.
The officials looked at each other in bewilderment. Yan Wanwan, somewhat impatiently, spoke up, "Why? Is this difficult to handle? If you don't know what to do, go and report to General Qin! I'm sure the General's Mansion can allocate the money for you."
The people were in an uproar. Did County Lady Yan admit it?