I am Master Maoshan

Chapter 2229 Trial
Inside the government office in Hezhou City, sunlight filtered through the window lattices, scattering dappled light onto the bluestone floor. Liu Jun sat at the very top, a throne that once belonged exclusively to the city lord, but now became the seat for temporary judgment for him, the God King.

The city lord, Mo Huaiyuan, the man who used to call the shots here, now seemed to have lost all his support. He slumped on the ground in front of him, his face pale, his eyes empty, his brain as if drained out, and he still couldn't understand what was happening before his eyes.

He was filled with doubts and fears: Why would Liu Jun, a great God King, condescend to come to their remote town? This was simply a fantasy, but the reality was so cruel that he hit this God King-level "big iron plate" head-on.

"Let's prepare for the trial." Liu Jun's voice was steady and powerful, echoing in the empty hall of the government office.

Upon hearing this, the judge in charge of recording immediately gathered his thoughts, picked up the pen with trembling hands, and prepared to record this historic moment.

It is a rare opportunity for the city lord to be put on trial. It can be said to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I, the Platinum God King Liu Jun, am on patrol here. I see that Hezhou City is in a mess and the people are living in dire straits. I am staying here for a day and vow to clean up those who are bringing disaster to the people and bring sunshine back to Hezhou City!" Liu Jun's words were sonorous and powerful, echoing in the hall like thunder.

When the judge heard Liu Jun introduce himself, his hands trembled violently, ink splashed everywhere, and a piece of paper was directly wasted. He was terrified and knelt on the ground in a hurry, his head lowered, not daring to look directly at the noble God King.

All the people in the audience, whether they were officials from the government office or ordinary people who came to listen, knelt on the ground and saluted.

"Everyone, get up." Liu Jun raised his hand slightly, signaling everyone to get up.

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up, but their eyes were still filled with awe and expectation. They knew that this trial would change the fate of Hezhou City.

"Today, I will be the judge for the people of Hezhou City. Anyone can come and file a complaint. As long as there is real evidence, I can give everyone justice." Liu Jun announced in a loud voice.

The people outside the door looked at each other, hesitation and hope flickered in their eyes. They pushed each other, as if waiting for the first brave person to stand up. However, time passed, and no one dared to take that decisive step.

At this moment, a rapid and shrill cry broke the quiet air.

Everyone made way for her, and an old lady in tattered clothes and with tear marks on her face staggered into the government office.

Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were full of despair and pleading. She had obviously suffered a lot of injustice.

"Your Majesty, I have been wronged!" The old lady knelt on the ground, holding the ground tightly with her hands, crying out at the top of her lungs.

Her voice was trembling and hoarse, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from the bottom of her heart.

Seeing this, Liu Jun frowned, his eyes showing deep sympathy and determination. He waved his hand gently, and a guard next to him immediately understood, quickly brought a chair, and carefully helped the old lady sit on the chair.

"Don't get excited yet," Liu Jun's voice was gentle and powerful, as if it could heal the wounds in people's hearts. "Tell me slowly, what happened?"

His tone was full of patience and care, which gradually calmed the old lady's nervousness.

The old lady wiped the tears from her face and began to tell her story intermittently.

The general meaning is that her family is a farmer who grows vegetables in the surrounding area. The whole family makes a living by growing vegetables, and her son is responsible for selling vegetables in Hezhou City.

Then the dish was bought by the chef of Li Wancai's family, but the chef was arrogant and refused to pay.

Her son went to Li Wancai's house to claim the money from selling vegetables, a conflict broke out, and he was beaten to death.

Her words were full of bitterness and helplessness, and every detail was heartbreaking. Liu Jun listened quietly, but his expression became more and more ugly.

He didn't expect that he would hear with his own ears the evil deeds that he had only seen in TV dramas before.

How can the chef in this mansion be so arrogant and domineering?
As the old lady continued her narration, the people around her gradually gathered around. They listened attentively with anger and sympathy written all over their faces.

"Call the chef from Li Wancai's house!" Liu Jun gave the order, and the yamen runners immediately took action. Not long after, a large man was brought up.

This man was three times fatter than Li Wancai. His fat body trembled when he walked, and he seemed to use up all his strength with every step. His greasy face was glowing unhealthy red, and his small eyes were rolling around, revealing a cunning look.

"It's unfair, sir! I am innocent!" The chef shouted out his injustice as soon as he came up, his voice so shrill that it was out of proportion to his huge body. He knelt on the ground, his fat piled up in several layers, like a meat mountain.

At this moment, the crowd suddenly started to stir. An old man in ragged clothes stood up tremblingly and said, "Sir, this guy not only deducted our wages, but also often beat and scolded us servants!" Before he finished speaking, another thin boy squeezed out of the crowd and said, "He also forced me to steal leftovers and used this as an excuse to deduct my wages."

In a blink of an eye, more than a dozen people came forward to testify. Some said they were deducted from their wages by him, some said they were beaten by him for no reason, and some even said he took advantage of Li Wancai's power to rape women. Each accusation made the chef look even uglier, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Do you admit your guilt?" Liu Jun asked coldly, tapping his fingers on the table. "No, I don't admit it!" the chef screamed, the fat on his face trembling with excitement, "They are all slandering! They are jealous of my status in the Li Mansion!"

Hearing this, Liu Jun's lips curled up into a meaningful smile. He slowly stood up and walked to the chef. The sunlight shone in from outside the hall, stretching his figure slender, just covering the chef.

"Since you are so stubborn," Liu Jun said softly, and suddenly put his hand on the chef's shiny head, "then let me see what secrets are hidden in your memory."

Liu Jun exerted force with his five fingers, and a faint blue light appeared on his fingertips. The chef suddenly stiffened, his eyes rolled back, and drool flowed uncontrollably from the corners of his mouth. His memories flooded into Liu Jun's mind like a tide - the pride of withholding wages, the pleasure of beating servants, and even several unknown murders.

The people in the hall held their breath and watched as the chef's fat body began to twitch violently. The expression on his face was sometimes ferocious and sometimes fearful, as if he was experiencing some terrible nightmare.

"I see." After a moment, Liu Jun withdrew his hand. The smile on his face disappeared, replaced by cold anger. The chef collapsed on the ground like a puddle of mud, groaning unconsciously.

"Someone come!" Liu Jun shouted, "Put this villain in jail. No one can be released without the order of the God King."

The bailiffs immediately stepped forward and dragged the unconscious chef away like a dead pig.

The people watching outside the hall burst into cheers, and some were so excited that they even knelt down and cried.

As time went by, more and more villains were identified, but no one dared to accuse Li Wancai and the city lord Mo Huaiyuan.

The threat these two people pose to the common people still exists. Even if it is the God King Liu Jun who makes the decision, they dare not come out to testify.

"I, your subordinate, have testified that Li Wancai is corrupt, accepting bribes, and abusing his power!" Chu Nanchang walked into the government office, and two of his trusted aides came in behind him carrying a heavy mahogany box.

The box made a creaking sound when it was opened, and inside it were account books, letters and various documents neatly stacked.

"These are all the evidence of Li Wancai's corruption and bribery in recent years," Chu Nanchang took out an account book from the box, his fingers trembling slightly, "Last year alone, he embezzled 2 million Divine King coins from the funds for building the city wall! The city wall was built with shoddy materials. If a war breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous."

The people outside the hall were in an uproar when they heard this. Some people cursed in a low voice, and some women covered their faces and cried. Li Wancai's originally pale face turned ashen, and beads of sweat rolled down his temples, soaking the collar of his official uniform.

At this moment, a clear female voice came from the crowd: "I, the commoner Jin Yueyue, testify against the city lord Mo Huaiyuan!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young woman in a white dress slowly walking into the lobby. Behind her was the restaurant owner Milo, and each of them held a cloth bag in their hands.

Jin Yueyue unwrapped the cloth bag and took out a bloodstained shirt: "This is the clothes my best friend was wearing when he was murdered. Three months ago, my best friend was arrested by the yamen runners that night on the charge of 'slandering the officials of the Divine Realm' just because he wrote a poem at a poetry meeting to satirize City Lord Mo's lust for beauty. The next day, news spread that he had 'committed suicide' in the government prison!"

Her voice was choked with sobs, but every word was sonorous, "And the scars on this bloody shirt are clearly caused by torture!"

Milo also stepped forward and took out a few letters from the cloth bag: "These are secret letters between City Lord Mo and some unscrupulous businessmen. They record in detail how they colluded with wealthy businessmen, seized people's land, and forced women into prostitution!"

Someone started the conversation, and the people outside the hall were immediately excited. An old man with a cane trembled and squeezed to the front: "I want to report Li Wancai! In order to seize my ancestral herbal garden, he ordered someone to set fire to my house! My leg was broken in that fire!"

Next came a ragged young scholar: "I want to sue Li Wancai! In order to please Mo Huaiyuan, he forced women to study in the government. My sister couldn't bear the humiliation and committed suicide by jumping into a well!"

The voices of accusation rose one after another, and in a blink of an eye, more than 20 people stood up. The yamen runners looked at each other, and no one dared to step forward to stop them.

Mo Huaiyuan and Li Wancai slumped on the ground, their faces ashen. With each charge, their bodies trembled more violently, as if those words had turned into sharp arrows that nailed them to the pillar of shame.

Suddenly, Mo Huaiyuan fell to his knees with a thump, and his forehead hit the bluestone slab heavily, making a dull sound.

"I am a guilty minister, Mo Huaiyuan. I have committed heinous crimes and I beg for death!" His voice was extremely hoarse. After he said that, he suddenly stood up and rushed towards the pillar in the hall.

"Stop him!" Liu Jun shouted. Two yamen runners hurried forward and grabbed the back of Mo Huaiyuan's official uniform just as he was about to hit the pillar.

Mo Huaiyuan struggled to hit again, but was pinned to the ground. His hair crown had long fallen off, and his gray hair was in disarray. There was no trace of the majesty of a city lord.

Seeing this, Li Wancai suddenly burst into a crazy laugh: "Hahaha, it's all over." Before he finished laughing, he collapsed into a pile of mud as if his bones had been pulled out. A dark stain gradually spread in his crotch, and he was actually incontinent because of the fear.

When the people outside the hall saw this scene, they were silent for a moment, and then burst into thunderous cheers. Some people shouted "Great Lord of Heaven", while many others hugged each other and cried.

The old man whose home was burned down was in tears and kept wiping his tears with his sleeves; the young scholar looked up to the sky and sighed, as if he wanted to vent all the depression that had been pent up for many years.