Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Liu Dexiang was tossed around in the carriage, unable to sit still, and with his hands tied behind his back, he could not support himself.

He wanted to ask what was going on, but the man staring at him from inside the carriage looked like he wasn't going to talk to him.

"Who...are you?" Liu Dexiang asked, his voice trembling.

The man stared straight at him with his eyes. "Don't ask me who I am. You'll know when you see His Majesty."

Liu Dexiang was so frightened that he kept trembling, and once he started, he wouldn't stop. There was an element of fear in his body, and of course, there was also the feeling of being frozen.

After all, she was dragged out wearing only an undergarment.

When Meng Changqing arrived outside the Liangzhou government office, he saw a crowd gathered not far away. This place was never usually this lively; those gathered were mostly Liangzhou residents who had heard the news and come to observe.

As Meng Changqing passed by, he overheard people in the crowd saying, "...He's been arrested for treason!"

"What? Such a high-ranking official is also colluding with the enemy?"

Another voice chimed in, "Hey, only high-ranking officials make a lot of money. What can someone like us, who knows nothing, do by colluding with the enemy? They don't even need you."

"Hey! Be careful! How could you say something like that?" said an older man nearby. "You could lose your head!"

"What do you mean by 'falling' or 'not falling'..."

When Meng Changqing entered the government office, the officials and yamen runners stood in a row, their eyes filled with panic and confusion as they looked at him.

"What happened?" Meng Changqing asked.

No one spoke up.

Meng Changqing tapped the door beside him with his riding crop, "Someone come and give an answer!"

Most of the people in that group were looking around, but in the end, it was a minor official who had dealt with Meng Changqing before who came out and said, "Sir, I heard that the prefect has been arrested by officials from the capital."

"I heard it from someone?"

"Yes, the master was already gone when we arrived. We heard it from the servants of the Liu family."

"Where are the constables on duty?" Meng Changqing asked. The constables remained silent.

Meng Changqing immediately ordered his group of yamen runners to guard all the entrances and exits of the government office, and then ordered the government officials to return to their posts.

After Meng Changqing finished giving his instructions and was about to send someone to find the yamen runner on duty, Mao Chunfang and Hua Rujin arrived.

"What's going on?" Hua Rujin strode up to Meng Changqing. "Changqing, when did you arrive?"

"Lord Hua, Lord Mao," Meng Changqing greeted the two men. "I just arrived."

After returning the greeting on the spot, Mao Chunfang walked towards Meng Changqing. Compared to Hua Rujin, he was noticeably calmer, clearly having anticipated that Liu Dexiang would come to this.

"Why were they suddenly arrested without any prior notice?" Hua Rujin said.

"Yes," Meng Changqing said, "I wonder who came to arrest Prefect Liu."

"Lord Mao," Hua Rujin turned to Mao Chunfang, "tell us everything you know. Don't hide anything now."

Mao Chunfang looked innocent. "What are you saying, sir? What did I hide?"

"Aren't your men in Liangzhou City? What exactly happened up there? Who arrested them? What did they say? Tell me quickly!"

Mao Chunfang shrugged. "How would I know? I came with you."

He simply wouldn't admit that he had left spies in Liangzhou City, which was to be expected. If the same question were asked of Meng Changqing, Meng Changqing would also not admit it.

It's one thing for everyone to know the truth, but it's quite another to put it out in the open.

"What should we do now?" Hua Rujin asked.

Meng Changqing looked at Mao Chunfang before saying, "More and more people are gathering outside, and things inside are in complete chaos. Someone has to manage things. Magistrate Sun is in poor health, and none of the others are capable of handling things."

"Master Hua, you are the oldest here, so please take charge for now."

(End of this chapter)