Divorce with three kids? I'll build a house and eat meat, driving my in-laws crazy.

Chapter 30 Who is the good guy and who is the bad guy?
The magistrate stroked his beard. "What you say makes sense. Let's have a doctor come and take a look."

Just then, Chen Liang arrived, and Li Ruru immediately said, "Magistrate, this is Dr. Chen, the county's miracle doctor."

The county magistrate looked at Chen Liang in bewilderment. That man was a miracle doctor? How come he didn't know?

Then I thought about how he was in good health and his family didn't often see doctors, so it was normal that he didn't know about miracle doctors.

"Oh? You're a miracle doctor? Then take a look at these people."

When the county magistrate spoke, Chen Liang's lips twitched. This Li Ruru really knew how to cause him trouble.

It's one thing to call him a miracle doctor in front of a bunch of clueless common folk, but to actually flatter him in front of the county magistrate is another.

If he can't find anything out, he'll get a beating.

Isn't Li Ruru blatantly trying to cut off his source of income?

Chen Liang glared at Li Ruru resentfully, and Li Ruru naturally understood his ulterior motives.

He whispered a reminder: "They're all fine. They just ate konjac tofu made with swill and can't get over it, which is why they feel aches and dizziness here and there."

Just prescribe them some stomach-soothing and digestive medicine.

Upon hearing this, Chen Liang breathed a sigh of relief.

He had heard his father say something similar before; many people get sick because they overthink.

His father once told him a story about this: A man who habitually slept on his left side was attacked at night, and a small knife was inserted into his right brain. The knife was so small that he didn't notice it and continued to live a healthy life.

It wasn't until one day, when someone reminded him, that he realized he had a knife stuck in his head.

He died a few days after he learned about it.

His father said that if that person never knew, he would die a natural death.

Knowing the truth led to his death.

He was scared to death by himself!

Chen Liang respectfully bowed to the county magistrate, then got up and took the pulses of several people who kept complaining of feeling unwell.

Then, with a grave expression, he said, "They ate something unclean, and their condition is quite serious and difficult to treat."

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in groans, and some even stood up and raised their fists to strike Chen Dagang.

The constables quickly stopped the man.

Li Ruru lowered her head to hide her smile; this Chen Liang really knows how to pretend.

He made it sound like he was dying from diarrhea.

Li Ruru was about to curse the quack doctor, but Chen Liang coughed and continued, "However, I'll prescribe some medicine for you, and you'll be fine in two or three days."

The magistrate asked curiously, "Is it really that amazing?"

Is he really a miracle doctor?
Chen Liang nodded, "This humble citizen would not dare to deceive Your Excellency, the county magistrate."

The magistrate waved his hand, and someone brought him paper and pen.

Without hesitation, Chen Liang quickly wrote down the prescription and handed it to everyone.

He instructed them, "You must take your medicine on time."

Everyone was so grateful that they dared not disobey.

"Yes, yes, we'll listen to Dr. Chen."

"We will never forget Dr. Chen's life-saving grace."

After calming the group down, the magistrate slammed his gavel and glared angrily at the Chen family members.

"You audacious scoundrel, how dare you commit murder right under my nose! Guards, beat him!"

Even the usually outspoken Wang Shuixia had never seen anything like this before; she was terrified.

His mouth was no longer fluent; he could only repeatedly shout that he was innocent. Chen Dagang wasn't in much better shape; his legs were trembling uncontrollably.

The two Chen brothers, who were the culprits, were so frightened that all they could do was cry.

Unfortunately, the government office is a place that shows no mercy; no matter how much you cry and make a scene, you will still receive the punishment you deserve.

The magistrate has only been in this area for a short time, and today he has chosen to hold a public trial in order to give the people of Pingchuan County a warning.

Seeing the crowd of onlookers sighing, the magistrate stroked his beard with satisfaction.

This is the effect he wants.

Chen Dagang and Wang Shuixia were each given a full twenty strokes of the cane. As for the two Chen brothers, the magistrate spared them punishment because they were not yet of legal age, and only gave them a few verbal warnings.

The onlookers praised the county magistrate for his wisdom.

As for Chen Dagang and Wang Shuixia, who were beaten, they only spat and said, "Serves them right."

Zhao heard the news an hour later, and she knelt on the ground as soon as she arrived at the county government office.

Slapping his thighs with both hands, he cried out, "Your Honor, Your Honor, please don't wrong an innocent person!"

The magistrate asked curiously, "Old woman, then tell me, who is the good person and who is the bad person?"

Without a second thought, Zhao replied, "My son, daughter-in-law, and grandson are all good people. The bad person is that poisonous woman, Li."

She was behind all of this. My son just divorced her yesterday, and she's still upset about it, so she's come to take revenge on our family today.

She's vicious and wicked, Your Honor, arrest her immediately!

As Zhao spoke, she became more and more agitated, and her hand pointing at Li Ruru began to tremble.

Li Ruru rolled her eyes. "Old Zhao, don't make false accusations."

She bowed deeply to the magistrate, saying, "I've heard that you are always fair and just, so I'm sure you will give me justice."

The magistrate unconsciously smiled; he liked what Li Ruru said.

He said to Zhao, "Whether someone is good or bad is not determined by your opinion; justice resides in the hearts of the people."

And he is the embodiment of justice in Pingchuan County.

Granny Zhao choked, seeing that the magistrate wasn't falling for her tricks, and was about to lie down on the ground to start a second round of tantrums.

To his surprise, the magistrate didn't give him the chance at all; he gave a wink to the bailiff beside him.

The man stepped forward and stuffed Zhao's mouth shut, then brandished the board in his hand, the threat quite clear.

Even someone as foolish as Zhao understood the magistrate's meaning and immediately dared not shout any more.

She suddenly realized that the tactics she used to throw tantrums in Chenjia Village were completely ineffective here.

"Ahem." The magistrate cleared his throat, and the hall immediately fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

"The wicked Chen Dagang and his wife Wang, along with their two sons, used swill to deceive people, causing many to feel unwell."

To quell public anger, you and your spouse are hereby ordered to pay these people 100 coins in compensation.

The advisor has already registered the names of the 10 people who are feeling unwell.

"What? 100 coins?" Wang Shuixia was stunned. 100 coins for one person, how much would that be for 10 people?
Chen Dagang's body trembled. "This is not fair. The medicine prescribed by Doctor Chen is not that expensive."

The medicine Chen Liang prescribed in the village was indeed inexpensive, costing an average of only a dozen or so coins per prescription.

The magistrate sneered, "There are plenty of punishments for you to face."

Li Ruru couldn't help but nod. In modern times, selling counterfeit goods only requires a three-fold compensation for the counterfeit, which is nothing to merchants who have sold a lot of goods.

Similarly, if the Chen family feeds someone food poisoning with swill, and only basic medical expenses are paid, they'll probably dare to use other disgusting things next time.

Granny Zhao could no longer bear it. She ripped the cloth out of her mouth and shouted, "I'm not convinced! Magistrate, you're clearly siding with Li!"

(End of this chapter)