After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 205 Not Bandits, But Remnants of the Army
"My lord! My lord! They are heroes! They are not bad people!"

"Please, sir, release them!"

The villagers knelt down in front of the court and begged for mercy.

The six people who were brought to the courtroom were all shocked and moved by the scene before them.

Perhaps this is all they ever wanted in their lives.
Xu Long looked up, moved, and his whole body froze the moment he saw Lin Yunche.
"Linlin."

Xu Long's unusual behavior caused the other burly men to all turn their attention to Lin Yunche, who was sitting in the courtroom.

They all widened their eyes in surprise, exclaiming, "It's a member of the Lin family!"

Lin Yunche hadn't expected that the people below would recognize him at a glance, even if they didn't know his name. That meant...
Could these people be the same as the men in black that the Prince of Huai captured before?
Was he also one of my grandfather's former subordinates?
The six burly men, including Xu Long, were only surprised for a moment before their expressions turned to anger.

The villagers recognized the burly men and exclaimed, "Sir, it's them! They killed the bandits and saved us!"

"They are not bad people! They are heroes."

Lin Yunche glanced at Magistrate Zhou, who was already drenched in sweat.

He had indeed sent men to capture these bandits before, but they were so cunning that he couldn't catch them even after a long time.

However, his actions did indeed intimidate the bandits.

As a result, they did not show their faces in the mountains for several months. It would have been better if they could have remained hidden in the mountains, but this matter still deserved an explanation.

In order to gain merit, Magistrate Zhou had no choice but to find a few people to impersonate these mountain bandits.

He reported that he had already wiped out these people.
Who knew, who knew these people would reappear.

They've shown up, so what?! And they've made such a grand entrance! Are they trying to make sure everyone knows there are bandits in Luodian County?!
At this moment, Magistrate Zhou wished he could kill all of these people with his eyes.

"My lord, I'm afraid I made a mistake before."

"I will investigate immediately and give you an explanation, sir," Magistrate Zhou said, bowing his head.

Lin Yunche coldly said, "No need, I will handle this matter personally."

"Magistrate Zhou, you should think about how you're going to say your confession."

Next, Lin Yunche interrogated each villager in detail.

The villagers' testimonies were almost identical; these people were indeed heroes who saved their lives.

But when Lin Yunche asked about these six people...

These six people, however, were completely uncooperative.

"Tell me, what are your identities, and why did you become bandits in the mountains?"

The six burly men remained silent, all glaring angrily at Lin Yunche.

"What you're doing is disrupting official business, which is illegal. Even if you've done something meritorious, you'll still go to jail," Lin Yunche shouted.

But the six burly men remained silent, prompting the villagers nearby to try and persuade them.

But it was no use. Lin Yunche could only adjourn the court session and take these people back with him.

"My lord, the identities of these people are questionable!" Magistrate Zhou still wanted to make amends, so he actively helped Lin Yunche come up with a solution.

“Then Magistrate Zhou, they’ve been in your territory for so long.”

"Didn't you find anything?"

Magistrate Zhou perked up at this moment, "No, there are some records."

Magistrate Zhou immediately brought over his booklet containing records about these mountain bandits.

Lin Yunche opened the booklet, which recorded that these bandits had actually shown signs of activity ten years ago.

"Why haven't these bandits been eradicated since they've existed for so long?" Lin Yunche asked coldly.

Magistrate Zhou shook his head. "We can't eliminate them."

“These bandits are very cunning, and they have become friends with the villagers nearby.”

"With the help of these villagers, it's very difficult for us to catch these people."

Magistrate Zhou, looking quite troubled, continued, "Besides, these bandits haven't done anything particularly heinous."

"So. So."

Magistrate Zhou said this, but he was very dissatisfied in his heart.

See that? See that? These bandits weren't just around the corner during his tenure; they've been around for over a decade.

Why haven't they been able to eradicate it after all these years?

It's all because the person above wanted to use the bandit's name.
Especially after the Fang family came to Huaizhou City, the name of mountain bandits was used several times.

Even if you're the top scholar, what good is a minor prefect? ​​Can you really stand up to a prince?
Magistrate Zhou has helped the Fang family cover up their crimes over the years, so he is naturally one of the Prince of Huai's men.

He had already figured it out: as long as he pushed this matter aside, even if Lin Yunche wanted to investigate thoroughly, he wouldn't find anything.

If they really find out about the Prince of Huai's side, hmph! Even without him saying anything, Lin Yunche will naturally stop.

Lin Yunche glanced sideways at Magistrate Zhou, as if trying to see through his thoughts.

"Then what about the things you concealed?"

Who were the people who concealed the truth?

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Zhou was somewhat pleased and finally asked...
"My lord, may I speak with you privately?" Magistrate Zhou glanced at Bi Yi and Meng Zhan behind Lin Yunche and said in a low voice.

Lin Yunche glanced back at the two of them, and Bi Yi and Meng Zhan had no choice but to leave first.

"This Magistrate Zhou is clearly a seasoned veteran."

"What else could he possibly say that's worth listening to!"

Meng Zhan was already in a bad mood because he had lost his credit, and now that he was being treated like an outsider, he felt even more aggrieved.

Given the current situation, when exactly will he be able to make a contribution?

How can I go to Kyoto without making a contribution?

Bi Yi didn't think that much about it; Magistrate Zhou was a man of mysterious thoughts.

There were some things he felt were best left unknown. Lin Yunche dismissed everyone in the room. "Magistrate Zhou, now that everyone's here, you can speak."

Magistrate Zhou knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"My lord, it's not that I'm unwilling to punish these bandits."

"It's because the master behind these bandits is very powerful."

"Offending the people behind the bandits is a serious matter, not to mention a mere county magistrate like myself, even you, sir, would likely be unable to bear the consequences."

Lin Yunche's expression remained unchanged, but Magistrate Zhou was inwardly impressed.

Unexpectedly, Lin Yunche is quite composed at such a young age.

"Oh? Then Magistrate Zhou, could you explain it more clearly?" Lin Yunche asked, raising his eyes.

For some reason, Magistrate Zhou felt a chill run down his spine. Oh no! Could it be that Lin Yunche is really not afraid of the Prince of Huai?
Or.
Magistrate Zhou was momentarily unsure whether he should speak or not.

I really regret it; I shouldn't have jumped out so quickly. Now I can't extricate myself completely.

"Lord Lin, do you know the Prince of Huai?" Magistrate Zhou asked, observing Lin Yunche's expression.

Lin Yunche showed no sign of fear or surprise. Could it be that he already knew?
As soon as this terrible idea popped into Magistrate Zhou's mind, he immediately dismissed it.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Those things happened more than a decade ago. If he hadn't insisted on investigating the bandits when he first took office, he wouldn't have known about them.

But Lin Yunche has only been here for a short time.

Moreover, he entrusted the matter of the bandits entirely to me.

Thinking of this, Magistrate Zhou became even bolder.

"I know! How many people in our Shang Kingdom don't know His Highness Prince Huai?"

"But what does this have to do with these mountain bandits?"

"Are you saying that these bandits are being tolerated by the prince?"

Lin Yunche slammed a huge accusation on him, almost scaring Magistrate Zhou so much that his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground.

"Oh dear! Sir! You can't say that!"

"If His Highness Prince Huai finds out about this, we'll both be in deep trouble."

Magistrate Zhou was now covered in cold sweat, and he was somewhat afraid to tell Lin Yunche all this.

This greenhorn, fresh out of school, is indeed clueless about human affairs; he even dares to say such things so casually.

"These people are former acquaintances of His Highness Prince Huai."

"Lord Lin, you know about the Lin Family Army from back then, right?"

"These are the soldiers who went to the Northern Dynasty with Deputy General Lin back then."

"Their master has betrayed them, but they refuse to accept it. What can a traitorous soldier do?"

"His Highness Prince Huai captured the people and then released them."

"That's why they've been entrenched on the hills of Luodian County."

"Lord Lin, this matter could be serious or minor. Please don't act impulsively!"

Lin Yunche's expression finally changed. "Hahaha! Rebels!"

Lin Yunche's voice was extremely cold, leaving Magistrate Zhou completely bewildered. Fortunately, Lin Yunche quickly returned to normal.

"Magistrate Zhou is right!"

"This matter is indeed far-reaching, but fortunately, these people are once again doing the people a favor."

"Otherwise, these people..."

Magistrate Zhou knew that as long as the pros and cons were explained clearly, even the most stubborn official would have to learn to think it over.

"It's good that you understand, sir! It's good that you understand, sir."

Seeing that Lin Yunche was no longer holding onto these people, Magistrate Zhou left with peace of mind.

Lin Yunche went to the prison cell alone in the evening.

At this moment, the six strong men were sitting in the prison, worried about their three brothers outside.

"Brother Long, do you think Xiao Qi and the others are alright?"

One of the burly men had reddened eyes. The nine of them had easily taken down those amateur thieves.

If it weren't for his carelessness, Xiao Qi and Wu Tou wouldn't have been so badly injured.

That way, Fei Ge wouldn't have to be surrounded by five thieves to save Xiao Qi and Wu Tou.

It's all because of him.

Xu Long clenched his fists; he was also worried about his brothers.

"It'll be alright! I heard there's a miracle doctor there, everything will be fine."

Hearing their eldest brother say this, the other brothers finally felt some comfort. Yes, there was a miracle doctor there who could surely cure their brother.

Clang!

With the clanging of chains, a jailer's voice rang out.

"Sir, these people are bandits. You should be careful."

"I know! I'll be careful, you guys go out first."

The jailer nodded, hung the iron chain on the prison door, and then left. Lin Yunche stepped into the prison without hesitation, facing the six burly men.

"Are you from the Lin family army?" Lin Yunche asked bluntly.

The six burly men snorted and turned their heads away, except for the one named Xu Long, who stood up.

"We are! But we don't want to be!"

"Lin Family Army, I spit on them!"

(End of this chapter)