National Division

Chapter 40 Shen Bin: Shut the hell up, all of you!

Meanwhile, Shen Xian and Xue Zhihua left the valley river. Xue Zhihua remained hidden, while Shen Xian rode in a carriage to the county government office.

Not long after, the carriage drawn by Shen Xian and Xue Zhihua stopped at an inn two streets away from the county government office.

Shen Xian, on the other hand, walked slowly but swiftly towards the county government office.

At that moment, a young constable emerged from the county government office, looked up at Shen Xian, and asked with a smile, "Young Master Shen, what brings you here?"

"I'm looking for Officer Li from the fast shift." Shen Xian was already a regular here.

To avoid alerting any potential evil spirits lurking in the shadows, he tried to get through Li Yan as much as possible.

Of course, a place as important as the county government office, which gathers the fortunes of hundreds of thousands of people in the county, should not be attacked by any evil spirits.

Shen Xian strode into the county government office and went to the west duty room. Li Yan happened to be coming out with an official letter and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Third Uncle, let's go inside and talk," Shen Xian said in a low voice.

Seeing this, Li Yan knew something was wrong. Without showing any emotion, he called over a constable and said in a deep voice, "Send the case file to the legal department. I'll be there in a bit."

As she spoke, she reached out and pulled Shen Xian's arm, leading him into the duty room, and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

Shen Xian said, "There might be evil spirits that want to harm Father."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan's expression changed drastically, and he said, "Wasn't that three-headed snake demon severely injured?"

Shen Xian lowered his voice and said, "It's not that three-headed snake demon, it's another kind of evil spirit."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan was startled, his gaze growing increasingly serious as he asked, "What... do you mean?"

Shen Xian said, "The Lord Xue just confirmed that there are evil spirits lurking at the bottom of the Valley River. I suspect they may be targeting Father."

Li Yan said, "Your father just went on a business trip."

Shen Xian asked urgently, "Where did they go? Are they still in the city?"

Li Yan said, "I took some men to Xiaoguo Township in the southern suburbs of the city to deal with a land dispute. I estimate I will go with you tonight."

Shen Xian thought to himself, "These are really strange things, one after another."

As they spoke, Shen Xian and Li Yan mounted their horses and hurried towards the southern suburbs of the city.

Xue Zhihua also concealed herself and secretly followed.

At this moment, in Xiaoguo Township, on the southern outskirts of the city—

In the lush wheat field, two groups of farmers, armed with rakes and hoes, faced off in a tense standoff, while not far away, several wounded men, covered in blood, lay groaning on the ground.

Shen Bin wore a black, wingless crown and a light blue official robe that was half-new and half-old after being starched. Beside him were Qian Lizheng, whose face was ashen, and several strong men.

Zhao Lang and his companion, accompanied by twenty or thirty constables, stood on either side. The constables held standard-issue horizontal swords of the Jing Dynasty, their blades flashing brightly as they were drawn, their expressions wary.

To the east, a tall, thin middle-aged man from Yangji Village said loudly, "This area originally belonged to our village; it's written in the village register."

The mediation involved a land dispute between two parties, who were not only vying for land but also for irrigation water.

Shen Bin shouted, gathering his strength in his dantian, and said loudly, "Listen to me, everyone. The land here was re-allocated in the thirty-fifth year of the Hongxi reign. When the mediation took place, the village elders from both sides were present. How can we deny what was agreed upon?"

The tall, middle-aged man said, "Bullshit! Back then, it was the people of Zhangwangzhuang who bribed the village head and the county magistrate. In the early years of Hongxi, this land still belonged to us."

The people of Zhangwangzhuang nearby immediately became indignant, saying, "Old Yang, you donkey, I think you've forgotten something. Back then, it was clearly your people who bribed the village head, and now you're turning around and blaming us!"

The middle-aged man said, "Bullshit! Go back three generations, the whole area west of the river belongs to our Yangji Village."

The two exchanged words, and then began to greet the female relatives on the other side.

The previously separated crowd began to gather together again.

But intimidated by the gleaming steel knives and the fierce expressions of the constables, they only dared to curse back and dared not approach any further.

Shen Bin's words, sharp as thunder, carried far and wide, infused with his inner energy: "Shut up, all of you! Listen to me!"

After all, he was a martial artist of innate talent. When he used his true energy, the noise and commotion on both sides of the crowd were so intense that their heads were buzzing.

Shen Bin shouted, "Are there any leaders from either village who want to come before me and argue this matter!"

At this moment, the previously noisy crowd suddenly fell silent. Everyone knew that when people gathered to cause trouble, the government would divide and win them over, specifically targeting those who instigated the disturbances.

It can be said that in the process of outwitting and outmaneuvering the local officials in Dajing, the people have accumulated a complete and rich set of experiences.

As Shen Bin spoke, he looked at the middle-aged man and sneered, "What, are you all alone now? Weren't you the loudest one just now? Now that we're trying to reason with you, you've chickened out?"

Seeing that all the villagers were looking at him, the man felt embarrassed. He steeled himself and said, "Shen Qingtian, I respect your fairness. I'll listen to your judgment!"

As he spoke, he took a few steps forward, seemingly to show his courage and bravery, staring at the steel knife with unwavering fearlessness.

Shen Bin said, "He's a good man, let him come over."

As the two constables spoke, they made way for the man, who secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It would be impossible not to be afraid when faced with a pair of steel blades as sharp as wolves'.

Then, Shen Bin cast his sharp, hawk-like gaze at the two groups of people not far away and said, "There are no men left in Zhangwangzhuang, they're all dead, right?"

Upon hearing this, a young man with a purplish-red face emerged from Zhangwangzhuang and stepped forward a few paces to meet the yamen runner's steel knife.

The two constables also made way for the young man to enter.

Shen Bin said, "You two, list out the reasons for the land dispute one by one, and I will judge it according to the law."

"Qian Lizheng, come here."

Qian Li was standing to the side, trembling with fear. Upon hearing this, he shuddered, looked at County Lieutenant Shen, and quickly stepped forward, forcing a smile on his wrinkled face. He said, "County Lieutenant Shen, what are your orders?"

Shen Bin instructed, "Bring out all the fish-scale registers from the thirty-fifth year of Hongxi's reign and let the two families discuss them in detail."

Qian Lizheng took out a yellow book from his pocket and said, "The fish-scale register from the thirty-fifth year of Hongxi is still in the village office."

Shen Bin said sternly, "Then let someone fetch it. I will wait here."

Then, with his tiger-like eyes, he looked at the constable beside him and ordered, "You accompany him to fetch it."

"Yes, sir," the constable said, and quickly left.

"I will listen to your statements here first. After one side has finished speaking, the other side can then refute them. If you cannot explain yourself clearly, you can ask someone to help you," Shen Bin said.

The remaining two had no objections.

Shen Bin pointed to the middle-aged man from Yangji Village and said, "You go first."

The middle-aged man began to recount his story, starting with a torrential rainstorm thirty-three years before the reign of Emperor Hongxi, which washed away the local monument.

Well, it's almost like starting from the creation of the world by Pangu.

Shen Bin listened patiently, while the other person tried to interrupt, but Shen Bin stopped them.

At this point, the middle-aged man got more and more excited and said, "This piece of land has belonged to our Yangji Village from the very beginning."

Upon hearing this, the villagers of Zhangwangzhuang, who were some distance away, all began to curse.

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, Shen Bin asked in a deep voice, "Is there anything else to add?"

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he thought for a moment and, finding nothing new, said loudly, "Your Honor, you must do us justice!"

Shen Bin remained noncommittal, then pointed to the young man from Zhangwangzhuang standing to the side and said in a deep voice, "You tell me!"

The young man from Zhangwangzhuang had been unable to contain himself any longer and had been trying to interrupt earlier. Now he was speaking out like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

While Shen Bin was focused on mediating the feud between the two villages, a toad with a few golden rays of light emerged from the nearby valley river. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, it transformed into the appearance of a villager with gray hair and a hunched figure, and then blended into the crowd without anyone noticing.

This golden toad has been operating in Guhe County for many years, and it can detect fish and shrimp. Naturally, it is also familiar with Shen Bin, the "Shen Qingtian" of Guhe County.

"There are too many people here, it's not a good time to make a move," Mr. Jin thought to himself.

I plan to wait and see how things go before making a decision.

He has always been cautious.

(End of this chapter)