I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

The next morning, the Dingxing County government office suddenly became noisy.

He Fu was invited to the main hall, and Xie Jinrong gave up the main seat and sat down to the side.

"Magistrate Xie, what does this mean?"

"There is a case today that requires Prefect He to handle personally."

"Oh?"

He Fu's mind raced, and he asked, "This is Dingxing County. If there is a case, it should be handled by Magistrate Xie. This prefect may simply observe the proceedings."

"No, no!"

Xie Jinrong waved his hand repeatedly and said, "This case involves an official appointed by the imperial court, so it would be more appropriate for Prefect He to handle it."

He Fu then asked, "What case is it that Magistrate Xie is taking so seriously?"

Xie Jinrong waved his hand and ordered, "Bring him up!"

The clerk Zhang Zian personally led his men to escort County Magistrate Huang Mao to the main hall.

Huang Mao, bound hand and foot, saw He Fu and immediately shouted, "Your Excellency, I'm innocent!"

"That's utterly ridiculous!"

He Fu's expression changed, and he said, "What wrong has Magistrate Huang committed to deserve such treatment?"

Xie Jinrong said, "Please, Prefect He, be patient. The case I will be handling today concerns County Magistrate Huang!"

"Magistrate Huang is an official appointed by the imperial court. Do you know the consequences if you lack solid evidence?"

"This humble official is naturally aware of the situation, which is why we have invited Prefect He to oversee the matter!"

Looking at Xie Jinrong's fearless demeanor, He Fu roughly understood what was going on.

This person must have known that Huang Mao visited last night and was preparing to strike first!

Since things have come to this point, there's no need for pleasantries; let's confront each other about right and wrong right in court!

"Very well! This prefecture will accept this case!"

He Fu nodded, then slammed his gavel and asked, "Who has filed a complaint against County Magistrate Huang Mao? Bring him to the court!"

Zhao Zian waved to the outside, and more than a dozen people rushed in.

These people, men and women, young and old, all knelt down and bowed, shouting that they were wronged.

Seeing this formation, He Fu already had a plan in mind.

It seems Xie Jinrong came prepared; these people must have been hired, needless to say.

Huang Mao was impeached last night, and this morning more than a dozen aggrieved parties came together to file a complaint. What a coincidence!

"Please, Your Honor, grant us this judgment!"

"Your Honor, we have been wronged!"

"Your Excellency, Magistrate, save my life..."

Watching the farce unfolding below, Xie Jinrong's eyes flashed with a hint of smugness as he slowly stood up.

"Listen up, everyone. This is Prefect He. Since you are suing officials of this county, the Prefect will personally handle your case. Tell me your grievances one by one, and the Prefect will uphold justice for you!"

As if they were prepared, everyone immediately started talking at once, each vying to voice their grievances.

Snapped!

He Fu struck the gavel again, startling everyone, who then fell silent.

Xie Jinrong sat upright to one side, a satisfied smile on his face, waiting for the show to begin.

He Fu's expression was solemn as he surveyed the crowd below, having already made up his mind.

"Do not panic. Whatever your grievances, this court will surely seek justice for you today. In order, state your names and recount your grievances in detail."

The people below lined up in order of seniority, with an old man at the front, who said tremblingly, "I am Li Er, a villager from Dongcun Village, Dingxing County. Magistrate Huang forcibly seized my family's land and drove my family to ruin. I beg Your Excellency Prefect to do justice!"

He Fu asked, "Villager Li Er has filed a lawsuit against County Magistrate Huang Mao for forcibly seizing land and causing death. Does he have a statement to back up his confession?"

Yes, yes!

Li Er took out the confession and handed it to the bailiff beside him, who then presented it to the table.

He Fu opened it and glanced at it, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. The preparations were quite complete!

"I have reviewed your request. Now I ask you, do you have any witnesses or physical evidence?"

"The common people are the witnesses; as for physical evidence..."

Li Er hesitated for a moment and looked at Zhang Zi'an beside him.

Zhang Zian immediately glared at him, and Li Er quickly looked away, saying, "At that time, County Magistrate Huang coerced me into signing the land transfer deed, and the village head acted as guarantor; the village head can testify to that!"

Huang Mao was greatly alarmed and hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, I have been wronged!"

"Quiet!"

He Fu struck the gavel again and ordered, "Summon the village chief of Dongcun for court!"

Zhang Zian was prepared and ordered his men to bring up the village head.

"I am the village head of Dongcun. Two years ago, County Magistrate Huang Mao took advantage of a famine to buy six mu of land from villager Li Er at a low price. Li Er refused, so County Magistrate Huang arrested his son and beat him to death. Li Er had no choice but to sign the contract. County Magistrate Huang also threatened me to act as guarantor. After the matter was settled, he gave me five taels of silver as a bribe. I have already handed over the silver. I only ask that Your Honor give me a lenient punishment."

"fart!"

Huang Mao got anxious and started yelling at the village head.

He Fu struck the gavel and said, "Village head of Dongcun, are you willing to take responsibility for your words? If this prefecture finds out that you have helped someone commit perjury and framed an official of the imperial court, you will be punished accordingly!"

"Everything I said is true. Please, Your Excellency, investigate thoroughly!"

He Fu looked at Li Er's confession and the village head's statement with a gloomy face.

Although they knew they were all fakes, they couldn't find any problems with them in a short time.

"Next, it's your turn."

He Fu pointed to a middle-aged woman and casually placed the confession aside.

The woman's clothes were slightly worn, and there were tear stains at the corners of her eyes. Her hands were tightly twisting the hem of her clothes, clearly indicating that she was very nervous.

"I am Zhang Wangshi, a commoner from Liujia Village in the south of the city. County Magistrate Huang... County Magistrate Huang... he forcibly seized my family's ancestral home, and... he forced my husband to do hard labor for him until he died of exhaustion on the construction site..."

At this point, Zhang Wangshi was already sobbing uncontrollably, wiping away tears.

He Fu frowned and said, "Zhang Wangshi, do not grieve. If your husband's death is truly related to Magistrate Huang, this prefecture will not tolerate it."

Zhang Wangshi continued to weep and plead, and all her grievances were recorded by the clerk, who then signed and affixed his seal.

He Fu did not make a decision on the spot, but continued calling out names: "Next!"

"Zhao Daniu, a commoner, is an ordinary farmer in the north of the city..."

Zhao Daniu recounted how Huang Mao used the pretext of building water conservancy projects to enrich himself, resulting in his family's farmland being flooded and their harvest being lost. In the end, he had no choice but to sell his children to repay the so-called repair costs.

"My lord, I am truly desperate and have nowhere else to turn. Please, Your Excellency, save this humble subject and my fellow villagers!"

After Zhao Daniu finished speaking, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed, making a loud thud.

Next, an old man stood up shakily and claimed to be the clan chief of the Zhang family in the area. He accused Magistrate Huang of abusing his power to forcibly collect high taxes, and said that many clan members were imprisoned because they could not pay, and their fate was unknown.

"In all my years, I have never seen such a ruthless official. Your Honor, if you do not stand up for us, we may truly not be able to survive!"

For a time, the hall was filled with cries, shouts, and pleas, creating quite a lively scene.

Huang Mao was stunned by this scene and shouted, "Injustice! Your Honor, these are all lies they fabricated! I have never done such a thing!"

Xie Jinrong sneered and said, "Magistrate Huang, stop trying to deny it. These victims have suffered under your persecution for a long time. Now that the evidence is overwhelming, what else do you have to say? We are both officials appointed by the imperial court. If I can't interrogate you, surely the Prefect can?"

Huang Mao angrily retorted, "Xie Jinrong, don't think I don't know! This was all a conspiracy you orchestrated; you wanted to kill me!"

Xie Jinrong burst into laughter, then said, "Magistrate Huang, don't spout nonsense! You have no grudge against this county, why would I want to kill you?"

"Your Excellency, this humble official..."

Huang Mao wanted to argue, but He Fu interrupted him by raising his hand.

"Magistrate Xie, what are your demands? In other words, how do you think this case should be tried?"

Xie Jinrong paused for a moment, then said, "My request is that Your Excellency, the Prefect, uphold justice for the people and punish the corrupt officials!"

"In that case, I will bring Magistrate Huang back to the prefectural office, along with all the aggrieved parties and witnesses, for a thorough investigation before making a decision. What do you say?"

Xie Jinrong glanced at the crowd below and said, "Please forgive me for disagreeing!"

"Oh?"

He pressed further, "Does Magistrate Xie think it's inappropriate?"

"If the prefect cannot pronounce the verdict on the spot, it may incite public outrage!"

"These cases involve several lives, and this office needs to investigate further. Is there a problem?"

"With both witnesses and physical evidence presented, I believe Your Excellency need not proceed with the investigation!"

"What if this government insists on investigating?"

Seeing Xie Jinrong pressing closer and closer, He Fu felt much more relaxed.

Show me what you've got. Do you think I, a dignified prefect, am afraid of you?

Xie Jinrong smiled faintly and said, "This humble official humbly begs the Prefect to uphold justice for the people, otherwise..."

"What else?"

Xie Jinrong pointed to the people behind him and said, "This humble official simply feels that these people have been persecuted for too long. Now that the case is clear, with witnesses and physical evidence, it is entirely appropriate to hold a trial on the spot. Your Excellency, please do not delay any longer!"

He retorted, "Are you teaching this official how to do things?"

"This humble official wouldn't dare!"

Xie Jinrong bowed slightly and said, "The people are filled with righteous indignation, and it's inevitable that they might do something outrageous. If things really get out of control, I won't be able to handle it."

"What outrageous thing have they done? Do they intend to kidnap me?"

"Well... it's not impossible."

"Hahaha!"

He Fu suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Xie Jinrong, do you know what you're saying? You're threatening this government!"

Xie Jinrong remained unyielding and said, "Your Excellency, this is Dingxing County. I advise you to follow the will of the people."

"Okay, okay!"

He Fu, enraged, laughed. Then, after a moment's thought, he said, "Huang Mao is a county magistrate appointed by the imperial court. If this prefecture judges him, the position will be vacant, delaying official business. Who will be held responsible?"

"As the county magistrate, I can temporarily assume the duties of the county assistant magistrate, not to mention..."

At this point, Xie Jinrong gave Zhang Zian a wink.

Zhang Zian nodded, walked out of the lobby, and then returned with another person.

"This humble citizen, Fan Liuyang, greets Prefect He and Magistrate Xie!"

Upon seeing this person arrive, He Fu thought to himself, "It's time to reveal the true intentions!"