“Uncle Jiang is brilliant, too brilliant!”
Wang Jinsheng could not help but praise.
The Great Jin’s taxes on ordinary people were relatively heavy to begin with. With this additional tax, those bumpkins in Lu County would probably be unable to make ends meet.
In his opinion, ordinary people were just a bunch of lowly commoners.
Now that Cui Heng had given them benefits, they would naturally support him and love him.
After this policy was announced, they would definitely turn around and scold Cui Heng.
The so-called popular sentiment was just something that could be transferred at any time.
It was too easy to deal with.
Comfortable!
How comfortable!
Wang Jinsheng couldn’t stop smiling.
He felt that he could already see Cui Heng’s miserable and desperate expression.
Wang Qingquan and Sun Panshi also praised with smiles.
This policy was also a good thing for them.
After all, the so-called generations of businessmen were actually people from sects and aristocratic families.
As for how the ordinary people would survive?
They didn’t care at all.
They were just a bunch of bumpkins. If they died, so be it. It was no big deal.
Even if there was a fight, it would be at the County Governor’s mansion.
It had nothing to do with them?
The banquet was immersed in laughter.
The host and guests enjoyed themselves.
When Jiang Wanshan left, the sky was already bright.
At dawn.
Wang Qingquan and Wang Jinsheng also bade farewell to Sun Liansheng and set off for Lu County.
However, their goal was already different from their initial one.
After hearing Jiang Wanshan’s plan, the two of them had already given up on the idea of directly getting rid of Cui Heng.
After all, he was just a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. They were not in a hurry to attack him.
It would be more satisfying to see him live under the curses of the people after the new edict was issued.
This time, Wang Qingquan and Wang Jinsheng went to Lu County for two reasons.
One was to save Sun Panshi.
After all, he was Sun Liansheng’s son. He couldn’t just leave him in Lu County. He had to save his life.
The second was to get rid of Xu Feng’an.
Although the Yuhua Sword Pavilion had existed for a thousand years, only in recent years did Xu Feng’an appear. His foundation was shallow, and he had never been taken seriously by the top sects and aristocratic families.
Now, Xu Feng’an actually dared to help Cui Heng and stand against the sects and aristocratic families.
He was simply courting death!
He had to be eliminated as a warning to others!
….
Today, Lu County City was much more lively than usual.
Just last night, the powerful merchants and the backing of those merchants were all arrested by the governor.
The price of food that had soared to 15 times was pushed back down overnight.
Countless commoners cheered and walked onto the streets, wanting to thank the new county governor.
However, many people heard someone shouting as soon as they left.
“The Complaints Conference has begun! The Complaints Conference has begun! Lord Governor is going to hold a public trial on those profiteers and their backers. Let them explain clearly why they want to go against us commoners!
Everyone, let’s speak of our grievances. No matter what grievances we’ve suffered in the past, we can speak freely this time. The governor will stand up for us!”
The person shouting was a dark-skinned youth.
He seemed to be around 15 or 16 year old.
It was none other than Zhao Goudan, one of the dozen or so soldiers Cui Heng had brought with him when he came to Lu County.
His voice was very loud, so people could hear him clearly from afar. Immediately, many people came over to ask.
“Little brother, what do you mean by a public trial and a Complaints Conference?”
“Can we really tell them all the grievances we usually suffer? Are you going to interrogate those big shots?”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing. How can commoners like us interrogate them?”
Many people in Lu County had never heard of such a thing and found it unbelievable.
After all, in this era, ordinary people could already be considered lucky if they could live peacefully. Their lives were like grass, and they had no right to judge others.
“Brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts, listen to me.” Zhao Goudan was very fluent with his words and quickly recounted his experiences in Juhe County vividly.
He even told them about Cui Heng’s political measures in Juhe County, especially the details of how he fought the nouveau riche and divided the fields. Many citizens’ eyes lit up.
Hence, a large number of citizens quickly rushed to the market entrance at the north of Lu County. That was the place where the public hearing was going to be held.
Wang Jinsheng and Wang Qingquan, who had already disguised themselves, arrived at the market and stood in a corner.
They looked at the crowd of people and listened to the publicity about the Complaints Conference and the public trial. They felt instinctively annoyed and disgusted.
“Ridiculous, this is too ridiculous!” Wang Qingquan’s expression was extremely gloomy as he looked at the public trial platform that was being built. “Are they trying to pull Nephew Sun and the others onto this platform and judge them like monkeys?”
“From what they’re saying, that seems to be the case.” A trace of fear flashed across Wang Jinsheng’s eyes. If he hadn’t fled decisively back then, he would probably have been pulled onto the stage as well now.
“What a great humiliation!” Wang Qingquan was furious, and killing intent even surged in his heart. “He’s throwing the face of our aristocratic families and sects onto the ground and trampling on it. This child cannot be left alive!”
“Uncle, don’t worry. With Uncle Jiang’s plan, that fellow won’t live for long!” Wang Jinsheng gritted his teeth and said.
“Yes, he’s dead for sure!” Wang Qingquan nodded and asked in a low voice, “By the way, have you investigated the whereabouts of the thousands of elite soldiers last night?”
“Yes.” Wang Jin said with some resentment, “It was Xu Feng’an who did it. He directly captured Sun Panshi and killed dozens of soldiers, causing the remaining soldiers to surrender without a fight. They were probably captured and imprisoned in the dungeon.”
The first thing Wang Jinsheng did after arriving in Lu County was to be sent by Wang Qingquan to investigate what had happened last night.
At the very least, he had to figure out how the battle ended after he left.
This way, he could rely on how many soldiers Xu Feng’an could kill to determine his strength, making it easier for Wang Qingquan to kill him.
Although Wang Qingquan looked down on Xu Feng’an, a newly-advanced top expert, he knew very well that it was not easy to kill a top expert.
He had to be sufficiently prepared. Only by knowing himself and his enemy could he win every battle.
Unfortunately, Wang Jinsheng’s investigation results came from the citizens of Lu County.
In truth, no one had dared to go out last night.
No one saw the real battle scene.
Most of the people only vaguely heard the screams outside, and a small number of people heard Sun Panshi and the others breaking out of the window and trying to escape.
Even the blood on the streets had been cleaned up by Chen Tong and his men. There were no traces of Hui Shi sweeping through the army alone last night.
This morning, after the commoners went out and saw a clean street, they naturally did not think that a battle had happened.
They would only think that the battle had stopped because the culprits had been captured by an expert.
Hence, after Wang Jinsheng heard this news, he naturally thought that it was Xu Feng’an.
After all, from what he knew, Xu Feng’an was the only top expert in Lu County City. Who else could it be?
This was slightly different from the truth.
“To be able to kill dozens of armored and armed elite soldiers alone, this guy is already stronger than ordinary Inner World realm experts. He’s not bad.”
Wang Qingquan believed Wang Jinsheng’s words and sneered. “But compared to me, it’s far from enough. In the end, the foundation of a small sect is still too shallow.”
“Uncle, if you take action, Xu Feng’an will definitely die.” Wang Jinsheng smiled.
“If I can’t even kill a tiny Xu Feng’an, I’m not worthy of the surname Wang.” Wang Qingquan was very confident. “Jinsheng, wait here. Once Nephew Sun appears, save him. I’ll go and kill Xu Feng’an directly to prevent him from causing any trouble.”
“No problem, don’t worry.” Wang Jinsheng was also very confident. He looked at Hui Shi, who was acting as a guard on the platform, and chuckled. “The guard on this platform was defeated by me. I let him live previously, so I won’t let him escape again this time.”
“Yes, we should eliminate them completely.” Wang Qingquan nodded and said, “Be careful to end the battle quickly. Don’t fight a prolonged battle. After saving them, leave immediately.”
“I understand!” Wang Jinsheng smiled and said, “Uncle, don’t worry. It’s just a mere Qi Condensation realm cultivator. It’s not worth me prolonging the fight.”
“Alright.” Wang Qingquan left in relief. He knew Wang Jinsheng’s strength very well. It was impossible for him to not be able to deal with a Qi Condensation Realm cultivator.
Next, Wang Jinsheng waited patiently in the corner.
Before long, the high platform was set up. Countless citizens present cheered.
When the public hearing began.
One by one, the merchants were pulled up and the commoners stood up to accuse them. In their anger, many commoners even rushed up and beat the merchants to death.
“What a bunch of unruly commoners!” Wang Jinsheng gritted his teeth. His status was inherently different from the commoners. Seeing this situation, he felt especially affected.
Finally, after interrogating several merchants, Sun Panshi, who looked haggard and in an extremely sorry state, was pulled up.
Hui Shi had personally escorted him up.
“It’s time!” Wang Jinsheng’s eyes lit up. “Die!”
He immediately used his swiftness technique and instantly flew onto the stage. He stretched out his arm and threw a punch at Hui Shi, trying to subdue the enemy in one strike like yesterday.
Hui Shi’s expression revealed a bit of surprise. He looked at Wang Jinsheng as if he was looking at a fool.
….
Wang Qingquan did not choose to launch a sneak attack.
This was because he knew that it was useless against a top-notch Inner World expert.
He planned to kill Xu Feng’an head-on.
Moreover, in order to warn Cui Heng, he planned to beat Xu Feng’an to death in front of Cui Heng.
Therefore, Wang Qingquan came to the county magistrate’s office alone and even removed his disguise.
At this moment, Cui Heng was discussing with Xu Feng’an and Liu Litao which sects and aristocratic families’ businesses to buy over first.
Suddenly, he looked up outside.
“What a strong emotion of disgust. Who’s here?” Cui Heng was overjoyed. He put down the brush and ink in his hand and smiled. “Sir Xu, County Governor Liu, there’s a guest outside. Let’s go and meet him.”