Chapter 829: Speak, I will back you up
Su Wan was not angry at being stopped from entering the county office. She was angry at the fact that these people who were sitting here and enjoying the benefits that came from the taxes paid by the commoners, were refusing to hear a single complaint of those people who allowed them to live a life of nothing but comfort.
" Madam… No! County magistrate, there is no need for you to do this, right?" Lai Baihu couldn't help but cry, he never thought that he would be brought to questioning and that too in front of the county magistrate. Now he was terribly regretful, if he had known that this woman was the county magistrate, he would have treated her differently.
Even if he ate the gall of a leopard, he wouldn't have dared to stop her.
However, Su Wan only looked at him indifferently. Her eyes were terrifyingly cold as she said, " How many times did I tell you that I was the county magistrate? And how many times did I ask you politely to call Lord Yan? I gave you several chances because I thought that you were only doing your job but unfortunately, you did not cherish the chance that I handed you, now what's there to cry about?"
She really did not want to create a ruckus on the first day at work. But since they want her to react then she would give them a reaction.
Lai Baihu's expression stiffened, and he turned to look at Qi Zhen whose expression was no better than his. However, he could not ignore Lai Baihu as he was the husband of his wife's cousin. If something happened to Lai Baihu then his wife would question him which would make even more trouble for him.
Though his wife was a naive woman who did not know how things worked in the real world, she was not foolish.
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" County magistrate Su, I believe there is no need to do anything like this?" He gently spoke to Su Wan before lowering his voice such that only Su Wan and her husbands would be able to hear him. " You will offend a bunch of people like this."
Su Wan narrowed her eyes. Even though she never worked as an official, she knew that Qi Zhen was threatening her, however, she wasn't bothered by his threat on the other hand she smiled coldly at him causing Qi Zhen to stiffen.
" You need not worry about him for the time being, Master Qi," Su Wan stated calmly. " When your own house is made of mud and no bricks, you shouldn't worry whether someone else's roof would start to leak. We haven't talked about all the taxes that you and your family have avoided all these years yet. If you don't shut up and stand aside, then I don't mind opening that case as well."
Su Wan was not worried about offending anyone. This place was her territory and she would rule it as she liked, as long as the one in front of her was not a good person, she wouldn't hold back.
Qi Zhen's pupils shook. He looked at Su Wan and hurriedly took a step away from her, though he did not want to back down, Su Wan was right. His own house was filled with pits and holes, they had been avoiding taxes for a long time and they weren't even opening lands for the commoners, it was enough to discredit their family.
If the case was opened even if there was no evidence for the time being, it wouldn't do him good to go against the county magistrate.
Lin Chen saw how quickly Qi Zhen backed down and immediately let out a snort. He did not expect anything more from a man like Qi Zhen, this was the man who left his brother to die, the brother upon whom he relied for years to eat and drink merrily.
A heartless man like him could abandon his own biological brother, so who was Lai Baihu?
Once Qi Zhen stepped away, Su Wan turned to look at Lai Baihu whose expression was full of disbelief and sweetly smiled up at him. This scene fell in the eyes of the crowd as well, they all saw that Qi Zhen was not protecting Lai Baihu and immediately exchanged a glance with each other.
" So, does anyone want to say anything?" Su Wan asked the crowd while standing on the stairs of the county office. " You only have this chance."
At first, no one spoke but then an old woman who was standing at the back of the crowd stepped forward while hobbling with a stick in her hands.
" County magistrate, I would like to file a complaint against Lai Baihu," her words immediately sent the crowd into uproar. Lai Baihu turned to look at the old woman and shouted, " You old woman, what nonsense are you saying? Aren't you afraid that ghosts would knock on your door if you lie like this?"
While he spoke, he glared at the old woman asking her to remain silent. In his head as long as no one spoke against him, nothing would happen to him even the county magistrate wouldn't be able to push the blame on him.
Hearing his threat, the old woman hesitated but just as she was about to retreat, Su Wan spoke up,
" There is no need for ghosts to knock on your door in the middle of the night, as long as you are speaking the truth nothing will happen," she then turned and swept a cold glance at Lai Baihu and Qi Zhen before adding, " And in case something does happen it will be blamed on the Lai and Qi family.
The punishment will be according to the damage done to the victim if a leg is broken… I will break both legs of the men in the Lai and Qi family."
" You! How could you!" Qi Zhen could not believe that he met with a woman who was this ruthless. She was simply a tyrant.
Su Wan smirked and then said in a haughty voice, " Why can't I? I am the county magistrate of this city. What I say is the law! Just like the rest of the count magistrates, or had Master Qi forgotten the past?"