Book 10: Chapter 37: Heavens Revealing the Truth
Book 10: Chapter 37: Heavens Revealing the Truth
Chen Feirong took a step towards the young Taxman, saying with a clear voice. “This sir over here, how about you reveal everything within your official robes for everyone to see clearly?”
A hint of horror flashed past this young Taxman’s eyes. He inadvertently took a step back, instead subconsciously screaming out, “Unbridled! You actually have the audacity to slander this official like this! How could this official possibly have such things in my robes?!”
His subconscious roar was precisely the most proper response in this situation.
It was because no matter how much doubt there was, before it was proven true, it was still only doubt, completely meaningless. Only this type of defense that completely didn’t tend to his appearance had a chance of making it through his current crisis.
However, Lin Xi had long told Chen Feirong what to do.
Moreover, Chen Feirong was also a cultivator, a cultivator who was already quite powerful in this world.
When facing this young Taxman’s berating, Chen Feirong only took another powerful step forward.
This step was not as gentle and slow as before, but was instead fast and fierce like when Chen Feirong normally trained in sword skills.
With just this step, she already arrived in front of this young Taxman.
The young Taxman didn’t expect Chen Feirong to actually take action without speaking a single word. He subconsciously raised his hand to defend himself, but Chen Feirong reached out her right hand like a sword, already landing on his body.
With a chi la noise, this young taxman’s clothes were instantly ripped apart. With a light peng noise, the young taxman’s arm subconsciously struck out, but it was stopped by Chen Feirong’s left hand. When these hands collided, Chen Feirong’s expression was the same, standing in place without moving, but this young Taxman only felt as if he rammed into a carriage, staggering back two steps.
The moment he took two steps back, a blast of white powder already exploded between him and Chen Feirong.
White cloth bags wrapped in embroidered cloth fell out from his waist and ruptured sleeves one after another, two among them already bursting from Chen Feirong’s pull.
When faced with the scattering of white powder that was even more dazzling white than the highest grade rice, Chen Feirong only waved the official robes she tore off like a flag, throwing it out.
The scattering fine White Guanyin Talcum Powder, with her motions, completely scattered across this young Taxman’s body.
The front half of this young Taxman’ body was completely covered in white powder, even his face turning completely white, impossible to see the changes in his expression.
Under his body’s continuous uncontrollable shaking, this young Taxman’s lips twitched. The thick layers of white powder came off, scattering down.
This was quite the laughable scene, yet the entire water mill workshop was quiet, no one laughing.
“This sir over here, carrying so much white Guanyin Talcum Powder on you, was it because you wanted to place it within our waterwheels, or to add it into our clients’ rice containers?”
Chen Feirong looked at this snow-like scene before her, looking at the trembling young Taxman who seemed to have lost his soul, coldly asking.
Her voice once again made everyone’s eyes gather on her body, as well as brought everyone back from their states of shock.
The workers in Auspicious Virtue’s water mill workshop were the first ones to erupt in fury.
They knew the objective of these officials, moreover, they also received news of Auspicious Virtue’s shopkeeper being publicly beaten in Clear Distant City. Now, when they reacted, these normally gentle and honest people’s expressions immediately became blood red, some people’s hands even couldn’t help but grab some wooden sticks, planks and other objects.
Countless surrounding commoners also began to understand what happened, all of them becoming furious.
Previously, the impression Auspicious Virtue gave Clear Distant City’s civilians, especially those whose finances were tight, was extremely good. When they heard that Auspicious Virtue might be doing dishonest business, they felt a bit of anger from being deceived. However, at this moment, this type of anger completely turned into sympathy, support and a roaring anger towards these officials!
These ordinary civilians were even more so associated other things… They couldn’t help but think that perhaps it was because Auspicious Virtue gave them too many benefits, which was why it offended the interests of some officials, that was why these officials used these types of despicable methods to try and bring down Auspicious Virtue?
In that instant, countless curses and shouts of anger sounded. The bailiffs at the gate couldn’t control them either, large groups of people were about to rush in.
“Fellow locals, since this matter has already been brought to light, there will definitely be justice. If something happens here, my Auspicious Virtue cannot break free from responsibility either, there won’t be any benefits. Everyone, out of consideration for me, please try to calm down a bit… My Auspicious Virtue’s goods will not disappoint anyone, I will also do my best to not disappoint everyone.”
Right at this time, Chen Feirong calmly turned around, showing everyone who was about to rush in a greeting. Amidst the chaos, her voice clearly entered everyone’s ears.
This voice seemed to possess bewitching power. The surging crowd was still furious, but they all stopped, instead slowly backing off.
At this time, the young Taxman’s face became even more laughable.
His sweat wriggled down his face like earthworms, washing away the thick white powder on his face, forming clear groves.
…
From when the young Taxman’s official robes were torn until now, Zhang Lingyun’s expression already changed who knew how many times.
Cultivator!
This great shopkeeper who came from a remote and desolate place was actually a cultivator!
He just couldn’t figure out where things went wrong, for Chen Feirong to be able to be so sure that Feng Zhengming’s body carried White Guanyin Talcum Powder. However, he knew extremely clearly that separating himself from Feng Zhengming was the only method he had.
“Feng Zhengming! What exactly is going on?!”
When the surrounding cries and curses of anger quieted down a bit, he who felt exceptional shock and rage inwardly, even more so also carried bitter resentment towards Chen Feirong looked at the young Taxman, berating with an extremely vicious voice.
“I…” When faced with the vicious berating of someone who was normally his good friend, the young Taxman Feng Zhengming widened his mouth, but couldn’t say anything.
Zhang Lingyun turned around to look at the Judicial Sector official next to him. “Sir Luo, if Yunqin’s officials break the law, try to shift the blame onto a merchant, what kind of punishment will they receive?”
That Judicial Sector official quickly completely woke up from his alarm. When he thought about how his yearly Government Sector review might very well hinge upon his attitude at this moment, his back immediately broke out in sweat as he said fiercely, “When an official consciously breaks the law, the crimes will be a level higher. According to the law, he will be demoted and investigated. Depending on the severity of the crime, the punishment will begin at two years of prison.”
“Everyone, please do not worry. I did not expect that an official who has received Yunqin’s official salary would not only not help the people, but rather do this type of thing.” Zhang Lingyun once again spoke out fiercely, “We will obviously investigate this until the truth comes to light, we definitely won’t let this person go. Escort this person back, I will definitely propose Judicial Sector to hold a public trial!”
When they heard Zhang Lingyun, this young official’s words become more and more severe, and then heard the word public trial, the commoners outside immediately felt their anger subside considerably. Zhang Lingyun and the other Judicial Sector officials also seemed much more pleasing to the eye.
When he saw the reactions of the civilians out of the corners of his eyes, that Judicial Sector official released a slight breath of relief. He inwardly thought that he finally preserved a bit of points for the public opinion section in the yearly review in the end.
While Zhang Lingyun was sparing no effort in playing the act of an upright and selfless Yunqin official, no one collected the White Guanyin Talcum Powder bags that fell onto the ground.
In this situation where everyone already clearly saw everything, these bags already completely lost their value as evidence.
No one knew that the one with the highest level of status in Auspicious Virtue wasn’t Great Shopkeeper Chen, but rather Master Lin Xi.
No one noticed that under Chen Feirong’s calculated strike, under the tearing of the robes, there were several bags that flew out, a few of them entering a concealed place behind the grindstone.
When groups of people surged in, no one noticed that an ordinary black coated Auspicious Virtue servant already quietly left from the spare parts storage rooms’ hole he previously made.
A cart driver sat on a carriage next to the watermill road.
This carriage belonged to Zhang Lingyun. It wasn’t all that conspicuous while surrounded by many merchant carriages.
These carriages originally arrived earlier than those people who came to watch from the side. However, right now, the entire crowd was gathered near the water mill’s entrance, so these carriages instead ended up behind them, scattered within the crowd.
This cart driver was also from a soldier background. He was dressed in the clothing of a Civil Sector odd jobs worker, but his seated figure was still perfectly straight.
Right now, he didn’t know what was happening in the water mill, he only thought that with so many carriages crammed here, it was going to be chaotic when all of them tried to leave, that it’ll take quite some time to sort everything else.
Suddenly, there was a thump noise within his head, his back feeling a chill.
His pupils contracted slightly, he subconsciously reached towards the long blade at his side. However, the moment he turned around, he only felt the main artery on the side of his neck become struck by a wave of well distributed force.
The other party was an expert.
When this ice-cold thought had just flashed past his mind, before he could consider why this type of expert who could move through the crowd without anyone noticing would choose to deal with a cart driver like him, everything before his eyes became black. He lost consciousness, fainting.
…
Auspicious Virtue’s water mill investigation naturally couldn’t be continued. Zhang Lingyun and the Judicial Sector officials escorted Feng Zhengming out from the water mill.
Many commoners began to spit towards Feng Zhengming to express their disdain and resentment.
Since his previous performance was so impassioned, Zhang Lingyun dealing with Feng Zhengming so strictly, these commoners also produced a sense of respect and adoration towards him.
In their eyes, an official who didn’t protect a bad official was naturally an upright good official.
At this moment, everyone suddenly heard several horse neighing sounds.
Several carriages’ horses became alarmed for some unknown reason, becoming chaotic, carrying their carriages while charging forward.
On Zhang Lingyun’s carriage, the cart driver who was unconscious, but still properly seated, because of the carriage’s movements was suddenly woken up, raising his head.
The carriages around him were completely controlled by the cart drivers on them. However, because he had just woken up, when his body was staggering, still not completely clear what exactly happened, the carriage beneath him continued to charge forward.
Right now, in the eyes of everyone who looked towards these carriages, Zhang Lingyun’s carriage’s cart driver was dozing off and just woke up, so he didn’t immediately react in time.
Within the cries of alarm, this carriage’s wheels just happened to smash into a large rock. Because of this collision, this carriage’s axle fractured, the entire carriage toppling over. With a boom noise, it fiercely toppled in the direction of the broken wheel.
The cart driver at the front couldn’t control the carriage, crying out in alarm as he jumped off.
Horses startled, axle breaking, a wheel coming off, and then the carriage crashing down, this was originally an extremely common thing. Even if it was an ordinary cart driver, as long as they had a spare axle, they could quickly repair the carriage. Moreover, right now, no one was injured, so it was just a small matter. However, the moment this carriage came crashing down, the carriage’s curtains swayed. Under the eyes of many people, a large blast of white fine powder sprayed out from within the carriage like thick fog.
Zhang Lingyun’s body immediately went completely rigid. His seemingly steadfast and upright face also couldn’t help but begin to twitch.
“Whose carriage is this?”
“This… is White Guanyin Talcum Powder?!”
“Wasn’t this that Civil Sector Sir Zhang’s carriage?”
Cries of alarm sounded one after another.
Suddenly, this place became completely quiet again, everyone’s eyes gathering on Zhang Lingyun’s figure.
These were all eyes that discovered some truths, containing rage from being deceived.
“This really is heavens reveal…”
A faint voice sounded, filled with cold mockery.
“I thought that this was some upright good official… turns out he was the main instigator behind the scenes… even more ruthless and black to the core… even his carriage has White Guanyin Talcum Powder prepared. This type of complete shamelessness is something not even the heavens could overlook.”
When this voice sounded, most people immediately reacted, also crying out in anger and resentment, “This is the heavens revealing the truth, it truly is!”
Heavens reveal, in Yunqin, were precisely cases in Yunqin that originally didn’t have many clues, but because of some sudden occurrences mysteriously revealing the truth, it immediately allowed the public to find out who the true criminals were.
However, Zhang Lingyun understood extremely clearly that his carriage definitely didn’t have any White Guanyin Talcum Powder, and how could the carriage just happen to collapse at this time, the axle smashed apart?
This voice that was calm and full of cold mockery completely incited the discussions of people in the surroundings. This immediately made him sense that something wasn’t quite right. His body coldly and rigidly turned around. However, right now, with countless people shouting and cursing, how could he possibly distinguish where that voice came from?
“You…!”
His face fell completely ashen, suddenly turning to face Chen Feirong.
Chen Feirong instead frowned, saying in disdain, “Sir truly is the schemer, quite the actor.”