Chapter 338 Ma Wucai deserves it
After giving instructions to Tang Fei, Zhao Yingluo slowly walked out of the county government hall. At this moment, there was already a sea of people outside the county government office, and the people in Neiqiu who learned that Her Royal Highness the Princess was here in person surrounded the place. They either hold complaints or harbor grievances, hoping to present their case in front of this rumored fair and impartial princess.
When Zhao Yingluo's figure appeared at the gate of the county government office, the crowd suddenly became quiet, and then burst into thunderous cheers. The people knelt down one after another, clasped their hands together, raised them above their heads, and shouted in unison: "May your Royal Highness be a thousand years old!"
Zhao Yingluo stopped and looked around. Looking at these people living at the bottom of society, her heart was filled with sympathy and a sense of responsibility. She raised her hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then said in a soft but firm voice: "Dear citizens, I know that you have suffered a lot of grievances. Today, I am here to uphold justice for you and give you a bright future."
When the people heard this, they were so excited that they burst into tears. An old man said with a trembling voice: "Your Royal Highness, you are truly our great master! We, the people in Neiqiu, have been looking forward to the stars and the moon, and finally we have found you, this noble man!"
Zhao Yingluo smiled slightly and said: "Old man, you have thanked me. I just fulfilled the duties of a princess. Now, I can tell you that Ma Wucai's crime has been found out, and he will definitely get the severe punishment he deserves!"
As soon as these words came out, the people once again burst into enthusiastic cheers. They knew that Her Royal Highness the Princess was true to her word, and that the bully Ma Wucai would finally be punished by law.
Zhao Yingluo continued: "Gu will not only severely punish Ma Wucai, but will also start to rectify the civil servants' customs in Neiqiu. I hope that from now on, Neiqiu can become a place where people live and work in peace and contentment and officials are honest and honest."
After hearing this, the people expressed their gratitude and burst into tears. They knew that Her Royal Highness the Princess really cared about them. The crowd burst into thunderous applause and cheers again.
After appeasing the people, Zhao Yingluo did not leave Neiqiu County immediately, but chose to stay temporarily in the county government office to wait for the outcome of Tang Fei's trial against Ma Wucai and Liang Kuo. She wanted to witness the demonstration of justice with her own eyes and give a clear explanation to the people of Neiqiu County.
When Tang Fei appeared outside the cell, Ma Wucai suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes. He struggled to stand up, held the bars of the cell tightly with both hands, and said in a trembling voice: "Tang Fei, you are my brother, you must help me!"
Tang Fei felt mixed emotions in his heart when he saw Ma Wucai looking like this. He sighed and said: "If you were just charging high rents and bullying merchants, you might not be sentenced to beheading. But you should never have bumped into Her Royal Highness. This is a death penalty and you cannot escape it. Now Princess It's a huge honor to personally supervise this case. What I can do for you is to try to make your death as dignified as possible to avoid involving the nine clans."
When Ma Wucai heard this, he burst into tears and choked with sobs: "Tang Fei, I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. For the sake of our years of brotherhood, you must help me! I don't want to Die, I really don’t want to die…”
As night falls, the lights in the county government office are still bright. After Tang Fei arranged everything, he came to the prison alone. In the cell, Ma Wucai and Liang Kuo were detained separately. Both of them were dejected and looked ashen.
Tang Fei couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he saw that the once majestic county magistrate was now in such a state of desolation. But he knows that the law has no mercy and justice must be served. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Ma Wucai, the crimes you have committed are too numerous to list. Collecting high rents and bullying merchants are already unpardonable crimes. What's more, you also bumped into Her Royal Highness. What a shame. You should be aware of the great sin."
Ma Wucai heard the words "avoid implicating the nine clans", and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes. He knew that his crime had affected his family. If Tang Fei hadn't intervened, the entire family would have been implicated. He said with a trembling voice: "Tang Fei, thank you, thank you..."
Tang Fei waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say more. He took a deep breath again and said seriously: "Ma Wucai, what you have to do now is to confess your sins honestly without any resistance. I will plead for you and let Her Royal Highness give you a happy life. Remember, this is your only one way out.”
Ma Wucai nodded repeatedly, expressing his willingness to plead guilty and obey the law. At this moment, Liang Kuo also heard Tang Fei's words. He lowered his head silently, knowing that his fate could no longer be changed. On the second day, before dawn, there were already crowds of people outside the county government office. The common people, holding the petition in hand, flocked to the county government office one after another, hoping to redress their grievances in front of Her Royal Highness the Princess.
Some of them sued Ma Wucai for bullying merchants, and some sued him for raping civilian girls. Every complaint was filled with blood, tears, and accusations.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way! Let me go in first!" A stout man squeezed through the crowd, waving the certificate in his hand, and shouted loudly.
His face was full of anger and anxiety, and he was obviously severely bullied by Ma Wucai.
"Don't crowd, don't crowd! We all have a chance to redress our grievances!" An old man tried to maintain order. Although his voice was not loud, it revealed firmness and justice.
As the sky grew brighter, the door of the county government office slowly opened. Tang Feigao was sitting in the hall, and Zhao Yingluo was sitting next to him.
"Your Highness Princess!" When the people saw Zhao Yingluo, they all knelt down and saluted. Their voices were uniform, full of respect and gratitude to the princess.
Zhao Yingluo raised her hand to signal everyone to stand up, and then said: "Dear citizens, Gu knows that you have many grievances to complain. Today, Gu is here to listen to your complaints and provide justice for you."
When the people heard this, they rushed forward and handed the princess the petition in their hands. Zhao Yingluo took the pieces of petition one after another and looked at the accusations on them carefully. Her brows were furrowed, obviously shocked and angry at Ma Wucai's crime.
"Your Highness, please make the decision for me!" A weak female voice sounded from the crowd. She squeezed through the crowd, knelt down in front of Zhao Yingluo, and told her story with tears streaming down her face, "That beast Ma Wucai, he fell in love with me and took me by force. I originally had a happy family, but because of him , I lost my husband, and my children also lost their father..."
Zhao Yingluo felt even more angry as she listened to the woman's accusation. She helped the woman up and comforted her gently: "Don't worry, Gu will definitely make the decision for you. Ma Wucai's crimes are too numerous to describe, and he will definitely get the punishment he deserves."
As the sun gradually rose, more and more people gathered outside the county government office. They either accused Ma Wucai of crimes or asked Her Royal Highness the Princess to seek justice for them.
Zhao Yingluo listened patiently to everyone's accusations. Her heart was filled with anger towards Ma Wucai and sympathy for the people.
Finally, after all the people stated their grievances, Zhao Yingluo stood up, looked at everyone firmly and said: "Everyone, your grievances are all known. Ma Wucai's crime is heinous, and he will definitely be punished by law. Severe punishment. I promise that I will seek justice for you!”
The people cheered when they heard this, with long-lost smiles on their faces. They knew that Her Royal Highness the Princess was true to her word, and that the bully Ma Wucai would finally be punished by law.
