Before he could finish his tirade, Red Hare, the precious horse, was carrying a man in a pathetic scream. The rider was Feng Xiao. In the blink of an eye, the prized horse stopped before Ding Jian, and he promptly tossed Yuan Xi at his feet.
"Those who dare to insult me have already gone to see the King of Hell, and your good brother is no exception. Watch closely!" As Feng Xiao spoke, his saber sliced through Yuan Xi's plump white neck.
Blood splashed three feet high, spattering Ding Jian's entire face. The warm blood jolted him from his daze.
Feng Xiao dismounted and walked before Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi, kneeling on one knee. "Master, Madam, your subordinate has executed Yuan Xi on the spot!"
Fan Zehao: "Well done, I am very pleased!"
In an instant, the area around them cleared. People quickly retreated far from the couple. Although they admired the hero's courage, they still feared Ding Jian. Who knew what a mad dog like him would do when enraged? Therefore, staying away from this hero would also keep them safer.
Standing out from the crowd, they became the thorn in Ding Jian's side. To have his good brother's neck severed right before his eyes.
Wiping the blood from his face, he extended his plump, five-clawed hand and pointed at Fan Zehao, shouting, "Where did you bold rogue come from, daring to provoke me? Haven't you heard of my great name? To be so arrogant! See if this county magistrate doesn't skin you, pull out your sinews, drink your blood, and gnaw on your bones today! Even the woman by your side, after I've had my fill, I'll throw her into the lowest brothel for beggars to enjoy for free... Ah..."
He didn't even finish his words before Fan Zehao sent him flying with a punch. His heavy body crashed to the ground with a dull thud, accompanied by his gasps of pain.
In less than a moment, he had fainted.
Zhao Jiaqi tutted, "Your ability to dispatch dogs with one punch is still as sharp as ever. It's just... this time the mad dog didn't die, only fainted. It seems your boxing skills need a slight enhancement!"
Hearing his wife's words, he nodded as if it were of utmost importance, frowning slightly. "My dog-dispatching skills haven't changed, but the one before me isn't a dog. However, it's time to practice. The ability to kill a beast with one punch, hmm, let's use him as a target!"
Under the gaze of many eyes, Fan Zehao had Shi He splash water on the man to wake him up, and then delivered another punch. He repeated this several times until he felt a sliver of his anger dissipate.
Seeing such a fierce person, the yamen runners, who hadn't even blinked when the town head Yuan Xi was killed, stood frozen, unsure of what to do.
"Feng Xiao, throw this toothless bastard before the Prefect's yamen. And have this damned Yuan Xi's body displayed on the city wall. I want to see who dares to claim the body! I refuse to believe that there isn't a single official in this yamen who will stand up for the common people!"
Soon, Fan Zehao and his entourage became renowned throughout the town and county. Their deeds spread throughout the small area.
On the way back to the village, in the carriage, Zhao Jiaqi shared the information she had gathered. "I suspect that ministers in the capital court are the backing of this group. Otherwise, when the grain tax was raised here, we just happened to be in another prefectural city. If we hadn't been in such a hurry to leave and deal with the workshop matters, we might not have discovered the filth hidden in this small place!"
His wife's analysis was quite reasonable. He clenched his fist, making it crackle, wishing he could devour those people alive.
"We'll return to the inner city later. Once we've thoroughly investigated, we'll leave!"
Zhao Jiaqi felt the same way. Seeing something, they couldn't just ignore it. Once they decided to intervene, they had to do it thoroughly. Furthermore, with the town head dead and the county magistrate injured, the situation was both significant and minor.
Right now, Zhao Jiaqi was determined to make a bigger deal out of it, to see who the mysterious person behind it all was!
Upon returning to the village, Chen Yusheng and Old Father Chen stood at the entrance to greet them. Seeing their carriage arrive, they rushed forward as if greeting important figures, their eyes full of shock.
Old Father Chen slapped his thigh, exclaiming, "Oh my, you've all returned in one piece? This is truly a miracle! Wonderful, I'm so relieved you're back safely. Hurry inside, I'll boil some water for you to calm your nerves!"
It was the first time she had heard of drinking boiled water to calm one's nerves. She couldn't help but laugh. "We won't drink water to calm our nerves today. Let's drink wine to celebrate Yuan Xi's beheading and then stew some meat dishes, how about that?"
Hearing this, Old Father Chen was naturally delighted. The villain was dead, and there would be meat and wine to drink. This was even happier than the New Year.
"Yes, yes, yes, old man, I'll get to share in the good fortune. Don't laugh, I haven't tasted minced meat in a year. Yesterday, the smell from your cooking was so delicious that I dreamed of meat all night!"
Old Father Chen truly spoke his mind. His tanned face didn't even blush, nor did he feel embarrassed. After all, people in this region truly couldn't afford meat.
If they couldn't even get enough to eat, how could they have meat?
Zhao Jiaqi didn't laugh at him. Instead, she felt that living to this age must have been difficult. Turning around, she instructed Chun Fen, "Steam more rice, and stew a pot of red braised meat. For the other meat dishes, you decide, but use more meat and less vegetables!"
"Yes, Madam. Your servant will do that right away, and I'll also heat up a pot of wine for Master and Old Father Chen!"
Having killed Yuan Xi and dealt with the thugs who had insulted them, Chun Fen was overjoyed. Receiving her Madam's orders, she happily scurried to the kitchen to cook.
Su Ya smiled and followed her to the kitchen to help.
Inside the house.
While waiting for the meal to be ready, Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi chatted with the father and son.
"What kind of person is the Prefect? Do you know?"
Old Father Chen pouted, frowned slightly, and then shook his head. "I don't really know this Prefect. He keeps to himself and rarely meets people!"
Rarely?
He wasn't some great figure, so surely people must have seen him preside over court cases?
"Then what if someone files a complaint? Doesn't the Prefect resolve it?"
Old Father Chen's lips involuntarily curved into a smile at her innocent question. "That depends on who is filing the complaint. If a rich person sues a poor one, the scribe will rule on the case on the spot, without regard for who is right or wrong."
"If it's all poor people filing complaints, the scribe will simply drive them away. Forget seeing the Prefect, it's difficult to even get through the yamen doors!"
"Of course, if someone is stubborn and insists on the Prefect judging right from wrong, the result will be a beating. If that still doesn't make them leave, they'll be directly taken to prison for a few days. If even that doesn't work, then no one who complains will ever be seen in this place again, whether alive or dead, it's unclear."
Another disheartening situation for Zhao Jiaqi.
In such a small place, such serious problems were occurring one after another.
"The power of a scribe is so great that he judges cases without inquiry, and those who are unsatisfied are beaten. Is there no place for justice in this region?"