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Chapter 47: Compromise
That night, Zhu Yu did not eat anything and went to bed early, but she did not sleep well. The next morning, before she got up, she saw an extremely tall figure standing outside the door.

She quickly got up, dressed neatly, opened the door, and there was indeed a talisman standing at the door.

Fu Lu was holding a food box in his hand. When he saw Zhu Yu open the door, he said hurriedly, "Chief, did I disturb you?

My lord said that you went to bed without eating anything last night, so he asked me to ask the chef of the Li family to prepare several different dishes this morning, and you can choose the one that suits your taste!
Don't worry, I'm the one who's watching over the chef, and he's trying to use all his skills to please us so he doesn't get dragged down by Li Wencai. There won't be any problems, so feel free to eat!"

"Hurry up and take it in," Zhu Yu quickly made way for the door. "How long have you been standing at the door? You could have just knocked, or just left the thing at the door. You've been running around outside these past few days, it must have been tiring."

"It's not hard! I'm a rough man. I can swing an 80-jin stone lock to create a shadow, so a food box like this is no problem." Fu Lu smiled innocently. "Yesterday you went to your room to rest without eating. Although the master didn't say it, I know he was worried that you were starving, so don't be polite with me. Eat quickly and tell me what you like. I'll ask the chef to make it tomorrow!"

Zhu Yu thanked him and returned to the table. Sure enough, the food box was filled with all kinds of food. Zhu Yu's appetite had recovered a little compared to the night before. Although she was not hungry, she had not eaten for a meal. For the sake of her health, she would not let herself go hungry any longer.

After breakfast, Fu Lu had just taken the food box away when Lu Qing came over.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw the pitching pot placed beside him. He walked straight over, picked up the pot and placed it on the open space in the middle of the room. He then grabbed a handful of bamboo arrows and shook them at Zhu Yu: "I saw you were having a lot of fun playing these past few days. I wonder how your accuracy was.

I have nothing to do today, why don't we have a game?"

Zhu Yu gladly accepted it, took the bamboo arrow from his hand, stood three feet away, held a bamboo arrow between his fingertips and raised it in the air, aimed again and again, and threw it out with the right strength.

The bamboo arrow drew an arc in the air and landed on the ground one step away from the pot.

Lu Qing chuckled, stood behind Zhu Yu, and casually reached out and threw a bullet over her head.

"Tuk-"

The bamboo arrow fell into the pot without any bumps.

"The throw that the Chief Secretary made just now was called 'not enough'." His voice with a faint smile came from the top of Zhu Yu's head.

Zhu Yu pursed her lips and picked up another one. This time she aimed and controlled the strength more carefully, practicing several times before throwing it out.

The arc of the bamboo arrow passed over the mouth of the pot and fell with a plop, two feet away from the pot.

This time, Lu Qing simply took a bamboo arrow from her hand. The bamboo arrow was slightly warm from being held by Zhu Yu.

He just threw it casually - "Ding!" The bamboo arrow fell into the pot.

"Then the Chief Secretary's vote is called 'too much is as bad as too little'," he added.

If Zhu Yu still couldn't hear the hidden meaning in Lu Qing's words at this point, then her brain was really in vain.

"Why don't we sit down and talk?" She sighed and placed the remaining bamboo arrows on the table beside her. "I don't have the slightest chance of winning this competition. I might as well be frank and honest. That way you don't have to throw a bamboo arrow before you can say anything." Lu Qing laughed, not hiding her intentions. She sat down at the table and poured herself some tea. "Last night, did you think I was wrong because I beat those two shopkeepers to death with a stick?"

"I wouldn't say it's inappropriate." Zhu Yu shook her head and sat down. She wasn't so blind as to sympathize with and tolerate a group of villains. "Those shopkeepers ran the rice and flour shops run by Li Wencai and made money for him. They might know how much grain they stole from the government warehouses over the years better than Li Wencai himself.

Knowingly breaking the law is an aggravated crime, and stealing public grain is an absolute capital crime. They were both beaten to death but they refused to yield.

She was silent for a moment, then pursed her lips: "In my opinion, even if someone has committed a capital crime, they should be tried in court, formally convicted, and then executed at a later date.

"They just caught someone and immediately beat him to death in public. After all, human life is at stake. Wouldn't such haste have a negative impact?"

"I beat those two to death for what you call 'influence,'" Lu Qing said frankly, "Qingshui County is less than a hundred miles away from the capital, but Li Wencai has taken advantage of this situation, acting tyrannically and bullying the people.

If you were a citizen of Qingshui County, what would you think?

"I'm afraid I would feel that there is no law in this world anymore." Zhu Yu answered honestly.

"That's right." Lu Qing picked up the teapot and poured water into the cup in front of him. Seeing that the cup was full, he did not stop pouring water. The water in the cup soon overflowed. "The people's grievances are like this tea. How much can a small Qingshui County hold? If it can't hold it all, it will overflow. Where will it overflow from? How much will it overflow? Will it destroy something else and become uncontrollable? None of us can predict it.

Li Wencai controls Qingshui County, and seems to be protected by the prefect. How much trust do you think the people of Qingshui County still have in the officials?

If I just took those few people away, some people would think that this was just a formality and that those people would come back safe and sound in a short time, because people tend to believe in the facts they see with their own eyes.

The reality that the people of Qingshui County witnessed before their own eyes can be summed up in four words: officials protecting one another.

Lu Qing spoke those four words word by word, tapping the table with his fingers after each word. A worry that was not usually seen appeared between his eyebrows: "So, I must let them see that this time, the official is different.

Li Wencai is an official of high rank in the imperial court. Even if he committed a serious crime, his life or death would be decided by the emperor. If I deal with him directly, it would be too severe.

Although the clerks of the rice and flour shop who participated in the smuggling of public grain could not escape responsibility, beating and killing two clerks in the street was too blatant and could not make the people of Qingshui County believe that the court would really punish people like Li Wencai, and the force was not strong enough.

This time I am parading through the streets, and everything I am doing is not only to investigate Li Wencai and his accomplices, but also to give the people of Qingshui County peace of mind.

Whether it is Qingshui County or Congzhou, they are adjacent to the capital, like a throat. If we cannot remove the thorn stuck in the throat this time, there will be endless troubles.

Two shopkeepers who had already committed capital crimes were beaten to death in public. They were both arrogant and domineering people in their daily lives. The people felt relieved and were more willing to trust the government. As for me, it is my duty as a subject to leave the mastermind involved in the incident to the emperor for personal judgment.

The player who plays pot-tossing does not overshoot nor undershoot, so he hits the target.

That’s my compromise.”

　Thanks to Vacuum Water x4 for the monthly ticket!
　　Thanks to book friend 20241204083231331 for the 100 starting coin reward!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)