Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

The village chiefs and villagers from the three villages approached the village, and when they saw Chen Shao, they subconsciously stopped and lowered their heads guiltily like children who had made a mistake.

Chen Shao didn't say anything. He looked at them quietly for a long time before asking, "Tell me, why are you fighting?"

The Muramasa of Sanwan Village and Dangnan Village immediately looked at the Muramasa of Qingping Township, "They were the first to start it!"

Muramasa of Qingping Township blushed and immediately retorted: "Bullshit! We just said it was unfair first, but it was you who started it first!"

"We only took action because your people pointed at us and cursed at us, and then poked our faces with their hands!" said Muramasa of Sanwan Village hatefully.

The village chief of Qingping Township stiffened his neck and said, "It was an accidental collision. I have already apologized to you!"

"When did you apologize?" Perhaps because Chen Shao was there, the village chief of Sanwan Village took a step forward and also stiffened his neck.

Muramasa of Qingping Township took a step back and said, "You know whether you have apologized or not!"

Muramasa from Sanwan Village said with a snort: "I want to know, why do I have to ask you? Did I eat too much and feel full?"

"Where are you spitting?" Muramasa from Qingping Township took another step forward.

Muramasa from Sanwan Village said stubbornly, "I just pouted in front of you, so what? Did I pooh-pooh you?"

The village chief of Qingping Township rolled up his sleeves and was about to fight. The village chief of Sanwan Village also rolled up his sleeves and prepared to fight back. When the village chief of Nancun took a quick look at Chen Shao, he shouted, "Put your fists down. Can't you see that the adults are here?"

The villagers of Qingping Township and Sanwan Village froze for a moment before they both snorted coldly and retracted their fists.

"Stop for what?" Chen Shao said calmly, "Fight."

"The adults have seen it too," said Muramasa of Sanwan Village, "He's the one who's going to do it!"

Muramasa of Qingping Township retorted, "If you don't say that, how can I do it?"

"Just because I said that, you're going to do it," Muramasa from Sanwan Village sneered, "Your people just poked our faces, so we have to suffer for it?"

"Alright, stop talking." Seeing Chen Shao's increasingly cold expression, the village chief of Nancun quickly winked at the village chief of Sanwancun and said, "The adults are here. If there is anything that cannot be solved, just talk to the adults. Why resort to violence?"

"What are you looking for me for?" Seeing that they all stopped, Chen Shao mocked, "I'm here, aren't you all ready to fight? Since you are all so powerful, why are you looking for me for anything? Just keep fighting."

Hearing the anger in her words, no one dared to argue.

Chen Shao waited for a moment, "Why don't you talk anymore, and don't fight anymore?"

The three of them said nothing.

Chen Shao sneered: "Why, you became mute again?"

"That's how it is," said Muramasa of Qingping Township indignantly, "Your Excellency, just handle it as you see fit?"

"How dare you!" A Yulin Guard stepped forward, drew his sword and pointed it at Muramasa of Qingping Township, "Who gave you the courage to speak to an adult like that?"

Muramasa from Qingping Township subconsciously took two steps back, his legs went weak and he fell to the ground.

The Muramasa of Sanwan Village and Dannan Village were also frightened and their faces turned pale.

The Imperial Guards glanced at everyone coldly, "If it happens again, don't blame the sword for being ruthless!"

Chen Shao did not stop them. When she was dealing with the kudzu case, she had already realized that she could no longer get along with them. It was time to keep a distance from them and establish her authority. Without authority, there would be no credibility, or even if there was credibility, they would not take it to heart. The actions of the person behind this time seized this point.

After the Yulin Guards put their swords away, Chen Shao waited for a moment before speaking again, "What is the matter? Please explain it clearly."

The villager of Qingping Township looked at the Yulin Guards beside her fearfully, then stood up timidly and said in a soft voice, "It is true that we accidentally poked their faces first, but when people are arguing, it is normal to accidentally poke or bump into each other. We just want to seek justice for ourselves and have no intention of taking action."

Chen Shao was too lazy to argue with them about right and wrong, and asked directly: "Who poked whose face?"

"Wang Fang poked the face of Zhou Yiping from their village." The village chief of Qingping Township glanced at the village chief of Sanwan Village and answered honestly.

Chen Shao continued: "He was the only one who poked someone else's face?"

Muramasa of Qingping Township nodded.

Chen Shao looked at the village chief of Sanwan Village.

Muramasa of Sanwan Village also nodded and said yes.

Chen Shao looked back at Muramasa of Qingping Township and asked, "Is this Wang Fang from your Qingping Township?"

"No." Muramasa from Sanwan Village rushed to answer, "He's his nephew."

"He is the son of my wife's sister," said Muramasa from Qingping Township. "He came to see my wife last night, drank a few glasses of wine, and then let him rest at home. This morning, I came to collect food, and he followed me to help."

Chen Shao looked at him and asked, "Who in your village was the first to say it was unfair?"

Muramasa from Sanwan Village answered again: "He is also his nephew!"

The Muramasa of Qingping Township's face turned red and white, and he said, "He was the first to say it, but he only mentioned it a few times."

"He just mentioned it a few times," Chen Shao continued to look at him, "and the people in your village followed suit and started a quarrel with those two villages?"

Muramasa of Qingping Township responded dryly: "I didn't expect them to quarrel either."

"You didn't expect it either?" Chen Shao asked indifferently, "Did the people in your village plan to ask for an explanation today and started a quarrel because of his two words, or did your nephew say something to the people in your village after visiting his aunt yesterday, and your village responded today?"

The village chief of Qingping Township was stunned for a moment, and replied woodenly: "After he came here yesterday, he complained a few words about the unfairness of tax reduction, grain distribution, and money distribution."

Chen Shao asked, "Did he complain only to your family, or did he complain to other people in your village as well?"

Muramasa of Qingping Township's face gradually turned ugly. "He only complained at home, but when he complained, there were many people at home."

Chen Shao continued to ask: "Why are there so many people at home?"

"After someone came yesterday afternoon to inform us that we would come to the farm here to distribute grain today, many people have been gathering at home to discuss this matter." The village chief of Qingping Township is almost fifty years old. He was angry before and had not thought about this matter carefully. Now that she asked him one question after another, how could he not know that he was instigated by Zhou Fang? But he didn't understand what Zhou Fang's purpose in instigating him was, and what good would it do to him?

You know, his life as the village chief has been difficult in recent years, but it is still better than that of other people in the village. Moreover, every time he comes home, he is never treated badly. Why would he harm him?

"In other words," Chen Shao concluded slowly, "your dissatisfaction was all provoked by him?"

Muramasa of Qingping Township nodded confusedly. He still didn't understand why Zhou Fang wanted to harm him.

Chen Shao said calmly: "Tell me what he said."

The village chief of Qingping Township looked uglier. After a moment of silence, he recalled what Zhou Fang said last night and repeated it expressionlessly, "He didn't say anything. He just said that the farm of the Zhu and Gu families was located on the hilltop of our village. Our village's fields were occupied by the Zhu and Gu families a year earlier than theirs. Logically speaking, our village should be exempted from taxes for one more year than theirs, and receive one more year of grain and money."

Chen Shao glanced at him, then at the people of Qingping Township behind him: "The people in your village are making such a fuss today. Do you also think from the bottom of your heart that returning the land, distributing grain, and distributing money in this way is unfair?"

The village chief of Qingping Township said awkwardly, "It is naturally up to the adults to decide how much tax to exempt and how much food and money to distribute. Even if the adults do not exempt or distribute anything, no one dares to object."

Chen Shao laughed sarcastically: "If no one dares to object, why are you making a fuss and fighting?"

Muramasa from Qingping Township stopped talking.

Chen Shao glanced at Lin Yuwei beside him and asked him to go to Qingping Township and bring Zhou Fang over immediately. Then he looked back at the three village chiefs and said, "Tell me, so many people died and so many were injured. How are you going to deal with the aftermath?"

The village chiefs of Sanwan Village and Dannan Village took two steps back without making a sound. Seeing this, the village chief of Qingping Township also took two steps back. The villagers behind the three people followed suit and also stepped back.

Chen Shao laughed angrily, "Why are you all retreating? Are you waiting for me to clean up after you?"

The three Muramasa lowered their heads, avoiding her gaze.

"Okay." Chen Shao's voice suddenly turned cold. "Since you let me solve it, I don't care what the reason for your fight is, who is right or wrong. The Zhu family and the Gu family have occupied your land for so many years, and you have endured it silently. No one dared to stand up and tell them that it is unfair. Now I am thinking about you everywhere, exempting taxes, distributing grain, and giving money, but you all come to me arrogantly and say that it is unfair, who should get more and who should get less. In this case, I will give you fairness. The money and grain have been distributed, and I will not come back, but from now on, your three villages must pay how much tax and perform how much corvee, and no one can be exempted!"

"In addition, you beat to death four of the people I arranged to distribute food and money to you, three of whom were students with bright futures. This shows how evil your words and deeds are! Since you are so ignorant, from today on, the people from your three villages will not be allowed to study in the Imperial College, take the imperial examinations, or enter the officialdom for three generations!"

As everyone stared in shock, Chen Shao continued, "If something like this happens again within three generations, it means that the person's nature is bad and cannot be changed. In addition to beheading the troublemaker, the rest of the accomplices will also be made slaves and work hard for the rest of their lives without being allowed to return home!"

The villagers of Nancun and Sanwan Village knelt on the ground in panic, regretting their mistakes and begging for mercy: "Sir, we know we were wrong. We will never do it again. Please have mercy on us."

Muramasa of Qingping Township also knelt on the ground in a daze, crying and begging for mercy.

"Do you know you're wrong?" Chen Shao sneered and took two steps to the side. "Did you see these people? You know you're wrong, but you want to brush it off with a few words. What about them? Can they get their lost lives back as easily as you do?"

Seeing the limp faces of the crowd, Chen Shao shouted coldly: "If you know you are wrong, then correct it, instead of relying on your mouth to beg me for mercy! Everyone, get up, no need to kneel on the ground and pretend to regret your actions to me, quickly carry away all those who were beaten to death or injured by you!"

After the villagers shamelessly carried away the dead bodies or the injured, Chen Shao called a few village chiefs and said, "Stay here, I have something to ask you!"

After all the villagers left, Chen Shao stood beside the dead students, looked at the three depressed people, and said coldly: "In Qingping Township, Zhou Fang is the one who is stirring up trouble. What about you in Sanwan Village and Dannan Village? Who is fanning the flames?"