The White-Bone Demon of the Farm is as rich as a country

(The previous chapter has been significantly revised. Those who read it yesterday can click on it again to read it, which will also facilitate a better connection.)

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the clouds, illuminating the vermilion gate and imposing plaque of the Jiaqing government office. It was midday, and the office was already bustling with activity.

Magistrate Huo, dressed in his official uniform, sat in the hall with a solemn expression. He scanned the crowd kneeling on the ground below with a sharp gaze. He saw a huge crowd, a black mass that almost filled the entire hall.

All of these people were plaintiffs, and their angry eyes seemed to want to devour Manager Ding, who was surrounded by everyone, alive.

Manager Ding was surrounded tightly by many plaintiffs, as if they were afraid that he would take the opportunity to escape.

There was an even bigger crowd outside the lobby, with the place packed with onlookers in three layers.

Some people came purely to watch the fun, but more were the families of those who were poisoned. They had solemn expressions, their eyes filled with grief and resentment, and they wanted nothing more than to seek justice for their loved ones.

Magistrate Huo's sharp eyes quickly wandered among the crowd. Suddenly, his eyes suddenly lit up. Perhaps, today's seemingly clueless case could have some turning point. Thinking of this, his originally somewhat listless expression slightly perked up.

There was a crisp "bang" sound, and Magistrate Huo slammed the gavel in his hand with force. The sound echoed over the hall like thunder.

In an instant, the whole place fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on Magistrate Huo.

"Ding Qianli! These twenty-seven victims in the hall have jointly accused the Tianxianglou you manage of poisoning people, resulting in many people being poisoned to death or suffering physical injuries. Are you willing to plead guilty to this crime?" Magistrate Huo asked sternly.

In reality, he had long known that this poisoning incident was far from simple, and that a vast conspiracy was likely hidden behind it. However, the lack of solid evidence had kept him from investigating the case, and his interest in it had diminished. But now, seeing the scene and the glimmer of hope he had just caught, he resolved to regroup and get to the bottom of the matter.

Manager Ding knelt upright in the hall, his posture as straight as a javelin, his proud character fully revealed, making it difficult to associate him with the culprit.

He just bowed respectfully to the ground and said in a loud and firm voice: "Your Excellency, I swear to heaven that I have never poisoned anyone! I beg you to see clearly and clear my name!" After that, he bowed again and knocked his forehead heavily on the cold ground.

A family member of one of the victims in the crowd couldn't contain their anger and shouted, "Humph! If you say it wasn't you, then it wasn't you? All of us were poisoned after eating at your restaurant. Give us a reasonable explanation!"

Before he finished speaking, another victim's family member also echoed: "That's right! Could it be that we are the only ones who have a grudge against you and deliberately framed your Tianxianglou? It's impossible for so many people to unite and frame you!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the crowd was furious for a moment.

"That's right, that's right!" The courtroom was filled with accusations. Another person shouted passionately, "If anything happens to my son because of this, I will never forgive you, you black-hearted boss!"

......

"Silence!" A resounding, crisp thud of a gavel slammed across the courtroom, like a thunderbolt piercing the previously noisy courtroom. Magistrate Huo sat at the top, his eyes wide open, fixed on the kneeling plaintiffs. His gaze was incredibly sharp, as if he could see through everything.

"If anyone dares to roar in this court again, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Magistrate Huo's voice was like a thunderous bell, deafening and filled with majesty and an irresistible sense of authority. In an instant, the entire courtroom fell silent, and even those who were usually arrogant and domineering were frightened and dared not utter a single word.

After a brief pause, Magistrate Huo turned his gaze to Ding Qianli in the dock and asked, "Ding Qianli, do you have any defense for what the plaintiff said?"

Ding Qianli stood up calmly, bowed respectfully to Magistrate Huo, and then said loudly, "Your Excellency, Tianxianglou has been open for business for some years. We have always operated with integrity, never cheating anyone, and have never made any mistakes. This time, so many people were suddenly poisoned. I believe this must be a deliberate attempt to frame Tianxianglou."

As soon as Manager Ding said this, it was like a huge rock suddenly thrown into the calm sea, immediately stirring up thousands of waves and causing an uproar.

Everyone inside and outside the courtroom was whispering and talking.

"Ah? There are actually people who would use so many lives to frame Tianxianglou. How deep must the hatred be? That's more than twenty lives!" A middle-aged man in shorts in the hall was surprised and couldn't help but shouting.

"Humph, you dare to say anything to escape the blame! Where's the evidence? Who would believe empty words?" Someone in the crowd questioned.

"There's no grudge, so why would Tianxianglou go to such great lengths to destroy its own reputation? There must be something fishy going on!" another person chimed in. For a moment, all sorts of speculation and accusations arose one after another.

"Silence!" The gavel slammed loudly in the courtroom, and the entire hall fell silent. The county magistrate, with a stern look on his face, stared at the kneeling Ding Qianli below, and said sternly, "Ding Qianli, you keep saying you're innocent, but do you have any evidence to support your claims?"

Ding Qianli raised his head, his expression calm and composed. He bowed to the county magistrate and spoke slowly, "Your Excellency, I truly have no direct evidence to prove my innocence. However, on the day of the incident, the yamen runners searched Tianxiang Tower thoroughly and found no poison. Furthermore, after a thorough examination of the allegedly poisoned person, no trace of poison could be detected."

He paused, then continued, "This is enough to show that there are many doubts about this matter. I simply cannot believe that such a trumped-up charge would be leveled at me."

At this moment, a sharp voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Just because it hasn't been tested doesn't mean you're innocent. Who would be so foolish as to leave obvious evidence for you to catch?"

This sudden sound broke the brief silence in the courtroom and sounded particularly harsh and clear in the silent environment.

Everyone turned their heads to look in the direction of the voice, but due to the large crowd, it was difficult to tell who was speaking for a moment.

When Steward Ding heard this, he shuddered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, not even turning his head. However, a subtle glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.

He once again faced the magistrate, bowed respectfully, and then said in a clear voice, "Sir, I boldly request that Meng Ruyue, the young owner of the 'Ming Yue Dang', be summoned to the court for questioning. I believe she will be able to clear my name. Please grant this."

"Finding some irrelevant people is just an attempt to delay time! The facts are clearly in front of us, and you still want to get away with it? It's simply wishful thinking!" The sharp and angry voice came out from the crowded crowd again, like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, instantly triggering questioning and discussions from many onlookers around.

Hidden in the bustling crowd, An Er immediately became alert upon hearing the commotion. He cautiously moved in the direction of the sound, but the surging crowd made the path forward extremely difficult, and each step was laborious.

At the same time, Ah Xi, who had been standing not far away in the hall, closely observing the crowd's movements, seemed to have noticed something. His sharp, hawk-like eyes suddenly locked onto the center of the crowd, and a subtle look of thought crossed his face.

Prefect Huo, sitting in the hall, saw this and had already made up his mind. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and shouted, "Someone! Summon Meng Ruyue to the hall for questioning!" His voice was loud and powerful, penetrating the clamor and reaching everyone's ears clearly.

......