It's hard for my elder sister. I rely on the mountains to farm and pay off my debts.

Song Zhi looked at the little beggar who disappeared and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

The new dynasty was just established, and there were so many things to be done. There were so many people who needed help and assistance...

It is very difficult to run a place like an orphanage that relies entirely on financial support.

Look, cancel the entrance fee and make a distinction between local residents and outsiders.

I guess the county government’s treasury is not well-funded.

Song Zhi shook her head. It would be good enough if this little bit of commercial tax could cover the expenses of the county government.

If we want to do some practical work, I'm afraid we will be stretched to the limit. I think the life in the orphanage is not much better.

There's no point in thinking too much, she has a lot of troubles of her own right now!

Song Zhi adjusted her thoughts and walked towards the stall where people wrote letters.

He took the written complaint and went straight to Caoshi.

At this time, Song Ping had already sold all the jelly and was waiting at the entrance of Caoshi with a group of children, looking around.

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel anxious. This person just went to deliver a cake, so why didn't he come back for so long?

Just as he was wondering whether he should go out and look for it.

Song Huan, who was beside him, pointed at the figure in the distance and said in surprise, "That looks like my sister!"

Song An also looked towards where Song Huan pointed, and said, "Huh?"

Confused, he asked, "Why did you change your clothes?"

Song Ping was also curious. He waited until Song Zhi came forward before asking doubtfully, "Little sister, what took you so long? And why did you change your clothes? I almost didn't recognize you just now!"

Song Zhi just said: "This is not the place to talk, let's talk about this later!"

Song Zhi did not intend to hide what had just happened from her family. She even wanted to tell them that they should be more cautious when they came to the county town in the future.

She put the matter aside for the moment and asked about the sales situation in the grass market.

Song An raised his little hand and said, "Let me tell you, let me tell you."

Song Zhi smiled, "Okay, Xiao An will tell me!"

"Except for the eighty yuan of jelly that was given to the three stalls, the remaining eighty yuan is not enough to sell in the grass market."

"We've been here for just half an hour, and the jelly is already sold out! For those customers who didn't buy any, my brother told them to come back later, and they'll have more delivered."

Song Ping nodded and said with emotion: "I heard from my mother that this jelly sells well, but I didn't expect it to be so popular."

"I just gave the fare to Grandma Tian and asked her to go back first and ask someone to bring some more jelly."

Song Zhi thought for a moment and nodded, "We were inconsiderate this time. Running back and forth like this will only waste time. We still need someone to help deliver the goods to the county town."

"I'll ask the clan leader what he thinks after I get back. If he agrees, we can hire his ox cart to deliver the goods to the county town."

"After listening to this, Song An nodded repeatedly. This is a good idea. Let's talk to grandma when we get back."

The few of them chatted for a while in the open space outside the market. Song Zhi looked up at the sun and pointed at the county government office, saying, "It's almost 9:00 PM. Let's go there!"

"What about Dad's complaint?"

Song Zhi took out the petition from her bosom and handed it to Song Ping. "I've asked someone to write it. Let's go!"

The brothers and sisters arrived outside the county government office, where many tenants had already gathered.

Some of them came to ask for their wages, while others were exploited like the eldest brother.

Everyone witnessed the county magistrate's ruthless approach yesterday and knew that someone would stand up for their suffering.

When Song Zhi saw them, these people's spirits were completely refreshed, and their faces were no longer numb like yesterday.

At this time, there was a sudden noise in the county government office. A group of officers led by Li Wen invited the persecuted tenants into the hall.

The police officers of the police squad also acted quickly, holding wooden sticks, standing in an orderly manner in the court with solemn expressions.

The kitchen maid, Wang Er and the farm manager were escorted to the court hall by several burly yamen runners, one on each side, and made to kneel down.

At this time, both of them had pale faces and were trembling, obviously knowing what they were going to face next.

At the same time, the sound of drums outside the county government office sounded at the right time, dull and powerful, instantly attracting the attention of the people in the nearby market.

"Oh, the county magistrate is in court again!"

"Come on, come on, there's something exciting to watch!"

The people were talking about it with great interest. They put down their work and rushed towards the court.

For a moment, the county government office was blocked by a crowd of people.

Zhou Yu sat with a gloomy face under the plaque that read "A Clear Mirror Hangs High".

He slammed the gavel in his hand so hard that the people kneeling down trembled in fear.

Zhou Yu first looked at the tenants who were kneeling on the ground, wearing tattered clothes and had thin bodies.

"All of you who have suffered, please stand up first. I have something to ask you. Don't be afraid. If you have any grievances, please speak out."

When the tenants heard the county magistrate's warm voice and thought of the injustice they had suffered, they burst into tears.

At this time, Song Ping stepped forward and elaborated on the experience of himself and his son in detail, and then presented his own petition.

Seeing that someone had taken the lead, the tenants also came forward to explain their own experiences.

After they have finished explaining their experiences.

Zhou Yu then glared at the cowering woman and demanded sharply, "I'm asking you, who ordered you to do this? And why did you give the tenants laxatives? How many people did you give the drugs to?"

In fact, the old woman had already explained all these situations truthfully to the officers yesterday.

At this point, he didn't dare hesitate even a moment, and said in a trembling voice, "I...I was instructed by the steward to...I gave them the drug four times in total, in order to make them neglect the care of the livestock, so that they could steal the livestock and make the tenants pay compensation."

As she spoke, tears streaming down her face, she said, "Sir...Sir, please have mercy on me. I am forced to do this. My whole family is in the care of the steward, so I have no choice but to do this!"

The manager's face turned pale with anger as he shouted, "You old, wicked woman! Wasn't it you who came up with the idea of drugging the tenants? And now you're putting the blame on me?"

The old woman was trembling with fear, but she still gritted her teeth and said, "That's what you asked me to do..."

The onlookers outside the door were instantly in an uproar. "This steward is too overbearing! How could he come up with such a vicious idea? It's the tenants who are in trouble for encountering such a thing."

"I think such a mean slave should be beaten to death with a stick!" someone said indignantly.

Some people who saw clearly said, "I think this kind of thing must have been instructed by the master. Otherwise, how could they be so bold?"

When the people heard this, they thought it made sense and nodded in agreement.