Stepmother in charge: Making a fortune through farming and raising her children to fight back

Dozens of officials walked towards that direction with torches in their hands. A torch fell on the ground and ignited the dry grass nearby, causing the fire to spread rapidly and become very large.

Several people looked at the flames in front of them with cruel smiles on their faces.

This damn wild wolf actually dared to hurt him. There is not a single piece of good meat on his body... If he doesn't avenge this, he doesn't deserve the surname Liu.

"No... Sir, please show some mercy." The village chief, supported by others, staggered over and said, "Sir Liu, this mountain behind is the blessing of our Qinjia Village. Many villagers rely on the wild game and mountain products there for their survival. If we lose this mountain, I don't know how many people will starve to death. We must not destroy it. Please show some mercy..."

The villagers who rushed over after hearing the sound also came with large and small basins of water to put out the fire.

They have lived off the mountains for generations, especially during the drought of the past two years. If it weren't for the various wild game and vegetables on the mountains to keep them going, they would have gone bankrupt long ago.

"How dare you, a bunch of unruly people, disobey my orders!" Lord Liu forced himself to sit up straight. "This hungry wolf on the mountain dared to attack an official appointed by the imperial court. If you try to stop him, you are his accomplice... Come on, arrest all these unruly people who are rebelling against their superiors... cough cough cough..."

He couldn't help coughing after saying too many words at once. His injuries hadn't improved in the past few days, and his physical weakness made him more and more irritable. Only by burning the mountain and killing the culprit could his anger be calmed.

"Sir Liu, please be patient about this matter." County Magistrate Wang, accompanied by Lu Yunfeng, walked quickly over and stood in front of the crowd. "A mountain supports many lives. If we rashly set it on fire, we will likely kill most of them. Moreover, it's freezing cold right now. Once the fire starts, it will spread uncontrollably, and the surrounding trees will suffer. I'm afraid you can't afford the consequences."

When Lord Liu heard that everyone was trying to stop him, he was almost mad with anger. He didn't care about the suffering of the people, he just wanted to vent his anger.

He sat up with difficulty, looked at the heavy task in front of him and cursed: "You are just a seventh-rank official. What qualifications do you have to teach me how to do things? Who gave you the courage? Come on, hold him down and tie him up first, and then deal with him later. When he realizes his mistake, let him come to see me."

"I wonder who among you dares to touch the father and mother official of this county." Lu Yunfeng stood in front of him blankly. Behind him were dozens of patrol men, who were like a city wall, protecting the elderly, weak, women and children in the village.

Lord Liu was almost mad with rage. These unruly people said that seeing that he was injured, they became even more bolder and dared to openly oppose him. They were simply rebelling.

"Come here... arrest them all, regardless of death or injury!"

He held on to his last breath and gave orders.

The officers beside him did not move. In front of them were dozens of burly men, each holding tools in their hands. If they dared to take action, they would be crushed to death by a group of people.

Magistrate Wang looked at the man in front of him, who was like a city wall, and couldn't help but be moved: "He has been an official for more than ten years. What virtue and ability does he have to make these people risk their lives for him?"

Even if he dies today, he will protect the villagers from being bullied by Lord Liu.

Just when the two sides were on the verge of a fight, suddenly, dust flew up on the main road, and two horses ran towards this side quickly.

"The imperial edict has arrived!!"

The messenger's voice came from a distance.

These few words seemed to give Lord Liu a reassurance. He sat up straight instantly, looking into the distance with a sharp gaze.

He didn't expect the imperial edict to arrive so soon. He had just sent a message to Kyoto a few days ago. Now, he can put all these people in front of him into jail.

It would be best to dismiss this seventh-rank official in front of him and see who dares to go against him.

A moment later, the galloping horses came up to them. Only then did everyone see that in addition to the two tall horses, there were several carriages following behind them.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and the person who walked out was none other than the governor.

Generally speaking, imperial edicts were read out by eunuchs, but in remote places, messengers would read the edicts there.

Some messengers had never seen an imperial edict in their entire lives, but these two messengers from Yuzhou had come to this place for the second time.

The two men dismounted and walked in front of the crowd with a dignified look.

"The emperor has decreed—"

Everyone present, including Lord Liu in the chariot, was helped to kneel on the ground to receive the imperial edict.

"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that, since peace has been restored and the people are living and working in peace, I previously appointed Liu Cheng as the Salt Transport Commissioner to come to Yuzhou to mine the salt lake. However, Liu Cheng has shown disregard for human life and neglected his duties, causing widespread resentment among the people and harming them... He has failed to live up to the Emperor's grace. Therefore, Liu Cheng is dismissed from all official positions and immediately taken to Kyoto for retrial. The matter is now under the full authority of the Yuzhou Governor. I decree this!"

As soon as the messenger finished speaking, Lord Liu looked up in disbelief.

Wasn't he supposed to deal with this group of troublemakers? Why was he dismissed from office? What did he do wrong?

He suddenly got up from the ground. "No... Impossible. I am from the Liu family in Kyoto. The emperor trusts the Liu family and would never punish me. It must be you, a bunch of unruly people, who forged the imperial edict. This is a capital crime. When I return to Kyoto and report this, I will make sure you all lose your heads..."

Before he could finish his words, he fell backwards uncontrollably. Several officers were still confused and couldn't catch him for a moment.

The Governor stepped forward and looked at him coldly, "The Emperor knows everything you've done here. If you weren't a member of the Liu family, you'd be dead by now, and there's no way you'd be brought back to Kyoto for questioning. This matter needed further investigation, but who could have imagined that after your grandfather learned of this, he'd try to erase the evidence and actually attacked the messenger. He failed and was caught red-handed, and has now been dismissed from office. This is what you'll face when you return..."

His eyes were so wide that they almost popped out.

"Come here, tie up Liu Cheng." The governor waved his hand back, "And all of his minions, bring them back for me and await your punishment."

A group of police officers walked over in an orderly manner. They wanted to struggle, but the patrolmen beside them stepped forward to help subdue them. They grabbed their hands and feet and tied them up tightly, then threw them aside to squat.

"I am a sixth-rank official, and you bunch of unruly people... are simply outrageous. Don't... don't touch me, ah ah ah ah, be gentle..." Lord Liu howled like a ghost because the wound on his body was touched.

Qin Zheng got angry when he saw him like this, so he took off his socks with holes in them and stuffed them into his mouth. The surroundings instantly became much quieter.