After traveling through time, I was raised by a little brat

"Call the people of Qianjia Village." Tang Qi had just spoken when the people rushed to the entrance of the hall, surrounding it in three layers. This was the first time in several years that a case had been heard in court in Liu County, and it was being presided over by the newly appointed county magistrate himself. Who wouldn't want to join in the fun?

After all, the people of Zhao State like to talk about trivial matters of family life. Now they have the opportunity to witness the majesty of the county magistrate. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Upon hearing the magistrate's order, a team of yamen runners immediately filed out and rushed to Qianjia Village, bringing the village chief and other suspects back to the yamen for trial. Tang Wenshu sent Ah Da to accompany them and learn more about the situation.

However, after waiting for two full hours, the sun was almost setting before the group slowly returned to the county government office. Qianjia Village wasn't far from the government office, so under normal circumstances, a round trip should have taken an hour. But today, for some reason, it took twice as long. By then, the onlookers had already dispersed, each returning home to cook.

Tang Wenshu's stomach was growling with hunger, and she couldn't help but say, "Brother, I'm so hungry." She really couldn't figure out what to do when her brother made such a mistake in time management since it was his first time to try a case in court.

Tang Qi asked a yamen runner to buy some cakes for Tang Wenshu to fill his stomach first, and then go back to eat after the trial, so that he wouldn't have to think about the trial while eating.

After arranging Tang Wenshu's side, Tang Qi began to try the case. He did not directly interrogate the people in Qianjia Village, but first asked A Da why he came back so late.

Ah Da stood in the middle of the hall, recounting the events in detail to Tang Qi. "We hurried all the way to Qianjia Village, and it only took us a quarter of an hour." Ah Da paused, then continued, "The county magistrate asked me to go to Qianjia Village first to see where the stream was blocked. Zhu San, a yamen runner, and I went there together. We found a small dam built with thatch and mud. The stream had just been blocked at Qianjia Village, so Zhu San headed downstream and saw that the stream in Yangjia Village had dried up."

When we returned to Qianjia Village, we saw a group of yamen runners gathered at the village entrance, chattering about something. When we got closer, we saw that the old village chief of Qianjia Village had been beaten by villagers from Yangjia Village who had come to retrieve the body.

He was old and weak, so he was no match for the strong young man. After being injured, he couldn't even get up. The villagers were afraid that moving the old man would aggravate his injuries, so they rushed to the county town to ask for a doctor. However, the doctor's consultation fee was not cheap, and no one could afford it, so they didn't ask for a doctor.

Seeing this, I hurried forward to check on the old man. I found that although his injuries were serious, they were only superficial. With proper treatment, his life should not be in danger. I have some medical experience, so I used the hemostatic medicine and cloth I brought with me to bandage the old man's wounds and rushed him to the county hospital for treatment.

In this way, we wasted a lot of time going back and forth. The villagers of Qianjia Village followed us because they were worried about the safety of the village chief, so we returned to the yamen much later than expected.

After everything was arranged, Tang Qi ordered the yamen runners to bring a chair and let the village chief of Qianjia Village sit on it to listen to the trial, while the other villagers knelt in front of the hall waiting for trial.

Tang Qi knew that appearance didn't always reflect one's inner self, and that what one saw and heard wasn't always the truth. However, based on Ah Da's previous observations, Qianjia Village's actions were indeed excessive. They had actually dammed the river during the crucial rice-filling period, undoubtedly severely impacting the harvests of the villages downstream.

"Who is here?" Tang Qi slammed the gavel and asked sternly.

The old man kneeling in the hall quickly bowed and replied, "Your Excellency, I am the head of Qianjia Village."

Tang Qi nodded and continued, "As far as I know, the villagers of Qianjia Village have been secretly building a dam to block the river in recent days. Is this true?"

Hearing this, the old man did not deny it, but nodded calmly and said, "It is true."

"Hmph!" Tang Qi's face darkened. He slammed the gavel again and shouted, "Do you realize that your actions have seriously affected the irrigation water supply of the downstream villages?"

The old man, however, showed no fear at all. He even straightened his back and said confidently, "Your Excellency, we are about to harvest. The river has become shallower. If we don't dam the river, Qianjia Village will have no water to use. How can we farm? Everyone in the village depends on this land for their livelihood. We can't just watch everyone starve, can we?"

Tang Qi frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, and he said in a bad tone: "But you blocked the river, and Yangjia Village downstream has no water to use. How do you explain this?" He was a little annoyed and felt that this old man was too selfish.

The old man sneered and retorted, "Sir, you should know that there are 580 households in Qianjia Village, while there are only 165 households in Yangjia Village. Do you think you can ask so many villagers like us to make way for them? When it comes to interests, we must naturally ensure the interests of our own village first." His voice was a little sharp, as if he was accusing Tang Qi of being ignorant.

After saying these words, the old man took a deep breath, seemed to have made up his mind, and said: "Sir, I admit that my actions this time were wrong, but I will never repent. After all, I have to consider the villagers of Qianjia Village behind me! If there is no water to irrigate the farmland, this year's harvest will be greatly reduced, and then our entire village will be in trouble." His eyes were firm, and there was no intention of retreating.

"It's good that you're willing to admit your mistake!" Yang Hongtao, who was kneeling in the hall, had kept his head down. The people of Qianjia Village were all paying attention to the county magistrate and hadn't noticed him. At this moment, he lifted the white cloth, revealing the dead Yang Lao Si. "You, the people of Qianjia Village, killed the people of Yangjia Village. How are you going to settle this account?"

There was an uproar in the hall, and everyone turned to look at Yang Hongtao and the corpse behind him, their faces filled with shock.

The old patriarch Qian's heart tightened. He couldn't help but glance over, then closed his eyes and leaned back on the back of his chair. "Village Chief Yang, we in Qianjia Village absolutely didn't kill anyone!"

"Humph, the story that Yang Lao Si from my village died in your Qianjia Village is still a lie?" Yang Hongtao sneered, a gloomy look flashing in his eyes. "Today, I will let the county magistrate make the decision for me!"

Patriarch Qian's face was extremely grim. He knew that this matter was beyond their control. If it was not handled properly, it would probably bring disaster to the entire village.

"People of Qianjia Village, do you have anything else to say?" Tang Qi looked at the old patriarch Qian and asked coldly.

The head of Qianjia Village took a deep breath and said slowly, "Your Excellency the County Magistrate, we in Qianjia Village absolutely did not kill anyone. Please be discerning!"

Tang Qi frowned and looked at Yang Hongtao: "Village Chief Yang, do you have any evidence to prove that it was someone from Qianjia Village who killed him?"

Yang Hongtao gritted his teeth and pointed at the corpse on the ground, saying, "County Magistrate, please look at the wounds on Yang Lao Si's body and the back of his head. They were clearly injured by a shovel, and there is blood on the wounds, which shows that he was killed not long ago. Moreover, the villagers who went to Qianjia Village with him came back and said that the villagers of Qianjia Village killed him!"

"I admit what I did, but why do you blame me for what I didn't do?" The village chief of Qianjia Village was also tough and openly refuted the village chief of Yangjia Village in the county government office.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense as both sides held their ground, refusing to compromise. Tang Wenshu looked at the chaotic situation, unsure of what to do. She knew the situation was complex and that she couldn't easily draw conclusions based on superficial observations, but she couldn't make up her mind.

Tang Qi, still in the room, remained calm, carefully observing everyone's words and actions. He believed that if he observed carefully, he would eventually discover some clues. And these clues might be the key to solving the mystery.