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

At that moment, the expression of the Liangjia Village chief, who had remained silent until then, suddenly changed. With a swift wave of his arm, the villagers, who had been quietly waiting outside, sprang into action as if receiving an order. Simultaneously, the soldiers on guard also went on alert, closely guarding against any sudden violence from the villagers.

However, unexpectedly, although the villagers did suddenly riot, they did not choose to attack the soldiers directly. Instead, each of them nimbly grabbed an innocent villager standing in the front row as a hostage. The scene instantly became tense and chaotic.

At this time, the head of Liangjia Village took a step forward and shouted loudly: "Sir County Magistrate! Look, is it possible for us to leave now?" After that, he pushed the hostage in his hand forward again to increase his bargaining chips.

It was only then that Village Chief Qian and the others finally woke up from their dream and saw the true face of the Liangjia Village Chief. Village Chief Qian's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. He pointed a trembling finger at the Liangjia Village Chief, his voice stammering with extreme shock: "You...you are the real bandit? But...but aren't you Village Chief Liang's son, Liang Qiushi? I remember seeing you when I was a child!"

Village Chief Qian couldn't understand why. The man before him looked exactly as he remembered him, barely changed at all. He couldn't possibly have mistaken him. But why had he suddenly transformed into a brutal bandit leader? What hidden secrets and conspiracies lay hidden within?

In this chaotic situation, Tang Wenshu glanced sideways at Ada beside her, winked at her and whispered, "Ada, go check what's hidden underground. Don't worry, I have Kuang Tie guarding here, nothing will happen." After that, she turned her gaze back to the people in front who were in a stalemate.

Time ticked by, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense and heavy. Finally, Ah Da hurried back and excitedly reported to Tang Wenshu, "Sir, the underground is actually filled with a mountain of grain! Furthermore, there's a small amount of gold and silver treasure!" Upon hearing this, everyone's faces changed. The fake villagers and real bandits felt their secret had been exposed, while the soldiers felt as if they'd expected it. The County Magistrate was indeed the nephew of Prefect Tang; he was truly formidable.

Yet, Tang Wenshu remained remarkably calm and composed. She slowly sat down, crossed her legs, and appeared relaxed and content, as if the villagers held hostage were insignificant to her. Faced with such a cold and ruthless magistrate, Village Chief Liang felt a chill run down his spine, wondering: How could this magistrate be so careless about the lives of the villagers?

Just as Village Chief Liang was hesitating, a yamen runner beside him suddenly spoke up, "Our County Magistrate has come from the Imperial City to gain experience and gild his reputation! His status and position are far beyond the reach of people from small towns like us!" Another yamen runner chimed in, "Yes, yes! Even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Princess Fuhui are close friends with our County Magistrate!" In truth, these runners had never actually met the Crown Prince or Princess Fuhui, but they had often heard Tang Wenshu mention them, so they naturally assumed they were very close. And at this moment, they were deliberately exaggerating, simply to frighten Village Chief Liang, intimidating him and motivating him to obey.

Tang Wenshu sat steadily on the large, carved chair. Her delicate, fair hand seemingly casually tapped the handle, creating a resounding sound, like an ancient county magistrate slamming a gavel, sending a shudder through the hearts of everyone present. Even the knowledgeable Village Chief Liang shuddered, a look of astonishment on his face. Clearly, the tap had triggered a painful memory deep within him.

Tang Wenshu shouted in a delicate voice, "Liang Qiushi, now that things have come to this, why don't you just confess the truth?"

Liang Qiushi's face was filled with fear, sweat dripping down his forehead. His voice trembled as he spoke, "When I was 15, my father sent me to Yingtian Prefecture to learn blacksmithing. As the second son, I naturally wouldn't be eligible for the position of village chief. He did this simply to provide me with a livelihood. However, I never expected that while delivering goods to the villagers, I would be kidnapped and held captive by bandits."

At this point, Liang Qiushi secretly glanced at Tang Wenshu. Her face was as gloomy as water, and her eyes were as sharp as a knife. He quickly lowered his head in fear, and then continued to explain in a hushed tone, "At that time, I thought that since I couldn't defeat these vicious bandits, I had to find a way to save my own life. So I quickly begged for mercy, telling them that I had the skill of blacksmithing, and begged them to spare my life."

He paused briefly, swallowed, and continued, "A few months after joining them, I learned that these so-called 'bandits' were actually mostly ordinary villagers from nearby. They were forced into banditry because the government imposed heavy taxes and oppressed the good, forcing them into desperation. Only then did they take the risk of robbery."

"It took a full three months!" Liang Qiushi recounted the past events with deep emotion, "After countless thrilling adventures and fierce battles, I finally succeeded in ascending the throne of the bandit leader. Afterwards, I led my brothers to carefully cross the river in the dead of night, and after a difficult journey, we finally returned to the Liangjia Village that I had been thinking about." At this point, he could not help but sigh, with deep regret and pain revealed on his face.

"However, when I returned with joy, I found that everything had changed. My father was so angry and annoyed about what I had done that he was angered to death; and my brother was unfortunately injured in a conflict with his men. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to save his life... Alas!" Liang Qiushi shook his head, his voice becoming low and hoarse.

"I allowed those villagers who had always been obedient to my orders to join our team. As for those who refused to follow my orders, I didn't make things difficult for them. I just gave them some food as a reward and let them continue to farm for a living."

"So, what's the story behind this cellar? Did you dig it out yourselves?" Tang Wenshu curiously stroked the exquisite dragon carvings on the pillars and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "The craftsmanship is truly superb! If you could reach a prosperous place like Yangzhou, you'd definitely be able to find a very good job."

Liang Qiushi hurriedly explained: "No, that's not the case. This sacrificial pillar has been here for a long time, and this cellar is also very old. We have never dared to dig deeper or expand it easily. After all, we don't have that kind of superb skills. If we accidentally collapse it, the consequences will be unimaginable!" He looked a little nervous and worried.

"Oh? So that's how it is..." Tang Wenshu nodded thoughtfully, then walked towards the cellar. When she stepped inside, she discovered a spacious, enormous room, a perfect square in shape. Inside, the mountains of grain piled up almost to the ceiling, and the surrounding walls seemed to be carved with mysterious patterns or text. Unfortunately, most of it was obscured by the mountains of grain, making it impossible to see the whole picture.