The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 685

Xu Tian returned to the government office.

Continue processing your own official documents.

During this period, all the cases reported to the police have been civil disputes.

Although it may not seem like a big deal, it is actually quite tricky to handle.

"My lord, there are people outside beating drums to appeal for justice."

A yamen runner outside reported this.

"what happened?"

Xu Tian came out from inside.

The yamen runners didn't know exactly what had happened.

All that was said was, "After that man cried out for justice in the underworld, he waited outside the yamen gate."

Xu Tian didn't ask any more questions and followed the constable out.

"Who is standing here? What is your complaint?"

The person below quickly replied.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, I, Wang Er from Wufang Village in Chengtang, hereby file a complaint against a thief!"

“Yesterday, someone stole Xiaomin’s cattle and sheep.”

Xu Tian looked at the man.

"Then do you know who stole it?"

Wang Er paused for a moment, then said, "It must be that widow Lu who lives next door to Xiao Min."

Upon hearing Wang Er's words, Xu Tian immediately ordered someone to summon the widow Lu.

"Lu, the king has accused you of stealing his cattle and sheep! Is this true?"

As soon as Lu saw Wang Er, she showed a disdainful expression.

"Your Honor, please investigate thoroughly; I have been wronged."

Xu Tian then felt that something was amiss, so he asked Song Ren to go directly to both of their homes to investigate.

After Songren returned.

He walked over to Xu Tian's side.

"My lord, things are not as Wang Er described at this time."

"Tell me one by one."

Songren then told the whole story in detail.

"The villagers nearby all say that this story was fabricated by Wang Er."

"It is said that Wang Er has been coveting Widow Lu for a long time. Because he could not get her, he has been trying to frame Widow Lu."

Now things are very clear.

"You audacious Wang Er, how dare you lie!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Er immediately became displeased.

"Your Honor, it is clear that the widow Lu stole the cattle and sheep from my family."

"Why does Your Excellency accuse me of lying?"

Even now, he still refuses to admit he was lying.

Xu Tian let out a cold snort!

"Guards, drag Wang Er out and give him twenty strokes of the cane."

Upon hearing this, Wang Er's expression turned sour.

"Your Honor, you've been wronged! Your Honor, you've been wronged!"

“I am not lying. It was the widow Lu who stole my cattle and sheep.”

Even after being dragged out, he remained stubbornly defiant.

He kept shouting that he was innocent.

Xu Tian immediately had someone send the widow, Lu, back home.

After Wang Er had received 20 lashes, he was allowed to leave.

Wang Er was very dissatisfied.

He originally came to file a complaint, but he didn't expect to lose out instead of gaining something.

I didn't wrong the widow Lu, yet I got myself beaten so many times.

This is something that several meals of white rice probably couldn't make up for.

Wang Er harbored resentment and, upon returning home, began plotting how to take revenge on Xu Tian.

Moreover, after he returned, the villagers pointed fingers at him even more.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen someone get a beating before?"

He says the same thing to everyone he meets.

Even if the village chief saw him, he would directly retort with this sentence.

After understanding the case, Xu Tian began reviewing official documents again.

"Songren, how are the construction projects at the academy going lately?"

Pine Nuts then replied.

"Reporting to my lord, the work will be completed soon."

Xu Tian was surprised by how quickly the project was progressing, and he didn't even know how long it had been since he had inquired about it.

The academy is almost completely built up.

As night fell, Xu Tian was still reviewing official documents.

Song Ren stood to the side the whole time.

Taking advantage of the two guards' inattention, Wang Er slipped into the backyard of the county government office.