Famine and exile: I brought the Spirit Spring to save the entire Marquis's mansion.

Liangzhou County Government Office.

Sang Ning dragged the unconscious child and threw him to the ground.

The eldest child finally woke up in pain.

Looking up and seeing Sang Ning, he was furious and arrogantly cursed, "You bitch! You dare hit me! Believe me or not, I'll burn your whole family down!"

"Sir, did you hear that? How dare you threaten me like this right here? Your evil nature hasn't changed!"

The eldest child is already thirteen, practically a grown man, and his temperament has long been set.

That's a bad seed.

If we don't deter them, they might cause us trouble in the future.

County Magistrate Rong Kun looked to be in his forties. He had just returned from Moon Spring and hadn't even changed his clothes when he was summoned to the court.

His face was tanned and chapped; someone who didn't know him might mistake him for a refugee leader.

That's incredible.

It's been so long since the court has been convened.

Criminals who come here are most afraid of being sent back to the yamen (government office) a second time. This woman from the Huo family is quite bold.

He caused trouble as soon as he arrived!

"It's just two peanuts that were stolen, a single blow with a stick will suffice."

Rong Kun waved his hand, utterly exhausted.

The eldest child was initially scared, but upon hearing that he would only be hit once, he quickly knelt down to express his gratitude, pretending to be quite obedient.

He just gave Sang Ning a fierce glare in secret.

Sang Ning wasn't finished. She stood straight in the center of the hall, speaking loudly so that those gathered outside could hear her clearly.

"My lord, the existence of such a malignant tumor in Liangzhou City is not only a threat to the safety of the people, but also a sign of the prefect and magistrate's negligence in supervision. If word gets out, your achievements will be ruined by this rotten apple!"

"Mrs. Sang, it's not as serious as you make it out to be! It's just a child!"

The eldest child, seizing any opportunity, climbed up the pole: "Sir, this humble servant knows he was wrong. This humble servant is so hungry, he hasn't eaten for two days. This humble servant apologizes to this lady!"

As he spoke, he kowtowed to Sang Ning repeatedly.

He was dark-skinned, thin, and dirty, while Sang Ning was clean and fair-skinned.

Making such a humble gesture makes it seem as if Sang Ning is being aggressive.

His statement about not being able to get food resonated with many people here.

Outside, people spoke up for the eldest child and accused Sang Ning of making a mountain out of a molehill.

Since she has food, what's wrong with giving it to her? Everyone is struggling to survive, so we should support each other to stay alive.

Heartless and devoid of any compassion.

Sang Ning laughed in exasperation.

It’s the opposite of Tiangang.

Seeing the smug look in the eldest child's eyes, Sang Ning's anger flared up.

"So, the laws established in Liangzhou are just empty words then!" she said, looking at the magistrate with a cold sneer.

"Sang! How dare you be so insolent!" Magistrate Rong shouted angrily, his eyes wide with fury.

"This isn't the capital city, so put away your arrogant attitude! No matter what noble status you had before, everyone is the same here!"

The people are suffering, and leniency may be shown even outside the law. Liangzhou has its own customs and traditions; what do you, a mere woman, know?

Sang Ning heard from Manager Cao that the prefect and magistrate of Liangzhou were incorruptible, dedicated to the people, and were good officials loved by the people.

But just now, she saw obvious disgust in the magistrate's eyes.

Was it because she spoke too disrespectfully just now?

Sang Ning was deep in thought.

Jintang, who had been standing obediently beside Sang Ning, suddenly pointed angrily at Rong Kun when she saw Sang Ning being scolded.

"The adults said all this, but they didn't directly answer my aunt's question."

"I'm young, so I hope an adult can help me understand."

"First, the laws of Liangzhou stipulate that stealing someone else's food is considered robbery and murder."

Second, according to the laws of Dongyang, anyone over the age of eight who commits murder shall be sentenced to death.

Can I interpret this to mean that anyone over the age of eight who steals food from others should be sentenced to death?

If not, then the laws of Liangzhou are indeed just empty talk, and my aunt was right!

As for your suggestion of leniency outside the law, as far as I know, only those who have made significant contributions to the people and are protected by them are eligible for such treatment, and it requires collecting petitions from thousands of people to achieve this.

So, what did this person who bullied me and stole my food do that made the adults show him leniency?

Jintang puffed out her chest, her voice young yet sharp, uttering a profound question.

His small frame exudes the integrity of a scholar and the unique character of the Huo family.

Sang Ning seemed to see a tall, elegant man in white standing in the Golden Palace, debating with the envoy from northern Sichuan, racking his brains and taking every step carefully to protect the three cities of Dongyang.

Jintang is the son of the youngest top scholar in Dongyang's history!

He resembles his father.

At this moment, Sang Ning really wanted to praise him loudly and be proud of him.

So cool!

This is her nephew, her nephew!

However, being observant, she still stepped forward and grasped his trembling fist.

After his initial shock, Rong Kun asked in a trembling voice, "Whose son are you in the Huo family?"

"Huo Qingchuan!"

Huo Qingchuan!

No wonder!

Rong Kun's gaze softened noticeably as he looked at Jin Tang's injured face and his expression hardened: "Your face was injured by him?"

The eldest child had a bad feeling and swallowed hard.

He couldn't understand anything else, only two words: death penalty.

Moreover, the county magistrate did not reprimand the young man; instead, he showed concern for him.

How did it come to death?

He only ate one peanut!

Much less than before!

"My lord, we were wrong, we apologize to them!" The eldest child started using the same trick again, but this time he was genuinely afraid.

Jintang snorted and leaned against Sang Ning.

He was actually very nervous, and his body was trembling instinctively.

At this moment, he was unable to utter a single word.

Sang Ning tenderly stroked his head to comfort him.

He looked up again, his expression indifferent.

She said to the eldest child, "Just because you're poor and have nothing to eat doesn't mean you're in the right! If you're so hungry you can't get any food, why don't you come to the county government and rob us?"

"Why don't you go and rob those philanthropists who speak up for you outside?"

"They just thought we were easy to bully!"

He said to Magistrate Rong, "He tried to burn my whole family to death, and when I came to file a complaint, he actually advised me to downplay the matter."

"Liangzhou was originally a place where personal relationships took precedence over the law."

"In this respect, the capital city certainly cannot compare."

He said to the onlookers, "Since you all sympathize with this robber who is about to starve to death, then each of you should give him a piece of dry food, and I will believe your generous words."

Otherwise, if you're generous with other people's money, you'll inevitably lose something yourself, and everyone will talk!

The onlookers outside naturally didn't take anything and dispersed in a panic.

The magistrate of Rong County turned pale.

Although I felt embarrassed, I realized that I had indeed handled the matter rather perfunctorily.

Just as they were about to conduct a proper trial, they heard a cry of injustice.

It turned out that the bullies who had been beaten had called their parents, including the eldest child's parents.

"Sir, it's her! She beat our children so badly! Their faces are ruined, how can they have children in the future!"

"Your Excellency must stand up for us!"

Ah!

With looks like that, you want to have children? You'd be more like a boil or a sore!

Magistrate Rong was startled.

The children's faces were all covered in blood, and they looked really badly injured.

If it was just a few peanuts, then that's really a bit too much.

"Ms. Sang, did you smash this?"

This time, Sang Ning was certain that the county magistrate did not like her; his face would darken whenever he saw her.

What, you look down on women?

"It wasn't my aunt who smashed it, it was me!" Jintang stepped forward again.