Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 319 Southwest Road

The Dayan Dynasty.

Southwest Road.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the provincial capital.

Lin Chen didn't get out of the car, but lifted the curtain and glanced outside.

At the city gate, a dark mass of people knelt on the ground.

At the very front was the provincial governor, surnamed Zhou, in his fifties, plump and fair-skinned, wearing a crimson official robe, kneeling there like a mountain of flesh.

Following behind were the deputy prefect, the vice prefect, the judge, the clerk, the clerk... a dense crowd of dozens of people, neatly arranged according to their rank.

Further back were representatives of the local gentry, dressed in silk, their bellies protruding, kneeling precariously, clearly not used to kneeling much.

On both sides were city guards, holding long guns, standing straight with their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Further back, a large crowd of onlookers craned their necks to peer in this direction.

"Your humble servant, Zhou Shiren, Prefect of the Southwest Circuit, along with the civil and military officials of the Southwest Circuit, respectfully welcomes His Highness the Prince of Zhenbei!"

The prefect's voice was high-pitched and thin, like someone killing a chicken, but he shouted with great effort.

Lin Chen leaned against the carriage, checking the urgent report that the Bad Guys had just delivered.

Outside, Prefect Zhou Shiren knelt on the ground, sweat beading on his forehead.

He didn't know why Lin Chen wouldn't get out of the car, nor did he know what he had said wrong.

Just then, I heard a burst of laughter coming from inside the carriage.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

They were laughing so happily and freely.

Zhou Shiren was stunned.

The officials kneeling behind them were also stunned.

What... is going on?

The laughter lasted for quite a while before gradually subsiding.

Then the carriage curtain was lifted, and Lin Chen poked his head out, a smile on his face:

"Get up, all of you. Why are you kneeling? I'm not here to chop off your heads."

Zhou Shiren felt relieved, quickly stood up, and put on a smile:

"Your Highness must be tired from your journey. I have prepared a small feast at the government office..."

Lin Chen waved his hand: "No rush."

He glanced back at the carriage and said:

"You guys keep talking, I'll go downstairs and take a look."

Blue Phoenix was peeling an orange and grunted "Mmm" without looking up.

Liu Shengxue closed his eyes to rest and didn't move at all.

Yao Yao wanted to follow, but Lin Chen pressed her back down.

"Stay put, there are too many people outside."

Yao Yao pouted, but still obediently sat down.

Liu Sheng Piaopiao huddled in the corner, secretly glancing at Lin Chen before lowering her head again.

Lin Chen got off the carriage, stood there, and stretched his limbs.

Zhou Shiren quickly stepped forward, his face beaming with smiles:

"Your Highness, shall I escort you into the city?"

Lin Chen nodded: "Okay, let's go."

He walked forward, and Zhou Shiren followed closely beside him, half a step behind, his posture extremely humble.

The officials behind them quickly followed, and the large group of people walked into the city.

Lin Chen walked along, looking around.

The provincial capital is different; the city walls are high and thick, the streets are wide, and the shops on both sides are lined up one after another, selling all kinds of things.

The atmosphere was a bit strange.

When the people saw him, they were first taken aback, then quickly lowered their heads, avoided eye contact, and some even took a few steps back.

Lin Chen saw it all but said nothing.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

The officials all stopped abruptly, their expressions incredibly varied.

There was tension, fear, flattery, and a few shifty eyes.

Lin Chen smiled and continued walking forward.

As they reached the city gate, Lin Chen suddenly spoke:

"Prefect Zhou, how many officials are there in your provincial capital?"

Zhou Shiren paused for a moment, then quickly replied:

"Your Highness, there are a total of 378 officials of various levels in the provincial capital."

Lin Chen nodded: "How many people came today?"

Zhou Shiren's forehead began to sweat again: "This...this..."

Before he could answer, Lin Chen continued, "I think there are only about a hundred. What about the rest?"

Zhou Shiren opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

An official nearby suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, the rest are all busy with official duties and cannot leave..."

Lin Chen looked at him.

The man was in his forties, thin, with a small mustache, and his eyes were quite upright.

Lin Chen asked, "Who are you?"

The official bowed and said, "I am Zhang Zheng, the Vice Prefect of the Southwest Circuit."

"Zhang Zheng..." Lin Chen read it aloud, "You're quite bold to say that."

Zhang Zheng replied neither servilely nor arrogantly: "This humble official reports the facts."

Lin Chen nodded and said nothing more.

Keep going.

After walking a few steps, I suddenly saw an old woman kneeling by the roadside.

He was in his sixties or seventies, with a full head of white hair, wearing a coarse cloth outfit covered in patches, kneeling by the roadside, holding up a sign.

The sign had a large character for "injustice" written on it.

Lin Chen stopped in his tracks.

Zhou Shiren's expression changed, and he quickly waved his hand: "Guards, take this madwoman away!"

Several soldiers were about to step forward when Lin Chen raised his hand to stop them.

He walked up to the old woman, squatted down, and looked at her.

The old woman raised her head, her cloudy eyes filled with tears.

"Grandma, what grievance do you have?" Lin Chen asked.

The old woman's lips trembled, and suddenly she kowtowed with a thud:

"Lord Tianyuan! Lord Tianyuan! My son is innocent!"

"Stand up and speak." Lin Chen looked at Yan Da.

Yan understood and stepped forward to help the old lady up.

The old woman stood shakily, tears streaming down her face.

Lin Chen asked gently, "What happened to your son?"

The old lady opened her mouth, then suddenly glanced at Zhou Shiren, trembled, and dared not speak again.

Lin Chen followed her gaze.

Zhou Shiren's face was ashen, and his eyes were sinister.

Lin Chen smiled. "Prefect Zhou, this old woman seems a little afraid of you."

Zhou Shiren hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please understand. This humble official...this humble official does not know why this old woman is like this."

Lin Chen ignored Zhou Shiren and looked at the old lady, asking softly:

"Grandma, don't be afraid. Tell me what's on your mind."

The old lady hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"My son... my son's name is Wang Er, he is an honest and simple farmer."

Last winter, he went to town to sell firewood and was arrested by the authorities for stealing.

My son didn't steal! He didn't steal! They locked him up in jail, beat him, didn't give him food... and then... and then he died..."

As the old lady spoke, she started crying again.

Lin Chen paused for a moment, then asked, "What did they say they stole?"

The old woman shook her head: "I don't know... They said they stole things from the Zhou family..."

Lin Chen looked at Zhou Shiren.

Sweat was already streaming down Zhou Shiren's forehead.

"Your Highness, this...this case was handled by my subordinates, and I'm not entirely clear on the details..."

Lin Chen frowned slightly: "Then let someone who knows the facts tell me."

Zhou Shiren opened his mouth and looked back.

An official in a green robe stepped forward and said tremblingly:

"Your Highness, I am a magistrate from the provincial capital's yamen, surnamed Sun. This case... is under my jurisdiction."

Lin Chen looked at him: "Speak, what's going on?"

Magistrate Sun swallowed hard and said:

"Last November, the second branch of the Zhou family was robbed, and five hundred taels of silver were stolen."

Later, the authorities arrested the suspect, Wang Er, who confessed to the crime after interrogation.

According to the law, he was sentenced to death with a reprieve, but before he could be executed in the autumn, he died of illness in prison.

Lin Chen asked, "Where's the evidence?"

Magistrate Sun said, "There are...there are stolen goods. Fifty taels of silver were found in his house."

Lin Chen scoffed, "Five hundred taels, and you only found fifty taels?"

Judge Sun's face paled: "This... he might have hidden it..."

Lin Chen ignored him and continued, "Which Zhou family is referred to as the second branch of the Zhou family?"

Magistrate Sun glanced at Zhou Shiren but didn't dare to speak.

Zhou Shiren forced a smile and said, "It's...it's my family."

Lin Chen looked at Zhou Shiren, his eyes filled with coldness:

"Prefect Zhou, your house was burgled, and you did nothing about it, letting the authorities arrest the thieves."

The authorities arrested the man, tried him, sentenced him to death with a reprieve, and then the suspect died of illness in prison. The whole process went smoothly.

Zhou Shiren's face turned pale, and he knelt down with a thud:

"Your Highness, please understand! This humble official...this humble official truly knew nothing about it!"

Lin Chen snorted coldly and looked at Yan Da: "Investigate this case."

Yan Da nodded: "Yes."

Lin Chen then looked at the old lady: "Grandma, you go back first. I will take care of this case."

The old lady stood there, stunned, unable to react for a long time.

A young woman nearby quickly pulled her away, glancing back at Lin Chen with gratitude in her eyes as she left.

Suddenly, someone knelt down by the roadside.

This time it wasn't just one, it was a whole row.

There were seven or eight people, men, women, young and old, all holding signs that read "Injustice".

Zhou Shiren's face was as white as paper.

Lin Chen looked at him and suddenly sighed.

"Prefect Zhou, your provincial capital is quite lively."

Zhou Shiren trembled and could not speak.

Lin Chen ignored him and walked towards the people.