Having received the county magistrate's orders, Chen Shen nodded in agreement. He then led a group of constables and quickly disappeared into the night.
At this time, Zhou Sheng had already gathered a group of constables outside, awaiting orders.
Seeing that the chaos inside the building had subsided, the merchants and gentry outside also regained their composure and were no longer as frantic as before.
The county magistrate slowly walked toward them. These people were all his money trees, and he was currently thinking about how to squeeze a hefty sum of money from them.
Steward Zhang, the leader of the group, stepped forward first and said, "Your Excellency, please investigate this matter clearly. Tonight's affair has nothing to do with us whatsoever. We are willing to pay the usual deposit. Please allow us to leave on our own."
There was a hint of urgency in his voice. Clearly, he was worried about being dragged into this sudden trouble.
The county magistrate was still hesitating over how to ask them for money when he unexpectedly found Steward Zhang so cooperative. He immediately pretended to cough twice and said delightedly, "That will be easy to arrange. All of you are prominent figures in Jade Mountain City. Naturally, I do not believe that any of you would be foolish enough to collude with those rebels from Black Wind Stronghold. However, the rules cannot be broken. As long as you follow the usual procedure, I will uncover the truth and give you justice."
Hearing the county magistrate's words, the merchants and gentry present felt somewhat reassured.
If they could avert disaster by paying money, then the situation was not so bad after all.
Meng Qingshan, meanwhile, walked toward the people from the Three Escort Agencies.
He had not forgotten what happened to Uncle