The officials grew even more puzzled. Someone had actually reported Shen Ming? The informant was most likely from the Left Prime Minister's faction—could someone have betrayed them?
Shen Ming cursed as he read the report.
"Fake! Nothing of the sort ever happened!"
"Bullshit! Bullshit!"
Shen Ming read on quickly, but halfway through, he suddenly hurled the anonymous letter to the floor, scattering the pages everywhere.
Fang Yun remained unruffled by the eight winds, sitting firmly in his great chair.
Some officials bent down to pick up the sheets before them. County Assistant Tao Dingnian also picked up an anonymous letter and read it before suddenly saying, "May I ask County Magistrate Fang, why have you not revealed the identity of the anonymous informant? If this letter is false, would that not wrong Principal Clerk Shen?"
"Whether he has been wronged or not can be investigated matter by matter. So long as it is established that Principal Clerk Shen was wronged, I will throw the false accuser into prison," Fang Yun said.
"My lord, convicting someone based on hearsay and conducting anonymous interrogations are utter nonsense. I hope you will consider this carefully!" Tao Dingnian had endured for a long while. Seeing Shen Ming in trouble, he decisively extended a helping hand.
A county assistant was effectively the deputy county magistrate. Many county assistants who had operated locally for years could often contend with a newly appointed county magistrate; the scale of their hidden power was difficult to imagine.
What was more, Shen Ming could be considered Liu Shan's relative. He was worth helping.
Wen Gu, the Ning'an County Judge, then said, "Lord Tao is absolutely right. I hope Lord Fang will think thrice."
Constable Lu Hong said, "This matter... should wait a little longer."
The other officials also spoke up