"I heard you are the youngest scholar in Qingzhou Prefecture. You should know how much public opinion influences society. My crackdown this time is not targeting any one person, but to protect the people from harm."
Meng Anci said righteously, "Your Excellency is right. The guilty should be punished, and the innocent should be released... My aunt herself has done nothing wrong and should not be implicated."
Zhu Huaizhang looked at him with some disappointment, and didn't reply. Instead, he addressed the kneeling people, saying, "I am aware of the Anzhi Hall's goodwill towards you all, but..."
He changed the subject, his gaze returning to Meng Anci, his voice turning cold, "The law is impartial, merits and demerits cannot offset each other, and officials must not bend the law for personal gain."
It is true that a large crowd gathered outside the Anzhi Hall, causing obstruction and disturbance. It is also true that the sale of talismans led to a scramble for them.
If this situation is not addressed promptly today, what if stampedes occur due to overcrowding, or fights break out over the talismans, resulting in injuries or deaths among the people?
Is this due to my negligence, or was it an unintentional mistake by Jin Shanyao?
"Will your gratitude today turn into resentment tomorrow?"
Zhu Huaizhang's gaze was fixed on Meng Anci. "Since you passed the provincial examination... you should have thought of this."
Instead of stopping you, you rallied the city's residents to besiege the government office, attempting to pressure me with public opinion to force the release of the prisoners.
Such a deep mind at such a young age. If he were to become an official in the court one day, would he use a petition to force the court to achieve his own goals?
If all scholars in the world followed this path, disregarding laws and regulations in all matters, and only knowing how to gather crowds and make noise, using emotions to suppress the law... where would the laws of the court and the order of the world stand?!
Jin Shanyao heard everything clearly in prison and thought, "It's over... She and Meng Anci have both been scolded by this cunning Lord Zhu... How infuriating that he's so good at finding loopholes."
Just as Jin Shanyao about to go out and confront Zhu Huaizhang,
Zhao Cheng's voice rang out, and he shielded the pale-faced Meng Anci behind him, " Lord Zhu, you have quite the airs of an official. I'd like to ask, has my student said anything wrong?"
"Are the people kneeling on the ground wrong? You ignore the facts before us and talk about a vague and uncertain future... Your arbitrary speculation, your manipulation of people's hearts, and your distortion of the facts make you no different from a charlatan in the marketplace!"
Zhao Cheng was once the Imperial Academy, a true official of the capital, and he knew the ways of officialdom better than anyone else. " Lord Zhu keeps talking about laws and order, then I'd like to ask you something."
Did you complete all the proper procedures when you detained Jin Shanyao? As for the so-called 'gathering and obstruction,' did your government office manage and prohibit such behavior?
Instead of examining your own problems, you criticize a child who is eager to save his family and has gathered a crowd to petition.
Lord Zhu, are you upholding the law, or are you upholding your unquestionable 'authority' in the government office?
Zhu Huaizhang was speechless. He wasn't specifically targeting Meng Anci. He just felt that at such a young age, Meng Anci was capable of gathering a crowd to threaten the government for his family. If he were to actually become an official, wouldn't he be a corrupt and lawless person?
But Zhao Cheng did manage to find a loophole in his plan, and he stood there stunned outside the government office, unsure of what to do.
After a long pause, he said in a deep voice, "The government office did not explicitly prohibit it; it is my dereliction of duty."
Li Xiao said anxiously, "My lord... you've been so busy lately..."
Zhu Huaizhang interrupted him, saying, "What happened today was not because I intentionally punished the child or ignored Jin Shanyao's good deed."
His gaze fell on Meng Anci. "I'm afraid... afraid that you value family ties too much and neglect the law, which could harm others. You are good, but you have a long road ahead. I hope you will take good care of yourself."
After speaking, he turned and left, leaving the kneeling people looking at each other in bewilderment. "What does Headmaster Zhao mean? Is he going to release them or not?"
Zhao Cheng turned to everyone and said, " Lord Zhu has agreed to release them, everyone can go back now."
Niu Dadan stared blankly, confused. When did they say that? How come he didn't hear it?
Old Madam Lin was helped up by Lin Mo Lin Yue, and said in a trembling voice, "It's good that you've let go, it's good that you've let go..."
Meng Anci to Zhao Cheng, saying, "Thank you for helping me out of that predicament, teacher."
Zhao Cheng patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "You did a great job, don't be afraid."
"Speaking in official circles is always barbed and sarcastic, always picking out loopholes in what people say. You're just too young to experience this yet, take your time." With that, he leisurely left.
Meng Anzhi bowed to everyone, "Thank you all for your help. Anzhi Hall is very grateful..."
" Little Doctor Meng, what are you doing? We didn't do anything..."
"Yes... we were just telling the truth, it wasn't really helping..."
Zhao Zhiyuan Shiyan about to move closer to Meng Anzhi, Zhao Zhiyuan grabbed him, saying, "Where are you going? Don't cause trouble now."
Shiyan was puzzled, "How did I cause trouble...? I wanted to ask Sister Anzhi if there's anything I can help with."
Zhao Zhiyuan released him, saying indifferently, "Then go ahead. If she bothers you... don't blame me for not warning you."
Looking at Meng Anzhi, who was surrounded in the middle, Shiyan Yan thought about it and decided against it... Zhao Zhiyuan was smarter than him, and there must be a reason why he didn't want him to go.
The crowd dispersed, and Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci waited outside the government office. After a short while, yamen runners posted the prohibition notice.
The speed was so fast that it left the siblings speechless. About half an hour later, Jin Shanyao slowly walked out of the government office.
Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci rushed forward to check.
"Auntie... they didn't give you any trouble, did they?"
Did they use torture? Did they hit you?
Jin Shanyao tucked the two children into her arms and walked towards the Anzhi Hall. "No... no one made things difficult for me."
Meng Anci asked in confusion, "Then why are your eyes red?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Anzhi looked up, but Jin Shanyao large hand. "The light in the cell was dim, and my eyes couldn't take it so much after coming out like that. I rubbed them a couple of times."
Meng Anci didn't press further, but instead held Jin Shanyao's arm worriedly and said, "You have no idea, when Shiyan said you were taken away by the government, I was terrified."
Jin Shanyao patted Meng Anci's head and laughed, "A little pat won't scare you..."
"Auntie..." he said, pulling down the hand that Jin Shanyao in displeasure, "This is hair, not 'hair'... My sister's is 'hair'."
" Meng Anci, are you looking for a beating again??"
The siblings' bickering, mixed with the laughter of Jin Shanyao, gradually faded away at the entrance of the government office.
Inside the government office.
As Li Xiao wrote the notice, he complained, "Sir... if we just release them like this, what's the difference between that and being afraid of them?"
Zhu Huaizhang was writing a notice with his head down. "Gathering a crowd to block the way and causing a disturbance is a warning that I won't go to jail. I'm just trying to scare her."
I planned to detain her for half a day and then release her, but that young scholar made such a big fuss, and now it's my fault."
Li Xiao put the completed notice aside and continued writing, "How could you be wrong, sir... Apart from Jin Shanyao, who among those we've arrested isn't a fraud?"
He's a scholar... he should be stripped of his scholar's degree.
Bang! Zhu Huaizhang slammed his pen down on the table, his voice cold, " Li Xiao..."
Li Xiao suddenly realized he had said the wrong thing and wished he could slap himself to death. He didn't dare to say anything more, picked up the notice, and walked out.
"Sir... I'm going to post the notice."
Zhu Huaizhang looked up, intending to offer a few words of advice, when a drop of sweat fell onto the paper, blurring the writing.
Heartbroken, he put the pen aside, blotted out the ink with a handkerchief, and set the half-sheet of notice aside, intending to cut it into small pieces to use as a replacement for pasted misprinted paper.
During the trial, the Cooling Talisman Paper that Constable Wang gave him was borrowed from a commoner, and he returned it to the person after the trial was over.
As the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.
Zhu Huaizhang was sweating profusely from the heat, and the stuffy air made it hard for him to breathe.
He summoned the gatekeeper and gave him five coins, saying, "Go to the Anzhi Hall and buy a Cooling Talisman. Tell Li Xiao not to post any notices on the Anzhi Hall's door."
Wu Zhuangzi clutched the five coins with difficulty, "Sir... our government charges a minimum of one tael of silver for Cooling Talisman Paper."
Zhu Huaizhang snatched the five coins and frowned, saying, "I won't buy it... One tael of silver is enough for a month's worth of groceries if we use it sparingly."