Chapter 121: Who to Apologize to?

Xie Yongzhen looked at the defiant and contemptuous Luo Shi, who thought he was useless, and then at the county magistrate who had promised to support him.

He suddenly laughed at himself, “Your Excellency, I give up continuing my imperial examination.”

The county magistrate looked at Xie Yongzhen, his expression questioning, “Have you thought it through?”

Xie Yongzhen nodded, determination in his eyes, “I have. The reason she can be so arrogant now is because of my status as a successful candidate in the imperial examination. If I continue my studies and eventually become an official, she will only become more ruthless. Back when she used her status as the mother of a scholar, she insisted on punishing Jinhe severely, even demanding that her family members die as a way to atone for her alleged crime. Since I passed the imperial examination, she has become even more audacious, often causing disturbances in the village with the support of the villagers. I am truly exhausted.”

Every time something happened, people would come to him, asking what his mother had done now. Despite his status as a successful candidate, his family had no good reputation in the village. The reason? Luo Shi.

Only when those people wanted to use Luo Shi for something did they come to her. Other than that, hardly anyone associated with them. Even Luo Shi’s younger sister had no friends because people were afraid that Luo Shi would tarnish their reputation with her loose tongue. It was truly pathetic to think about.

The county magistrate glanced at Luo Shi, his brow furrowing. “Is it really the case?”

To demand the lives of others while being just for a scholar’s mother was beyond belief. Where did they place officials like him and governors in their minds?

“If I recall correctly, when the Wang family moved to your village over a decade ago, it was made clear that they weren’t part of your Xie family village.” The Wang family had moved there more than ten years ago, and due to their unique circumstances, someone had advised taking care of them.

 He hadn’t allowed the Wang family to be registered as part of the Xie family village, but they were allowed to live there. How could people from different villages demand such harsh punishments?

Moreover, they wanted the family members to die to atone for what? Who were they apologizing to?

Xie Yongzhen forced a bitter smile and nodded. “That’s right, the village chief made it very clear back then. The Wang family isn’t from our village, and no one has the right to decide her life or death. Even if she became pregnant before marriage, it wouldn’t tarnish our village’s reputation. But she still stirred up trouble with a group of people. In the end, she even blocked Wang family’s door and verbally abused them for over two months. Wang family almost couldn’t bear it and contemplated suicide.”

The county magistrate turned to Wang Jinhe, his anger evident. “Is what he said true?”

Wang Jinhe nodded solemnly. “It’s true.”

The county magistrate glared at Luo Shi, his voice filled with rage. “Even I can’t arbitrarily decide someone’s life or death. Yet you, you want someone’s life. When the village chief made it clear, you still pursued them, cursing them incessantly. It’s simply beyond comprehension.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong. She was immoral and ended up pregnant with an illegitimate child; she deserves to die. Even now that wild man has returned, they all deserve to die. They should all die as an atonement for their sins,” Luo Shi shrieked.

“She refuses to admit her mistakes; she thinks she’s done nothing wrong.”

“You wicked woman, who are you to demand someone’s death as an atonement? Who are they supposed to apologize to? To you? What kind of person are you?” The county magistrate spoke coldly.

“She committed such actions in our village; shouldn’t she be punished?”

“Didn’t you understand what I just said? None of them are from Xie Village. They are not part of your community.” The county magistrate’s forehead veins throbbed visibly. He now understood why Xie Yongzhen had given up on continuing his imperial examination. With a mother like this, he wouldn’t find peace.

“I don’t care about that; she deserves to die.”

Su Yu looked at Luo Shi coldly, thinking that this punishment wasn’t enough. But before he could say anything, the county magistrate intervened, “Guards, give Luo Shi twenty lashes, and throw her into the dungeon for a month. Let her reflect on her actions, and only release her when she understands her mistake.”

The county magistrate was truly infuriated by Luo Shi’s audacity. How dare she utter such words!

Luo Shi was forcibly restrained by the officials, still struggling, and shouted back, “What kind of wretched county magistrate are you? You’re all corrupt officials of the same feather. I suspect you have some unspeakable relationship with her, otherwise, why would you stand up for that wretched woman?”

Su Yu tried her best to restrain his anger. “Don’t get angry, don’t get angry,” he repeated to himself, but he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“May I request to settle this later? I have something to resolve with her,” Su Yu said coldly.

The county magistrate had heard of Su Yu’s exceptional talent. Although he hadn’t entered the officialdom, his reputation was enough for the magistrate to show some leniency.

Su Yu looked at Xie Yongzhen. “You can leave now. Staying here will only make you uncomfortable.”

Because Xie Yongzhen had spoken up for Wang Jinhe, he was granted this favor by Su Yu.

“Please spare her life,” he said. He knew Su Yu came from a wealthy family; judging by the county magistrate’s attitude, he understood that Su Yu’s background was extraordinary.

“Yes, I won’t kill her,” Su Yu agreed, though his tone hinted at the possibility of other severe consequences.

“Thank you,” Xie Yongzhen said, relieved as long as his mother was still alive.

But Luo Shi couldn’t believe her eyes. Her son was just leaving like this?

“Xie Yongzhen, stop right there! You unfilial son, I told you to stop, did you hear me?” Luo Shi yelled in anger.

Xie Yongzhen lowered his head and looked at his mother. Suddenly, he chuckled, “Mother, no matter who it is, if they do wrong, they must pay the price. The county magistrate said we are forbidden from dunking people in pig cages; it’s against the law.”

“I don’t care about the law! I only know she’s a complete slut; she deserves to die!”

Xie Yongzhen realized he couldn’t reason with his mother anymore and turned away, leaving.

After the others had left, Su Yu walked over and kicked Luo Shi hard in the chest, causing her to pale in pain and curl up on the ground.

A officers, observing Su Yu’s actions, approached the county magistrate and whispered, “Sir, this… won’t lead to any trouble, will it?”

If, by some accident, they ended up killing the woman, were they here to arrest or not?

“He said he won’t kill her, so he won’t. He knows what he’s doing. Let’s just watch,” the county magistrate replied quietly.

“Understood, sir.”

Su Yu continued to kick Luo Shi several more times, targeting the most painful areas and making her question her life choices.

Wang Jinhe saw Su Yu’s red eyes and reached out to hold his arm. “It’s enough,” she said.

“Xiaohe…” Su Yu looked at Wang Jinhe, discontent evident in his eyes. Why was she pleading for that old woman?

“If you continue kicking her, you might end up in trouble. Besides, the kicks you’ve given her are enough. Let the county magistrate make the final decision,” Wang Jinhe disagreed, not wanting Su Yu to cause severe harm. If the woman ended up dead due to his actions, it would certainly be blamed on him.

“It should be fine if the county magistrate keeps her imprisoned for six months to a year, or even longer, right?” Su Yu said with a cold expression.