Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 1203: Public Display

San’an hurried back to inform Qin San Lang of the latest, and his tense face softened slightly at last.

Hmph, Zhou Erlang had gotten away too lightly. If not for his current constraints, he’d personally deliver a harsh lesson to that fool.

Bang, bang, bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

"Open the door at once! We demand to see Lord County Magistrate! We demand to see Lord County Magistrate!"

"Wuu wuu wuu, Lord County Magistrate, please don’t abandon us! We really lack the silver for taxes—spare us a path to survival!"

These desperate cries left San’an dumbfounded, prompting him to ask, "Master, have all the villagers gathered?"

No one had been pounding the drum for grievances when he’d departed earlier.

Qin San Lang gave a nod and directed, "Return to the village ahead. Stay with Brother An for now and safeguard him."

For Xiao Yu, he’d already dispatched You An with men to escort her back safely; surrounded by villagers or not, she’d come to no harm.

You Ping’s men beside him provided ample protection.

San’an hated to depart and yearned to remain aiding Qin San Lang, yet he grasped Gu Jin’an’s crucial role. Any mishap to him would spell disaster for the Gu Family, so he saluted with clasped fists: "Understood."

His form then swiftly vanished from sight.

…

Before the county yamen gates, hordes of villagers knelt in droves—at least hundreds strong—with reports of even more surging into the county seat to implore Lord County Magistrate for justice.

These were chiefly elders and young children; certain families hauled coffins and straw mats, clad in mourning attire with white bands bound around their heads…

Luo Wu’s brows furrowed deeply; the villagers had arrived resolved to die while beseeching Lord County Magistrate.

His mind drifted to the Northwest drought back then—crops utterly failed, water scarce beyond measure. Elders from his village and neighboring ones, children in arms, had knelt within the county city, desperately begging Lord County Magistrate for a chance at life.

He’d trailed behind his father, Third Grandpa, and Third Grandma too, but a massive throng blocked them short of the city. All appeared as starved skeletons wrapped in skin, many collapsing from thirst, while some elders and children perished right there on the road to the county seat.

Yet Lord County Magistrate refused them audience, commanding the gates shut to bar entry into the county city.

Third Grandpa and Third Grandma wouldn’t yield, insisting Lord County Magistrate prized his reputation enough to face the throng of elders and children pleading for aid, granting them words of hope to preserve face.

Regrettably, Gaoshui County’s magistrate in Northwest Long’an Prefecture proved a utter coward, devoid of guts to emerge and confront the villagers.

Days hence, news spread that Lord County Magistrate had resigned, fleeing home with his kin… Terror had driven him to quit outright and escape.

Gaoshui County’s people plunged into despair, realizing the fleeing magistrate left them facing certain death, spurring a mass famine exodus.

Their village followed suit under Village Chief Gu’s lead, setting off on the grueling famine flight.

Bang! Qin San Lang’s palm slammed down hard on Luo Wu’s shoulder as he uttered, "Brother Luo Wu."

The sharp impact yanked Luo Wu from his reverie; he swabbed sweat from his brow, glanced at Qin San Lang, and replied, "Don’t fret—I won’t lose control."

Upon entering the county, San Lang’s initial move wasn’t visiting County Magistrate Zheng but locating him to exchange a few key words.

Luo Wu recalled his pledge then, vowing no reckless moves on behalf of his family.

San Lang had nodded at the time, stating, "With Brother Luo Wu’s assurance, I feel at ease… Remember, this isn’t your fault—it’s mere circumstance at play. Don’t deem it a curse, for should we sidestep this, others will intervene, likely far more merciless. Taking charge ourselves still lets us shield the villagers to some degree."

This predicament held room for maneuver; they could discharge duties while extending aid to the villagers.

"Company Commander Qin, it’s Company Commander Qin!" Spotting Qin San Lang, the villagers mobbed him, sobbing, "Company Commander Qin, plead our case with Lord County Magistrate—we’re otherwise finished!"

Qin San Lang stood apart from Luo Wu; as a formal Company Commander with rank, he counted as officialdom already, so villagers flocked to him with fervor akin to greeting County Magistrate Jiang, urgently beseeching his intervention.

Qin San Lang kept his face steady as he spoke to the crowd, "Fellow villagers, the Lord County Magistrate is occupied with tax affairs these days and lacks time to meet you. Head back home now, and in a few days when the new bank opens, you can borrow silver to cover the taxes."

Word of the county launching a new bank to loan silver to farmers for tax payments had circulated far and wide after merely a day and night.

However...

"Pah! That new bank is just a scheme to swallow our interest!" An elderly man leaped to his feet, spat in Qin San Lang's direction, and declared, "We're here today demanding the Lord County Magistrate scrap this order, not linger to borrow money for taxes. One tael of silver for the Kangrong tax—how bold to even suggest it? We refuse to pay; we'd rather perish first!"

This elderly man was Elder Shi of Shishan Village in Xianggui Town. His household faced no money woes, possessing thirty acres of dry land, twenty acres of paddy fields, plus a general store that rendered them affluent.

They created chaos at the government office to evade the tax while turning a profit from the uproar.

Elder Shi's outburst prompted a bunch of people to surge up at once, jabbing fingers at Qin San Lang as they snarled, "Exactly, we won't pay! Why burden us with such exorbitant taxes? One tael per head—they may as well butcher us on the spot!"

Bai Changfu from Bai Village beyond the county walls sneered, "Ha, they claim it's the Lord Emperor's command, but I wager it's the Lord County Magistrate's ploy, hoarding all that silver; he stands to skim a hefty share!"

He jabbed a finger at Qin San Lang and his companions, proclaiming, "And you, the county's running dogs, you're bound to profit too!"

These accusations instantly fired up the rest of the hundreds of villagers, who exploded in clamor, glaring at Qin San Lang while demanding, "Company Commander Qin, is this what they say true? Is the Lord County Magistrate merely scheming to amass wealth by slapping on these outrageous taxes?"

Fools!

"Fools!" The term flashed through Qin San Lang's thoughts. He scanned the frenzied villagers, turned his gaze aside, then singled out the blustering Bai Changfu and the original instigator Elder Shi: "Capture those two and lash them to the stone pillars at the government gate for public shaming!"

What?

Elder Shi and Bai Changfu paled in terror; snapping back, they thrust fingers at Qin San Lang and raged, "Qin, what authority gives you the right to punish us?!"

They hollered to the encircling villagers, "Folks, rescue us! This government minion Qin seeks to punish us without cause, aiming to muzzle us in vengeance!"

Regardless of their desperate yells, Qin San Lang stood firm, eyeing them with frigid disdain; amid their raucous cries, he tacked on a derisive "Ha."

Ridiculous to incite mayhem with such lame schemes. Should they prevail, he could hardly justify keeping his post as Company Commander.