allonlinenovel Chapter 150 Is he just a figurehead as a county magistrate?
Chapter 150 Is he just a figurehead as a county magistrate?
Gu Minghuai frowned, puzzled. "Xiaotang, we finally bumped into each other here, why did you rush to leave as soon as you saw me?"
When he carried her down the mountain that day, they chatted and laughed all the way. Weren't they already familiar with each other? It had only been half a month since they last saw each other, so why was she still hiding when she saw him?
Lin Qingchuan's mind wasn't as quick as his daughter's. He was even more puzzled than Gu Minghuai. "Xiaotang, back then, Young Master Gu carried you down the mountain and he was exhausted. We should be thanking him. Let's finish talking before we leave."
Her silly father, if they don't leave soon, will people see that they know Gu Minghuai and they'll be in trouble from now on?
Lin Xiaotang hurriedly whispered, "Dad, didn't you hear? They're young masters with men. If they want to teach the brothel a lesson, why don't we leave and wait for their anger to spill over onto us?"
Lin Qingchuan suddenly realized that if the people in the brothel couldn't do anything to Young Master Gu, and they saw that he and his daughter knew Young Master Gu, what if they caused trouble for the father and daughter?
No way, no way!
"Tang'er is right, this is not the place to reminisce, we must leave quickly."
He looked at Gu Minghuai with an apologetic expression and said, "Young Master Gu, we'll meet again when we have the chance. Tang'er and I will be leaving now." With that, he quickly got into the carriage, cracked the whip, turned around, and drove the horse away in a flash.
Gu Minghuai was dumbfounded. He finally understood what Lin Xiaotang meant. This girl was afraid that if he went to settle accounts with the people from the brothel, it would implicate him and his daughter.
That little girl is really... not avoiding him at all.
He forced a smile and said somewhat dejectedly, "Okay, then see you later."
Watching the father and daughter leave in a carriage on horseback, he pursed his lips, turned around, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.
His servants were locked in a fierce battle with the brothel's thugs when a troop of soldiers suddenly surged through the street and surrounded the brothel. The two groups, locked in a close fight, immediately stopped.
A madam swayed her hips as she walked out of the brothel, accompanied by several burly men who protected her. Her face was covered in a thick layer of makeup, which dripped off as she walked.
“In broad daylight, I want to see which blind thief led his men to cause trouble in front of our Liuxiang Pavilion. I’ll have him skinned alive.”
The madam, with her nostrils flared, squinted and glanced outside. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she even stammered.
"What...what's going on? How did this alarm the officials?"
She quickly withdrew her tilted face, no longer daring to look down her nose, and greeted him with a smile, waving her handkerchief.
The officers and soldiers immediately parted to make way, and Magistrate Yang walked forward with a stern face and steady steps. He glanced at Gu Minghuai casually before glaring at the madam.
"Oh my, what wind has blown Lord Yang here? Why didn't you send someone to inform me so I could have made arrangements to welcome you?"
The madam's face was beaming with joy as she reached out to grab Magistrate Yang's arm.
Magistrate Yang's eyes were full of disdain. He quickly took a step to the side to avoid her, causing the madam to miss her target.
The madam was embarrassed for a moment, then immediately wiped her nose with a handkerchief and began to fawn over her again in a high-pitched voice.
"Oh dear, Lord Yang, please don't be so serious. So many people are blocking the road, it would be bad if we delayed everyone's passage. What's the matter? Let's go inside and talk."
Lord Yang snorted coldly, ignoring her completely and showing her no respect whatsoever.
By this time, many pedestrians had stopped to watch the spectacle, and some had begun to discuss it amongst themselves.
Without understanding why Lord Yang had brought such a large group of soldiers, the madam was truly at a loss.
Seeing his uncle arrive, Gu Minghuai felt even more confident. He strode to his group of servants and publicly exposed the actions of Liuxianglou.
"Madam, your brothel engages in forced buying and selling. You must have abducted many innocent girls on a regular basis. You even dared to target a young boy like me. It's despicable! Today, I will expose your shady dealings to the public and let everyone see your true colors. Let's see how you will continue to operate in this county after this!"
Upon hearing this, the madam's expression suddenly changed drastically.
That brat actually dared to expose their Liuxianglou in public! He's really asking for trouble!
If it weren't for Lord Yang being there, she would have ordered someone to beat him half to death, severing all his tendons.
It's possible that this damned brat reported it to the authorities, which alerted Lord Yang. He truly deserves to die.
The madam sternly rebuked, "Nonsense! This place is full of girls. Why would we kidnap a boy like you? It may be true that this is a place for women, but our Liuxiang Pavilion is open for business. The girls and customers are all in a consensual relationship. Don't try to slander and frame me. If you need money, go to your parents. Don't even think about asking us for money."
Gu Minghuai thought to himself, "This madam is really shameless. She's actually turning black into white and blaming him, the victim, as a scoundrel who's demanding money."
He took out a waist tag from his pocket, hooked the rope, and hung the tag in the air. The tag had the words "Liu Xiang" written on it.
"Madam, this waist tag belongs to your Liuxiang Pavilion, right? It was accidentally dropped when your men arrested me, and I found it. What do you say to that?"
The madam, with her silver tongue, immediately denied it, saying, "Ha, we have plenty of staff at Liuxianglou, and lots of waist tokens. Losing one or two is perfectly normal. It doesn't prove anything at all."
Gu Minghuai couldn't help but scoff. This madam really wouldn't shed a tear until she saw the coffin!
"Bring him here!"
Soon, his men escorted a man out from a hidden spot on the street corner.
The man was dressed like the thugs of Liuxianglou, his hands and arms were tied behind his back, his mouth was stuffed with coarse cloth, and he was filthy and looked extremely disheveled.
When the madam saw the person being brought over, her face immediately turned a deep green.
Gu Minghuai sneered, "Madam, the evidence is overwhelming, are you still going to deny it?"
"You...you...this..." The madam's eyes darted around, and she stammered as she spoke. She was about to deny it again when Lord Yang interrupted her.
"Remove the cloth from his mouth and let the witness speak for himself!"
The witness was a thug from Liuxianglou. He was caught gambling outside and beaten half to death by Gu Minghuai's men. He was still in excruciating pain all over his body. How could he not tell the truth?
So he glanced at Gu Minghuai, then at the madam, and squeezed his eyes shut before speaking.
"It was the madams at Liuxianglou who told us to tie them up. It didn't matter if they were male or female, as long as they were good-looking and had clear features, we tied them up. Even if it was indistinguishable between male and female, we tied them up."
The madam shuddered, swayed, and collapsed to the ground.
Finished!
It's all over!
Lord Yang is known for his impartiality and incorruptibility. Now that that brat has gathered all the witnesses and evidence, Lord Yang will certainly not let her off the hook.
The madam, unwilling to accept defeat, gritted her teeth, steeled herself, and jumped up, beginning to twist the truth.
She wiped away her tears and said aggrievedly, "Lord Yang, please don't listen to this heartless brat's nonsense. He's lying. We never did any of those things. You've been the magistrate for many years, and our Liuxiang Pavilion has been open for a long time. We've never done anything like that. If we had, how could you not have heard any rumors about it?"
Lord Yang glanced coldly at the madam and said in an icy voice, "How do you know I haven't heard of it?"
He abducted innocent young girls and gentlemen, even his own nephew. Was he just a figurehead as a county magistrate?