Chapter 97 How dare you attack me?
As he said this, Qian Yong was about to reach out to grab Li.

But as soon as he stretched out his hand, it was held by Li Xuan.

"Excuse me, sir. What crime did she, a woman, commit that is so heinous?" Li Xuan stared at Qian Yong.

"she……"

Qian Yong hesitated for a moment, unable to answer, and seemed to be listing the charges in his mind.

He felt as if his wrist was being clamped by a pair of pliers, and the pain made him turn pale.

"She steals from the rich!"

Qian Yong couldn't help it and came up with an idea.

"What?"

Li Xuan asked to the end.

"A piece of gold!" Qian Yong blurted out this time.

"Why was Sun Liu beaten to death?" Li Xuan asked again.

"Sun Liu stole gold, resisted arrest and was killed!"

Qian Yong couldn't help but said loudly.

"Was it Li who stole the gold, or was it Sun Liu who stole the gold?"

Li Xuan asked again in a deep voice.

"They stole together!"

Qian Yong said, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Snapped……"

Li Xuan slapped Qian Yong on the mouth with his backhand, and Qian Yong was slapped flying, spinning 360 degrees in the air.

"what……"

When he fell to the ground, his mouth was bleeding and half of his teeth were missing. It was a horrible sight.

He screamed, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

"How dare a mere county lieutenant attack me!"

Li Xuan raised his hand, clenched his fist and then opened it.

"He really doesn't know what's good for him. He must be involved with the pirates. He should be executed." Li Qiuming found the right opportunity and said to Li Xuan.

His face hurt as he watched. If this small body was hit, he would definitely die.

These days, the Qianniu Guards have been talking about Li Xuan's bravery. He is even more awesome than the legend says. He throws people around like sandbags and kills people more easily than they kill chickens.

The county soldiers and servants were in a dilemma.

They didn't dare to fight against Qianniu Guards, but they would have a hard time explaining themselves if they went back like that.

"Catch them."

Li Xuan waved his hand.

Li Qiuming happily led the Qianniu Guards to surround these county soldiers and servants.

They had no choice but to lay down their weapons and kneel down to beg for mercy.

"Mr. Li, tell me how Sun Liu was beaten to death?"

Li Xuan comforted Li, squatted on the ground and asked her.

"A few days after the general left, soldiers suddenly rushed into my home and took my husband to the county government office. They didn't let me visit him, and two days later, my husband died in the government office. When I brought the body back, I found that it was covered with whip marks and branding marks. As soon as I got home, servants blocked my door and wouldn't let me go out. I had no choice but to bury my husband's body outside. I thought you were still in the military camp at the foot of the mountain, so I found a chance to escape at night, but found that you were gone. Fortunately, with the guidance of the villagers, I was able to get to Linhai..."

Li told Li Xuan about her tragic experience in tears.

It was obvious that Li Xuan suffered a devastating disaster because he had asked Sun Liu something.

At that time, many people in Mingxi Township knew about Li Xuan's visit to Sun Liu's house.

The county government interrogated Sun Liu and after learning that Sun Liu had revealed important information to Li Xuan, they tortured Sun Liu to death in the county government.

Sun Liu's family has two other children.

The county government could not be so cruel as to kill Li and her two children.

If that happens, the resentment in the village will be too great.

He thought that once Li Xuan left, Li would be helpless.

I never thought that Li would find an opportunity to escape!

"This is my responsibility. I will definitely help you and let Sun Liu rest in peace."

Li Xuan apologized.

He just couldn't understand why these people could be so cruel.

Killing Sun Liu was meaningless because Li Xuan already had solid evidence.

At that time, Li Longji would send an envoy to confirm it and then sentence them to death.

"The general was able to pacify the pirates, and my husband has rested in peace. I only hope those people can be punished."

Li learned from the villagers who showed her the way that Li Xuan had already pacified the pirates. She lowered her head and showed a different demeanor.

"Hearing what you said, I feel even more ashamed!"

Li Xuan rubbed his face and looked at the sky, as if he had made some decision.

He immediately asked someone to bring paper and pen, and sat on the ground to write the memorial.

This memorial was written from day to night.

The entire army had crossed the river, but Li Xuan was still lying on the ground writing furiously.

When it got dark, Luo Xing held the lamp for Li Xuan.

The memorial of nearly ten thousand words was not completed until midnight.

He described the environment of Linhai County and Yuyao County to Li Longji.

Tell Li Longji about the origin and growth of pirates.

I firmly believe that once I leave, new pirates will reappear.

He told the story of the collusion between the powerful and the government, the annexation of land, and how Huang Wangheng bribed him with five hundred gold coins and two beautiful women.

And what happened today was also reported exactly as it happened.

He used the example of the powerful people in the Han Dynasty and quoted from classics to describe the harm.

He described how the people of Linhai cried with joy when they felt the emperor's great grace.

He used the phrase "popular resentment is boiling" to describe the severity of the situation in Linhai County. Under the light of the night, his handwriting became increasingly illegible due to his impatience and resentment.

But in this case, the font is full of charm. Finally, he persuaded Li Longji, hoping that the saint could kill the chicken to scare the monkey.

He also showed that he was not afraid of the powerful, and was willing to accept the same fate as Zhang Tang and Zhi Du.

After finishing this book, he wrote another letter and gave it to Li Shizhi.

Please ask your father to persuade the emperor to let him serve as the interview and disposal envoy. If that doesn't work, the Censor-in-Chief can give him special privileges.

This move, in addition to seeking justice for Sun Liu and eliminating evil for the people of Linhai and serving as a warning to the rest, also has two other meanings.

First, it was his first term as a civil servant, which greatly enhanced his political prestige and prepared him for becoming a prime minister.

In the future, when you hold power, there will be a huge difference in prestige between having served as prime minister and having not served as prime minister.

Secondly, he dared to offend even the powerful, which meant that he would never rebel, because the powerful were very powerful in the local area, and they were intermarried and had complicated ties.

In Li Xuan's order, the powerful will sooner or later be pushed down by him from north to south and from west to east.

If the Tang Dynasty wanted to continue, it had to resolve land conflicts.

In the later period of land annexation, a large part of the country's farmland was annexed by powerful people.

You can't expect that after he comes to power, the powerful people will have a change of heart and donate their own land to the serfs and refugees!

That's a fantasy!
In this case, it is better to offend the powerful as soon as possible in exchange for Li Longji's trust.

What Li Xuan really wanted to win over were the gentry, because that was where famous officials and talented people came from.

The gentry were not as rich as later generations imagined. Many were as poor as commoners. Some were penniless and wandered around, with only their surnames as a noble mark of dignity.

Take the Pei clan of Wenxi for example. On the surface, they were a big group, but in reality, each of them lived their own lives. Some of them never interacted with each other, and some were even political enemies.

It is impossible to expect close intimacy across more than ten generations.

In addition, Li Xuan also needs to win over real famous and powerful generals who will obey his commands at critical moments.

The next morning, the army set out, heading for Mingxi Township.

Li Xuan placed the memorial and the letter to Li Shizhi at the post station, using his identity as proof, and had them sent to Chang'an at an expedited rate of 500 miles.

If it’s any faster, Li Xuan will not be qualified.

Unless a rebellion occurs in Linhai County, the expedited delivery of 800 miles can be carried out.

There were more than 1,600 post stations in the Tang Dynasty, more than 17,000 post soldiers, and tens of thousands of other post station members.

Moreover, there were strict requirements for the post stations. Even a county governor could not use a horse from the post station unless he had special permission.

In the afternoon, Qianniu Guards arrived at Mingxi Town.

Li hurried back to see her two children.

Li Xuan was with her.

He saw Sun Liu's grave outside the door. Li Xuan asked people to bring wine and meat for sacrifice and he personally performed the ceremony.

Two children were crying loudly in the house.

When they saw Li coming back, they threw themselves into Li's arms. They said they were taken to a large courtyard and were sent back last night.

After hearing this, Li hugged them and cried heartbreakingly.

Li Xuan also vaguely understood what was going on.

Soon, Le'an magistrate Jiang Hong came to ask to see Li Xuan.

Li Xuan met Le'an Magistrate Jiang Hong outside Sun Liu's house.

He saw that Le Anling's face was pale and his eyes were dark, and it seemed that he had not slept all night.

"You are just a small county magistrate. What do you want to see this general?"

Before Jiang Hong could salute, he was interrupted by Li Xuan, who spoke very rudely.

"General Li, may I ask if this county lieutenant is with you?"

Jiang Hong asked with gritted teeth.

"This guy is so bold that he dared to assassinate this general. I suspect he is colluding with pirates and wants to take him back to Chang'an."

Li Xuan glanced at Jiang Hong and spoke slowly.

"Is there some misunderstanding here? Is Lieutenant Le'an chasing a fugitive?"

Jiang Hong was surprised.

Who can withstand this hat?
"Have I wronged you?" Li Xuan said to Jiang Hong with a smile.

"It's unfair! I know Lieutenant Le'an, he is definitely not a pirate." Jiang Hong cried out that it was unfair and made a solemn promise.

"Let's just call it a misunderstanding. I want to ask the county magistrate a question. What crime did Li commit that he was chased by the county soldiers and the servants of the tyrants? What crime did Sun Liu commit that he died in the government office?"

Li Xuan stared at Jiang Hong and said.

Jiang Hong was shocked. Qian Yong was in Li Xuan's hands. How did he explain to Li Xuan?
If the charges he brought were different from those of Qian Yong, wouldn't he be exposed?

"What? Killing people without any charges. Is the Le'an County Court more powerful than the Dali Temple?"

Seeing that Jiang Hong remained silent, Li Xuan retorted.

In the Tang Dynasty, not only the county government, but even the county government did not have the power to directly execute criminals.

All death sentences must be reviewed by the Dali Temple.

In the 25th year of Kaiyuan, only 58 people were sentenced to death. Magpies built nests in the trees of the Dali Temple, which was considered a good omen. Li Longji thought that this was a sign of Prime Minister Li Linfu's good governance, so he conferred him the title of Duke of Jin.

In fact, many people were beaten to death by local authorities, and then the report was submitted saying "the bandits resisted and had to be killed."

How much blood, tears, and injustice are contained in these few short words?

Or it could be the trampling of life by the powerful.

"Sun Liu stole the jewels and resisted when he was pursued, so he had to be killed."

Jiang Hong answered in a low voice.

"Pray to the heavens, offer sacrifices to the dead, and see if there are any whip wounds or branding marks on the dead body. Besides, the crime you mentioned is different from Qian Yong's. Who is right, the county lieutenant or the county magistrate?"

Li Xuan pointed to the sky with one hand and to the ground with the other, letting Jiang Hong know that he wanted to dig up the grave.

"Oh!"

"General, I know I was wrong. I had no choice but to do it. Please forgive me, General..."

When Jiang Hong saw Sun Liu's grave, he fell into panic, his mind collapsed, he knelt on the ground and begged Li Xuan.

He knew that everything was over from the moment Li escaped.

Li Xuan was a stubborn person who refused to accept gold and had no interest in women.

He can hear directly from heaven and report everything to the saint.

(End of this chapter)