Chapter 171: Want to see a joke? No way!

Killing someone only results in a head strike to the ground, but the worst is when a death sentence can be avoided yet survival becomes extremely difficult. Thus, for the Hu family father and son, who were now tightly bound, the impending flogging was utterly terrifying. Although Hu Li was just a minor village head, he held absolute authority in the countryside. Though his family didn’t own much land, even the larger landowners treated him with respect. He held this position merely to show off his power in front of others. Whenever he used the flogging stick to enforce tasks, he always stayed exempt from punishment—hence he had never experienced the pain of the stick himself.

“Dad, why were you dragged out too?”
“You stupid brat! If it weren’t for the trouble you caused, why would I be tied up here with you?”
“What nonsense! Old man, if it weren’t for you listening to some county official and offending that young magistrate, why would I have to suffer like this?”
“You… damn you, you brat! You’re driving me crazy!”

The father and son cursed at each other, while the crowd around them remained silent. Floggings in the yamen weren’t something new—especially during the annual tax collection period. Not only ordinary people but even village heads often ended up being flogged for failing to meet deadlines. During those times, special bamboo sticks had to be replaced every half month. Yet even so, Hu Li had never been flogged for failing to collect taxes.

Today, the new magistrate decided to target this father and son, and not even in the courtyard—instead, in front of a large crowd. Was this sheer arrogance, or was Anqiu County about to change?

The Anqiu County yamen had over twenty officials, but the four who carried out the punishment had only joined recently, before Zhang Yue took office. They had always been dominated by the older officials, so when the new magistrate gave a signal, they willingly agreed. Quickly, they forced the Hu family father and son to lie face down on the ground, tied them up, and then took up the large bamboo sticks, stepping forward with malicious intent and expressions of extreme excitement on their faces.

Although their master had ordered them to hurt them severely but not to cause serious injury or death, how often did they get the chance to deal with such domineering people?

At that moment, the Hu family son, whose hands and feet were tightly bound, was terrified but still held a sliver of hope. He shouted loudly, “If you dare hit me, I’ll make sure you die with no place to bury yourself… Ah! It hurts so much!”

The onlookers were in an uproar when they saw the large bamboo board truly fall down. Although Zhang Yue had given special instructions, the four constables remembered most clearly that they needed to beat him hard, so they showed off their best skills. The onlookers saw dark bruises appear on Hu’s son’s pale bare back with each strike; he would tremble and cry out in pain with each blow, and gradually, others started cheering loudly, while those who had suffered oppression before also cried out in satisfaction. After all, Hu Li was old, so the constables had to be somewhat lenient. Even so, he was in a pitiful state, with tears and snot streaming down his face.

As the clerk beside them counted aloud, an observant old man noticed a familiar farmer coming out of the yamen, looking extremely excited. He remembered having advised that farmer not to file a complaint at the yamen earlier. Seeing this scene, he was puzzled and quickly went up to ask. The farmer was already extremely agitated and began waving something in his hand while shouting, “The honorable magistrate not only approved my complaint but also ordered the Hu family to pay me thirty strings of coins to buy a cow!”

Just as everyone was eagerly watching the constables beating him, they immediately shifted their attention upon hearing this. Some recognized him as Zhang Erniu, the most honest farmer in Wanli Township, and rushed over to ask what was going on. After hearing the details, some applauded in approval, but many still doubted it. Only after looking at the two former tyrants who were being beaten mercilessly did they reluctantly believe it.

Though they believed it, no one thought of filing a complaint just because Zhang Erniu had gotten something out of it. Instead, many wondered if this newly appointed magistrate was trying to trick people into filing complaints so he could exploit them further.

The crowd consisted of men, women, and children, with a group of young people in the northeast corner. A young man at the front whispered to a girl in blue clothes beside him, “Sis, the Hu family is truly despicable. Last time, Brother Liu Wu went to meet his fellow believers, and they even sent vicious dogs to bite him! This beating is really satisfying!”

“It’s just the officials fighting among themselves. If we really want to vent our anger, we have to rely on ourselves! These corrupt officials are just using tricks to deceive the people because they’re new here. They certainly don’t deserve to be called honorable magistrates! Heaven’s eyes are already blind—there’s no such thing as a just judge!”

Hearing this, the young man’s face immediately turned embarrassed, and he quickly changed the subject with a few other remarks. Once the beating was over, he wanted to suggest leaving, but then heard the girl let out a cold sneer.
“If it were ordinary people, not to mention eighty or ninety blows, even ten blows might be fatal—how could they survive until now? Back then, twenty blows were enough to kill my brother-in-law… Hmph, officials are still just officials; they protect each other just to put on a show for others! Let’s go; there’s no need to watch this farce any longer. It makes me sick for no reason!”
Some found the beating satisfying, some found it disgusting, some felt as if it were happening to them, and still others thought it might seem satisfying now but would bring misfortune to the new county magistrate in the future. Just as the beating ended, the Hu family arrived—it was Hu Lizheng’s wife. She wailed and cursed loudly. When she saw the executioners in the yamen with malicious intent and the surrounding crowd rejoicing at others’ misfortune, she had no choice but to find two stools and hire people to carry her husband and son back.
Along the way, things were terrible. Hearing that the two tyrants of Anqiu had been beaten, crowds gathered wherever they went, staring intently at the Hu family son’s bare, bruised body, marveling at it. In the past, the Hu family wife would have scolded them away, but now she was filled with despair.
It was eighty or ninety blows—wouldn’t her husband and son be severely injured?
With the crackling of the bamboo sticks, the entire yamen fell into an eerie silence. As locals, the officials naturally knew which wealthy and powerful families in Anqiu County should not be provoked. So, aside from a few who were unaware of the situation and some intimidated young people, most secretly sneered at Zhang Yue’s display of power, though they dared not say anything in public. After all, if this naive new county magistrate dared to beat the Hu family, who wanted to risk getting beaten in return?
Thus, the deputy county magistrate Luo Wei and the registrar Zhao Ming continued to claim sick leave, but others didn’t dare delay and returned to work, watching as Zhang Yue gradually seized control of the yamen with the help of those seemingly omnipotent attendants. Those who understood the situation knew this was only temporary, and they eagerly awaited the showdown when the Hu family’s connections in Qingzhou Prefecture came to the yamen, rejoicing at the prospect of another spectacle.
The previous county magistrate had been dismissed after just half a year in office. With this naive new governor, Anqiu County’s record for the shortest-serving magistrate might well be broken again!

While others were eagerly awaiting something, Zhang Yue’s days were filled with tension and busyness. Taking advantage of Luo Wei and Zhao Ming’s neglect of their duties, he not only reclaimed the power from them but also began to review old cases and archived records. It wasn’t entirely to dig up old grievances—he also did so at the urging of his two senior subordinates, fearing they might bear the blame for others’ mistakes. Of course, beneath his outward appearance of diligence, he also resorted to some underhanded tactics.

After the Hu family father and son were punished and Zhang Yue sent officials to lock them up according to the law, a group of over a dozen fast horses stopped at the entrance of Anqiu County Yamen. The officials standing in front of the screen wall understood what was going on at a glance.

“Where’s your young county magistrate? Have him come see me!”

Upon hearing that fierce demand, the officials immediately rushed inside to report, none willing to stay outside. Everyone said the Yamen officials were tyrannical, but they only beat people—what were they compared to those military officers who would kill without hesitation? That man was a second-rank military commander in charge of all troops in Shandong. If the county magistrate was bold enough to beat people, now he was in serious trouble!

Of course, no one would step forward to defend Zhang Yue at that moment. Even after reporting, the officials fled as quickly as they could. When Zhang Yue stepped out of the Yamen and rounded the screen wall, seeing those dozen valiant soldiers and the middle-aged general in a bright red robe, around forty years old, he noticed not a single soul on the street in front of the gate.

Indeed, soldiers and generals these days really had a poor reputation.

The middle-aged general narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked in a deep voice, “Are you Zhang Yue?”

“That’s me.”

As soon as Zhang Yue said that, the man leaped off his horse, tossed the reins aside, and strode forward with his whip in hand. He was extremely tall, standing half a head taller than Zhang Yue. After staring down at him for a while, he grumbled irritably, “Although you’re a civil official, why do you look so weak?”

After muttering that, he raised his voice, “Kid, do you know who I am?”

“Who in all of Shandong Province doesn’t know the great name of General Liu?” Zhang Yue remained calm and smiled. “Of course, no one in the world doesn’t know General Liu for his remarkable military achievements during his first expedition to Jiaozhi under the Duke of Ying.”

“Good, good!” The flattery hit the mark, and Liu Zhong naturally burst into laughter. “Good boy! You dared to beat my relative half to death right after taking office—how bold! Hey, back when the Duke of Britain first arrived in Jiaozhi, he executed two generals who disobeyed orders using military law. You really carry on the Zhang family’s traditions. It’s a shame you’re a civil official!”
Zhang Yue wasn’t dealing with military officers for the first time and knew they hated people who were too cautious. So he bowed deeply and said with a smile, “Does Commander Liu mean that if I were a military officer under you and punished your relative, you wouldn’t blame me?”
“It’s just a nephew of one of my concubines. If I had to deal with every such thing, I’d be exhausted!” Liu Zhong waved his hand nonchalantly before reaching out to help Zhang Yue up. Smiling, he said, “Although you as the county magistrate aren’t under my jurisdiction, considering the Duke of Britain, I’m still your senior. Come, take me to your county office and show it to me properly!”