Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: The County Magistrate Wants to Arrest Yang Laosan

Yang Xue had originally intended to visit the town to find the County Magistrate, but to her surprise, before she could set out, the Magistrate arrived in their village first.

The Magistrate had entered the village with a small troop of soldiers. Upon receiving the news, the Village Chief immediately rushed to welcome them. Unsure of what was happening, the rest of the villagers also gathered in the center of the village.

Once the Magistrate arrived at the village square, the Chief had a chair brought out and tea poured before cautiously asking, “May I ask what brings your Excellency to our humble village?”

The Magistrate swept his gaze across the crowd before speaking slowly, “Which one of you is Yang Laosan?”

The Village Chief stiffened upon hearing the name. “May I ask why your Excellency is looking for Yang Laosan of our village?”

In the crowd, Yang Laosan’s legs turned to jelly the moment he heard his name. The other villagers also turned their heads to look at him.

Yang Xue, who had followed the crowd to see the commotion, furrowed her brows. Yang Laosan was a cowardly, honest, and somewhat useless man; it was highly unlikely he had committed a crime. Yet, the Magistrate had made a special trip with soldiers specifically to find him.

This meant the Magistrate was here for Yang Laosan and no one else.

Did Yang Laosan do something before I transmigrated here? Yang Xue shot a suspicious look at her father. Seeing him trembling so violently he could barely stand, she sighed inwardly. Looking at him, he didn’t seem like someone capable of committing a crime.

Yang Xue walked over to him. “Dad, it’s fine. As long as you haven’t done anything wrong, don’t be afraid.”

Yang Laosan was certain he hadn’t done anything wrong, but in the presence of an official, he couldn’t help but feel a primal sense of dread.

The Magistrate spoke again: “Have the man step forward.”

The Village Chief glanced at Yang Laosan. Trembling from head to toe, Yang Laosan walked out and knelt before the Magistrate. “Th-this humble one greets your Excellency.”

The villagers immediately began whispering:

“Why is the Magistrate looking for Yang Laosan? What did he do?”

“Could it be a mistake? He’s been in the village this whole time.”

“He doesn’t look like the type to cause trouble.”

“What do you know? You can’t judge a book by its cover. He looks honest, but who knows if his heart is black?”

“Quiet! Let’s hear what the Magistrate says.”

“So, you are Yang Laosan,” the Magistrate said, sizing him up.

“Y-yes, Excellency. This humble one is indeed Yang Laosan.”

“Village Chief Lin,” the Magistrate suddenly called out.

The Chief answered promptly, “I am here.”

“This official has heard that your Xiaoniao Village moved to the mountains before the great rainstorm hit. Is this true?”

The Chief froze. In his mind, he was already cursing: Who reported us? Once I’m done with the Magistrate, I’m going to find the snitch and whip them. Despite his internal rage, his face remained respectful. “Returning to your Excellency, that is indeed the case.”

The villagers began murmuring again. “So that’s what this is about. It must be the people who didn’t escape the flood reporting us out of spite.”

The Magistrate had initially thought the report might be a rumor, but seeing it was true, the matter became serious. “So, you knew in advance that there would be a heavy rainstorm and a flood?”

The Chief thought for a moment and replied, “Excellency, we were only guessing.”

The Magistrate let out a cold laugh. “Guessing? Based on a mere ‘guess,’ you moved the entire village to the mountains with such fanfare? I think you knew exactly what was going to happen.”

The Chief remained composed. “Excellency, I do not understand. We are but ordinary peasants. How could we possibly predict or know of a natural disaster?”

The Magistrate’s face darkened. “You couldn’t predict it, of course. But you met someone who could.” He turned his sharp gaze back to Yang Laosan. “Yang Laosan, this official heard that you met someone who predicted the disaster, and you heard that a great storm and flood were coming. Since you knew, why did you not report it to the authorities?”

In the crowd, Yang Xue almost laughed out of anger. How could this Magistrate be so self-righteous as to come here and demand accountability like this?

Yang Laosan, already terrified of officials, was now paralyzed by the Magistrate’s harsh questioning. He stammered for a long time without being able to form a single sentence.

The Village Chief stepped in to help. “Excellency, he only heard a rumor. He had no way to verify it. How could he report it?”

“Nonsense! If it couldn’t be verified, why did your entire village hide in the mountains?”

The Chief was stumped. He had chosen to believe Yang Laosan, but if Yang Laosan had gone to the yamen (government office) with that story, would anyone have believed him? He likely would have been beaten with planks and thrown out. The Chief thought this, but he couldn’t say it to the Magistrate’s face, or he’d be the one getting beaten.

“Yang Laosan, why didn’t you report it?” the Magistrate shouted. “Do you realize that if you had, many other villages could have avoided this disaster? How much grain and property could have been saved?”

In the crowd, Wei Xiao and Lin Yuansheng were also watching the scene. “Young Master, this Magistrate is clearly driven mad by the stress of the flood and is just looking for a scapegoat to vent his frustration on,” Lin Yuansheng whispered.

The Village Chief knew this too. But the fact remained that only their village had moved early and escaped the disaster. It was hard to talk their way out of it.

“And you, Village Chief Lin,” the Magistrate continued. “Since Yang Laosan told you, and you knew what was coming, why didn’t you report it?”

“Excellency, it’s not that I didn’t want to. It was hearsay. How could we make a formal report based on that?”

“Good, very good. ‘Hearsay,’ you say? Do you know the penalty for withholding information that results in such suffering for so many people?”

Yang Xue was truly speechless. Is this how the laws of the Great An Dynasty work? This is absolute nonsense!

The Chief continued to play the victim. “Excellency, we really weren’t sure. If we were certain, we would have reported it!”

“Stop with the ‘uncertainty.’ If you weren’t sure, you wouldn’t have moved the whole village! Men! Take Village Chief Lin and this Yang Laosan back to the yamen. Withholding information and causing the people to suffer is a great crime. They must be punished!”

“Yes, sir!”