Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Leading the Magistrate to the Coal Mine

“Wait a moment!”

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice. When they realized it was just a young slip of a girl who had called out, many couldn’t help but frown.

Yang Laosan and the Village Chief were paralyzed with nerves when they saw Yang Xue step forward. One of the village aunts tried to reach out and pull her back, but Yang Xue had already strode quickly to the front of the County Magistrate.

The Magistrate frowned at her. “What is your business?”

“Nothing much. I just feel that for your Excellency to take my father and the Village Chief away on such grounds… it seems a bit inappropriate, don’t you think?”

Seeing that this village girl showed not a hint of fear, the Magistrate was displeased. “You little brat, you dare question my judgment?”

“Lord Magistrate, we do not accept the claim that my father and the Village Chief ‘withheld information’.”

A bailiff stepped forward. “Move aside, girl! Be careful, or we’ll charge you along with them!”

Others might fear the Magistrate, but Yang Xue didn’t. “Excellency, let me ask you: If my father and the Chief had come to you before the storm to tell you a great rain was coming to submerge the village, would you have believed them?”

The Magistrate remained silent, his brow furrowed tightly.

Yang Xue wasn’t about to fight this battle alone. Seeing the Magistrate falter, she immediately turned to rouse the villagers.

“Fellow villagers! My father and the Chief have done nothing wrong. We cannot let them be taken away and punished like this! We survived this disaster because the Chief believed my father, and you believed the Chief.”

“But did everyone believe them? Weren’t there people even in this village who refused to listen? If even neighbors who live together didn’t believe them, how could strangers be expected to? Lord Magistrate, can you guarantee that if they had come to you with no proof, you wouldn’t have just beaten them with planks for spreading rumors?”

“No! You wouldn’t have believed them. Reporting information requires evidence, and they had none. Fellow villagers, am I right?”

With a young girl showing such courage, the villagers couldn’t remain silent any longer.

“Yes! Xue is right! The Chief and Laosan are innocent. You can’t take them!”

The Village Chief was deeply moved; all those years of looking after the village had been worth it.

“Hey! You little brat, what nonsense are you spewing?” the bailiff shouted. “Get lost, or we’ll arrest you too!”

Yang Xue sneered. “If you dare take my father away on such flimsy charges, I’ll make sure the whole city hears about this ‘justice’.”

“You—” The bailiff raised his hand to strike her.

The crowd held their breath, but Yang Xue didn’t just stand there. she dodged the blow with a quick shift of her weight.

In the crowd, Lin Yuansheng was stunned. “Whoa… I thought she was just an ordinary country girl. I didn’t realize she was this fierce. I really underestimated her.”

Wei Xiao’s eyes were also fixed on Yang Xue. “She certainly doesn’t fear death.”

The Magistrate’s face was as dark as thunder. His advisor leaned in and whispered, “The girl has a point. Without evidence, such a report would have been difficult to justify.”

The Magistrate knew she was right, but he was worried about his “face.” He had been overwhelmed with disaster relief and had rushed here in a fit of temper after hearing someone “knew but didn’t tell.” Now he realized he had been used as a tool by some informant, but he was stuck—releasing them now would make him look weak, but keeping them would make him a tyrant.

Yang Xue sensed he was reaching his limit. She didn’t actually want to grind his reputation into the dirt; she just wanted to save her father.

“Lord Magistrate, you must have been misled by someone malicious,” she said, offering him a graceful exit. “That person is truly wicked to stir up such trouble. I hope you punish the informant when you return. My father and the Chief were perhaps a little at fault for being too afraid of a beating to speak up, even if they weren’t sure.”

The Magistrate’s lip twitched. Yang Xue continued, “How about this? We have another matter of great importance to report. If your Excellency gives my father and the Chief a chance to redeem themselves, perhaps you could release them?”

A matter of great importance? The Magistrate was intrigued. More importantly, here was a ladder—he needed to climb down it before someone took it away.

…

Minutes later, the Magistrate, his advisor, the Village Chief, Yang Laosan, and Yang Xue were gathered in the Chief’s courtyard. Wei Xiao and Lin Yuansheng had somehow slipped in as well.

“You said you had something important to report. Speak,” the Magistrate said, looking at the Chief.

The Chief was completely bewildered and looked at Yang Xue with deep worry. What important matter? We don’t have anything!

As the Chief scrambled for an answer, Yang Xue spoke up. “Lord Magistrate, if this report is something that benefits the country and the people… will there be a reward?”

The Magistrate was speechless. “What? You won’t speak without a reward?”

Yang Xue countered, “Why would I speak if there isn’t one?”

Yang Laosan nearly fainted. His daughter’s boldness was going to be the death of him.

“You—” the Magistrate started. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll take your father away if you don’t talk?”

Yang Xue smiled. “My father is innocent. If a Magistrate insists on arresting the innocent, there is nothing a commoner can do but endure.”

She could tell this Magistrate was actually a decent man—she remembered how he had handled the attempt to kidnap Yang Shuang. He just liked to throw his weight around.

“You certainly have a silver tongue,” the Magistrate sighed. “Fine. If it truly benefits the state, there will be rewards.”

“Good enough for me,” Yang Xue nodded. “Lord Magistrate, while I was digging for wild vegetables on the mountain the other day, I discovered a coal mine.”

The reaction was instantaneous from everyone—except Yang Laosan, who looked confused. “A coal mine? What’s that?”

The Magistrate was visibly excited. “Girl, is this the truth?”

“I wouldn’t dare deceive you.”

“Where is it? Take me there at once!” The Magistrate couldn’t wait another second.

Yang Xue blinked. He’s in quite a hurry, isn’t he? “Alright! Follow me, I’ll show you.”