May 25th was the second day after Lin Quan arrived.
Outside the city of Jing'an Prefecture, the soldiers of the guard station separated an open space, which will be used as the scene of the public trial.
The officers of the Envoy's Department were busy here early in the morning, and the officials' tables, chairs, and ceremonial guards were all prepared.
Before the officials could say anything, a large number of people came to watch the trial, some of whom even dared to come from dozens of miles away.
As the sun rose, in addition to the gentry of Jing'an Prefecture who had been completely wiped out, representatives of gentry from all over the country also arrived one after another, and they were assigned special positions.
Thousands of people gathered at the scene, and they were all talking in low voices at the moment, making it extremely noisy.
It wasn't until the gongs and drums sounded, signaling the arrival of officials, that the discussion at the scene gradually became quieter.
"Quiet, quiet..."
Under the loud scolding of the police officer, the scene gradually became quiet, and the team of officials also entered the scene.
All officials took their respective positions. Although Xie Xiaofang had the highest status, the position of presiding judge was Zhao Yaoyin, the inspector general.
The case this time involved so much that Xie Xiaofang could not avoid the position of presiding judge.
As the drum beat sounded, the discussion at the scene stopped.
The faces of the ordinary people were full of curiosity, but the expressions of the gentry and officials present were full of frustration, as the latter already knew the outcome of this case.
"Mr. Ge, look..."
Seeing Zhao Yaoyin asking, Xie Xiaofang waved his hand and said, "You will be the one to preside over this case. You can decide for yourself how to act!"
Regarding the skill of non-stick pan, it is indeed a basic skill for officials, and they can be used casually.
With a slap on the wall, Zhao Yaoyin solemnly said: "Bring the accuser!"
The eyes of everyone at the scene swept towards the entrance of Nanbian'er. Under the leadership of two guards, Liu Quan walked in with his head lowered.
In this place where "everyone is watching", Liu Quan only feels panic and fear. After all, he is just a ruffian.
"Common people, please pay homage to your lords!"
Liu Quan was an ordinary citizen and did not have the right to stand and reply, so Zhao Yaoyin did not ask him to get up.
In fact, under the gaze of dozens of senior officials in front of him, Liu Quan's calves became weak, so it was easier to answer while kneeling.
Zhao Yaoyin then asked: "Liu Quan, you were suing the prosecutor before. What did you sue for?"
"Go back to Master Qingtian..."
Next, Liu Quan told the whole story, but this time the land he claimed had reached 500 acres.
At first, this guy wanted to acquire 40 acres of land from a large family. Later, his appetite grew bigger and bigger, and more and more people sued him.
"Bring the defendant..."
After a while, the six large households that Liu Quan sued were also led to the scene by the police.
"Common people come to see you, sir!"
Looking at the six people below, Zhao Yaoyin asked in a deep voice: "Liu Quan accused you of seizing land, what do you say?"
The six defendants looked at each other, but at this moment they felt miserable.
Liu Quan had sued them before, but failed to open a court hearing. Therefore, there is no chance of encountering this embarrassing situation.
There is a land dispute with Liu Quan. This is the most basic reality.
If the land is not owned by the six families, then they are bullying the weak. If the land belongs to Liu Quan, they will be punished.
If the land was owned by them, then it would involve them concealing the land, which would be a serious crime against the emperor.
Therefore, the six families had no choice in how to answer the question.
Of course, Liu Quan could not have imagined the twists and turns here because his level was too low, so he was still in panic at this moment.
"Sir, the land is indeed owned by Liu Quan, and we are the ones bullying the weak... We are willing to be punished!"
The one who said this was Zhang Dahu, who was the first to be accused. The six of them had discussed this answer before they came.
After hearing this, the mood of the gentry and officials did not change much, but the people at the scene were shocked.
These gentlemen actually admitted to bullying and claimed that their fields belonged to Liu Quan.
Among them, Liu Quan was undoubtedly the most surprised. He even thought he had heard wrongly.
If he heard correctly, then these six people took the wrong medicine... Liu Quan thought to himself.
If the four hundred acres of land really belongs to him, then his old Liu family will be prosperous... In an instant, Liu Quan was ecstatic.
"Quiet, quiet..."
The officers yelled loudly because the people around them were discussing too noisily.
The content of the discussion among the people was that the large local households had privately hidden fields, and they could follow Liu Quan's example and "appropriate them as their own".
Shocked, Zhao Yaoyin asked: "Is what you said true?"
"Don't dare to deceive your lord!" everyone replied in unison.
"For bullying the weak and trying to seize land, even if you succeed, it is still a crime. You and others are sentenced to pay fifty taels of silver each to compensate Liu Quan..."
"Do you have any objections?"
A fine of fifty taels of silver is much easier than confiscating the family and exterminating the clan.
"Your Excellency has made a clear decision, and the common people have no objections!" the six major households replied quickly.
Zhao Yaoyin glanced at Liu Quan again and asked: "Liu Quan, do you have any objection to my sentence?"
Not only did he get 500 acres of land, but also 300 taels of silver. Liu Quan was so happy that he still had objections.
So he also imitated the behavior of the six major households, kowtowed to Zhao Yaoyin and said: "Your Excellency has made a clear decision, and the common people have no objections!"
At this point, the case is actually over.
At the scene, the gentry had already made up their minds to complete the land inventory as soon as possible after returning, and they must not let the mud-legged people take advantage of them.
Among the officials, only Hu Lizhen was in a happy mood and secretly praised the emperor's skill for forcing the gentry not to hide their land.
At this moment, Zhao Yaoyin glanced at Xie Xiaofang again and asked: "Mr. Ge, the case has been closed. Look..."
Hearing this question, Xie Xiaofang felt very uncomfortable, secretly cursing why this guy always wanted to drag him into trouble.
"Mr. Zhao, you are the presiding judge, and we are all here to hear the trial!" Xie Xiaofang said with a cold face.
Hearing this, Zhao Yaoyin was helpless.
He turned around, slapped the gavel and shouted loudly: "Quit!"
The case was concluded in this way, and the officials were escorted away from the scene amid discussions at the scene.
While the officers were clearing away the seats and honors, the gentry gathered together.
They wanted to say something, but in the end they just sighed and did not dare to say a word about today's trial.
After all, looking around them, all the gentry in Jing'an Prefecture were wiped out, and they knew that it was useless to talk more.
On the other side, Liu Quan was also surrounded, and the people around him were congratulating him.
Although he was not used to it at first, Liu Quan quickly adapted to the people around him and called him "Master Liu".
He turned out to be a master... Liu Quan sighed secretly in his heart.
The excitement and joy here made the gentry frown, but they did not dare to do anything more.
"It's time to go back, we can't delay here!"
Someone said this, which shocked the gentry present. They all simply said goodbye and left.
If they go back too late, not all the land they concealed will be taken over by the Mudlegs.
Seeing the gentry leaving, the common people in the same place also dispersed, and they all thought of important things.
"Brother, big brother..."
Following the sound, Liu Quan saw his two brothers.
In order not to implicate them, Liu Quan let the two men escape, but unexpectedly they arrived at the scene.
"You... you are such good brothers!" Liu Quan said with a smile.
He has gained a lot of wealth, and his brothers still stick to him. Today is the happiest day in his life.