"Shut up! Shi Lang is not like what you say, and neither is Shi Lang's father! If you spread rumors again, I'll report you to the authorities!"
"Who are you? Meddling in other people's business."
"Exactly, and you'll report us? Go ahead if you dare."
"Oh dear, could she be his mistress too?"
As the words fell, the surrounding people burst into laughter.
Wu Shao could no longer stand it. Her eyes widened in anger, and her body trembled. She grabbed the collar of the woman in front of her and swung her fist down.
The woman, caught off guard, was forced back several steps. Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, she had a tooth knocked out.
The woman's face contorted with hatred. The few people around were also shocked by the turn of events and swarmed forward, intending to avenge her.
Wu Shao gritted her teeth, her fists clenched so tightly they made cracking sounds. She stared intently at them, preparing for a fight.
"Wu Shao!" Lu Yu ran over from a distance, pulling Wu Shao away from the crowd and shielding her.
It turned out that when the argument first started, someone in the crowd recognized Wu Shao and had quickly run to the medical hall to inform Lu Yu.
"Does Doctor Lu intend to harbor her own disciple?"
"Your disciple hit someone first, we're going to report you!"
"Yes, we're going to report you!"
There were many onlookers, and it seemed this matter had to be reported to the authorities. She wanted to see what these people's true intentions were for causing such a scene.
Wu Shao and the women who had spread the rumors knelt together in the county office.
The County Magistrate sat at the head, with the Chief Clerk below him. A circle of commoners surrounded the county office.
"What exactly happened? Speak quickly." The County Magistrate brought down his gavel, silencing the arguments of those below.
"Your Honor, she hit us first."
"Your Honor, look at my face, she hit me so hard I lost a tooth."
"Your Honor, she..."
The people below started to accuse Wu Shao's actions in a jumble, begging the County Magistrate to deliver justice.
The gavel fell again, "Quiet!"
The County Magistrate turned to Wu Shao, who was kneeling on the other side, and Lu Yu, who stood beside her, "Do you two have anything to say?"
"Your Honor, they were spreading rumors about my Shi Lang first, that's why I acted. They provoked me first!" Wu Shao straightened her body and reported the situation to the County Magistrate. After speaking, she glared at the women with a fierce expression.
"Your Honor, look at her expression, she looks like she's going to eat someone. She's full of defiance, quickly—"
Before the woman could finish, the County Magistrate impatiently interrupted, "Do I need you to teach me how to handle a case?"
"We dare not, we dare not." The few people were reprimanded and sat on the ground dejectedly, not daring to speak further.
"She says you spread rumors. What rumors did you spread?"
"Your Honor, it's a false accusation! We are speaking the truth. Someone actually saw Doctor Lu's husband shopping and buying a house with another woman! We only said a few casual words, you can't stop us from speaking, can you!"
These words were spoken very loudly, and the commoners watching the excitement outside the county office heard them clearly, immediately erupting into an uproar.
"Doctor Lu, I'm helping you! How can you be so ungrateful and let your disciple beat us?"
These few words quickly pinned the blame on Lu Yu. It seemed that the person's goal was not only to ruin Shen Xuan's reputation but also Lu Yu's, aiming to bring down the entire medical hall.
The County Magistrate nodded and addressed the two, "These people were indeed gossiping, and they have valid reasons. No matter what, you cannot cause trouble and hit people in the street."
"Doctor Lu, you should go back and manage your husband. If you want a good reputation, you should solve the problem at its source, rather than silencing the common people."
With a few words, the County Magistrate firmly placed the charge of adultery on Shen Xuan.
"County Magistrate, there are no witnesses here. What if that person was also spreading rumors? It is inappropriate to discuss a man on the street—"
"What do you know!" Before the Chief Clerk could finish, he was impatiently interrupted by the County Magistrate.
"Guards! Take Wu Shao away and punish her according to the law!"
"When did I become the adulteress you speak of?" Just as they were talking in the hall, Zheng Yu's voice came from outside the door.
Zheng Yu dismounted from the carriage, turned to help Gu Yi down, and quickly walked towards the county office, striding into the hall.
"Town Chief." The County Magistrate, Chief Clerk, and others in the room stood up from their seats and bowed to Zheng Yu.
"You are spreading rumors that I and Lu Fulang are having an affair? And calling us adulteress and lecher?"
"We dare not, we dare not." The few people's faces turned pale, and they trembled, kowtowing incessantly.
"How do you intend to rule on this matter?" Zheng Yu turned to the County Magistrate and asked coldly.
"This..." The County Magistrate's gaze flickered. He gritted his teeth and said with a smile, "Since the Town Chief can verify this matter, we will naturally severely punish these rumor-mongers."
"There's no need for severe punishment, just follow the law." Zheng Yu raised his chin, a faint smile on his lips. "County Magistrate, by saying that, are you trying to accuse me of disregarding the law and abusing punishment?"
This statement was like a thunderclap, waking the County Magistrate. He repeatedly said "I dare not," swallowing the increasing saliva in his mouth, searching for suitable words.
"Let him in! You dare to stop my person?"
Zheng Yu turned and saw that Gu Yi had not followed, realizing he was being blocked outside. He spoke loudly.
The County Magistrate hurried to the door and sternly rebuked the guards, "Quickly let this young master in! Have you got the guts of a leopard to stop the Town Chief's people? Don't you want your heads?"
"I remember I just reminded you not to use private torture." Saying this, he approached the County Magistrate and said in a deep voice, "Do you even have me, the Town Chief, in your eyes?"
Suddenly, Zheng Yu's lips curved into a smile, and he looked at the Chief Clerk behind the County Magistrate, "I think this Chief Clerk knows more than you."
The County Magistrate trembled at these words. He looked at Zheng Yu's smile with a chill that ran down his spine, cold sweat covering his body. He repeatedly said "yes."
"Very good, I'll remember you, work hard." Zheng Yu walked past the County Magistrate, patted the Chief Clerk's shoulder, and sat on a nearby chair.
"Hurry up and pass judgment, I have something to discuss with Doctor Lu."
"Yes, yes." The County Magistrate repeatedly agreed, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
"Chief Clerk, tell me, spreading rumors on the street and slandering a man's reputation, oh yes, and slandering an official." This last sentence was said for the County Magistrate to hear.
"Reporting to the Town Chief, for three crimes, the punishment should be one hundred heavy planks and imprisonment for at least three years."
"Forget it, as for slandering an official, he's a commoner and didn't know I was an official. Ignorance is no offense, so let's punish the first two."
"That would be fifty heavy planks and three months in prison," the County Magistrate said before the Chief Clerk could speak, smiling obsequiously.
She had originally thought that the new Town Chief, being under twenty, would be easy to manipulate. She had followed the instructions of Chen Yao, the daughter of the Deputy Town Chief Chen Qi, intending to do him a favor. She never expected to shoot herself in the foot.
"What are you waiting for, County Magistrate? Implement it."
"Quickly take them away and give them fifty heavy planks!" After giving the order, the County Magistrate timidly offered a fawning smile to Zheng Yu, "Town Chief, it's handled."