Report Ren Tianye to the City Lord of Huai'an City

The City Lord's Estate.

The newly appointed City Lord Xu Sha and his wife, Yun Wanyi, stayed up all night, working urgently to handle the incident involving Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin.

Both of them had poured their hearts into this, wanting to make a good impression on Ren Tianye. They intended to turn the public trial set by the Duke into an ironclad case.

But in reality, the process went much smoother than they had imagined!

After the notice was posted, all kinds of evidence poured in from all directions. There were so many letters they could hardly find room for them, and many people were even willing to step forward to testify.

This allowed the two of them to finish the task extremely quickly.

Right now, the compilation was basically complete; it only needed one final proofreading to be a great success.

"I really did not expect it to go so smoothly. It seems the Duke truly has the support of the people. So many commoners in Huai'an City have suffered under the iron rule of 'Love Above All' for far too long."

"The Duke's arrival is truly like a long-awaited rain during a drought."

Xu Sha could not help but sigh in admiration.

Yun Wanyi strongly agreed, but her perspective on this incident was slightly different from Xu Sha's.

She frowned and said, "Only after reading this evidence did I realize that some things do not even weigh four ounces until they are put on a scale, but once on the scale, even a thousand catties cannot balance them."

"Before this, I was a member of the Yun family of Huai'an City, highly recognized by the military. Yet, I never imagined that under the surface of our Huai'an City, things had become so foul and corrupt."

"To think that a mere official in charge of penal law like Zhou Zhi could cause such a massive uproar, and a lowly person like Xu Qin would dare to act so recklessly!"

As soon as Yun Wanyi said this, Xu Sha's expression turned solemn in an instant, showing deep agreement.

This Zhou Zhi was truly outrageous!

Judging from the gathered evidence, Zhou Zhi had deceived the public with heresies, bent the law for personal favors, corrupted public morals, neglected his duties, and harmed the lower classes.

He allowed evil doctrines to run rampant in Huai'an City, causing countless lower-class people to abandon their fields and labor. Commoners lost their livelihoods and became destitute.

He also caused countless young women from humble families to neglect needlework and household management, vainly chasing after illusions of romance.

He completely blocked the path of upward mobility for the talented, erasing the true principles of humanity from Huai'an City and reducing it to a realm of beasts.

With multiple crimes punished concurrently, even killing him would not be enough to vent the public's anger!

And that Xu Qin was no better.

She maliciously poisoned a highly treasured steed belonging to someone else, harassed officials and gentry, and spread rumors to confuse the public.

Even according to the law, she deserved immediate execution!

Not to mention, the horse she injured was the divine steed of General Zhang Shi!

"These two are so detestable. When the time for the trial comes, I will definitely represent Huai'an City, read out their crimes one by one, and have them executed on the spot. I will let all of Huai'an City know that since welcoming the Duke, Huai'an is going to undergo earth-shattering changes."

As Xu Sha spoke, his determination grew firmer. As the future City Lord of Huai'an City, he absolutely could not let the city repeat its past mistakes.

This Huai'an City needed true peace and justice.

Yun Wanyi shared the same thought. She exchanged a glance with Xu Shang, and both saw the firm resolve in each other's eyes, breaking into a smile.

They were of one mind.

Just then, a clerk walked in.

He reported, "My Lord, Madam, many more letters have been submitted. Should I bring them in?"

"There are more?" Xu Shang said, "The crimes of Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin are already too numerous to record. Could there be even greater evils?"

"Bring them in."

The clerk said, "My Lord, there are quite a lot of letters. There are roughly several thousand of them. I will have to bring them all at once."

"How many?" Xu Sha was startled.

Beside him, Yun Wanyi was also shocked.

Thousands of letters?

What, did Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin pierce the heavens?

How could they be reported by so many people?

"There are indeed thousands, and they all flooded into the Dispatch Office at the same time in a short period."

The Dispatch Office was the place in Huai'an City responsible for receiving and sending documents. It had always allowed citizens to submit appeals and complaints. However, previously, the person or their representative had to bring a written document to the county office, submit it in person, register it, and sign it.

But this time, to collect evidence of Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin's crimes, Xu Sha had specially ordered it to be opened up, allowing the people of Huai'an City to submit letters freely.

Yet, Xu Sha never imagined that there would be thousands of letters submitted?!

How many literate people were there even in Huai'an City?!

However, out of a sense of responsibility, Xu Sha braced himself and said, "Bring them all in."

While the clerk went to fetch them, Xu Sha turned to Yun Wanyi and said apologetically, "Madam, I am afraid I must trouble you to help."

Yun Wanyi shook her head and said, "Working for the Duke is no trouble at all. Besides, with the atmosphere in Huai'an City being like this, it is the duty of officials to clean it up."

The two shared the same goal and firm confidence.

They were not afraid.

Before long, they saw several clerks moving back and forth, bringing in thousands of letters one by one and piling them up until they filled half the room.

Xu Shang immediately opened one, only to see what was written on it.

"To the Honorable City Lord of Huai'an City:"

"This humble girl is a loyal reader of the Red Luan Literary Pavilion in Huai'an City. Since childhood, I have recited the sacred texts of the Dao of Love, firmly believing that love is supreme and the Sacred Pavilion is to be revered!"

"Now, Ren Tianye, the Duke sent by the Imperial Court, goes against the heavens and defies the Dao, disrupting the principles of love. He wants to burn down our Red Luan Literary Pavilion and execute Lord Zhou Zhi as well as Xu Qin, a member of our Huai'an City Mutual Aid Alliance. This humble girl can endure it no longer!"

"I implore the City Lord to punish him severely and swiftly!"

"Protect the Red Luan Literary Pavilion, defend the Dao of Love, and save the people!"

"Thoroughly investigate the four great crimes of Duke Ren Tianye. Every word is true, without a single falsehood!"

Xu Sha read very quickly.

With almost a single glance, he took it all in, but his heart gave a massive thump. The lightweight letter in his hand suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand catties.

It slipped from his grasp.

"Reporting the Duke to me?"

"This is... asking me to put the Duke on trial?"

Cold sweat was already pouring down Xu Sha's face.

Seeing that something was wrong, Yun Wanyi quickly asked, "Husband, what is it?"

For a moment, Xu Sha could not speak.

His body was shaking, his hands were shaking, and even his lips were trembling. He could not utter a word; he only felt an intense surge of terror welling up inside him.

He had barely managed to survive the recent upheaval in Huai'an City and miraculously secured the position of City Lord. He had been racking his brains, terrified of doing a poor job and losing the Duke's approval, and as a result...

Now, they were asking him to put the Duke on trial?

If he actually had the power to judge the Duke, would he have lived under the shadow of his older brother Xu Shang for so many years?

When Yun Wanyi received no answer, she knew something was wrong and quickly picked up the letter to read it.

Her mind was stronger than Xu Sha's, or rather, having served as the military representative of Huai'an City for so long, she had experienced more and remained calmer in a crisis.

She gritted her teeth and read on.

"The four great crimes of Duke Ren Tianye. Every word is true, without a single falsehood!"

"First, Duke Ren Tianye insults the believers of the Dao of Love, falsely claiming our sacred texts are illusory dregs. He wishes to burn the Red Luan Literary Pavilion, ban our books, and sever the romantic destinies of the mortal realm. This is defying the heavens and harming the people, and it will surely invite heavenly wrath!"

"Second, Duke Ren Tianye is cruel and ruthless, devoid of love and affection. He is jealous of the true love found in books and cannot stand to see the men and women of Huai'an find favor and good matches. He deliberately suppresses them, destroying the hearts of the youth."

"Third, Lord Zhou Zhi is a good official of Huai'an who guards the peace of our region and protects our Great Dao of Love, yet Ren Tianye wants to execute him. Does he not know that once Lord Zhou Zhi dies, Huai'an City will become a loveless, heartless living hell!"

"Fourth..."

Seeing this, Yun Wanyi felt his vision go dark, but he still forced himself to finish reading.

"The Way of Love is immortal, and the Red Luan Wenyuan Pavilion shall not fall!"

"Ren Tianye ruins the Way of Love, harms the common people, and defies the Heavenly Dao. If he is not severely punished, it will inevitably cause the collapse of public morals in Huaian City and the severing of all marital ties!"

"We beseech the City Lord to act in accordance with the Sacred Tome, uphold the Way of Love as the ultimate principle, enforce the law impartially, and strictly punish Ren Tianye!"

"Stop his act of burning the Red Luan Wenyuan Pavilion, release Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin, restore the orthodoxy of the Way of Love, and protect the Pavilion's safety!"

Flutter!

Yun Wanyi could hold on no longer.

The letter in his hand drifted to the ground!

His face was deathly pale!

...