Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 260 - 260 261 Cant Let Them Turn the Tables_1

Chapter 260: Chapter 261: Can’t Let Them Turn the Tables_1 Chapter 260: Chapter 261: Can’t Let Them Turn the Tables_1 Muniang sneered, “Oh, I was wondering why you came out so quickly, turns out you’ve been hiding and enjoying the drama.”

Shitou stiffened his neck, “What drama? I just can’t stand people slandering me. You lot who spout nonsense better watch out, lest the heavens get angry and rip out your tongues!”

By this time, Hongde had completely calmed down and stood up straight, “Master, we have always had a grudge with Wang Shitou. Last time when he fought with Feng Qing, we helped Feng Qing, which he couldn’t tolerate. This time he is deliberately seeking revenge, thus he has given false testimony. It’s very likely that he’s the one who threw the pouch into our book bags, and the Hetian jade must be with him by now!”

Shitou felt a twinge of unease inside, but still jumped to his feet and retorted, “Stop talking nonsense! Do you think everyone likes to bear false witness like you do? Typical of one with a villain’s mind. Master, please don’t be fooled by them. They just want to pin the crime on me. They see that I’m the one who reported the matter and think I’m easy to bully. Now they want to turn against me, right? Master, you must stand up for me!”

Honghai and Hongde now possessed a righteous indignation. Despite being covered in wounds, their stubborn spirit was undiminished, “Master has also said that to fabricate charges against someone is the coldest act of all. We have endured so much beating, our possessions have been thoroughly searched, and yet we firmly deny having stolen anything. Even if you beat us to death, we didn’t steal!”

Wang Shitou’s eyelids twitched and he felt a burst of irritation. Why hadn’t he realized how troublesome these two were before? Their family has money, don’t they? If they just admitted their mistake and their parents compensated with a piece of jade, wouldn’t that be the end of it? Instead, they had to be so obstinate and insist on their innocence to their own detriment.

Perhaps it was because of the unwavering voices of Honghai and Hongde, or the purity in their earnest eyes, that their words struck a chord with some in the crowd, who couldn’t help but cheer for the children, “Such young kids refusing to yield to brute force really shows character.”

But there were also skeptics, “Hmph, I think they’ve already spent all the silver and now can’t produce the money. They don’t want to bear such a stain on their reputation, so they stubbornly refuse to confess.”

At once, the two sides broke into lively debate.

The Master’s face had turned the color of a pig’s liver with anger. He had merely wanted to discipline the two children, demonstrate his authority publicly, to show his virtue, and then have the youngsters admit their fault and enhance his good reputation. But now, things were spiraling beyond his control. Not only were the children steadfast in their denial of guilt, but they had even started questioning his judgement. If he let them turn the tables now, would that not make him appear foolish in the eyes of all?

Where would he put his face then?

Thinking of this, the Master’s face darkened in an instant as he barked, “Enough! What’s with all this noise? Have you forgotten all the rules I’ve taught you? Qiao Honghai, Qiao Hongde, you steal and yet refuse to admit your fault, defying me and talking back with fallacious arguments. I’ve never seen students as morally corrupt as you. I thought if you confessed and returned the stolen items, I would give you a chance to start over, but now you persist in your delusions, I can no longer show you leniency. Qing Mountain Academy cannot harbor students like you, so get out!”

Having spoken, the Master turned to leave. Shitou smirked triumphantly at Honghai and followed the Master inside.

Yu Ze directly stepped in front of the Master, his voice cold, “We have no need to stay in a school that cannot distinguish right from wrong, but if you think you can settle the crime with force, you might miscalculate. We are not wasting time with you because we want the favor of such a fame-seeking Master, but rather to confront you. Who is morally corrupt remains to be seen!”

The Master’s beard trembled as his private intentions were laid bare by Yus remarks – he was truly outraged inside. Was this man completely disregarding his authority? With words like ‘cannot distinguish right from wrong,’ ‘fame-seeking Master,’ and a blatantly disdainful tone, Yu was openly scorning him!

“Impertinent! Where did this troublemaker come from? To spout such nonsense in my presence – do you know who I am? Do you really think that because I have spoken to you politely, I am easily spoken to?”

Before Yu Ze could respond, an authoritative voice rose from the crowd, “This official is unaware of any difference between the ‘troublemaker’ you mention and your own status.”

Muniang looked over to see a man in a blue robe querying sternly, likely in his thirties or forties, thin but fit, and judging by his demeanor, his status was not trivial.

Upon seeing the man in blue, the old Master immediately clasped his hands in greeting, “Lord Lu.”

Muniang blinked, not quite understanding the situation at first, until Yu Ze whispered in her ear, “This is the County Chief of Chatu Town.”

Muniang had a realization, considering this County Chief seemed to be a good find.

“Mr. Gao, I had respected you as a person well-versed in the classics, presumably of high virtue and esteem. But from what I see now, you do not inspire confidence,” Lord Lu’s tone was particularly stern.

He had just happened by and seeing that something significant was unfolding here, he came to take a look. But the more he watched, the more disappointed he grew with Mr. Gao. Unwilling to thoroughly investigate the matter, and intent only on extracting confessions, Mr. Gao sought to preserve his own judgment from being proved wrong, going so far as to convict the children without solid evidence. How could an educated man not know that reputation is critical to a scholar’s life?

Did he not realize that by seeking to pin a crime on the children just to save his own face, he could ruin their entire lives?

Mr. Gao’s face flushed red, “But these children are so stubborn and never tell the truth, that’s why I—”

Lord Lu was even more disappointed, and at this point, he was still insisting on his own innocence. Lord Lu interrupted him sharply, “Enough, forget it. Since you cannot discern truth from falsehood in this matter, let me handle it. There’s no need for you to be involved anymore, I will personally investigate this matter thoroughly.”

Mr. Gao was taken aback, his face a mix of confusion, “But, perhaps we need not trouble you, Your Lordship.” After all, a theft that happened at Qing Mountain Academy being dragged to public trial would greatly tarnish the academy’s reputation. Recruiting new students the next year might be a problem. Most importantly, if the investigation revealed a different verdict from the one he insisted on, wouldn’t his lifelong good name be destroyed?