Chapter 680: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 680: Slap in the Face - The Imperial Edict Arrives (1)
As all eyes focused on them, the six people grew even more smug. Four of them took out small cloth bags from their waistbands, which another person gathered and held. He addressed the dozen or so officials and the onlooking villagers, “You all heard what the Mo family said earlier. If we can provide evidence, they will admit that the Five Beasts harmed us and not only compensate us each five hundred taels but also face judgment at the yamen. Now, I hold the evidence. Officials and villagers, bear witness to this so no one can deny it later.”
He glanced at Mo Yan, who ignored him completely and stared at the four small cloth bags he held.
Frustrated, the man thought, “Enjoy your smugness for now, little girl. Wait until I lay out the evidence for everyone. We’ll see how you squirm!”
Mo Yan had already guessed what might be inside those cloth bags and felt utterly speechless at the absurdity of it all. She wondered if the person who devised this scheme had a brain made of pig’s brain (with pigs being innocent in this context). If everyone framing others were this incompetent, there wouldn’t be so many false accusations and injustices in the world.
Under the gaze of the crowd, the man walked to the table, opened the cloth bags, and laid out the contents as he recited his rehearsed script: “We, the six of us, have no other hobbies but hunting for leisure! We heard that Yuhua Mountain is full of wild beasts and large prey, so we came here yesterday to test our skills. However, we didn’t find any prey but encountered these beasts instead.”
He stopped his actions, and as he was about to point to the Five Beasts, he was met with five pairs of cold, unblinking eyes. He swallowed nervously and cautiously gestured, “It’s them!”
“Yes, we were completely unprepared and were knocked down by them. Our bodies are covered in their scratches and bites! If we hadn’t had our swords and bows to scare them off, we might have been bitten to death yesterday, and wouldn’t be standing here now!”
The other four quickly stepped in to corroborate, their fake terror seeming quite convincing. Some villagers, not knowing the full truth, began to believe their story. However, Mo Yan and her family were laughing at the absurdity of it all.
These people were exaggerating to the point of claiming to have escaped from the fierce claws and fangs of the Five Beasts, as if they were martial arts experts. In reality, to kill these six people, even the weakest of the Five Beasts, Mao Tuan, could finish them off within moments.
Lying in front of the Five Beasts and insulting their abilities was akin to saying they could fly to the sky—it was utterly ridiculous!
The villagers who had witnessed the Five Beasts saving their children were particularly disbelieving. They had heard from their children about the night when fifty fierce mountain bandits were defeated by the Five Beasts in an instant. To hear these six weak individuals claim they had fought off the Five Beasts was laughable.
The villagers were now fully convinced of the Five Beasts' innocence and determined that these six were fabricating stories to extort money from the Mo family. Angered, they gripped their sticks tightly and engaged in heated arguments with those villagers still doubting the Mo family.
Hearing the arguments, Mo Yan felt even more certain that settling in Liuyang Village was a wise decision. Although not everyone was friendly, in critical moments, those who had been helped by her family still stood by them.
If you enjoy our translations and would like to support us, please consider contributing on Patreon or Ko-fi. Your support helps us continue bringing you great content!
►►CLICK HERE FOR LISTS OF CHAPTERS◄◄
No comments: