"How can anyone be so depraved? I don't know how they could even stomach it!"
"Yet, such horrifying things happen daily in the Nanxiong Marquis's estate. The people there have long considered it commonplace!"
"Even dogs eat feces with gusto, but they know not to eat their own kind! Lu Baofang is worse than a dog. No, comparing that perverted creature Lu Baofang to a dog is an insult to dogs!"
"Dogs are loyal, brave, know right from wrong, steadfast, and reliable. A filthy thing like Lu Baofang isn't even fit to carry a dog's shoes!"
Hearing this, the onlookers couldn't help but shout, "Unworthy! Lu Baofang is unworthy! Lu Baofang is a filthy thing!"
Some even spat on the ground with emotion.
Xie Jiang stood in the center of the hall, filled with grief and indignation. "Does their Lu family have no children? Does Lu Baofang have no sons or daughters! His own children are dressed in brocade and jade, pampered and cherished, afraid of even the slightest bump or bruise. Yet, when our children cry, beg for mercy, and struggle to survive, do they show even a shred of compassion!"
The suppressed sobs in the prefectural yamen hall could no longer be held back, erupting into heart-wrenching cries.
"Whose child is not held in their parents' hands from birth, nurtured with love and effort? How dare Lu Baofang cruelly torture and kill our beloved children, whom we can never love enough, and process them into food for his own consumption!"
Xie Jiang's eyes turned red as he spoke, his voice trembling slightly.
"Is it simply because his surname is Lu, and he has a so-called century-old clan behind him? Or is it because he has the Nanxiong Marquis's estate behind him, and he is the heir to the Nanxiong Marquis's estate?"
"Is it just because his surname is Lu, and because he is the heir to the Nanxiong Marquis's estate, that he is superior to everyone else!"
The onlookers were confused by her question. Wasn't the esteemed heir of the Marquis's estate naturally superior to them?
Xie Jiang said, "The Buddha says all beings are equal, let alone fellow humans?"
Are they truly equal?
Xie Jiang affirmed, "Every one of us is born equal. We are all mortal flesh and blood. We all have only one life. Whether a king, a marquis, a general, or an ordinary commoner, it is the same. Every life is equally precious! Every life deserves our cherishing! Every life deserves our awe and respect!"
The onlookers were deeply moved. This was the first time in their lives they had heard someone say that their lives were also precious, that their lives were the same as those of kings and generals, deserving of cherishing and respect.
"Lu Baofang is no nobler than anyone else. Moreover, with such filth, his heart and guts are rotten through and through. How can there be any nobility in him!"
"The Nanxiong Marquis's estate, acting as accomplices and shielding him, is even more disgusting than Lu Baofang! Lu Baofang truly eats people! But the Nanxiong Marquis's estate eats humanity! What century-old clan, noble family, and wealthy household! To hell with them!"
Everyone inside and outside the prefectural yamen, facing the direction of the Nanxiong Marquis's estate, spat out a curse, "To hell with them!"
A large number of patrol guards, Shun Tian prefectural yamen runners, and some officials couldn't help but join in.
Then, starting from the Shun Tian prefectural yamen, the curse spread outwards in circles.
The Lu family, residing in the Nanxiong Marquis's estate, seemed to hear these curses.
Xie Jiang looked coldly at Prefect Tongpan Huo. "Your Excellency Huo, do you still believe that Lu Baofang's crimes of infringing on human rights and endangering humanity cannot be found in the laws of Da Yu?"
Prefect Tongpan Huo broke out in a cold sweat. "This..."
"The law is meant to regulate people's behavior. Can your so-called Da Yu laws restrain Lu Baofang?"
...
"Has Huo Xuanmin lost his mind? How dare he accept the petition from that snot-nosed brat!"
The messenger sent to gather information returned with the latest news. Old Master Lu trembled with anger.
When the Nanxiong Marquis's estate and the Xie family's brat were placed side by side, wasn't it obvious which side was more worth choosing?
Unless the person behind the brat also exerted pressure on the Shun Tian prefecture!
"Prefect Tongpan Huo and the others dared not refuse to accept the petition. The street in front of the Shun Tian prefectural yamen was packed with people, completely blocking the road. If they didn't accept the petition, the Shun Tian prefectural yamen itself would likely be overturned."
Old Master Lu's face turned terrifyingly grim. Ignorant and foolish commoners, believing whatever that Xie brat said!
The servant who had gathered information added nervously, "They not only accepted the petition from the Zhou family but also many others. It looks like there are several hundred."
"Several hundred?"
Old Master Lu suddenly looked at Lu Baofang. He didn't think there was anything wrong with his grandson enjoying young girls. It was their good fortune to be chosen for Baofang's "inner palace." However, too many would indeed attract attention.
Lu Baofang himself couldn't recall clearly and turned to ask the housekeeper.
The housekeeper estimated conservatively, "At most a little over a hundred, definitely less than two hundred."
Lu Baofang felt it was acceptable; it wasn't that many.
He wasn't eating them to fill his stomach, but merely as occasional after-meal snacks.
Old Master Lu also felt it was acceptable; only a little over a hundred in so many years.
"Did that Xie brat write a petition for the family's lost pigs, intending to blame it on Baofang?"
"No, they wouldn't dare to be so blatant."
"I wish they were more reckless, but those several hundred petitions are enough."
As long as one of them was false, he could manipulate the situation and ensure that brat met a terrible end!
Since Huo Xuanmin dared to defy the Nanxiong Marquis's estate, he would meet the same fate as that brat.
It was just that the reputation of their Nanxiong Marquis's estate, accumulated over a hundred years, would be difficult to salvage even if the Xie brat was dismembered and the mastermind behind him was uprooted.
Old Master Lu would die with regrets!
Yet, he still didn't believe it was their fault.
They were merely lowly commoners, and the girls were less than grass. To fall into his family's Baofang's belly, perhaps they could be reborn into a better life in their next existence.
And they dared to ruin the reputation of his Nanxiong Marquis's estate with these worthless lives!
"Old Master, Young Master, something's wrong—"
A servant from the Nanxiong Marquis's estate rushed in anxiously.
Old Master Lu's eyes were fierce enough to kill.
What could be worse than their family's century-old reputation being ruined?
Could it be that Huo Xuanmin had the audacity of a bear and the heart of a leopard to come to the Nanxiong Marquis's estate to arrest someone? Even if given five hundred more courage, he wouldn't dare!
"Shun Tian prefectural yamen runners have stormed into the estate and are heading straight for the roasting room," the messenger said, looking at Lu Baofang with obvious panic in his eyes.
Huo Xuanmin actually dared! Old Master Lu's wizened face contorted fiercely, and he cast a sharp glance at Lu Baofang. "Didn't I tell you to dispose of those things properly long ago!"
Lu Baofang hesitated to speak, then said nothing and strode out.
He paid no attention to Xie Jiang. In his eyes, Xie Jiang and the Zhou family were destined to die. After this incident, there would be no further repercussions, and it naturally wouldn't affect his appetite for his meals.
Moreover, sometimes, the more something was forbidden, the more it gnawed at one's mind...