PFC Chapter 476 Informed
Chapter 476 Informed
Chapter 476
"Brave... brave man, spare... spare my life!" The yamen runner's leader, sweat dripping down the edge of his sword, dared not move a muscle. He stared down at the gleaming blade, his pupils shrunken to the point of pinpoints in fear, his throat trembling with plea for mercy, nearly breaking. "Please put down your sword first, and everything will be fine... we can talk it over!"
Seeing him trembling all over, tears streaming down his face, Ye Yi scoffed and abruptly drew his sword, the longsword making a resounding sound as it sheathed. He kicked the man, watching him fall to the ground in disgrace, his eyes filled with contempt. "Don't lie to my lady about anything she asks. Tell her everything. If you continue to fool around like before, I'll use this sword to scare you."
These yamen runners, relying on their position as the town chief, were accustomed to bullying their way through the area within a hundred miles of Qingshui Town. In their tiny territory, everyone who saw them would bow and scrape, fearing they might offend the town chief.
Even though they were bound here today, despite the fear on their faces, they still held a certain degree of confidence in their hearts. After all, they believed that to attack them would be to slap the town chief in the face, and the town chief had the support of the Cao County Magistrate. Even prominent figures would show some courtesy when presented with the county magistrate's name card and would not dare to take their lives.
Yet, he had clearly revealed the forces behind his actions, both openly and covertly, and these people were already aware of the relationship between his garrison and the county magistrate. Yet, not only did they show no fear, they were actually intent on killing him.
That's right, it was murderous intent! The cold gleam of the sword just now, and the chill wind it brought with it, made his scalp tingle. It was clearly meant to take his life. If he hadn't reacted quickly, the sharp blade would have already sliced his throat. How could he have saved his life at this point? Zhang Erhu slumped to the ground, the chill of the blade still lingering in his throat. The pain from the hemp rope on his wrists was nothing compared to the fear surging in his heart.
With this in mind, he dared not conceal anything further and revealed everything he knew about the Wangjia Village incident. The details of the incident roughly matched everyone's suspicions. After Qingshui Town's chief general reported the disaster to the imperial court, the government did allocate funds for disaster relief and also ordered the renovation of houses and the redistribution of land as appropriate. However, there was a deeper story behind the incident.
On the surface, the farmland in Qingshui Town was being seized by various landlords, but secretly, these landlords were merely puppets of the town chief's relatives. If the town chief were to distribute the farmland to the refugees, he would not only have to pay the imperial relief funds but also give up his own family's profits. How could he accept this? However, if the people of Wangjia Village were allowed to remain in Qingshui Town, a thorough investigation by the higher authorities or leaks of the information would inevitably lead to trouble.
After weighing the pros and cons, the town chief decided to expel all the refugees. Initially, he simply detained and intimidated them, intending to "relocate" them. Unexpectedly, these unruly people were so resourceful, fleeing under cover of darkness. By the time the town guards learned of the news, daybreak had already arrived, and they hastily dispatched their yamen runners. They issued a strict order: prevent their escape and fake a massacre by bandits, thus completely obliterating the evidence and covering up the crime of embezzling disaster relief funds.
Zhang Erhu finished his story trembling, then cautiously looked up to assess the expressions of Luo Shuiyao and the others. A frost covered Luo Shuiyao's brows, her lips tightly pursed, and the chill that surrounded her seemed almost tangible. The young man beside her glared like a blade, his knuckles cracking as if ready to pounce at any moment.
Zhang Erhu's Adam's apple rolled up and down, cold sweat trickled down his spine, and he collapsed to the ground, his voice trembling with tears, "I...we were really just following orders! Gentlemen and ladies, please be magnanimous and treat us like shit and let us go!"
These yamen runners, who usually flaunted their power, were nothing more than ordinary bullies who feared the strong and bullied the weak. Hearing Zhang Erhu's plea for mercy, they burst into tears and cries. Some collapsed to the ground, trembling, their teeth chattering and sobbing. Some, with their hands tied behind their backs, still desperately arched their backs and banged their foreheads on the ground, quickly turning purple.
Luo Shuiyao glanced at the group of disgraceful people with disdain, and the original owner's memories suddenly flooded back like a tide—she had witnessed these people defending the wealthy, dragging struggling girls into carriages; she had also watched them overturn the vegetable stalls of lonely widowers in the cold winter, leaving the frozen purple leaves to scatter on the ground. Could they be called innocent? These evil deeds, etched in her memory, had long since crushed the word "innocent" into dust.
But if they were punished on the spot, it would only mean killing a few small fish. The real culprits were the town chief and the county magistrate. But if they were let off so easily, wouldn't that be too easy for these evildoers?
Luo Shuiyao waved her hand, signaling to knock them out.
Ye Yi had already been annoyed by the constant cries of begging for mercy from these people. Upon hearing this, he immediately stepped forward and killed one of them in each hand.
After hearing this, Chun Xing gnashed her teeth at these people and hurried after them. The two men were agile and powerful. With muffled groans, the yamen runners finally fell silent in the face of their terrified gazes.
Ye Yunzhou stood behind her, remaining silent from beginning to end. After she finished handling everything, he took out a cloak and gently draped it over Luo Shuiyao's shoulders.
Luo Shuiyao lowered her eyes to look at the crisp black brocade on her shoulders, then turned to look at him and asked softly, "How do you think this matter should be handled?"
Ye Yunzhou saw her turn, his bony fingers deftly weaving through the ribbon. He lowered his gaze, concentrating on tying the ribbon, his voice flowing casually, "The Qingshui Town governor and the Cao County magistrate are indeed unforgivable. But the emperor is far away, and the Great Zhou Dynasty's territory is vast, so such vile acts are common. Since we've witnessed this today, and we have the power to seek justice for the people, we naturally can't stand idly by."
With a flick of his fingertips, an exquisite bow was already tied. He raised his head, his eyes meeting hers with a burning gaze, sparks flickering in them. "Don't worry too much, just do whatever you want. If you encounter any difficulties, the Marquis' Mansion and I will be at your disposal."
Noticing the hesitation in her eyes, Ye Yunzhou raised his hand and gently patted her shoulder, "Don't be afraid, I'll take care of everything."
Ye Yunzhou's words once again blocked the question on Luo Shuiyao's lips. Seeing that he had no intention of explaining further, Luo Shuiyao pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and whispered "Okay".
The next morning, before daybreak, Luo Shuiyao awoke from her sleep. She rubbed her swollen forehead and, after opening the carriage curtain, saw Ye Yunzhou standing not far away, lost in thought. Ye Yi and Chun Xing were busy around the fire, the air thick with the scent of smoke. Meanwhile, the yamen runners lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
Hearing the sound, Ye Yunzhou turned around, strode to the carriage, and offered her a hand to help her get out: "Are you awake?"
"Yeah. Why didn't you guys call me?"
"There's nothing to do anyway, so why bother waking you up? Ye Yi found some wild fruits to fill your stomach. Now that you're awake, let's set off for Qingshui Town as soon as possible." Ye Yunzhou said softly.
"Okay." Luo Shuiyao nodded.
When passing by the group of yamen runners, Luo Shuiyao said in surprise: "These people actually slept for so long."
Chun Xing heard the noise, straightened up, glanced at those people with hatred, and snorted softly: "Don't worry, Miss, they woke up in the middle, but we knocked them unconscious again."
Seeing Chun Xing still looking at the sleeping yamen runner with an angry look on her face, Luo Shuiyao couldn't help but chuckle, "Alright, alright, don't bother with them. It's not worth getting yourself hurt by getting angry. Let's eat something quickly and get on with our journey."
Then she sat down by the fire.
There were many wild fruits piled on the broad leaves of an unknown tree. Although Luo Shuiyao couldn't name them, she took a bite and the sweet juice instantly spread in her mouth. The flesh was tender and juicy, and the taste was surprisingly excellent.
Seeing her relaxed expression, Chun Xing was clearly enjoying these wild fruits. She immediately became interested and explained with a beaming expression, "Ye Yi and I picked these together! He said he'd tasted them before, so I tried them too and confirmed they're non-toxic. If you like them, please eat more. I've even saved some seeds. When we get back to Beijing, we'll plant a patch of them on our farm so we can have them whenever we want!"
When Ye Yi saw Chun Xing dancing with joy, his eyebrows curved into crescents unconsciously, and he couldn't hide the smile on the corner of his mouth.
Chun Xing was so preoccupied with sharing the fun of wild fruit with Luo Shuiyao that she didn't notice the tenderness in his eyes. Instead, Luo Shuiyao glanced thoughtfully at Ye Yi, a glance that struck him like lightning. He hurriedly straightened his back and tried to straighten his expression, but the tips of his ears flushed visibly, and even his neck felt hot, his usual relaxed demeanor completely gone.
Seeing this, Luo Shuiyao glanced calmly at Chun Xing who was still playing with the wild fruits with great interest, raised her eyebrows meaningfully, and finally swallowed the teasing that was about to come out of her mouth.
She has always maintained that she is not one to meddle in other people's affairs. Love is a mysterious thing. If Ye Yi is interested, she will find a time to express her feelings; if Chun Xing is also moved, she will naturally respond. Although she protects those around her, she will not force a marriage. After all, fate cannot be forced. It is better to wait and see whether the two can achieve a happy ending.
After hastily eating some wild fruit, they packed their bags and prepared to set off on horseback. Glancing at the yamen runners still sprawled and unconscious, Ye Yi and Chun Xing exchanged a glance and each delivered a slash of blows, ensuring they wouldn't wake up for a while. However, they also untied the ropes that bound them—once they woke, how to get back to Qingshui Town would no longer be their concern. In reality, Ye Yi had already let go of the horses the runners had ridden yesterday under cover of darkness, and they were likely already gone.
Not only that, Ye Yi and Chun Xing also emptied the yamen runners of their money. Without horses and money, these usually arrogant guys would be in dire straits if they tried to walk back to Qingshui Town.
Luo Shuiyao glanced at the two people's actions and did not say anything to stop them. Ye Yunzhou looked indifferent, as if he didn't see anything.
After Ye Yi and Chun Xing confirmed that no one was left out, the group rode away in a cloud of dust, leaving only the sleeping yamen runners behind.
As the sun reached its zenith and reached its scorching height, they finally arrived at the gate of Qingshui Town. Luo Shuiyao lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the three mottled characters "Qingshui Town" on the city gate. It seemed as if only a few months had passed, yet it felt like a lifetime ago.
Seeing the startled look in her eyes, Ye Yunzhou mistakenly thought it was because she was homesick. He gently clasped her palm with his fingertips and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."