The soldiers stepped into the inn, stood in two rows and surrounded everyone, then with a whoosh, they drew their sharp knives.

Seeing this, everyone was so frightened that they held their breath, not daring to move or speak.

Shen Yuan put down her chopsticks. This is...

The leading soldier, holding a sharp knife, asked in a chilling voice, "Where is the innkeeper?"

The shopkeeper scrambled out from behind the counter, knelt down in front of the soldiers with a thud, and begged for mercy repeatedly: "Sir, spare my life! Sir, spare my life!"

The soldiers used the tip of their knives to lift the shopkeeper's chin, demanding, "Speak! Who uttered the words 'the bones of ordinary people'?"

"It wasn't me, it wasn't me!" The shopkeeper turned and pointed at the middle-aged man who had said those words. "It was him! Your Honor, it was him!"

Seeing so many soldiers wielding sharp knives, the middle-aged man was now filled with fear. He pursed his lower lip tightly and tightened his jaw, but the resentment and hatred in his eyes were hard to conceal.

He hated those officers and soldiers!

Shen Yuan could tell that this man harbored deep resentment, and she couldn't help but feel curious and questioning. She turned to look at Xiao Ling.

But Xiao Ling was seen eating his food in silence with his head down, almost finishing all the rice in his bowl.

Although he chewed very slowly, he made no sound.

Despite the tense situation, Xiao Ling still had the appetite to eat, which Shen Yuan found utterly admirable.

Just then, Xiao Ling picked up a small steamed bun from the plate and placed it in Chen Yuan's bowl.

He mouthed, "Stop looking, eat!"

"..."

Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling were actually sitting with their backs to the soldiers, so even if they were eating, the soldiers couldn't see them.

Besides, the officers and soldiers don't have time to deal with them right now.

Shen Yuan picked up a xiaolongbao and stuffed it into her mouth.

Suddenly, the sound of tables and chairs being moved came from behind. Several tall and burly soldiers walked up to the middle-aged man, raised their sharp knives, and slashed at the wooden table in front of him.

The sturdy pine table was instantly split in two.

The middle-aged man's shoulders trembled slightly with fear.

The waiter knelt on the ground and tugged at his robe, kindly reminding him, "You've made a mistake, don't you know to kneel before the official?"

The man protested, "I... what did I do wrong? I just went downstairs to eat, I didn't do anything!"

"Didn't do anything? So the innkeeper is just spouting nonsense?" The leading soldier sneered and raised his hand, while his men placed a knife against the innkeeper's neck.

The shopkeeper turned pale with fright. "Sir, I didn't! I didn't! I've been doing business honestly in the city for so many years, and I've paid my taxes honestly every year! I'm completely loyal to Jizhou!"

The shopkeeper kept kowtowing as he spoke.

"Knock knock knock—"

One blow after another, and soon his forehead was bleeding from the banging, but even so, the shopkeeper dared not stop.

The man, unable to stand it any longer, stepped forward and said, "So what if I said those words? I just told the truth. I didn't break the law, nor did I disrespect the Emperor. What wrong did I do?"

"ah--!!!"

As soon as the man finished speaking, a sharp knife plunged straight into his heart.

He screamed and fell to the ground.

The half-eaten steamed bun in Shen Yuan's mouth fell into the bowl.

In broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, these officers and soldiers dared to kill people at will?

Even if this man really committed a crime and said something he shouldn't have, shouldn't he be taken to the yamen first, interrogated by the government, and then sentenced?

Shen Yuan's delicate brows furrowed tightly. How could Jizhou be so different from the many cities south of the Yan River? Was it because Jizhou was Xiao Yunfei's fiefdom and was directly managed by him?

Everyone in the inn was so frightened by this scene that they wanted to leave.

But these soldiers were blocking the entrance to the inn, and since they wouldn't leave, no one dared to make any rash moves.

The leading soldier withdrew his sword, wiped the blood from the blade with his sleeve, glanced at the lifeless man lying on the ground, and sneered, "Disloyalty to Ji Province is a sure sign of rebellion! The Prince of Jin has ordered the execution of this traitor!"

"Sir... Your Excellency is wise!"

The waiter, his face splattered with blood, knelt on the ground, trembling.

The leading officer glanced at him disdainfully, then turned to the innkeeper and coldly ordered, "Oust the innkeeper and staff of Ruyi Inn who harbored rebels! Take the rest back for interrogation!"

The others... do they include her and Xiao Ling as well?

Just as Shen Yuan was about to ask a question, her hands and Xiao Ling's hands were handcuffed to the same shackle by the soldiers. She was forcibly and rudely pulled up by the soldiers, without even having time to pick up the half-eaten steamed bun in the bowl.

Shen Yuan gritted her teeth. She should have eaten two more buns earlier!

The shopkeeper, wearing shackles, grabbed the officer's hand and pleaded, "Sir! Please spare me, for the sake of all the years I've worked so hard to pay taxes for the Jizhou government! I truly didn't know this man harbored such evil intentions; if I had known, I certainly wouldn't have taken him in!"

The officer leader squeezed the silver note the shopkeeper had secretly slipped to him, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "If it weren't for the fact that you've been honest and law-abiding in business all these years, the crime I would have charged you with wouldn't just be harboring rebels, but harboring rebels!"

After saying this, the officer stuffed the silver note into his sleeve and waved his hand, saying, "Take it away!"

The innkeepers and guests, totaling more than thirty people, were all imprisoned in the Jizhou City prison.

The guests and the innkeeper and his staff were each locked in separate cells.

Shen Yuan only realized how many people were imprisoned in the jail after she was arrested.

She crouched down beside Xiao Ling and whispered, "Every cell here is full! Look next door, there are twenty-eight people in one cell, there's not even room for them to stand. Why do they love arresting people so much? They're almost overflowing!"

Upon hearing this, a smile flickered in Xiao Ling's eyes.

He teased, "You still have the mind to count heads? Aren't you worried about not being able to get out?"

"..." Shen Yuan was stunned for a moment before realizing that she had followed Xiao Ling into this prison and had not felt a sense of panic or unease at all since entering.

It seems that no matter what she does, as long as Xiao Ling is with her, she is not so afraid.

This is so strange!

Shen Yuan shook her head and said, "I... I feel that neither of us has done anything wrong or said anything. Even if we were to be convicted, there's nothing to be convicted of!"

"Moreover, we have more than thirty people. If everyone is to be convicted and executed, wouldn't these soldiers have to sharpen their knives on whetstones every day?"

"Even if they really kill us, these thirty-odd corpses won't be easy to dispose of! They probably don't like doing such a troublesome thing!"

"I guess they just want to lock us up, give us a good scolding, and maybe squeeze some money out of us!"

After listening to Shen Yuan's logical analysis, Xiao Ling smiled and said, "Hmm, you have a good attitude."

"My mindset is good, but I'm a little hungry. If I had known we would be arrested, I should have done what you did and eaten right away!" Shen Yuan clutched her stomach, quite annoyed.

Xiao Ling didn't say anything, but took a few small steamed buns wrapped in oil paper from his pocket when no one was paying attention and stuffed them into Chen Yuan's arms.