Chapter 377 Interrogation

The fact was just as Chu Ci expected. When she arrived, people halfway up the mountain were already banging on the door.

I saw a group of people with angry faces, shouting non-stop. The noisy shouting came one after another, like a group of annoying flies buzzing, which made people feel upset.

The strong men in the lead were exerting all their strength, banging their shoulders against the door of the workshop. Veins bulged on their foreheads and sweat streamed down their cheeks, as if they had poured all their strength into these repeated impacts.

The heavy wooden door made muffled "bang bang" sounds as they rammed it, and each sound was like a dull thunder, which frightened people, as if it might be knocked open at any time.

Chu Ci saw this, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. "Come here, arrest all those who are banging on the door."

As soon as Chu Ci finished speaking, the chief guard, Su Wu, shouted, "Yes, my command!"

Then Su Wu waved his hand, and the rest of the people surrounded him in a fan shape, their movements were neat and efficient.

The villagers halfway up the mountain were no match for the well-trained guards.

In just two minutes, the strong man who had been so arrogant just now was like a deflated ball, with no power to resist, and was all pressed under Chu Ci's feet.

Some of them had faces full of fear, their eyes wide open, as if they had seen an extremely terrifying scene; some collapsed to the ground, their limbs trembling, and they didn't even have the strength to stand up, completely losing their previous arrogance.

Chu Ci looked down upon such people and, with a gloomy expression, he ordered Su Wu directly, "Interrogate them thoroughly and find out who instigated them to come here and cause trouble."

Su Wu replied, "Don't worry, my lord. I will get to the bottom of this."

Without saying a word, he rushed forward, raised his right foot and kicked him hard. The man screamed in pain, his face instantly filled with pain, and his body curled up involuntarily.

Su Wu then shouted sternly, "Tell me! Who is behind this? Don't harbor any hope. If you don't tell the truth, you'll be in trouble!"

The man covered the part of his body that had been kicked, sweat pouring down his forehead. He replied in a trembling voice, "Sir, please spare my life! I... I was forced into this."

Su Wu frowned and shouted angrily, "You were forced into a desperate situation? I think you are just blinded by greed! Tell me, who ordered you to do this?"

The man trembled, but his eyes still revealed a stubbornness, and he refused to give in. "Why? Why only recruit a few women? We just want an explanation."

"We grown men have the strength to work and can endure hardships, so why don't you give us a chance?"

But this excuse is too poor.

Seeing that the man was still not obedient, Su Wu became even more furious. Veins popped out on his forehead. He stepped forward and grabbed the man's neck with his quick movements.

"I don't like to hear nonsense!" Su Wu's voice was as cold as frost. He glanced at Chu Ci who was not far away and continued, "Don't think I dare not do anything to you. If you really make me angry, even the gods can't save you!"

"After all, I am a dignified seventh-rank General Dingyuan. I have killed countless enemies on the battlefield and have witnessed life and death. Even if I fail, the princess will understand."

As Su Wu spoke, the strength in his hands gradually increased.

Soon, the man couldn't breathe, his face turned red like a ripe tomato, and he tried desperately to pry Su Wu's hands open with his hands, but to no avail.

He was scared and didn't care about the instructions given when he came. He looked at Chu Ci in panic, his eyes full of pleading and fear, as if he was asking Chu Ci for help, hoping for a glimmer of hope.

"Help, help..." The man squeezed out these two words with difficulty. His voice was hoarse and weak, as if squeezed out from between his teeth.

Chu Ci saw all this clearly, her brows were furrowed and her eyes were sharp.

Without hesitation, she drew the imperial sword, symbolizing the power of execution, stepped forward, and sternly shouted, "Guard Su, don't hurt your hands. Use this sword!"

Su Wu, who was following Chu Ci, naturally recognized the origin of the sword. He immediately bowed and said respectfully, "Thank you, Princess, for the sword."

Then he took the sword and slashed at the man's neck.

Seeing that Su Wu did not seem to be lying, the man was truly frightened and cried out in tears, "Sir, please spare my life. I will tell you everything, everything!"

However, Su Wu did not slow down his movements, but instead increased the strength in his hands.

The man finally gave up everything and shouted at the top of his lungs, "It's the village head's son, Zhou Zhiyi! I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, ask them! If I tell even a single lie, I'll be struck by lightning!"

After roaring for a long time, the man didn't even dare to open his eyes, and his body kept shaking, as if waiting for the judgment of fate.

Until, Chu Ci's cold voice sounded in his ears. "What is Zhou Zhiyi's purpose?"

Only then did the man realize that his life was temporarily saved. He breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still frightened.

"I don't know. But I know someone does." He quickly pointed to a man in the crowd and said, "That's him, Zhou Zhiyi's uncle Xiangxue."

"Don't be fooled by his name, my dear. He is just an uneducated, unskilled, and unscrupulous scoundrel."

"Perhaps Zhou Zhiyi's actions today were his idea." The man's face was filled with eager flattery. To completely distance himself from the matter, he continued, "Zhou Zhiyi is usually arrogant and domineering, relying on his father being the village head to do evil things."

"This incident was most likely planned by him and that unreliable uncle."

Since he had sold Zhou Zhiyi out to save his life, he might as well be more thorough and perhaps bring down the village head. As the man spoke, he quickly made a plan in his mind: if he could please this noble man, he might not only save his life but also reap the benefits.

Thinking of this, the man's face became even more flattering, his waist bent even lower, and his head nodded like pounding garlic.

Chu Ci also did as he wished, nodded slightly and said: "Let him go!"

Su Wu was stunned at first, then he loosened his grip on the man and looked at Chu Ci with a puzzled look on his face. He said, "Princess, this man's words may not be credible. If we just let him go, what if..."

At this moment, someone in the oppressed crowd immediately saw their opportunity and shouted impatiently, "I, I can testify. Niu Saner didn't lie, and I also know why Zhou Zhiyi asked us to come here to cause trouble."

The person who spoke looked anxious, afraid of missing this opportunity to make amends. He stared at Chu Ci, but saw that Chu Ci was unmoved.

He quickly told what he knew: "Three days ago, I was a little short of money, so I went to find Xiang Xue, ready to take on some work. But I didn't expect to see Zhou Zhiyi nodding and bowing to a noble young man."

"That nobleman is dressed in luxurious clothes, with a priceless jade pendant hanging around his waist. It's obvious that he's of high status."

"I was hiding in a corner when I heard that nobleman say that if Zhou Zhiyi could ruin the business here, he would give him a place in some imperial academy in the capital."

"Zhou Zhiyi agreed on the spot and promised to get the job done."

"My lord, everything I said is true, not a single word is false!"