Chapter 573 They Want to Kill Me
De'an Lane was home to many scholars and minor officials of the eighth or ninth rank. It was nearing noon, and everyone was returning from the city.
Scholars stood side by side, talking and discussing animatedly, while some women bought vegetables and went back to their courtyards to prepare lunch. Children ran around in the alley—a perfectly ordinary scene.
However, amidst this harmony, screams suddenly rang out.
"Help! Help!"
A woman covered in blood suddenly ran out of an alley, stumbled and fell to the ground, looking at the alley with horror on her face.
A crowd surged forward, the women helped Cheng Wanwan up, while the men boldly walked into the alley.
Upon entering, there was blood everywhere, a gleaming knife, and three men lying on the ground, convulsing.
The three men were convulsing, but there was no blood on them. On the contrary, the woman who ran out was covered in blood, with blood on her head, face, and clothes soaked in blood.
"They... they want to kill me..." Cheng Wanwan started spitting blood as soon as she opened her mouth. "I, I'm from Sui'an, they're from the Ye family, they want to murder me... Who can help me report it to the police..."
The crowd erupted in uproar.
People from Sui'an!
The Ye family!
Aren't these two groups of people currently in the eye of the storm?
I never expected that the Ye family would assassinate people from Sui'an in broad daylight. Is there any law in this world?
The enthusiastic women present immediately agreed to report to the police, and some even wanted to send Cheng Wanwan to the clinic.
She gasped and said, "Let's not go to the clinic first. Let's report to the authorities first and let the prefect see how arrogant the Ye family is..."
"The Ye family is utterly despicable! First they harassed the maid of the Sui'an man, then they almost beat the Sui'an man's son to death, and now the Sui'an man himself is nearly killed!" an old man said angrily. "Let's go, we'll all go to Shuntian Prefecture to be witnesses!"
Someone brought a carriage and let Cheng Wanwan lie down inside, with a woman taking care of her.
The woman's eyes were red: "Like Sui'an people, I also come from humble beginnings, am a widow, and have four sons. But I don't have Sui'an people's abilities, and I'm still struggling to survive... It's so hard being a widow these days. Sui'an people finally achieved what they have today, but almost died at the hands of the Ye family. Sui'an people, don't worry, I will definitely testify for you!"
Cheng Wanwan lay on the carriage, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Just as Ye Lingbo was about to make his move in the alley, she pulled out a stun gun, and the three grown men were instantly electrocuted.
Then, she took out the blood bag that had been prepared long ago from the space, and cut the blood bag with the weapon brought by Ye Lingbo, and blood immediately filled the entire alley.
To make it more realistic, she even made a few cuts on her arm. As for the wound on her forehead, she added more blood so it would be impossible to tell if it was real or fake...
She covered herself in blood, which looked scary, but in reality, she only felt pain in her arms.
These ordinary people clearly didn't see anything, yet they were willing to testify for her. In a way, this can be considered as a result of the good deeds she had done in the past.
The carriage slowly made its way towards Shuntian Prefecture.
With such a large group of people coming to report the case, the Shuntian Prefecture naturally had to take it seriously.
Both parties involved were carried inside—Cheng Wanwan was "seriously injured," while Ye Lingbo remained unconscious for unknown reasons…
Before the Shuntian prefect could say anything, the enthusiastic people told him the whole story.
The prefect was immediately troubled. Why was the matter between the Ye family and the people of Sui'an never-ending, and even escalating to the point where it had reached him?
I heard that the Emperor has dealt with the Grand General, but he hasn't really taken a firm stance against the Ye family. The Emperor's attitude is unpredictable, so I don't know exactly how to sentence them. Fortunately, Ye Lingbo, one of the parties involved, is in a coma, so the trial can be conducted slowly...
Cheng Wanwan lay half-reclined on the ground, her head resting on a woman's lap. From the magistrate's expression, she knew what he was worried about.
There's still Consort Yun in the palace, perfectly fine. Who would dare to really harm Consort Yun's family?
She turned her head, looked outside, and raised her hand slightly.
Cheng Zhao squeezed through the crowd: "Your Excellency, I am Cheng Zhao, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy. I have a case to report."
The prefect was eager to have something else to distract him and had Cheng Zhao brought in.
As soon as Cheng Zhao entered, seven or eight commoners followed him in a flurry. As soon as they entered, they all knelt down on the ground.
A woman wiped away her tears and said, "I beg you, Your Excellency, to uphold justice for my daughter! Half a year ago, my girl was selling handkerchiefs on the street outside the city when she was kidnapped and raped by the eldest son of the Ye family. Afterwards, he gave us two taels of silver and sent us away... But my daughter has gone mad ever since. What will become of her now..."
A man in his thirties also cried, "My daughter was also kidnapped and raped by that bastard Ye Lingbo. My daughter jumped into a well and died that night. My family has no one to turn to for help. Please, sir, please help my daughter!"
Others also cried out, most of them saying their daughters had been abused, and two others saying their sons had been beaten and crippled in the street.
"We can all testify!"
"Yes, we saw some things with our own eyes!"
The neighbors all spoke up.
The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was filled with disbelief. How could so many heinous incidents have occurred in the capital city of the Son of Heaven?
It can be said that both the people of Sui'an and the Ye family were at fault, so he was struggling with how to try the case... But the grievances of these ordinary people were obviously being suppressed. If they were not handled properly, his career as the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture would probably be over.
He slammed his gavel down: "You all speak slowly, one by one. Clerk, go and write the indictment. Someone, bring a basin of water and splash it on Ye Lingbo to wake him up!"
This means the court is about to officially begin proceedings.
Cheng Wanwan closed her eyes and fainted.
Shen Zheng, Granny Yang, Granny Qiao, and others were already waiting outside. After she fainted, they immediately took her out and helped her into the carriage.
Granny Yang bandaged up all the wounds on her body with gauze, making it look slightly bloody, mainly to make her look more pitiful.
She changed into plain clothes in the carriage and said, "Go straight to the palace."
Granny Qiao held a token in her hand. It was sent by the Empress yesterday to deliver a message to the palace. With this token, one could enter the palace directly.
Cheng Wanwan's eyebrows and eyes were very serious.
She had to cut off the Ye family's last remaining path, namely Consort Yun.
The Empress trusts her, which is why she gave her this token. If she succeeds, both she and the Empress will benefit; if she fails, she will have implicated the Empress.
Therefore, only success is allowed, failure is not permitted.
The carriage sped toward the palace gate. After showing their tokens, they were allowed to pass. However, once they reached the second gate, they could no longer ride in the carriage. Granny Qiao and Granny Yang helped Cheng Wanwan walk toward the inner palace, one on each side.
Granny Qiao whispered, "Every day at this time, Consort Yun would take the Fifth Prince to play in the Imperial Garden."
Cheng Wanwan nodded and followed Granny Qiao toward the Imperial Garden.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Garden, they heard Consort Yun's scolding voice: "How could I have given birth to such a stupid son? He can't even say the words 'Father Emperor' properly. What use are you to me..."
Immediately, the Fifth Prince burst into tears.
"Cry, cry, cry! All you do is cry all day! Take him away right now!"
Yunpin's voice was full of impatience.
Cheng Wanwan twitched the corners of her lips. A child who is only one year old is not going to say the words "Father Emperor" so easily. This Consort Yun is really crazy for the sake of winning the Emperor's favor.
She deliberately made a little noise, and Consort Yun looked up, her face immediately turning even colder: "Isn't this a Sui'an person? What brings you to the palace?"
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