His crazed appearance left the surrounding crowd stunned once again.
"What?! We meant well!"
"Exactly, they were beaten but didn't dare to report it to the authorities. Could it be that they did something wrong?"
Qin Qing watched him go crazy on the side without feeling the slightest ripple in her heart…
At this moment, a group of officers and soldiers hurriedly arrived...
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! What happened?"
The head constable looked very dignified, but when his gaze fell on the man on the ground, he immediately revealed a fawning smile.
"Young Master Liu? Why are you sitting on the ground? Quick, help me up! Huh? What happened to the injury on your face? Who is so arrogant as to dare to do this to you..."
Before he could finish speaking, the people around him started to jeer.
"It was this old lady who beat him up. She almost crippled him. What kind of hatred could she have? It hurts just watching her."
"Exactly, exactly. They beat a perfectly healthy person so badly they're almost brain-damaged."
Listening to everyone's chatter, the head constable immediately frowned and carefully examined Qin Qing, seemingly trying to determine if the other party was some kind of royalty or nobleman. After finally confirming, his expression immediately turned ugly.
"Guards, take this wicked woman back to the yamen!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Qing's face turned pale again, and he quickly grabbed the head constable, saying nervously.
"No, I won't go to the government! I... I don't blame this old woman. She probably didn't do it on purpose. I won't stoop to her level. I think she knows she was wrong, so let's just let it go this time!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked on with admiration and praise, occasionally letting out sighs of surprise. They never expected that the Grand Tutor's son would have such a broad mind, which showed his excellent character!
Even the head constable was a little confused. The Liu Qing, the son of the Grand Tutor, that he remembered was not that kind of person!
Hearing everyone's praise, Liu Qing felt even more aggrieved. He forced a smile on his face and secretly threatened Qin Qing with his eyes. After all, his mother loved him very much, so he thought that what he said just now was just an angry outburst.
After all, what mother doesn't want her son to get better and better?
The constable didn't think much of it and looked at Qin Qing impatiently.
"Did you hear that? Young Master Liu is very magnanimous and said he won't stoop to your level. Hurry up and kneel down to thank him, or you'll be in for a beating!"
Despite the crowd's rebukes, Qin Qing remained unmoved until Liu Qing looked at her with a commanding yet disdainful gaze, at which point she finally let out a mocking "pfft."
The laughter quickly drew everyone's attention, but Qin Qing, seemingly unconcerned, took a few steps forward. A smug glint flashed in Liu Qing's eyes. "I knew it!" he thought. "His mother's still that ignorant and foolish village woman!" A slight smile played on his lips, making him appear rather elegant...
"Auntie, let it go this time, but you can't do it again..."
As Liu Qing was uttering his insincere words, Qin Qing stopped in front of him. Just when everyone thought she was about to kneel down and apologize…
"Slap!" "Slap!"
Under everyone's shocked gaze, Qin Qing reached out and slapped Liu Qing hard across the face, and before they could react, she slapped him again!
Two slaps abruptly interrupted Liu Qing's next words, completely shattering his expectations! He stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at Qin Qing. Noticing the mockery and disgust in her eyes, a sense of foreboding suddenly welled up inside him.
At this moment, the head constable finally came to his senses and shouted loudly.
"Guards, seize him!"
Upon hearing this, the constables behind her rushed forward and grabbed Qin Qing to prevent her from continuing to beat Liu Qing.
Qin Qing didn't resist, she just smiled and looked at Liu Qing!
The crowd was also indignant, believing that Qin Qing was ungrateful and too arrogant.
Surrounded by a crowd, the two sides arrived at Shuntian Prefecture...
Liu Qing's expression was not good the whole way. He would glance at Qin Qing from time to time, and then couldn't help but look away. To others, this scene looked like he was afraid of Qin Qing!
In reality, he was extremely uneasy. His childhood habit made him feel that his mother would definitely hide his identity for the sake of her son's future. However, the beating he suffered last night made him feel that something had changed without him realizing it!
Before long, the first court session of the day in Shuntian Prefecture began…
"Slap! Who is kneeling below the hall?"
The middle-aged man on stage, with a stern face and a slender build, looked very strict and didn't give Liu Qing any special treatment even though he saw her.
Upon seeing this, Qin Qing took a deep breath, her eyes slightly reddening, and her entire aura was completely different from before!
"This humble woman, Mu Qinshi, greets Your Excellency!"
Liu Qing stood aside without saying a word, feeling a bit nervous and wondering. He didn't show much respect to the Prefect on the stage, since his godfather, the Grand Tutor, held a much higher position than the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture!
Upon seeing this, the Prefect of Shuntian frowned and shouted.
"How dare you! Why don't you kneel before me?"
The sound of the gavel startled Liu Qing, who quickly regained his senses and looked at the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture on the platform with a surprised expression. However, the main hall was already crowded with people who had come to watch the spectacle that morning.
"Your Excellency... I am the son of the Grand Tutor, and by virtue of my father's position..."
Before he could finish speaking, the prefect frowned and said...
"That's because the Grand Tutor's position is higher than mine. You have no official rank or merit in court, so why shouldn't you kneel?!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Qing blushed instantly, filled with shame and indignation! He stood frozen in place, as if he could hear the whispers and gossip about him from the crowd in the main hall…
After a long pause, he gritted his teeth, suppressed the humiliation in his heart, and slowly knelt down.
"Liu Qing greets Your Excellency!"
The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture didn't say anything more, but Qin Qing's eyes lit up immediately. It seemed that this Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was much better than that lewd old man in the border town!
(The prefect, far away in the border town, sneezed violently. Who? Who insulted me?)
The constable beside him recounted everything that had happened, causing the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture to frown as he looked at Qin Qing, occasionally glancing at Liu Qing with a strange look.
"Mu Qinshi! Is what Constable Chen said true? You beat up the son of a high-ranking official in the street, and you still insist on reporting it to the authorities?"
As he spoke, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture felt increasingly strange. It was always the common people who were beaten by the powerful and wealthy, and then they would report it to the authorities. How come it was the other way around today?
Qin Qing nodded, admitting his actions with a frank expression, while Liu Qing beside him looked even more nervous and guilty.
"Sir, please don't listen to this madwoman's nonsense! She's just not quite right in the head. I have no intention of blaming her. Let's stop here and not trouble you further."
Seemingly realizing he had spoken too hastily, he quickly made an excuse.
Upon hearing this, Qin Qing couldn't help but roll her eyes. She then pinched her thigh, her eyes instantly turning red. She looked up in disbelief and spoke sarcastically.
"A madwoman? In your eyes, am I a madwoman? Ha! Have you forgotten the kindness of raising you with painstaking care for more than ten years? Or have you forgotten how I ate coarse food and struggled to survive, just to save a few taels of silver for your education? Haha, in your eyes I am a madwoman!"
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