Chapter 39 The drums of grievance resounded through the heavens!
Su Jingge didn't say anything, but just followed the yamen runners who came to escort her.
Once inside the cell, it was completely dark, with no sunlight at all, except for two oil lamps hanging on the wall, which flickered in the wind.
A damp smell mixed with the stench of blood entered my nostrils.
Su Jingge was pushed into one of the rooms.
He sat cross-legged on the straw mat, closed his eyes, and rested.
They framed them; there's no evidence to support their claims. This is all fabricated by Zhao Liuzi.
They probably intend to use torture as the next step.
Confessions obtained through torture.
She was stalling for time, wondering how the timber was progressing on Qingyue's side.
-
Restaurant.
Xiao Linyuan overheard several merchants who had come from the surrounding area, as well as mushroom pickers and hunters from a neighboring town, talking:
Guess what I saw today?
"What did you see? A dancer?"
"Oh no, I saw something even more interesting than the dancers. It was bandits clearing wasteland. What a strange thing!"
My friend, who was traveling with me, asked in surprise, "Huh? Mountain bandits clearing wasteland? What does that mean?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the restaurant gathered around.
Xiao Linyuan, who had come down to the second floor, was not in a good mood. When he heard about this, he figured it must be the matter that Su Jingge had asked him to do earlier that day.
The job is here!
A man flew down from the second floor, flipped over the front desk, and then, feigning calmness, lowered his eyes and picked up a pen.
The group was startled.
"Tell me quickly!" the man said impatiently.
"It looks like they're logging and transporting timber downstream; there seems to be quite a lot."
"Logging? What's so strange about that? Mountain bandits are just robbers; they're probably just trying to smuggle timber."
Someone shook their head: "No, the bandits may look like robbers, but they've never robbed a single merchant or a single civilian, have they?"
The hunter then spoke up: "That day I went hunting in the mountains and accidentally cut my leg on a broken tree branch. It was dark then, and I was about to die on the mountain because I couldn't drag this wild boar down there. Then I saw a group of people holding torches."
"They were all incredibly fierce, and I was terrified. They were clearly bandits!"
"Huh? What happened next?" More people's eyes widened, and they all gathered around out of curiosity.
"Later, I was so scared that I knelt down and begged for mercy. I said, 'Take the pig, and I'll give you the only silver I have, just don't kill me.'"
"Who knew that the man in the lead would chuckle and say: 'Do you think we're mountain bandits or robbers?'"
The man stood up and gestured: "That guy, he picked me up in one go, like he was carrying a young maiden, and took me back to the mountain for treatment."
"Huh? Treatment? That's impossible, right? Bandits wouldn't be so kind, would they??"
The hunter patted his chest confidently: "I never lie to anyone. Everyone in the market area, and even the wild boars that restaurants buy, knows me, Tiemu. Those bandits even brought me down to the foot of the mountain, and they didn't even touch a hair on the boar. They brought it down to me too."
"I have to thank them for saving my life, no matter what. I have to give them this pig."
Several customers nodded in agreement: "That's right, it's only right to give them the pig, since they saved you."
With tears in his eyes, Tie Mu shook his head: "They didn't want mine. They said they weren't bandits, not the kind of bandits who kill, burn, loot, and plunder. They said it was just their name, 'bandits.'"
Another person at the next table said, "Yes, last time, my older sister came with me to pick mushrooms in the Western Hills. We encountered wild boars and saw bandits. I protected my sister and thought, 'This is it, they're definitely going to hurt us!'"
"Who knew that after rescuing us, they would escort us down the mountain!"
"Yes, I even saw them going down the mountain to buy things. They were even carrying vegetables for the vendors. The vendors were terrified, but they were also incredibly shocked. It's unbelievable that bandits were carrying vegetables!"
"To express their gratitude, the farmers offered them vegetables, but they refused, saying they were not bandits and that they had to be paid for them."
The hunter gazed at the crowd with a leisurely air: "Later, I realized that they were just called bandits, but their actions were not those of bandits!"
The man downed a large bowl of wine, his heart filled with bitterness: "The real bandit is Zhao Zhou, and now I've heard that our assistant is in jail, and his fate is still unknown!"
"The world is a cruel place, and it's hard for good people to get ahead!"
The crowd was filled with grief and indignation.
"Come, since we've met, let's raise a glass and drink together."
Xiao Linyuan wrote down every single sentence.
He now understood why Su Jingge had cooperated with the bandits.
The bandits not only cured her brain, but also did a lot of good things for the people.
As it approached the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), Qingyue could no longer sit still. She put the cloak on Su Jingge and then tucked the short blade into her sleeve.
"I'll go pick up Miss," Qingyue told Xiao Linyuan.
Xiao Linyuan did not stop him and nodded.
After the person left, Fei Jian still hadn't returned, so he went up to the roof of the restaurant.
-
At the entrance of the yamen, Qingyue shouted, "Release him! Release Zhao Zhou!"
The government office opened.
She was forked out.
However, he knew he couldn't take action, otherwise going in would be a minor matter, but it would also delay the young lady's affairs.
After being forked out twice, the bailiff coldly warned:
"If you cause any more trouble, I'll throw you in jail!"
Qingyue took two steps back.
She saw the grievance drum at the entrance of the government office.
Got it!
Pick up the drumsticks, take a deep breath, and use all your strength.
'Dong dong dong dong, dong dong dong dong dong dong'
The deafening drumbeats spread rapidly, causing the large, ochre-red drum to tremble and vibrate.
The vibrations caused the iron bells hanging under the eaves to clang loudly.
The shock caused the boiling tea in the nearby teahouse to slosh around, splashing a few drops onto the table.
The drummer seemed to have put all his strength into the mallet, striking one after another. Before the aftershocks of the previous sound could subside, the next sound would explode with a bang.
The sound echoed through the streets and alleys.
The news spread throughout the neighborhood.
It spread to every household.
The bailiff opened the door:
Who is beating the drum?
Upon seeing Qingyue, the group was filled with rage:
"What? It's you again? Beat these troublemakers to death with sticks!"
"Let's see who dares!" Qingyue pointed at them with a drumstick. "I'm beating this drum to appeal for justice, do you dare to stop me? This is a drum established by the imperial court, a rule set by the sage. If you dare to stop me, you are showing contempt for the imperial court and disobeying the imperial decree."
"Tell Zhao Zhou to come out here!"
"You, you, you!"
The group was terrified, and none of them dared to move.
The constable gave a wink, signaling him to go and fetch someone.
At this time, a large crowd had gathered at the entrance of the government office, completely surrounding it.
Criticism began to emerge.
Zhao Zhou listened to music while eating, watching the bowls on the table swaying.
Then they saw constables and other officials rushing towards them in a panic from afar.
"My lord, something terrible has happened!"
"The servants of Assistant Minister Su are making a scene demanding your release. They are beating the drum to appeal for justice, and they are saying that if you don't come out, it's an act of contempt for the court and an act of defiance against the Emperor!"
Zhao Zhou's pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately set off:
"Go and take a look quickly."
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