The fish was already struggling to breathe, and all she hoped for was that someone would see the mint leaves she had scattered on the road.
Ha! How ridiculous! She's a complete stranger in Taizhou. Why would anyone who knows her come here? And why would anyone follow the signs to come and rescue her?
------
Early the next morning.
Cuiwei and Jiu'er stood by the bed and saw that Chenyu's neck was bruised and her fingers were bloody. The two maids were already in tears, but dared not cry out.
Shen Yu opened her eyes, and the two maids quickly stepped forward to inquire after her: "Is Miss hungry?"
[What's wrong, young lady? Should we call a doctor?]
Chen Yu was shocked and grabbed Cuiwei and Jiu'er's hands, asking anxiously, "Weren't you taken away by the Empress? How come I'm seeing you? Could it be that I'm already dead...?"
Cuiwei and Jiu'er were already in tears, choking back sobs: "Miss, after you jumped off the cliff, Her Majesty the Empress ordered everyone to search for you. Shen Lan and Chi Yan have also come."
[Has the young lady regained her memory? You still use herbs as markers, just like before. We first learned from the guards in Qinghe County that a carriage carrying an unconscious woman was heading south, so we searched for her in Taizhou. On the way, we found the mint leaves she had left behind, which led us to the dock.]
Shen Yu nodded, hugging Cuiwei and Jiu'er tightly. Before she could even cry, she stood up and asked, "Have you seen the cripple? Yu Ansheng, Liu Yu?"
The two maids stopped crying and started laughing. Cuiwei wiped away her tears and replied, "Miss, we met Young Master Liu on our way here. When he heard that you were missing, he came with us to the dock and rescued you. He carried you here and even applied medicine to your hand."
Unexpectedly, Young Master Mu arrived, claiming he was acting on imperial orders to apprehend the traitor Yu Ansheng. Young Master Liu then accompanied him back to the capital to explain the truth to the Emperor, who ordered them to bring the young lady safely back to the capital, promising a reunion at the Hundred Herbs Garden.
Despite tears streaming down her face, Chen Yu smiled as she looked at her bloodied and mangled fingers. She lifted her hands and shuffled off the bed, ignoring the pain in her buttocks.
As soon as she stepped out of the room, Shen Lan came up to her and handed her a token.
【Young lady, the Empress has ordered us to find you and has given you this token. The magistrate of Taizhou County has offended you. What do you wish to do?】
After a moment's thought, Chen Yu immediately ordered, "[Follow me to the yamen and have the wife of the Prefect of Taizhou imprisoned.]"
9:00 AM (巳时).
The streets were already bustling with people. Shen Yu, along with Shen Lan and Chi Yan, and eight guards, stormed into the yamen.
The county magistrate, his face contorted with rage, led dozens of constables to surround Shen Yu and his entourage. Shrinking back, he pointed at Shen Yu and shouted:
"Well, you nameless coward, you fled yesterday to escape punishment, and even ambushed and knocked me unconscious. Now you dare to deliver yourself to my doorstep..."
Shen Lan shoved the county magistrate aside, brandished her token, and shouted: "Insolence! The Empress's token is here! Kneel down!"
The yamen runners knelt down in fear.
The county magistrate was furious, glaring at Shen Lan with bared teeth, and stepped forward to examine the token.
It was indeed the Empress's token. The county magistrate, terrified, knelt and pleaded, "Miss Chenyu, please forgive my rudeness. I never imagined you would end up here, which is why this misunderstanding occurred."
Chen Yu waved her hand, and two guards tied up the county magistrate and threw him at the entrance of the yamen.
Passersby dared not stop and quickly moved away.
Shen Yu was heartbroken at the sight. She had once thought of staying away from power struggles and living a peaceful life.
But now, the people of the world are living in dire straits, officials protect each other and disregard human life. She was almost killed by Madam Yu and the county magistrate. She could not turn a blind eye and stand idly by when these wicked people harmed her.
She stood at the entrance of the yamen and shouted: "The magistrate of Taizhou County has abused his power and perverted justice, making arbitrary judgments. Today, I, Mu Chenyu, am here to seek justice for everyone and punish the wicked! If you have any grievances, you can submit your petitions directly."
Upon hearing this, the people gathered together and whispered among themselves: "Who is Mu Chenyu?"
[A renowned doctor in the capital, she is also a great philanthropist; she once donated a thousand cotton quilts to soldiers on the northern frontier.]
Do you remember that year's floods? Wasn't it Mu Chenyu who came to treat our illnesses?
Yes, Mu Chenyu is trustworthy. Finally, someone is punishing corrupt officials for us.
[God, you've finally opened your eyes...]
Even as darkness fell, people continued to submit petitions.
Looking at the tall stack of petitions, Chen Yu frowned and sighed repeatedly. "I never imagined that in this small city of Taizhou, so many grievances would go unaddressed."
Shen Lan slammed her hand on the petition, angrily saying, "The county magistrate dared to illegally collect grain! This matter was reported to the prefect, but the prefect did absolutely nothing!"
Chi Yan hurriedly handed Shen Yu a petition, saying, "Miss, you see, Yu Ansheng infiltrated the Japanese pirate camp to gather intelligence, not as a traitor. The prefect of Taizhou and his wife concealed the truth, causing the world to wrongly accuse Yu Ansheng. Furthermore, the prefect's wife even murdered Yu Ansheng's mother. I urge Miss Shen Yu to seek justice for Yu Ansheng and his mother."
Shen Yu picked up the envelope and saw that it was a petition written by Yu Jingtao.
It seems that Taizhou has become a place where officials protect each other and disregard the law.
The following day at noon.
Chen Yu sat upright on the execution ground, and when the time arrived, she threw down the execution token and shouted, "The time has come! Execute!"
Spare his life!
Prefect Yu rushed over, leaped onto the execution platform, and stood before Chen Yu, roaring angrily:
[You are a woman, what right do you have to execute them... Even if they were truly at fault, that should be handled by the Court of Judicial Review, what qualifications do you have?]
Chen Yu raised her eyes to look at Prefect Yu. He was dressed in a coarse cloth robe, and his face was thin and sallow. He was clearly a poor and frugal person.
Shen Yu rose and bowed, then presented the token to Prefect Yu with both hands, saying, "Lord Yu, I have the Empress's token, which allows me to execute traitors first and report later."
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