After Yongqi accidentally kicked a constable's butt, he heard the constable's words. Yongqi was already angry that the constable had wanted to hit Xiaoyanzi, and now it was as if he had found a way to break through. He said coldly.
Everyone kicked the constables' buttocks, and the two protectors even gave Xiao Yanzi the constables' buttocks as a form of affection.
In an instant, the wailing of the constables rose and fell, and the onlookers clapped and cheered.
...
"Sir, why did the government officials smash your stall?"
Ziwei helped up the first old man who had been beaten and asked him softly, which also attracted the attention of the emperor.
"They came to collect taxes. This morning, before I even opened for business, they came to collect taxes. I didn't have any money, so they beat me."
I'm just a broom seller, barely making ends meet. I earn only a few coins a day, how can I afford to pay so many taxes? Heavens above, where is justice? Is there any way for us poor people to survive?
Upon hearing Ziwei's words, the old man looked up at the group of distinguished people around him, and without daring to hide anything, he spoke the truth.
"It's surprising that behind the prosperity, there are still so many complaints."
Hearing the old man's words of defeat, everyone frowned, and the emperor closed his eyes in frustration and sighed.
"Make Er Kang and the others stop and get to the bottom of this."
The scene of disciplining the yamen runners was still ongoing, but the Emperor had lost interest in watching the spectacle and turned to give instructions to Emin beside him.
"Yes, sir, stop."
Emin agreed, and then loudly reminded the few people inside who were fighting hard.
"Can't taxes be collected properly? Why do you have to use sticks on ordinary people?"
Furen couldn't stand it any longer, so he squeezed out of the crowd, his face filled with anger.
"We had no choice. The county magistrate ordered that the case be closed today. If it isn't settled soon, we constables will lose our lives. We were already flogged by our own county magistrate yesterday, twenty strokes each."
A constable kneeling on the ground looked at Fu Lun, who seemed somewhat easy to talk to, and hurriedly tried to exonerate himself.
"What? You were each given twenty strokes of the cane?"
Little Swallow was shocked when she heard what the constables said. She was filled with regret, wishing she hadn't kicked their butts.
She hadn't expected the yamen runners to be beaten with a cane. Having been beaten with a cane herself, she knew how painful it was.
"Are you really injured?"
With an incredulous look on her face, Xiao Yanzi reached out and helped the kneeling yamen runner to his feet.
"The county magistrate is used to abusing his power, using torture to extract confessions, and he never expected him to be so cruel to his own subordinates."
An older woman in the crowd also shared her impressions of the county magistrate, which drew nods of agreement from those around her. They hadn't expected that the yamen runners would be beaten.
Looking at the people in front of her, Xiao Yanzi felt extremely regretful and reached out to pry open the buttocks of the yamen runners to check their injuries.
Yongqi kept a close eye on Xiaoyanzi and figured out her intentions. He didn't expect Xiaoyanzi to be so fierce.
He quickly reached out and grabbed Xiao Yanzi's restless hand, and gave Benjamin, who was standing next to him, a wink.
Ertai and Yongxuan clearly saw through Xiaoyanzi's intentions. Seeing the two exchanging glances, they knew that it was impossible for the two protectors not to help Xiaoyanzi fulfill her "wish".
The two immediately flew back to the two girls who were standing beside the emperor, watching how things were developing.
Then, with lightning speed, one person reached out and covered one of the girls' eyes.
Just as the two men reached out to cover Chen Nian and Qing'er's eyes, Benjamin and Er Kang also happened to pull down the yamen runner's pants.
Looking at the two girls beside him whose eyes were completely covered, Ertai Yongxuan said they were very satisfied with his speed.
Yongqi and the others didn't care if Xiaoyanzi looked at them, but it was different for them; they cared about what their own girls looked at. They didn't want their girls to see other men's butts.
With their vision suddenly blocked, both Shen Nian and Qing'er were momentarily stunned. They subconsciously blinked, their long eyelashes brushing against each other's palms. Only the two of them knew what they felt.
“Sir, they have indeed been tortured, and each of them has injuries.”
"Sir, we've already checked them; they're injured. They were beaten way too badly."
Erkang and Benjamin worked together and quickly completed the confirmation. Without wasting a moment, they rushed back to report to the Emperor.
“Let’s go pay him a visit.”
Upon hearing Erkang and the other man's report, the Emperor frowned even more deeply and spoke coldly to the two beside him.
...
With the Emperor's involvement, the matter was resolved satisfactorily, Duan Kui was stripped of his official hat, and of course, his identity was exposed once again.
The talk of traveling in a low-key manner was just talk; he kept revealing his identity along the way, which further enhanced his reputation and won him everyone's applause.
...
Night falls.
"Niannian, are you still worried about how to face Yongxuan?"
Qing'er turned her head to look at the person leaning on her shoulder, stroked Chen Nian's waist, and pulled him closer to her.
"Qing'er, I can't get over this. He abandoned me without a word, and now he's back without a word, catching me completely off guard. I wasn't prepared at all."
If he had talked to me properly back then, I wouldn't have let him go. He made me experience the feeling of being abandoned again.
She gazed at the bright moon outside the window, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, her expression filled with sorrow, and spoke softly.
She couldn't forgive Yongxuan anytime soon.
Give her some time...
"again?"
Qing'er looked at the little man with his delicate brows furrowed and his eyes filled with sorrow, and felt a pang of heartache. When she heard Chen Nian's words "again," doubt returned to her eyes.
Once again? How could it be once again?
What exactly did Nian Nian experience in places unknown to her and the Empress Dowager?
Qing'er couldn't understand it, but pondering those casual words was enough to make her heart ache.
She thought she knew Nian Nian well, but after going out with her, she realized that there were many things she didn't understand about Nian Nian.
"It's alright, Qing'er, just give me some time to calm down."
Shen Nian sensed the doubt in Qing'er's words, but did not answer. Instead, he changed the subject and spoke softly.
She couldn't possibly tell Qing'er that she came from another world, could she? She had a past life, a chaotic, desolate one, a past life in which she herself didn't know how to survive...
"Niannian, follow your heart. We're not in a hurry, let's take it slow."
He won't leave again. You have plenty of time to observe him. If you're really angry, we can torment him as much as we want, making him do hard labor and run errands for you.
Qing'er sighed and raised her hand to stroke Chen Nian's head.
She's been talking to Yongxuan a lot lately and has learned that he's not living the good, carefree life they thought he was...
...
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