Chapter 232 A stampede occurs at the examination hall; Jiang Jinyan steps in to maintain order.
Because too many people gathered outside the examination hall today, and some people were jeering, a stampede occurred on the spot, and cries of pain rose again. Jiang Zhiqin and Jiang Can were also in the crowd. Fortunately, they were agile and were not pushed over by the crowd, but the others were in a terrible state.
He even saw his mother, second sister, and sister-in-law being swept away by the crowd in an instant.
Jiang Zhiqin knew martial arts, and he said to Jiang Can, "Quickly save people." After saying that, he squeezed past his mother.
Despite his young age, Jiang Can was quite agile and caught Jiang Rumeng. "Second Miss."
Jiang Rumeng nearly fell as well; in this situation, if someone tripped her, she wouldn't be able to get up. She asked, "Where's my sister-in-law?"
Zhang Yumo was also separated from them, and her maid was no longer by her side. She was pushed to walk in the opposite direction from them. She dared not stop, because if she stopped, she might be pushed and trampled. With so many people, her stomach might be crushed.
At this time, there were still people making a fuss. There weren't many soldiers and officers, and they couldn't manage the situation. They were all being pushed into the examination hall, and the people inside the examination hall were also blocked from coming out.
As Zhang Yumo was about to be swallowed up by the crowd, she felt someone pushing her hard from behind. If it weren't for the people in front of her, she would have given up long ago.
Just then, the soldiers arrived at the scene to maintain order, but it was too chaotic, and their arrival was of no use. They shouted, "Stop pushing, step back!"
It would have been better if she had kept quiet, but once she made a sound, she was pushed around by a large group of people, and Zhang Yumo was also tripped up.
At this moment, Jiang Jinyan, Xiao Yu, and the Cheng brothers arrived at the scene. Seeing the chaotic scene at the entrance of the examination hall, they realized that if everyone pushed their way in, someone might die.
Xiao Yu said, "Brother Jiang, such a disturbance is probably deliberately orchestrated by someone."
Jiang Jinyan also saw it. He said to the Cheng brothers, "You are people who have been on the battlefield. It is up to you how to intimidate people. Listen to my command later."
He quickly found the officers and soldiers who had come to maintain order and said, "Put away your knives, tell everyone to stop running, stand still and don't push each other. Anyone who causes trouble will be arrested."
Seeing his scholarly appearance, the officers and soldiers said, "Who are you? Why should we listen to you?"
Jiang Jinyan took out a token representing his identity, and the officers and soldiers immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing it, saying, "This humble officer greets Marquis Wu'an."
Jiang Jinyan didn't waste any words with him. "Have your men guard several positions. Don't let anyone escape, especially suspicious people... If anyone dares to deliberately cause trouble, arrest them directly."
After giving his instructions, Jiang Jinyan said to the Cheng brothers, "Brother Cheng, we will split into three groups."
Jiang Jinyan used his lightness skill to leap over the crowd and arrive precisely in front of the Dengwen Drum. Then, as the drum was struck, one sound after another seemed to shatter the sky.
As the drum sounded, the chaotic scene instantly froze. No one dared to move. The consequence of striking the Dengwen Drum was that it would directly alarm the emperor. It was only allowed to strike if there was a serious injustice. Striking it recklessly could result in execution.
Anyone who dares to make another move will be the instigator of this riot.
The Cheng brothers were also sharp-eyed and saw that someone was indeed deliberately making trouble. They accurately identified two people, and the people around them dared not cause any more trouble. Seeing their imposing manner, they thought they were some kind of officials.
At this point, officers and soldiers began to slowly evacuate the crowd.
Jiang Jinyan put down the drumsticks and saw Zhang Yumo fall to the ground in the crowd. He was anxious and used his lightness skill to get to her side, pull her up and hold her in his arms.
Zhang Yumo saw him and said, "Husband."
Jiang Jinyan asked, "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing, I just got stepped on a few times. Luckily, when the Dengwen Drum was played, everyone was too scared to move, so I wasn't trampled badly."
Jiang Jinyan glanced around and indeed spotted several suspicious people. He subtly winked at the Cheng brothers.
At this time, soldiers were evacuating the crowd outside, and the situation inside became much more relaxed.
Many people were trampled in this accident, and some were even seriously injured. No one is in immediate danger of losing their life. Everyone is covered in bruises, especially the women and young ladies who do not know how to protect themselves and are more seriously injured.
At this time, the people from the Five Cities Garrison also arrived at the scene.
Jiang Jinyan inquired about the cause of the accident and learned that someone had been caught cheating. If this was true, it would be a serious matter.
Thanks to the protection of Jiang Zhiqin and Jiang Can, neither Jiang Rumeng nor Feng Jingyuan were injured.
Seeing the bruises on Zhang Yumo's fingers, the two asked with concern, "Mo'er, are you badly injured? Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"Mom, I'm fine. Someone just stepped on my finger. It'll be fine in a few days."
She pulled Jiang Jinyan aside again. "When I was in the crowd just now, I could walk around and it didn't feel so crowded. But the person behind me seemed to be pushing my vest like crazy, as if they wanted to push me down on purpose. If I hadn't been close to the person in front of me, I would have been pushed down and probably trampled on."
Jiang Jinyan took her hand in his palm. "I know. Do you still remember what the person who pushed you looked like?"
"I felt something was off, so I took a look and even turned around to tell everyone to stop pushing and walk slowly. There was a black scar on the neck of the person behind me, like a mole. There were too many people, so I wasn't sure if he was the one who pushed me."
Jiang Jinyan had Zhang Yumo follow them, and then went to find Yang Sishi. He didn't mention the situation to avoid alerting the enemy, but only asked him to register everyone present, leaving no one out.
There are too many people now, so doing this is very time-consuming and laborious.
Although Yang Zheng did not understand the Marquis of Wu'an's intentions, he was the Crown Princess's elder brother. Now that the Crown Prince was assisting in the administration of state affairs, this matter would inevitably reach His Highness the Crown Prince sooner or later. No matter how difficult it was, he had to handle the matter well. "Don't worry, Marquis of Wu'an. It's right to leave this matter to our Five Cities Garrison. I will definitely handle it well."
Jiang Jinyan not only holds the title of Marquis, but is also the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a higher official position than Yang Zheng. Moreover, he is in charge of the security of Shengjing City. If such a serious stampede were to be brought before the Crown Prince, he would have something to report.
Therefore, Yang Zheng handled this matter with particular caution and urgency. After all, a new emperor brings a new court, and he had worked with the crown prince before, so he was somewhat familiar with him.
The current Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture is Zhang Anyu. While the Crown Prince was away fighting, Zhang Anyu handled all the official business of Jingzhao Prefecture. Moreover, Lord Zhang even flattered the Crown Princess. Therefore, Yang Zheng thought that there was a reason why Lord Zhang was promoted so quickly.
Jiang Jinyan also handed over the two men that the Cheng brothers had captured to Yang Zheng.
The two men, also dressed as scholars, kept shouting, "Why are you holding onto us like this?"
Jiang Jinyan deliberately said, "Because someone identified you as the one who stepped on him, we are now taking you back to the yamen. If that is true, you will have to compensate the other party."
The two almost laughed in anger, "With so many people around, who can prove that we stepped on them? I could also say that I was stepped on and injured, who will compensate me?"
"That's perfect. You can also identify the person who stepped on you. If it's true, the government will seek justice and compensation for you."
Yang Zhengdao said, "Take them away." He didn't expect that Marquis Wu'an would catch two suspects so quickly. He really is a great talent. His mind is sharp, unlike him, a rough man who only knows how to arrest people.
Yang Zheng also learned to be smarter and brought all the suspicious cases back to the yamen for further consideration.
Jiang Jinyan, Xiao Yu, and the Cheng brothers were all students who had taken the exam and performed very well. Since the incident was caused by someone claiming that the candidates had cheated, they felt it inappropriate to stay there. After explaining the situation to Yang Zheng, they quietly left.
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