Chapter 423 Drag him away and beat him to death
Jiang Wan Ning put away the long whip in her hand and stood to the side.
Zheng Tong wiped away his tears and walked over to look at Jiang Wan Ning and Li Chongxin.
"It was you thieves who killed my son!"
Jiang Wan Ning was dressed in men's clothing and standing sideways, so Li Chongxin didn't recognize her. He stepped forward and stood in front of Jiang Wan Ning to protect her, saying, "It was all my doing."
"This has nothing to do with anyone else, you corrupt official! I'm here today to take your life. A person like you shouldn't be sitting in this position of public servant; you're not worthy!"
Li spat in Zheng Tong's face, saying "Pah!"
Zheng Tong wiped the spittle off his face and pointed at Li Chongxin and Jiang Wanning, "I don't care who you're with or whether you're on the same side, I will avenge my son today."
"Guards, take them all away. I want to interrogate them myself."
Before Li could speak again, someone in the crowd blocked his way.
What do you want to do?
If everyone stays silent, they won't make way.
Zheng Tong pointed at the people blocking his way, "Very well, I am here today to seek justice for my son, and you have actually joined forces with this villain."
"Since that's the case, I will hold the trial right here today and try you all together."
"Men, seize anyone who blocks our path."
Zheng Tong brought over a hundred soldiers, more than enough to deal with these defenseless civilians.
"You corrupt official, we dare not say anything on ordinary days, but today this brave man is willing to stand up regardless of his own life, so why can't we?"
"This young man is so young yet he is willing to lend a helping hand. If we do not step forward, we will not be good sons of Western Xia."
"right!"
"Well said!"
"You corrupt official, either kill us all today, or we'll drag you to the capital to demand an explanation."
"......"
Everyone chimed in with their opinions, and Zheng Tong said "good" three times in a row, "Good, good, good, you troublemakers."
"Since you dare to rebel today, I will not interrogate you further."
"Men, anyone who obstructs us, execute them on the spot. If anything happens, I will handle it."
"I'll kill these two first, so my son won't be alone on his journey to the underworld."
"Lord Zheng has quite the arrogance."
A clear voice came from the crowd. Zheng Tong looked in the direction of the voice and saw Shen Ruzhi slowly walking out from the crowd.
"And who are you?"
Zheng Tong looked at Shen Ruzhi. She was not very old, and her skin was fair and tender. She looked like someone who couldn't lift a finger or carry anything heavy, and at most knew some fancy but ineffective martial arts.
They probably wanted to take the opportunity to gain some good reputation.
But he was young and impetuous, and chose the wrong person, not knowing Zheng Tong's status in Taohua County.
Zheng Tong looked her over and over again and was certain that the innocent-looking girl in front of him was not someone he couldn't afford to offend. There were only a few people in the vicinity of Peach Blossom County whom he couldn't afford to offend, and Zheng Tong remembered them all.
Officials from the capital would never come to a small place like Peach Blossom County, nor would they even remember it.
Zheng Tong felt no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, he felt sorry for the three young men in front of him.
"Today I will use the blood of the three of you to pay tribute to my son. If you have any complaints, blame yourselves for going astray."
"If you want to gain fame, you should also consider whether you can afford to offend the other party."
Li Chongxin, who hadn't noticed before, now clearly saw who the two boys next to him were.
Surprised, she wanted to speak, but seeing that Shen Ruzhi and Jiang Wanning weren't looking at her, she decided to hold back.
Shen Ruzhi curled her lips slightly and sneered, "Zheng Tong."
"You studied hard for ten years to pass the exam and become the local official. Your family was once poor, so you should understand the hardships of ordinary people's lives."
"Now that he has become an official, he has begun to exploit the people."
Zheng Tong was surprised that this young man, whom he didn't know, knew so much about his past.
But he wasn't afraid. He had gotten used to being the local tyrant of Peach Blossom County over the years and didn't know what fear was.
"It's not your place to lecture me."
"Men, seize them all for me."
Just as the soldiers rushed forward, a large number of men in black suddenly emerged from the shadows. All of them had the same pattern embroidered on their sleeves and carried the same swords.
The men in black blocked the soldiers and rushed to Shen Ruzhi, shielding her in the middle.
Zheng Tong narrowed his eyes slightly upon seeing this, carefully examining Chen Ruzhi. "Aren't you from Peach Blossom County?"
"I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. In Peach Blossom County, even the emperor has to bow down and walk with utmost respect."
Shen Ruzhi's lips curled slightly, but her eyes were full of coldness. "No one from the capital has come. Do you really think you're the emperor of Peach Blossom County?"
For some reason, Zheng Tong felt very uncomfortable looking at the person in front of him. "Enough nonsense. Do you think you can show off in front of me with the men you've brought?"
"Today I'll show you what happens when you oppose me."
As soon as Zheng Tong finished speaking, the officers and soldiers began to line up and twirl their spears. The spears were aimed at Shen Ruzhi, Jiang Wanning, and the other two.
"I will have them all beheaded. Whoever takes their heads will be rewarded with a hundred taels of gold and countless beauties."
Even in the capital, a hundred taels of gold is a huge sum of money that can make countless people bow down, let alone in this small Peach Blossom County.
As the saying goes, a great reward will surely bring forth brave men, and many officers and soldiers began to use all their skills to rush towards Chen Ruzhi and Jiang Wanning.
"How dare you!" One of the men in black suddenly raised the token in his hand. "His Majesty is here. If you dare to offend him again, are you not afraid of having your entire family executed?"
All the officers and soldiers were stunned and speechless when they saw the token in the man in black's hand.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Princess Consort of Langya." Upon seeing this, Li Chongxin knelt down with a 'plop' before Sheng Ruzhi and Jiang Wanning.
"Lord Zheng, why aren't you kneeling down? Do you not even bow to the Emperor himself?" said the head of the secret guards.
Zheng Tong looked at the gleaming waist token held high in the guard's hand, then at Shen Ruzhi, "You...you are the Emperor?"
"Seeing this waist token is like seeing His Majesty in person. Regardless of whether the person in front of you is the Emperor, you must first pay your respects," said the head of the secret guards.
“This is the Emperor, and the Princess Consort of Langya. I’ve met them before,” Li Chongxin called out to everyone. “The Emperor has come here to stand up for us.”
When the people heard Li Chongxin say this, they all knelt down and paid their respects.
The officers and soldiers also put down their spears and knelt down to kowtow. One of the guards kicked Zheng Tong in the ankle, and Zheng Tong's body swayed and he fell to his knees.
Only then did I realize what fear was. My legs started trembling, and I finally understood what fear felt like.
"This humble official has... has... greeted Your Majesty."
“Zheng Tong,” Shen Ruzhi said, “do you think I still need to interrogate you?”
"I have truly witnessed a magnificent spectacle today."
"Your Majesty, spare my life! It was all because my son was killed that I did this in a fit of anger."
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