"Go ahead, hit them!"
Several constables gritted their teeth and approached Fang Qing, raising the paddles high so they were about to strike her back when suddenly a series of hurried footsteps came from outside.
"Wait!"
Fang Qing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this voice.
Zhou Ning strode in with his men.
"Sir, I came here after I learned what happened. You are the magistrate of An County, and I think you know very well how the Qingtian Seeds were developed. The grain seeds were indeed cultivated by Fang Qing. Just look at the experimental fields in our county, which cover several thousand acres. Those are all evidence."
How could Zheng You not know?
As soon as Fang Qing came into the public eye, he sent people to investigate her.
He had considered using this incident to extort money from Fang Qing before, but Fang Qing had the Zhou family backing her and an older brother who was good at studying, so he gave up on the idea.
"Bold Zhou, this is a courtroom, not a place for you to cause trouble. You dare to come to court without my permission? Aren't you afraid I will punish you?"
Zheng gave a wink to the bailiff, who then pulled Zhou Ning away.
"Wait, sir, Fang Qing and my Zhou family's cooperation on grain seeds has benefited our An County. You can't just make things up without understanding the facts..."
"How dare you! Take him out! Take him out of here!"
Zheng broke out in a cold sweat and subconsciously looked towards the commander.
The man was all smiles, as if he were watching a spectacle.
Fang Qing also glanced at the man.
She suddenly realized.
This person isn't here to investigate grain seeds at all.
He clearly came here for other reasons.
Perhaps it's Mian'er, or perhaps it's something else.
Seeing the constables about to pull Zhou Ning away, Fang Qing stopped them, then frowned slightly as she looked at the commander.
"Sir, just tell us what you want to do. We ordinary folks can't take this kind of torment from you."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for the people in the courtroom to hear clearly.
Zheng You stared blankly at Fang Qing, then looked at the commander.
Fang Qing spoke to the commander in this way, and he thought the commander would be angry.
But the commander stared at Fang Qing and laughed.
"You are smart, but sometimes being too smart can backfire."
As he spoke, the commander beckoned to his men.
His men asked everyone in the courtroom to leave.
Zheng You and the county magistrate exchanged a glance. Both of them broke out in a cold sweat and tried to get up, but the courtroom doors were slammed shut with a bang.
Zheng You and the county magistrate exchanged a glance, then shrank back to minimize their presence.
"Tell me, what's your relationship with Fengyulou?"
Wind and Rain Pavilion?
"I don't know what this is."
The commander in front of him chuckled.
"Playing dumb? That won't work on me."
Fang Qing looked directly at him, her eyes filled with utmost sincerity.
"I dare not lie to the Commander about my current situation. I am just an ordinary peasant girl and I really don't know anything about the Wind and Rain Pavilion."
Gao Ren squinted his eyes, his narrow eyes revealing emotions that Fang Qing couldn't decipher.
"You should know about Mian'er, right?"
Fang Qing's eyes held a hint of polite smile.
"If I say I don't know, that would be obviously lying to the adults."
Gao Ren leaned back in his chair.
"Do you know who he is?"
"I don't know. I just met a boy in Majia Village. Speaking of which, the people in Majia Village don't know what's good for them. I gave them grain seeds for free, but they didn't want them. I haven't been there since."
As she spoke, Fang Qing's smile deepened, and she asked with genuine curiosity, "Does Your Excellency know about Ma Family Village?"
Fang Qing and Gao Ren looked at each other. On the surface, she appeared calm, but inside she was nervous.
His intuition told him that the person in front of him was no pushover.
Moreover, Mian'er is also involved in the court's factional struggles, so she probably won't be able to extricate herself easily.
"Fang Qing, do you think I, the commander, am a fool to believe what you're saying?"
He sneered, his eyes filled with mockery.
“Every word I answered was true; I dared not lie in any way.”
"Whether there was any deception or not, we'll find out after we return to the capital and go through the Dali Temple prison."
As he spoke, he gave his men a gesture, and one of them stepped forward and grabbed Fang Qing.
Fang Qing stepped aside and stared straight at Gao Ren.
"I don't know what I did wrong, or which law I violated?"
I don't know what tickled Gao Ren's funny bone in those words, but he suddenly burst out laughing.
Even the sight of such a handsome man smiling is a delight to behold.
Fang Qing, however, thought he was like a lunatic.
"You're really something, trying to talk about law with the Dali Temple?"
He slowly suppressed his smile, and his expression suddenly turned very cold.
“I said I was going to take you away, and no one dared to stop me.”
At this moment, he suddenly displayed the aura of someone in a superior position.
Fang Qing felt the pressure emanating from him.
She was quickly thinking of a way to escape when the door to the yamen (government office) was suddenly kicked open.
"Lord Gao, you have quite the audacity. Does this mean that even if I, the general, wish to keep you here, you would not agree?"
Fang Qing turned around and saw a man dressed as a military officer walk in.
He was travel-worn and his hair was a little messy, but that couldn't hide his imposing presence.
When Fang Qing looked over, she met the man's gaze.
Fang Qing felt a strange sense of familiarity.
She hadn't recognized the man's identity yet, but when her gaze fell on the bearded military officer behind him, her eyes widened in shock.
So, the general in front is Fang Zhu?
Upon closer inspection, this person does indeed resemble Fang Zhu, but after years of training on the battlefield, he has become mature, steady, and tall.
Gao Ren's gaze also fell on Fang Zhu, but he didn't give him any extra expression.
"Who do we have here? Before you bark, recognize who you are. Don't try to show off your Northwest General's power."
Fang Zhu walked over and pushed aside one of the Imperial Guards next to Fang Qing.
Are you alright?
Fang Qing belatedly bowed, but Fang Zhu grabbed her arm and shielded her behind him.
"I'm keeping Fang Qing here today. If Lord Gao wants to investigate the case, go find someone else. If you try to harm my people, I will absolutely not agree."
Gao Ren squinted and stared at him for a moment.
"Fang Zhu, do you know what responsibility you should bear for delaying the Prime Minister's affairs?"
Fang Zhu was not afraid of him at all.
"That's your problem. If you want to take Fang Qing away, you'll have to get past me first."
As he spoke, he placed his hand on the sword at his waist, displaying a very assertive posture.
Gao Ren glanced at him, then at Fang Qing behind him, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Fine, Fang Zhu, you asked for this. The Prime Minister values you, but do you really think everyone takes you seriously?"
As he spoke, he put down his teacup, slowly stood up, and took the Embroidered Spring Knife from his subordinate.
"Let me make this clear first: I won't take back this knife until someone dies."
Before he finished speaking, he had already attacked Fang Zhu.
Fang Zhu took a big step back and pushed Fang Qing away. In the blink of an eye, he was already fighting Gao Ren.
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