Chapter 448: Trapped in one's own web
The mob had long been dissatisfied with Feng Zhihuan and even hated him to the core.
If Feng Zhihuan had not exploited them and cut off their livelihood, how could they have rebelled?
Now they are labeled as thugs and anyone can kill them.
But they had no choice.
The only way is to rise up in rebellion, make a big fuss, alert the emperor, and perhaps gain a chance of survival.
Zhao Yi's arrival ignited hope for them.
But today we received news that the county governor would send officials to surround them in the village and starve them to death.
They were panicked and came to rob the grain merchants of their food, hoping to see Zhao Yi again.
But who would have thought that the corrupt official would actually arrange for officials to kill them.
If they hadn't come to steal food, they would have probably died long ago.
The mob became more and more angry as they thought about it, unable to contain their rage, and surrounded Feng Zhihuan tightly.
Feng Zhihuan was frightened by the anger of the mob, his eyes showing fear. He said in a timid voice, "You bold and treacherous people, you dare to attack me. This is a crime of the highest order. You will all lose your heads!"
This sentence undoubtedly added fuel to the fire. The mob's eyes were filled with hatred, and they clenched their fists and swung them towards Feng Zhihuan.
Feng Zhihuan pulled the people around him to block in front of him and shouted loudly: "Come here, shoot these rioters!"
The soldiers guarding the city gate wanted to go forward and rescue Feng Zhihuan.
A group of people emerged from nowhere, blocking their way intentionally or unintentionally, preventing them from taking a single step forward.
Li Yong on the side looked at Zhao Yi, but saw that Zhao Yi was standing in the chaos, but he had his own majestic aura and no one disturbed him.
He was Feng Zhihuan's man, so he naturally knew that Feng Zhihuan was full of hostility towards Zhao Yi and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.
The plan set up today is to eliminate Zhao Yi.
Who knew that Zhao Yi was acquainted with the mob.
Now Zhao Yi was watching coldly, obviously seeing through Feng Zhihuan's tricks, and even wanted to use the mob to get rid of Feng Zhihuan.
They are shooting themselves in the foot.
Li Yong looked at the group of people blocking the soldiers, knowing they were Zhao Yi's men. Suppressing his panic, he turned to Zhao Yi for help: "Your Highness, Lord Feng is the head of a county, and now he's fallen into the hands of these thieves, allowing them to beat him to death. If word gets out, it will undermine the dignity of the government and might even embolden these traitors. In the future, any time the people are dissatisfied with their officials, they'll rise up and kill them."
Zhao Yi glanced at Li Yong calmly. He glanced at him briefly, then turned back to the chaotic crowd. The mob was beating Feng Zhihuan with fists and feet. One of them wielded a wooden stick, striking Feng Zhihuan hard on the back of the head.
Feng Zhihuan fell to the ground and his head hit the stone with a dull sound.
The mob's fists hit him intensively. He subconsciously curled up his body, hugged his head tightly, and felt sticky blood on his hands.
Feng Zhihuan didn't even have the strength to open his eyes. Breathing became difficult, and despair surged in his heart. He was afraid that he would die here today.
He struggled, wanting to ask Zhao Yi for help, but then he heard Zhao Yi say, "Everyone, stop." He then ordered the soldiers, "Maintain order and do not harm the civilians."
Soldiers stepped forward to stop the mob from committing violence.
The mob was still not satisfied and kicked Feng Zhihuan hard. Then they looked at Zhao Yi with indignation and said, "Your Majesty, this bastard official killed many people. His death does not deserve it!"
Zhao Yi looked at Feng Zhihuan lying on the ground dying, opened his mouth, as if wanting to explain something, but could not utter a word.
He addressed the mob, "Lord Feng has massacred civilians. His crimes are governed by the laws of Northern Qi. Even though his crimes are heinous, if you kill him, you will be charged with murdering an imperial official. I promised you justice. If you trust me, leave this matter to me."
The mob looked at each other, and when they thought about how Zhao Yi had helped them and allowed them to vent their anger on the corrupt officials, they realized that Zhao Yi was on their side.
But there were still some mobs who were wary of Zhao Yi and intended to say something.
The mob leader stopped them with his eyes and turned to Zhao Yi and said, "We believe you will give us justice."
Zhao Yi ordered Jiang Chao, "Take your men and arrest Feng Zhihuan and his men. Investigate his killing of civilians."
When Feng Zhihuan heard what Zhao Yi said, his blood boiled, his vision went dark, and the pain in his head became more and more unbearable.
He realized that he had fallen into Zhao Yi's trap.
After all, his purpose was to take Zhao Yi's life, so why would he arrange people to kill the mob at this critical juncture?
It is very likely that Zhao Yi saw through his plan, used the same trick to kill those who disguised themselves as rioters, and then put the blame on him.
These mobs had no ability to distinguish at all. When they saw that the dead person was a man dressed as a "mob", they thought that he was the one who ordered the killing of their accomplices, and came to attack him in anger.
Zhao Yi took advantage of the situation to arrest him, control the power of Yongqing County, and then investigate his crimes.
And all the crimes he committed were proven to be true after investigation.
Feng Zhihuan looked at Zhao Yi, who had a gentle face, but a chill ran down his spine. He trembled with fear, wanting to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Zhao Yi waved his hand and said, "Take it away."
The soldiers carried Feng Zhihuan away.
The mob breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Zhao Yi's men had basically wiped out Feng Zhihuan's men. However, they also knew that Zhao Yi was a man who acted decisively and kept his word.
"Your Majesty, if you can give us a stable life and stop being exploited by the government, we brothers will not cause any more trouble. Those who should confess their crimes will definitely do so."
The mob left these words and then dispersed.
Zhao Yi looked at the backs of the mob as they left, and ordered the soldiers to lift the ban and allow the mob to enter the city.
The soldier wanted to say something, but when he thought about Zhao Yi's words and said to arrest Feng Zhihuan, he suppressed his doubts.
Zhao Yi was about to return to the prefectural governor's mansion when a secret guard approached him and said, "Master, our men were a little too late. Those pretending to be rioters were killed by a group of officials first. I investigated and found that those people were not real officials."
Zhao Yi's expression paused, and he immediately thought of Prince Yu.
Could it be him?
Feng Zhihuan ordered his men to pretend to be rioters and try to kill him during the chaos. Prince Yu also saw through Feng Zhihuan's intentions and arranged for his men to pretend to be officials to kill the "rioters" and put the blame on Feng Zhihuan?
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At the same time, the royal secret guards sent by the Northern Qi Emperor followed the secret guards sent by Zhao Yi and witnessed the officials killing the mob.
He saw clues from the skills of these officials and chased them to a mansion.
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