One of the ringleaders was the kind of person who would slap a dog if it passed by him, and he would beat and verbally abuse the disaster victims. Xie Tianqi was kicked by him quite a few times!
Xie Tianqi and Liu Xiaodong led several soldiers dressed as disaster victims over aggressively.
Sure enough, before they could even cause trouble, the petty leader angrily started cursing.
"Where did this bunch of bastards come from, daring to strut around under my nose! Brothers, let's teach them a lesson!"
These constables were used to being arrogant. When they weren't with their masters, they all acted like big shots. They couldn't stand someone holding their head high in front of them. Seeing Xie Tianqi and his group's posture, they immediately drew their swords and surrounded them.
Without a word, the petty leader went up and started hacking, cursing as he did so.
"Damn it! I've spoiled you all, a bunch of poor bastards who still want to show off! I'll show you what it's all about!"
"They really think I need a few poor bastards like you!"
A group of people surrounded Xie Tianqi and his companions, slashing and kicking them!
Xie Tianqi and his group were there to cause trouble, so they couldn't let the yamen runners get away with it. They immediately retaliated when the knives came at them. Except for Xie Tianqi and Liu Xiaodong, who were rather useless and had blood on their arms, the others were all elites under Yi Shuihan's command. They beat the runners to a pulp in almost a single exchange!
Seeing that Xie Tianqi and Liu Xiaodong were injured, a burly man picked them up one by one and threw them out, muttering disgustedly.
"You two little chicks, get out of my way!"
Xie Tianqi and Liu Xiaodong were at the age of youthful fearlessness! Not only were they not scared when they were thrown out, but seeing that the men were having a good time, they roared and rushed back.
This was the first time they had ever witnessed such a scene, and they were inexplicably excited. They went up and each grabbed one of the opponents, and surprisingly, they managed to defeat them!
Before half a bowl of tea could be drunk, a dozen or so yamen runners were staggering and screaming in agony.
The leader, clutching his dislocated arm, glared fiercely at Xie Tianqi and the others.
"You just wait, I'll come back and kill you all!"
Upon seeing this, Liu Xiaodong tilted his head back and shouted.
"You bunch of leeches, you embezzled the disaster relief grain that the imperial court gave us, and you don't even treat us like human beings. I want to kill you all too!"
Fellow villagers, I just heard that the imperial court twice sent us disaster relief grain, but those bastards embezzled it both times!
I heard that they live a life of luxury in the city, with fish and meat galore, and even a lowly yamen runner has snatched several young women to be his concubines. As for us? We've sold our children, tightened our belts, and waited and hoped, but we still haven't received the disaster relief grain that rightfully belongs to us!
My grandparents went on a hunger strike to save my brothers and me, and I don't even know if they're still alive! Meanwhile, they're all eating themselves into a stupor! Aren't they just drinking our blood and flesh?
The disaster victims, already filled with resentment from being bullied, immediately questioned the government's distribution of relief grain, claiming it had been embezzled.
"Young man, are you telling the truth?"
"Of course it's true! The imperial court found out they embezzled grain, and even the Emperor sent an imperial envoy! I heard they were given an imperial sword; they won't be able to keep their power going for long!"
"Great! Haha, we're finally saved!"
"Thank God! Finally, someone is taking care of us!"
"Fellow villagers, it turns out they stole our life-saving food and lied to us, saying the government office had no food either. They fattened up their livestock, while so many of us were torn apart by family separation. My poor three-year-old son couldn't hold on yesterday! You beasts!"
The crowd was indignant, and someone shouted something.
"Kill them!"
In an instant, a group of people rushed towards the dozen or so constables, scaring them so much that they turned tail and ran into the city!
Seeing things were going badly, even the person serving the porridge dropped their ladle and ran away. The people, having failed to catch anyone, began grabbing the porridge. Just as a looting frenzy was about to erupt, the man who had thrown Xie Tianqi earlier shouted...
"Stop fighting! The food is almost here. Don't risk your lives fighting over a bowl of porridge at this critical juncture!"
The burly man was already loud, and he used his inner strength to shout more than a dozen times. Finally, the crowd calmed down and spontaneously lined up to get the porridge.
The two groups intercepting the message were already in place, and Han Zhongyu and his men had also entered the city.
Although Han Zhongyu was able to move around freely, he was not fully recovered. If he wanted to use his martial arts skills, he would need to rest for at least ten days to half a month. So, his good friend Yi Shuihan carried him all the way by the scruff of his neck.
So he still has a sour face, while Yi Shuihan is laughing so hard he's practically falling over.
At this moment, one of them cursed under his breath, "A petty person has gotten his way!" while the other laughed openly!
To be honest, Yi Shuihan, this good buddy of his, really cares about Han Zhongyu. He arranged for Xie Yushu, Qu Xiaodie, Liu Qiang, Liu Nan, and Liu Bei to all be around Han Zhongyu!
His exact words were, "You few are responsible for protecting Eryu's safety, the rest is up to me! Watch me slaughter them all without leaving a single one alive!"
Xie Yushu and the others had no objections to this.
After the beaten constables returned and gave their embellished report, Zhang Zhidao was so angry that his beard trembled.
"These unruly people have a death wish if they try to snatch food from my mouth!"
"Since they've lived long enough, have someone drag them far away and bury them!"
"Yes, Your Excellency is wise!"
These peasants are worthless, a few more or a few less won't make a difference. Kill a batch of them, and the rest will surely behave themselves.
"Wait two months, until the harvest is complete elsewhere, then buy a batch of seeds at a low price and distribute them. By then, old rice won't be worth much anymore, so give each of them a little. They'll still work like donkeys, and we'll make money and get things done! Wouldn't that be wonderful!"
"The advisor is right. With grain prices so high these days, even the barbarians from the outer regions are scrambling to buy it. They only feel secure when they have money in their hands! These peasants are trying to cut off our source of income, so we have to teach them a lesson!"
In the government office, a few fat, burly officials decided the fate of the people with just a few words. The yamen runners below, upon receiving the order, were invigorated and immediately gathered their men to leave the city, intending to make an example of Xie Tianqi and his group on the spot.
Han Zhongyu and his entourage had already changed into official robes. Yi Shuihan and the Liu Qiang brothers were dressed as his attendants, the rest of the soldiers were all dressed as guards, and Xie Yushu and Qu Xiaodie were dressed as maids. The lineup was quite convincing!
As soon as a group of yamen runners led the city guards out of the city, the group headed straight for the government office. At that moment, Zhang Zhidao's lackeys were delivering beauties to him! And people were constantly flattering him.
Zhang Zhidao stared wide-eyed at the two sisters approaching, even the pain of losing his son in recent days seemed to lessen somewhat, especially after the master's voice...
"Your Excellency is still vigorous despite your advanced age; you will surely be blessed with another son soon!"
At that time, I didn't think it was a big deal not to have a son! At worst, if I had a son, he would be registered under the legal wife's name and would still be a legitimate son!
Having figured things out, Zhang Zhidao's pain and frustration vanished. Just as he was about to wave his hand to dismiss everyone so he could take his beauty home, he heard a loud shout from outside.
"The Imperial Envoy has arrived!"
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