Jedi strikes back to break the cage
Chapter Quote: Surrounded by a siege, he remained calm and cleverly used external forces to break through the strong city. When the evidence is brought to light, the loyal and honest will finally see the light of day.
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The cold gleam of arrowheads glared in the torchlight, and dozens of powerful bows were drawn, locked on Yan Qing in the center of the alley. Magistrate Wen looked smug, and Wu Yong gently waved his feather fan, as if he had the situation under control.
"Yanqing, you can't fly away even if you have wings." Wu Yong said with a smile, "If you are willing to surrender and give up your weapons, and reveal the location of the nest of 'Yinyi', perhaps I can spare your body."
Yan Qing glanced at the archers on the surrounding rooftops, then at the sword and shield soldiers blocking the alley at both ends, knowing that if he forced his way in, he would surely die. He took a deep breath, and instead of despairing, his mind was racing with calculations.
Wu Yong set up this killing spree to prove his guilt and force him to reveal the location of the "Hidden Posthouse." However, this place was not a military prison, but a lane outside the government office. It would take time to mobilize officers and soldiers, and the presence of Prefect Wen indicated that they wanted to deal with the matter secretly and did not want to make the matter known immediately.
This is the only chance!
He suddenly burst into laughter, the sound resounding throughout the field, echoing far and wide in the silent night. "Hahaha! Wu Yong! Wen Wenbo! You colluded with Liangshan, framed the loyal Lu Junyi, and even condoned Liu Kongmu and Jia Shi to poison your husband! Now the evidence is irrefutable, I've got it! Are you desperate enough to kill me to silence me?!"
He summoned all his inner strength, and his voice was clearly heard across half the block! A commotion suddenly broke out in the nearby houses. Apparently, many people were awakened and heard this earth-shattering accusation!
Prefect Wen's face changed drastically, and he shouted sternly, "Nonsense! Release! Release now!"
Wu Yong also put away his smile, and a sinister look flashed in his eyes. He did not expect that Yan Qing would disregard his own safety and directly make these secrets public!
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!”
Arrows rained down! But Yan Qing had already expected the other party to attack. The moment the voice fell, he suddenly jumped to the side, knocked open the window of a house next to the alley, and rolled into the house!
"Ah!" The homeowners, an elderly couple, screamed in fright.
Yan Qing didn't have time to explain, and shouted in a low voice: "I'm sorry!" He didn't stop, and directly broke open the back door and rushed into another alley!
"Chase! Don't let him get away!" Governor Wen roared in frustration. The officers and soldiers immediately surrounded him in a chaotic manner.
Yan Qing ran wildly through the crisscrossing alleys. He didn't dare run into the open, as that would make him an easy target for archers. He chose to run through the narrow, complex residential areas, using the terrain to his advantage to evade his pursuers.
However, the soldiers were too numerous and clearly well-prepared, with new blockades constantly appearing ahead. Yan Qing sustained several more arrow and knife wounds, none of which were fatal, but the bleeding continued and his strength was rapidly depleted.
Seeing that he was about to be surrounded again, Yan Qing gritted his teeth and was about to fight to the death. Suddenly, a dark shadow suddenly rushed out from the side, grabbed him, and whispered: "Brother Xiaoyi! Over here!"
It's Yan An! He's been following me secretly!
Without giving it much thought, Yan Qing followed Yan An into an extremely hidden, cluttered dead end. Yan An quickly moved aside a few broken baskets, revealing a dog hole that was only wide enough for one person to pass through!
"Hurry! The way out from here is the canal dock! We have people to pick you up underwater!" Yan An said urgently.
Yan Qing looked at Yan An deeply, and without hesitation, he leaned over and got out. Yan An quickly put the debris back in its original state, and ran in the opposite direction, deliberately making noise to divert the pursuers.
Yan Qing crawled out of the dog hole and saw the muddy canal outside. Without hesitation, he dived into the water.
The river water, in early autumn, was already chilly, and the contact with the wound stung even more. But he ignored everything else and swam hard toward the center of the river. Sure enough, not long after, a seemingly ordinary coal-carrying boat quietly approached. A hand reached out from the boat and pulled him aboard.
"Brother Xiaoyi, come into the cabin quickly!" the boatman whispered. He was another loyal water guard of the Lu Mansion.
Yan Qing entered the low cabin and saw that besides the boatman, there was another person inside - the servant who had returned after being ordered to deliver a letter to Shaohua Mountain! He had actually rushed back at this critical moment!
"Brother Xiaoyi! Are you okay?" The servant exclaimed when he saw Yan Qing soaked and covered in blood.
"It's okay." Yan Qing panted, "What's the situation outside?"
"The whole city is under martial law! The officers and soldiers are conducting a large-scale search! They say that you killed Liu Kongmu and Jia, and... also stabbed Prefect Wen!" the attendant said urgently.
Yan Qing sneered, thinking that Prefect Wen was actually good at adding drama to himself.
"But..." The attendant changed the subject, a hint of excitement on his face, "Many neighbors heard what you just said! Now everyone in the city is talking about it, saying that Mr. Lu was wrongly accused! Especially the scandal between Jia and Liu Kongmu, there have been rumors before, and now it's spread like wildfire! Even...even some of the officials in the government office seem to be a little shaken!"
The people's hearts can be used! Yan Qing's eyes lit up. Wu Yong and Prefect Wen could control the officers and soldiers, but they couldn't stop the gossip!
"Where are we going now?" asked the boatman.
Yan Qing pondered for a moment, a flicker of determination in his eyes: "Not going to the refuge! Go... to the residence of General Zhou Jinzhou, the commander of the East City Military Command!"
Zhou Jin? The boatman and his attendant were stunned. Zhou Jin and Lu Junyi were both military officers, but they had never been close friends. Furthermore, Zhou Jin was a cautious man. So why would they go to him during this critical moment?
"Brother Xiaoyi, this is too risky! General Zhou may not be willing to see us. What if he..." the attendant said worriedly.
"We have to take the risk!" Yan Qing said firmly, "Wen Wenbo is a civil servant and controls the government office, but Zhou Jin's military department is crucial to Daming Prefecture's defense! If he believes Mr. Lu's injustice, he might be able to stabilize the situation! Moreover, the evidence in my hands," he patted the letters and poison in his arms, which were soaked but still had the writing on them, "needs to be handed over to someone who is capable and willing to uphold justice!"
He was gambling. He was gambling on Zhou Jin's dissatisfaction as a military commander with the civil officials framing his colleagues, on his emphasis on the stability of Daming Prefecture, and even more on the sense of justice that had not yet been extinguished in his heart!
Under the cover of darkness, the boat quietly sailed along the canal towards East City. After docking, Yan Qing asked the boatman and his servant to meet them from a distance, while he took another risk and sneaked to the back door of Zhou Jin's mansion.
He didn't force his way in. Instead, he wrapped the bloodstained letter and the poison packet, along with his personal jade pendant (given by Lu Junyi), in oilcloth, and using all his internal energy, he threw them into the courtyard where Zhou Jin's study was located! At the same time, he shouted, "Mr. Lu has been wronged. Here is the evidence! General Zhou, please understand! Yan Qing pays respects!"
The sound echoed in the silent night sky. After doing all this, he turned and retreated without hesitation, quickly reuniting with his companions, and the boat disappeared into the dark river again.
Next, it was time to wait. Wait for Zhou Jin's reaction, wait for the public sentiment to ferment, wait for... that possible turning point.
This night, Daming Prefecture was destined to be sleepless.
The next day, shocking news came out one after another.
First, the prefect Wen Wenbo was frightened by the "assassination" (in fact, he was unharmed), and ordered the whole city to continue searching for the "imperial criminal" Yan Qing.
Then, the commander of the military department, Zhou Jin, suddenly claimed to be ill and closed the door to visitors, but the soldiers under his command quietly increased street patrols, especially near the government office and the prison, with an ambiguous attitude.
Rumors spread like wildfire, intensifying among the common people: Lu Junyi was framed by Liangshan and the government, and that Jia Shi and Liu Kongmu had committed adultery and harmed their master. Scholars and intellectuals even began to privately sign a petition demanding a re-investigation of the Lu case.
Pressure, like an invisible wave, began to surge towards Wen Wenbo and the forces behind him.
On the morning of the third day, even more shocking news arrived—the courier sent to the capital to present Lu Junyi's "evidence" was ambushed and killed by "unidentified" bandits thirty miles outside the city, and all documents were looted! At the same time, a small contingent of imperial guards from the capital, bearing a token from the Privy Council, suddenly arrived in Daming Prefecture, claiming to be under orders to oversee local defense and the prison system!
The situation suddenly became delicate and complicated!
Yan Qing, who was hiding in the Cao Gang's secret base to recuperate, breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the news.
He knew that the package of evidence he'd thrown at Zhou Jin, and the outcry he'd made public that night, had finally worked. While Zhou Jin hadn't explicitly stated his stance, his inaction itself was a gesture of defiance. The interception of the courier and the arrival of the imperial guards from the capital were likely the result of covert instigation from the "Hidden Post" and even the Su Taiwei faction.
Wu Yong and Wen Wenbo's plan to deal with the matter secretly was completely thwarted. Now that the matter had become a big deal and was under public scrutiny, it would be no easy task for them to fabricate charges and force a confession.
Although Lu Junyi has not yet been released from prison, the haze hanging over Daming Prefecture has already been torn open.
A ray of sunlight finally came through.
Yan Qing looked at the sky gradually brightening outside the window and clenched his fists.
Master, please be patient for a moment. Xiao Yi will definitely take you home!
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Chapter 26 End
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