In the past few days, Ma Shisan frequently went in and out of the Inspection Office. Even the inspector Han Tiesan was very courteous to him, and he had long been noticed by Su Jin who was guarding there.
However, these days, there are always two servants following Ma Shisan, and they have not found a suitable opportunity to arrest him.
After hearing Zhu Yijin say that he finally got Ma Shisan, Su Jin couldn't help but ask anxiously, "Did you find out?"
"I have inquired clearly. The cause of this matter is that the imperial envoy Ma Mingyuan coveted Miss Li's beauty and asked the inspector Han Tiesan to imprison Miss Li on the charge of collusion with bandits. Miss Li is now in prison and is fine. Ma Mingyuan plans to confiscate her as a prostitute and then bring her back home. He will also accuse you of collusion with the enemy and say that you were behind it, so that you can be charged with the death penalty."
"Damn it, I'm going to chop this bastard to pieces with a knife."
"Yes, it's fine that he was just attracted by your beauty, but he also wanted to kill you. I can't get rid of the hatred in my heart unless I chop him up and feed him to the dogs."
"Do him."
The seven or eight big men in the room were all filled with righteous indignation after hearing this. They held the hilts of their knives, wishing they could just chop Ma Mingyuan to death.
Su Jin asked anxiously, "Is Ma Shisan alive?"
Zhu Yijin shook his head and replied, "This guy is very tough, but don't worry, Brother Su, he is not dead, only two of his toes are broken."
"Wang Zhi, you and Yi Jin go and be responsible for looking after that family. Yi Jin, you and Li Shi immediately take Ma Shisan out of the city. According to the time, the master will soon arrive in Nanchang. You must reunite with him as soon as possible." Su Jin gave orders repeatedly. Fortunately, Xu Yingjie was a smart man. The place where Rentong Company raised pigeons was not in the branch and had not been sealed off. Perhaps Xu Yingjie was just preventing such a situation from happening, so he was still able to maintain communication with Ganzhou.
The man named Wang Zhi at the door clasped his fists and bowed to Zhu Yijin, then hurried out.
The Provincial Surveillance Department was in charge of criminal cases and litigation in a province. Ma Mingyuan consulted with Provincial Surveillance Department Lin Qinghe and returned to the palace at the beginning of the night.
When he asked the servants at home, they said that Ma Shisan had not returned yet. This made Ma Mingyuan suspicious. Ma Shisan had always been efficient and was regarded as his right-hand man. Why was he so slow this time
Ma Mingyuan sent someone to the Inspection Office to ask Han Tiesan, and learned that Ma Shisan had not been to the Inspection Office in the afternoon. Ma Mingyuan immediately felt that something was wrong.
"Come on, take my note and ask Han Tiesan and all the people in Nanchang Prefecture to search for Ma Shisan's whereabouts quickly." Ma Wanyuan shouted urgently, even forgetting about his leaking front teeth.
The Inspection Office and Nanchang government servants searched for Ma Shisan all night but could not find him. However, they did not gain nothing. At least they found out that Ma Shisan had been kidnapped into a family. Also, according to the description of the soldier guarding the east gate, three people left the city in the afternoon, one on horseback and two in a carriage. Judging from the appearance of one of them, it is very likely that he is the missing Ma Shisan.
Ma Shisan suddenly behaved abnormally at this critical juncture, which basically meant that he was kidnapped, which made Ma Mingyuan very uneasy.
The next morning, he asked Han Tiesan to hand over Li Xiangjun and the people from Rentong Trading Company to the Censorate, preparing to let Censor Lin Qinghe make a decision on the case.
As to whether Censor Lin Qinghe had some leverage over Ma Mingyuan that made Ma Mingyuan so fearless, or whether he could make a lot of money by searching the Rentong branch and was indeed suspected of colluding with thieves, which made Censor Lin Qinghe willing to cooperate with Ma Mingyuan, this is not something that outsiders can know.
During the chaotic times at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the officialdom was as filthy as it could be, otherwise the Ming Dynasty would not have fallen into such a shaky situation.
There were many people involved in this case. When Li Xiangjun and others were taken to the Censorate, they attracted a large number of onlookers. People stood on the street, pointing and talking.
Especially Li Xiangjun, this stunning beauty, was the focus of people's discussion and won countless sympathetic glances. Few people among the onlookers believed that such a delicate beauty like Li Xiangjun would be associated with the rebels.
"You say, this delicate beauty, who can't even carry anything on her shoulders or in her hands, and who might be blown away by the wind, how could she possibly rebel?"
"Hehe, if all rebels looked like this, I would become a rebel too."
"Wang Er, you dare to say that? Aren't you afraid of being beheaded?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I'm a bachelor with only one worthless life. What's there to be afraid of? If I'm pushed into a corner, I'll come and save the damsel in distress. Do you believe me?"
"Xin Xin Xin, hurry up and save the beauty."
"They say that a county magistrate ruins a family and a provincial governor exterminates a clan. I think this is nothing more than someone falling for this delicate beauty and finding an excuse to throw her into jail, hoping to take her for themselves. Anyway, I would never believe that such a beauty is a traitor."
It is said that the eyes of the masses are sharp, and it is true. The truth of the matter has almost been revealed in the discussion of the people. Some people who sympathize with women even hid in the crowd and cried out for Li Xiangjun's injustice;
"It's unfair. My sister is just pretty, but she is called a traitor. The officials are so evil-hearted."
"That's right. There are so many rebels in the world that they dare not arrest, but they arrest a weak woman to be a rebel. Do you think such a woman can rebel? It is obvious that the officials coveted the beauty of this girl and deliberately framed her. This is called the drunkard's ulterior motive."
"It's unfair, my sister is wronged..."
"You are looking for death. Whoever dares to shout will be charged as a traitor." The scene was somewhat chaotic. The soldiers and yamen runners in charge of escorting the prisoners kept shouting and driving away the people who had gathered around them. They cracked their whips and beat people with water and fire sticks.
But this had little effect. The people in the front moved away a little, but more people gathered from the back and followed all the way to the Censorate to watch the excitement. The front of the yamen was surrounded by people.
Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Lin Qinghe personally went to court to adjudicate the case. In order to show that he is upright, he no longer drives away the onlookers. "Wait until I finish the trial and present the irrefutable evidence, and then we'll see what you have to say."
The inspector Ma Mingyuan was the juror, which was definitely a high standard. The two groups of yamen runners shouted in a majestic manner, and the first person to be brought up was Li Xiangjun.
She was still wearing an eight-panel Xiang skirt with a light white background embroidered with red plum blossoms. Her bun was a little messy, but it did not detract from her beauty at all. Her eyebrows were as light as willows in the sky, and her eyes were as calm as water. She walked into the court gracefully like a fairy walking in the clouds, elegant and self-assured, which caused the onlookers to sigh again.
Lin Qinghe, who was sitting high up in the hall, was slightly stunned for a moment. After coming to his senses, he suddenly slammed the gavel and shouted, "Who is in the hall? Hurry up and tell me your name!"
Before Li Xiangjun could answer, the people watching outside the hall started to make a commotion again.
Suddenly, the sound of iron hooves was heard. People turned their heads to look and saw hundreds of cavalrymen wearing Ming army armor rushing straight down the street from the south. The soldiers on the horses were covered in dust and sweat.
But each of them is as fierce as a tiger, with the eyes of an eagle and a wolf, and full of murderous intent.
Although their horses were not running fast, their armor gave off a chilling aura. Their iron hooves, as big as bowls, struck the bluestone pavement with a clanging sound that made people's hearts numb.
The people surrounding the yamen unconsciously made way for them. The cavalry team immediately sped up a little, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, they brazenly rushed up the steps in front of the Censorate's lobby, causing an uproar among the onlookers.
"Where did this military commander come from? He is so tough and looks like someone who is not someone you want to mess with."
"Easy to deal with? How dare you say that? Attacking the Censorate is a capital crime. Would an easy-to-deal-with person dare to do that?"
"This time we are going to have a good show. The corrupt officials in the Censorate are usually tyrannical, bullying the weak, and taking many lives. This time they are facing this fierce army. Haha, this show will definitely be exciting."
"Yes, yes, yes, we should punish these corrupt officials and give us ordinary people some vengeance."
“… ... ... ... ... ”
Hundreds of cavalrymen rushed straight to the Censorate. The guards at the gate saw that they were wearing Ming army uniforms and stepped forward to stop them: "Who... who dares to trespass into the Censorate..."
"I am Qin Mu!"
The rider in front suddenly roared, his voice like thunder. He pulled the reins with his left hand, and the horse stood up on the steps with a hissing, then stomped down heavily.
With a loud "bang", the iron hooves stepped on the stone steps, sparks flew everywhere, and the yamen runners who came up to stop them were so scared that they rolled and crawled away.
The people watching outside the yamen immediately cheered loudly with glee, as if they had seen a bully being beaten up. They felt a sense of justice being served, and cheered continuously, one after another, as if they had seen a wonderful drama begin.
“He’s coming… He’s coming, he’s really coming.”
Li Xiangjun, who had been as calm as water in the hall, suddenly had a hot mist in her eyes when she heard Qin Mu's roar coming from outside the hall. Crystal tears fell to the ground like pearls that had broken off the string.
"Qin Lang!"
A cry of tenderness, mixed with endless grievance and bitterness, came out of her mouth. Li Xiangjun had forgotten everything else and ran out of the hall desperately with her skirt lifted up, like a white cloud blown away by an autumn wind.
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ps: Some book friends said that they were depressed after reading the previous few chapters. I also reflected deeply on it. Now it’s time to kill the chickens and dogs. I must let everyone vent their anger. Please give me your recommendation votes!
Smash it hard, let's smash it to pieces together.
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