Amidst the sudden clamor, a total of four government runners rushed into the inn. One was holding a water and fire stick, one was holding a knife, and one was dragging an iron chain. Seeing Lu Wenke and the others get up, they pointed at the crowd and shouted loudly as they walked over. Their killing intent was quite strong.
"No one is allowed to move! Anyone who moves will be punished as a criminal! "
"I'm Lu Wenke from the Lu family of Hong Zhou. What crime did he commit?" Although the bailiffs were strict, Lu Wenke and the others still walked over. Fan Heng, Chen Junsheng, and the others also reported their names. As a group of scholars, they were not afraid of these bailiffs in principle. If it was a normal situation, everyone would have to give them some face.
"He's a felon! Get out of the way! "
The moment the two sides came into contact, the leader of the bailiffs pushed Lu Wenke away. The bailiffs behind shouted, "Do you want to be arrested too?!"
Fan Heng slammed his palm on the table. "Is there any law left?"
Chen Junsheng said, "You have to give me a reason."
Amid the commotion, Wang Jiang, who was covered in blood, fell to the ground. Ning Ji quickly checked his injuries. Wang Jiang was a street performer and had practiced rough Qigong for decades. He did not have much fighting ability, but his ability to withstand blows was far above ordinary people. It was also because of this that he had suffered hundreds of beatings all over his body. Although most of them were only simple flesh wounds, the injuries on his head and his internal muscles and bones could very well cause great trouble. It was just that it was difficult to check them all in a short period of time.
Such a large number of injuries couldn't have appeared in a fight.
After a brief examination, Ning Ji quickly made a judgment. Although Wang Jiang was a member of the underworld, his martial arts skills were not high, and he was not courageous. If these bailiffs caught him, he would not run away. Based on the current situation, it was obvious that he had been beaten for a long time after being caught. Only then did he rise up and run to the inn to get help.
Although he had fallen to the ground, Wang Jiang could not forget about his daughter. He reached out and grabbed Lu Wenke's trousers. "Young Master Lu, save, save Xiu Niang … Xiu Niang is … by them …"
As he said that, the bailiff who came over also got close and kicked Wang Jiang's head fiercely. At this time, it was chaotic everywhere. Ning Ji casually pushed a bench next to him. With a bang, the bench made of logs was kicked into the air. The runner screamed and jumped around while holding his calf. He cursed hysterically, "F * ck —"
The main hall of the inn was either a square table or a long bench. When the bailiff kicked the bench, the bystanders couldn't see what had happened. A few of the scholars shouted, "If you have something to say, we can talk it out." The bailiffs behind them had already rushed forward. Someone flipped over the table and shouted, "You want to protect the criminal!" Fan Heng and the others said, "This person is of the same rank as me, he is definitely not a criminal. We will not run away."
Wang Jiang spat out a mouthful of blood and cried, "Xiu Niang has been captured by them … Young Master Lu, you have to save her. You can't be …" At this point, he wailed.
Ning Ji stood up from beside him and walked to the square table where they had been playing cards in the chaos. He took a bowl, poured out hot water, and melted a pill. He was prepared to give Wang Jiang emergency treatment first. He was young and had a kind face. The constable, the scholar, and even Wang Jiang did not care about him at that moment.
At that moment, Lu Wenke was already questioning the constables, "You even captured his daughter? What crime did she commit? "
The bailiff rushed over to kick Wang Jiang to interrupt him. At that moment, he had already told them about Wang Xiu Niang's capture. He immediately said, "This father and daughter pair are very similar to the people who spied on the military outside the city the day before. There's a war ahead. How dare you cover up for him? Or are you all accomplices? "
"Their constables captured Xiu Niang, their constables captured Xiu Niang … They're in the courtyard in the north. Hurry up and go!"
Wang Jiang shouted from the ground. After he said that, everyone roughly knew what was going on. Someone looked at Lu Wenke. Lu Wenke's face turned red, green, and white. The constable scolded, "How dare you slander us!"
Ning Ji took the pills and quickly returned to Wang Jiang. "Uncle Wang, drink these first." At that moment, Wang Jiang was only concerned about his daughter. He struggled to grab Ning Ji's clothes. "Save Xiu Niang …" However, he refused to drink the medicine. Ning Ji frowned and said, "Alright, save Sister Xiu Niang. Drink it and we'll go save her together."
His gaze was completely gloomy. Of course, he was slightly conflicted. 'Should I kill them or should I slow down first? Wang Jiang's life could be saved for the time being, but Sister Xiu Niang's situation might be the most important. Perhaps something bad had already happened. Should I risk being exposed to buy some time? 'Also, could the pedantic scholar's group of five settle the matter …'
Hearing Ning Ji's quiet voice, Wang Jiang's lips trembled as he started to drink the medicine. The constables and the scholars cursed at each other and pretended to use force. However, because the matter had already been exposed, they did not make a move in the end. No matter what, Wang Jiang and the scholars still had to make a trip to the yamen. In such a chaotic scene, the few of them had no idea that they had been on the verge of death several times.
"Where did you take his daughter?" Lu Wenke roared with reddened eyes. "Is she at the yamen? Are you guys still human?!"
"We're going to the yamen anyway. Let's go now!"
Wang Jiang, who was on the ground, shook his head. "Not at the yamen, not at the yamen, in the north …"
"You guys are setting up a private court!"
While everyone was talking, Ning Ji watched Wang Jiang finish drinking the medicine and was about to make a decision. At that moment, there was another commotion outside the door. Someone was shouting, "Madam, over here!" Then, a majestic convoy arrived. More than ten young and strong men rushed in from the door, and there was also a woman with a gloomy face. She quickly entered the inn.
At the sight of such a lineup, the bailiffs actually revealed a timid expression. The woman who was surrounded by the young and strong men was dressed in white. At first glance, she looked alright, but her figure was slightly chubby. She walked in with her skirt lifted and glanced around. Then, she fixed her gaze on the constables who had given the order earlier. "Little Lu, let me ask you, where is Xu Dong?"
The constables named Little Lu frowned. "Constable Xu is now … Of course he's at the yamen, but I …"
Before he could finish speaking, the woman in white grabbed a teacup from the table beside her and threw it at him. The cup did not hit him, but it still gave him a shock. "He's not at the yamen! He's not at the yamen! Little Lu, don't play dumb with me! Don't make me hate you! I heard that you guys captured a woman. Where did she go?! "
The woman's voice was quite loud. While the constables were still hesitating, Fan Heng had already jumped up. "We know! We know! " He pointed at Wang Jiang. "The one who was captured is his daughter. This … this lady, he knows the place!"
These constables were naturally bad people. They had originally thought that it would be difficult to deal with them, but who knew that another group of good people who were obviously powerful would come to oppose them. Wang Jiang seemed to have seen hope. He struggled to get up from the ground with the help of the table and said, "I know … It's a courtyard in the north. I … I, I can lead the way."
The woman in white glanced at Wang Jiang and waved her hand fiercely. "Someone go and help him. Let him lead the way!"
Wang Jiang staggered out. Ning Ji supported him and said, "Get a stretcher! Tear down the door! " However, no one paid any attention to him at this moment. Even Wang Jiang, who was burning with anxiety, did not stop.
The group of people walked out of the inn in a grandiose manner and walked along the roads of the county. Wang Jiang staggered, causing Ning Ji's body to be covered in blood. He was used to seeing this on the battlefield, so it did not matter to him. He was just worried that the medicine would overdraft the middle-aged entertainer's life force again.
After a while, they arrived at a small courtyard in the north of the county. It seemed like this was the place where Wang Jiang had escaped from. There was even a constables at the door. When they saw the group of people approaching, they opened the door and ran into the courtyard. The woman in white said, "Surround them and beat anyone you see! Get Xu Dong out here! Do it! "
Her orders were scattered and disorderly, but her subordinates had already moved. Some broke down the door, some protected the woman as she entered the courtyard, and some blocked the back door. The four constables were in a difficult position. They shouted from behind, "Sister-in-law, you can't …" and followed her in.
When Ning Ji helped Wang Jiang into the courtyard, there were already people smashing the house and beating people up. A loud voice came from the side room of the courtyard. "Who dares!"
The woman in white shouted, "I dare! Xu Dong, how dare you play with women behind my back! "
"What do you mean by playing with women? Which eye of yours saw that?!"
A burly and fierce-looking man came out of the side room. He looked around and shouted, "All of you, stop!" However, no one stopped. The woman in white rushed forward and slapped his head. "Xu Dong, you deserve to die!"
"Did I say anything?!" Constable Xu Dong's voice was majestic. The woman slapped him again, knocking his hat askew.
"That's a criminal!" Xu Dong roared. The woman slapped him again.
"No one is allowed to act recklessly. I said it!"
The woman jumped up and slapped him again.
"She was the one who seduced me!"
The woman slapped him again and again. Xu Dong was slapped again and again, but he didn't resist. He just roared, and the surroundings were already smashed into pieces. Wang Jiang struggled to move forward. A few scholars saw this absurd scene and wanted to go forward, but they were stopped. Ning Ji had already let go of Wang Jiang and walked forward. A young and strong man reached out to stop him, but he lowered his body and walked into the inner courtyard in the blink of an eye. He ran towards the room behind Xu Dong.
Xu Dong was still yelling. As the woman hit him, she cursed and accused him in a dialect he didn't understand. Then, she pulled Xu Dong's ear and dragged him into the room. She might have said something about the "vixen", but Xu Dong still repeated, "She seduced me!"
The woman dragged Constable Xu into the room. At that moment, Ning Ji had already followed. The woman seemed to want to beat the "vixen" up, but when she saw the scene in the room, she frowned and stopped. Ning Ji walked past the two of them. At that moment, the room was filled with the smell of blood and stench. Wang Xiuniang was curled up in the corner of the room. Not only was there blood on her body, but there were also traces of something she had drowned in.
Ning Ji squatted down and saw that her clothes were torn to the point that only half of them were left. The corners of her eyes, mouth, and cheeks were swollen, and there were traces of feces on her face. He looked back at the couple who were fighting and almost couldn't suppress his anger. Wang Xiuniang seemed to have sensed movement and woke up. She opened her eyes and recognized the person in front of her.
"Sister Xiuniang." Ning Ji held her hand.
"Lu … Xiaolong." Wang Xiuniang said weakly and then smiled. "It's okay … I, I'm very smart. I didn't … didn't let him … get away with it …"
"How did you …" Ning Ji frowned and didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Don't touch my hand … It stinks …" The woman tried her best to take her hand out and wipe the stinky stuff on her body. She smiled weakly.
Ning Ji was silent for a moment with difficulty. Then, he clenched his teeth and smiled. "It's good that you're okay … Brother Lu, he's … worried about you. I'll take you to see him."
He picked Wang Xiuniang up from the ground and walked towards the door. At this time, he did not pay any attention to the couple who were fighting. In his heart, he had already made up his mind that if anyone tried to stop him at this time, he would cut them into pieces on the spot.
The couple was also stunned. Xu Dong shouted, "She's a wanted criminal! I'm interrogating her! "
The woman jumped up and hit his head. "Interrogate her! Interrogate her! "
"I'm not talking to you, you shrew!"
The woman kicked his butt and hit his head. "Shrew …"
"You're a shrew!" The two of them walked out of the room. Xu Dong roared again, "Stop smashing!"
On the other side, Ning Ji carried Wang Xiuniang out and brought her to Wang Jiang's side. Wang Jiang knelt beside his daughter and cried. Fan Heng and the others were indignant. "How dare you! How dare you! There's no law in Tongshan County! "
"You have to give us an explanation for this!"
Xu Dong was still shouting, "I'll remember whoever makes things difficult for me today!" Then, he saw Wang Jiang and the others. He pointed at them and walked over. "So it's you guys!" At that moment, his hair was in a mess. The woman continued to hit him from behind and pulled his ears. His face was ferocious as he stared at Wang Jiang, Lu Wenke, Fan Heng, and the others.
"I'll remember you!"
The woman slapped the back of his head. He said word by word, then separated two fingers and pointed at his eyes, then pointed at them. His eyes were red and his mouth was full of saliva.
"I! Remember! You! You! Guys! Yes! "
"Is there still law here? We will definitely report you to the county government! "Fan Heng roared.
The woman cried and cursed. Then, she grabbed her husband, Xu Dong's ear and shouted, "Chase these people out!" She was shouting at Wang Jiang and his daughter, Fan Heng, Ning Ji, and the others.
Some of the strong young men she had brought with her began to persuade and push the crowd to leave. The woman in the courtyard continued to beat her husband, but she felt that these outsiders were walking too slowly. She grabbed her husband's ear and shouted hysterically, "Go away! Get lost! Get these things out of my sight! "
Finally, more and more young men came over. For a moment, the sharp edge of a scalpel slid out of Ning Ji's sleeve. But looking at Fan Heng, Lu Wenke, and the others, he finally put the knife away and followed the crowd out of the yard.
…
Everyone did not eat lunch. When they returned to the inn, Ning Ji bandaged Wang Jiang and his daughter's wounds. Fan Heng and the others went to the yamen to inquire about the situation. They were ready to complain and seek justice.
After the bandaging was done, Wang Jiang, who had complicated injuries and did not know if something serious would happen, had already fallen asleep. Wang Xiuniang had suffered all kinds of superficial injuries. Her body was fine, but she was listless. She said that she wanted to rest in her room and did not want to see anyone.
She was in the prime of her youth. In the past two months, she had developed a relationship with Lu Wenke. A woman dressed up to please her lover, so she looked even more beautiful when she dressed up. Who knew that she would be targeted by the constable when she went out to perform this time? He guessed that such a performer did not have any background, so he wanted to capture her and use force. Wang Xiuniang had smeared feces and urine on her body in an emergency. Although she was beaten up badly by the furious constable, she managed to keep her chastity. But after this incident, it was hard to say what Lu Wenke would think of it.
Ning Ji could not think of these things for the time being. He felt that Wang Xiuniang was very brave. On the other hand, Lu Wenke was a little uncertain after he returned. However, that was not the most important thing right now.
Not long after the father and daughter were bandaged, Fan Heng and Chen Junsheng returned from outside. Everyone sat in the room and exchanged information. Their gazes and words were complicated.
"… Xu Dong is the chief constable of the local yamen, so he's not a big shot. There are still many people who can deal with him. However, the problem is his wife, Li Xiaoqing. This woman is Li Ruoque's daughter and Li Yanfeng's sister. When she married Xu Dong, the Li family was not considered a big shot, but now … especially after the Jin soldiers' disaster, the Li family has become the local tyrant here … "
"… We've spent some money, and those who are willing to speak tell us that we can't fight this lawsuit. What happens to Xu Dong and Li Xiaoqing is their family matter, but if we insist on suing Xu Dong … I'm afraid we won't be able to enter the yamen. Some people even say that it'll be difficult for us to leave. "
"… Are we not going to sue then?"
"… Then let's sue."
At this point, everyone was in a difficult position. After discussing for a while, someone said, "What do you think, Brother Lu?"
Lu Wenke clenched his fists, his eyes red. "What can I think?"
Seeing him like this, the others found it hard to say anything more.
In the middle of the afternoon, the autumn wind blew in the courtyard, and the sky began to turn cloudy. Then, the owner of the inn came to send a message, saying that a big shot had come and wanted to meet them.
The crowd went to the lobby of the inn, and a middle-aged man in a long gown appeared there. He looked like a scholar, and he had a bit of Jianghu aura about him. There was a knife scar on his face. He introduced his name to the crowd. "I'm the steward of the Li family. My surname is Wu, and my name is Tianwu."
"Steward Wu, are you here to solve today's matter?" Fan Heng asked.
"Sort of." Steward Wu nodded, and then gestured for the crowd to sit down. He took a seat at the table first, and the servant beside him came over to pour a cup of tea.
"You're all scholars, right?" Steward Wu said to himself, "It's good to be a scholar. I've heard that scholars are sensible and good at handling matters. Today, the matter between my lady and Chief Constable Xu could have been solved, but I heard that someone in the crowd spoke rudely. "
"… Spoke rudely?" Fan Heng, Chen Junsheng, and the others frowned. Lu Wenke's eyes turned red again. Ning Ji sat at the side and watched.
"What happened today is a family matter of the Li family. As for the father and daughter, they are suspected of colluding with the enemy. Someone is suing them … Of course, this matter can be put to rest now, but you guys were shouting nonsense over there today. I heard that you guys went to the yamen again to give money, saying that you want to fight the lawsuit to the end and not let it go. This matter has reached my lady's ears …"
"My lady has just encountered such a terrible matter and is vexed, but you guys are here to add to the trouble. Scholars don't know how to do things. " He paused and took a sip of tea. "That's why my lady said that these people shouldn't stay on Tongshan, in case they cause trouble … So, you guys have to leave now. You have to leave before it's dark."
"Sigh." He reached into his pocket, took out a few silver ingots, and placed them on the table. Steward Wu sighed. "Tell me, what is this …"
The autumn wind blew, and the outside of the inn was filled with dark clouds. The silver ingots on the square table were dazzling, and the eyes of Fan Heng and the others who were sitting there were already filled with anger. Ning Ji, on the other hand, had calmed down. He watched everything coldly from an inconspicuous corner.
The lobby of the inn was quiet. After a while, Fan Heng was about to speak. Steward Wu took a knife from the hands of a strong young man beside him, raised it, and then, with a bang, pressed it on the table like the silver ingots. The sound echoed in the lobby.
(End of this chapter)
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