At the corner of the street, Qin Yining was wearing a dark blue embroidered cloak and a Guanyin hood of the same color. Half of her face was hidden in the shadows. Seeing that Librarian Gao was using Pang Xiao's identity to scare people, she couldn't help but sneer.
Perhaps only such a shameless person would be able to teach scum like Young Master Gao.
Qin Yining was able to keep her cool, but the people around her couldn't take it anymore. They all gritted their teeth and cursed Librarian Gao along with the refugees.
The citizens who had been shocked by Librarian Gao's mention of Pang Xiao finally regained their senses and cursed again. This time, the ones who dared to curse were the hot-tempered and righteous men.
"You corrupt official, let out Philanthropist Qian and Philanthropist Lu! Let out the old madam who has done good things before! "
"You don't care about our lives, but you don't let others care about our lives. What kind of justice is this?!"
"Your family is decorated with lanterns and colored banners, eating and drinking well. Have you ever thought that our family members might starve or freeze to death?!"
"Let the good people come out!"
… …
Someone took the lead and shouted, attracting everyone's attention. They had come for the matter of food. Cursing at Librarian Gao wouldn't help them achieve their goal. They had to make demands and force Librarian Gao to agree to them!
The citizens were all shouting loudly. Even those cowardly refugees who had been scared stiff earlier were all in agreement, asking Librarian Gao to let them out.
Nearly a thousand people were expressing their opinions, and most of them were shouting angrily. This kind of "quarrel" was something that Qin Yining had never seen before.
Beside Qin Yining, Jing Zhe and Master Zhong were silent.
Master Zhong looked at Librarian Gao, whose face had turned green from being shouted at by so many citizens. He couldn't help but shake his head and say in a low voice, "No wonder there's a saying that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize a boat. There are only a thousand people here, but there's already such a shocking scene. What if all the citizens of the world are dissatisfied? They don't even have to do anything. Just one sentence from each person is enough to shock everyone to death. "
Qin Yining shook his head, "That's the theory, but the premise is that all the citizens of the world have a common goal. What can make everyone have a common goal? Naturally, it's for mutual benefit. "
He raised his hand slightly, and the mink fur collar swayed in the wind, making the black mink fur look shiny and smooth. "If we didn't come here for the same purpose today, we wouldn't be able to work together like this. Everyone has their own little plans."
This was not to belittle the refugees' sense of brotherhood and justice, but the simplest and most obvious human nature.
Humans were selfish, and they all wanted to protect themselves. If it did not involve something closely related to their own survival, how could they stand up for others and almost lose their own lives?
Master Zhong was stunned, then he shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "Princess Consort is right. If it wasn't for Wang Fei's ingenious plan to let everything happen at the best time, then the situation wouldn't be as oppressive as it is now. "
If Qin Yining hadn't acted at the right time, just based on the angry citizens, they wouldn't have been as angry as they were now, and wouldn't have gathered in one place. Maybe when they saw the signs of something about to happen, they would have shrunk their necks and run away.
Therefore, the thousands of people gathered in one place for the same purpose. This scene made Master Zhong, Jing Zhe, and the others feel great admiration.
Wang Fei had always been this intelligent. She could always point out what the next step should be at the most crucial moment. She could always find the essence of the matter in the tangled and complicated situation, and think of better ways to solve all problems.
As he spoke, Historian Gao's quarrel with the people became fiercer and fiercer, and he even pulled out his sword.
The refugees were so frightened by Historian Gao's action that they fell silent for a moment.
Yet the leader of the refugees was clearly provoked. Ignoring Historian Gao's sword pointing at him, he said loudly, "We didn't come here to harm unrelated people. We aren't you, we aren't as despicable as you to kill the innocent!"
"That's right, we just want you to let the innocent people go! Not only are you not willing, you are pointing your sword at us. Could it be that whoever has a sword can be unreasonable! "
"Do you believe that I won't cut you down first!" Historian Gao fiercely waved the sword in his hand.
The threatened refugee wasn't someone to be trifled with. He immediately stretched out his neck and said, "Go ahead, if you kill me, there will naturally be people who will take revenge for me! In any case, I won't be able to live. Even if I don't get killed here, I will starve and freeze to death the next day! If I die now, it will be better! "
The refugees at the back were furious when they heard this. They all pointed at Historian Gao and shouted, "You dare!"
Even though everyone's voices were chaotic, when everyone glared at him and threatened him, even Historian Gao felt some fear in his heart.
When he said he would kill people, it was just to scare these people. It would be best if he could scare them away.
He didn't expect that the refugees, who were usually as quiet and obedient as rabbits, who wouldn't even have the guts to say "no" even if he were to slap them. Instead, the cowardly commoners who would always run away with their tails between their legs, were not even afraid of death today!
If he really did touch anyone, the next thing that would be broken through would be his home. His wife, children, and several beautiful concubines would all be attacked by the refugees. His family's wealth would also be robbed clean. The consequences would be unimaginable.
Just as the refugees were incessantly agitated, and the women and children in the residence were trembling like leaves in a storm, Historian Gao suddenly thought of a way to deal with it.
"This matter wasn't my decision to begin with. I am just a historian, and I am only following orders. None of this was my idea! Even if you all block my door, it's useless! "
The refugees were stunned when they heard this. For a moment, they didn't know what to say.
Historian Gao saw that the scene had quieted down, and the situation seemed to have eased. He let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that he had found the right method.
Historian Gao continued in a loud voice, "I usually do things for the sake of the imperial court. Although I am strict, I do things impartially. I don't arrest people because I like it, but because I arrest people who are truly guilty. The people I arrest are all people who have violated the laws of Da Zhou. Don't tell me that every person who impartially enforces the law has to face your crimes! "
Everyone looked at each other in dismay.
Qin Yining narrowed his eyes and laughed in a low voice, "It seems that we have underestimated him. When he tries to quibble, his words are clear and logical."
Master Zhong and Jing Zhe's faces were full of contempt. They looked at each other, and Jing Zhe immediately signaled to someone in the crowd with his eyes.
"We don't believe you! You are clearly trying to shirk your responsibility! You see that there are so many of us, so you are afraid. You want to push the blame to others and fool us? There is no way!
"Don't you mean that someone ordered you to do this, and that this matter was done by an official with a higher rank than you? Ask him to come out. We want to confront that official and ask him why he is arresting people! "
The refugees, who couldn't even read a single word, nodded their heads in agreement.
Everyone chimed in, "That's right. Ask your official to come out. We want to ask him!"
Historian Gao's face darkened.
He didn't expect this group of people to be so difficult to fool. Ask for his superior? Could it be that he could invite Magistrate Yang over?
Historian Gao stood rooted to the ground like a log and refused to say a single word. Someone took the lead and shouted, "You are obviously trying to shirk responsibility and fool us! Release Philanthropist Qian! Release Philanthropist Qian who has done good deeds! "
This person shouted angrily while waving his fists. Such a rallying action ignited everyone's heroic spirit, and they all shouted along.
The Gao family's gate, which had only been quiet for a moment, was once again thrown into chaos. The refugees were even crowding in Historian Gao's direction. There were even a few angry refugees who stood at the back and couldn't reach Historian Gao. They all turned and rushed towards the nearby yamen.
When the commotion started, the yamen's gate was already tightly shut. Only a few bailiffs had their ears pressed against the gate to listen in on the outside. At this moment, not only were the refugees not appeased, they even rushed straight towards the prefectural magistrate's office. All the bailiffs were in a panic, cursing Librarian Gao for throwing all the blame on them. They hurriedly went to find someone to block the entrance, fearing that the entrance would be breached by the refugees.
The thousand or so refugees were divided into two groups. One group was cursing at Historian Gao, while the other group was rushing to break through the yamen's gate.
The crowd's angry roars pierced through the clouds. Not to mention what the people in the Gao family would think if they heard this, just Qin Yining, who was standing at the corner of the street, was deeply shocked by the scene. Her heart was beating wildly with the crowd.
Everything was going according to Qin Yining's plan, but in reality, she wasn't happy at all. Instead, she was worried for these poor people. She was afraid that there would be casualties. If someone lost their life because of this, then it would be her fault. She would feel guilty.
At this moment, the sound of hurried horse hooves suddenly came from the street corner.
One of the bailiffs rushed over at top speed and shouted at Historian Gao from afar, "Magistrate Yang has ordered you to release Qian Gui immediately!"
At this time, Librarian Gao held his blade horizontally, and the blade was about to touch the commoners' bodies. Hearing this sudden roar, not only the commoners, but even Librarian Gao himself was stunned.
The bright blade stopped in its place, emitting a cold light. Historian Gao's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as he looked at the bailiffs on the horse.
The commoners also turned their heads and looked at the person who had come to pass on the message.
That person felt uncomfortable from being looked at, and he shouted, "Gao Wenyao! Are you going to openly defy an order? The magistrate is a kind and upright person. He is a good official who thinks for the people. But you, for your own selfish desires, you are slandering the magistrate! You are slandering an official of the imperial court. The magistrate will definitely report this to his superior! "
"You! When did I slander the magistrate? You … "
"Why aren't you going to release him? Are you still trying to stall for time? "
Historian Gao's face was completely ruined by the reprimand, but he couldn't care less about it now. He could only appease the people around Magistrate Yang and get through this difficult situation. He would go back and ask for forgiveness from the magistrate.
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