Someone weakly asked Old Man Chen, "Village Chief, I recognize one person here. He hit me before. Can I beat him up a few times now?"
Old Man Chen really didn't know if this was allowed. He turned to look at Feng Xiao, who replied cheerfully, "As long as you don't kill them, beat them as hard as you can!"
As soon as Feng Xiao said this, the people lying on the ground were instantly surrounded by villagers. Two or three people ganged up on one, raining punches down on the group.
The women didn't have as much strength, mostly resorting to kicks, especially to the lower body. The village was filled with cries of pain, but not a single person came out to speak up for this group of yamen runners.
Seeing this, Feng Xiao couldn't help but sigh. If only these yamen runners had done one good deed, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation!
The villagers voluntarily escorted the bruised and battered yamen runners to the town's jail. Because the town mayor had died, the town was now without a leader, and the jail was left unguarded. The people from Shangmen Village automatically took on the role of jailers.
When they had nothing else to do, they could still beat them up to vent their anger. What a great thing, why wouldn't they?
When Feng Xiao was leaving, he instructed Old Man Chen on some important matters: "Uncle Chen, the dozen or so people who entered the village today are very important. They have a direct role in the Emperor's punishment of those corrupt officials. You must help take good care of these people. I will come to pick them up by tomorrow at the latest."
Although Old Man Chen was old, his mind was still sharp. He squeezed Feng Xiao's shoulder and patted his chest to guarantee, "Don't worry, I will handle the matters you've entrusted me with. I'll keep these people safe here, and I'll return them to you tomorrow, safe and sound!"
Feng Xiao had great faith in Old Man Chen's words. In this village, he knew everything – where every mouse hole was, how many mice were in each hole, whether they were male or female. Hiding a few people shouldn't be a difficult task for him!
Hedong Prefecture.
The residence of Zhao Qing Sui, the Prefect of Hedong, was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
In the main hall.
Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi sat on either side of the grand chairs. Dragon Guards, dressed entirely in black, stood behind the couple, staring at Zhao Qing Sui, who knelt on the ground trembling, as if he were looking at a dead man. He trembled even more violently, clearly terrified.
After a moment, Shi He threw Liu Cheng, who had been beaten badly, in front of Zhao Qing Sui.
Zhao Qing Sui glanced at the person on the ground. His gaze met Liu Cheng's. He narrowed his eyes, roughly understanding what had happened. At this moment, he absolutely could not admit to anything and had to push all blame away!
"This person spoke treasonously before me, saying that if he were me, he would be my ancestor, and that he led troops to assassinate me openly, acting on your orders!"
Having served as a prefect for many years, Zhao Qing Sui was well aware of the intricacies of officialdom. He immediately denied everything completely: "Your humble servant is terrified. I do not know who this person is. How could I have ordered someone to kill Your Majesty?"
"Even if it weren't Your Majesty, even if it were an ordinary citizen who had not committed heinous crimes, one cannot kill. I would not dare to abuse my power and kill people, even if I were given ten times the courage!"
His words sounded so good, so humble, so righteous. If not for what the couple had personally experienced these past few days, he would never have believed that this place was rotten from the inside out.
Zhao Jiaqi, uninterested in the trial, whispered a few words to Fan Zehao and left. Long Yi, seeing this, followed her, providing constant protection.
Outside the house, the corridors wound, the railings were made of jade, the paths were paved with pebbles, and countless precious flowers bloomed in the garden.
The mansion was vast. Zhao Jiaqi spent a long time just wandering in the back courtyard, and she hadn't even finished exploring it.
"Chunfen, go find a maidservant in the manor, one who is not favored. Ask her about the situation in the manor. I'll sit in the pavilion and wait for you!"
Chunfen was a little troubled. How was she supposed to find an unfavored maidservant?
Su Ya, standing beside her, tugged at Chunfen's sleeve and whispered, "Look for the maidservant who is dressed the worst and is alone. That person is the least favored."
Chunfen suddenly understood and gave Su Ya a grateful smile, silently thanking her.
The people serving the madame did not differentiate between anyone; there was no saying who was treated well or poorly. Therefore, Chunfen truly didn't know how to distinguish.
Zhao Jiaqi saw both of them whispering.
Chunfen was honest and straightforward. She wasn't as clever as Su Ya. Before Su Ya was by her side, she must have suffered all sorts of hardships to immediately understand who was favored and who suffered in the manor.
Soon, Chunfen returned.
She excitedly gestured to Zhao Jiaqi, "Madame, this prefect is truly incredible! He has seven or eight concubines, not including his mistresses outside. If you count all of them, won't our national treasury be replenished again?"
Zhao Jiaqi: "..." This child, has she fallen into a pit of gold?
"Did you find out anything else?"
Chunfen shook her head. The other maidservants didn't say much.
Zhao Jiaqi didn't hear what she wanted to hear but heard everything she didn't want to. She sighed and said, "Then go and thoroughly investigate the background of these concubines and the women kept outside. Investigate everything, no matter how small!"
"Yes, Madame. Your servant will go now!" Chunfen loved doing this kind of thing.
Taking a concubine cost a hundred thousand taels of silver, and for more than three concubines, the fine was doubled. Just the fine for this one prefect would likely be enough to cover the expenses of the entire Hedong Prefecture.
After Chunfen left, Su Ya stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Madame, it is already late. Perhaps Madame should rest first. It won't be too late to ask tomorrow. Besides, investigating the entire matter will take more than a day or two!"
Zhao Jiaqi nodded. This matter required careful planning. It seemed she wouldn't find out anything tonight anyway.
The night was deep and quiet.
The entire manor was silent, not even a leaf on a tree branch dared to rustle.
When dawn broke, Zhao Jiaqi woke up and found no one beside her. When she reached out to touch, the space was cold.
She sighed faintly. She had worked through the night again.
Her movement of turning over alerted Su Ya outside the room!
"Madame, are you awake?"
"Mmm!" Zhao Jiaqi's lazy voice came from within the curtains.
In a moment, Su Ya brought the washing water. While serving the madame to wash, she reported the situation.
"Last night, your servant chatted with some of the old wet nurses in the manor. According to them, Zhao Qing Sui is very close to a wealthy family in the capital. For festivals, they send gifts, including jade antiques, treasures, and calligraphy and paintings, by several carriages."
At the dressing table, Zhao Jiaqi raised her eyebrows upon hearing this. This Su Ya was truly her mind-reader.
Seeing that the madame didn't respond, Su Ya continued, "It's a pity that your servant couldn't find out who that mysterious wealthy family in the capital is!"