Free Web NovelChapter 245: Chapter 245: "You’re Eradicating All Future Trouble!
Once you’re saddled with a label like that, it’s not easy to shake off.
Yang Yi was caught in a dilemma.
If he and his men resisted, wouldn’t that just confirm what Ming Lingyi had just said? But if he didn’t resist and simply let the men from Jingzhao Mansion take them away, someone with a loose tongue would inevitably implicate his young mistress.
His young mistress’s situation with the Qin Family was already precarious. If word got out now that she had allowed her household servants to commit violence in the street, the consequences would be...
While Yang Yi was still struggling with his decision, the men from Jingzhao Mansion had already apprehended his entire group.
Yang Yi: "..."
’Forget it,’ he thought. ’Given the situation, if I don’t surrender and really get branded with the crime of causing chaos in the Capital City, this head on my shoulders might just be relocated.’
’I can only apologize to my young mistress.’
How could Feng Shuyu not have heard the commotion outside? But as a supposedly delicate woman, she would be of no use even if she went out.
Rather than going out only to invite humiliation, she was better off sitting calmly inside the bookstore, which would prevent her from losing her dignified composure.
Feng Shuyu also had faith in the Jingzhao Mansion patrols. Since Qiu Tao dared to cause a scene on Vermilion Bird Street, it seemed he was just as brainless as ever.
She wasn’t flustered, but she hadn’t expected Ming Lingyi to show up with the people from Jingzhao Mansion.
Upon seeing Ming Lingyi’s figure, Feng Shuyu couldn’t stay seated and shot to her feet. "Why are you here at a time like this?" she asked, rushing over to Ming Lingyi. If Qiu Tao’s men had accidentally injured Lingyi today, it would have been her fault.
Ming Lingyi winked at her. "You’ve been so busy. I couldn’t just sit back and watch some people get rich off our ideas, could I?"
It took Feng Shuyu a moment to process this. Just then, Manager Xia came in from outside, his face beaming. "Boss, that Qiu Tao has been taken away by the men from Jingzhao Mansion! I hear he might even be sentenced to death!"
Feng Shuyu was completely stunned.
In truth, it was hard to say what Qiu Tao’s sentence would be. Neither Ming Lingyi nor Ma Dali had any intention of making a fuss over something that hadn’t even happened. Unfortunately, Qiu Tao was anything but cooperative after being caught. Not only did he try to struggle free from the Patrols, but he also started shouting, demanding to know what law he had broken and on what grounds Ma Dali and the others were arresting him.
He repeatedly insisted that he hadn’t come to cause trouble today, but merely to have a discussion with the people of Liufang Bookstore. Why were they arresting him and not them? He wouldn’t accept it!
If it were any other day, Qiu Tao’s shouting might have been ignored. But now he was even suggesting that Lord Governor was persecuting him because he had been a judge for Ming’s Restaurant, and was thus biased toward them and, by extension, toward Liufang Bookstore.
Ever since Gongsun Liangce took office as the Prefect of Jingzhao Mansion, not a single Patrol officer in the government office had anything but respect for him.
Their superior might be strict when it came to official business, but in private, he put on no airs. In recent years, he had cleared more than half of the cold cases that had piled up in Jingzhao Mansion. Who in the government office wasn’t completely won over by him?
With so many onlookers gathered around, if Qiu Tao’s words were allowed to spread, the consequences would be dire.
Ma Dali was the first to react, punching Qiu Tao in anger. "What nonsense are you spouting, you little punk? Our Lord Gongsun arrests people like you in accordance with the law!"
Just as Ma Dali said this, the uniform sound of horse hooves suddenly echoed from the other end of the street.
In an instant, everyone’s attention was captured.
When a dense, dark formation of Black Armor Guards suddenly appeared on the bustling Vermilion Bird Street, it was a sight that drew the eyes of nearly everyone present. They were the Emperor’s own trusted aides.
Those were the Black Armor Guards!
A truly rare sight on any normal day.
After the initial shock of seeing the Black Armor Guards, the crowd’s curiosity was quickly piqued.
"Why are the Black Armor Guards suddenly here? Could the Emperor have left the palace?"
"Where? Where?"
"It must be something major. Otherwise, why would the Black Armor Guards be out on the streets at a time like this?"
The crowd’s curiosity was soon satisfied.
The lead Black Armor Guard rode straight toward Ma Dali and his men.
Qiu Tao, still in Ma Dali’s grasp and nursing his jaw from the punch, was completely clueless. He might dare to act tough in front of young women like Feng Shuyu and Ming Lingyi, but against a Patrol officer like Ma Dali, he was powerless to fight back. Even after being punched, he wouldn’t stay quiet. Seeing the Black Armor Guards approaching, Qiu Tao hurriedly cried out for help, "My lord! General! Lord General! Please, save me! I’ve done nothing wrong!"
The lead Black Armor Guard did seem drawn by Qiu Tao’s words and walked toward him.
A look of wild joy flashed in Qiu Tao’s eyes.
’Could Jingzhao Mansion possibly stand up to the Black Armor Guards?’ he thought. ’I’ll make sure to lodge a formal complaint against these troublemaking Patrols!’
Just as Qiu Tao was at his most triumphant, a fist smashed into his face once again.
This time, however, it wasn’t someone from Jingzhao Mansion who threw the punch, but one of the Black Armor Guards.
Seeing this, the onlookers couldn’t help but cover their mouths and let out a collective gasp.
Just moments before, when they heard Qiu Tao’s pleas and saw the Black Armor Guard actually walk toward him, they had almost believed the Guard was really going to rescue him from Jingzhao Mansion’s custody.
Who could have predicted such a sudden turn of events!
The strength of a man from the military barracks was not something an ordinary Patrol officer could match.
In that instant, Qiu Tao’s vision went black and his head started ringing. For a long moment, he was completely disoriented.
"You brazen scoundrel! We are here under the Emperor’s command to assist Jingzhao Mansion in apprehending the vermin who counterfeited His Majesty’s private seal! The Emperor has given a verbal edict: upon seeing said vermin, he is to be given a firm slap."
He was merely following orders.
A punch wasn’t so different from a slap, after all.
And hearing Qiu Tao continue to cry foul, he couldn’t help but put a little extra force into it, could he?
As soon as the Black Armor Guard spoke, the expressions of everyone present changed.
Feng Shuyu, who had just come out of the bookstore with Ming Lingyi, had naturally also heard the lead Black Armor Guard’s words. She turned to look at Ming Lingyi.
Evidently, the suspicion she had harbored was now confirmed.
"You really did bring them here!" Feng Shuyu was genuinely impressed.
Ming Lingyi replied, "The official gazette has so many private seals on it. I received permission from the Emperor and the other lords before I dared to have you carve them. Tell me, on what grounds can someone just casually counterfeit another’s private seal? That in itself is against the law."
Feng Shuyu: "..."
She had to admit, Ming Lingyi’s move was ruthless, completely eliminating any future trouble.
The case hadn’t even gone to trial yet, but the crowd of onlookers had already exploded into an uproar.
