Chapter 280: Boiling oil on a raging fire, public resentment boiling over, pointing directly at the Wei Duke!

"But Chen Tongyuan is, after all, a Duke, a Pillar of State..."

Sun Laoshi stood to the side with his hands hanging down, his fingertips unconsciously picking at the fabric pattern on his cuffs. Listening to the chatter of the people around him, it was a long while before he looked up and cautiously voiced his worry: "Are they afraid they won't get justice?"

On one side were just poor people from Taiping Village with no power or influence, while on the other was one of the Eight Pillar Noble Families...

The difference in status between the two sides was more than just the difference between clouds and mud, right?

The gap was truly too great!

"So what if he's a Duke?"

"So what if he's a Pillar of State?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Geda's anger was instantly ignited, and he said indignantly: "Does that mean he can trample on the people at will?"

"That's over one thousand two hundred living human lives!"

Is that just one or two?

That's over one thousand two hundred!

Even if the lives of us commoners are cheap, they shouldn't be allowed to be trampled on like this!

"Exactly!"

Qian Xiaosi was immediately resonated with, and said righteously: "We cannot stand by and watch!"

"If the Wei Duke can slaughter over one thousand two hundred people in Taiping Village today, tomorrow, the day after, could any one of us become a wronged soul under his knife?"

Qian Xiaosi hadn't read many books, but he deeply understood one principle:

If I stand by and watch coldly today, when disaster befalls me in the future, no one will wave a flag and shout for me!

He and Sun Geda looked at each other, and without any hesitation, they joined the grievance-seeking procession without looking back.

A man carrying a vegetable pole threw his pole to the ground, not caring that the vegetable leaves rolled all over the floor, and rushed to the side of the procession in a few steps.

I don't know who knelt down first, with a "thump" sound hitting the bluestone slab. Immediately after, porters, peddlers, women buying vegetables in the morning...

One by one, they surged forward and spontaneously lined up at the back of the procession.

Some held shoulder poles, some clutched vegetable baskets, shouting "A grievance" in unison. The sound wave rolled over Zhuque Avenue, suppressing the funeral music, shaking the food stall's oilcloth awning until it shivered.

The man in mourning clothes was stunned, the spirit tablet in his arms shaking slightly.

He looked at the suddenly expanded procession behind him, looked at the flushed faces, and a louder cry burst from his hoarse throat: "Beg His Majesty to uphold justice for the people, return justice to the people, and avenge the people's blood feud!"

"Severely punish the Wei Duke!"

The newly joined people followed and shouted in unison, the sound wave hitting the ward walls and bouncing back, like countless fists smashing toward the direction of the Imperial City.

Gradually, it became a uniform appeal slogan.

"This bowl of lamb offal soup is truly delicious!"

Chen Yan took in the scene and began to eat heartily.

Sure enough, when the mood is good, everything tastes fragrant...

"Boiling oil on a raging fire, public resentment boiling over, pointing directly at the Wei Duke!"

Yuwen Ze watched intently, his eyes narrowed slightly, thinking to himself: "A Xiong's methods are truly extraordinary!"

As the people put down their work one after another and scrambled to join the grievance-seeking procession, the emotions were completely ignited...

When thousands of people gathered, it meant that the momentum was already formed and would surely devour the Wei Duke!

"Where did these unruly people come from!"

As the increasingly large grievance-seeking procession marched into the city, the leader, Chen Xiangqi, with a face full of fat, led a group of private soldiers from the Wei Duke's mansion, galloping toward them on horseback, shouting sternly: "How dare you speak empty words, slandering and defaming our Duke!"

"And daring to gather and riot!"

Immediately, he turned his head to look at the private soldiers behind him and ordered: "Disperse them!"

"And arrest them for sentencing!"

"Drive!"

Chen Pi and the other private soldiers who received the order charged straight at the grievance-seeking procession, their front hooves raised, startling the old woman in the front row into falling backward with a scream.

The horse hooves trampled directly over the scattered paper money, knocking the kneeling people into disarray.

A porter wanted to protect the child beside him but was whipped on the back, immediately falling to the ground. His vegetable pole rolled far away, and radishes and cabbage were scattered all over the floor.

"Scatter! All of you, scatter!" The private soldiers shouted in unison, their horse whips buzzing in the air, specifically swinging toward crowded places.

"It's the slaves from the Wei Duke's mansion!"

Sun Geda recognized the identity of the newcomers, stood at the very front, and shouted sternly: "Having committed such monstrous sins, you still want to use force to suppress it!"

"Absolutely cannot let them succeed!"

"Exactly!" Qian Xiaosi echoed, "Even if we have to risk our lives today, we must report this imperial grievance!"

"Fight for it!"

I don't know who roared, like a spark igniting dry firewood.

The porter who had been whipped down climbed up fiercely, grabbed the shoulder pole on the ground, and rushed toward the galloping horses.

Immediately after, the cries turned into roars.

The old woman selling tofu rushed over and hugged the horse's leg, her fingernails digging deep into the horse's hair.

Several young men worked together to overturn the peddler's pole on the side of the road, bamboo baskets and ceramic jars rolling all over the ground, just in time to trip the horses.

A wooden stool smashed onto a horse's head, and the black horse was in such pain that it reared up, throwing the private soldier riding on it down.

A cheer erupted from the crowd, and more people surged forward, some grabbing whips, some pulling reins.

A scene of shared hatred against the enemy.

"Damn it!"

Chen Xiangqi saw this and couldn't help but curse: "Have these unruly people taken the wrong medicine?"

"Why are they so stubborn?"

Not only did they not charge up as expected, scattering these unruly people in flight...

Instead, they fell into the vast sea of people, many of whom had already been pulled off their horses and beaten, in a sorry state.

"Clang—clang—clang!"

The urgent sound of a copper gong exploded from the end of the street, piercing through the shouts and angry roars.

Dozens of Jingzhao Prefecture yamen runners wearing green official uniforms arrived, surrounding a sedan chair. The curtain was lifted, and Liu Bingzhong, the Jingzhao Yin with a face full of anxiety, stepped out.

The official beside him was still clutching the copper gong that had been beaten red.

"Stop!"

"All of you, stop!"

Liu Bingzhong shouted with all his might, his robe corner lifted by the wind, revealing the jade belt he hadn't had time to tie properly.

The yamen runners stood in rows, holding their water-fire staves to separate the private soldiers from the commoners. The sound of the staff tips tapping against the ground—"thud, thud"—truly managed to suppress some of the hostility.

"Damn, these unruly people are truly difficult to deal with..."

Chen Xiangqi tidied his clothes slightly, walked quickly to Liu Bingzhong, and saluted: "Greetings, Lord Liu!"

"Whose family are you from, daring to be so lawless and reckless, galloping on the streets of Chang'an, committing violence, and trampling on the people?"

The anxiety on Liu Bingzhong's face slowly sank, his gaze like quenched ice, his voice not high but carrying a pressing chill, his finger pointing at the leading private soldier: "Do you really not take my Jingzhao Prefecture seriously?"

"I am Chen Xiangqi, under the Wei Duke!"

Chen Xiangqi saw the Jingzhao Prefecture Yin was angry, hurriedly bowed and cupped his hands, reported his family name, and explained: "On the orders of the Wei Duke, I came to drive away the unruly people who were gathering to spread rumors and cause trouble!"

"Why did it alarm Lord Prefecture Yin to come personally?"

After speaking, his face was full of smiles, full of flattery.

"With such a big commotion, could I not come?"

Liu Bingzhong smiled coldly and said coldly: "Your Wei Duke's mansion truly has great prestige!"

Just at this moment, someone in the crowd shouted: "Before the Wei Duke's mansion, they dared to slaughter a village and silence witnesses; after, they dared to ignore the law and trample on the people on the street..."

"I really don't know if today's world belongs to the Wei Duke or His Majesty!"

Finished! This is going to be bad!.......... Liu Bingzhong heard this, and his heart immediately sounded an alarm, his scalp went numb, cold sweat flowed, and looking at the people who were about to riot, he hurriedly appeased them: "People of Chang'an, don't be impatient!"

"I am Liu Bingzhong, the Jingzhao Prefecture Yin, and I will definitely investigate the case clearly and return justice to everyone!"

"Everyone, disperse first!"

Once those words came out, it completely placed the Wei Duke on the cusp of the storm.

Even, if not handled well, it would affect his, Liu Bingzhong's, official career...

"No!"

"We don't trust you!"

Sun Geda rushed to the front and directly rejected it.

"Exactly!"

"That's right!"

Immediately, it drew echoes from the surrounding people: "Officials always protect each other!"

"How could you possibly offend the Wei Duke for the sake of us lowly people?"

"You will definitely turn big things into small things, and small things into nothing, and eventually let it go!"

"We must find a good official who does not fear the Wei Duke's power to thoroughly investigate this case and uphold justice!"

Qian Xiaosi heard this, and a name suddenly popped into his mind, blurting out: "Lord Chen Yan!"

As soon as the words fell, it immediately gained unanimous agreement from the surrounding people: "Yes, Lord Chen Yan!"

"Only Lord Chen Yan can stand up for us, and only Lord Chen Yan is willing to stand up for us!"

"Go to the Mingjing Si to find Lord Chen Yan!" ===== CHAPTER 281 =====