False Imperial Edict
The Imperial Edict, which looked incredibly majestic in the morning light and was stamped with a bright red jade seal, was undoubtedly authentic. It was indeed from the Royal Palace of Prye City, and was a genuine document personally signed and stamped with the Heirloom Seal of the Realm of the State by King Sigmund.
However, the content that Karl read aloud in public, which claimed to be "based on the authority granted to the Guardian of the Northern Border by the Imperial Edict, sentencing John to death and freeing all serfs," was completely unrelated to the original text of the Imperial Edict.
The Imperial Edict contained nothing more than routine rewards for the new king's ascension to the throne, recognition of Carnford's military achievements, a promotion of Karl's personal Nobility title, and the troubling decision to bestow a marriage upon him.
The title of "Guardian of the Northern Border" is more of an honorary one than a powerful authority that allows them to intervene in local affairs at will and have the power of life and death.
But at this very moment, in this remote Jialan Village, among a group of villagers who have almost never left the village for more than thirty miles in their entire lives, and most of whom cannot even write their own names, who would, who dared, and who had the ability to verify the specific text on that sacred Imperial Edict?
The bright yellow silk, the golden patterns, and especially the large, crimson seal symbolizing supreme royal power, constituted an undeniable authority.
Karl von Schmidt, this young nobleman with a tall horse, elite cavalry, and extraordinary bearing, spoke words that, when paired with this Imperial Edict "as if His Majesty were present," were ironclad law and truth.
Doubt? That's a desecration of royal authority.
Tommy quickly dismounted and helped the weak, cold, and soaking Lex and Finn up from the cold wooden frame.
He quickly took off his thick cotton smock, issued by the Carnford Army, and wrapped it around the almost frozen Lex without saying a word. He then took a cloak from a nearby cavalryman and wrapped it tightly around the shivering Finn.
As they came into contact with dry, warm clothing, their cold, numb bodies gradually regained some feeling, but their eyes were still filled with a sense of relief and gratitude as they looked at Tommy.
"Tommy... th... thank you..." Lex's teeth chattered, his voice weak.
"Don't talk, save your energy." Tommy patted him on the shoulder, then remembered the most crucial thing and hurriedly asked, "Lex, Finn, where are your family members? My mother and my sister?"
Lex's face immediately showed deep worry. "They're all... still in the dungeon... locked up with us... I wonder how they are now..."
Finn nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with anxiety.
Upon hearing this, Tommy's heart tightened, and a surge of cold anger rushed to his head.
He turned his head sharply and glared fiercely at John, who was being held captive by cavalry and slumped on the edge of the earthen platform, his face ashen.
His gaze was like that of a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey, which made John was already on the verge of a mental breakdown, shudder and instinctively shrink back.
"My Lord!" Tommy strode to Karl, knelt on one knee, his voice trembling with anger and urgency. "My mother, my sister, and the families of Lex and Finn are still imprisoned in the John family dungeon! Please allow me to lead men to rescue them!"
Karl, mounted on his horse, calmly surveyed Tommy's slightly flushed face, nodded, and said in a steady voice, "Go, Tommy. Take a few men with you and make sure everyone is safe. If there's any resistance, you know what to do."
"Yes, sir!" Tommy replied emphatically, immediately selecting four agile cavalrymen to dismount and follow, and then beckoning Lex and Finn to come along. The group, exuding murderous intent, headed straight for the gloomy dungeon entrance behind the village chief's mansion.
At the dungeon entrance, there were two guards who originally belonged to the garrison, but now seemed somewhat at a loss.
Seeing Tommy leading his men charging towards them from afar, and catching glimpses of Captain Hugo wounded and captured, and Master John slumped in the square, they were already somewhat intimidated.
But when Tommy and the others were about to barge into the dungeon, one of them, still steeling himself, stammered as he tried to fulfill his duty, "Stop... stop! This is the dungeon, no one may trespass without the village chief... uh... without permission!"
Tommy's answer was a simple, lightning-fast straight punch that landed squarely on the guard's face!
The guard screamed in pain, blood streaming from his nose, and staggered backward. Just as another guard was about to draw his sword, a Carnford cavalryman appeared like a ghost, sweeping a heavy scabbard across his wrist, clattering his sword to the ground. He then kicked the guard to the ground.
The two guards were instantly rendered unable to resist and lay on the ground groaning.
Tommy didn't even glance at them. He pulled the keychain from one of their waists, kicked open the heavy, musty-smelling wooden door, and rushed into the dark, damp passageway that led downwards.
A strong smell of mold, excrement, and despair filled the air.
By the dim light filtering in from the entrance, one could see rough earthen prisons on both sides, separated by thick wooden fences.
The people in the cells had clearly heard the fighting and the sound of doors opening above, and they rushed to the bars, whimpering in fear or anticipation.
Tommy was frantic. Holding a torch he'd grabbed from the entrance, he quickly searched the passageway, shouting, "Mom! Sarah! Where are you? Lex! Finn! Find your family!"
"Brother? Is that your brother?" A child's voice, trembling with tears, that Tommy knew all too well, came from a cell.
Tommy jolted, then rushed forward, the torchlight illuminating the interior of the cell.
His mother, Anna, was curled up on a pile of hay in the corner, her cheeks red and swollen with a clear handprint, blood still lingering at the corner of her mouth, her eyes unfocused and filled with pain.
Sarah, the younger sister, clung tightly to her mother, her small body trembling uncontrollably. Several dirty shoe prints were clearly visible on her once-clean dress, indicating that she had been kicked and beaten.
"Mom! Sarah!" Tommy felt a surge of heat rush to his head, his vision blurred for a moment, and boundless anger and heartache almost consumed him.
He frantically used the key to unlock the rusty iron lock on the cell door, yanked open the gate with a clang, and rushed inside.
"Tommy ...you...you're back..." Anna saw her son, her unfocused eyes finally focused, and tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to stand up, but stumbled because of her weakness and the pain on her face.
Tommy hugged his mother tightly, feeling her trembling body and swollen face; his heart felt like it was being ripped out by a knife.
"Mom... you've suffered so much... I'm back. I've dragged you down with me," he said, his voice choked with emotion.
Sarah rushed over and hugged Tommy tightly around the waist, bursting into tears. "Brother! Bad people hit Mommy... and kicked me... Waaah... I'm so scared..."
Tommy gently stroked his sister's hair and checked the shoe prints on her body. Fortunately, her clothes were thick in winter, so she shouldn't have been injured. But the humiliation and fright he felt were enough to bring his hatred for John and his gang to its peak.
He suppressed the urge to rush out and tear John to pieces; the most important thing now was to get his family out of there.
"Mom, Sarah, it's alright, it's alright, we're coming right now... Lord Karl has come to rescue us, no one will be able to bully you anymore." Tommy comforted her softly, helping his mother up and picking up his sister.
Just then, Lex's excited voices, reunited with his family, could be heard from the side, a mixture of sobs, words of comfort, and the relief of surviving a close call.