Make Him Roll Over Here!

Upon hearing that they were of the Qin Family.

The leader of the Imperial Guard immediately put on a smile: "So it is our own people. General Qin Yanying is our instructor, and I am a centurion under her command. Greetings, young master of the Qin Family!"

Smiles seemed to be a conserved quantity, merely shifting from one person's face to another.

The smile on Qin Mingri's face vanished, replaced by a hint of disdain and anger: "You still have the face to come and claim kinship? I ask you, why did you not stop General Qin that day?"

The centurion's expression faltered, and he could not help but feel ashamed: "I..."

Qin Mingri snorted and dropped the carriage curtain: "Let's go!"

With that said.

He led his group directly into the city gate.

Leaving behind only a squad of Imperial Guards filled with self-reproach and shame.

Inside the carriage.

The beautiful woman looked somewhat dissatisfied: "Your aunt is truly a troublemaker. I told her to keep a low profile in the Capital City, yet she still caused such a huge incident! Mingri, how do you intend to handle this? Should you write a letter to your father?"

"No need, Aunt!"

Qin Mingri said indifferently: "Since Father entrusted the affairs of the Capital City to me, it means he trusts my ability to handle matters. Father's plans are far-reaching; before the imperial examinations, everything must be stable. We cannot let Father's plans be disrupted because of Aunt alone.

Presumably, the Court of State Ceremonial does not want to make a scene either, otherwise, they would not have dispersed the passersby when they arrested Aunt."

The woman hesitated: "But paper cannot wrap up fire after all. What if the matter leaks and damages the reputation of the Qin Family?"

Qin Mingri smiled confidently: "Rest assured! No one in the Capital City dares to openly oppose a Demon Official!"

"I mean, what if Qin Muye..."

"Him? He might be foolish enough to do so, but after all these years, he may not have the guts he once had."

Before the words had even faded.

He suddenly heard a commotion outside.

Faintly, he could even hear the sound of the Grievance Drum.

At this hour, someone was beating the Grievance Drum?

He lifted the window curtain: "Go ask what is happening!"

Before long.

The soldier who went to inquire ran back hurriedly, half-worried and half-excited: "Young Master! Someone is seeking justice for General Qin Yanying!"

Qin Mingri: "???"

No? Wasn't it said that they had already silenced everyone?

Capital Prefecture.

The woman protected her pregnant belly with one hand while wielding the drum mallet with the other, striking the Grievance Drum with all her might.

As she struck, she shouted loudly.

"I, Chu Qingtiao, a commoner, was harmed by a villain, resulting in the death of my unborn child. I implore the upright official to summon Qin Yanying and the Demon Official Hu Huan to seek justice for me!"

"I, Chu Qingtiao, a commoner, was harmed by a villain..."

She shouted over and over again, and the onlookers discussed it heatedly.

"A pregnant woman... Is this the person who was almost harmed by the Demon Official the other day?"

"You heard her, she wants to summon Qin Yanying and the Demon Official. Who else could it be but them?"

"This woman is truly shameless. She is already pregnant, yet she still acted as a Fortune Bead for others. Where does she find the face to come here and beat the Grievance Drum?"

"Pah! She's worse than a prostitute!"

"Who's to say she isn't?"

"Still, to dare to speak up for justice at a time like this, it is not easy."

"Indeed! Those Demon Officials do not treat us as human beings at all!"

"I don't know if it's true, but I heard from my second uncle that his neighbor's child was almost eaten. The child is so scared that they still have a high fever. I admire this young lady for daring to speak out!"

"Pah! Isn't it just that her baby died and she wants to demand compensation? Even if she is truly speaking for justice, it doesn't change the fact that she is shameless!"

The crowd chattered back and forth, their focus shifting between "whether the Demon Official is too excessive" and "whether acting as a Fortune Bead is shameful."

Qin Mingri felt his temples throbbing. He truly could not understand; when the Court of State Ceremonial arrested Qin Yanying, they had clearly dispersed the passersby, and there was no way they lacked the means to silence people afterward. Yet, the result was that everyone knew about it.

What did this indicate?

It indicated that someone must be inciting this from the shadows.

In such a vast Capital City, who would be willing to stand up for Qin Yanying?

Aside from that brainless heir Qin Muye, he could not think of anyone else.

Aunt and nephew, two troublemakers!

Such actions might indeed vent some frustration and perhaps even mitigate a portion of the guilt.

But the damage to the overall situation is immense!

Qin Mingri glanced at Qingtiao, who was beating the drum, and felt even more that Qin Muye was incredibly foolish. Did he really think that by stirring up some public opinion and finding a lowly woman to beat the drum, he could force a case to be opened?

Let her beat it!

The Prefect of the Capital would win the moment he laid eyes on her!

"Dong!"

"Dong!"

"Dong!"

Qingtiao struck with the mallet, putting her entire strength into every blow.

The sound of the drum was deafening.

Yet, no matter how loud the drumming, it could not drown out the whispers behind her.

Her face was pale, her body trembling, and she felt an urge to burst into tears.

She knew that after this night, everyone in the Capital City would know her as a shameless woman.

She did not know how her family would survive in the future.

But she knew that if she did not save General Qin, then truly, no one else could!

As she continued to beat the drum, a sudden commotion reached her ears.

Turning her head, she saw two squads of fierce-looking bailiffs rushing over.

"Who is disturbing the government office!"

"Get out of here at once!"

"Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"

As they spoke, they prepared to grab Qingtiao by the arms.

But at that moment, an old man in scholar's robes stepped in front of Qingtiao and rebuked the bailiffs: "You brats are truly rude. A young woman is here seeking justice, so why are you driving her away? Is the official uniform you wear meant for bullying the common people?"

Although the old man in scholar's robes had skin like chicken skin and hair like crane feathers, and his frame was somewhat hunched, his voice was clear and resonant, reaching everyone's ears distinctly.

In an instant, he received a response from the surrounding crowd.

"That's right! Is wearing an official uniform just for bullying us?"

"Hold court! Hold court!"

"You must hold court!"

"You unruly..."

The bailiffs were furious, but under the old man's glare, their momentum faltered.

In this day and age, who could live to such an old age without some strength behind them?

Moreover, the old man before them possessed an extraordinary bearing; every look and gesture carried an indescribable majesty. The Capital City was full of hidden talents; perhaps he had some powerful background!

The bailiff could only smile apologetically: "Old sir, it is so late now, how can we hold court in the middle of the night? Besides, this case involves a Demon Official and is not within the jurisdiction of the Prefect of the Capital, right?"

The public kept quiet about that case, but every government office already knew it inside and out.

The Court of State Ceremonial had explicitly stated that this case must be handled by them.

Even the Brocade Guard and the Ministry of Justice dared not intervene, and the Prefect of the Capital was dodging it as fast as he could.

How many lives did they have to dare take on a job for the Prefect?

The old man seemed very reasonable, turning to look at Qingtiao: "Young lady, cases involving a Demon Official are indeed not managed by the Prefect of the Capital. Look..."

Qingtiao took a deep breath and said: "Old sir! This commoner was so frightened at the time that I cannot remember many things clearly. I don't quite recall if the fetal arrest was caused by General Qin or the Demon Official. If the Demon Official cannot be brought here, please summon General Qin to help this commoner recover my memory. If it wasn't General Qin, I will think of other ways."

Bailiff: "???"

Are you listening to what you're saying? Is this fabrication even logical?

He was just about to say something.

The old man in scholar's robes nodded and said: "This young lady is right. Little bailiff, hurry up and call your Prefect over!"

The bailiff understood; this old man was clearly in league with this Fortune Bead. He suppressed his anger: "Old sir, it is already the hour of the dog, and the Prefect needs to rest. Can you persuade this woman to come back tomorrow?"

He could not quite gauge the old man's background and was truly afraid of kicking an iron plate, so he could only offer temporary appeasement to investigate properly under the cover of night.

If he really couldn't afford to offend them, he would let the Prefect come up with a countermeasure.

Unexpectedly.

The old man in scholar's robes gave him no face at all, his wrinkled face full of fury: "Scoundrel! Just because it is late, you can refuse to handle a case? Is this the attitude of a local magistrate? Go ask Zou Yulong, is this how his teacher taught him?"

This tone was condescending, as if he were training a dog.

The bailiff finally could not hold back: "How we conduct business at the Prefect of the Capital is not for you to point fingers at! Who are you? Where do you get the nerve to call the Prefect by his name, and where do you get the face to use the Prefect's teacher to bully others?"

The old man in scholar's robes snorted coldly, stood with his hands behind his back, and said: "I am Ye Songting! I am the very teacher of your Prefect! You, right now, tell Zou Yulong to roll over here immediately!"

The bailiffs: "!!!"

Ye Songting!?

The fourteenth-generation Headmaster of the Great Gan Academy!

Although he had been in retirement for over twenty years, his students were scattered throughout the imperial court.

Why had this titan descended upon them!?

The surrounding crowd erupted in a clamor, never expecting that this decrepit old man was actually the illustrious Ye Songting.

Qin Mingri was also stunned.

He was both anxious and hateful!

Where did a brainless fool like Qin Muye get the manpower to stir up public opinion?

And where did he get the influence to invite even Ye Songting here?