Lu Xunguang stood tall in the center of the crowd. He was already of a lofty stature, and with his hair neatly tied up in a topknot and wearing the cap of adulthood today, he seemed even more outstanding.
"Although we are mere merchants, insignificant in the eyes of the powerful, we are still human beings, not ants or weeds! Your Excellency the Censor, you and your son - in - law have taken bribes, perverted the law, privately set up torture chambers, and monopolized power. You've gone too far!"
His words resounded with determination. The tea merchants, filled with righteous indignation, roared their approval.
"That's right! Your Excellency the Censor, we've always known that the commoners shouldn't challenge the officials, and we never intended to be your enemies. Every tea house has been careful to flatter you. Whenever it's time to buy tea, we've deliberately offered you a third of the profits. During festivals, weddings, or funerals, we've sent you gifts of gold, jade, and silk! We've been cautious and humble, only hoping for a bit of your care. But who would have thought that you'd treat us like fools?"
"Tampering with official tea is a capital crime! We've been working diligently, treading on thin ice, never daring to overstep the line. But we had no idea that the heads of our nine generations of kin had already been tied to Your Excellency's belt without our knowledge!"
The more the tea merchants spoke, the angrier they became. The group of hired killers who had rushed over, although they had already changed into the clothes of ordinary servants and were standing in front to protect the Censor of Tea Tax and his wife, didn't expect that another group of wailing and grieving commoners would come from afar. They rushed to the front of the Censor's mansion, beating their chests and stamping their feet.
"My poor son! I thought that since you were working for Your Excellency the Censor, you'd make something of yourself. Who would have thought that such a small mistake as accidentally stepping on a pebble while driving the carriage at night would be your death sentence!"
"Your Excellency the Censor, my husband died in battle at the border. This son was the only male heir of three generations. You've beaten him to death. Even if I die, I'll have no face to see my ancestors in the underworld!"
"My daughter! At the end of last year, you sent a message saying that after the New Year, you'd ask the mistress to let you out of the mansion and get married. Your father has found a good match for you, and your mother has already made the wedding quilt. We were just waiting for you to come out and reunite as a family. Who would have thought that I'd have to bury my own child!"
Many commoners in the city had their sons and daughters working in the Censor of Tea Tax's mansion. They had been worried sick since they'd lost touch with their children. Lu Xunguang had sent his servants to visit each family one by one according to Ling's confession and told them the tragic news.
How could the commoners, who had suddenly received such shocking news, let it go? They immediately gathered together, shouting that the Censor of Tea Tax and his wife must pay for their crimes with blood.
The Censor's wife never expected that the lives of a few low - level servants were so insignificant in her eyes. She thought that as long as she could keep the news well - hidden, no one would say anything.
But now, looking at these angry mobs, each with red eyes and a look of hatred as if they wanted to skin her alive and grind her bones to ashes, even though she had always looked down on these commoners, she couldn't help but be terrified.
She panicked and took a step back, but how could the almost - crazy commoners let her escape?
"Everyone, surround this corrupt official quickly! Under the feet of the Son of Heaven, in the capital, is there really no law? Are the lives of us commoners not lives?"
"Let's go! Let's go and beat the Drum of Admonition! Let's ask the Emperor to give us justice!"
The commoners were shouting and, without hesitation, surrounded the Censor of Tea Tax and his wife and were about to rush towards the palace gate.
Li Ying was worried about Lu Xunguang. She changed her clothes and came to look for him. From afar, she saw such a scene.
In such a short period of time, Lu Xunguang had managed to find all the fellow apprentices and disciples of the world - renowned tea masters, rushing them to the capital in great haste, and had spread Ling's confession throughout the capital. This man had truly established himself as the head of the Lu family. He had dispatched the horse caravan and rebuilt the Lu family's intelligence network. Every single thing he did was done silently but with great ease.
Lu Xunguang also saw Li Ying. He nodded at her.
Li Ying replied with a reassuring smile, which meant that he didn't need to worry about her. She would surely take good care of herself.
"Who is making such a ruckus here? This is the capital! How can you be so lawless! Bold commoners, are you tired of living?"
Just as the chaos was at its peak, a sharp and angry shout came from afar.
The commander of the imperial guards, wearing armor, led a group of soldiers. They pushed through the crowd menacingly and blocked in front of the Censor of Tea Tax.
"Surrounding a court official, you mobs. Do you want to rebel? Disperse quickly! Otherwise, I'll arrest you all and throw you into prison and torture you!"
He showed his shiny sword. The once - excited commoners seemed to have been doused with a bucket of cold water. They all fell silent and didn't dare to move for a moment.
Li Ying frowned secretly. The power of this Imperial Envoy Lin was truly all - pervasive. Not only were the civil officials colluding with him, but even the military general guarding the city was in cahoots with him.
"Commander, wait a moment!"
Just as the situation was at a stalemate, another clear voice rang out. Li Ying looked up, and the frown on her face finally relaxed.
It was Su Buchi.
He was following behind Lord Wu, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and beside them was Assistant Minister Xu. All three of them had a solemn look on their faces. They stood in front of the commander of the imperial guards, refusing to yield an inch.
"Commander, our Court of Judicial Review has received a secret letter stating that the Censor of Tea Tax ordered his subordinates to forge signatures and create false names to embezzle more than a thousand taels of silver. This is a major case. I immediately reported it to His Majesty. The Emperor was furious and ordered our court to investigate in detail. So, you don't need to worry about this matter."
As soon as Lord Wu said this, the commander of the imperial guards had nothing more to say. The Censor of Tea Tax and his wife turned as pale as death, looking as if they had lost their parents. They immediately collapsed to the ground.
Assistant Minister Xu personally escorted them to the Court of Judicial Review for interrogation. Su Buchi, however, solemnly promised the commoners, "Everyone, please rest assured. Our court will enforce the law impartially and will surely investigate every injustice you've suffered. If you have any more confessions or testimonies, just come to our court to appeal your grievances! I'll be waiting for you at any time. We will surely clear the names of the innocent commoners who have lost their lives!"
His words were firm. The old people who had lost their sons and daughters were in tears. They trembled as they knelt in front of the three officials of the Court of Judicial Review.
"Long live the Emperor! Thank you, three upright lords, for giving us commoners justice!"
Seeing that everyone had gone far away, Su Buchi couldn't stay long. In the midst of his busy schedule, he nodded slightly at Li Ying, indicating that she should be at ease. They would surely enforce the law impartially and find out the truth.
He also took a long look at Lu Xunguang, with a look of disapproval on his face. It seemed that he was quite dissatisfied with Lu Xunguang for letting Li Ying come to such a bustling and dangerous place alone.
He rarely showed such an undisguised look of unhappiness. Li Ying couldn't help but be speechless.