Chapter 119 Father
It seems unnecessary to inquire about the remaining hundreds of households one by one.

The people who suddenly emerged were enough to be witnesses for Xue Huaiyuan. When these people heard Jiang Li say that they were going to Yanjing City to overturn Xue Huaiyuan's case, they all expressed their willingness to go with him. This time, they no longer had to worry about whether there were enough people.

Ye Mingyu was very happy, and he patted his chest to guarantee that he would pay for the carriage, food and lodging to Beijing. Tong'er and Bai Xue were also very happy. Ye Mingyu got some time to talk to Jiang Li, saying: "A Li, now we have completed the task ahead of schedule? What can we do?"

"There are so many people here, and most of Feng Yutang's troops have been killed. The defenseless common people have long been resentful of Feng Yutang. It's time to let them vent their anger. The sentence from Xiangyang will be issued sooner or later. Since Feng Yutang likes to be the king in Tongxiang, this time, let him have a taste of what it feels like to be called the king by others. Uncle, take these people to the county government, we are going to perform a play called 'Kidnapped Officials to the Palace'."

"I've only heard of 'tying children to the palace', but never heard of 'tying officials to the palace'." Ye Mingyu laughed.

"I haven't seen it either, so I have to see it carefully. There is no time to lose. I think Feng Yutang has got the news and is planning to get away with it. We can't let him get away. We have to arrest him. Wait for Tong Zhiyang's transfer order to come, then we can release Xue Xiancheng from prison and escort the official to the capital."

Ye Mingyu shouted "good" when he heard this. He liked to do things in this way. He had been feeling very depressed these days. Now he could finally hold his head high and catch Feng Yutang, whom he had always disliked. That was really a good thing!
"Let's go, let's go!" Ye Mingyu said impatiently.

……

The county government is quiet today.

Feng Yutang sat in the house, waiting for his luggage to be delivered.

He couldn't leave the mansion because he knew the road was dangerous, so he didn't even take his favorite concubine with him. He only took the gold and silver treasures he had plundered during his years as a local official in Tongxiang. If the servants and concubines in his mansion found out that he had packed up and run away, they would definitely make a fuss. By then, if Jiang Li and her group were alerted, he wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to.

When Feng Yutang learned yesterday that Jiang Li had taken people to ask Tongxiang residents one by one if they were willing to be witnesses, he knew what Jiang Li was planning. No wonder, no wonder Jiang Li's people were able to deal with Princess Yongning's killer without making a sound, but refused to touch her. Now that he thought about it, since Jiang Li was not afraid of Princess Yongning, how could she be afraid of a small character like him? She kept him alive and refused to kill him in order to save Xue Huaiyuan!
Only if he is alive and the case of Xue Huaiyuan is retried, will he use his own crime to help clear Xue Huaiyuan's grievances!
When Feng Yutang figured it out, he was anxious and angry. He was driven out of the county government by Xue Huaiyuan, and he hated Xue Huaiyuan's ruthless behavior. Later, the situation changed. Xue Huaiyuan offended Princess Yongning, and Xue Huaiyuan was imprisoned. He ordered the jailer to treat Xue Huaiyuan "well". At the moment, he was in high spirits, but suddenly a daughter of the prime minister appeared and wanted to vindicate Xue Huaiyuan, and she was about to succeed.

Xue Huaiyuan is truly his natural nemesis!

Jiang Li had this idea, but Feng Yutang was unwilling to do so. Xue Huaiyuan was now a disabled person, and had gone insane. He had made a huge sacrifice for such a disabled person. Moreover, if Xue Huaiyuan's case was overturned, he would be the one to replace him. Although Princess Yongning was his master, she would never start a war for a small person like him.

Jiang Li was right when he said, when gods fight, the little ghosts suffer. He knew that he was not a god, but a little ghost who could be in trouble at any time, so he had to find a way to survive. He could no longer stop Jiang Li from overturning Xue Huaiyuan's case. If he messed up the job, Princess Yongning could kill him at any time. He also offended Jiang Yuanbo's daughter. If he didn't leave now, when would he leave? Therefore, Feng Yutang went to the county government early this morning. The boxes he had moved were all here. He took a few confidants with him and just waited for the carriage to pick him up, and then he set off quickly.

By the time Jiang Li found a witness willing to testify, seven days later, he would have already left. As for how Jiang Li and Princess Yongning fought, let them do whatever they wanted. He had already escaped, and everything had nothing to do with him!
While thinking about this, Feng Yutang suddenly heard some noise outside. He perked up and immediately stood up from the stool. He ordered his confidants to quickly carry the boxes containing the banknotes and antiques, and he walked out the door first, saying dissatisfiedly, "I told you to make less noise. What if someone finds us?"

Just after he finished saying this, Feng Yutang happened to walk to the gate of the county government office. His voice quickly disappeared and he was stunned for a moment.

Standing in front of him were Ye Mingyu and Jiang Li.

"Lord Feng." Jiang Li smiled at him.

Ye Mingyu reluctantly smiled back, and he suddenly felt a little uneasy. Jiang Li smiled gently, and even Ye Mingyu smiled meaningfully at him. This man who looked like a bandit had always been stern and cold to him. When had he ever been so friendly?
"Second Miss Jiang." Ye Mingyu hid his inner scrutiny and asked Jiang Li, "Why did you two come so early? What do you want from me?"

This attitude was completely different from the first day when Jiang Li was just healthy. Ye Mingyu's eyes flashed with contempt. This guy was just putting down others and praising others. He felt dirty just by looking at him.

Jiang Li did not answer Feng Yutang's words, but looked behind him and asked curiously, "Why did Lord Feng move so many boxes? Is he going on a long journey?"

Feng Yutang's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned around, signaling his men to move the boxes back with his eyes, and said with an apologetic smile: "How could that be? These are the things we took out before, and we are just about to take them back."

"I see." Jiang Li smiled. "That's good. I thought Lord Feng was going on a long journey. I was a little embarrassed just now. If Lord Feng is going on a long journey, it will be difficult to handle in the future. I still want to ask Lord Feng for help with something."

Jiang Li looked kind and gentle, but Feng Yutang knew that this little beauty was not as kind as she seemed. When he heard that Jiang Li wanted to ask him for help, he didn't feel good at all. He broke out in a cold sweat and asked tentatively, "What does the second lady want me to help you with?"

"It's a very simple matter." Jiang Li said lightly, "It's just to ask Lord Feng to accompany me back to Yanjing and go to the Dali Temple to testify in the case of County Magistrate Xue."

Feng Yutang stood there in a daze.

Jiang Li looked at her quietly. Her eyes were too calm, but Feng Yutang could see the ridicule in them.

He said: "Second Miss, what kind of joke is this..."

"I don't like jokes." Jiang Li shook her head.

Feng Yutang suddenly felt humiliated. Jiang Li's petite body blocked his way. He wanted to rush up and break Jiang Li's neck, and fight his way out. But he didn't dare. Ye Mingyu stood beside Jiang Li, and the big knife on his waist was still emitting cold air.

"Second Miss, do you insist that I do this?"

Jiang Li smiled and nodded.

The more gentle she was, the more angry Feng Yutang became. He was furious and suddenly asked, "What if I don't agree?"

"Don't want to?" Jiang Li's smile slowly faded, she looked at him expressionlessly, and said coldly: "I'm afraid that Master Feng can't refuse."

Feng Yutang refused to show weakness: "Miss Jiang Er is going too far, are you planning to kill me?"

"This has nothing to do with me." Jiang Li shook her head: "They are the ones who won't let you go." She turned her body slightly.

Feng Yutang saw it.

Behind Jiang Li, outside the gate of the county government office blocked by Ye Mingyu's guards, there were densely packed people, all of them were Tongxiang people. They didn't know how long they had been standing here, just looking at Feng Yutang quietly. Their eyes were full of anger and excitement. It was as if if Jiang Li wasn't here, they would rush in and kill Feng Yutang to vent their anger.

"Look." Jiang Li smiled.

Feng Yutang's body swayed, and he took a step back involuntarily. He shook his head and muttered, "Impossible..."

When those people came back yesterday to report the news, they said that Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu had been asking Tongxiang residents door to door for several days, but they only found three people. There were more than 500 households in Tongxiang, and finding three people was not a lot. Feng Yutang was very proud at the time. He had a very high prestige among the people of Tongxiang. Even if the daughter of the Prime Minister came to speak for him, no one dared to speak nonsense. It was precisely because of this that Feng Yutang believed that it would take at least a few more days for Jiang Li to gather enough people willing to testify.

How could so many Tongxiang people follow her in just one night? What happened? What did she say to the people of Tongxiang?
"Feng Yutang!" a young man said angrily, "You kidnapped my sister to be your concubine, and she died within three days of entering your mansion. Give me back my sister!"

"He's a beast. He robbed our shop and my mother died of anger in the house!"

"He colluded with the bullies and stole three antiques from our house!"

"Feng Yutang!"

Shouts of accusation echoed through the sky in front of the Tongxiang County Government Office.

During Feng Yutang's tenure, he bullied men and women and committed all kinds of evil. The people of Tongxiang had tolerated him for a long time, but now that he had exploded, Feng Yutang was so scared that he retreated again and again. He tried to show his former prestige, but he was not confident enough and could only shout in a cowardly manner: "What are you going to do? Are you going to rebel?"

His answer was an even more boiling roar from the people.

Amid the noise, Jiang Li's voice was surprisingly clear. She said, "Lord Feng, those who do evil will eventually perish. It's not that you don't want to be punished, but that the time has not come. Now, your time has come."

Feng Yutang looked at her for a few moments, then suddenly turned around and ran away!
He knew that what Jiang Li said was right. They were numerous and powerful. If it were in the past, he could still let his men fight, but they were just unarmed low-class people. How powerful could they be? However, most of his men who had followed Jiang Li to kill him had died in the past few days, and the rest were not worth mentioning. These low-class people rebelled at this time, and his men would not miss it!

Escape? Where can I escape to?

Jiang Li looked coldly at Feng Yutang's hastily fleeing back, and waved her hand and said, "Master Feng wants to run away, so please help and bring Master Feng back."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a "bang" and the people who had long been full of complaints against Feng Yutang immediately rushed forward and chased Feng Yutang. Even Feng Yutang's men were beaten by these people who were holding long sticks or dustpans and could not resist, and they begged for mercy again and again. Jiang Li asked Ye Mingyu's guards to keep an eye on them. She wanted to let these people vent their anger, but she had to ensure that Feng Yutang would not escape.

It has been a long time since so many people appeared in the county government office of Tongxiang. Since Feng Yutang took office, the county government office here has become a place where those bullies and rich people love to come. As long as there is money, they can get things done. The people who come to the county government office are full of blood and tears, and they are the ones who have been cheated. Over time, the county government office is a devil's den, which is a fact known to everyone in Tongxiang.

But a few days after Miss Jiang Er came to Tongxiang, common people appeared in the county government again. This time, it was not "officials bullying the people", but "officials forcing the people to rebel".

Ye Mingyu looked at Feng Yutang who was being hit on the head with a carrying pole by a woman, and laughed happily. He asked Jiang Li to watch as well, and said, "That bastard has now tasted the feeling of being slaughtered."

Jiang Li smiled faintly: "It's karma."

Although Feng Yutang was Princess Yongning's lackey and acted according to Princess Yongning's orders, his father's insanity and the inhuman torture he suffered in prison were all related to Feng Yutang. He was too optimistic to think of getting away with it after doing all these things. She would make Feng Yutang and Princess Yongning regret their actions for the rest of their lives.

Jiang Li said to Ye Mingyu, "Uncle Mingyu, have someone tie up Feng Yutang and don't let him escape. Keep him under close watch."

Ye Mingyu nodded, and seeing Jiang Li turning around to leave, he asked Jiang Li: "Ali, where are you going?"

Jiang Li said: "In prison, Feng Yutang has lost his power. The jailer fled after hearing the news. Now there will be no one to stop him from going to see County Magistrate Xue." She smiled: "I think there are many prisoners like County Magistrate Xue who have been wrongly accused in Tongxiang prison. I want to release them all. It's time to change the world of Tongxiang."

……

The people who ended up in jail with Jiang Li were Ye Mingyu's servant A Shun and Zhang the Butcher.

Although the news was that the jailer had escaped, Ye Mingyu still asked Jiang Li to take a few people with him just in case. He himself had to keep an eye on Feng Yutang to prevent him from escaping.

There were messy footsteps on the ground at the prison gate. I think it was the jailers who got the news of Feng Yutang's accident and left in a hurry. There was also some scattered silver on the ground, but Ye Mingyu had already sent some people and Tongxiang people to block the city gate. Anyone who wanted to escape from the city would be stopped by them.

Ah Shun stood at the door, lit a torch with Zhang the Butcher, and looked inside. The prison was gloomy, and all the torches were out, so it was a little hard to see. Afraid that Jiang Li would not see the steps on the ground and fall, Ah Shun was about to remind Jiang Li to be careful, but he saw Jiang Li didn't even take the torch and walked down by herself.

Ah Shun: “…”

When he was young, Xue Huaiyuan did not allow him and Xue Zhao to come to the prison. But every time Xue Zhao brought him in secretly, the prison boss knew that they were Xue Huaiyuan's children, knew that the children loved to play, and knew that they would not do anything, so he turned a blind eye. Jiang Li was not unfamiliar with the prison. Some of the people imprisoned in the prison were really vicious criminals, while others were people who had to commit crimes due to life's pressure. But one thing was the same, the people in the prison were all guilty.

When Xue Huaiyuan came, he always wore his official uniform that was washed white. He had rescued Zhang the Butcher who was wrongly imprisoned, and had also sent the real guilty but escaping evildoers to prison.

Jiang Li never thought that one day she would see her father's shadow in prison, among the people wearing prison uniforms.

Fortunately, the torches in the prison were extinguished, and the torches in the hands of Zhang the Butcher and Ah Shun were not enough to make her blurry eyes visible. She walked very slowly with each step, looking as if she was afraid of falling and was very careful, but only Jiang Li herself knew that her hands were shaking slightly.

She is afraid.

She was afraid to see a father like that. She was afraid that the father who had been the sky for her and Xue Zhao since childhood, the big tree for Xue Zhao, the upright father, would curl up in a ball and lose his past clarity and memory in the darkness.

Ah Shun's torch illuminated the faces of the people in the cells one by one, and cries of injustice suddenly rang out one after another. I don't know how many unjust cases Feng Yutang had handled, but once they saw a stranger coming, the cries of injustice in the cells all rang out at the same time. But most people just looked up at them indifferently, as if they had lost all hope for the future - these were people who had been tortured and no longer believed in hope.

No, no, no. Jiang Li looked at the missing limbs one by one, and when she saw that it was not her father, she felt a little relieved, but then she became more anxious. Why hadn't she seen him yet?
Until the last room.

Ah Shun's torch had reached the prison door, but the person inside was huddled in a corner, sleeping or lying down, with his back to Jiang Li and the others, refusing to turn around and take a look. Ah Shun subconsciously glanced at Jiang Li. He had never seen Xue Huaiyuan, so he didn't know what he looked like, but Butcher Zhang knew. But every time Butcher Zhang didn't recognize him, Jiang Li shook her head faster than Butcher Zhang.

No one would doubt that Jiang Li also knew Xue Huaiyuan. She was even more familiar with Xue Huaiyuan than Zhang the Butcher, so she could judge whether the person inside was Xue Huaiyuan at the first time.

Ah Shun looked at Jiang Li and saw that Jiang Li suddenly grabbed the prison door, and his expression became dazed.

He perked up and knew from Jiang Li's expression that this man was undoubtedly Xue Huaiyuan, so he quickly took out the cell key - he also saw it dropped on the ground at the door.

The cell door flew open.

Butcher Zhang was still hesitant. Although he knew Xue Huaiyuan, he couldn't be sure because he couldn't see his face. Although he didn't know why Ah Shun opened the cell door after only taking a look at Miss Jiang Er, Butcher Zhang was just about to go in and take a look himself, in case it wasn't for Xue Huaiyuan, Miss Jiang Er would be hurt. Then he saw the girl almost couldn't bear it anymore and rushed in quickly.

Butcher Zhang and Ah Shun were both stunned. Ah Shun said, "Hey, cousin, your torch..."

In the dim torchlight, Jiang Li saw the figure sitting alone in the corner of the cell door, his head knocked against the stone wall, his hair disheveled. That tall and majestic figure had become so hunched and skinny. Her mind buzzed, her knees softened, and she knelt down.

Ah Shun was shocked and almost wanted to scream, but Zhang the Butcher beside him pulled him back, so he swallowed the scream in his throat. But he was still puzzled. A man's knees are as precious as gold, and the cousin is not a man, so kneeling down is not precious. But even if Xue Huaiyuan and the cousin are old friends or have some kind of connection, the cousin kneeled down to him like this, which is really incredible.

What was so worthy that made the cousin suddenly kneel down, or was it that her knees felt uncomfortable while she was walking and she fell down?

But soon Ah Shun denied his guess. He watched Jiang Li reach out, support the dirty prisoner, and slowly turn him around to reveal his full face.

Butcher Zhang and Ah Shun both widened their eyes.

It was a thin face that could hardly be called a "human". The whole face was thin with sunken cheeks and high protruding cheekbones. The body supported by Jiang Li was even more skinny. Ah Shun had seen prisoners before. Most of the prisoners were born with fierce looks, with sharp mouths and monkey cheeks. Some looked miserable and downtrodden, but none of them were as shocking as the one in front of him.

His hair was completely white, so white that at first glance, one might have thought it was the snow in Tongxiang covering his head. However, the whiter his hair became, the darker and thinner his figure became. He looked like a candle that was about to be blown out, just one breath away.

Butcher Zhang murmured, "Master Xue..."

Ah Shun subconsciously looked at Zhang the Butcher. Could this incredibly thin old man, who looked like he was about to die, be the Magistrate Xue, who was popular among the people and was said to be of high character and a bright and noble character?
How could Xue County Magistrate be so destitute? You know, anyone who saw the prisoner in front of him would have no doubt that he would die soon.

Miss cousin will be scared when she sees such a person, right? Ah Shun thought so, and then he saw Jiang Li stretched out her hand and slowly rolled up Xue Huaiyuan's sleeves.

With her back to him, Ah Shun couldn't see Jiang Li's expression. He only felt that this cousin looked extremely painful, like a beast suppressing its wounds, licking the blood that kept flowing out with sobs. It kept flowing, drop by drop, and it just wouldn't stop.

The moment he rolled up his sleeves, Zhang the Butcher beside him took a deep breath.

The weak firelight could not hide the scars on the poor old man's body. Those scars looked like whip wounds, knife wounds, or burns caused by a red-hot iron piercing the skin. The wounds were layered, and new wounds were added before the old ones healed. Some of the wounds were already oozing pus and emitting a foul odor. Maggots were slowly crawling on the wounds. Ah Shun felt a little sick and his chest was stuffy.

Psychologically, he was terrified by Feng Yutang's methods.

You know, even if they are on death row, they don't have to accept such a punishment. This is to make life worse than death, and not to give the other party a quick death. Jiang Li only rolled up one sleeve, revealing one of the other party's arms. If one arm is like this, it is conceivable that how long will Xue Huaiyuan have the same scars on his body?
In such a dark prison, he was tortured day and night, unable to live or die. No wonder Xue Huaiyuan went crazy. Ah Shun even thought that if Jiang Li didn't come to rescue him in a few days, it might be a relief for Xue County Magistrate.

Days like this are so hard to bear, so hard to bear.

At the same time, he was also doubting in his heart, even if Xue County Magistrate was rescued, how long could he live? Even if he barely survived, a person who had lost his mind had lost everything. What was the point of living like a walking corpse?

Just as I thought of this, a low howl suddenly sounded in the prison.

Ah Shun was startled and looked in the direction of the sound, but was surprised to find that the person making that sound was none other than his cousin Jiang Li.

The young lady who always liked to smile gently, was calm and composed, and could remain serious even when facing the crazy crowd in Lizheng Hall, knelt on the ground with her legs, made a sound that seemed both sad and happy from her throat, slowly bent down, hugged Xue Huaiyuan's shoulders, and burst into tears.

Ah Shun was stunned, and Zhang the Butcher did not speak. In the prison, the voices of people crying out for justice in the cells of all sizes suddenly became quiet because of their arrival. Only the sound of the girl crying could be heard.

The crying sound seemed to be contagious, swaying in the dim light in the dark prison, as if one had experienced all the joys, sorrows, anger and happiness of life after many years, and suddenly got the chance to start over, crying with joy. It was also like standing in front of the rolling Yangtze River, feeling the sorrow of missing out on the things of the world because the past time could never come back.

It makes people sad and heartbroken to hear.

The girl was not afraid of the stench and maggots on the prisoner's body. She just hugged him tightly, like a little lost girl who finally saw her father in the crowd. She grabbed this life-saving straw and cried without any scruples and felt relieved.

Jiang Li was deeply saddened.

Xue Huaiyuan is only a few years older than Jiang Yuanbai. In the past, Xue Huaiyuan was also a beautiful bamboo forest. Although he was not as elegant as Jiang Yuanbai, he had his own style. My tall father is getting old so fast. He is not even old enough to know his destiny, but his hair is already completely white. If he had not suffered a huge blow, why would he be like this?
His body was covered with scars. When Jiang Li thought of those difficult days, her heart was broken. If she had returned to Tongxiang sooner when she became Jiang Li, would her father have suffered less? Or if she had not provoked Shen Yurong, and if Princess Yongning had not been there, she could have stayed in Tongxiang and lived in peace with Xue Zhao's father until old age.

The world plays tricks on people, and plays tricks on them in the applause of others.

The bones of his men were so hard that it seemed as if they had no flesh on their bodies, only bones. Feng Yutang even gave Xue Huaiyuan only a little food, leaving him hungry and cold.

Suddenly, amidst Jiang Li's cries of pain, a weak voice sounded, as soft as in a dream.

"Ahri?"

(End of this chapter)