The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

Then, Master Zhai lowered his voice even more, his face full of regret and fear, and he said in a trembling voice: "Oh my, why didn't you tell me this man's identity earlier? Now I'm in big trouble!"

Grandma Liu also lowered her voice and responded, "I tried my best to stop you from speaking, but what happened? In the end, it was me who was to blame?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Master Zhai quickly turned sideways, knelt on his knees, kowtowed to Cheng Feng, and pleaded in fear and trepidation: "I am really old and my eyes are blurry. I didn't recognize that you, Master Cheng, are a royal relative! I have offended you a lot today. I hope Master Cheng will be magnanimous and forgive my sins!"

Cheng Feng felt so ashamed at the moment. He was already extremely embarrassed, but now his identity was exposed in public. He felt his face flushed instantly, and he had no place to put his head. He quickly stepped forward, helped Master Zhai up with both hands, and said sincerely and humbly: "It is true that I did something wrong today. I hope Master Zhai will forgive me for the offense. As for my men who took away your pots and food, I am willing to compensate them ten times the amount. I beg Master Zhai to be magnanimous and spare us, a group of ignorant people!"

After hearing this, Master Zhai waved his hands hastily and said repeatedly: "Oh, Master Cheng, you are too kind! This little grain is just for me to help the poor people around me. How dare I ask for any compensation! As long as Master Cheng doesn't hold a grudge, even if you have to give me all the grain in my house, I will be willing to do it!"

Cheng Feng quickly responded, "Master Zhai is too polite. You must not do this. I'm sure there is not much food left in your house. Now is a time of war, and the food of every household has been basically plundered. I still have more than ten loads of food on my hand. If I use it sparingly, it should be able to support three or four days. Moreover, I have sent a letter back home. In two days, my wife will come here with food to help the people around. Although the war is raging and everyone has suffered a lot, please believe that the emperor will not sit idly by and will find ways to make our Fengqi country prosperous and peaceful!"

On the street, many people were stunned at first, then showed surprise on their faces, and then knelt down to Cheng Feng. These people were ragged and haggard, but their eyes were shining with hope. They knew in their hearts that if someone could really donate porridge, no matter how hard life was, they could always get through it by gritting their teeth.

Cheng Feng quickly waved his hand to signal everyone to stand up, and said, "Everyone, please stand up quickly. There is no need to perform such a grand ceremony."

However, the matter was not over yet. If everyone did not know Cheng Feng's identity, he could have felt at ease if he had just paid some silver to settle the matter. But it was different now. Everyone knew that he was the nephew of King Shuiyong, so he represented the royal family. A royal family member who stole the people's food must give the people an explanation, otherwise he would really become a hooligan who took advantage of his power to bully others.

So Cheng Feng said to everyone: "Today, my people took the food of Master Zhai. I can be spared the death penalty, but I cannot escape the punishment of life."

Sui timidly shouted to Cheng Feng: "Cheng Feng, what do you mean?"

Cheng Feng turned around and glared at Sui Dan, then said to the chief of the yamen runners: "Sir, it was Sui Dan and Cheng Youning who stole the grain. I hope you can punish them severely, and give them 30 strokes of the cane each as a punishment. If they dare to commit the same offense again in the future, they will be severely punished without mercy!"

The chief of the yamen runners looked embarrassed after hearing this. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered, "Mr. Cheng, since this is all for the good of the people, and Mr. Zhai has already said that he will not pursue the matter any further, in my opinion, let's just let this matter go."

However, Cheng Feng refuted righteously: "What Master Zhai said just now is absolutely right. As the saying goes, 'The emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people'. No matter whether one's status is high or low, as long as one breaks the law, he should be punished accordingly. Therefore, this matter must not be easily forgiven. I hope the officials will quickly carry out the punishment!"

Master Zhai stood aside, and when no one was paying attention, he quietly raised his hand and slapped himself hard on the face. His face was full of regret, and he secretly complained in his heart, feeling that his intestines were about to turn green with regret.

At this time, Cheng Feng stared sternly at Sui Dan and Cheng Youning, who was hiding behind Sui Dan and carefully showing half of his face, and said coldly: "Come out! Considering that it is your first offense, only beating you with thirty sticks is already a lenient sentence."

"I was the one who suggested stealing the food. It has nothing to do with Cheng Youning. If you want to beat me, just beat me." Sui Dan walked out angrily. His face was red with anger, and his chest was heaving. He cursed Cheng Feng in his heart for being stubborn and deliberately torturing him. He lay on the ground like a dead fish, pretending to be ready to die heroically.

Cheng Feng stared at Cheng Youning and said, "If you dare to do it, you must dare to take responsibility."

Cheng Youning hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth, walked out quickly, and lay on the ground.

At this time, the leader of the yamen runners was stunned. Cheng Feng's son looked like he was only a few years old. What did this child have to do with theft? This made him a little confused. "Mr. Cheng, how old can this child be? He can neither climb over the high wall nor carry heavy food. What bad things can he help do? In my opinion, let's forget it this time."

However, Cheng Feng shook his head expressionlessly and answered firmly, "No! Don't do evil even if it's small. Since he dared to make a mistake, he must be punished accordingly. He is already six years old and understands a lot of principles. If he is not properly disciplined, he will cause even greater trouble in the future! Beat him, don't show mercy, otherwise he will never learn his lesson!"

A group of yamen runners watched closely, but they did not dare to take action.

Cheng Feng saw all of this. He was only hindered by his status as a royal relative, otherwise, his hands would have been chopped off at this time. However, he could not give everyone an explanation for this matter. After all, so many people were watching. He said to the seven people he brought with him, "If they can't do it, you come and beat them up."

Before he finished speaking, four people came out in response. Each of them quickly picked up a thick stick and hit Sui Dan and Cheng Youning hard on the buttocks. Every time the stick fell, there was a dull sound and bursts of exclamations from the crowd.