Cypress Boat Floating

Lu Ciqiu's face was extremely gloomy. He looked up at the plaque hanging high in the Yan Mansion. His eyes were as cold as ice. He asked Ye Jianqing in a cold tone: "Qing'er, what's the difference between this and robbing a woman?"

Ye Jianqing raised his head and his eyes met his. His expression seemed calm, but beneath this calm surface, hidden were surging, boiling emotions, as if he was eager to correct all the mistakes.

"This...isn't it just forcibly seizing a woman?" Ye Jianqing replied softly.

Lu Ci Qiu retracted his gaze and looked down at Lin Ruoyun, who was limp in Ye Jianqing's arms. She looked so fragile that it made people feel pity.

Lu Ci Qiu asked Lin Ruoyun: "Lin Ruoyun, what can you give for your sister?" At this moment, Lin Ruoyun, who was eager to save her sister, had no time to notice that her identity had already been exposed. When Lu Ci Qiu's words reached her ears, the only thing she could hear was that there was a glimmer of hope that her sister could be saved.

"Give it all, no matter what." She responded in a firm and resolute tone, and just a few words fully demonstrated her determination.

"Then go and beat the drum to appeal for justice, request a joint trial by the three courts, and file a complaint to accuse Yan Zhenqiang of the crime of raping a commoner's daughter." Lu Ci Qiu pointed in the direction of the Dali Temple and said to her solemnly.

Lin Ruoyun looked in the direction that Lu Ciqiu pointed. It was a place she had never been to before. She had always been an ordinary citizen who followed the rules and kept to her duty. She had never been to a place like the Dali Temple before. However, now for the sake of her sister, even if this road was full of dangers, she had to bravely embark on it.

"If you go and knock on that drum, you will be appealing to a higher level. Before that, you need to endure the punishment of forty lashes. Only after you have endured these forty lashes and are still alive, will you be eligible to appeal." Lu Ci Qiu was worried that she would agree easily on impulse, so he told her the prerequisites for the appeal in detail.

After hearing this, Lin Ruoyun smiled bitterly and said self-deprecatingly, "It's only forty boards. As long as Ruoshu can escape from danger, it's worth it no matter how high the price is."

Ye Jianqing watched all this silently from the side. She was very worried about Lin Ruoyun's going to beat the drum to report the incident. How could she, a weak woman who stayed in her boudoir all year round and whose hands could only hold an embroidery needle, endure the inhumane torture of forty strokes of the cane?

Ye Jianqing raised his head and tried to see Lu Ci Qiu's facial expression through the sunlight, but because Lu Ci Qiu was standing with his back to the sun, his handsome face was shrouded in shadow, making it impossible for Ye Jianqing to see his expression at all. Naturally, he had no idea what he was thinking deep in his heart.

She shook her head gently at Lu Ciqiu, hoping that he could persuade Lin Ruoyun to give up this dangerous approach. After all, they could choose to sneak into Yan Zhen's house to look for Lin Ruoshu, which might give them a glimmer of hope.

However, Lu Ci Qiu seemed to have no reaction to Ye Jianqing's gesture. He didn't even look at her. Lu Ci Qiu said coldly, "If you think you can bear it, then go ahead. Remember to write the petition clearly. If you eventually die under those forty whips, I will also save your sister from Yan Zhen for you."

Lin Ruoyun seemed to have found a ray of hope. She struggled to break free from Ye Jianqing's embrace and stood up shakily. She stretched out her trembling hands, wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hands, and then walked forward resolutely. The road she chose did not lead to the Lin Mansion, but to the Dali Temple.

Seeing this, Ye Jianqing quickly stood up and wanted to support her. However, when she saw that although Lin Ruoyun's steps were unsteady, her eyes were unusually firm, she silently retracted her outstretched hand.

"Why did you ask her to beat the Dengwen drum?" Ye Jianqing looked at Lin Ruoyun's back as she walked away, but his eyes turned to Lu Ciqiu beside him, his words full of doubt and indifference. He was a little angry about Lu Ciqiu's action.

Lu Ci Qiu's voice was calm and even, he said: "Only if she goes, can we have a legitimate reason to investigate Yan Zhen. Yan Zhen accepted Lin Ruoshu this time, so will he use his power to accept Zhang Ruoshu and Li Ruoshu in the future?"

Ye Jianqing couldn't help but frowned and retorted: "But do you know what kind of punishment she will face if she really hits that drum?"

"I know." Lu Ci Qiu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "But someone needs to be the pioneer."

"Pioneer?" Ye Jianqing sneered, "Bullshit pioneer, she is just a sister who wants to protect her sister, what's wrong with her? Why should she become a pioneer for your lofty ideals?"

Lu Ci Qiu frowned, his eyes became somewhat cold and firm, "It was her fault that she was born in the Lin family. She was also wrong for not protecting her sister even though she knew that Lin Fanmao wanted something from them. She not only wants Yan Zhen to pay the price, she also wants Lin Fanmao to pay the price. Since she wants so much, then she should also pay the price to save her sister, right?"

His voice was full of unquestionable tone, as if he was explaining to Ye Jianqing an unchangeable fact. However, Ye Jianqing did not agree with his point of view, and her heart was filled with anger and dissatisfaction.

"You are making up stories!" Ye Jianqing's eyes widened, her voice trembling a little, "Just because she was born in the Lin family, does she have to bear all the responsibilities? This is so unfair! These things were done by Lin Fanmao, not her, so why should she bear these responsibilities?

She is just an ordinary person, she has no ability to fight against those powerful forces. Moreover, everything she did was to protect her sister, is this wrong?"

Lu Ci Qiu looked at Ye Jianqing, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes, but he still insisted on his point of view, "This is reality, we have to face it. If no one is willing to stand up and act as a pioneer, then no one will continue to find out that Yan Zhen is wrong, no one will be able to catch Yan Zhen's handle, and he will not easily pay the price he deserves, and Lin Fanmao will not lose anything. He will continue to make his money, be a wealthy businessman, and live a good life."

Lu Ci Qiu paused, then looked at Qing'er calmly and said softly: "Qing'er, in fact, if the person standing here now is not the Lin Ruoyun you are familiar with, but any other stranger, you will make the same choice as you do now. It's just because you happen to know Lin Ruoyun, you have been paying attention to her and want to get what you need from her. Therefore, when I deal with things in this way, you will feel dissatisfied with my approach. However, if we think from a different perspective, perhaps we can understand each other's positions and starting points."

Ye Jianqing shook his head gently and denied it firmly: "No, it's absolutely not like that! If there are other feasible ways to save others, why would I use such extreme means? I support the law, but this must be based on the fact that the law is effective and sufficient to protect the people. If the law is no longer able to protect the rights of civilians, I will never be foolish enough to stick to the rules. To put it bluntly, you just want to use Lin Ruoyun to help your second brother eliminate the prince's followers."

Lu Ci Qiu was silent for a while, and then he slowly responded: "However, isn't it the most appropriate way to punish Yan Zhen to expose his guilt to the world?"

Ye Jianqing looked up at Lu Ciqiu, his eyes filled with endless sorrow: "If Lin Ruoyun really handed the complaint to you, are you sure you can protect her?"

"I will do my best." Upon hearing this, Ye Jianqing smiled coldly, "Lu Ci Qiu, you have changed. You seem to have become the princes I know, not Lu Ci Qiu."