The Great Wei Music Bureau

Last time, we talked about how Li Yi saw Xiao Ye, who was full of resentment, in prison and felt that she had been swallowed up by hatred, so he changed his plan. Now let's see what he plans to do next.

Li Yi's plan was implemented on the same day. The girls from Liumoxuan began to sing the ditty everywhere, and then took to the streets to sing on the crowded roadsides. Beautiful girls are easy to attract attention, and with the catchy ditty, Xiao Ye'er's story was soon known to the people of Qing'an City.

Three days after the song was sung, some people began to spread Xiao Ye'er's tragic experience in the past few years. With the previous song as a prelude, people soon began to sympathize with this poor girl, coupled with deliberate guidance and incitement.

Seven days later, the people of Qing'an City all felt that Xiao Ye'er was wronged. The weaker party was easier to win sympathy, and for a moment everyone felt that the county magistrate was unfair.

After that, the group of scholars who often gathered in Liumoxuan began to take action, studying the laws of the Wei Dynasty and previous cases, trying to find a better way to deal with it. At noon on the tenth day, amid the dissatisfaction of the people and the gaze of the scholars, Li Yi took action.

Li Yi arrived at the gate of the county government office and beat the drum in the street to appeal for justice, attracting the crowd. He then stood upright under the county government office plaque. The bailiffs soon came out and looked at Li Yi coldly and asked, "Who are you and why are you beating the drum to appeal for justice?"

Li Yi said in a clear and calm voice: "I am a scholar from Qing'an, my surname is Li and my name is Yi. I heard that there was an unjust case, but no one dared to ask about it, and no one dared to intervene. I feel unfair, so I came to ask if there is anyone in Qing'an County who can uphold justice for the people!"

Seeing that Li Yi was full of righteousness, the yamen runner asked, "Which case are you talking about?"

"Embroiderer Ye'er commits murder in the street!"

The bailiff naturally knew that Xiao Ye's case had been a hot topic recently, so he had to be careful and cautious in handling the matter. So he replied, "Wait here, I will go report to the county magistrate." Then he went to report, and soon the Qing'an County Magistrate arrived at the gate of the county government.

The reason why the county magistrate came out to see what was happening was because he knew that the public sentiment in the past few days was deliberately instigated by someone, but he didn't know who was behind the scenes and what his purpose was. When he saw the crowd watching the excitement in front of the door and Li Yi standing upright, he instantly knew that this guy was the mastermind behind the scenes. Now that he has come to the front, he must settle the matter today. The most crucial thing is that Xiao Ye's case may involve the Yuwen clan in Qingzhou, so he has to take it seriously.

Yang Huai, the magistrate of Qing'an County, was originally from a poor family in Qingzhou. He benefited from Empress Xiao's reform of civil service and was able to become an official. This was very common in the Northern Wei Dynasty. In order to move further to the center of power, the poor children who had just entered the court had to not only make achievements, but also stick together to find a backer. The emperor who had just taken power naturally became their best choice.

The founding nobles and the old Xianbei tribes have merged, and they are all opponents of reform; while the four major families and the newcomers from humble backgrounds who have risen with the reform as the beneficiaries of the reform naturally surround the emperor. In the court of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the open and covert struggles between the four major families, the founding nobles, the old Xianbei tribes, and the newcomers from humble backgrounds have already begun. However, the relationship between the four forces is very delicate. The power pie is so small, if you eat more, I will naturally eat less, so there are often frictions between the four major families and the newcomers from humble backgrounds, and the same is true for the founding nobles and the old Xianbei tribes.

During the reign of Empress Xiao, she used her status as a referee to stabilize the government. Tuoba Jun learned how to be a referee, but his political skills were not as good as Empress Xiao's, so the lack of understanding in the fight led to civil strife. The four great families that made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion were naturally relied on by the emperor. The newcomers from the same camp were jealous and angry. If they had money, food and soldiers, they would definitely not let the four great families dominate!

County Magistrate Yang Huai looked at Li Yi and asked, "Li Yi? What is your background? Why do you want to redress the injustice for others?" Li Yi bowed and said, "I am just a commoner, with no background. As for why you asked me why I redressed the injustice for Xiao Ye, as a scholar, I have a noble character, how can I not understand when I see injustice?"

County Magistrate Yang looked at Li Yi and asked again: "There are all the witnesses and evidence in this case, and she confessed everything. How could she be wronged?" Li Yi swept his hand over the onlookers and asked: "Sir Yang, now everyone in Qing'an City knows that Xiao Yezi has been wronged. This is the will of the people. Could it be that Sir Yang, who is so high above, is unaware of this?"

"So, you are the one who has been inciting the people these days?" "Can one person move the people's will? If there is no injustice, why would the people's will lean towards one side? Lord Yang, haven't you heard of the saying that justice lies in the hearts of the people?" County Magistrate Yang praised: "What a good saying! Then let me ask you, what kind of justice do you want in this case?"

"Lord Yang, what you said is wrong. It's not me, Li Yi, who wants justice, but the people of Qing'an who want justice for Xiao Ye." County Magistrate Yang stepped forward, saluted to the onlookers and said, "Well, then I want to ask, fellow villagers of Qing'an City, what kind of justice do you want for Xiao Ye?"

Seeing that no one among the onlookers spoke, County Magistrate Yang turned to Li Yi and asked, "Li Yi, the people have no idea about this matter." Li Yi said, "Sir Yang, when you asked this question just now, isn't it suspected of using power to oppress people? How dare ordinary people confront the government? Who dares to answer your question?" "What do you think?"

"Since Li Yi dared to beat the drum of complaint today and stood in front of the county government, he naturally dared to be the first! So today I have the guts to speak out what the people of the city want to say but dare not say, to redress the grievances that they dare not redress. I just wonder if Lord Yang, as the parent official of Qing'an, is willing to redress the grievances of the people of Qing'an."

Li Yi deliberately raised a high profile in order to create a situation where he was in a difficult position. Yang Huai naturally knew Li Yi's intention, but he could not show weakness at this time. "Why wouldn't I dare to redress the injustice of the people? But I don't think there are any loopholes in the case of Xiao Ye. The witnesses, the material evidence, and the confession of the murder weapon are all confirmed. How can you say that you are wrong?"

Li Yi said, "Lord Yang, do you really dare to stand up for the people? To redress injustice for the people? Even if this case involves the children of aristocratic families?" Yang Huai was surprised and said, "What does this case have to do with the children of aristocratic families? Li Yi, don't make random connections!"

Li Yi smiled and said, "Whether it is groundless or not, we will know after the trial. But I still have to ask, if this case involves Yuwen Ye, the legitimate son of Yuwen Tian, ​​the head of the Qingzhou Military Equipment Bureau, would you still dare to redress the grievances of the people?" After Li Yi finished speaking, he turned around and looked at the onlookers. The crowd began to talk. Naturally, there were people arranged by Li Yi among the crowd. It was impossible to incite public opinion by relying solely on spontaneity.

Yang Huai knew that Li Yi was trying to stir up the people again. Looking at the people who looked at him with contempt and listening to the noisy whispers, Yang Huai knew that he had been tricked by Li Yi. Now he was in a dilemma and it was difficult to end it for a while. He said: "If it involves the children of the Yuwen family, then I will not come forward. I will transfer the case to the Ministry of Justice and let the Ministry of Justice make a ruling. If the Chinese men's football team had this technology, they would have won the World Cup long ago.

However, Yang Huai's move was also within Li Yi's expectations. Li Yi shook his head and sighed, "Lord Yang, are you not going to redress the grievances of the people? Are you going to push the matter out?" Yang Huai flicked his sleeves and turned to leave. Li Yi sighed and said, "Forget it. Nowadays, there are no people in the Central Plains who read the books of sages and follow the teachings of sages!" Yang Huai stopped and half turned to look at Li Yi, who said loudly:

"The peaks and ridges are like gathering, the waves are like raging, the mountains and rivers are inside and outside the Tongguan Road. Looking at the old capital, I am hesitant.

Sadly, the palaces of Qin and Han dynasties have all turned to dust. When the country prospers, the people suffer; when the country perishes, the people suffer.

The Five Barbarians invaded China, and the nobles migrated southward, leaving the Central Plains with barbarians. Looking at Xindu, I feel sad.

Blood and tears turned into lacquer to stain the rich man's house, and the common people cut their bones to support the rich. Who can I complain to about my injustice? Who can I complain to about my hatred?

In an instant, purple energy condensed around Li Yi. The onlookers saw that the purple energy gradually condensed and flowed into Li Yi's body like water. Everyone was shocked. Someone said, "Is this a masterpiece that will be handed down from generation to generation? He wrote a poem that will be handed down from generation to generation! Only a masterpiece that will be handed down from generation to generation can condense this kind of talent that ordinary people can see." Other voices were heard one after another. Naturally, someone was inciting public opinion.

Yang Huai knew the weight of this poem, and Li Yi was deliberately provoking the most sensitive ethnic conflicts, class conflicts and the issue of the legitimacy of the Southern Dynasty. If he did not act, he would be cursed for eternity! He asked himself that he had always been an upright official, never offended the people, and was dedicated to his duties. How could he tolerate someone ruining his reputation? He turned around and walked towards Li Yi and shouted, "What do you want to do, bastard?"

Li Yi absorbed the purple energy into his body, then bowed deeply to County Magistrate Yang and said, "Please ask Lord Yang to redress Ye'er's injustice! Don't be afraid of the children of the noble families, and re-examine this case! To stop the gossips and bring peace to the people of this county!" "Okay! Li Yi, I will re-examine this case today, but I have to say that if there is no injustice in this case, I will punish you for inciting the people and disrupting the court!"

"Okay, it's a deal! Here, Li Yi would like to thank Lord Yang on behalf of Miss Ye'er and the people of Qing'an!" Yang Huaizhong said with great energy, "Okay, let's go to court!" Li Yi stretched out his hand to block the way of County Magistrate Yang and said, "Lord Yang, since you are seeking justice for the people and pleading for the people, Li Yi dares to ask Lord Yang to publicly re-examine this case and let the people of Qing'an City be witnesses together to clear Miss Ye'er's name and prove your wisdom!"

Yang Huai glanced at the onlookers and said loudly, "Okay, let's ask the people of Qing'an to be witnesses! Come on! Bring the table and case, and start the trial in front of the county government office!"

The order was passed up and down, and the yamen runners immediately took action, while the onlookers spread the word, and more and more people gathered to watch the excitement, and soon the front of the county government was blocked. There were two reasons why Yang Huai dared to publicly re-examine the case.

First, he believed that he had done his utmost in Xiaoye's case. He had helped Xiaoye in every way he could, without showing favoritism towards the Weaving Bureau's procurement, and he had absolutely enforced the law impartially.

Second, even if Yuwen Ye was involved, he was not afraid as a county magistrate since he had no official position. In terms of family background, although the Yuwen family was one of the four major families, Yuwen Ye was only a branch of the Yuwen family. Yang Huai also had a family background, although not as powerful as the four major families, but as far as this case was concerned, he had nothing to fear.

When the table was set, the yamen runners cleared a space for the trial. Magistrate Yang sat in front of the table, dropped the gavel in his hand with a clatter, and then shouted, "Open the court! Where is Li Yi?"

Li Yi stepped forward and saluted, saying, "I am Li Yi, the humble servant." "Today you requested a public retrial of Xiao Ye's murder case. I would like to ask you, what evidence do you have to prove that there is injustice in this case?" Li Yi said, "Li Yi has no evidence."

"Ridiculous! Since you have no evidence to prove that there is injustice in this case, why do you ask me to re-examine the case!" "Replying to Lord Yang, although Li Yi has no evidence, the people of Qing'an City are all witnesses, and they can all prove that Miss Ye'er was wronged!"

"Ridiculous! When faced with trouble, the people tend to sympathize with the weak. What is your intention in deliberately inciting the people, disrupting order, and forcing me to re-examine this case?"

"Li Yi has no ulterior motives, he only wants Miss Ye'er to be cleared of all charges." "Clear her name, the evidence in this case is solid, she has already confessed her guilt, how can you say she is innocent without any evidence?" "Sir Yang, you didn't even bring the criminal to trial, did you do the same in your previous trials? If this is the case, then Xiao Ye'er's grievances will never be cleared!" "Okay! I'll make you convinced! Come on, bring people to arrest Xiao Ye!"

Soon, Xiao Ye was brought in front of everyone by two yamen runners. She was wearing prison clothes and was extremely dirty. Her hair was full of weeds and her face was lifeless. It seemed that she had suffered a lot in the past ten days in prison.

Li Yi observed Xiao Ye carefully and found that the hostility in her eyes had disappeared, and only sadness and unwillingness remained. Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief. He had not visited Xiao Ye in the past ten days. He did this on purpose and did not ask anyone to take care of her. His goal was to eliminate Xiao Ye's hatred through the suffering in prison. It was not necessary to eliminate it completely, as long as the impulse was erased and she could regain her sanity.

Little Leaf knelt on the ground and whispered, "I, your humble servant Ye'er, greet the county magistrate." "Ye'er, I want to ask you, that night ten days ago, it was you who scratched three people with the scissors you carried with you, and also stabbed the eyes of Wang Qi, the purchasing officer of the Weaving Bureau?" Little Leaf nodded. "I'll ask you again, when the patrolling constables arrived, were you still stabbing Wang Qi with the scissors?" Little Leaf nodded again.