Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

Sang Li's sigh touched Li Ping who was standing by.

Li Ping has never left the Gyeonggi area since he was a child. Even when he talked with Ye Changyan about the customs and people of Yuzhou in his daily conversations, he always looked very interested, not to mention the sea, grasslands and snow-capped mountains that Sang Li longed for.

Seeing that Sang Li was in a low mood, Ye Changyan called out to everyone and they all had a drink together. After chatting for a while, they heard Li Ping mention something that happened the day before.

"The day before yesterday, a woman with disheveled hair struck the drum outside the Chang'an Gate. On that day, besides a captain from the Hundred Cavalry Division and a supervisory censor from the Supervisory Council, there was also a criminal department official on duty at the drum."

Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng were instantly attracted by Li Ping's topic. Sang Li was a foreign student and didn't know much about the Dengwen Drum. He looked at Li Ping with some confusion, then turned to look at Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng who were full of interest.

Seeing that Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng were very interested, Li Ping put down his chopsticks and continued.

"As far as I can remember, the last time the Dengwen Drum was struck was the year before last when officials and bandits colluded to massacre an entire villa and robbed a wealthy squire's home in the Hexi Provincial Government. The squire's youngest son escaped the robbery by going to the provincial capital to study. Later, the squire's youngest son endured for three years and finally found some clues. After going through untold hardships, he came to Shengjing and struck the Dengwen Drum."

Li Ping was not in a hurry to talk about the incident of the drum being struck the day before. Instead, he mentioned a bloody case that was exposed to the public two years ago due to the beating of the drum.

"We also heard about this case at the time. Unfortunately, we were in the Imperial College at the time and couldn't go out to take a look. I just heard that this case had a great impact. All the people involved in the case were escorted to the capital, and more than a dozen people were sentenced to beheading."

Ye Changyan's memory is very clear. At that time, this incident was widely circulated in the Imperial College. Hearing what Ye Changyan said, Sang Li also remembered that he was planning to join in the fun, but his steward You Xin stopped him from going.

Seeing that several people had an impression of this incident, Li Ping continued.

"Although the bandit leader and the officials who colluded with him were eventually beheaded, the tragedy of the squire's family can never be erased."

Li Ping sighed and changed the subject again.

"Since that bloody incident, no one has sounded the report drum. Even last year when we encountered such a natural disaster, which was mixed with countless man-made disasters, we didn't hear the report drum being sounded. I heard that after the woman sounded the report drum the day before yesterday, the Hundred Cavalry Division, the Supervisory Council, and the Criminal Department immediately accepted the case."

Seeing everyone's curious looks, Li Ping deliberately paused, smiled, picked up his wine glass and raised it to the three people. Ye Changyan glared at the grinning Li Ping and patted him on the back, but still picked up his glass and clinked it with him.

Li Ping drank it all in one gulp and showed a mischievous smile, as if he had whetted everyone's appetite, and then he continued.

"I heard that after the initial questioning, the people from the Three Departments realized the seriousness and urgency of the case, and they immediately reported it to Your Majesty. After receiving the report, Your Majesty immediately ordered the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Supervisory Council to thoroughly investigate the case."

"Do you know what this case involves?"

Ye Changyan asked anxiously, but saw Li Ping restrain his smile and spoke with a heavy expression.

"At present, there is no definite statement about what this case involves, but the woman who beat the drum to report the incident last night died in the Ministry of Justice prison."

When the three heard this, they were all stunned. Then Liang Jingcheng's face darkened. He asked Li Ping further, but his tone revealed a coldness that Ye Changyan had never felt before.

"How did this woman die?"

Li Ping also felt the sharpness in Liang Jingcheng's tone, and his expression darkened.

"I heard that a prison guard from the Ministry of Justice poisoned the food when delivering it to the woman. When the prison guard saw that the poison had taken effect on the woman, he also committed suicide by taking the poison."

"boom!"

When Liang Jingcheng heard the answer, the anger in his chest suddenly exploded. He slammed the table hard, startling everyone present. Even Xing Wang, who was eating happily, was startled by Liang Jingcheng's sudden anger and almost dropped the bowl in his hand.

"It's so lawless. A woman was able to beat the drum to appeal for justice. I don't know what hardships and obstacles she went through, just to appeal for her grievances. But before the case could even start to be heard, she was tortured in the prison of the Ministry of Justice. This is really a huge irony and it's so lawless!"

Liang Jingcheng was so excited that his face turned red for a moment.

Ye Changyan hurriedly poured a cup of tea, handed it to Liang Jingcheng, and then said comforting words.

"A person was poisoned by a jailer in the Ministry of Justice, and the jailer also committed suicide by taking poison. The mastermind behind this case must be someone powerful. Since this case originated from the drum of reporting, and your majesty has ordered the three courts to investigate the case thoroughly, and now the plaintiff has died strangely, this must have shocked the court. I believe that your majesty and the officials in the court will investigate the case thoroughly, bring the murderer to justice, and give that woman justice."

Liang Jingcheng drank the cup of tea poured by Ye Changyan, poured himself another cup, and after listening to Ye Changyan's words, he felt a little calmer.

Seeing this, Ye Changyan quickly reached out to rub Liang Jingcheng's back. After a while, Liang Jingcheng's mood finally calmed down.

"I'm sorry. I just heard about the tragic experience of that woman and I got emotional and lost my composure."

Liang Jingcheng calmed down and realized his own gaffe. He clasped his hands together and bowed to Li Ping and Sang Li.

It was the first time that Li Ping saw Liang Jingcheng so excited, but Liang Jingcheng's hatred of evil made Li Ping admire him very much. Li Ping waved his hand and spoke.

"Jingcheng, you don't have to feel that you've lost your temper, and you don't have to apologize to us. In fact, I should reflect on myself. Although I felt sorry when I heard the news, I am far from being as hateful and cynical as you are."

Ye Changyan and Sang Li nodded in agreement with Li Ping's words, and then listened to what Li Ping continued.

"Perhaps everyone has big differences in expressing and venting emotions, but I think young people like you and me should be more courageous. If young people are numb to such things, then the world will become a stagnant pool, without any vitality or hope."