Accidentally dressed as an empress

A sharp-edged stone flew like a meteor, and with a "bang", it accurately hit the shaky crossbar above Yunxiu's head.

"Hide!" Yunxiu shouted. She pulled Su Qing's arm and quickly slipped out from under the porridge shed.

However, the soldiers were not so lucky. With a heart-wrenching creaking sound, the porridge shed collapsed in the chaos, and many soldiers were crushed under the pile of broken wood and beams.

Seeing this, Yunxiu's eyes widened and a raging rage burned in them.

These people were completely led by people with ulterior motives. No matter what nice words she said to explain or her stern warnings, they would not listen.

In that case, there's no need to waste any more words. Yun Xiu raised her eyebrows and said in a tone as cold as ice: "Get started! Take all those who caused trouble back to jail!"

The soldiers, receiving the order, were like long-repressed beasts finally freed from their reins. They no longer suffocated in their passive defense. Their movements were quick and decisive, and in just a few moves, they subdued the rioters who were frantically smashing the porridge stalls. The rioters instantly yielded before the soldiers' overwhelming strength.

"Look, the corrupt officials have revealed their true colors!" Someone in the crowd shouted at the top of his voice, the voice full of provocation.

"Kill me! Kill me if you dare." A middle-aged man with a face full of flesh and red face rushed towards Yunxiu like a madman, his eyes full of desperate determination.

Su Qing, who had been silently guarding Yun Xiu, caught a glimpse of the cold light. Her eyes flashed, and she reacted like lightning, quickly drawing the long sword from her waist. Su Qing took a step forward and swung the long sword in her hand, her movements smooth and flowing.

The blade slashed across the middle-aged man's neck with such precision, so fast that it was almost impossible to see.

Blood instantly spurted out like a fountain, spreading a glaring scarlet in the air. A few drops splashed on Su Qing's face, but she remained calm and her eyes were still as cold as ice.

The middle-aged man's body swayed and he fell to the ground with a dagger in his hand.

"Murder! Really murder!" When the people saw this bloody scene, they were immediately terrified, and shouts and cries filled the air.

The crowd that had been so aggressive just now scattered in an instant and disappeared without a trace, leaving only a mess and a pungent smell of blood at the scene.

Yunxiu looked at the corpse on the ground, her face pale and her brows furrowed tightly, forming a deep "chuan" character between her eyebrows. She felt heavy and her reaction was not so fast. If Su Qing had not intervened at this critical moment, she would have been killed.

Although she improved the physical condition of this body, pregnancy is different after all, and there is no guarantee that the child will not be harmed.

Yunxiu's fingers tightened subconsciously. She looked at Su Qing with a look of relief for surviving the ordeal, and even more of gratitude. She directly held Su Qing's hand and said, "Su Qing, thank you for being here."

Su Qinghui held Yunxiu's hand and said, "I am the master's best guard. With me here, no one can hurt the master."

Yunxiu smiled. This was the partner he trusted with life and death.

"Take them back to the prefect's mansion!" Yunxiu said.

In the kitchen, Zhong Yi waved his hand and said, "Take them all back for interrogation!"

The guards acted quickly, herding the helpers and cooks together like sheep.

When we arrived at the interrogation hall of the prefectural government, the lighting was dim and the atmosphere was gloomy.

Zhong Yi sat in the presiding judge's seat, gazing at the people in the hall with cold eyes.

At his command, the guards brought out various torture instruments. Heavy iron chains, sharp clamps, sinister branding irons, and so on were laid out before everyone, each exuding a chilling aura.

The helpers collapsed to the ground in fear, crying and begging for mercy one after another. Although the cooks tried to remain calm, the beads of sweat on their foreheads and their slightly trembling bodies betrayed them.

"Think again, is there anyone suspicious?" Zhong Yi said with a cold face.

The cook's face turned pale with fear, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He trembled and said, "Sir, I... I really didn't see anyone suspicious. But... but before the porridge started, a servant came to deliver water once, saying that the water tank was empty. But he was a regular water deliveryman and had never been in trouble before."

Zhong Yi's eyes glared. "Where is that boy now?" The cook replied in panic, "I don't know. He left after delivering the water."

Zhong Yi immediately ordered the guards around him, "Go check on the water boy. Also, collect all the ingredients and water used in today's porridge and send them to the coroner for examination."

"Yes!" The guard took the order and left.

The person who actually made trouble for the drinking water source and gave advice to the remaining bandit forces must be a vicious person.

Zhong Yi clenched his fists and said, "No matter what, we must find out who's behind this."

Su Shiyi, who had been following Zhong Yi, also came over and whispered, "Master, this matter is probably not simple. Is there anyone trying to use this to stir up public anger and disrupt the peace here?"

Zhong Yi's eyes were deep as he responded in a low voice, "Although I can't be sure at the moment, it's almost certain."

On the surface, this appears to be a simple case of poisoning, but why target the relief porridge? Was it a provocation to the government, or was it someone with ulterior motives trying to create chaos?

If it is aimed at the government, then the enemy wants to use this to destroy the government's image in the minds of the victims, arouse the victims' anger at the government's ineffective disaster relief, and thus incite civil unrest.

If the intention is to create chaos, it may be related to the interests of certain forces in Yunyin City.

Judging from what the cook said, although the water delivery boy is a suspect, he may also be a pawn being used.

Perhaps the real mastermind behind the scenes is in a more hidden place, such as the food supplier. Someone secretly tampered with the source of the food, and then arranged for a servant to deliver water to confuse the public.

Or maybe someone bribed people near the porridge stall and poisoned the porridge when the staff were not paying attention.

Moreover, the poisoned people were all ordinary disaster victims without any special background. This was more like an indiscriminate crime, the purpose of which was to cause maximum panic in order to undermine the prestige of the government.

The timing of distributing porridge was carefully planned, because people gathered at this time and news spread fastest, which could quickly cause an uproar among the victims.

Zhong Yi thought for a while and saw Su Qing and the soldiers escorting Yunxiu back to the mansion. Yunxiu had dust on his head and looked a little embarrassed.

Zhong Yi quickly stepped forward and held Yun Xiu in his arms. "What's going on?"

"The master was almost assassinated." Su Qing responded.

Zhong Yi's eyes were about to spit fire. "How dare they hurt you! What's the point of disaster relief? Don't worry about their lives. Who can tell whether those people are bandits or civilians?"

"Ayi is right. There must be quite a few bandits infiltrating the civilian population, but we can't fall for their tricks," Yunxiu reassured Zhong Yi. "The bandits' goal is to exacerbate the conflict between us and the people of Yunyin City. We can't let them succeed. I need to arrange some manpower to comfort the victims."

It would be nice if Zhou Jing was here. She has a kind face and a natural affinity.

She herself does not have much patience for those people who are instigated and used as pawns by those with ulterior motives.

"How does Xiu plan to appease me?"

"Well, let's add a little rice to the medicinal soup and send doctors to deliver it. If the victims even beat the doctors, then just ignore them." Yunxiu said.

"A Xiu is truly kindhearted," Zhong Yi smiled and suggested, "We definitely can't make porridge pie now. Let's divide the rice into several portions and use the catapult to throw it to them."

Zhong Yi added, "As for how they want to fight for it, let them do it."

Yunxiu looked at Zhong Yi with a look of doubt in her eyes. What had happened to Zhong Yi? Was he still her kind and sweet husband?

Zhong Yi understood her expression and said, "They almost hurt Ah Xiu. If it weren't for Su Qing, Ah Xiu would have been injured by now."

"I'm fine, Ayi." Yunxiu said. She was now more than four months pregnant, but her pregnancy was hidden by the wide cloak.

Yunxiu leaned on him and said, "Ayi's idea is also very good. Let's do as Ayi says."

The guard nodded and quickly left to carry out the order.

[How did someone who deliberately sabotaged something do it?] Yunxiu frowned and asked the system, [Why do some people get hurt after eating it, while others are fine?]

The system replied, "This morning, someone mixed brine from an abandoned salt mine into several buckets of porridge. The brine was limited, so not all of it was added."

[I see… These cowards are hiding their true selves. Just wait and see. We must find them.]