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Just yesterday, Lord Lu was asked to request His Majesty to delay his departure for a few more days. The letter probably hadn't even reached the court yet, and now another imperial edict has arrived.

It is unprecedented to issue an imperial edict immediately after announcing one; it is unknown whether this is a turning point or a death sentence.

Constable Cheng stared nervously at Shen Qingyan, looking very uneasy.

Shen Qingyan jumped off the oxcart and watched the misty passage disappear before turning back. "I'll freshen up first. You go ahead, I'll be right there."

"Yes, sir." Constable Cheng answered hesitantly, quite puzzled. At this point, why did the sir still need to wash up?

As soon as Constable Cheng left, Shen Qingyan went to his bed. He lifted the blanket to reveal the bed board. There was a small, obvious compartment on the bed board. He pulled open the cover of the compartment and took out several wooden guns and two packs of bullets.

He picked up the wooden gun and stroked it carefully before placing it close to his waist. His official robe was wide, so nothing could be seen.

Shen Qingyan then put the remaining weapons into the bundle containing the steaming hot buns and mantou before leaving.

When Shen Qingyan arrived at the county government hall, besides the imperial envoy Lu Zhe, there were constables and commoners kneeling on the ground. As soon as he appeared, Niu Niu, who was kneeling at the front, raised her head and smiled at him.

It wasn't until Madam Wang tugged at Niu Niu that Niu Niu solemnly lowered her head and assumed the posture of bowing. Although the others remained motionless, quite a few of them were secretly glancing at her.

"Lord Shen, you're quite the big shot! I had to wait so long to receive the imperial decree." Lu Zhe was dissatisfied, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the common people below the hall. What time was it? So many people had come to deliver breakfast to Shen Qingyan, a nobody official.

Shen Qingyan stood still, his posture upright, neither humble nor arrogant. "Lord Lu, please forgive me. I go to Miss Gu to collect disaster relief grain every day at this time. Disaster relief comes first, and I believe even His Majesty will understand my situation."

"Furthermore, the imperial edict represents His Majesty. How could I dare to meet the Emperor in such a disheveled state? Wouldn't that be disrespectful to His Majesty? So I washed up a bit, which is why I was delayed a little longer."

After Shen Qingyan finished speaking, Lu Zhe merely snorted coldly, raised the new imperial edict, and said, "Shen Qingyan, receive the edict."

"Your subject is here." Shen Qingyan lifted his robe with one hand and knelt down respectfully.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: After investigation by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel, it has been found that Shen Qingyan, the magistrate of Xilan County, has falsely claimed credit for disaster relief, committing the crime of deceiving the Emperor. Furthermore, he and Chen Yanxu have been raising a private army with the intention of rebellion, which is truly unforgivable. Therefore, Imperial Envoy Lu Zhe is hereby ordered to escort Shen Qingyan back to the capital, imprison him in the Imperial Prison, and execute him along with the criminal Chen Yanxu in the autumn!"

"Lord Shen, accept the decree." Lu Zhe's tone was cold and hard, his eyes filled with the satisfaction of getting rid of Shen Qingyan as soon as possible.

Upon hearing the imperial edict, Shen Qingyan raised his eyes, showing little surprise. He smiled contemptuously and lowered his hand from the gun at his waist, saying, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext."

The fact that his teacher is still alive, or at least alive enough to reach Kyoto, is truly good news. This means that his trip to Kyoto will not only give that person an excuse to quickly raise an army, but also greatly increase his chances of rescuing his mentor.

Chu Feng said that this wooden gun, even if locked, can be opened easily.

The constables had anticipated this, and now that they heard it clearly, they were filled with anger. While the people were still bewildered, Constable Cheng bowed and angrily raised his head to question them.

"Lord Lu, is there some misunderstanding? Miss Gu would never give the relief grain to anyone other than us, and no one else could receive it. We've seen it with our own eyes every day; how could it be someone claiming credit for something they didn't do?"

As soon as he opened his mouth, the people began to have questions.

"Yes, sir. Since the disaster relief efforts began, our Lord Shen has been working tirelessly day and night for the people. He hasn't even left the county town. He's penniless, and his home contains nothing of value except books. Where would he find the time and money to raise a private army?"

“Lord Shen would never do such a thing. I can testify for Lord Shen.”

"Even ordinary people can do it!"

……

The people knelt down again, not believing a single word Lu Zhe said, and unconditionally trusting Shen Qingyan.

Lu Zhe was even more displeased and shouted, "How dare you commoners question the imperial edict and doubt His Majesty! Anyone who says another word will be executed on the spot!"

"This case is being jointly investigated by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel. Chen Yanxu has already confessed, and the evidence is conclusive. How could it be fabricated? Furthermore, the court also has a handwritten letter from Miss Gu as evidence. You say that Miss Gu only transacted with Shen Qingyan, but do you have any proof? Can you get that Miss Gu to come forward and testify?"

The crowd was terrified and knelt down again, not daring to say anything more. Shen Qingyan was already satisfied with everyone's trust, and quietly walked over, standing in front of them.

He was thin, but had a resilient spirit. When people looked up at him from behind, they felt hatred, anger, helplessness, sympathy, and sorrow.

"Shen Qingyan, please accept the imperial decree. The disaster relief work has just ended, and the people's mistakes were unintentional. Lord Lu, please do not blame them."

"It's good that Lord Shen is sensible. Men, put Lord Shen in shackles and put him in the cage." Lu Zhe waved his hand, and the soldiers he brought came over with shackles. Everyone was anxious, "Lord Shen, are you really..."

Shen Qingyan readily agreed and then said to Constable Cheng, "Go and fetch the steamed buns and mantou from my study. They were a gift from Miss Gu, and I'll take them as provisions for my journey. Lord Lu, would you be so kind as to do me this favor?"

Shen Qingyan remained cooperative throughout. When Lu Zhe saw the hateful looks the people were giving him, he worried that if he pressed too hard, it might cause a riot while Shen Qingyan was being escorted, which would be counterproductive. So he looked up and indicated that he could proceed.

With red eyes, Constable Cheng exclaimed "Hey!" and turned to run to the backyard of the county government office.

The people were driven out of the county government office and stood at the door, at a loss. Niu Niu looked up and said, "Mother, is Lord Shen going to die? I don't want Lord Shen to die."

"Mother doesn't want Lord Shen to die either, but the imperial decree is hard to disobey. What can we, mere women and children, ordinary people, do?" Madam Wang's voice trembled with sobs as she spoke.

"They are blatantly slandering him. How could those treacherous officials possibly understand the miracles that Lord Shen has performed? They even say that Lord Shen wanted to rebel, which is utter nonsense. Lord Shen is such a good man, why should he die?"

"Yes, we can't let Lord Shen die. Let's go to the capital together and testify for Lord Shen!"

"That's a good idea! Okay, let's tell everyone that someone like me, with no relatives or friends, whose family members are all dead, has no ties whatsoever. Anyway, I would have died long ago without Lord Shen. I'm going to risk my life for justice in this world, for Lord Shen!"

……

After he finished speaking, everyone was filled with righteous indignation and their eyes were brimming with emotion. They took the gongs from the yamen gate, banged them, and went out into the streets. One after another, the voices of Lord Shen being wronged echoed throughout every street in Xilan County.

An hour later, Shen Qingyan sat in the prison cart, holding a bundle containing steamed buns and mantou. He reached out to check the contents and unexpectedly touched two round balls. The feel of them was that of hand grenades!

He hadn't put it in earlier because he was afraid of being inspected. Shen Qingyan looked at Constable Cheng, quite surprised that he would put it in.

Officer Cheng explained, "Sir, I saw how much you cherish the things Miss Gu gave you, so I put them all in there for you to remember them by."