We bear people have power

The household registration office wasn't far, but walking along the bustling streets made it difficult to reach. Near the city gate, it was practically packed with people.

The bustling vendors and the various people riding tall horses created a scene reminiscent of a market. However, at a glance, it was easy to distinguish between the local residents and outsiders of Wuji City.

First, the local residents were all well-dressed and had rosy complexions, clearly indicating that they were well-off. Moreover, they walked with the air of superior people from a great nation, their confident demeanor reminiscent of the people from the Tang Dynasty I had seen before.

No, perhaps we should be even more proud.

The others looked at these local residents with undisguised envy, wishing they could take their place.

The crowd surged, and people were divided into good and bad. Many, seeing Princess Hongyu's unparalleled beauty, tried to squeeze in and take advantage of the crowd. However, Princess Hongyu was walking in a bit too fast and was too far from the Yue Tuo guards, who couldn't keep an eye on her.

A small vendor with uneven eyes and a large nose squeezed next to Princess Hongyu and tried to rub against her.

But just as he extended his claws, someone beside him grabbed him forcefully. With a snap, his hand bones were crushed into dough, and it hung limply at his sides.

Screams rang out from the crowd, immediately causing people to scatter and clearing a space about two zhang in diameter.

It was only then that everyone realized there were three other people inside the circle.

One was Princess Hongyu, another was the vendor whose hand bones had been broken, and the third was a young man dressed in samurai clothes who was tightly gripping the vendor's arm.

The vendor was still groaning; the pain of a broken hand was unbearable for an ordinary person like him.

"Young lady, are you alright? This man tried to take advantage of you, and I saw it, so I had no choice but to punish him," the young man in samurai attire said to Princess Hongyu.

"Thank you for your help, young hero, but he should have already been punished. Please be merciful and let him go," Princess Hongyu said.

“Young lady, you are truly kind-hearted, even repaying evil with kindness.” The samurai-clad youth turned to the vendor and said, “Today, for the sake of this young lady, I will spare your life. However, while you may escape death, you will not escape punishment; I will break your limbs as a form of discipline.”

After saying that, the boy grabbed the man's other hand and snapped it off with a crack.

Princess Hongyu frowned upon seeing this and quickly advised, "Young hero, there's no need for this. He doesn't deserve such a crime. Please spare him."

The young man said smugly, "If we let this kind of evil person go today, who knows how many innocent women will suffer tomorrow? Not killing him is already the most benevolent thing we can do."

As he spoke, he was about to stomp on the vendor's thigh to break it, but before he could do so, a shout stopped him.

"Stop! No fighting is allowed in Wuji City!"

A soldier dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guard stepped forward from the crowd, pointing his stick at the young man in samurai attire, looking ready for battle.

"This man harassed an innocent woman in broad daylight. I was merely disciplining him. Are you trying to protect him?" the samurai-clad boy shouted.

The onlookers buzzed with discussion, but they all spoke very quietly, not daring to make a loud noise.

“Protecting him? Are you out of your mind? I don’t know this person at all, why would I protect him? If you continue to slander me, I have the right to arrest you for obstructing law enforcement,” Jinwuwei said sternly.

"Hmph, who doesn't know that you officials treat human life like dirt? Even if this person is sent to the government, a little bribe will get him released without charge. If there's no punishment, where is justice and fairness in this world?" the samurai-clad youth said disdainfully.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guard couldn't help but laugh out loud and said to the young man, "Is this your first time in the Great Zhou Kingdom?"

"So what?"

"Then I'll consider it an admission of ignorance, but in the Great Zhou Dynasty, bribery and accepting bribes are serious crimes. If you continue to make false accusations, you will be punished just the same."

The samurai-clad youth scoffed at the Imperial Guards' warning but didn't argue further. Instead, he released the vendor and said, "Since that's the case, I'd like to see how you handle this fairly. This man harassed a woman; what do you suggest we do?"

"Whether you are guilty or not, I won't believe you even if you tell me. If you have a clear conscience, then you might as well come with us to the yamen to find out the truth," said the Imperial Guard.

"Heh, do you really think I'm a fool? Once we're in the yamen, you'll outnumber us and you can turn black into white. I've seen plenty of cases where you're tortured into confessions. Besides, I'm only meant to kneel to heaven and my parents, not to officials," the samurai-clad youth immediately refused.

These words were spoken with such boldness and confidence, surely enough to make the beautiful girl next to him's eyes sparkle.

A quick glance out of the corner of his eye revealed that Princess Hongyu's expression remained calm, almost unchanged. This made the samurai-clad youth feel a pang of heartache, and another look at the onlookers sent a chill down his spine.

He thought he would be applauded by onlookers, but instead only attracted whispers and even laughter.

The boy in the samurai outfit frowned, not understanding what he had said wrong.

Seeing the boy's face turn slightly red, the Imperial Guard rolled his eyes and said helplessly, "You country bumpkin, in the Great Zhou Kingdom, you don't need to kneel when you see an official."

Boy: 0_0? ? ?

The fact that commoners do not kneel before officials is probably one of the most unimaginable things in this day and age.

Therefore, this young swordsman, who seemed to have little experience in the martial arts world, "made an exception" and followed the Imperial Guard to the Wuji City government office to see what it meant to not kneel before an official.

Princess Hongyu, as one of the parties involved, was also brought to the yamen. However, the Yuetuo people also wanted to follow, but were directly dispersed by the Jinwu Guards.

"Go back and wait. A whole group of people are going to the yamen, there's nowhere to entertain you."

In the unfamiliar Great Zhou Kingdom, these Yue Tuo people were still somewhat hesitant to act recklessly. After all, what they had seen along the way had been too astonishing.

Upon arriving at the yamen, they had expected to be given a beating before even seeing the officials, or for someone to come up and ask for favors. However, the Imperial Guards led the boy and Princess Hongyu to a man who appeared to be a yamen clerk and said to them, "This is the interrogation room. You two go in and give your statements. Just tell us everything clearly. I'll take this guy to get his injuries treated first."

After saying that, the Imperial Guard took the unfortunate vendor away.

I've never seen anything like this before. What does "taking a statement" mean? Isn't it just going directly to see the magistrate, listening to his imposing voice, and kowtowing and crying out for justice?

Seeing that the two did not react, the clerk tapped the table with his pen and said, "Hurry up, there are other people waiting behind you."

Although his tone was somewhat impatient, he did not resort to the expected harsh words or deliberately make things difficult.

Princess Hongyu reacted faster than the young man and naturally sat down in front of the advisor.