Heading to the Prefectural Office

The group's leader, fighting through the sharp pain stabbing his chest, coughed and said firmly: "Listen up, folks. Our young master is the prefect's most cherished son. You don't want to get carried away."

The remaining three men wiped the corners of their mouths. Blood stained their hands, terror filled their hearts, and their legs quivered uncontrollably. They were used to being the bullies, and today marked the first time they'd been beaten so badly they'd nearly bled. The intense pain shooting from their chests made them feel like their hearts might stop beating at any moment.

At this time, Fen Tao's father took out a hemp rope from the house, and Ye Feng lifted up the four people and tied them together back to back. No matter how hard the four people struggled, they could not escape Ye Feng's control.

"Take them a bit further." Jing Chen said: "Don't disturb the others' sleep."

"Yes, Master!"

"Good! Well done!"

"That's the spirit!" cheered the auntie next door, sticking her head over the wall. She clapped with glee.

Fen Tao's mother and father excitedly knelt down and kowtowed several times to Qibao and the others.

Su Chenyu pulled the two of them up, and Fen Tao's mother said: "We can't thank you enough for saving our family. We don't know how to repay your kindness."

Su Chenyu said: "When I see injustice, I draw my sword to help. I just like to stand up for the weak."

Qibao heard a few faint screams with her sharp ears. She guessed that Ye Feng was interrogating the four people. He must have tortured them, otherwise they would not make such miserable sounds.

Not long after, Ye Feng returned.

"My Lord, the four of them have already said that their young master is Feng Zheng. Miss Fen Tao was not sent to the Feng Mansion tonight. Feng Zheng was angry, so he sent the four of them to capture Miss Fen Tao. He also called a few of his friends and planned to..."

Without having to finish, he knows what Ye Feng is going to say next.

"Calling him a beast would be an insult to animals." Su Chenyu said: "This Feng Zheng is worse than any beast."

"According to our informants." Ye Feng continued: "After his marriage proposal was rejected, Feng Zheng returned from the Wen family in a furious rage, feeling utterly humiliated. To placate his son, Governor Feng somehow found two beautiful girls and delivered them to Feng Zheng's room. The next day, those girls had vanished without a trace. In all likelihood, they met a grisly end at his hands!"

"Great Magistrate Feng, indeed!" Su Chenyu seethed, gnashing his teeth.

Jing Chen said: "Lock up those four men for now. Tomorrow we'll beat the drum to declare our grievances. Auntie, you come too. Let's make a big scene, so we can see how this Magistrate Feng handles the trial. Did you note down all the evidence they mentioned?"

Ye Feng replied: "It's all recorded, and we've got them to press their bloody handprints on it."

Fen Tao's mother: "Young Master, I trust you. There's a woodshed next to my kitchen. We can lock those four scums in there. My husband and I will stay up tonight to watch them. We won't let them escape."

Ye Feng said: "Aunt, just sleep peacefully. They can't escape. Even if they want to escape, you can stop them."

Fen Tao's mother hesitated, thinking that what the young master said was right. Those four men were bigger and stronger than she and her husband. If they tried to escape, they might end up injuring themselves.

"Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you." She said: "You've been helping us all night. Unfortunately, there's nothing left to offer you. I'm truly sorry for this."

Su Chenyu said: "Auntie, don't worry about these small things now. The danger is over for now. Why don't you all go back to your rooms and get some rest?"

Fen Tao's mother nodded: "That's a good idea. There's still one room left in my house. If you don't mind, you can sleep over."

They all decided: Jing Chen and Su Chenyu would stay with Fen Tao's mother, Xu Wenwu and Wen Yuan in the auntie's house next door, and Qibao in a separate room. That way, it wouldn't be too crowded.

The next morning, Fen Tao's mother went to the neighboring auntie's house to call Xu Wenwu, Wen Yuan, and Qibao for breakfast at her place. She included the neighbor auntie as well.

There was a large pot of thick white rice porridge.

"Fen Tao's mother, where did you get all this white rice?" the neighbor next door asked, surprised.

Fen Tao's mother smiled: "We only have some brown rice at home. I was afraid that you wouldn't be used to it, so I got up before dawn and borrowed a handful from each of the other villagers in the village. It's enough for this pot."

"Auntie." Su Chenyu said: "This brown rice is also food. If you can get used to it, we can too. As long as it fills our stomachs, it's fine. Borrowing like this will just leave you with more to give back in the future. It's not worth it."

"It's worth it." Fen Tao's mother said: "Isn't our family's life worth at least this little bit of millet? As long as we're alive, we can pay it back bit by bit."

No one said anything in response. They could only silently accept her generosity.

After everyone finished breakfast, they led out the four people they had locked up overnight. Ye Feng, riding his horse, took the rope in hand and made them run after the horse. The four prisoners, already badly tormented, couldn't even speak. Bloodstains could be seen on their clothes, although no one knew what kind of torture Ye Feng had used to leave them in such a state.

Fen Tao's father, unable to speak, was left behind at home to take care of Fen Tao.

Qibao sat on the same horse with Fen Tao's mother.

It was Fen Tao's mother's first time riding a horse, and she had a hard time getting on. In the end, Qibao had to help her up. Once on the horse, she didn't dare to move, sitting stiffly behind Qibao.

Several horses set off towards Xuanyang Town at the same time. They didn't ride too fast, afraid of tiring out the four prisoners trailing behind.

This scene attracted quite a few villagers who gathered to watch.

Along the way, they also met several people hurrying along. Seeing this scene, they all quickly got out of the way.

They made their way to the gates of Xuanyang Town. When the two soldiers guarding the entrance saw the scene, they stopped the group and asked: "What's going on here?"

Su Chenyu explained: "We're going to the prefectural office to report to Magistrate Feng about these men. They broke into a commoner's home in the middle of the night and kidnapped a woman. We found her in critical condition and saved her in the nick of time. These four criminals should be handed over to Magistrate Feng for punishment."

The gate soldiers looked at the four men, who were now gasping for breath and disheveled, their faces smattered with dirt and their hair utterly messy, making it impossible to discern their original appearance.

"So I'll come with you." The captain said: "You'd better not be lying."

Su Chenyu smiled slightly: "No problem."

The gate captain left the other guard on duty, rounded up seven or eight of his men, and set off with Su Chenyu's group for the prefectural office.

This spectacle naturally drew much attention. Some people, curious, followed behind the officials, pointing and whispering. As they saw the group heading towards the prefectural office, their interest grew. They tagged along all the way to its gates.

"Auntie, go beat the drum." Su Chenyu said.

"Yes!" Fen Tao's mother didn't waste time. She walked up to the big drum, grabbed the drumsticks, and started banging.

The gates of the prefectural office opened slowly. Once inside, they saw two lines of constables standing at attention on either side, their staves held firmly and eyes straight ahead.

At the front sat a man of about 50 or 60 years old, slightly plump. He wore a black gauze hat, with a large, eye-catching oval panel right above it.