The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 604 Tearing Off the Mask, Head-on Confrontation

Master Xue sat in front of the main gate of the Marquis's mansion, holding a statue of Confucius. Besides him, there was also the great calligrapher and painter Ou Luozhong, even the old general Ning Dashun, as well as the Duke of the State and other prominent figures. Most importantly, in front of them were circles of ordinary people.

They blocked all the gates leading to the Marquis's residence.

"Headmaster Xue, please step aside. This is the Emperor's will. Don't make things difficult for us," Xiao An, the commander of the Imperial Guards, said with a headache.

"Imperial will? I suspect the Sage has been possessed by some demonic spirit, which is why he has to issue such a heinous so-called imperial will. Otherwise, why would he treat a good person as a thief and dare to be an enemy of the world? He's young, but he's not stupid!" Master Xue said loudly. "As everyone knows, the plague of corpse poison that terrifies everyone was caused by Fairy Lang, who spearheaded the research and developed the antidote. Otherwise, not only you, Xiao boy, but all of you, all of us, would have become those walking corpses! Such a person with great merit has been branded as a demon. If the Sage hadn't been bound, why would he lie through his teeth? Someone must be taking advantage of his young age and ignorance, and spreading slanderous rumors."

The people didn't understand, but they thought it made sense and nodded in agreement.

Those who understood thought to themselves that scholars were always vulgar when they cursed others, and that Xue Shi even dared to curse the emperor.

Xiao An said in a deep voice, "Master Xue, making trouble is useless, and don't drag innocent people into it."

"The people in my household are all innocent. If I don't speak up for them, who will speak up for us if we innocent people are also besieged as demons one day? Tell me, what did the Lang family do wrong? If the Fairy Lang was truly possessed, how could the Lang family, mere mortals, know this and how could they defend themselves? In fact, they are the victims and should not be imprisoned."

When Lang Zhengping arrived and heard this, she almost couldn't hold back her tears. This was the result of good deeds; all the good deeds she had done in the past had been rewarded here.

"I am deeply grateful for Master Xue's kindness." He bowed solemnly to Master Xue, and Lang Caimeng, who was standing beside him, also bowed.

Master Xue stood up and said in a deep voice, "My lord, please rest assured. People have their own scales and their eyes are discerning. They will defend her in matters of right and wrong."

"I understand." Lang Zhengping bowed again and said, "Although the descendants of my Lang family have not made any achievements, we dare to call ourselves loyal and virtuous for generations and have lived up to our conscience. As the saying goes, if you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. My Lang family has been observing mourning for the past two years and yet this disaster has still occurred. We are not convinced, but we guess this is fate, and this calamity is destined to happen."

His tone was full of helplessness and sorrow, and many people were uneasy. As the saying goes, "the rabbit dies and the dog is cooked," even a low-key marquis's family that was observing mourning could suddenly suffer such a disaster. What about ordinary people or powerful people in the court and the country?

Isn't Shen Qinghe, the upright and incorruptible official in the Censorate, just like that?

This guillotine could fall on their heads at any moment!
Many people looked sorrowful and bewildered.

Lang Zhengping said, "We appreciate Master Xue's kindness and the Lang family's gratitude. Please go back and don't get involved. If one day comes... just offer us a cup of wine."

Some people felt a deep sadness and cried out.

Master Xue looked anxious and said, "My lord..."

"Master Xue, there's no need for further words. Please return, and everyone else as well," Lang Zhengping waved his hand.

Xiao An felt a pang of unease and said, "My lord, we are merely following orders. I can assure you that as long as you behave yourselves, I guarantee not a single hair on your head will be harmed." Lang Zhengping sneered, "If we go, it doesn't mean my Lang family is guilty, or that my Ninth Miss is a sorcerer. We obey orders only to avoid implicating more innocent people! My Ninth Miss of the Lang family has vanquished demons, cured plagues, and saved countless lives—her merits are immeasurable. Yet she can be labeled a sorcerer? What kind of justice is this? How absurd is this world?"

"Master Hou..."

Xiao An still wanted to say something, but suddenly heard a commotion coming from afar and rushed over quickly.

Upon closer inspection, everyone saw that it was another group of imperial guards arriving, led by the deputy commander Li Chengzhang, who was also the Lu family's beloved son-in-law. Lu Ruiting, who had died from the plague caused by corpse poison, was his brother-in-law.

"They're all here, so we can take them all with us." Li Chengzhang looked coldly at Xue Shi and the others, and said, "The Emperor has decreed that anyone who dares to obstruct the Imperial Guards from carrying out their duties is considered an accomplice to the evil Taoists and will be thrown into prison to await their fate. Guards, seize them."

As soon as he finished speaking, people rushed forward to pull away Xue Shi, Ou Luozhong, and others, as well as ordinary people.

This sudden change shocked everyone.

Just now they were talking about "killing the dog after the rabbit is caught," but I never expected the guillotine to fall so quickly. They've only been here a short time and haven't done anything. They just said a few words in front of the Lang family's gate, and they've already been arrested as accomplices. How can this be so childish?
This blatant targeting was premeditated, aimed at crippling Lang Jiuchuan's influence.

Xue Shi was so excited that he tore his sleeves and cursed the tyrant and Li Chengzhang as a lackey, using the most vulgar and offensive language imaginable.

Li Chengzhang had his mouth gagged, then looked at Xiao An and sneered, "Commander Xiao has been under orders for a long time, yet you're still standing outside the Lang family gate. What, are you waiting for this sorcerer's family to get ready before you can leave? If Lord Xiao is soft-hearted, you should take off this armor as soon as possible and let someone capable wear it. Don't just occupy the position without doing anything."

The death of her brother-in-law made Li Chengzhang's wife hate Lang Jiuchuan even more, and she hated her even more for meddling in other people's business and helping that crazy woman Wen Yue expose Lu Ruiting's homosexuality, which also made her lose face.

Because he loved his wife's family so much that he wanted to cause chaos in the Lang family, so as to vent his anger for his in-laws.

Xiao An said with a dark face, "Deputy General Li, you'd better take it easy. Master Xue is the headmaster of Lu Ning Academy, and Elder Ou is a master of calligraphy and painting. If you hurt them, not only will the Xue and Ou families not let it go, but you will also become an enemy of all scholars in the world. At that time, even the Lu family will not be able to protect you."

Li Chengzhang's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "I was just following orders. Besides, this is about capturing evil Taoist rebels and protecting the righteous people. What's wrong with that? As for the people from those two families, my colleagues will take care of them. Not one of them should be lost."

Xiao An's expression changed. It was a case of collective punishment. Had His Majesty gone mad? How could he be so reckless? Wasn't he afraid of inciting a popular rebellion?
"Go in and take them." Li Chengzhang pushed past him and went to grab Lang Zhengping and his son first.

Before his hand could even touch Lang Zhengping, he was struck by a murderous aura. His wrist throbbed with pain, and a chilling coldness seeped into his bones. Then, everything went blurry, and there was no one there. The father and son had been thrown into the Marquis's mansion by something!

"Let's see who dares to move!" Fu Qi unleashed his full killing intent, coldly staring at the crowd: "If you want to take the Lang family, let the dog emperor come in person!"

Li Chengzhang was struck by his murderous aura, feeling a chill run down his spine, as if his very soul had been frozen. His eyes widened in fear, and he took two steps back, pointing at him: "What have you done to me? How dare you defy the imperial decree! The Lang family truly harbors rebellious intentions! You are all traitors! Seize them all! Seize them all! The Emperor has decreed that those who resist shall be killed without exception!"

(End of this chapter)