good season

But before the Dengwen Drum was sounded, something even stranger happened.

Today is a bright and sunny day. The morning sun is dazzling and has a slight coolness to it, just like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, who is young but full of vitality.

The two yamen runners standing at the entrance of the Dali Temple stood there as usual. Young people are at the age where they love to sleep, and so are they.

They stood ramrod straight, expressionless, barely suppressing the urge to yawn.

Suddenly, everything went dark before their eyes. They both rubbed their eyes simultaneously. Crows! They saw crows!

Countless crows circled in front of the Dali Temple, weaving a large black net.

The two were both surprised and delighted. It was a crow! The last time there was a crow swarm in the capital, they happened to be off duty and taking a nap at home. By the time they heard the news, the crows had already dispersed.

This incident has become a lifelong regret, and whenever someone mentions it, they don't even have a chance to interject.

But now, they saw crows!

Heaven loves them and knows their regrets, so it let them witness it with their own eyes.

If they weren't on duty, I would definitely kneel down and kowtow in gratitude. Namo Amitabha Buddha!
At this moment, the crows also attracted other people. Whether they were on their way to the nearby government office or were delivering documents from the government office, they all stopped and looked at the Dali Temple not far away.

Flocks of crows flew towards this place, which had already alarmed the people of the capital. As the crows flew in the sky, they chased after them on the ground, running breathlessly. Some people lost their shoes, some dropped the vegetables they had just bought, and some even abandoned their children, who were running after them with their short legs.

In the blink of an eye, Liubu Street was filled with people, including officials, yamen runners, and ordinary citizens.

Everyone's attention was on the crows. A flock of crows meant something big was about to happen, and it must be related to filial piety. What could it be? Could it be that an old woman was murdered by her son and appeared in the crows' dreams?
Yes, that must be it.

Those with good memories immediately recalled the case that happened not long ago, where a mother was starved to death by her son.

"That case hasn't been decided yet, right? That old woman must be getting impatient down there, so she asked the crow god to seek justice for her."

"Then you should go to the Ministry of Justice to find Master Yan. What are you doing at the Dali Temple? The Dali Temple doesn't care about these things."

"The Court of Judicial Review is also responsible for solving cases, so why isn't it taking care of things?"

"Of course they won't care. The Dali Temple only handles cases involving officials; they don't care about cases involving ordinary people."

However, there were far fewer crows today than last time. Just as everyone was eagerly anticipating more crows to come and help, the crows that had been circling in the air suddenly flew away in all directions.

The large black net instantly shattered into countless fragments and vanished without a trace.

"What's going on? It flew away already, without even writing anything! Hey, Crow God, don't go! Finish writing before you leave!"

Unfortunately, the crows couldn't hear him and didn't stay. In the blink of an eye, they became tiny black dots and disappeared from sight.

Everyone was disappointed. Last time, the crow wrote the character for "filial piety," but this time it didn't write a single character. Perhaps the crow that came this time was uncultured and couldn't write.

Yes, it must be!

"Hey, look, isn't that a person?"

"If it's a person, what does that person want to do?"

"Why is he lying on the petition drum? Has he gone mad?"

"He's probably a madman, otherwise how do you explain him lying on the petition drum?"

Lin Sen woke up at this time.

He heard sounds coming from all directions. He tried to open his eyes, but they were as if they were covered by something, and he couldn't see anything!
How could this be?
When he clearly saw Lord Black Impermanence, he could still see, but now, why can't he even open his eyes?

He recalled the feeling of the furry thing pressing against his eyes, and a chill ran down his spine.

His eyes have been bewitched, that's why he can't open them!
Has he gone blind?

How can a blind man marry a princess and become her consort?
No, it can't be like this!

He suddenly realized he was holding something, but he couldn't see it. However, his intuition told him that it was something that could save him.

He swung what he was holding and smashed it down with a loud thud, startling him.

The sound of drums, it's the sound of drums, not from the underworld. How could there be drums in the underworld? He's still in the human world!
He could call for help, but his mouth wouldn't obey him; however, he could beat the drum!

Boom!Boom!Boom!
When the deafening drumbeats sounded, the yamen runners in front of the Dali Temple were still looking up at the crows that had flown away.

Three consecutive drumbeats finally saved them from the disappointment of the crows flying away.

"The petition drum! Someone is beating the petition drum!"

What incredible luck they have today! Not only did they see flocks of crows, but they also encountered something as significant as beating the petition drum.

I'm finally free from lifelong regrets. This life has been worthwhile!

You really can't blame them. They not only missed the extraordinary event of crows covering the sky, but also missed the last time the elderly couple came to beat the petition drum. It just so happened that they weren't on duty that time; they heard about it from someone else and were so angry they wanted to bang their heads against the wall.

They finally got their chance today; the two of them almost pinched each other's thighs in public. This really isn't a dream.

One immediately went in to announce the news, while the other cautiously walked to the drum platform and looked up at the warrior who had struck the drum to appeal.

Unfortunately, he was disappointed.

At this moment, the man was lying on the Dengwen Drum, and from his angle, all that could be seen was the man's buttocks.

At that moment, the man was still frantically banging on the Dengwen Drum beneath him, relentlessly pursuing the matter to the death.

The yamen runners were stunned, and so were the onlookers. How much injustice must this man have suffered to risk his life to beat the drum?

At this moment, another constable came out with his men. The official who came out was surnamed Zheng, and he was the one who dealt with the elderly couple last time.

Although he was not a high-ranking official, he had vaguely heard some rumors that the case of the elderly couple involved a certain prince, and that the elderly couple was sent by the prince's rival.

Lord Zheng was furious. The elderly couple had been manipulated into beating the drum, and although he had punished them according to the law and was not held responsible, it was clear that he was also part of the scheme and had been manipulated as well.

This incident made him look like an easily manipulated fool.

And today, someone has come to beat the petition drum again.

A nameless anger surged in Lord Zheng's heart. He was just being idle. If he really had a grievance, why didn't he go to the capital or the Ministry of Justice? Why did he have to come to the Dali Temple, which was known for its flogging?

Why else?

It's because the people at the Dali Temple are easy to talk to, unlike the mercenary officials in the capital or the menacing officials at the Ministry of Justice. To put it bluntly, the Dali Temple is gentle and polite, so people take advantage of them like fools.

Lord Zheng put himself in Lord Zheng's shoes and became even angrier.

When he got closer, he saw that the person was actually lying on the Dengwen Drum. In a fit of rage, he ordered his men to pull Lin Sen off the Dengwen Drum. Lin Sen suddenly lost his balance and fell to the ground.

In his hand, he was still gripping the drumstick tightly.

"How dare you lie on the Dengwen Drum! You're showing no respect for the Dali Temple! Strike! Forty strokes of the cane! Give it a good beating!" The Dengwen Drum allows one to appeal for justice and reach the ears of the Emperor, but there is a price to pay.

The first punishment after striking the petition drum is forty strokes of the cane. If the person is still alive after the execution, then they can file a petition.

The last time the elderly couple came to beat the drum, the wife couldn't withstand it and died on the spot from being beaten with a stick, while the old man survived by chance and filed a lawsuit. The case shocked the court and the public.

Today, it's Lin Sen's turn to receive those forty strokes of the cane.

He didn't even have time to protest his innocence before he was dragged off the petition drum and made to lie on the torture bench like a dead dog.

It wasn't until the board struck him heavily that the excruciating pain finally cleared his mind.

What did he just hear?

The Drum of Petition?
Dali Temple!
Did he just strike the Dengwen Drum?

Before Lin Sen could think it through or verify his guess, he fainted from the pain.

Facing the young and strong Lin Sen, the bailiffs of the Dali Temple showed no mercy. Every stroke of the cane was delivered with full force. After forty strokes, Lin Sen lay there motionless.

A constable disgustedly put his hand under Lin Sen's nose: "He's still breathing, he's not dead."

Lord Zheng snorted coldly: "This kid's got a lucky life. Splash him with water to wake him up and let him plead his case! Someone, go and fetch Vice Minister Li!"

Li Shaoqing was the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

In ordinary cases, one would go inside the yamen (government office) to submit a petition. However, the case of beating the petition drum is different from others. One must publicly express their grievances and submit the petition in front of a crowd.

Therefore, for Lin Sen to wake up, he needed to ask the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to come out of the yamen.

When Li Shaoqing arrived, the yamen runners were splashing water on Lin Sen.

As basins of cold water were poured down, the seeds were about to sprout, but Lin Sen remained motionless.

"Is this kid faking his death? He came to beat the petition drum and he's pretending to be dead. What's he thinking?"

Not only were the yamen runners whispering among themselves, but the onlookers were also buzzing with discussion.

Anyway, they didn't get the forty lashes, so they just watched the show.

It wasn't until the fifth bucket of water was poured that Lin Sen's body finally moved. The constable from before walked over, turned his body over, exclaimed "Eh!", and pulled a roll of white cloth out of Lin Sen's clothes.

Lin Sen's clothes were soaked through, but the roll of white cloth he had placed under him was lucky enough to stay dry.

"Lord Shaoqing, there seems to be a petition here."

Li Shaoqing hummed in agreement: "Bring it here, let me take a look."

The roll of white cloth was handed to Li Shaoqing, who unrolled it and found it to be a petition.

To Li Shaoqing's surprise, the defendants in the lawsuit were a married couple, and the plaintiff who wrote the lawsuit was their son.

"Lin Sen?" The name sounded familiar. After a moment's thought, Li Shaoqing remembered.

He looked at Lord Zheng standing to the side: "Is that Jinshi who ranked thirty-fifth named Lin Sen?"

Li Shaoqing had met Lin Sen before, but it was only because of the recent arranged marriage that he finally matched the person with the name.

However, since it concerned the princess, it was inconvenient to say too much on this occasion, so Li Shaoqing avoided the main point and talked about Lin Sen's ranking.

Lord Zheng also remembered that the lucky one who ranked thirty-fifth, that is, the last one, was the prospective consort of the princess.

Yes, that person's name is Lin Sen.

When he first heard the name, he scoffed, "This person is probably lacking the element of wood in his Five Elements."

And so they remembered this prospective prince consort whom they had never met.

Although Lord Zheng did not know the contents of the petition, Li Shaoqing mentioned Lin Sen. Could it be that the petition was against Lin Sen?

Interesting, really interesting.

Don't ask Lord Zheng why he thinks this way; the answer is simply that he despises people like this the most.

A poor scholar, who had studied diligently for twenty years, finally achieved success and was about to serve his country and advocate for the people. But instead, he turned around and became a prince consort, as if all his reading was just to please a woman.

It would be one thing if it were those spoiled rich kids born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but most of the princes who became princes were from ordinary families, and some even had to be supported by the entire village.

Looking at the bloody, mangled flesh lying on the ground, Lord Zheng fell into deep thought.

Li Shaoqing had already recognized him; this person was Lin Sen.

Li Shaoqing had met Lin Sen before. He was a young, handsome, and outstanding new scholar who had passed the imperial examination. Although he came in last place, he was also the luckiest one. Therefore, Li Shaoqing took a few more glances at him and was deeply impressed.

The person lying on the ground, barely alive, bears a striking resemblance to Lin Sen. Considering the indictment, this person is indeed Lin Sen.

As per custom, Li Shaoqing handed the petition to the clerk beside him, who took it, cleared his throat, and began to read it aloud.

Halfway through the reading, the onlookers began to discuss it.

It's shocking that the son is suing his parents!
"These parents are beasts! They actually robbed the property of an orphan and widow. They are despicable. No wonder even their own son couldn't stand it."

"Absolutely! This is a classic case of 'profiting from someone else's misfortune.' The older sister drove her younger sister to her death, and in order to seize the inheritance, she even made that poor niece give birth. My God, how can there be such relatives?"

"You're making a fuss over nothing. Of ten people who live off the descendants of the deceased, eight are relatives."

This is the voice of ordinary people.

The officials who had come out on official business on Liubu Street were all silent at this moment.

Like Lord Zheng, even if they didn't know him personally, they had heard of Lin Sen's name.

The main reason is that this person was very lucky. He was last in the second class and almost became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination). Moreover, his name was also very special and easy to remember.

What's more, just recently, this man was betrothed to Princess Huixin, transforming himself into a prospective prince consort.

Some people envy him, while others look down on him, but in any case, most officials in the capital, especially those of lower rank, now know about Lin Sen.

There was also someone with sharp eyesight who, even from a distance, could recognize that the person who had just been beaten was Lin Sen.

Lin Sen actually sued his parents; does this mean he doesn't want his future?

The Lin family is worse than animals. Although Lin Sen denounced his parents, he also benefited from it. He used the Luo family's money to study, hire famous teachers, and even had two children. If you look closely at this matter, Lin Sen is the one who benefited the most.

How dare he come out and sue his parents?
Is this guy trying to show off, or is he looking for death? (End of Chapter)