Chaos of Ming 1628

"It's good that you don't have it!" Li Weilin leaned closer to Sun Qing and whispered in his ear, "But we feel something's fishy. This money might not be what you want."

"Someone must have instructed them to do this, could it be Sun Chengzong?"

Sun Qing looked up, staring directly into the other person's eyes, and chuckled, "Asking is pointless, and answering is pointless too."

"Let's see if you can still be so arrogant after being tortured!" Li Weilin gritted his teeth.

Sun Qing did not answer.

Looking at the angry people, like the old man telling a story, he wanted to win their hearts and minds, to evoke their empathy, and to rely on the people.

He needs to prepare the fuse before the truth comes out, and then unleash it completely when the time is right.

Li Weilin didn't want him to live. In Sun Qing's eyes, everyone who plotted to harm him deserved to die.

Therefore, Sun Qing's voice was even louder: "I take the world as my responsibility and am willing to be a martyr."

Thousands of people were there, including many impoverished youths and fallen officials who had been driven there. A single sentence had already brought tears to the eyes of many.

The rise of Wei Zhongxian was a nightmare for countless scholars. His martyrdom inspired even more scholars to remain steadfast and unyielding.

After the riddle was solved, he would then speak to the people about the reasons for his martyrdom.

Whenever Sun Qing thought of this, his nose would sting, and he would say in a trembling voice, "In the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, the Six Gentlemen died unjustly in prison. They were pressed down with sacks, which would definitely have pierced through them. The methods were so cruel, yet no one signed the confession. This was because the eunuch faction had been using torture to extract confessions for a long time."

"The Seven Gentlemen suffered an undeserved calamity. Even a theatrical performance would have to stop here. But our Eunuch Wei is truly invincible, taking things to the extreme."

Everyone was stunned at first, then they realized what was going on. Although there wasn't a precise division into the Six Gentlemen and the Seven Gentlemen at that time, everyone knew that the six who died unjustly were Yang Lian and the others. As for the seven, they were even more wronged, it was simply a huge miscarriage of justice.

These stories had already spread far and wide among the people.

His eyes, which were originally filled with confusion and anger, were now bloodshot. Was the Eastern Depot even human?

No! They cannot even use the word "beast" to defile pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep.

Therefore, the insults were swallowed. The people had already concluded that Sun Qing was innocent.

Old Yu was so angry that he scratched his head and cheeks. He picked up a piece of cow dung from the ground and threw it at Li Weilin, roaring, "Turning black into white, framing an innocent person, you're really wicked!"

Li Weilin dodged in time and cursed, "You crazy old man, you're asking for it!"

The most important thing now is to convict Sun Chengzong; the letter has already been delivered to Wei Zhongxian. He's also received a letter of praise, which will allow him to return to Beijing to take up his post after the deed is done. His future is at stake; he must quickly take down Sun Qing.

"Arrest them!" Li Weilin shouted.

As more than twenty Imperial Guards stepped forward, the people, though silent, actively moved closer to Sun Qing, blocking the road completely.

Only Li Weilin and Sun Qing remained in the encirclement.

Li Weilin was furious. He never expected that Sun Qing could turn the tide at such a moment.

He immediately pulled out an account book, held it up high, and exclaimed, "You blind fools, look at this!"

"This is the ledger, the irrefutable evidence of Sun Qing accepting bribes. It has his own signature on it. Even if the Emperor himself came, he couldn't deny it."

Sun Qing smiled, took a deep breath, and sighed, "I didn't want to bring it up, but since you've brought it up, I'll accept it."

"Hahaha!" Li Weilin laughed loudly, unable to believe that this person was so pedantic that he took the initiative to admit it.

After laughing, he realized something was wrong. The surrounding people had completely lost their anger and were now looking at Sun Qing with admiration.

Seven hundred taels of silver were allocated to aid refugees at the city wall, but Sun Qing stipulated that the aid should be provided only in times of emergency, not to alleviate their long-term poverty. He instructed them to first have a full meal, then bring their own provisions and go to work for various families.

It's harvest time now, so those with strength should help with the work. Those without strength should help cook porridge.

Thatched huts were built on vacant lots in the suburbs to prevent displaced people from wandering around...

Old Yu raised his arms and shouted, "Fellow villagers, have you seen him? Have you seen that account book? Does it look familiar?"

So familiar!

A similar ledger hung outside the city wall, pasted with red paper, bearing these names: philanthropists who donated to charity.

Old Yu shouted again: "When will the imperial court's disaster relief reach the people? There was only one person who once promised them enough food and clothing under the city wall."

"Less than a day later, hot porridge was eaten. The thatched hut was simple, but it provided shelter from the wind and rain."

"Look, look at our Sun family member, there he is!"

Among those who came today were many refugees from the area below the wall. Rubbing his eyes hard, he suddenly saw someone kneel and kowtow: "Young Master Sun, it's Young Master Sun!"

"Young Master Sun has shown us such great kindness and righteousness that our family will repay him even if it means serving him like an ox or a horse for generations to come."

"Waaah, if it weren't for Young Master Sun, my child would have starved to death long ago."

Amidst the heart-wrenching cries and the sounds of kowtowing, the people finally came to their senses.

Scholars are more perceptive to such acts of righteousness, and upon hearing this, they immediately realized what was happening. One of them exclaimed, "So he's the young master Sun the old gentleman was talking about!"

Seeing that things were going badly, Li Weilin glanced at the account book in his hand, turned around and roared at Zhou Ji, "What's going on?"

"Oh no!" Zhou Ji slapped his forehead, almost crying out, "So he was the one who rescued the refugees outside the city these past few days?"

Ironically, he planned to keep it a secret until the deed was done, then impersonate the person in charge and claim the credit for himself.

Now that things have come to this, how could Li Weilin not understand? It turns out they were the ones who did all the work for others, and it's likely that all the so-called embezzled funds were used to settle refugees.

"Men, seize Sun Qing." Li Weilin's attitude was firm.

Old Yu risked his life to protect Sun Qing.

Li Weilin sneered and coldly ordered the Imperial Guards, "Anyone who disobeys will be killed!"

"Young Master Sun is a good man, don't kill him!"

More and more people stood up to protect Sun Qing.

The two sides remained deadlocked, and the number of civilians gradually grew from a few thousand to tens of thousands. All they wanted was for Sun Qing to be safe, but they dared not offend the Eastern Depot.

Li Weilin, a treacherous henchman who had long been accustomed to bullying men and women, had never suffered such humiliation before. He immediately roared, "The Eastern Depot is arresting people, and you cowards dare to stop them?"

He immediately drew his embroidered spring knife from his waist and held it horizontally in front of his chest.

In Sun Qing's view, the reason why the common people were enslaved and oppressed was mainly because they were honest and fearful. Sun Qing slowly prepared the fuse, and at this moment, the people of Mars stepped forward.

After a brief silence, a man dressed as a gentleman came out and asked a question: "Was the Eastern Depot arresting people on Wei Zhongxian's orders?"

Li Weilin was already displeased, and upon hearing this, he snorted coldly and cursed angrily: "It's the Grand Eunuch's order! You bastard, how dare you address the Grand Eunuch by his name? I'll cut out your tongue!"

These people are used to being bullied. As long as the one who dares to stand up is killed, peace will naturally return.

But he was wrong.

Sun Qing chuckled and said casually, "I thought it was an order from the Emperor. Turns out, one of them is a lackey of the Eastern Depot."

The fire is lit; it's time to explode.

Naturally, Sun Qing understood that his opponent was a martial artist, while he was merely a scholar. Taking advantage of the situation, he immediately punched the man in the face.

Li Weidong was stunned by the attack, but his men reacted quickly, drawing their swords and hacking at the audacious man to death.

"Fellow villagers, the young master is doing this for us! Protect him, we can't let those who stand up for the people be disheartened!" Old Yu shouted, raising his arms and picking up stones from the ground before rushing out first.

The people's anger had been simmering for years, and anyone who dared to speak up for them had met a tragic end.

Tens of thousands of audacious individuals charged towards the Embroidered Uniform Guard. At this moment, they were no longer silent lambs; men, women, and children alike became wolves, brutally beating any members of the Eastern Depot they caught.

The disparity in numbers between the two sides was too great; because there were so many people, only those who were close enough could manage to step on the ground a few times.

Those who were far away took off their shoes and threw them at them. Keep in mind, in the Ming Dynasty, they were wearing wooden clogs!

The group of lackeys were completely dumbfounded. They were usually so arrogant that even high-ranking officials would tremble in their presence, yet these common people dared to bare their teeth.

The key issue is that there are simply too many people involved, making it impossible to determine who committed the act.

Zhou cried out in alarm, but the constables around him were powerless to help. He quickly took off his official robe and hid in the stable. He covered himself with hay and shivered uncontrollably.

"Everyone, everyone wait a minute..."

Someone shouted, "It looks like...it looks like the Imperial Guard captain was trampled to death."

As the crowd gradually calmed down, several other Imperial Guards besides Li Weilin were also found lifeless. As for the rest, they fled in panic, scrambling and rolling away.

The Eastern Depot arrested people, and while they continued arresting, several of their own men were beaten to death. When had Wei Zhongxian ever suffered such a loss?

This has really blown up!