Chaos of Ming 1628

The Imperial Guards swarmed forward and pinned the man to the ground.

Seeing this, Lao Yu forced himself to stand up, his voice hoarse and barely audible: "Why did you come back? Everyone died without saying a word, just to save you."

"Young Master Sun, run!"

The people at the post station looked up at Sun Qing, then quickly lowered their heads.

Upon seeing this, the onlookers began to discuss among themselves: "Young Master Sun, is he the great philanthropist, Young Master Sun?"

"I saw him. He was the one who came to the city wall that day!"

"Let go of Young Master Sun, don't touch him."

The people surged forward, slowly but unstoppably. The Imperial Guards standing on the perimeter drew their swords, slightly hindering the crowd.

An officer from the Imperial Guard stepped out of the pavilion, with Zhou Ji following closely behind.

"We've searched every inch of Jiaohe County, but I didn't expect you to come here on your own." The imperial guard stood before him, his voice brimming with barely suppressed joy. "You're a descendant of Sun Chengzong?"

Sun Qing raised her head.

After hiding for many days, he was covered in dust, and his hair, though deliberately tidied, was still disheveled. Yet, even when pressed to the ground, his back remained straight.

"Yes," Sun Qing replied with only one word.

The imperial guard laughed: "As expected of a scion of a noble family."

He took two steps forward, squatted down, and fixed his gaze on Sun Qing's face. "Then you'd better tell me properly, what information did Sun Chengzong ask you to gather? Which court officials did he ask you to assassinate?"

"Li Weilin was an official appointed by the imperial court. Was his death orchestrated by you, or were you acting on orders?"

His voice lowered, coaxing him gently: "Just tell me. If you do, nothing will happen to you."

"Sun Chengzong is idle at home but still wants to control the court. This is a treasonous act. Why are you defending him? Just say that he made you do those things and that he wanted to harm the Grand Eunuch."

"After you confess honestly, you can return to Gaoyang, and you will be fine."

Whether Sun Qing's identity is true or false is secondary; what matters is that the people have already accepted that he is a member of the Sun family.

Once he agrees and admits it, Sun Chengzong's life will be in grave danger.

In fact, although Sun Chengzong and Wei Zhongxian were irreconcilable enemies, they had something in common: they were both deeply trusted by the Tianqi Emperor, and neither of them could touch the other.

With a new emperor ascending the throne, who can control him, and who can fathom his destiny?

"Ridiculous," Sun Qing's voice was as cold as a knife, interrupting his rambling words: "My great-grandfather retired to his home, finding joy in farming every day. How could a farmer do what you speak of?"

Sun Qing's voice was loud and clear, loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly.

He shouted, "The ironclad laws of the Ming Dynasty still apply! What crime have you committed, sir?"

"Forcing commoners to frame and resign veteran officials is already a serious crime, but you dare to fabricate falsehoods and concoct charges against a veteran of three reigns and a mentor of two emperors. Your crimes are simply unforgivable."

The officer's expression stiffened for a moment, but it was fleeting.

The officer laughed. His laughter was short and cold, and he didn't take it to heart at all.

"It's alright." He stood up, his smile fading. "Take him back for questioning, he'll talk eventually."

He raised his hand and waved it behind him.

"Take it down and take it away."

"My lord, are you going to try the same methods you used on gentlemen like Yang Lian on me?" Sun Qing remained calm and spoke with a cold laugh.

The officer scoffed and dismissed him.

Once imprisoned, I'd probably accept it even if I died.

Old Yu suddenly roared, "You can't take him away! I can't let a good man die without knowing why!"

"Homeless refugees are ignored, but now that someone is taking care of them, they've become sinners and should disappear."

"I can't let down those who are willing to work for the people!"

Old Yu's words accurately struck at the hearts of the people. Even though he was already bound hand and foot, he mustered his last breath and crashed into a member of the Imperial Guard.

The man punched him in the chest, and before he could even get close to Lao Yu, he was sent flying backward and fell to the ground, unable to get up.

These eunuch lackeys, upon arriving in Jiahe County, did not accomplish anything; all they did was bully men and women and harm the people.

It's unclear who took the first step, but they surged in from all directions, forming a wall. Assaulting an official of the imperial court was a crime, but instead of taking action against them, the goal was simply to completely surround the area, preventing them from taking Young Master Sun out.

The officer looked at the wall of people, his face turning ashen.

In the past, if any troublemakers blocked his way, he would simply kill them. The reason he was here now was because the people of Jiahe County had already rioted once, and he was there to deal with the situation.

Moreover, if tens of thousands of people could take action in Jiahe County that day, how many more are there now?

Having learned from past mistakes, he was determined not to repeat them.

But in Sun Qing's eyes, how could he not act violently?

He glanced at Zhou Ji to the side and let out a cold laugh: "Knowing my identity as the Great Ancestor, why don't you untie me at once!"

Zhou Ji steeled himself and stepped forward, speaking timidly, "Lord Zhang, I'm afraid of that Grand Coordinator, that's why I haven't dared to do anything to him."

"What kind of Grand Commander?!" the officer roared angrily. "How dare someone who's been dismissed from office address me like that?"

"Hmph!" Sun Qing snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain: "As long as my great-grandfather is still alive, you eunuchs, your lackeys, have no right to lay a hand on me."

"After all, what wrong have I done? The founding emperor was meritorious and without fault. What can you do to me?"

Sun Qing's words expressed the sentiments of the people, which drew applause and cheers from them.

Instead of being angry, the officer laughed. He strolled back to the armchair under the shade of a tree, sat down, crossed his legs, and slowly swept his gaze from Sun Qing's face to the faces of the common people before looking away.

"If that's the case, then I will interrogate you in public, so that everyone can understand what a spy is."

Zhou Ji squeezed out of the crowd, cupped his hands and bowed, lowering his voice again and again: "Sir, this matter may be inappropriate. Although most of the things started because of him, it is not his fault. Moreover, he is a member of the Sun family of Gaoyang. If the Sun family makes a fuss, it will be a big problem."

"What a fuss?" the imperial guard said arrogantly. "With the evidence in hand, Sun will probably have no choice but to cry and beg for mercy."

He glanced at the Imperial Guard beside him and said, "Use torture."

Two Imperial Guards stepped forward, lifted Sun Qing onto a bench, and bound his hands and feet tightly with ropes.

One man rolled up Sun Qing's trouser leg, exposing his calf. Another man took out a thick stack of cotton paper and covered his leg with it. He then took out a copper kettle and slowly poured a stream of water from the spout. The cotton paper became soaked and stuck to the skin like a white film.

Then there was another layer, and another, layer upon layer, so dense that it was impenetrable.

The water was cold, initially just cool. After a moment, the chill seeped into the skin, turning into a pricking pain.

No blood is seen, no wounds are visible, yet the pain is excruciating. Yang Lian was tortured in this way back then.

Sun Qing gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his temples. This method was truly despicable and vile. He could still endure it for now, but what about later? He certainly didn't want to suffer that kind of pain.

There was now one more person in the crowd. Shen Junru came every day, and whenever Lao Yu's condition was bad, she would rush to his aid without hesitation.

Having just bought the pork knuckle, I went to check on Old Yu's condition, but unexpectedly saw Sun Qing being tortured. From a few words exchanged by bystanders, they already knew that Young Master Sun was righteous and had willingly walked into the trap to save someone.

Shen Junru couldn't believe it. How could that cowardly good-for-nothing be like this?

Bo Tou, Sun Qing's voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth: "Is that all you've got? Your grandpa's hot right now."

The officer's smile froze, his fingers tightened, and his knuckles turned white: "Ha, you people are really stubborn."

"You don't want to talk about it, huh!" The officer's voice suddenly softened. "Aren't you supposed to be a compassionate and philanthropist?"

"You are innocent, but these people are genuinely obstructing the work of imperial officials and even assaulting them."

The officer's smile was sinister. An innocent person, under the watchful eyes of everyone, could not be subjected to severe torture, but that did not mean that his spirit could not be attacked.

"If you don't want to confess, then we'll have to try you one last time." The officer raised his hand and pointed at the crowd. "Those people all deserve to die."

"One incense stick's time to kill one person," the imperial guard officer laughed, "until you confess."