A yamen runner walked up to the three of them, scanning them from head to toe. His old face was stretched long, like a shoehorn, as if someone owed him a lot of money. He was displeased.
Without asking a word, he waved to the people behind him and barked, "Tie them up and take them to the county yamen for questioning!"
Zhao Jiaqi saw the yamen runner heading towards her. Her husband by her side was about to intervene, but she grabbed his arm and turned to question the runner, "Why are you tying me up and not them?"
"You're just listening to his one-sided story. Why not hear what we have to say?"
Zhao Jiaqi repeatedly questioned the runner, only to see him remain unhurried, a slight smile on his lips, full of sarcasm.
This infuriated her!
Yamen Runner: "Since this restaurant opened, we've had many troublemakers like you, quite a few difficult ones. When we get to the county yamen, let's see if your mouths are still this tough!"
He didn't answer Zhao Jiaqi's question, instead throwing out this ambiguous remark.
But she understood the meaning behind his words. She sneered, "So you mean, as long as we go to the county yamen, regardless of whether what happened today is right or wrong, you will protect them and punish us!"
The yamen runner's laughter grew louder. He raised his eyebrows smugly, "The meaning is about the same. The process doesn't matter; the final resolution is always the same!"
The outcome?
It was still the same?
Zhao Jiaqi, even as a woman, wanted to curse. Let alone her husband, whose anger was about to blow the roof off.
"Then I must go with you and see how your magistrate will judge me?"
This statement seemed to hit a nerve with the yamen runners, who put one hand on their hips and the other on their sword scabbards, tilting their heads back and laughing heartily.
"Do you think you can see the magistrate whenever you want? Do we need a grand strategy to judge a few of you? You don't even need to see the town mayor. Seeing me is already giving you face. If this were another restaurant in town, you wouldn't even get to see me!"
His words, instead of calming the situation, only fanned the flames of anger in everyone present, though most dared not speak out.
Zhao Jiaqi's eyes twitched with rage. If she could tolerate this, she could probably be a turtle.
Immediately, she shouted loudly, "Te Shou, beat him for me! Beat him to death! If one dies, so be it! I don't believe I won't get to see the magistrate today!"
Hearing his wife's words, Te Shou, who had been holding back his anger, finally unleashed it. He immediately charged at the most arrogant yamen runner, raining down blows.
Although they were all warriors, these yamen runners were best at catching petty thieves or breaking up fights. Compared to people who trained daily and walked on the edge of death, they were vastly inferior.
With just one punch, he sent the yamen runner reeling, breaking his nose and knocking out a few teeth, blood gushing from his face.
Even so, Te Shou continued to beat him mercilessly, each blow heavier than the last. After three punches, the screams for help finally snapped everyone back to reality!
The other yamen runners swarmed forward, trying to pull Te Shou away and even capture him.
Meanwhile, Fan Zehao simply protected his wife, his eyes fixed on the shopkeeper. If the shopkeeper dared to make a move, he wouldn't hesitate to dismember him publicly.
One man taking on all the yamen runners! The entire restaurant erupted. What does it mean to seek retribution for grievances and vendettas? It was being displayed in its entirety!
The onlookers covered their faces with one hand and wielded stools with the other, raining blows down on the yamen runners with no mercy. Some didn't even cover their faces, gritting their teeth as they smashed.
Now, these few were beaten beyond recognition by the crowd, without Te Shou needing to lift a finger.
Te Shou wiped his hands and snorted, "This is the wrath of the people. Otherwise, who would beat them like this!"
Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao agreed. They even saw some people in the crowd gnashing their teeth, and one particularly vicious person even bit off the ear of a yamen runner. The bloody scene was indeed disgusting.
But the common folk didn't see it that way. They were venting their anger.
Compared to the fury of the ordinary people, the wealthy families of the town, who stood on the staircase watching the commotion, merely curled their lips. They showed no intention of intervening; instead, they observed.
Some were even gambling on who would win, with bets not less than a hundred taels.
Zhao Jiaqi had never seen such a lawless bunch in her life. She immediately shouted, "Te Shou, go beat these onlookers too! They're gambling in public! With such heinous behavior, I want to see if this magistrate will do anything!"
Te Shou was obedient. With a few leaps, he was on the stairs. The people on the stairs, hearing that they were to be beaten, became arrogant. But no matter how high their spirits were, or how loudly they cursed, it couldn't match someone who knew martial arts.
Dealing with a group of people with no combat prowess, he finished them off in no time, without breaking a sweat. It was so effortless that he truly disliked this kind of fighting.
So, as he apprehended them, he delivered a blow to each person's eye, either the left or the right.
There were fewer people with panda eyes on the same face. In the end, the restaurant was smashed to pieces. The shopkeeper was wracked with a splitting headache. Now, these people would be ruined, if not dead.
Touching his swollen face, the shopkeeper's heart was blooming with joy. Not only had they offended his restaurant, but they had also offended all the wealthy gentry in town. He didn't even need to lift a finger; those wealthy families would never forgive the three of them.
After the fighting was over, Te Shou tied them up with ropes, strung them together, and took them to the county yamen under his escort.
The shopkeeper thought they would run, but to his surprise, when they left the premises, he saw they were heading towards the county yamen. At that moment, he immediately called his nephew and quickly wrote a few words on a piece of paper, telling him to deliver it to the magistrate!
With his mouth so damaged, he couldn't speak clearly, so this method was much faster.
As they headed to the county yamen, the people's eyes widened in astonishment. They were curious. Usually, they saw yamen runners tying people up. Today, they were tied up like dumplings, which was truly a first.
So, more and more people from the crowd followed them, all curious about what was happening.
Some, who had bought good food to cook at home, stopped in their tracks and joined the procession to see what was going on. Others, who had finished their meals and were out for a stroll, saw the scene and followed, completely unconcerned about digestion.
Yan Zhu and Xin Dou also followed them.
At that moment, in the back residence of the county yamen.
Upon seeing the letter from the manager of the hot pot restaurant, the magistrate immediately rose, filled with outrage. He secretly pondered who these people could be, who would vandalize and smash a shop in broad daylight, and that they were a prince and princess.
Such people were either highly skilled and bold, reckless, or seeking fame. The magistrate considered many possibilities but never thought it was their master who had arrived.
After all, it was still the first lunar month, and how could such busy people as the prince and princess possibly come to his small town.