"My young lord, rest assured! We will all go with you!"
"That's right, that's right! Let's go, let's go!"
After his identity was revealed, Han Mo immediately became the center of attention.
This was his first time witnessing the enthusiasm of the Song people for talented scholars.
Almost instantly, the surrounding crowd of commoners surged forward.
Han Mo himself was startled by the display. They were far too enthusiastic!
Watching Han Mo surrounded by the crowd, even Zhang Ruhui let out a wry smile.
However, since he wasn't the one who would have to deal with the headache, he decided to feign ignorance for the time being.
Nie Shan, the Deputy Prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, was now having a terrible headache. Looking at Han Mo, who stood fearlessly on the platform, his head throbbed even more.
When he first heard that the renowned number one scholar had arrived, he had rushed over personally to receive him.
But who knew that this damned fellow would directly cripple three Jin men, and one of them was the brother-in-law of the envoy's escort captain!
This was truly troublesome. The negotiations between the Jin people and the imperial court had only just begun to show some progress.
Now, with such an incident occurring, if it wasn't handled properly, he would surely be held accountable.
After reading Han Mo's petition and then observing the onlookers among the commoners of Bianliang, Nie Shan felt like ten thousand mythical creatures were stampeding through his mind.
Judging by the scene and the injuries of the Jin men, most of what was written in the petition was likely true.
If the case were to be judged according to the laws of the Great Song Dynasty, these Jin men would at least be sentenced to exile three thousand li. But the crucial problem was that these individuals were, after all, escorts of the Jin delegation.
To deal with them now would be to openly complicate the imperial court's negotiations.
Setting aside what the Emperor might think, the Grand Councilors in the two ministries would likely target him.
Yet, with so many people present, he couldn't possibly act with favoritism!
The facts of this matter were clear, with evidence both documentary and physical. So many people had witnessed it, and the wronged party was Bianliang's number one scholar.
Furthermore, he was a descendant of the Han family of Xiang Prefecture. It was rumored that among the women who were molested, one was a collateral relative of the Han family.
This was truly a hot potato!
"Your Honor, these three villains dared to molest virtuous women in broad daylight, and what's more, they committed their crime within the Shrine of the Divine Firmament, the very temple of the Great Emperor of Longevity. Such disregard for law and blasphemy against the sovereign, I implore Your Honor to uphold justice for me!"
After Han Mo finished speaking, Nie Shan felt like he wanted to smash his head against a wall.
If one were to elevate the gravity of the situation, this young man's skill was almost beyond his reach.
Originally, it was just a simple case of molesting a civilian woman, but with his current presentation, the severity of the issue had genuinely skyrocketed!
Who was the Great Emperor of Longevity?
Everyone in the world knew that the reason Lin Ling Su held his current position was entirely due to this old fellow arranging an identity for the current Emperor.
That identity was the Great Emperor of Longevity!
According to his words, this matter had transformed from a simple molestation of a civilian woman into debauchery within the palace and blasphemy against imperial majesty!
Molesting a civilian woman was punishable by exile three thousand li, but debauchery in the palace was punishable by immediate execution!
"Um, this official is suddenly suffering from unbearable abdominal pain. Imprison these villains and adjourn the court!"
Nie Shan could do nothing else. For now, he could only stall.
After speaking, without another word, he clutched his stomach and turned to rush towards the rear hall.
In that instant, he truly fled faster than a rabbit. Before Han Mo could even comprehend what was happening, he had vanished like smoke.
Han Mo was now completely bewildered. Even this worked?
That old fellow was too shameless!
"My lord, what has happened to you?"
Seeing Nie Shan suddenly rush back in a hurry, Madame Nie quickly asked.
"Don't mention it! I shouldn't have gone out today without checking the almanac!"
Nie Shan was dejected. What was all this about?
If he had known it would be such a mess, he would have stayed far away from the beginning. Whoever wanted to bother with it could bother with it.
But now that he had taken it on, and the petition had been accepted, it was too late to push it away.
"What exactly is wrong? Why are you so flustered? You've never been like this before?"
Seeing his flustered demeanor, Madame Nie found it truly strange.
After all, he had held the position of Deputy Prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture for three years.
He had always handled all sorts of matters with ease and never showed such a state of distress, regardless of the situation.
Even when the several adopted sons of Grand Commandant Liang had acted arrogantly outside, injuring people with their horses in the bustling market, Nie Shan had handled it to everyone's satisfaction.
Could this matter be more troublesome than that incident?
"You have no idea! This lawsuit cannot be judged, and it cannot be judged clearly!"
Nie Shan let out a wry smile and then quickly recounted the events in the hall.
After he finished speaking, even Madame Nie was stunned.
How could this be possible? Bianliang's number one scholar had actually fought with people in public and defeated three Jin men, and he himself was unharmed! Who were the Jin men here?
"My lord, are you sure you saw correctly? How could Bianliang's number one scholar engage in a public fight? And be able to defeat three Jin men, remaining completely unscathed! Who is the Jin person here?"
After Madame Nie spoke, Nie Shan finally realized. That's right, this matter was indeed a bit peculiar.
Although it had been heard that Bianliang's number one scholar was indeed a dissolute young man before,
All the officials in the court said that the Jin people were capable fighters and incredibly fierce.
A mere tens of thousands of them had routed the Liao army, causing the court to consider forging an alliance with the Jin to attack the Liao and retake the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.
How could three escorts of the delegation be beaten into such a state by a seemingly weak scholar? Could there be some hidden circumstances behind this?
"My lord, how should these three Jin men be dealt with? They are all severely injured. If they are thrown into the prison, they will likely die by morning, if not tonight!"
Before Nie Shan could figure out what was going on, several subordinates approached with wry smiles.
"Then find them any doctor! Do you have to ask me about such matters?"
Nie Shan said impatiently.
"My lord, the outside is completely blocked. This matter has already spread throughout the city. What doctor dares to come?"
"I... How could it have gotten so big in such a short time?"
"You should go and see for yourself. All ten of Bianliang's most famous courtesans have arrived. The area outside the Kaifeng Prefecture is now completely surrounded, layer upon layer!"