29: Malicious framing, but capable people help.

The next morning, the cold mist had not yet dispersed.

Outside the west gate of Linhai City, the Li family’s porridge stall had already been set up.

The displaced people had voluntarily formed a long line, and although their eyes still held fear, they had a bit more vitality and hope than yesterday, conversing in low voices, waiting for another life-saving meal.

Uncle Zhong stood solemnly beside the stall, his gaze sweeping over the orderly queue, nodding slightly.

However, unforeseen changes often arise.

As the sun gradually rose, the porridge distribution was in full swing.

Suddenly, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps came from the direction of the official road, mixed with the clanging sound of armor plates colliding!

Everyone looked over in surprise, only to see a team of more than ten people, dressed in the uniforms of the Linhai City guards, led by a junior officer, approaching aggressively!

In the middle of the team, several ragged, dirt-faced, and panic-stricken “displaced people” were being pushed along.

The junior officer’s face was stern, his hand on his saber as he approached, his gaze like lightning sweeping over the porridge stall, then he suddenly raised his hand and shouted sharply:

“Stop! Everyone stop!”

His voice, like a broken gong, instantly silenced the commotion on the scene.

The Li family servants who were distributing porridge froze, looking up in bewilderment.

The line of displaced people stirred, and uneasy emotions began to spread.

Uncle Zhong’s heart tightened, but his expression remained calm as he stepped forward, cupping his hands and saying:

“Officer, what is the matter? We are here by order of the Li family’s Eldest Young Master, distributing porridge to aid the disaster victims; this is a good deed, why…”

“Good deed?”

The junior officer sneered, interrupting Uncle Zhong, and pointed at the trembling “displaced people” behind him, shouting loudly:

“Old man, you might be exaggerating! Just now, these few people went to the City Lord’s Residence to file a complaint, saying that after they ate porridge at your Li family’s stall yesterday, they suffered severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea! One of them even died suddenly last night! It is suspected that there was poison in the porridge!”

He paused, his gaze fixed on Uncle Zhong, and said sharply:

“The City Lord was extremely enraged upon hearing the report! He specifically ordered us to come here, immediately seal off the porridge stall, take all the porridge as evidence, and all involved parties, follow me back to the yamen for interrogation! Do not obstruct official duties!”

“Poison in the porridge?”

“Dead… someone died?!”

“No… it can’t be? We drank it yesterday too, why didn’t we…”

As soon as these words came out, it was like a thunderclap, instantly causing an uproar among the displaced people!

Many instinctively dropped their bowls, retreating in fear, as if the steaming heat contained a death-reaper.

The earlier hope and gratitude instantly vanished, leaving only suspicion and fear.

A few “displaced people,” whether bold or with ulterior motives, looked excited and clamored to rush forward to argue, but were held back by the Li family guards.

The scene was on the verge of getting out of control!

Uncle Zhong felt a chill shoot up from the soles of his feet, instantly realizing what a malicious frame-up this was!

He absolutely could not let the situation escalate, otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable!

He suppressed the indignation in his heart, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly:

“Fellow villagers! Quiet down! Please listen to this old man!”

His years of accumulated authority as a steward, exerted with full force at this moment, actually managed to temporarily quell the chaos on the scene.

Countless gazes of surprise, fear, and suspicion turned towards him.

Uncle Zhong first respectfully cupped his hands to the junior officer:

“Officer! This matter is truly strange! My Li family’s conduct is upright and honorable, who in Linhai City doesn’t know that? Distributing porridge is to accumulate good deeds, how could we do such a despicable thing? There must be a misunderstanding, or perhaps… a malicious frame-up!”

He scanned the few “displaced people” who dared not look up, and continued:

“This old man is willing to guarantee with the Li family’s reputation that the porridge rice, pickles, and water have all been strictly inspected, and there is absolutely no problem! May I be allowed to confront these ‘victims’ face-to-face? If it is truly the Li family’s fault, we will not shirk responsibility! If someone is intentionally making a false accusation, they won’t get away with it!”

The junior officer’s eyes flickered, evidently prepared, and he did not panic, merely snorting coldly:

“Confrontation? Of course, there will be a confrontation! But not here! The City Lord has ordered that all involved parties must be brought back to the yamen for a public trial, to set the record straight! If you have nothing to hide, then obediently come with me! Men! Seal the stall! Arrest them!”

His soldiers responded and stepped forward, about to drive away the servants and seal the porridge pots.

The Li family guards naturally refused, and the two sides immediately began to push and shove, with swords drawn and bows bent, the atmosphere becoming extremely tense!

The displaced people watched in even greater horror, retreating one after another, fearing being caught in the crossfire.

Uncle Zhong was trembling with anger, but he was hesitant to act, knowing that if a fight truly broke out, no matter the outcome, the Li family would be branded with the notorious reputation of “abusing power to bully others” and “resisting official authority”!

Just at this critical moment—

“Everyone, please wait! This matter is indeed strange, may I be allowed to say a few words?”

A clear, gentle voice, yet carrying a strange calming power, rang out from among the crowd of displaced people.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, only to see the crowd part as a middle-aged man slowly walked out.

This man was about thirty years old; although he wore a faded blue robe full of patches, and his face was gaunt with the fatigue of a long journey, his hair was meticulously combed, his figure was tall and straight like a pine, and his eyes were clear and bright, revealing the unique elegance and calmness of a scholar.

As soon as he appeared, the originally panicked displaced people around him seemed to find their backbone, calling out in low voices:

“Mr. Song!”

“Mr. Song, you’ve come!”

The man referred to as “Mr. Song” nodded slightly to everyone and walked calmly into the center of the scene, first bowing respectfully to the junior officer, neither humble nor arrogant:

“Officer.”

Then he turned to Uncle Zhong, also bowing politely:

“Old man.”

Finally, his gaze fell on the trembling “victims,” scrutinizing them carefully, his brows slightly furrowed, as if deep in thought.

The junior officer frowned, annoyed to see an unexpected person intervene, and said impatiently:

“Who are you? The authorities are handling a case, do not interfere here!”

Mr. Song smiled calmly:

“I am Song Wenqing, a native of Yong’an County, Yuzhou, a failed scholar, and also one of the managers chosen by my fellow villagers who fled the disaster. What the officer just said concerns the lives of hundreds of fellow villagers, since I am present, how can I remain silent?”

He no longer looked at the junior officer, but directly at the few “victims”:

“Just now, I heard you say that you are also unfortunate people who fled the disaster and ended up here, and that after eating porridge here yesterday, you felt unwell, and even had relatives who unfortunately died… I am deeply saddened.”

He changed the subject and asked:

“However, since we are all unfortunate people suffering from the same plight, meeting each other is fate. May I ask where you are from? How far is your hometown from here? This journey south has been perilous, did you travel together, or did you meet on the way? Are there any other family members still alive? Perhaps there are fellow villagers here who can look out for each other?”

He asked a series of questions, all of which were common inquiries among displaced people supporting each other, reasonable and logical.

The few “victims” panicked at this unexpected turn of events, their faces showing alarm, their eyes darting around, stammering.

One of them forced himself to say:

“We… we are from Chenzhou… Xiangcheng…”

Another quickly interjected:

“Yes! Xiangcheng! It’s… very far from here…”

Song Wenqing’s eyes flashed with understanding upon hearing this, but he feigned surprise:

“Oh? Xiangcheng? What a coincidence, my mother’s family is from Xiangcheng.”

He suddenly changed his tone, uttering a string of authentic and rapid Xiangcheng dialect, and asked:

“Since we are fellow villagers, do you know if the lamb soup restaurant under the ‘Old Locust Tree’ on the west side of the city is still open?”

The few people immediately looked bewildered, exchanging glances, completely unable to understand what he was saying, let alone how to answer, their faces turning beet red.

Song Wenqing shook his head and sighed:

“What I just said was the local dialect of Xiangcheng, and there is no ‘Old Locust Tree’ lamb soup restaurant in Xiangcheng. Furthermore, the Chenzhou accent differs greatly from what you speak.”

He turned his gaze to the other displaced people and said loudly:

“Fellow villagers, we all come from Yong’an County, Yuzhou, and its surrounding villages and towns. We have supported each other all the way here. Even if there are strangers, most are unfortunate people with similar accents and experiences. May I ask if anyone recognizes these ‘fellow villagers’?”

The displaced people shook their heads one after another, their eyes already filled with suspicion and anger.

“I don’t know them!”

“Never seen them at all!”

“Why is your accent so strange?”

Song Wenqing looked again at the few “victims” whose faces were ashen, his tone turning cold:

“Who exactly are you? Who instructed you? How dare you use the suffering of us disaster victims to carry out such a despicable act of framing a good deed! You almost caused hundreds of us to lose our food supply again and become homeless! How can your consciences be at peace?!”

The truth was revealed!

These people were simply impersonating displaced people to make false accusations!

“Oh, so it was a trick!”

“Damn you! Do you want to starve us to death?!”

“Beat them to death!”

The emotions of the displaced people were instantly ignited; the accumulated panic and hunger turned into raging fury, surging forth!

Someone threw a clod of earth first, and immediately afterward, pebbles rained down on the imposters and the city guards!

The scene instantly spiraled out of control!

The crowd was enraged, and people surged forward like a tide, wanting to tear those few people apart!

The city guards, already few in number, turned pale with fright at the sight and repeatedly retreated.

The junior officer also hadn’t expected things to take such a sharp turn. The task he had temporarily taken on was just to find a few people to impersonate, and he hadn’t expected anyone to actually dare to question them.

Seeing that a popular uprising was about to break out, he no longer cared about arresting people or sealing the stall, and hastily shouted loudly:

“Stop! Everyone stop! This matter… the City Lord’s Residence will definitely investigate it thoroughly! We will give everyone justice! The culprits… we will take the culprits back for strict interrogation! We will definitely not show leniency! Go! Quick, go!”

With that, he directed his soldiers to push and shove, protecting the few Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering imposters, and scrambled out of the crowd in a sorry state, fleeing in panic towards the city gate, not daring to look back.

A crude but malicious conspiracy was easily exposed by a failed scholar with just a few questions, ultimately ending in a farcical manner.