The Double-Chapter 338 - 123: Crying of Injustice

Twenty days later, Ye Mingyu and his retinue arrived at the gates of Yanjing City.

Ye Mingyu had always prided himself on his extensive travels, but his last visit to Yanjing City was many years ago. Suddenly arriving, the strange yet familiar feeling that hit him made even this robust man appear somewhat ill at ease.

The commoners from Tongxiang were even more unaccustomed to such a display, and they pointed and chattered just at the sight of the city gates of Yanjing. Pingan held Daiyun’s hand and stared blankly at the young guards—they had never seen guards dressed in such imposing armor in Tongxiang.

"So this is Yanjing City," Butcher Zhang said cheerfully, suddenly remembering something, "Lord Xue’s daughter was married off here."

Jiang Li glanced at the sleeping Xue Huaiyuan inside the carriage, her heart filling with sorrow.

When she got married, Xue Huaiyuan had repeatedly told her that he would take the opportunity to travel to the capital with Xue Zhao to see her. But Jiang Li knew that Xue Huaiyuan was busy with his affairs, and although Tongxiang was a small county with many matters both big and small, finding a suitable time for a visit was not that easy.

Indeed, before Xue Huaiyuan could arrive in Yanjing, she and Xue Zhao had already found themselves in trouble. When Xue Huaiyuan did actually reach Yanjing City, she was no longer Xue Fangfei, and Xue Huaiyuan had lost his senses, making their encounter as if they were strangers.

"Jiang Li, let’s go in now," Ye Mingyu said.

Jiang Li snapped back to reality, "Okay."

There were at least a hundred people in this group. The junior guards at the city gate, seeing such a large group suddenly approaching, mistook them for refugees fleeing for their lives. They surrounded Ye Mingyu at the gate and questioned him rigorously.

Jiang Li lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down with the help of Tonger, walking straight to the young guards. She handed over the Jiang family’s Passage Order and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, I am Miss Jiang the Second from the Jiang Family, and these people are commoners from Tongxiang who have come to Yanjing to seek justice." She then took out a copy of their petition, gave it to them, and continued, "Here is the copy of our petition. Every person here is listed by name. I’ll leave this copy with you, and once the lawsuit is settled, you can check the names again when we leave the city. Would that be alright?"

The junior guards were startled, Miss Jiang the Second?

Wasn’t that the same Miss Jiang the Second who had been the talk of Yanjing City some days back, having led a group of commoners from the countryside of Xiangyang to seek redress for a wronged official? Had they really arrived now?

Looking at the Passage Order, it was indeed from the Jiang family members. Curiosity aside, the gate guards returned the Passage Order to Jiang Li, took the paper filled with names, stepped aside, and ordered the grand gates opened, "Miss Jiang the Second, please proceed."

Since she was a young lady from the Jiang family, anything that happened would be covered by the Jiang family, so they were not worried. They respectfully stepped aside.

The gates were flung wide open, and the commoners, seeing this, looked at Jiang Li with even greater reverence. In a place like Yanjing City, they were mere country folk, and it would not be strange for them to be looked down upon by even the junior gate guards, let alone ordinary citizens. Yet, a few words from Jiang Li had commanded such respect from the gatekeepers, who had allowed them passage, indicating the power of the Jiang family in Yanjing City.

Ye Mingyu couldn’t help but marvel, "Well, I’ll say, your father’s Passage Order really does work wonders. I remember when we used to come to Yanjing City; we had to go through several checks. But for you folks, such a large group just gets waved through." He wasn’t sure if he was being indiscreet or mocking the way Yanjing City officials were so easily swayed.

Jiang Li smiled, "It’s human nature."

Thus, the whole group grandly entered through the city gate.

The junior gate guards whispered among themselves, "They’ve entered the city, now the storytellers at the taverns will have a new tale to tell. I wonder what kind of stir Miss Jiang the Second will cause in Yanjing City this time."

"But something’s not right," another scratched his chin, "Didn’t Miss Jiang the Second bring these people to overturn a verdict? Why is there also a prison cart behind them? Who is sitting inside the cart, are they exercising private justice?"

"Hey, don’t worry about it so much. Matters of the Official Family, can we really handle them? Even if Miss Jiang the Second stirs up trouble, her father is still the Chief Minister, and it won’t affect anything. We should just enjoy the spectacle," one said.

"You’ve got a point. Judging by her presence, it seems Yanjing City is indeed in for some unrest."

...

Once inside the city, the bustle became even livelier.