Chapter 102: Chapter 102: All Here to Back Her Up
Shen Ningning wanted to go, and Wu Zuchang naturally agreed to leave as well, though he was only doing it to follow her.
A moment later, Lu Shaoyuan returned from outside.
He looked everywhere for Shen Ningning. "Where is she?"
Ren Yu quickly said, "Ningning was worried that Zuchang wouldn’t be able to explain himself, so she went with him!"
Lu Shaoyuan froze.
’That Shen Ningning...’ He had forgotten to tell her not to follow them!
Lu Shaoyuan quickly turned and hurried to the government office in Yu’an County.
At that moment, Shen Ningning and Wu Zuchang were brought before the court.
Landlord Du’s trusted attendant was standing beside the Chief Judge in the government office.
"Committing assault in a private school, do you really think there are no laws in the Capital City?" the official bellowed.
He intended to declare them guilty without even holding a trial.
His intention was to frighten the two of them.
But Shen Ningning wasn’t afraid. She just blinked her big eyes at him, refusing to kneel.
Wu Zuchang hid behind her, clutching her sleeve and not letting go.
Landlord Du’s man said with a sneer, "How audacious! You dare not kneel in the presence of an official?"
Just then, a sharp rebuke came from the doorway. "Who dares make her kneel?"
Chen Shaobei entered with a military general. He was still clad in the silver armor he’d worn for military drills, having clearly been passing by when he happened to spot Shen Ningning.
Seeing the insignia on their armor, the Chief Judge in the government office could no longer remain seated. A group of Government Officials scrambled to greet them in fright.
"You two officers, do you know this young girl?"
"Are you blind?" the bearded general roared. "What do you mean, ’officers’? This is the Young General of the Zhen Nan Mansion! Are you not going to kneel?!"
Who didn’t know of General Zhen Nan? His family had a long history of distinguished military service, following the founding Emperor onto the battlefield since the time of their ancestors!
As for Chen Shaobei himself, he had known the Crown Prince since childhood and was greatly valued by him.
The Chief Judge hastily knelt and kowtowed. "This humble official was blind to your greatness! Please forgive me, Young General!"
Chen Shaobei looked at Shen Ningning. "How did they bully you?"
Had it been an ordinary person, he might not have bothered. But since he was riding past today and saw Shen Ningning, he felt compelled to stop and see the matter through.
Otherwise, it would be hard to explain things to that fellow Mo Lingwei when he got back.
Shen Ningning said sweetly, "Brother Bei, Qin Fangmei was going to hurt me, so Brother Zuchang hit her."
"Now, these people from the government are twisting the truth. The moment we arrived, they demanded that we confess to the crime."
Wu Zuchang lowered his head and said timidly, "We didn’t kill anyone... We didn’t..."
Chen Shaobei glanced at him.
He had heard that Mo Lingwei was recently investigating people from Xitai Village and had also caught wind of the Wu family claiming Shen Ningning. Therefore, Chen Shaobei wasn’t surprised to see Wu Zuchang and was aware of his condition.
"Chief Judge, is it truly as they say?"
Chen Shaobei’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his demeanor cold. "If that is so, and you rush to a conclusion without a thorough investigation, how many wrongful convictions must have occurred here?"
The Chief Judge broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly explained, "Absolutely not! It’s all a misunderstanding. We only asked them to come here to..."
Before he could finish his sentence, several more people entered the government office.
Shen Ningning looked over and saw that Lu Shaoyuan had arrived with a man who appeared to be in his twenties.
The man wore plain clothes and had a high brow and nose bridge. His expression was stern, and he bore a slight resemblance to Lu Shaoyuan.
When he saw Chen Shaobei, both were taken aback.
The bearded general was the first to salute, clasping his hands. "This general pays his respects to the head of the Imperial Guards."
The head of the Imperial Guards?!
The people in the government office nearly wet themselves in fear, their legs turning to jelly.
Why had their small, rundown government office first received the Southern General, and now the head of the Imperial Guards as well?
Lu Shaoyuan nodded his chin toward Shen Ningning, then pointed at the Chief Judge. "Brother, they’re the ones who have been arresting people without cause."
’Lu Shaoyuan’s brother?’ the little girl wondered, her round face filled with confusion.
Commander Lu sized up Shen Ningning with an unreadable expression.
He then turned to Chen Shaobei and offered a fist-and-palm salute. Though their positions were different, they were of nearly equal rank.
Chen Shaobei’s status came from military achievements, while his own came from his official post.
"Are you also here for the same matter, Young General?" Commander Lu asked.
Chen Shaobei nodded, his tone calm. "I am. The Crown Prince has a special concern for Miss Shen. Though I was only passing by, I couldn’t ignore the situation once I saw her."
"What’s the status of the interrogation?"
"We’re only partway through. This Chief Judge has yet to explain why he brought Miss Shen and her companion to the government office."
After their brief exchange, both men turned their cold gazes simultaneously toward the Chief Judge.
The judge was already frightened stiff. He knelt on the floor, staring up at these two formidable figures.
’Heavens above, I’ve offended two powerful nobles in a single day.’
Suddenly, he threw himself at Shen Ningning’s feet, kowtowing with loud THUDS.
"Miss Shen, please, don’t misunderstand! This humble official heard that you can summon wolves to your side and was merely curious, which is why I invited you here..."
Shen Ningning’s bright eyes went wide.
’This bad uncle’s lies are just too ridiculous!’
She complained in her sweet voice, "You didn’t invite me. You were going to arrest Brother Zuchang. Weren’t you framing him for assault and murder at the school?"
"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!" The Chief Judge’s head shook back and forth like a rattle drum. "Someone filed a false report and deceived this humble official! This whole affair is just a misunderstanding!"
Lu Shaoyuan stepped forward and snapped, "The Attendant Students at the school have already stated that they never asked Qin Fangmei to help them move books. That proves she was deliberately making up an excuse to wait for Shen Ningning on her way back and try to harm her!"
"It’s obvious at a glance who is right and who is wrong in this case. Did you think you could bully Wu Zuchang just because he has no power or influence, summoning him for questioning as you please? This is outrageous!"
The Chief Judge’s face turned pale from the scolding, and he was left speechless.
’That Landlord Du is going to be the death of me,’ he thought.
’If I had known, I never would have been so greedy for that fifty-tael bribe.’
Chen Shaobei frowned. "You specifically dragged them here, only for it to be a ’misunderstanding’?"
The Chief Judge trembled. "Actually, someone incited this."
He could tell that the Young General was not satisfied with this resolution.
The Chief Judge immediately turned and glared at Landlord Du’s attendant, who was cowering in fear behind a pillar.
"It was he who filed the false report and nearly caused an innocent man to be framed! Guards, drag this man away and give him twenty strokes with the heavy plank as a warning to others!"
Commander Lu spoke in a casual tone, "But Wu Zuchang did hit someone. Why don’t we increase the punishment to thirty strokes of the plank and order Wu Zuchang to watch the sentence being carried out."
He looked at Shen Ningning. "Tell your brother not to do that again."
The little girl looked at Wu Zuchang. "Brother Zuchang, let’s not hit people anymore, okay?"
Wu Zuchang didn’t understand, but he nodded and gave her a goofy grin, a bit of drool escaping his lips.
Chen Shaobei averted his gaze slightly. ’It’s a good thing the Crown Prince isn’t here,’ he thought. ’Wouldn’t he go ballistic if he saw this?’
Landlord Du’s attendant thought he had misheard.
’This head of the Imperial Guards said Wu Zuchang was at fault, but in the end, he’s the one who gets an extra ten strokes?!’
’And Wu Zuchang just has to watch? He’s a simpleton! What would he even learn from watching?!’
The attendant shouted, "I—"
Before he could protest, the other Government Officials stuffed a rag in his mouth and dragged him aside for a sound beating.
With the matter resolved, Shen Ningning left the government office with Wu Zuchang. Chen Shaobei, Lu Shaoyuan, and the others followed behind them.
The Chief Judge scurried over, eager to see them off, but they waved him away.
Once outside the government office, Shen Ningning’s eyes widened in surprise at the scene before her.
The area outside was surrounded by two large contingents of men and horses...
Chen Shaobei was leading troops back to the city, while Commander Lu had brought a group of plainclothes imperial guards.
The two groups combined numbered around fifty men, completely blocking the road on both sides.
Wu Zuchang clapped his hands excitedly, giggling. "So many people!"
The Chief Judge and the other Government Officials peeked out from the doorway.
The sight nearly scared him into kneeling before Shen Ningning all over again.
’All these people... they really came to back up this one little girl?’
