Elaborate on the world of mortals

Chapter 812 Where is Justice
The wind pressure was very low, and Zheng Yiming felt as if the woman next to him was flying close to the ground, passing through the streets of Pingzhou, jumping over the walls and roofs, his body's center of gravity going up and down, and he actually felt like he was dreaming.

Finally, after passing through an alley, Feng brought the two to the outskirts of Pingzhou City, and then quickly entered the Zhuoyang River. Looking at both sides of the river, they could see sporadic boats with lights on.

By the time Zheng Yiming wanted to take a few more looks, they had already crossed the river and gone far away.

Until this moment, Yu Xinmei took Zheng Yiming higher and higher. Until this moment, Zheng Yiming truly experienced the feeling of flying, that feeling of soaring straight up into the sky, riding the wind, and overlooking the mountains and rivers!

For mortals, after the initial thrilling feeling subsides, the feeling of flying in the sky is so refreshing.

In the evening, the dark clouds gradually cleared, and the bright moon and stars became more and more obvious above our heads.

Zheng Yiming stood in the wind, looking at the land beneath his feet and gazing into the distance. Indeed, the country was devastated but the beautiful mountains and rivers were still there. If the world could be rebuilt, he would still be able to reap what he sowed.

Looking back at the distant Pingzhou City, it seems to be moving away very slowly, but in fact, I can feel the distance increasing every moment.

Yu Xinmei was secretly observing Zheng Yiming from the side. It seemed that this benefactor's reaction to going to heaven was different from that of ordinary people. Although she had never taken other mortals to heaven, she had this feeling. No matter how she thought about it, she should be screaming with excitement.

Maybe it's the ups and downs as well as life and death?

"Mr. Zheng, what are you thinking about?"

Zheng Yiming withdrew his gaze and looked beside him.

"I think the land is still the same land, the mountains and rivers are still the same mountains and rivers, and they can still create a new world and give birth to glory."

"You are really different from other mortals!"

After Yu Xinmei said this, Zheng Yiming smiled and couldn't help but ask a question.

"What should other mortals be like?"

Yu Xinmei thought about it and smiled.

"I haven't taken many people to heaven, but most of the other mortals are thinking about the good of the gods and want to become immortals, right?"

Zheng Yiming was stunned for a moment, then he laughed.
-
Yu Xinmei and Zheng Yiming left, but the search of Suping Inn was still going on. The officers and soldiers had surrounded the inn, and some people had even entered the inn.

Many of the guests staying here were awake. The innkeeper and two waiters, one big and one small, also came out. Everyone watched the soldiers searching with trepidation.

The officers and soldiers only said that they were tracking down a wanted criminal and did not say anything else.

It is true that no one was found in the inn, but the inn and the guests staying there did suffer, and it was not just a matter of not being able to sleep well and being frightened.

These soldiers were all brought into Pingzhou City by imperial envoys from outside the court. They were not locals at all. They acted without scruples and were ferocious and ruthless. They searched every room in the inn, and some customers' personal belongings were also searched and even taken away.
Before leaving the inn, he asked the innkeeper for five taels of silver as "hard work compensation for the people".

After the soldiers left, the people in the inn dared to curse in private, and many people went to the innkeeper to ask for an explanation.
In Waidongdao Village, Xiahe County, outside the same small courtyard as last time, Yu Xinmei and Zheng Yiming landed. As soon as they landed, dogs nearby started barking wildly.

“Woof woof woof.” “Woof woof woof woof.”

However, Yu Xinmei just glared in the direction of the barking dogs, and the dogs that came over immediately tucked their tails between their legs and ran away whining.

The two men opened the door and walked into the yard, and the cow at the fence on the other side immediately started to low.

"Moo~~~Moo~~~"

Zheng's mother was a light sleeper. She had almost woken up when she heard the dogs barking loudly outside the yard, but she couldn't help opening her eyes when she heard the cows mooing.

Because of the money Yu Xinmei left last time, Zheng's mother has been worried recently. There is suddenly so much money in the house. Although she has not told anyone, she is still afraid that it will be robbed. This is the money for her son to marry a wife!

"Moo~~"

The cows were still mooing, and Zheng's mother even sat up from the bed and deliberately shouted loudly outside.

"I've already fed you - stop making noise -"

After shouting, Zheng's mother listened quietly in the room, but seemed to hear footsteps. She got up from the bed nervously, went to the table in the outer room, and lit the oil lamp by quickly striking it with a flint a few times.

"Who, who?"

Zheng Yiming and Yu Xinmei had already reached the door, and the former couldn't help but shout.

"Mom, I'm back!"

Zheng's mother's nervous heart was relieved, and she was overjoyed. She hurried to the door and opened it for her son.

"Son, you're back, you."

Zheng's mother's joyful expression froze along with his words. It was indeed her son outside the door, but there was a woman in white standing behind him. Even from a woman's perspective, Zheng's mother had never seen such a beautiful and outstanding daughter.

Yu Xinmei was a little embarrassed by what she saw and smiled at Zheng's mother.

"aunt."

How should I tell an old woman that I am a monster? Will it scare her to death? Yu Xinmei was a little distressed.

"Son, this girl, she is..."

It was late at night and her son brought a girl home. Mother Zheng was a little confused.

"Oh, mom, this is Miss Yu, she..."

Zheng Yiming had thought of a lot of words in his mind, but he paused when he came to his lips. After hesitating for a while and taking a deep breath, he spoke again, but his words had changed.

"Mother, we are in danger of death. My son was framed in Pingzhou. The original imperial examination papers were replaced. He was also wrongfully imprisoned and accused of bribing the examiner to be sentenced to death. Fortunately, Miss Yu saved him and saved him from death. Please pack some clothes and valuables quickly. We have to escape from here!"

Mother Zheng stared at her son in a daze, and for a moment she was at a loss as to what to do.

"Oh, mother, look, this is the punishment I received in prison!"

Zheng Yiming showed his hands. Although he had received treatment, the places where his eight fingers were clamped by the clamps were even more horrible because of the bruises and swelling.

"Miss Yu is a fairy from heaven. If she hadn't come to save me, I wouldn't be able to see my child!"

Yu Xinmei on the side was stunned for a moment, but still refrained from speaking.

"Ah? Why, how could this happen?"

Zheng's mother finally reacted and asked her son repeatedly in a crying voice. Zheng Yiming pulled his mother directly into the house.

"Mom, let's pack up quickly. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave!" No matter how hard it is to accept, one must face the reality. Zheng's mother kept asking and Zheng Yiming kept explaining, but the mother and son did not stop packing.

Even after Zheng's mother heard about her son's experience several times, she would stop from time to time and bow to Yu Xinmei, which made her very embarrassed.
-
The next morning, the sky was overcast again. Notices had been posted everywhere in the city, and each notice not only explained the situation but also had a portrait of Zheng Yiming.

The notice directly pointed out the issue of cheating in the imperial examination. Of course, right and wrong were reversed. Zheng Yiming was the criminal who challenged the fairness of the court, escaped after his bribery failed.

A group of people gathered at some notice walls on the streets of the downtown area, and officials kept reading the contents of the notices, reminding the people to report to the authorities immediately if they encountered anyone.

The crowd was talking, and Ke Xiaofa, who was passing by, quickened his pace in excitement.

It turned out that Master Zheng escaped from prison last night. No wonder the soldiers came to search the inn.

Ke Xiaofa hurried to a street outside the Imperial Examination Hall. He looked from a distance and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the bookstall was still there. He then hurried over.

At this moment, Yi Shuyuan was still sitting behind the stall reading a book and drinking tea. Ke Xiaofa came closer and looked around before speaking.

"Sir, I'm here to return the book on behalf of Master Zheng!"

Yi Shuyuan put down the book and looked outside the stall, and also looked around specifically.

"Just you? Where's Master Zheng?"

Ke Xiaofa looked a little nervous and waved his hands quickly.

"Sir, didn't you see those notices? You'd better not mention Mr. Zheng in the future. This is the book he borrowed. He specifically asked me to return it to you before he was arrested yesterday."

Ke Xiaofa put the book on the stall. Yi Shuyuan reached out and flipped through it casually. He nodded and looked at the child, while also taking out some change.

"This is the proceeds from the sale of Mr. Zheng's handwritten books. You can take it."

Xiaofa hesitated for a moment but still took the silver in his hand. It seemed that there were several taels of silver.

"Sir, did you really not see those notices?"

Yi Shuyuan smiled.

"So what if he saw it? Given Mr. Zheng's situation, how could he afford to bribe the examiner?"

"Then you also believe that Mr. Zheng is innocent?"

Yi Shuyuan nodded, and Ke Xiaofa became even more excited.

"Then if we testify for Mr. Zheng, can we help him get justice?"

Yi Shuyuan did not answer immediately, but just sighed slightly.

"The imperial envoys from the court did not come here to investigate the fraud, but to maintain their own interests and the false fairness of the imperial examination. Master Zheng has blocked their and many others' paths to promotion and wealth. If you go to testify, you will lose your life in vain and may even harm Master Zheng."

Ke Xiaofa frowned and said nothing. He carefully put the silver away and bowed to Yi Shuyuan.

"Sir, I'm leaving now."

Seeing Yi Shuyuan nod, Ke Xiaofa was about to leave, but before moving, he couldn't help but ask a question.

"Mr. Zheng said that you are a man of great learning, and that whenever I have a question, I can always get it answered by you, or you can recommend a good book that will enlighten me. But a good man like Mr. Zheng who is so knowledgeable is always harmed by bad people. Where is justice?"

Yi Shuyuan thought for a while and said.

"As the saying goes, justice is in the heart of the people, but it's a pity that we can't get justice now. If you ask those corrupt officials for a rope that can take their lives, they probably won't give it to you!"

Although Ke Xiaofa is young, he actually understands some things. Now he thinks of his hometown during the previous flood. Not only did he fail to get help from the government, but instead the villagers were persecuted. His family’s land deeds were lost in the flood, and the land they depended on for survival became the property of the government and the gentry.

"But, but"

Tears welled up in Ke Xiaofa's eyes.

"But people like Mr. Zheng cannot be officials. Those who occupy the court are all like that. Is there any hope for this world? The seven people in my Ke family deserve to starve to death. Do the 130,000 households in Xiyong deserve to become refugees?"

The boy's voice grew louder and louder, afterimages of what he had seen flashing through his mind, and then he roared out loud, as if to vent the pain and anger that had been suppressed for so long.

Compared to the people in Pingzhou who seemed to be living a comfortable life, Ke Xiaofa had experienced a lot while begging in Pingzhou. The flood in his home was not the one in the upper reaches of Zhuoyang River this year, but the great disaster in West Yongzhou the year before last. However, not many people in Pingzhou knew about such disasters, and not many people cared about them.
"Boom, boom, boom."

There were bursts of thunder in the sky at this moment.

Yi Shuyuan looked at Ke Xiaofa without saying anything. A vague aura rose from the young man, and his fate was changing.

Because of the child's roar just now, some passers-by nearby also looked over here.

Ke Xiaofa couldn't control his emotions, tears welled up in his eyes, then he turned around and trotted away.

"and many more--"

A call made Ke Xiaofa stop in his tracks. He looked back and saw the gentleman at the bookstall taking a book from the basket under the stall.

"I heard you can read, so I'll give you this book. It might be able to help you."

After hesitating for a moment, Ke Xiaofa wiped his tears with his sleeve, ran back to the bookstall, took the book handed to him, bowed to the gentleman behind the stall, and then ran away.

Ke Xiaofa ran wildly on Pingzhou Street, running faster every time he passed a notice board. He ran back to Suping Inn in one breath, ignoring the owner's call and rushed directly into the woodshed.

"Ohh Ohh ohh."

The young boy lay in the corner of the woodshed and cried. He cried not only for Zheng Yiming, but also for his former family, his former hometown, and the darkness of the world that he had understood at such a young age.

Another waiter at the inn walked to the door of the woodshed, hesitated for a moment and decided not to disturb Ke Xiaofa. This was the first time he saw Ke Xiaofa, who was always cheerful, cry.

Ke Xiaofa finally calmed down after crying for a long time. He propped himself up and saw that the book on his chest was wet in one corner.

With sobs that were temporarily difficult to stop, Ke Xiaofa casually opened the book and a page of paper fell out of it. He thought he had damaged the book, so he quickly squatted down to pick it up. After a closer look, he found that the paper seemed to be different. There were some little people doing actions drawn on this page.

Looking at the inner pages of the book, the title of the book that is not written on the cover is revealed here.

"Wuwei Military Strategy. Duan Silie, the Great General of Wuwei and Thundering Powers of Dayong."

(End of this chapter)