After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Chapter 177 Who Dares to Draw a Sword in the Bustling City?

Upon hearing this, the eldest son of the Li family immediately raised his head, his eyes flashing with a vicious light, and threatened the guards, "My brother-in-law's men have arrived, why don't you release me right now!"

Before the other party could speak, he sneered, "But even if you release me, it'll be too late. I'll make you regret it later!"

With the arrival of the soldiers, the eldest son of the Li family seemed to have found a foothold. He turned to look at Gu Lin and said in a gloomy tone, "You're too ungrateful for me. Once the soldiers arrive, I'll kill all of you unruly commoners, then take you back to my mansion to play with, torment you until you're dead, and then..."

Despite the foul language from the eldest son of the Li family, Gu Lin's emotions remained unchanged. As a young master, he had attracted countless eyes and heard countless rumors as he traveled from Xiashui Village to the capital.

When he was powerless and without influence, some people would directly insult him to his face, calling him a shameless young man who showed his face in public all day long. Later, as he earned more and more money, these insults disappeared. Gu Danlin knew that these people had not stopped insulting him, but had simply switched to cursing him in secret.

The child in his arms trembled with fear at the other party's fierce expression. Gu Lin raised his head and said calmly to the guards holding the eldest young master of the Li family, "Continue to beat him."

Before the young master of the Li family could intimidate the group of young men, the guard behind him kicked him. He was already unsteady on his knees, and the blow caused him to fall forward, his face hitting the ground and scraping his skin, causing him to spit out his teeth along with the blood.

"Make way! What's all this commotion? Get out of the way! What's wrong with you guys? You dare to hold people hostage when you see the soldiers? Have you lost your minds? Don't you respect us at all?"

The eldest son of the Li family raised his head from the ground. His face was swollen like a pig's head, covered with bruises and blood.

Seeing the approaching group of soldiers, and recognizing a familiar face, he quickly shouted, "Wang Qi, save me! These scoundrels are beating me up! Arrest them immediately!"

When the officers and soldiers approached, they knew the fight was serious when they first saw the dozen or so guards lying on the ground. But when they got closer and saw the man lying on the ground with his head raised and a pitiful look on his face, they were slightly relieved, thankfully no one had died.

However, upon hearing that familiar voice, the leading soldier's brow twitched. His gaze fell on the man on the ground, whose original appearance was no longer recognizable, and he tentatively asked, "Young Master Li?"

The eldest son of the Li family raised his hand and slammed it hard on the ground, but he accidentally hit his own wound.

He hissed in pain and said to Wang Qi, "You blind fool, didn't you see they're holding me hostage? Hurry up and save me!"

When Wang Qi and the group of soldiers behind him saw that the man being beaten was indeed the eldest son of the Li family, they all gasped in shock. Who was so bold as to dare to lay a hand on the magistrate's brother-in-law?

Although the brother-in-law's sister was just a concubine in the magistrate's backyard, she was very favored and could speak a few words to the magistrate. As a result, the eldest son of the Li family received the same treatment as the magistrate's son and acted tyrannically and oppressed the people in Jibei Prefecture.

Their yamen runners had dealt with the eldest son of the Li family many times. In the past, the young master would lead his guards to bully others and forcibly abduct innocent women. They never expected to run into such a tough opponent today.

Immediately afterward, seeing the pitiful state of the eldest son of the Li family, Wang Qi rolled his eyes. He had already moved up a spot. If he could save the eldest son of the Li family today and get him to say a few good words for him in front of the prefect's concubine, and if that concubine could also whisper sweet nothings in the prefect's ear, he wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Wang Qi's face showed righteous indignation as he said to Gu Lin's group of guards, "Do you know what you are doing? Openly defying the laws of the court, fighting in the city, and even beating Young Master Li, it's simply lawless! Release Young Master Li right now!"

It was no longer possible to have Guard Chen relay the message to the officers and soldiers. Gu Lin handed the child to the guard beside him and then got up and walked towards the officers and soldiers.

Although it was obvious to the naked eye that the soldiers were on the side of the eldest son of the Li family, Gu Lin still recounted the cause and course of events to avoid being smeared by the other side later.

"Sir."

He said to Wang Qi, “We had a reason for openly fighting in the city. Young Master Li rode his horse into the street with the intention of injuring people. Afterwards, instead of feeling remorse, he blamed the victims and those who tried to save them for startling the horse and causing them to fall off. Then he ordered his guards to attack us, personally ordering that our legs be crippled and that the horse trample the children to death.”

Gu Lin repeated the words carefully, and finally, he met Wang Qi's eyes and changed the subject: "May I ask, sir, according to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, what should be done with someone who rides a horse recklessly in the marketplace?"

Wang Qi never expected that a young man would dare to question them so boldly when he encountered these officials dressed in official robes.

Wang Qi's face twitched, and he said coldly, "Are you questioning us brothers?"

The yamen runners in the prefectural city were much more arrogant than those in the county town. They acted like county magistrates. When ordinary people in the city saw them, they all respectfully addressed them as "official." After Wang Qi put on this official's coat, even his own parents dared not say a harsh word to him.

Gu Lin did not back down an inch. He could not control the lawless eldest son of the Li family, but he and the child had almost lost their lives just now, and Gu Lin would not let it go easily and settle the matter peacefully.

Gu Lin asked Wang Qi, "We dare not question the official, but Young Master Li rode his horse recklessly through the market, almost killing a child and showing no remorse. This matter has a significant impact. Even if the official had not arrived, we would have sent Young Master Li to the government office to hear the official's judgment on his crime."

As soon as Gu Lin finished speaking, Wang Qi thought he had misheard.

He opened his mouth, staring at the young man in front of him in disbelief. Did he even know what he was saying? Knowing that the brother-in-law of the eldest son of the Li family was a magistrate, he still dared to be so reckless as to try to take the eldest son of the Li family to the government office.

Wang Qi, who was already carrying out a task ordered by the prefect, had no time to waste with them. He turned cold, glanced at the child not far away, and then looked back at Gu Lin, saying, "I think the child is perfectly fine. You're making a mountain out of a molehill. An apology would have been enough to let it go, but you're being unreasonable."

Without mentioning a word about the young master of the Li family riding his horse recklessly through the city and almost causing someone's death, Wang Qi said to Gu Lin, "We brothers don't have time to waste with you. Today, we will all return to the government office and prison to await our punishment!"

After saying that, Wang Qi said to the constables behind him, "Take them all to the government office!"

"Yes!"

Several yamen runners responded.

Seeing that the young man and his group were about to be taken to the government office by the yamen runners, the eldest son of the Li family shouted, "Take the rest of you away, but leave that young man with me. I want to teach him a lesson myself to avenge the humiliation I suffered today."

Upon hearing this, Wang Qi hesitated for a moment. If he handed the young man over to the other party in front of all the pedestrians on the street, wouldn't that confirm that he had handled the matter unfairly and was biased towards the eldest young master of the Li family? But soon, the eldest young master of the Li family's next words made Wang Qi make up his mind.

The eldest son of the Li family said to Wang Qi, "When I get back, I will tell my brother-in-law that you led people to save me from those scoundrels."

Wang Qi relaxed and said to the eldest son of the Li family, "That young man did not hurt anyone like the guards around him, so he is not guilty. His grudge with you can be settled privately. It is right for you to take him back and teach him a lesson."

In his pursuit of officialdom, Wang Qi completely disregarded how the people on the street viewed him. If he could seize this opportunity to curry favor with the prefect, he would reap endless benefits.

Moreover, a young man is dependent on others and cannot be considered an independent person under the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty. Women who commit crimes can be dealt with according to the usual procedures when they are brought back to the court, but if a young man is arrested and brought to the government office, the government office can only lock him up in jail if the person he is dependent on does not come. Even if family visits are allowed, they will have to wait until the next day. During this time, Young Master Li will probably finish disciplining that young man. If the person that young man is dependent on comes to the government office to find him, Wang Qi will have someone bring that young man from the Li residence to the government office.

Wang Qi said to the constables, "Watch your step, don't hurt that boy, leave him for Young Master Li to teach him a lesson personally."

Just as they were about to make a move, the guard who had been holding the eldest young master of the Li family kicked him again, and then walked towards the young man, forming a semi-circle with Guard Chen and others to protect Gu Lin behind them.

Seeing the group of people resisting, Wang Qi glared at them and said, "You dare to openly resist arrest?"

Getting up from the ground, the eldest young master of the Li family spat out the mud and sand in his mouth, staring at Gu Lin and the guards with resentment in his eyes, and reminded Wang Qi: "Those guards are very powerful. A few constables can't control them. Call a few more people up. Don't worry about hurting that boy. Just leave him alive for me."

As he spoke, the eldest son of the Li family gritted his teeth in hatred.

Seeing the scene before them, a dozen or so constables surrounded them. Chen, the guard, worried that his husband behind him might be afraid, said, "Husband, don't worry. According to the schedule, Lord Zheng will return today. I have already sent someone out of the city to look for Lord Zheng."

Gu Lin was not afraid. Since he had decided to teach the evil people in the Li family a lesson, he had anticipated all kinds of consequences.

His expression was calm as he said to Guard Chen, "After you and your men have beaten all the constables to a pulp, don't resist anymore. I'll go with them to the government office..."

Guard Chen frowned, looking disapproving. The other side was coming with great force, especially towards Gu Lin. If her husband went with them, he might be tortured half to death before Lord Zheng even returned.

Seeing this, Gu Lin lowered his voice and gave him some instructions.

A dozen or so constables were only a few steps away from Gu Lin and his group. Seeing that they were still resolutely resisting, Wang Qi directly ordered his men to take action.

A group of constables rushed toward the foremost guard. Following Wang Qi's orders, they disregarded everything else and attacked the guard in pairs. However, the guards around Gu Lin were handpicked by Zheng Hao from among Niu Qiang's brothers. These men were ruthless when they made a move.

Upon seeing this, Wang Qi roared, "This is outrageous!"

He ordered the remaining constables to attack, saying, "Just don't kill them."

Chen and his men could hold off a dozen or so men, but with the addition of another dozen or so, they were gradually forced to retreat because they couldn't use their killing moves to harm them.

More and more constables fell to the ground, until finally only five or six remained.

Although they approached Gu Lin and his group, their steps became increasingly hesitant. They had just tested how capable these people were.

Seeing that more than twenty people couldn't defeat seven or eight guards, Wang Qi was furious. The eldest young master of the Li family said, "You can't take down these people without using knives!"

Provoked by the words of the eldest son of the Li family, Wang Qi was also pushed to the limit. The path to promotion and wealth was right in front of him, and no one could block his way.

Wang Qi gradually lost his mind and, disregarding the rule that one should not draw one's sword in the bustling city without a reason, ordered the yamen runners to draw their swords.

Upon hearing this, the constables exchanged bewildered glances, but behind them came the urging voices of Wang Qi and the eldest young master of the Li family. They gritted their teeth, drew their swords, raised their gleaming iron blades high, and approached Gu Lin and his group, gripping the hilts.

Gu Lin's expression darkened upon seeing this. He turned to Guard Chen and whispered a few words to him. Guard Chen nodded and then turned to look at Wang Qi. He was about to say something when he was interrupted by a hurried voice.

"Stop!" Da Zhu shouted.

Then, a cold and suppressed voice came from the bustling street corner.

"Who dares to draw their sword in the middle of the street?"

Gu Lin turned his head and looked over, only to see a handsome young man riding a tall horse, radiating light as he rode towards them.

Just as the eldest son of the Li family was about to finish dealing with the lowly commoners in front of him, someone had the audacity to interrupt his good deed.

He turned his head to see who it was, only to find it was a pale-faced young man.

Young Master Li despised handsome men the most. He snorted coldly, "Where did this ill-mannered person come from? Can't you see I'm busy dealing with troublemakers?"

The eldest son of the Li family looked down on the newcomer, but Wang Qi remained silent.

Looking at the group of people in front of him, although the young man on horseback was dressed in plain clothes, he was followed by two soldiers. Wang Qi's brow twitched, sensing that something was wrong. He wanted to stop the young master of the Li family beside him, but the other party continued to spout nonsense: "Get out of my way while I don't have time to deal with you!"

Da Zhuo rode forward a step on his horse and shouted angrily, "Who dares to offend Lord Zheng, the military supervisor of the Zhenhong Army!"

Upon hearing this, the eldest young master of the Li family was initially taken aback by the other party's imposing manner. However, seeing that the handsome young man was not dressed in official robes, he sneered, "You dare to pretend to be the military supervisor in front of me? Others may not know where the military supervisor is, but I know that the military supervisor has been in the military camp for many days."

Because of the angle, he didn't notice the two soldiers behind the young man.

The eldest son of the Li family rolled his eyes and looked up at Zheng Hao: "Why are you in such a hurry? Could it be that you and this young master are together?"

Zheng Hao didn't look at him, but slightly turned his head to signal to Da Zhuo.

Da Zhuo kept an eye on his master, and after receiving a signal from the other party, he said in a deep voice to the man who had spoken rudely, "How dare you talk about my husband like that?"

Seeing that they did not deny it and even became more arrogant, the eldest son of the Li family sneered even more and said to Wang Qi, "Since they are in cahoots, take them to the government office as well."

However, after the eldest son of the Li family finished speaking, he did not receive a response from Wang Qi for a long time. He turned to look at the other party and saw that Wang Qi's face was not very good, with a faint livid color.