The woman frantically roared and struggled against the soldiers dragging her, crying inconsolably: “You animals! My husband merely wanted to steal back Prince Han’s remains, and you killed him for it. Now you want to kill us, mother and daughter, too! Heaven above! Open your eyes and see! Now the government doesn’t protect the people, but instead bullies them with their power! That Great Zhou emperor has never considered us former Great Liang people as his subjects, never considered us as human beings!”

Seeing the little girl covered in blood and the woman being dragged away, unable to break free, the hot-blooded men of the coast couldn’t help but intervene. They rushed forward to tussle with the bailiffs, fighting desperately to save this woman who sought justice for her husband… who cried out for Prince Han.

Someone among the people shouted: “Everyone, don’t be impulsive! We’re here to demand that the government retrieve Prince Han’s remains! We must get an explanation from the righteous man! We’re not here to fight the government to the death!”

But that person’s shout was drowned out in all the people’s passionate roars.

The woman was quickly rescued from the bailiffs’ hands by the people. She almost crawled and rolled out of the crowd to check on her daughter, holding her daughter close, covering the wound on her daughter’s head, crying heartbrokenly.

The woman’s hair was disheveled, her whole appearance wretched. She used her body to protect her daughter, looking somewhat bewildered and frightened at the crowd filled with righteous indignation fighting with the bailiffs. She hadn’t expected things would escalate to this degree.

A conflict between officials and citizens erupted, the situation growing increasingly severe. Someone took the lead, snatching a saber from a bailiff’s waist, and began fighting with the bailiffs. The hot-blooded men, numerous and seeing blood, became increasingly uncontrollable and raised their sabers to charge into the government office.

The bailiffs supported their wounded colleagues, holding sabers but retreating step by step, backing up until they were pressed against the government office doors. It seemed a life-or-death conflict between officials and citizens was about to erupt.

Bai Qingjue and Xie Yuchang, leading a team of plainclothes imperial guards, arrived first on horseback. When they reined in their horses before the government office, the people had already begun charging into the government office, and the bailiffs were knocked against the doors, completely powerless to resist.

He shouted sternly: “All of you stop!”

But Bai Qingjue’s voice was drowned out in the people’s shouts as they charged inside.

Seeing this, Xie Yuchang turned to shout at the armed soldiers: “Subdue them all!”

“No!” Bai Qingjue quickly stopped him, gripping his reins tightly. “Go, have someone bring several buckets of cold water! Splash it on them!”

“Yes!” Xie Yuchang changed his orders accordingly.

Right now, with public sentiment so inflamed, if they intervened to stop these people, it would only make the people more defiant.

From the corner of his eye, seeing Bai Qingyan had already caught up on horseback, Bai Qingjue turned his horse around to look at Bai Qingyan, who sat on her white horse with a solemn expression: “Elder sister… I was still a step too late!”

On the way here, Bai Qingyan had heard many people talking about yesterday’s tavern incident, their words often expressing dissatisfaction with the government and the Great Zhou court, even with Bai Qingyan as the Great Zhou emperor. She inquired with an old man about the tavern incident, but who knew that mentioning this matter… the waiter and small merchants at the tavern entrance all came forward to condemn Great Zhou.

Before they could finish speaking, they heard that the butcher who had stabbed the soldier last night had died in prison, and the butcher’s wife was crying on her way to the government office to seek justice for her husband, when news came of people causing trouble at the government office entrance.

Many people, hearing that the butcher who wanted to steal Prince Han’s body had died in prison, became convinced this was a government conspiracy. Because the government feared the butcher would secretly go, and if Dongyi and Great Zhou fought, Great Zhou was currently engaged in the national gamble… so naturally the gamble was most important. What did the deaths of Prince Han and these coastal people matter? So they all came either to watch the excitement… or seek justice.

Bai Qingyan, worried the situation would escalate, had Bai Qingjue lead people ahead first. After finishing her conversation with those people, she followed closely, but despite Bai Qingjue going ahead, they were still a step too late.

Watching the people knock those bailiffs to the ground with continuous screams, her mount stamped its hooves restlessly. Bai Qingyan turned to look at Bai Jinzhi beside her, pointing her riding whip at Bai Jinzhi’s waist: “Xiao Si!”

Bai Jinzhi understood, drew the whip from her waist, and cracked it…

The long whip cut through the air with an extremely loud, solemn crack that seemed to reach directly into people’s hearts, immediately bringing those people who had been blinded by rage and didn’t even know why they were charging into the government office back to their senses. They turned to look behind them.

They saw a woman mounted on a white horse at the front, wearing a black cloak, with dark, deep eyes and dressed in plain, fitted clothing. Tall and slender, she couldn’t hide the brilliant noble aura surrounding her.

The blazing sun outlined the woman’s strikingly beautiful features and figure. She seemed to be standing in flames, yet the fire couldn’t burn away her unyielding pride, making people dare not harbor any improper thoughts due to her extraordinary beauty. They only felt she was high above, like a deity descended to earth.

Protecting the woman on her left and right were… a handsome young man with an upright bearing and refined character, and a spirited young lady holding a long whip.

Sitting on horseback, single-handedly gripping the reins to control his warhorse, Bai Qingjue’s dark eyes swept over those bailiffs who were helping each other stand up in wretched states, covering their wounds. His voice solemn and stern, he asked loudly: “The government office has descended into such chaos outside, where is the county magistrate? Where is the county magistrate?”

Xie Yuchang dismounted, pulled up a nearby bailiff, threw his insignia to the bailiff, and said: “Quick, go tell your county magistrate that His Majesty has arrived!”

The bailiff, holding the heavy insignia in his hands, was so frightened that his legs nearly gave out. Not daring to look at Bai Qingyan again, he repeatedly responded and frantically rushed inside to find his county magistrate.

Bai Qingyan had expected the coastal naval officers, soldiers, and people would harbor resentment due to Prince Han’s death, but she hadn’t expected that in such a short time, it would escalate to this degree!

If she hadn’t arrived at the coast today, these people would have stormed the government office, and the authorities would have had to request aid from the garrison… Then, if bloodshed occurred, it would escalate beyond control.

She saw the woman cowering beneath the government office stone pillar in a wretched state, covering her daughter’s head with her hands, using her body to protect her daughter…

“Mother…” The little girl nestled in her mother’s arms, choking as she spoke. “Mother, don’t cry. I don’t hurt, it’s not serious!”

Seeing the woman clutching a blood-written petition in her hand, she guessed this woman must be the wife of the butcher who died in prison.

Bai Qingyan dismounted, casually threw her riding whip to Xie Yuchang, walked toward the woman, helped the mother and daughter up, took a handkerchief from her sleeve, and handed it to the woman, ordering: “Send someone immediately to take this young lady and madam to the medical hall!”

“Yes!” Xie Yuchang responded, waved his hand, and well-trained imperial guards stepped forward to help carry the little girl who was clearly in pain with tears in her eyes.