It seemed they wouldn't "let go" of any passerby easily.
Meanwhile, from the direction of the carriage behind them, the constables were already clashing with the servants beside them. "Boss, that carriage has a lot of stuff, but they're refusing to give us any!"
Give it to them? They weren't even pretending anymore, they were stating their intentions directly.
"Clang—"
Seeing their lack of cooperation, the leader drew his long sword and pointed it at them.
Ping Jiang moved, stepping in front of Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu.
The man let out a "heh" and pressed the sword against Ping Jiang's throat. "Nice footwork! You look like a practitioner. But we're officers of the law, are you really daring to attack us? Are you tired of living?"
"What if you're officers of the law?"
Song Chaoyu could no longer stand it, staring at the man and sneering. "Just because you wear this uniform, do you think you hold a golden decree? I'd say you're worse than the bandits on the mountains! You demand something from every passerby, where do you get such authority? Whether we can enter Ping'an County depends on you? There's no such logic in this world!"
"Logic?"
The man curled his lips. "In Ping'an County, we are the logic! Stop the nonsense, are you paying the money today or not?"
"What if we don't?"
Song Chaoyu stared at the man in front of her, her anger reaching its peak.
But the man didn't care. He sneered, "If you don't pay, you'll surely regret it! Not only will you not be able to enter Ping'an County, but you'll have to hand over everything you have! You'll also have to kowtow and beg for forgiveness before this matter is considered settled!"
His words made Song Chaoyu cover her nose.
The man looked confused. "Why are you covering your nose?"
Song Chaoyu scoffed, "What big talk!"
"Hmph—"
The others were amused by Song Chaoyu's action.
The man knew Song Chaoyu was mocking them and became even more enraged. "What are you people? Now, even if you want to pay, we won't let you pass! Brothers! Move all the goods from this carriage. If anyone dares to resist, beat them to death! With so many refugees dead, what's a few more?"
He glared at Song Chaoyu, his intention to not back down evident.
Ping Jiang could no longer hold back—
Even with the man holding a weapon, Ping Jiang, unarmed, seized the opportunity when the man wasn't paying attention and struck his wrist heavily.
The man cried out in surprise, and Ping Jiang moved forward, circling behind the man with lightning speed.
Song Chaoyu couldn't even see Ping Jiang's movements clearly before the man's sword was in Ping Jiang's hand!
This time, it was Ping Jiang who held the sword to the man's throat.
The man didn't even have time to resist before he fell into Ping Jiang's "hands."
His body began to tremble. "You... who are you people?! Don't touch me, or you'll be charged with assaulting and killing an imperial official, which is punishable by exile!"
"Heh—"
Song Chaoyu sneered. "Just like Xu Yuan on your wanted poster, right? If anyone displeases you even slightly, they're charged and exiled?"
The man's throat moved, as if he swallowed nervously.
At the same time, those who had tried to seize their belongings were all subdued by the servants accompanying Mu Changxi.
Since they had come this far, how could the people they brought be mere ordinary servants?
Even the most foolish person would know they were no ordinary individuals.
The leader was so scared his legs went weak. "Who are you people? What do you want?"
Mu Changxi nodded to the servants behind him, and the servants brought the subdued men forward.
Mu Changxi then looked at the leader. "What's your name? Are you from the Haizhou City government?"
The man had already guessed Mu Changxi's identity.
After all... a man with a limp, yet accompanied by so many experts and possessing such presence, how could he not know Mu Changxi was Prince Chang?
However, he wasn't entirely sure and couldn't understand why Mu Changxi, if he was indeed Prince Chang, would be here.
So, he quickly lowered his head, not daring to be disrespectful, and said to Mu Changxi, "My name is He Si, deputy captain of the Haizhou City Prefecture Guard."
Mu Changxi nodded. "Then shouldn't you be in Haizhou City? Why are you here?"
He Si quickly replied, "The Prefect ordered us to come here, saying there were rioters causing trouble, and we were to suppress them..."
His voice grew softer as he spoke, perhaps realizing in his heart that the so-called rioters were just an excuse.
These people were the real "rioters"!
Mu Changxi leaned on his cane and stepped forward, his presence overwhelmingly imposing. "How many households are there in Ping'an County now?"
He Si closed his eyes, unwilling to answer.
But the next moment, the sword in Ping Jiang's hand drew a shallow cut across He Si's neck.
"No, no, no, don't kill me, I'll tell you!"
He Si was so terrified he almost collapsed. "Originally, almost everyone in Ping'an County was taken away by Xu Yuan. But many heard that Ping'an County is now a safe place, and they had prepared in advance, so they came to seek refuge in Ping'an County. Currently, there are over three hundred refugees from other places in Ping'an County."
Over three hundred people? That was quite a number.
Song Chaoyu felt a pang of sorrow, fearing that these three hundred people had already met their demise.
She asked He Si, "Were the people who came subjected to repeated searches? Now that you have confined these three hundred people in Ping'an County, what is your purpose?"
If it was just for money, they would have taken the money and let them go.
It seemed the situation in Ping'an County was more complicated than imagined.
He Si lowered his head, seemingly afraid to speak again.
Ping Jiang's sword moved again, and he then whispered, "In Ping'an County... we joined forces with twenty people and took over the county's school. We provide them with food, and they must give what they owe. If there are beautiful women, they naturally stay to serve. If there are strong men, they are made to work or fish to sustain the lives of the entire Ping'an County."
Absurd!
Song Chaoyu asked in disbelief, "There are only twenty of you, how do you control over three hundred people?"
He Si curled his lips. "Refugees are already starving. Most of them have families, old and young. We just need to control the elderly and children, and for the sake of their families, they wouldn't dare to act rashly."
This kind of behavior was worse than that of mountain bandits!