The Princess of Northern Land
Chapter 848: The Fate of the Ma Family (5)

Chapter 848: Chapter 848: The Fate of the Ma Family (5)

"The Consort is making sense, Prince, what do you think?" Mei Hanqing looked at Chu Suifeng.

"The Consort’s intentions are the same as mine, and I add another decree, to severely punish those who unjustly strike women in their families," Chu Suifeng said viciously adding another punishment.

"Long live the Prince and Consort, may you live for thousands and thousands of years." All the women on the streets, whether married or not, all knelt down for Chu Suifeng and Lin Ziyin. No one had ever protected them like this, nobody had ever given them so much encouragement. All the women genuinely accepted Lin Ziyin as their Consort from the bottom of their hearts.

"Speak, who asked you to spread the rumors?" The advantage was now in Chu Suifeng’s hands, and the man whose finger had been cut off already was terrified out of his wits upon seeing how Chu Suifeng could kill a civil official without changing his expression, he had been frightened from the very beginning when he was captured. Initially, he couldn’t hold on, but because he harbored a tiny hope, he bit his tongue and didn’t confess, but then Prince Chu didn’t even give him a chance, directly cutting off his finger.

Oh mother, for a mere handful of copper coins, he had sold his own five fingers. If he had known, he wouldn’t have dared to speak recklessly even if he were beaten to death.

"Prince, spare my life, I’ll speak, I’ll tell everything," fear made him forget the pain, the man on the ground confessed everything, "It was a man, he gave me twenty copper coins and told me to say it, I will never dare to do it again."

As one man confessed, seeing the corpses on the ground and the man’s severed finger, the following people started confessing, "Prince, I remember now, that man had the accent of the Capital City."

"Yes, yes, I wouldn’t have remembered if you hadn’t said it."

...

Once one person thought of a clue, immediately others echoed it.

Hearing the whole story, enraged citizens with flushed faces yelled and demanded that those who spread the rumors be locked in the dungeon.

"Ten years of labor, family not to be implicated; if the offense is repeated, the extended family up to the ninth degree will be punished," Chu Suifeng pronounced coldly. "Bring the rest of them here."

The people who were brought out were dressed rather well, and they were looked upon with disdain by everyone.

"Injustice, Prince, I have been wronged!" Ma Zhicai was among these people, and having done many bad things, his psychological resilience had improved. Seeing Chu Suifeng, he immediately knelt and cried injustice, "I have not spread any rumors, I was just honestly working at the inn, I know nothing."

"Prince, I heard him mention it first, and only then did I foolishly repeat a few nonsensical remarks," someone immediately pointed out that Ma Zhicai was also a creator of the rumors.

"Are you saying that I have wronged you?" Chu Suifeng went forward and kicked Ma Zhicai, sending him flying.

"I wouldn’t dare," Ma Zhicai secretly resented, but clenched himself claiming he knew nothing.

"Just because my sister broke off the engagement, you hate me so much that you would collude with the people of the North Country to harm my Consort." Lin Ziyin stood tall, looking down at him from above.

Ma Zhicai’s face shifted slightly, but then he lifted his head and looked at Lin Ziyin with a look of grievance, "Consort, I’m wronged. It was my family who broke off the engagement first, I wouldn’t dare to bear a grudge against the Consort. I’m just a scholar who made a living at the inn, how could I have any contact with people from the North Country."

Ma Zhicai was clever, indirectly telling everyone that Lin Ziyin was using his position to get revenge and plot against him, and as a small figure, he could only suffer in silence.

The public despises spies the most, regardless of whether what Ma Zhicai said was true or not, the expressions of the onlookers became suspicious.

And Chu Suifeng was more ruthless, having not allowed the civil officials and scholars who were kneeling on the ground to get up.

These people liked to kneel so much, right? Then let them keep kneeling.