Chapter 597: Chapter 597: Go After Him!

Zhou Shiyue drove the carriage, taking the injured and unconscious Ji Yun away.

Along the way, he thought about the citizens in Shuiyu City who were bullied by Zhao Jiu and his thugs; they were angry but didn’t dare to speak out because, if they sued, not only would County Magistrate Wang ignore them, but they would also suffer double retaliation.

All he could do was stand in their way at a critical moment, at least to save their lives.

He never imagined that Lord Lu, Wang Qingchen, Zhan Hui, and Huang Gun would come from Ding’an City to their place.

Especially Zhan Hui and Huang Gun; one was from the Zhan Family Army, the Marquis Zhongyong, and the Empress’s elder brother. The other was the Minister of Public Works and the Empress’s former subordinate.

He believed that even if Lord Lu and Lord Wang didn’t care about this matter, Zhan Hui and Huang Gun would not stand by idly.

As long as he could deliver Ji Yun to the hostel and expose Wang Kun’s crimes, Wang Kun would surely be brought to justice.

By then, Shuiyu City would no longer be in its current state.

He drove the carriage to the side gate of Shuiyu City.

The guard leader there, Zhang Qi, recognized Zhou Shiyue and greeted him from afar.

“Chief Zhou, heading out of the city?”

Zhou Shiyue sat on the carriage, holding the reins, and smiled at Zhang Qi, “Yes, I have some official business today, coming back a bit late.”

Zhang Qi frowned in confusion, “Chief Zhou, I remember your home is not far from the main gate, why didn’t you take the main gate?”

Zhou Shiyue shook his head helplessly, “I have a good brother on Yongxiang Street. He invited me over for a drink, and he’s been waiting for me for some time.”

Zhang Qi laughed cheerfully, “Having brothers, having wine, is one of life’s great pleasures!”

As he spoke, he opened the gate for Zhou Shiyue, who chatted with him while driving the horse into the city.

But under the moonlight, Zhang Qi noticed some liquid seemed to be dripping from Zhou Shiyue’s carriage.

Zhang Qi quickly stepped forward, bent over, and touched the liquid on the ground with his fingers. When he illuminated it with a torch, he was instantly shocked, “Blood!”

He looked up to see Zhou Shiyue’s carriage gradually speeding up into the city, shouting, “Stop!”

Zhou Shiyue showed no intention of stopping, continuing to rush forward.

Zhang Qi blew a sharp whistle with his fingers on his lips, and several guards with swords on their belts descended from the city wall.

“Go chase him!” Zhang Qi’s voice was stern; with his instincts, Zhou Shiyue had never entered the city through the side gate, and today his carriage was dripping blood.

There must be something suspicious going on.

The guards, on horseback, chased after Zhou Shiyue, who realized they were coming after him and raised his whip to rush towards the hostel without hesitation.

“Stop!” An arrow was suddenly shot at the carriage from behind him.

Worried they might harm Ji Yun, who lay immobile inside the carriage, Zhou Shiyue threw the horse feed, yellow beans, and black beans backward.

After eating the beans scattered on the ground, the guards’ horses were unwilling to run.

Zhang Qi caught up and found the situation too wrong; with four officials from Ding’an City in town, they had strengthened security these past few days.

The guards slept in their clothes at the inns near the city gate at night, partly to ensure the public didn’t cause a stir and partly to prevent intruders from breaking into the hostel, possibly harming the four officials.

He blew the whistle again, and soon, over forty guards dashed out from the two inns.

Zhang Qi urgently commanded, “Arrest Chief Zhou quickly!”

County Magistrate Wang had ordered that any forcible entry into the city must be obstructed at all costs.

Though the guards weren’t clear on the specifics, they dared not disobey, since Zhang Qi had given the order.

They chased after Zhou Shiyue, who, looking at the guards pursuing him relentlessly, gritted his teeth and tossed a flying dagger towards them as a warning.

He didn’t intend to take his colleagues’ lives; the flying dagger merely grazed their hair or arms.

“Be careful everyone, Chief Zhou’s flying daggers are formidable!”

Someone questioned, “Why are we chasing Chief Zhou? He’s a good guy!”

Someone frowned, “Yeah, he didn’t try to kill us. If he wanted to, we would have already been killed by his daggers!”

Someone was skeptical, “Then why is he trying to escape so desperately? It must be a guilty conscience!”

Suddenly, Zhou Shiyue shouted towards those behind, “Brothers, the person in the carriage is County Chief Ji Yun, he’s been injured, and I need to get him into the city for treatment urgently. I can’t explain more right now!”

He had previously refrained from mentioning Ji Yun being in the carriage, worried Zhang Qi might inform on him. Zhang Qi trusted County Magistrate Wang greatly and was promoted by him, so he would surely bring Ji Yun to confront County Magistrate Wang.

He didn’t use the main gate because, once in the city, there were more guards arranged by County Magistrate Wang, at least twice as many as here.

Upon hearing Zhou Shiyue’s words, Zhang Qi narrowed his eyes and shouted, “Chief Zhou, I can take Lord Ji to the clinic!”

He didn’t trust Zhou Shiyue.

Zhou Shiyue’s brows furrowed tightly. With Zhang Qi around, things were bound to go wrong; he decided to take a gamble!

“Everyone, Lord Ji Yun was injured by County Magistrate Wang. County Magistrate Wang ordered us and several constables to kill and dispose of the bodies in the wild. I’m risking my life to enter the city to find the four officials at the hostel, to seek justice for Lord Ji!”

Zhou Shiyue’s voice carried through the howling wind into everyone’s ears.

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

This matter undoubtedly had a huge impact on everyone. Some were understanding, some were shocked, and some were astonished.

Zhang Qi said coldly, “You are not allowed to slander the County Magistrate! Catch him immediately!”

He knew the seriousness of the situation; if Zhou Shiyue accused County Magistrate Wang at the hostel, even if Wang wasn’t guilty of any major crimes, he surely couldn’t hold his position.

While driving the carriage, Zhou Shiyue shouted, “Everyone, if I speak a single false word, may I die a terrible death!”

Zhang Qi shouted angrily, “You’re talking nonsense! Do you think everyone will believe you based on your word alone? Lord Ji must have been injured by you, and you’re trying to frame our County Magistrate!”

Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves came from behind Zhang Qi.

Someone shouted, “I, Zhang Wei, testify that every word Chief Zhou says is true!”

Another voice was filled with anger, “I, Qin Chu, along with my brothers, witnessed County Magistrate Wang injure County Magistrate Ji. That scoundrel even ordered us to kill and silence!”

One person had hatred burning in their eyes, “I, Wu Yue, testify that Chief Zhou wants to sacrifice himself to expose County Magistrate Wang and save the people from calamity. How could we, his brothers, fear death?”

Another person, with eyes resolute as if facing death bravely, looked at Zhou Shiyue, “I, Zhu Jie, testify that Chief Zhou is clean and upright. We are not cowards! Chief, we’re here!”