The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

Xi Yu lowered his voice and asked, "Let me ask you, what do you think of your shopkeeper?"

Upon hearing this, the waiter immediately smiled and said hurriedly, "Sir, our boss is a very good person! He is very kind and never harsh to us."

Xi Yu frowned slightly, a hint of suspicion flashed in his eyes, and said, "Are you kidding me? I don't think you are telling the truth."

When the waiter heard this, he waved his hands anxiously and said sincerely: "Sir, everything I said is true, it's really the truth!"

Xi Yu stared at the waiter for a moment, and seeing that he looked confident, he did not ask any more questions.

After a while, Xi Yu stood up and said, "I'm going to the toilet." Then he left in a hurry.

The waiter glanced at Xi Yu and said nothing.

As soon as the shopkeeper Ma Pingchang stepped into the inn, a sense of majesty hit him.

He was of sturdy build and dressed in a navy blue brocade robe.

His face was as sharp as if it had been carved with a knife, with clear contours.

Under the high nose bridge, a pair of thin lips were slightly pursed.

The waiter leaned forward and whispered in the ear of the shopkeeper Ma Pingchang, "Shopkeeper, there is a customer who came to our shop yesterday and showed up again today. He is waiting for you."

The shopkeeper frowned and looked at the waiter sharply.

"Who is it? Where is he?"

The waiter said hurriedly, "The shopkeeper is a young man, handsome but mysterious. He said he was going to the toilet."

The shopkeeper Ma Pingchang frowned slightly, with a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Is it so strange? Did you tell me what you want from me?"

The waiter shook his head: "No, he just wanted to see you."

At this time, Xi Yu walked back slowly from the toilet.

The waiter pointed at Xi Yu and said to the shopkeeper Ma Pingchang: "Shopkeeper, this is the guest."

Ma Pingchang looked Xi Yu up and down, then clasped his fists, with a look of confusion and vigilance on his face: "My friend, I am the shopkeeper Ma Pingchang. The waiter said that you came here yesterday and came again today, and you came specifically to see me. I wonder what you want?"

Xi Yu smiled slightly and clasped his fists in return, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle: "Shopkeeper Ma, I have heard a lot about you. I am here for an old secret that concerns the lives and property of many people, and you, shopkeeper, seem to be the key figure in this secret."

A barely perceptible panic flashed across Ma Pingchang's eyes, but he regained his composure in an instant.

"My friend, I don't understand what you are saying. I am just an innkeeper, and I welcome and see off guests every day. I don't know where the secret you are talking about comes from."

Xi Yu looked at Ma Pingchang with a sharp gaze. He stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the point: "Shopkeeper Ma, I won't beat around the bush with you. I came here this time because of Sun Qiushui. You once designed to put her in jail, and I want to know the truth of the matter."

Upon hearing this, Ma Pingchang's expression changed instantly. His originally calm face turned pale, and a trace of panic and fear flashed in his eyes. His lips trembled slightly: "You... who are you?"

The waiter was confused when he heard what was said, but when he saw that the shopkeeper's expression was not right and Xi Yu was aggressive, he felt that Xi Yu had bad intentions.

He frowned, took a step forward, pointed at Xi Yu and said fiercely: "Stop talking nonsense here. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will not let you go!"

Xi Yu was not afraid at all. He just looked at Ma Pingchang coldly, his eyes as firm as a rock.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you must tell the truth about what happened back then. Otherwise, even if you hide in this inn, you won't be able to find peace."

The atmosphere in the entire inn suddenly became tense, as if the air was filled with gunpowder.

Ma Pingchang sneered, with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"Humph, ten years ago, Sun Qiushui worked in my shop. I treated her as one of my own, but she actually did something as despicable as stealing. It's as simple as that. She made a mistake and was punished. She deserved to go to jail."

Xi Yu's eyes became colder and colder, like a cold pond in winter. He stared at Ma Pingchang closely, and there was no warmth in his voice: "Shopkeeper Ma, do you really think I know nothing? I advise you to tell the truth, otherwise, the consequences will not be something you can bear."

The corners of Ma Pingchang's mouth twitched slightly, but he still held his neck stiff.

"I'm telling the truth, don't bother with it."

The waiter was a little at a loss. He looked at the shopkeeper, then at Xi Yu, and felt that a storm was coming.

At this time, Ma Pingchang winked at the waiter calmly.

So, the waiter understood what he meant, gritted his teeth, shouted loudly, and rushed towards Xi Yu, and his fist as big as a casserole hit Xi Yu with a sound of wind.

Xi Yu sneered, without any fear in his eyes. He dodged the punch easily and started a fierce fight with the waiter.

Xi Yu was agile and each of his moves was extremely powerful, and he and the waiter were in a close fight.

At the same time, he whistled softly.

In an instant, several dark shadows rushed out from various hidden corners of the inn. They were Xi Yu's well-trained secret guards.

They pounced on Ma Pingchang like ghosts and had him firmly under their control before he could react.

Ma Pingchang widened his eyes, his face full of horror. He never thought that Xi Yu had this trick.

Ma Pingchang was restrained by the secret guards and could not move. His eyes were filled with fear and anger: "You... who are you? How dare you act wildly in my territory!"

While fighting with the waiter, Xi Yu said coldly: "Humph, it doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you have to pay the price for your evil deeds. Sun Qiushui didn't steal anything back then. You framed her, right?"

Ma Pingchang's face turned pale, but he was still trying to argue.

"You...you are so slanderous!"

Xi Yu grabbed the waiter with his backhand, threw him aside with force, and slowly walked towards Ma Pingchang. The coldness in his eyes seemed to lower the temperature around him a few degrees.

"I already have enough evidence, your little tricks won't fool me.

Xi Yu winked at the secret guards, who understood and took Ma Pingchang to the backyard of the inn.

There is a hidden cellar there, which is a good place for interrogation.

The waiter was so frightened when he saw the shopkeeper being taken away.

He knelt down in front of Xi Yu with a plop, kowtowed repeatedly, and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Sir, what the shopkeeper did has nothing to do with me! I'm just a runner, I don't know anything!"

Xi Yu looked down at the waiter with a scrutinizing look in his eyes.

"Oh? It really has nothing to do with you? Then why did you attack me just now? Why did you help the evildoer?"

The waiter said with a sad face: "I... I thought you were here to cause trouble. The shopkeeper was kind to me, and I just wanted to protect him, but I didn't know that he... he really did something bad!"

Xi Yu frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said, "I hope you are telling the truth. If I find out that you are hiding something, humph, you will end up like him."

"Sir, I really didn't lie to you! I've been in this inn for a long time, and I've heard some of the shopkeeper's scandals. He's a womanizer. Once he got drunk and saw a beautiful woman resting in the inn, he got very lustful and started to flirt with her. That woman was not someone to be trifled with, and the guards rushed over and beat the shopkeeper black and blue. I knew that the shopkeeper was not a good person, but what could I do? I have no skills, no land, and I can only make a living here. I just work every day, and I really didn't get involved in his bad deeds. Please be magnanimous and forgive me!"

Xi Yu sneered and looked in the direction where the secret guard left.

"Hmph, now we can only wait for the results of the interrogation. If Ma Pingchang tells the truth, perhaps he can suffer less."

The waiter was still kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy.

"Sir, please forgive me. I have old parents and young children to support, and I rely on the money I earn in this inn to make a living."

Xi Yu looked down at him, his expression slightly relaxed.

"You don't have to panic. I'm not someone who kills innocent people. As long as you're really like you said and have never been involved in Ma Pingchang's evil deeds, I won't do anything to you. But if I find out that you're lying, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The waiter nodded quickly.

"I swear, everything I said is true, and I won't hide anything."

Xi Yu no longer paid attention to him, found a place to sit down, and quietly waited for news from the secret guard, while the waiter sat slumped aside, not daring to make a sound.

Time passed slowly in this tense atmosphere. The waiter huddled in the corner, occasionally stealing a glance at Xi Yu who was sitting quietly.

Xi Yu had a stern look on his face, like an iceberg, making people afraid to approach him.

The secret guards pushed Ma Pingchang roughly into a dark cellar and slammed the door shut.

Ma Pingchang staggered a few steps before he stood firm, his eyes full of anger and confusion. He turned and shouted at the secret guards: "What are you doing? I, Ma Pingchang, have been doing business in this town for many years. I have been honest and have not done anything bad. Why are you treating me like this?"

The leading secret guard looked at him coldly and said in a low voice: "Our master will not attack anyone casually. If he didn't have evidence of your evil deeds, how could he arrest you? You'd better tell the truth."

Ma Pingchang stiffened his neck, looking stubborn. "I have nothing to say. You are wrongly accusing a good person!"

At the beginning, no matter how the secret guards threatened him, he refused to admit it.

Seeing how stubborn he was, the secret guards looked at each other and began to take action.

The various punishments made Ma Pingchang extremely painful. Veins popped out on his forehead and sweat poured down like rain.

Under endless torture, he finally collapsed.

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" Ma Pingchang gasped, his eyes full of fear. "Ten years ago, I did frame Sun Qiushui. Seeing how beautiful she was, I flirted with her many times, even hinting that if she obeyed me, she would be able to enjoy wealth and glory in the store. But that girl didn't know what to do, and she never obeyed, and she even spoke coldly to me. I was so angry that I framed her for stealing and put her in jail, so that I could vent my anger."

The secret guard stared at Ma Pingchang with sharp eyes and a cold voice.

"Besides Sun Qiu Shui, have you done anything else bad? Don't try to hide it, or you will suffer the consequences."

Ma Pingchang hesitated, but under the gaze of the secret guards, he finally spoke: "I... I have harmed other girls. They were afraid of exposing their family's shame, so they could only swallow their anger and dare not speak out."

When the secret guard heard this, his eyes burned with anger. He stepped forward and slapped Ma Pingchang hard several times. The crisp sound of the slaps echoed in the room.

"You beast!" the secret guard cursed angrily.

Afterwards, they took Ma Pingchang to see Xi Yu.

When Ma Pingchang was brought in front of Xi Yu, his face was in a state of disgrace, with blood at the corners of his mouth.

The secret guard told Xiyu everything he had learned from the interrogation. Xiyu's face became increasingly gloomy, and there seemed to be burning anger in his eyes.

"Ma Pingchang, you are such a villain! This is simply unforgivable!" Xi Yu shouted angrily, his voice echoing in the inn like thunder.

The secret guard suddenly kicked Ma Pingchang in the knee and shouted.

"Still not kneeling down!"

Ma Pingchang knelt on the ground with a plop. A trace of fear and confusion flashed in his eyes. He raised his head and asked, "Who... who are you?"

Xi Yu snorted coldly and took out a token from his arms. The token flashed with majestic light.

"I am the Prime Minister. You, a treacherous villain, have committed such a crime and you still want to escape?"

When Ma Pingchang heard the word "Prime Minister", he was so frightened that his face turned pale, his whole body trembled, and he kowtowed repeatedly.

"Mr. Prime Minister, please spare me, Mr. Prime Minister, please spare me!" The waiter at the side was so shocked that he could not close his mouth. He never expected that the guest in front of him was actually the Prime Minister. He knelt down again in a hurry, not daring to raise his head.

The inn was dead silent, with only the sound of Ma Pingchang kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Xi Yu stared at Ma Pingchang with a sharp gaze, and asked in a dignified tone: "Hmph, then did you collude with the county magistrate who was in charge of the Sun Qiushui case back then?"

Ma Pingchang shuddered, knowing that he could no longer hide it, and nodded quickly.

"Yes... there is such a thing. In order to ensure that Sun Qiushui could be successfully framed and imprisoned, I gave the county magistrate a lot of gold and silver treasures. He took the money and convicted Sun Qiushui according to my wishes."

Xi Yu frowned, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.

"Tell me the details of your bribe."

Ma Pingchang did not dare to disobey and told the time, place, amount and other details of the bribery.

Xi Yu asked again, "Is the county magistrate still in office?" Ma Pingchang replied, "Yes, sir."

Xi Yu thought for a moment and gave the order immediately.

"Secret guards, keep Ma Pingchang under strict surveillance in this store. No mistakes can be made. I will go find the county magistrate and see if he dares to tell the truth."

After saying this, he flicked his sleeves and left the inn with a majestic air.

The secret guards received the order and immediately took Ma Pingchang away.

The waiter was trembling with fear and dared not utter a word. The whole inn was shrouded in a tense atmosphere.

Ma Pingchang looked at Xi Yu as he was about to leave, his face full of fear and his body trembled uncontrollably.

He shouted, "Master Prime Minister, then... then what kind of punishment will I receive? Will I be beheaded?"

Xi Yu stopped, turned sideways, and glanced at him coldly.

"Humph, are you scared now? Just wait here. I will decide how to deal with you after I come back from meeting the county magistrate."

After saying that, he no longer paid any attention to Ma Pingchang and strode out of the inn.

Ma Pingchang collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, and he kept muttering, "It's over, it's over..."

His eyes were full of despair, and the waiter was trembling beside him, hoping that the storm would be settled soon and not affect him.

In the small courtyard of Sun Qiu Shui's home, the two sisters, Sun Qiu Shui and Madam Ming Yue, were sitting at a stone table, talking about interesting things that happened in recent days, trying to forget their past pains.

At this time, a villager came hurriedly with a worried look on his face.

"Mingyue, Miss Qiushui, I just heard something. It is said that the Prime Minister came to our place. Do you think this Prime Minister is a fake?"

The villagers frowned, their eyes full of doubt. "In a village before, there was a woman who spread the word that she was in love with the prime minister. Later, it turned out that the prime minister was an imposter. It made a big joke and caused a lot of trouble."

Madam Mingyue frowned slightly, then smiled, looked at the villagers and said, "Thank you for coming to tell me, but don't worry, this prime minister is real and there is no mistake."

After hearing this, the villagers were still a little confused, but seeing that Madam Mingyue was so confident, they didn't say anything more and just said goodbye and left.

Soon, Xi Yu arrived at the county government office with a dignified air.

At the gate of the county government office, two bailiffs were leaning against the wall and chatting, occasionally bursting into laughter. They did not look at all serious as if they were on duty.

Xi Yu frowned, a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. He was extremely dissatisfied with this dereliction of duty, but he still held back and did not lose his temper on the spot.

He took a step forward and said in a low and powerful voice: "I want to see the county magistrate."

The two yamen runners stopped chatting and looked Xi Yu up and down. They saw that he was dressed in an unusual way, but they didn't recognize him. One of them asked lazily, "Who are you? What do you want to see the county magistrate for?"

"Don't worry about me."

"How can this be? Who are you? If you want to see the county magistrate, you have to beat the drum to complain. Otherwise, how can you see him?"

Xi Yu had an urge to reveal his identity.

Suddenly, he felt that it was not time yet, so he said, "Okay, in that case, I will meet him in this way."

So he went to the big drum on the side.

Xi Yu finally beats the drum.

The county magistrate was in the backyard, having his concubine massage his shoulders. When he heard the noise, he became extremely angry.

"What a bummer! Who the hell is this ignorant person?" County Magistrate Han Chong said viciously.

The concubine also looked reluctant and had to let go of her hand.

Han Chong rushed into the county government office and stretched lazily.

I didn’t sleep well last night, and someone is beating the drum today. This is outrageous!

And Xi Yu entered quickly.

Han Chong slammed the table and asked who he was, and then asked Xi Yu why he didn't kneel down?

"It doesn't matter who I am. If I kneel down, you can't afford it." Xi Yu sneered.

"You are such a bold lunatic, you actually speak like that. You deserve to die. Do you believe that this county will spank you so hard that your butt will be bruised?"

Han Chong was really angry. No one had ever treated him like this before!

"I told you that you can't afford it. You'd better not ask me about my identity. Let's talk about business."

Han Chong wanted to say something, but when he saw Xi Yu's sharp gaze, he was actually a little scared.

He secretly wondered who this person was. Was he some important person?

"Okay, then tell me first, why do you beat the drum?" (End of this chapter)