The common folks might not know the name of the current emperor, but they deeply remembered every hero who had shed blood to protect them.
Almost every generation of the Marquis of Dingyuan's family had sacrificed themselves for the Great Zhou. Feng Linyuan had even endured hardships that were beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Now, the shop opened by this widely respected Marquis of Dingyuan had been smashed by their own hands.
Just thinking about this, some people even wished they could chop off their own hands!
"My lord... My lord, we..."
Their eyes were full of shame. They first looked at Feng Linyuan, then lowered their heads to the ground.
Feng Linyuan seemed not to hear. His expression remained unchanged. He walked gracefully to Feng Jingye's side and looked down at the girl lying on the straw mat. Her face was ashen, and it was obvious that she was in a semi - comatose state.
The old woman rushed in front of him and sat down beside the girl, crying.
"My poor daughter! I've worked so hard day and night, raising you to the age of fourteen with great difficulty. I haven't even found a good match for you yet, and now you're on the verge of death!
We're just a poor mother - daughter pair. We've never done any evil in our lives, but we've met villains.
We were so lucky to have the Crown Prince who could seek justice for you, but now there's the Marquis of Dingyuan, protecting those heartless people.
My daughter, it seems your life is doomed to be wasted in vain!
It's all my fault. I'm useless. I can't get justice for you. Even when I die, I won't have the face to see your father in the underworld. Maybe I should just go with you today..."
The old woman's wailing successfully swept away all the guilt that the crowd had just felt towards Feng Linyuan.
Feng Jingye was even more furious.
Today, these people had not shown the slightest respect for him as the Crown Prince in their words, but they were all respectful to Feng Linyuan.
What did it mean that with the Marquis of Dingyuan around, he, the Crown Prince, was useless?
What kind of logic was this?
Thinking of this, he looked up at Feng Linyuan, his eyes cold and sinister: "Oh, the so - called Marquis of Dingyuan who loves the people like his own children has such a vicious heart. He disregards human lives for his own self - interest. It really amazes this Crown Prince!"
On one side, Feng Jingye spoke with righteous indignation, which made the people present can't help but share his hatred.
On the other side, Feng Linyuan looked calm, as if he hadn't heard Feng Jingye's words.
His gaze flitted over the old woman and then shifted away. He turned to one side and asked, "Apart from you, are there any others?"
Among the people who had stepped forward from the crowd just now, several carried their relatives and walked up.
The injured people's faces were either pale or blue - purple, all groaning in pain.
Feng Linyuan asked calmly, "What did you eat from the shop that made you like this?"
Hearing this, the people first glared fiercely at Bai Zheng not far away, and then replied weakly.
Since there were seven or eight people answering at the same time, their voices were mixed. One could only hear words like "sponge cake", "pineapple cake", "orange - scented bun", but it was hard to tell who had answered what.
But it didn't matter. The important thing was that they had all become like this because they had eaten the food from the dessert shop.
Some even rushed out and knelt on the ground, crying and complaining that their relatives had just lost their lives because they had eaten the food from the shop.
"Is the person already dead?" Feng Linyuan raised his eyebrows.
Those people with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes nodded and replied gritted their teeth, "My lord, this is a matter of human life! Even if she is your wife, she should pay with her life! An eye for an eye!"
The people kneeling on the ground and crying immediately gathered together and shouted in unison at Feng Linyuan and Bai Zheng.
"Pay with your life! Pay with your life!..."
Hearing this, Feng Linyuan slightly raised his eyebrows, with a faint smile on his lips. He looked at the increasingly excited and noisy crowd in front of him.
"Pay with your life! An eye for an eye!"
Feng Jingye looked at the expressions of the crowd and smiled faintly, his eyes cold.
All the onlookers seemed to be filled with passion.
Killing someone should indeed be punished with death!
Now, their target was clear. It was Bai Zheng, the culprit in front of them.
This incident had nothing to do with the Marquis of Dingyuan. It must be this profit - seeking wife of the marquis who had done this behind the innocent marquis's back.
Taking this evil girl away from the Marquis of Dingyuan was to let the marquis come to his senses earlier and help him get rid of the femme fatale around him.
Letting her pay with her life was already the greatest leniency for her, considering the marquis's face.
After all, she had killed more than one person!
Thinking like this, the shouts of the crowd became even louder.
Zhu Ling, Qing Zhi and their group were so angry that their eyes were blood - red and their chests heaved violently. They wished they could rush forward and tear the mouths of these people.
But they were outnumbered.
One should not incur the wrath of the masses.
The residents in the neighborhood and passers - by were attracted by the shouts and came to watch the excitement. After hearing what had happened, all those with a sense of justice spontaneously joined in the shouting.
The crowd grew larger and larger, and the shouts became louder and louder, almost deafening.
In the crowd, only two people didn't say a word. They just looked at the proud figures in front with a calm expression.
"This matter seems quite tricky," one of them whispered with a smile.
The other nodded slightly, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Since someone has taken action before us, we don't have to worry about it."
By now, Bai Zheng had already calmed down because the kitchen had been successfully protected.
Following behind Feng Linyuan, she returned to the door of the shop. Hearing the crowd's angry shouts for her to "pay with her life", she slightly curved her lips.
"You're right," she said calmly.
Just this one sentence made the crowd fall silent. Everyone stared at her intently, as if saying, "Since you know, then quickly commit suicide to atone for your sins!"
Bai Zheng's gaze swept over the people sitting on the ground and groaning. She smiled meaningfully: "It's because of me that you've suffered. If I don't see you get better, I won't be able to rest in peace even if I die."
Hearing this, the people sitting on the ground immediately stopped making noise and looked up blankly at Bai Zheng, who was smiling.
Feng Linyuan, with a gentle look in his eyes, nodded at Bai Zheng and said, "Zheng'er is really kind - hearted. Leave this matter to me."
After saying that, he gently raised his hand and looked towards the end of Anren Alley.
The crowd was filled with doubts and didn't understand what Bai Zheng meant. They all followed Feng Linyuan's gaze.
After looking, a path was unconsciously cleared in the crowd.