"Punish Yuan Yintang—"
"Punish Yuan Yintang! Punish Consort Yuan! We can't let the General's daughter have died in vain—"
"Treason is unforgivable! Punish him! He must be severely punished!"
It's unclear who started it, but in an instant, the entire crowd's outrage was stoked. Their voices rang out loud and clear, demanding the murderer be punished.
The shouts ringing in their ears made the concubines sob even more fiercely. Such a lovely child, gone in the blink of an eye. They wanted nothing more than to flay the murderer alive.
Sang Zhi stood at the forefront, holding a written petition. The black characters on the white paper were glaringly conspicuous.
Magistrate Song was carried back. Hearing the indignant cries, his head throbbed. 'The Emperor knows everything,' he thought, 'but it seems he has no intention of punishing Consort Yuan.'
