Lin Jiaojiao asked, "Is there anything else?"
Both of them shook their heads, saying that they only knew so much and didn't know anything else.
Yao Guanglai, who was standing nearby, was about to speak, but Lin Jiaojiao shot him a glance, and he immediately quieted down.
She looked at Yao Guanglai and then back to the two beggars. She said to them, "This princess consort has heard that one of you has been saying that the Granary has been secretly replacing the big beams at night. This kind of false rumor about the government can cost you your life."
Upon hearing this, both beggars were visibly startled, their eyes wide open as they stared at the floor]
The word "execution" echoed in their minds. Quickly regaining their composure, they knelt down and trembled in fear.
Ergou stammered, "Your Highness, we didn't make up the rumor. We just heard it from somebody else."
"Yes, we just heard it from someone else," Da Niu chimed in, not wanting to shoulder the responsibility.
