Chu Ruoyan's breath hitched in an instant!
Xiao Pass was a crucial stronghold of Great Xia, forming a defensive horn against the Southern Barbarians alongside Tiger Prison Pass.
Furthermore, it connected to the vital routes of Western Shu behind it, with annual tax revenues amounting to tens of millions of taels. Now that it had fallen into the hands of the Southern Barbarians, no wonder the Emperor was enraged, even going so far as to arrest Madame Mei, who was already married off!
Xiao Tian, unaware of the situation, angrily shook off his father's hand: "What grave crime could Mother, a woman of the inner household, possibly commit to warrant arrest by the Ministry of Justice? It all comes down to this bastard!!"
He pointed at Shadow, roaring wildly. A murderous glint flashed in Shadow's eyes, but he forcibly restrained himself, thinking of something.
After all, Xiao Tian was his half-brother, sharing the same mother...
After all, he was also doing this for their mother...
Shadow silently repeated to himself not to act, but in the next moment, a "ptui" sound was heard as a mouthful of spit landed squarely on his face...
Unable to bear it any longer, he drew his sword. Xiao Tian immediately hid behind his father, shouting loudly, "Look! This bastard is furious and wants to kill someone! Everyone saw it!"
All eyes in the vicinity instantly pierced towards Shadow. The young man was at a loss, but Yan Zheng spoke coolly, "Do you not want that hand anymore?"
In a flash of cold light, the index finger Xiao Tian had pointed out was severed cleanly at the root!
A scream of agony pierced the sky. Jian'an Count frantically called out "Tian'er" a few times before turning around, his face filled with disbelief. "Chief Minister! Isn't this going too far?!"
Over a mere verbal dispute, he had actually cut off his son's finger!
Yet Yan Zheng stood there nonchalantly, holding his sword in his right hand, blood still dripping from its tip. "Lord Xiao seems to have an insufficient understanding of this Chief Minister. A single finger is already an exceptional act of leniency on my part."
As he spoke, he turned and gave a light flick, causing the blood on the sword tip to roll off.
His indifferent gaze swept over the crowd. "This Chief Minister has always been reasonable. Xiao Tian's first crime is provoking trouble at my doorstep; his second, hurling baseless insults; his third, disturbing the County Princess. For these three crimes combined, this Chief Minister taking one of his fingers is not excessive, is it?"
His cool, unhurried tone sent a chill down the spines of the onlookers.
Immediately, someone spoke up, "Not excessive at all! According to Xia law, assaulting a Chief Minister warrants thirty heavy strokes of the cane!"
"Indeed, and he also recklessly insulted and showed disrespect. The Chief Minister has been exceedingly magnanimous!"
"Moreover, he just tried to lay hands on the County Princess. We all saw it!"
The chorus of agreement from all sides made Xiao Tian's eyes roll back in pain and fury before he fainted.
Jian'an Count also knew that persisting would not only gain him nothing but could also delay his son's treatment. He had no choice but to say, "Fine, fine. Chief Minister, my Xiao family will remember today's incident!"
With that, he picked up his son and turned to leave. Yan Zheng's cold voice came from behind, "Remember it clearly. If you dare cause trouble at my door again, the Jian'an Count's estate can prepare for a funeral."
Jian'an Count stumbled, utterly unprepared for Yan Zheng to be so uncompromising!
In truth, what those people said earlier was correct. According to Xia law, Tian'er's insults at the Chief Minister's doorstep warranted thirty heavy strokes of the cane, which was far more severe than losing a finger!
The problem was, Yan Zheng had never been so particular before!
Several times in court, old censors had pointed at his nose and berated him, and he never seemed to care. Why was he singling out Tian'er this time?
Jian'an Count couldn't figure it out, but Chu Ruoyan seemed to guess something, pressing her lips together. "Yan Zheng..."
She only called his name once before the man took her hand. "Are you alright? Were you frightened?"
Chu Ruoyan shook her head. "No..."
Yan Zheng nodded, took her hand, and was about to enter the residence when Shadow, moved, stepped forward and gestured a 'thank you' to his master.
Yan Zheng shot him a glare. "Spineless. The moment you encounter someone connected to your mother, you become timid. What if next time he wants your life? Will you also stretch out your neck for him to chop?"
Shadow hung his head in shame. Meng Yang, following behind, thought to himself that the scolding was well-deserved.
Ever since encountering Madame Mei, Shadow had been like a ghost hitting a wall, absent-minded all day.
"Alright, let's continue inside," Chu Ruoyan interjected.
Only then did Yan Zheng set aside his displeasure and follow her in.
Outside the manor gates, seeing the farce conclude, the crowd dispersed.
The gatekeepers sent by various families to gather information returned with their reports. Everyone pondered deeply, beginning to reflect on whether the Chief Minister's recent amiability had made them forget where he came from.
Out of the hundred-thousand-strong Yan family army, he was the sole survivor.
A man who crawled out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood—how could he possibly be soft-hearted?
For a time, they all became inwardly vigilant, resolving that in the future, they must be respectful not only to people from the Chief Minister's residence, but even to the dogs from the Chief Minister's residence!
Inside the Chief Minister's residence.
Chu Ruoyan helped him out of his official robe and then stood still without moving.
"What's wrong?" Yan Zheng turned around to see a trace of bitterness on her face, her lips moving slightly. "Yan Zheng, you're going on a military campaign, aren't you?"
Yan Zheng stiffened, clenching his fist in silence.
Chu Ruoyan stepped forward, gently encircling his waist. "Don't hide it from me, and there's no need to. With the loss of Xiao Pass, Western Shu is already in danger. Last time, for its sake, the Emperor was even willing to sacrifice Tiger Prison Pass; he won't easily give up this time either. Especially since the opponent is the Southern Barbarians... the very ones who killed your father and brothers..."
Yan Zheng shuddered, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "A'yan, I adore your sharp perception, yet sometimes I resent it for being too sharp. Being like this... how can I bear to leave?"
Having received the confirmation, a pang of sorrow struck Chu Ruoyan's heart as she buried her face tightly against his chest.
She heard the man's low, steady voice come from above her head. "Mei Sheng and Mei Hexuan have turned traitor, and Prince Qin has gone to the northern frontier. Great Xia has no capable generals left to deploy. Moreover, the opponents are Meng Ze and his sister. A'yan, with your intelligence, you should be able to guess: no matter how many more troops are sent, they will likely follow in the footsteps of the Mei father and son."
Chu Ruoyan trembled slightly. "You mean... Meng Ji's puppet technique?"
That extremely bizarre, secret art from the Western Frontier—the very one Meng Ji used last time to manipulate Xiao Liu, making him attempt to assassinate the Emperor.
Yan Zheng nodded slowly. "Correct. I know Mei Sheng well; he is timid and cautious. Mei Hexuan was even someone my elder brother thought highly of, praising him as young, brave, and fit to be a vanguard! These two are definitely not traitors. Moreover, they wanted to earn military merit to erase the disgrace of Madame Mei's elopement years ago, hoping to secure good marriages for the several unmarried young ladies in their family. How could they possibly abandon their entire family and defect to the Southern Barbarians?"
Chu Ruoyan understood his meaning: the Mei father and son were being controlled by Meng Ji's puppet technique!
But the more she understood, the more uneasy she felt. "That puppet technique is incredibly strange. Do you have a way to deal with it?"
Yan Zheng answered without hesitation, "Yes."
"You're lying!"
