In truth, Wen Zhuo had no need to go to Liangping County himself to make the arrests.
Shen Zheng knew this perfectly well, but did not point it out.
After giving his orders to the constables, Wen Zhuo turned to Shen Zheng. “Your Highness, wait for me at the prefectural office. I’ll be back shortly.”
Whenever the matter involved some old affair of the Wen family, Wen Zhuo always tried to keep Shen Zheng away from it. He had done the same when the troops in Gezhou split into two groups, and now he was doing so again as he moved to settle accounts with the Wen family.
Shen Zheng sighed inwardly.
Although they had pierced through that hazy layer of paper between them and shared considerably more intimate ambiguity in recent days, Wen Zhuo still had no intention of revealing his deepest secrets to him.
Perhaps the sense of security Shen Zheng gave him was not yet enough. Or perhaps the defenses around Wen Zhuo’s heart were simply too strong.
Shen Zheng believed that everyone ought to have their own space and secrets. Yet deep down, he still hoped Wen Zhuo would one day hold nothing back from him.
Then again, they had been in love for less than a month. Their progress was quite understandable.
After all, it had taken only a few short months for Wen Zhuo to go from a homophobic guard who had dared to stand up to Sixth Brother to developing feelings for Shen Zheng. For an ancient man with deeply conservative ideas, that was already an astonishing achievement.
“You really don’t need me to come with you?” Shen Zheng asked once more.
“No. I know Liangping County very well.” Wen Zhuo’s gaze was unwavering.
Their eyes met. Seeing that Wen Zhuo had not hesitated in the slightest, Shen Zheng could only give in. “All right, then.”
In broad daylight, and with so many people watching, they could not indulge in an overly lingering farewell. Wen Zhuo merely lowered his lashes lightly, then raised them again. His gaze lingered on Shen Zheng for a moment before he turned and climbed into the carriage Lou Changsui had left behind, taking a constable with him as he set off straight for Liangping County.
Shen Zheng saw him off to the gates of the prefectural office. Only when the rumble of the carriage wheels had faded into the distance did he withdraw his gaze.
He turned and went back to the study, burying himself in the account books as he continued searching for discrepancies.
Before long, a constable hurried in to report, “Your Highness, Commissioner Guo has been making a terrible racket in the prison. He says he’ll submit a memorial impeaching Your Highness and the governor for unlawfully detaining an imperial official, and that you’ve violated the law. Shall we teach him a lesson and make him behave?”
“Guo Yanhua?”
The granary commissioner, who had always attached himself to Prince Xian, had also been arrested. They simply had not interrogated him yet.
Wen Zhuo had said that they only needed to dig up Lou Changsui. There was no need for them to personally interrogate this man.
Lou Changsui had been taken into custody because he had neglected the locust plague, colluded with incense merchants, and seized farmland from the common people, leaving the populace seething with resentment.
As for Guo Yanhua, Lou Changsui had dragged him into the matter recklessly in an attempt to reduce his own punishment. Since Prince Xian was involved, Guo Yanhua had been detained for the time being and would be handed over to the Three Judicial Offices for a thorough investigation.
Wen Zhuo had said that, in order to bring down Prince Xian and avenge the former Crown Prince, Luo Mingpu would spare no effort. When that happened, the fury and hatred of Prince Xian’s faction would inevitably be directed at the former Crown Prince’s faction instead, leaving them with far fewer troubles to deal with.
“Don’t bother with him.” Shen Zheng did not even raise his head. “Let him shout. He’ll stop once he’s tired.”
A little while later, a guard from the Yongning Marquis’s residence slipped into the study. He leaned close to Shen Zheng’s ear and whispered, “Your Highness, Liu Kangren wishes to send a letter to Duke Liu’s residence to report that he is safe. He says his parents must be in unbearable agony at this very moment. He is far away in Mianzhou and feels guilty and restless every day.”
Shen Zheng raised his head slightly and thought for a moment. “Tell him to use subtle wording in the letter, so that if it is lost along the way, it won’t create any unnecessary complications.”
He knew that the Liu family’s fate would not end well, but their ruin would not come at this time. It would happen only after Prince Xian’s downfall.
The Qian historical records contained only a brief mention of Liu Yuanqing assisting Prince Xian, without explaining the causes and circumstances. Shen Zheng had secretly guessed that it must have been closely connected to Liu Kangren’s death.
Now that Liu Kangren had miraculously survived, sending word to Duke Liu in time might prevent certain tragedies that could otherwise never be undone.
The guard accepted the order and turned to deliver the message to the Liu residence.
Shen Zheng had barely read two more pages of the account books when he heard footsteps pounding like drums outside the courtyard. Jiang Mannü came charging in with Six Monkeys. The moment she crossed the threshold of the study, she called out loudly, “My lord! My lord! I have something to report!”
Propping his chin on one hand, Shen Zheng looked up at an unhurried pace. “Stop shouting. Your lord has gone on a short assignment.”
“Huh?” Jiang Mannü froze where she stood. Though she did not understand what “short assignment” meant, she could tell that Wen Zhuo was not at the residence.
At some point, she had come to feel that reporting to His Highness was no different from reporting to her lord. Thus she said, “Then I can tell Your Highness instead! The children in the Dongyazi caves have all been examined and treated by the physician.”
Her voice dropped, and she sighed. “Six of the children were in terrible pain. Their bellies had already grown hard as stone, and even the physician was helpless. They held on for two days, but in the end, they still didn’t make it… Thankfully, the remaining children have survived for now.”
Six Monkeys was impatient by nature. Before Jiang Mannü could finish, he rushed in, “Your Highness! Those bastards from the Wen family weren’t very tough. The moment I confronted them, they confessed everything! They ground seven kinds of incense into powder, mixed it with some sticky substance from inside a tree, and boiled it into porridge for us to eat! That sticky stuff couldn’t pass through the body after we swallowed it, so it slowly grew inside our stomachs. Among themselves, they called it ‘raising incense pearls’!”
His fists clenched, and his voice was filled with hatred. “The rounder, more fragrant, and more solid the incense pearl, the more it was worth. The ones raised inside the stomachs of young children were especially valuable—the price could triple. They even said that this was how they absorbed the life force from our bodies into the pearls, so those old masters could use them.”
Shen Zheng’s brows drew sharply together at his words. The idea of absorbing someone’s life force and transferring it elsewhere was utter nonsense!
That sticky substance from inside the tree was most likely transparent resin. Mixed with incense and swallowed, it would cause an obstruction in the body. Over time, the mass would grow and become coated in a layer of bodily secretions.
If someone swallowed Bone-Penetrating Fragrance directly, they likely would not last more than a few days before meeting the same fate as these children.
From ancient times to the present, the depths of human cruelty had always been impossible to measure. People could conjure up the most preposterous methods imaginable when it came to tormenting their own kind.
“The biggest problem now is that the Wen family servants don’t remember which families these children came from or what their names are. They only marked the children’s ages on their clothes. The older ones are all right—they can find their way home by relying on their memories. But the little ones, three or four years old, know nothing except to cry for their fathers and mothers.” Jiang Mannü looked at Shen Zheng and scratched her head anxiously. “Your Highness, what do you think we should do with them? We can’t leave them waiting in the caves forever.”
This was indeed a difficult problem.
Many of the children’s parents might already have been lost at sea. What was to be done with these orphans who had neither father nor mother?
Hand them over to relatives?
Shen Zheng did not dare underestimate how people’s humanity could warp under extreme conditions. At present, every household was struggling desperately just to have enough food and clothing. If they could barely support their own flesh and blood, what would happen when a child who did not belong to them suddenly appeared at their door?
Would the child be cast aside as a burden, abused and bullied, or even reduced to human meat in exchange for food?
At the beginning of the Great Qian’s founding, there had been institutions resembling charitable homes, established specifically to shelter widowers, widows, orphans, the childless, and others who could not support themselves.
But by the reign of Emperor Shunyuan, inadequate financial support and lax, perfunctory administration had turned the charitable homes in most regions into hollow shells maintained merely so local officials could pass their evaluations.
Even if these children were lucky enough to get into a public relief home, they would do little more than cling to life before eventually becoming vagrants begging along the streets.
Yuxi Reading
“This is a difficult matter.” Shen Zheng slowly uttered the four words.
Jiang Mannü immediately nodded like a pecking chicken, her face displaying the look of someone who had finally found another person who understood her. “Exactly! It’s been worrying me sick!”
“Ugh—” Six Monkeys let out a heavy sigh as well, dragging out the sound until nothing remained but deep disappointment.
He was in the same situation, after all. He could not find his mother and had been wandering alone from place to place.
Suddenly, Shen Zheng’s eyes lit up. “Let’s go ask your lord for a decision!”
“Huh?” Jiang Mannü’s mind went blank, and she asked blankly, “Shouldn’t we wait for him to come back?”
“This concerns too much. I can’t wait any longer.” Shen Zheng spoke with decisive finality. As he walked, his robes whipped up a gust of wind. “Jiang Mannü, prepare the horses at once. Bring whatever we need and come with me!”
“Yes!” Though Jiang Mannü was still somewhat bewildered, she hurried after him.
—
By the time Wen Zhuo arrived in Liangping County, it was already noon.
The sun hung high overhead, spilling golden light across the land. Its warmth against the body was extraordinarily comforting.
Although many years had passed since he had last been here, the place had not changed much.
He lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the warmly colored scene before him. At the same time, faded memories flashed through his mind. The two images overlapped, and the pain of the distant past reconnected with every nerve in his body.
Wen Zhuo steadied himself. His gaze passed over the yellow earth and fixed on Wangtian Gully in the distance.
The black water in the gully flowed sluggishly, with dead grass and rotting leaves floating on its surface. Beside the bank stood a crooked old tree, its branches bare, like a withered, bony hand reaching toward the water.
The villagers by the roadside wore thin, tattered clothes, patches piled upon patches, unable to cover their gaunt chests. They hunched their backs, some basking in the sun against the walls to keep warm, others squatting on the ground to pick through whatever they could find. When they saw a procession of constables escorting a carriage, they all stopped what they were doing, their eyes filled with fear.
The carriage continued onward, passing row after row of rammed-earth houses. Farther ahead, the homes had small courtyards built of yellow mud mixed with timber, clearly belonging to families living somewhat better.
As the carriage drew closer to the Wen family estate, the houses around them grew sturdier and more imposing. Even the walls were built of coral stone and shell-lime, making them capable of resisting both water and wind.
Wen Zhuo could not help giving a cold laugh.
Over the past ten years, the Wen family had amassed a fortune by exploiting their tenant farmers. Even distant relatives from other counties—relatives with barely any connection to the family—had been able to profit from them. Yet what about the people of Liangping County? They seemed to be living in even worse conditions than they had ten years ago.
At last, he had returned.
Only this time, he was no longer the helpless child who could be carved up at anyone’s mercy. He was a judge who held the power of life and death in his hands, someone who could easily decide whether the Wen family lived or died.
He could not describe how wonderful this moment felt. As he watched the rooftops of the Wen estate gleam harshly beneath the sunlight, the blood throughout his body seemed to burn.
He had always been the sort to hold a grudge. Ten years of endurance had never made him forget the humiliation and suffering of that time.
Wen Zhuo slowly raised a hand. His official robes billowed in the breeze, their deep crimson spreading like molten lava through cracks in the earth.
“Bring every member of the Wen family out.”
“Yes!”
With a great commotion, the constables surrounded the Wen residence until not even a drop of water could pass through. Two of them stepped forward and began pounding furiously on the red-lacquered gate, whose very appearance radiated arrogance.
“Open up! Open the door!”
“Who is it? How dare you cause trouble at the Wen residence!”
The reply from inside was rude and aggressive. Clearly, the servants were accustomed to throwing their master’s weight around and bullying the locals, which explained the arrogance in their voices.
Creak—
The moment the gate opened a crack, the constables charged in like tigers descending a mountain. One of them shoved the gate wide open, and they stormed inside without so much as a word.
“Hey! What are you doing? This is outrageous! This is the Wen family’s ancestral residence!” a servant shrieked as he tried to block them. A constable shoved him to the ground, leaving him sprawled helplessly on his back.
“The authorities are conducting an operation and arresting every member of the Wen family!” The leading constable flashed the government office’s insignia, turning the servants’ faces deathly pale.
“Do you know who our master is? He’s the patriarch of the Wen clan in Mianzhou! How dare you act so recklessly!” one of the more loyal servants shouted bravely.
A slap immediately landed across his face, leaving him dizzy and seeing stars.
“Get lost!” the constable barked.
“Master! Madam! Young Master! Second Young Master! The authorities are here to confiscate the estate!”
The courtyard instantly erupted into chaos. The crashes of overturned tables and chairs, the cries of women, and the constables’ shouts mingled together in a disorderly uproar that carried far on the wind.
When the people heard the words “confiscate the estate,” they began gathering from all directions. They formed a wide circle at a cautious distance, their faces filled with shock and confusion.
“Let go of my father and mother! We can walk by ourselves!” Wen Ze was held by the arms between two constables. He struggled until his face and neck turned red, yet still tried to put on a show of bravado. “Father, say something! He’s completely lawless!”
Wen Xu, on the other hand, had lost every shred of backbone. A constable had him by the back of the neck and dragged him out. He grimaced in pain, tears and snot nearly running together as he wailed nonstop. “Ow, easy! That hurts, you bastards! Do you know who I am? Ow, ow, ow! My arm!”
The two were shoved down onto their knees. One held his neck stiffly and refused to speak, while the other collapsed onto the ground and groaned incessantly.
In roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, more than a hundred people from every level of the Wen household had been brought out by the constables like livestock and forced to kneel in unison before Wen Zhuo.
At the very front was naturally Wen Yingjing.
His Taoist robes had been torn into disarray, and the hair he usually kept perfectly combed had fallen across his forehead. The wrinkles on his face seemed to have multiplied several times in the span of just a few days.
Suppressing his anger, Wen Yingjing demanded coldly, “Director Wen, what is the meaning of bringing constables to surround my residence and arrest my family today?”
As he spoke, he tried to straighten his chest and assume the dignity of an elder. But the moment he moved, the constable behind him wrenched his arms back and forced his head down.
“Behave yourself!” the constable shouted harshly.
Wen Yingjing let out a muffled groan of pain, his face instantly flushing red. When he looked at Wen Zhuo again, the calmness in his eyes had completely shattered, leaving behind nothing but humiliation and venom.
Wen Zhuo looked down at him from above. He leisurely rolled up his sleeves, revealing a section of pale, slender wrist. Then he loosened his five fingers, and a thick stack of account books smacked onto the ground in front of Wen Yingjing.
“These are the accounts for the disaster relief expenditures of the past few days. Even now, the people of seven counties have yet to receive so much as a single mouthful of relief grain, while the government treasury is already stretched to its limits. Wen Yingjing, I ask you this: have you truly done everything in your power?”
“Of course I have done everything I could! Could it be that Director Wen is incompetent at disaster relief and intends to shift the blame onto me?” Forced to kneel by the constable, Wen Yingjing’s neck was held low. The posture filled him with unbearable humiliation, and he struggled as he roared, “Director Wen, have you forgotten? I am a local gentryman—and your stepfather! According to proper ritual, you should respect and honor me. Yet with this behavior, do you intend to defile filial piety and invite the condemnation of the whole world?”
At those words, Wen Zhuo leaned toward him slightly and gave him a contemptuous smile. Then, all at once, Wen Zhuo straightened and composed his expression, assuming the look of a profound thinker weighed down by deep concern.
He turned around and faced the onlookers. "I, as the director, have come to Liangping. Yet, within the Wen family's mansion, there are hordes of servants, and the carved beams and painted rafters still exude extravagance. My father and elder brother are dressed in fine silks, surrounded by concubines, and indulging in pleasure! Witnessing this scene, I feel extremely ashamed. I have failed to live up to my previous promise, let down the trust of the common people, and am unworthy of the words 'do everything in my power'!"
"You!" Wen Yingjing was so angry that his beard trembled. Wen Zhuo was clearly using the righteousness of disaster relief to portray himself as an honest official who cared about the common people, so as to gain the whole - hearted support of the people.
Those dull tenants had no idea that Wen Zhuo was actually using public office for private gain and taking the opportunity to retaliate against the Wen family!
Sure enough, as he expected, the on - looking common people were all deeply moved upon hearing this.
These kind - hearted people, who were always grateful for the slightest favors, had already forgotten their awe of the Wen family at this moment. With tears in their eyes, they bowed to Wen Zhuo: "We, the common people, thank Director Wen!"
An old man as thin as a stick, leaning on his walking stick, choked with sobs. "This... This is truly an official who regards the people as his own children! He doesn't even show favoritism to his own father and elder brother for the sake of us common people. Rare! Truly rare!"
Wen Zhuo's eyes were red. He quickly reached out his hand to support them in a gesture. "Everyone, please get up quickly. There's no need to bow to me!"
After comforting the people, he glanced at Wen Yingjing's ashen face and sneered. "I may not know how dishonest you are, but there's one place where you definitely can't hide."
While Wen Yingjing was still confused, he heard Wen Zhuo give an order. "Come here! Dismiss all the servants of the Wen family and send them back home. The gold - plated bricks, gold powder, and the carved wooden sacrificial vessels in the Wen family's ancestral hall are all of great value. Immediately chisel off the gold - plated bricks, scrape off the gold powder, and collect the sacrificial items. All of them will be used for disaster relief!"
Wen Yingjing never expected that Wen Zhuo would come up with such a brilliant move!
As soon as the words about destroying the ancestral hall to save the common people came out, not only did Wen Yingjing almost spit out a mouthful of blood, but the on - looking common people also gasped in shock.
In the Great Qian Dynasty, filial piety was highly respected, and the authority of the father was absolute. The ancestral hall was the resting place of the ancestors and was inviolable. As a descendant of the Wen family, Wen Zhuo was actually going to take action against the ancestral hall. This was simply a violation of human ethics and would surely bring divine retribution!
But for the sake of disaster relief, he was willing to bear such a bad reputation. How could the common people not be shocked and touched?
Just then, an old white - haired man suddenly pushed his way out of the crowd. He hunched his back, his beard quivering. He pointed at Wen Zhuo tremblingly and shouted sternly, "No! I will never allow it! Wen Zhuo, you are also a member of the Wen family. How dare you utter such words that go against the ancestors and show no respect for your father? I will fight to the death today to prevent you from touching the ancestral tablets even a little bit!"
This was the elder of the Wen family, who usually held a high position and was highly respected. Even Wen Yingjing would respectfully call him "uncle - in - law".
Having been immersed in clan etiquette and laws for decades, he naturally believed that as long as they were the younger generation of the Wen family, no matter what official positions they held, they should submit to him and follow his words. So he dared to jump out and openly accuse Wen Zhuo.
As soon as the elder spoke up, the on - looking Wen family clan members immediately gained confidence and echoed one after another. "That's right! Disturbing the ancestors is an unforgivable crime! If you want to move the ancestral hall today, you'll have to step over our dead bodies!"
Seeing that the clan members were all supporting them, Wen Ze was overjoyed. He leaned over to Wen Yingjing and whispered excitedly, "Father! The elders and clan members are here. Wen Zhuo won't dare to act recklessly!"
A faint smile finally appeared on Wen Yingjing's tense face. Wen Zhuo, you are really bold enough to have your eye on the ancestral hall. This is going against the entire Wen family clan and the ancestors, and you will surely be isolated and unsupported!
However, Wen Zhuo calmly scanned all the Wen family clan members and suddenly agreed. "Fine, then I'll step over your dead bodies! Anyone who dares to stop me today is obstructing the emperor's policy to save the people. If you resist further, it means you have the intention of rebellion. If one person rebels, the whole family will be executed without mercy! Today, to save the common people from the fire and water and protect them from danger, even if I have to bear the name of being unfilial, I am willing to take it all on myself."
The Wen family elder was instantly stunned, and the clan members looked at each other in dismay. They didn't expect that Wen Zhuo would really be so ruthless and even give them the label of rebellion!
Looking around again, the common people were all glaring at them angrily, and not a single person spoke up in support.
Under normal circumstances, these common people, who were deeply influenced by feudal etiquette and laws, might have sided with the clan. But now, with the people living in dire straits, Wen Zhuo was the one who gave them a way out.
At this moment, they even wished they could follow the government officials and arrest all these gentry and wealthy families who only cared about the clan's private interests and ignored the people's lives!
Upon receiving the order, the government officials rushed towards the Wen family's ancestral hall like wolves and tigers. The elder, who had just been stubbornly blocking the way, was bumped by the leading official and staggered back two steps. His lips were trembling, and he didn't dare to say a single scolding word.
"Oh, ancestors, open your eyes! It's not that we are unfilial. It's just that... we can't survive!"
The Wen family members wailed, with every sentence mentioning "filial piety", but none of them really dared to rush towards the blades of the government officials and die on the spot.
Wen Ze was kneeling on the ground, his heart like a ball rolling in boiling water, extremely uneasy. He looked in the direction of the ancestral hall, his voice trembling. "He dares, he really dares..."
"Dares what?"
A cold voice suddenly sounded. Wen Zhuo slowly turned around, and his clear and sharp eyes stared directly at Wen Ze.
Wen Ze felt as if a poisonous snake was spitting out its forked tongue at him. His blood seemed to freeze, and his legs couldn't help but tremble.
"I..."
Seeing his outwardly strong but inwardly weak appearance, a soft chuckle came from Wen Zhuo's throat.
When Wen Ze looked at that enchanting face again, he didn't feel the slightest bit of infatuation. Instead, a sense of fear welled up from the bottom of his heart, and he felt extremely creepy.
He knew too well that when Wen Zhuo smiled, it meant he was going to torture the Wen family again.
Sure enough, Wen Zhuo opened his mouth and said mercilessly, "I've said before that for every day's delay, one person from the Wen family will have to die to atone for the sin. This promise is a heavy one and must be fulfilled. Today, then..."
Just as he was halfway through his words, the clan members who had come earlier to "support" them were like mice seeing a cat. They instantly lost the arrogance of the great clan and rushed away in a hurry, pushing aside the on - looking common people. They didn't even dare to look back.
Wen Ze also wanted to run, but the government official's hand was like an iron clamp, twisting his arm. He could only watch helplessly as the clan members ran away.
Despair gradually gnawed at his flesh and blood. At this moment, every breath and every glance of Wen Zhuo was like a countdown on the execution ground. The feeling of waiting for death was too painful. He didn't know when the execution sign would fall and he would be splashed with blood on the spot.
Suddenly, a warm current flowed down between his legs. Wen Ze's body froze, and a humiliating chill shot straight to the top of his head. His whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
After enjoying Wen Ze's embarrassing situation enough, Wen Zhuo was extremely disgusted. He closed his palm, letting the small piece of ambergris press against his palm.
He slowly turned to Wen Xu beside him, hooked his fingers slightly, and said coldly, "Bring him out!"
"Me? Me?"
Wen Xu suddenly looked up. His broken arm hadn't been set yet, and his face was now bruised and his cheekbones were prominent. At this moment, he looked no different from a ghost.
Seeing Wen Zhuo pointing at him, his mind buzzed. He stared blankly, and it took him a long time to react. "You want to kill me? How can you kill me!"
"What makes you any different?" Wen Zhuo sneered. "Weren't you quite arrogant when you killed someone in front of the Qixian Residence? And you've had your fair share of the Bone-Piercing Fragrance transformed from that old man's daughter, haven't you?"
Wen Xu's whole body flushed with fear, and in an instant, cold sweat soaked through his inner clothes. He saw the undisguised killing intent in Wen Zhuo's eyes, a complete indifference as if he were just an ant that could be casually crushed.
Suddenly, he roared like a madman, "Mother! He's going to kill me! Mother! Come and save me. I don't want to die!"
It was at this moment that Shen Zheng arrived.
He reined in his horse. From afar, he heard Wen Xu's desperate scream, so shrill that it almost tore through his eardrums.
In modern society, such fear and despair on the brink of death were almost unheard of. Shen Zheng wasn't quite used to it, but he also knew that this man deserved his fate.
He didn't rush forward to disturb Wen Zhuo. Instead, he just frowned slightly, standing in the crowd, his gaze fixed intently on that bold and determined figure in bright red.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd, and a path was cleared. A woman staggered out.
She was wearing a fine woolen jacket. The hairpins and jewelry by her temples jingled. There was a little dust on her apricot-colored silk skirt. Amid the surrounding sighs, she rushed straight in front of Wen Xu.
This woman was no longer young, but she had an extremely beautiful appearance. It seemed that time had been especially kind to her, leaving not a single wrinkle on her face. Only her pair of glistening eyes were now filled with an inexpressible sadness.
She was slender and frail, but she tried her best to separate the government officials. Then she turned around and knelt on the ground, her fingertips clutching the corner of Wen Zhuo's robe. But she didn't dare to look up at him. She just begged mournfully, "My lord, I still have half of my family fortune. I'm willing to offer it all. Please, my lord, show mercy and spare Wen Xu's life!"
Wen Zhuo almost froze instantly, as if his whole body had rusted and he couldn't move a single bit.
"Mother! You've finally come!" Seeing this, Wen Xu was relieved as if he'd been granted amnesty. Most of his previous fear faded away instantly. He wiped his tears and snot messily on his clothes with a crooked body. Like a puppy relying on its master's power, he stuck out his neck and barked at Wen Zhuo, "How dare you make my mother kneel to you! You're a traitor. Release me quickly!"
"Shut up!" Lin Yingniang slightly frowned her willow-leaf eyebrows, her tone full of helplessness and exhaustion.
Wen Zhuo's gaze was firmly fixed on Lin Yingniang, who was protecting Wen Xu. After several years... no, for him, it had been two lifetimes.
Lin Yingniang was still the same as in his childhood memory, vulnerable and pitiful, like a warbler trapped in a net, only able to sing mournfully.
But today she had come to plead for Wen Xu.
Wen Zhuo's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed several times before he managed to squeeze out a voice. Looking down at her, he asked, "You're pleading with me. On what grounds do you plead?"
Hearing this, Lin Yingniang trembled all over, and tears rolled down onto her warm jacket, soaking a dark patch.
The strength in her hands became even more stubborn, and her fingertips turned white from clutching. "...Zhuo'er."
After this call, she couldn't say another word. Only endless sadness bent her back.
Wen Zhuo slowly squatted down. He didn't want to see her kneeling humbly and hiding her face. He wanted her to look at him and speak clearly.
"What do you think you can get from me?"
Lin Yingniang looked up at Wen Zhuo, who had already shed his childishness, her eyes full of pity and guilt.
She shook her head with difficulty. "I don't ask to get anything from you, my lord. It's all my fault. Please spare Wen Xu..."
Wen Zhuo gave a cold laugh and said cruelly, "The only reason you dare to plead with me is that you think I'll be soft-hearted, that I'll care about that thin mother-son affection. So you'd rather make me lose the trust of the people than force me to show mercy."
"No! No... Zhuo'er, back then I... I was just helpless!" Lin Yingniang choked with sobs emotionally. She really wanted to raise her hand to touch Wen Zhuo's face. Her fingertips came over cautiously and timidly. "Mother has actually always missed you very much..."
She really didn't want to see her two biological sons end up in a situation where they fought against each other.
But Wen Zhuo suddenly turned his head, avoiding her touch.
Helpless, having no other choice... It seemed that all those who had abandoned him in the world had absolutely compelling reasons.
Then when he accepted it, they all put on a show of deep affection, telling their own sufferings, but dragging his emotions into the abyss again and again.
Lin Yingniang's fingertips froze in mid-air. The little courage that had just ignited instantly vanished like smoke. She timidly curled her fingers.
A strange sense of pleasure suddenly arose in Wen Zhuo's heart. It stabbed himself bloody and also made the other person extremely painful.
But it was just right like this. Having reached this point, with the collapse of his obsession, no one would end up well.
A vicious smile tugged at his lips. "What if it's precisely because of you that I have to kill him?"
Wen Xu's face instantly turned as pale as paper. He never expected that Wen Zhuo wouldn't even give his mother face. Immediately he wailed, "Mother, I don't want to die! You... you quickly say something!"
Lin Yingniang could only lie on the ground and plead, "Zhuo'er, after all, he's your own brother..."
Wen Zhuo didn't want to be entangled by these false tears anymore. He suddenly grabbed Lin Yingniang's wrist and flung her away forcefully. Then he suddenly stood up, drew out the sabre from the waist of the guard beside him, and with a flash of the blade, he was about to end Wen Xu's life.
Even though he was just a gentle scholar, at this moment, with the fire of anger burning and the new and old grudges intertwined, he was much stronger than Lin Yingniang.
Lin Yingniang was flung to the ground, and Wen Xu behind her was instantly exposed under the blade.
Seeing that the shiny blade tip was about to cut through Wen Xu's throat, Lin Yingniang closed her eyes and shouted with all her might, "I have an imperial edict personally issued by the emperor!"
The blade suddenly stopped, just barely hovering at Wen Xu's throat.
Wen Zhuo stiffly turned his head, his eyes full of disbelief, as if he didn't understand the meaning of the word "imperial edict".
Lin Yingniang trembled as she took out a roll of bright yellow silk from her bosom. There was clearly the Seal of Imperial Edict on it, stamped with the emperor's seal.
Wen Zhuo was greatly shocked. He had no idea when Emperor Shunyuan had granted Lin Yingniang an imperial edict!
According to the law, a woman with an imperial edict pleading for someone could have the case upgraded and transferred to the Supreme Court for review, so as to avoid the person being casually sentenced to death by local officials.
Wen Xu was unforgivable, but because of Lin Yingniang's imperial edict, at least for now, Wen Zhuo couldn't kill him.
The sabre slipped from Wen Zhuo's hand and fell to the ground with a "clang", emitting a mournful humming sound.
In the crowd, Shen Zheng clearly saw Wen Zhuo's body trembling uncontrollably, like a leaf being torn by the fierce autumn wind, falling alone towards the abyss of doom.
