Chapter 26: Killing Twenty-One People

"Do it."

None of the soldiers who had once served under Meng Sixing had hands that were not stained with blood.

Yang Zheng called for a few nearby soldiers and executed the twenty-one people on the spot.

Splattering hot blood struck the falling snowflakes, and heads fell onto the snow.

The corpses hit the ground with a dull thud.

Yu Youcai covered his daughter's eyes, his own heart racing with terror.

The group standing closer screamed out loud, turning their backs and huddling together in a mass.

This was the reality of officials; in the eyes of those in power, commoners like them were no different from stray dogs on the road. Whether they lived or died was merely a matter of a single word from an official.

The darkness of night concealed the horrific scene, yet the heavy scent of blood stimulated everyone's nerves.

"Lord Meng." Chu Mufeng had brought the grain cart back. Having heard that Meng Changqing intended to kill people, he had specifically come to check on the situation, only to arrive after the killings were already finished.

The soldiers wiped the blood from their blades, sheathed them, and began moving the bodies.

"Wait." Meng Changqing stepped forward. "I want to inspect them."

Only after confirming that every single one was decapitated did she allow the soldiers to carry them away.

Meng Changqing walked up to the commoners and shouted loudly, "Do not pity them! Everyone must die; it is only a matter of time. If we let them go tonight, you will be the ones dying in the future!

Their deaths are better than yours.

Don't just stand there dazed! Those who should sleep, sleep; those who should work, work!"

"Young Master." Bafang held his horse, watching Meng Changqing walk past him, but he did not dare to follow.

Laicai ran over from the Wen family's side, glared at Bafang, and followed Meng Changqing into the yamen's underground tunnel.

"Young Master." Laicai caught up to the tunnel and saw his young master lighting a charcoal brazier. He stepped forward to take over the task from Meng Changqing's hands. "Young Master, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I wasn't the one who died, and I wasn't the one who did it." Meng Changqing wrapped her cloak tightly around her. "I need to go out and tell Constable Li."

"Young Master..." Laicai turned back, seeing only the swaying door curtain.

With a few strides, Meng Changqing returned to the surface. Using the light from several campfires, she found the two shifts of yamen runners gathered around a large bonfire.

"Lord Meng." Li Ting and the other runners immediately stood up upon seeing Meng Changqing approach.

"Sit, everyone, sit down and talk. You've worked hard delivering the grain. This place is a wilderness, and the shelter we built to block the snow is extremely crude." As Meng Changqing spoke, she set up an iron pot. "I apologize for making you rest in such conditions."

"Lord Meng, what are you saying?" Li Ting did not know what she was setting the pot up for, but habitually stepped in to help. "Conditions in Beishan County are harsh, and it hasn't been easy for you either. We will just warm ourselves by the fire and leave at dawn."

"What is the Lord doing with the pot?" one of the runners asked.

Meng Changqing: "There is nothing much to offer, just please have a bowl of hot porridge."

"That won't do." Li Ting pressed a hand down on the rice bag. "I know your grain is limited; we have our own salaries issued by the prefectural government."

"Indeed, Lord Meng, some hot water will suffice for us."

Meng Changqing stubbornly opened the bag. "The grain is scarce, but there is plenty in these two handfuls of rice. It is almost the fifth watch, the hardest time to endure. Only with food in your bellies can you withstand the cold at this hour. My brothers in the Imperial Guard and I also need to eat."

She added water and rice and covered the pot with a lid.

Meng Changqing then began to tell Li Ting about the killings that had just occurred.

"I must trouble Constable Li to return and report this matter to the Prefect.

The crime they committed originally should not have been punishable by death. Logically, it would have been best if I had handed them over to you to be taken back to the yamen prison.

However, it is over twenty li from here to the walls of Yangmen County. There is no guarantee they wouldn't be rescued by the people in the mountains. I fear if they do not return for a long time, those watching from the treacherous mountains will notice.

Once they are discovered, if those people are in your hands, you might also be in danger.

I have killed these people. If the Prefect holds a grudge, I will personally go to his door to accept punishment."

Li Ting said, "Rest assured, Lord Meng. I will explain the circumstances clearly to the Prefect."

The water in the pot boiled, and the few grains of rice tumbled within.

"Bafang, how is it over there? I heard the Young Master talking about death and killing. What exactly did the Young Master do with those people?" Liang Jiuqiu asked.

"Killed them."

"Killed them all?" Lady Wen asked.

Bafang nodded. "I took a look from a distance; it was quite terrifying. The Young Master even went over and checked them one by one."

Liang Jiuqiu suddenly didn't even dare to breathe loudly, let alone look back. Lady Wen rubbed her back and asked Bafang, "And what about the Young Master?"

"The Young Master is talking to the runners."

Lady Wen nodded. "She indeed needs to make things clear with the runners. Go and accompany the Young Master."

Lady Wen helped Liang Jiuqiu back to their resting tunnel. "It is warmer inside." Seeing Liang Jiuqiu sitting stiffly on the bedding, she advised, "Changqing did nothing wrong. If even one of them had escaped, the people in the mountains would know the layout of the camp's guard, and we would all face death in the future.

Furthermore, since those people drew their blades on us first, they should have known that blades can also fall upon their own necks."

"Madam, I don't care about those people. I'm just afraid Changqing was frightened. In the past, she wouldn't even look when we killed a chicken in the manor." Having said that, Liang Jiuqiu prepared to stand up. "I must go check on Changqing."

Lady Wen held her back. "She is talking to the runners; we cannot make her lose face. We will talk once the runners leave at dawn."

The so-called "five hundred li urgent delivery" meant that the official documents sent had to cover five hundred li within a single day and night.

During this time, if a horse could not hold out, it could be swapped; if a courier could not hold out, they could be swapped with the courier from the next station, but the distance covered by the documents had to be met.

Liaozhou City was over two thousand four hundred li from the capital. Even with the five hundred li urgent delivery, the documents would still take five days on the road.

At dawn on the fifth day, Meng Changqing saw off the runners and prepared to return to her own pit to rest for a while.

But as she walked, her mind began calculating the time.

Finally, she just sat on the steps by the tunnel, thinking: this news would take ten days to travel back and forth. Fortunately, the two months she mentioned did not start counting from now.

The Jie Wan's strike against the Yan Kingdom was for the sake of seizing food; it was impossible for food to appear immediately after winter passed. They would have to wait for the temperature to rise, for tender leaves to sprout, and for wild animals to forage.

When Liang Jiuqiu came to find Meng Changqing, she accidentally stepped on Meng Changqing's back.

"Why are you sitting here?" Liang Jiuqiu crouched down and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, gave her a hug. "Don't be afraid, Mother is here. Look at your eyes, they are full of bloodshot veins. Mother will accompany you to sleep for a while."

"Mother, I'm not afraid."

"Even if you aren't afraid, you must sleep for a bit. You haven't closed your eyes for a whole day and night."

On the ninth day, just as the Emperor finished his morning court session, Eunuch Qian of the Imperial Presence noticed a small movement from Wei Zhishan, the Commander of the Imperial Guard.

This meant the secret report had arrived.

Eunuch Qian followed Commander Wei into a secluded area. "Eunuch, this is the tenth letter from Liaozhou."

"The tenth?" Eunuch Qian asked back. "What about the previous ones?"

"You may not know, but according to the courier, this letter was sent into the capital along with the urgent official documents from the Prefect of Liaozhou."

Eunuch Qian felt suspicious. "Lord Wei, is there anything wrong with the envelope?"

"There are no errors, and I can confirm the handwriting is Mufeng's; there are no signs of forgery."

"In that case, there must be an urgent matter. I shall present this to His Majesty immediately."

(End of Chapter)