History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 440 The Third Year of Jingming
"Wow—"

The five-colored eagle, having rendered great service, let out a proud cry and flew back towards the Wei army camp. As it flapped its wings, a feather from the eagle that had lost its battle with it drifted down from the sky and was picked up by a child. This was during the third year of the Jingming era of the Great Wei Dynasty.

The first day of the first lunar month.

Several Wei troops gathered in Nanyang Commandery and concentrated their forces to attack Qibo County in Qixing Commandery of the Xiao Liang Dynasty.

Bugles blared through the clouds, drums thundered, and the world seemed to change color. The first wave of Wei vanguard troops stirred up clouds of dust as they charged toward the city walls.

"kill--"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

On the city wall.

Liang Bing: "Fire the arrows—"

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows! Quick, fire more arrows!"

The Wei army stood in neat formation, like dark clouds approaching. One by one, the archers stepped forward and obeyed orders to shoot arrows at the Liang soldiers on the city wall, covering their comrades as they climbed the wall.

The Liang army's camp began to fall into disarray.

The chaos erupted so quickly because rumors of Magistrate Jiang's death had spread, and all the county government staff and military officers had absconded with their money. However, among the lower-ranking military officers, there were many loyal and brave men who commanded their troops with the determination to live and die with the people. Yet, their determination to defend the county town seemed so worthless in the face of overwhelming odds.

Liang Bing: "What should we do? We can't win at all! Those corrupt officials can run away, but why did they burn the bows and arrows and the grain?"

Military officer: "What's the use of saying all this? Forget it, let whoever wants to escape escape. I was born a Liang man, and I will die one! Anyone with the guts, come and fight me!"

Logs began to be thrown from the city wall. The bodies of civilians were discovered in the pile of logs. At that moment, no one had time to think and threw the bodies down as well.

The Wei soldiers who were climbing the city wall were hit by rolling logs.

From a distance, the scene of the siege was terrifying. Soldiers kept falling from the high ladders, crashing to the ground, some groaning, some falling silent. Then, more Wei soldiers were urged by orders to climb the ladders with their hands and feet, risking their lives.

Some Liang soldiers on higher ground were also hit by arrows and fell down, or fell to the ground below the city wall.

This is war; in the eyes of heaven and earth, humans are as insignificant as grass and ants.

At this moment, Liang Bing discovered that there were women among the Wei soldiers who rushed up the city wall. No matter when, people always have the despicable thought of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Liang Bing rushed to swing his sword, wanting to kill these female soldiers first. Little did he know that the female soldiers were not only as strong as the men, but also more agile.

Enraged, Zhao Zhi leaped onto the city wall. Her movements appeared light, but her strength was immense! With a single hook, she severed a Liang soldier's neck from his shoulder, blood spurting out. This hook, forged in Xiangzhou, had shattered the blade of a Liang sword upon impact!
Strike again, and the blade breaks!
A horrifying sound of something piercing through bone rang out, terrifying the surrounding Liang soldiers. Zhao Zhi hooked onto a Liang soldier's corpse, swung it for over ten feet, and the body was thrown into the city wall. Taking advantage of the enemy soldiers' momentary fear, Zhao Zhi ran towards the city gate.

Liang Jun's military officer realized what was happening and shouted, "Stop her!"

"She's going to open the city gates! Don't let that woman get near them!"

"Squeak—" The gate of the Luoyang Imperial Prison was pushed open, and the unpleasant smell of dirt and mildew hit us.

Four tall jailers led the way, with Wei Yao walking behind them. On either side of her were Gu Kai, Kou Meng, and Lu Gongzhi. Six more jailers followed behind, two of whom were pushing and shoving a convict along. The convict was none other than "Chai Lang," a wood seller in Wenyi Lane in the north of the city.

Chai Lang is an alias. His real name is Liu Huo. He is quite capable. In addition to pretending to be a wood seller in Wenyi Village, he also impersonates various old people, strong men, and even goddesses to perform illusions such as breathing fire and planting melons at bustling markets on auspicious days.

It wasn't easy for Gu Kai to capture this criminal; it was thanks to the cooperation of the prison officials of the Sizhou Prefecture. The officials stood outside a cell where the prisoner, named Lu Mu, was kept. He was a carpenter from a coffin shop in Cixiao Lane, west of the city. When Lu Mu was arrested, the prison officials found the body of Wu Lin, a missing servant from the fish market south of the city, at the coffin shop.

However, despite the evidence being presented to him, Lu Mu remained defiant and refused to confess the details of killing Wu Lin, no matter how the jailers tortured him.

Today, Liu Huo was caught. Wei Yao finally pieced together the complex series of murder cases that had been unfolding recently. So, she couldn't even spend the New Year with her family and rushed to the Imperial Prison to personally interrogate the two criminals.

This was the first time Wei Yao had seen the criminal since Lu Mu was arrested.

Lu Mu raised his face, which was covered with scars.

The prison guards visited several coffin shops in Cixiao Lane and learned that Lu Mu was disfigured in the twenty-first year of Taihe. The reason for the disfigurement was that he offended a wealthy household and was stabbed in the wood by the household's servants. He did not receive timely medical treatment. During that incident, Lu Mu's wife and daughter mysteriously disappeared and have not been found alive or dead to this day.

Lu Mu sneered, "I never thought that a carpenter like me would have the honor of meeting such a high-ranking official."

The jailer kicked him and yelled, "Behave yourself!"

Wei Yao waved her hand, signaling the jailers to spread out; Kou Meng alone was enough to protect her. She asked Lu Mu, "How did you know I was a high-ranking official?"

Lu Mu snorted, rolled his eyes, and then turned his face away without answering. This snort and eye roll infuriated the jailer; after several days of severe torture, this was Lu Mu's usual reaction.

Wei Yao wasn't angry and answered for him: "Because you've met high-ranking officials before. High-ranking officials, though they all have different appearances, their official demeanor is pretty much the same."

Lu Mu remained silent.

Wei Yao ordered the jailer to pin Liu Huo down and press his face under Lu Mu's eyelids.

Lu Mu showed a strange expression, as if he was wondering why a stranger was being pressed in front of him. However, the strangeness was fleeting, and then he snorted again, turning his face in the opposite direction from where Wei Yao was standing.

Liu Huo struggled a few times, but when he realized that it was no use, he calmed down.

Wei Yao, having a better understanding of the situation, asked Gu Kai, "Does the county office have the case file for Lu Mu's disfigurement?"

Gu Kai shook his head: "No, the case files in the prefectural and state offices don't have them either."

Lu Mu turned his face back and said loudly, "Officials protect each other, we don't need your fake kindness!"

Wei Yao stopped Gu Kai from getting angry. She sighed, echoing Lu Mu's words: "Yes, when I was a commoner, I also hated the officials protecting each other the most. If a bad official is a dark cloud, then bad officials who protect each other can cover up the sky and the sun. Your family's wrongful case happened in the twenty-first year of Taihe. The county magistrate has changed several times, so it is indeed difficult to investigate. But as long as I investigate, I will definitely be able to find the murderer who disfigured you and harmed your wife and daughter."

Lu Mu looked at her again and repeated in an even louder voice, "I don't need your fake kindness!" Then he gritted his teeth, making a grinding sound.

Those present who were observant could hear the change in Lu Mu's emotions.

Wei Yao: "Having risen to my position as an official, I have no need for feigned kindness. Lu Mu, how do you know that the souls of your wife and daughters are not waiting for the murderer to be executed? You can endure living with injustice, but can they endure being reincarnated with injustice?"

Lu Mu's breathing became heavier, and he glared angrily at Wei Yao, his eyes welling up with tears amidst his anger.

Wei Yao: "Lu Mu, did the mastermind who made you kill Wu Lin ever promise you that he would find your wife and daughter? Or that one day he would give you a chance to take revenge on the rich family that harmed you?"

As she spoke, she kept observing Liu Huo, who was lying on the ground. Liu Huo's reaction was the opposite of Lu Mu's; the more agitated the latter was, the calmer the former was.