spoiled brat

Chapter 84, Section 83: The Lost Boat (Part 3)

Why bother leading the guards forward? These dozen or so men, though strong and unruly, couldn't withstand more than a few moves from a proper soldier. They were firmly suppressed, and all their strange weapons and farm tools were confiscated.

The burly man at the head of the group was indignant and roared at Xiu Yi, "You even said you were here to seek justice for us! What's the difference between you and those government soldiers?!"

Xiu Yi was too lazy to argue, so he left them where they were and led them inside.

In the valley, the morning mist had dissipated, revealing a dozen or so simple, low houses and a few roughly cultivated fields at the deepest part. It was broad daylight, yet there was no one in sight; all was quiet except for the occasional bark of a dog.

Xiu Yi looked around, his expression turning cold, and ordered the guards to search for people. Zhao Zhao also frowned; this small settlement didn't seem capable of supporting a hundred or so people. Despite the bright sunshine, it exuded a sinister atmosphere.

A thought flashed through her mind, and a chill ran through her body. She stared blankly at Xiu Yi: "This group of people..."

Before she could finish speaking, He Bi, who had been searching the low house, jumped out and cursed, "Heartless!" as if he had seen something disgusting. Immediately afterward, the guards led a group of gagged old men and women out of the low house he had come from.

These old men were a world apart from the dozen or so men. They were poorly clothed, emaciated, and covered in sores and wounds. Upon seeing the soldiers, they were not afraid. Tears welled in their dim, yellowed eyes as they cried, "Your Honor, the righteous Lord, has finally come to save us..."

Then, the guards led out women and children from other low houses. Their situation was slightly better than the old man's, but they were all timid and listless, silent and afraid to speak.

Zhao Zhao gestured to the group of people and said to Xiu Yi, "There are too few elderly people and too many women. I'm afraid it's—"

“Girl…” Zhao Zhao’s gaze followed the voice downwards, and she saw a woman in her twenties or thirties kneeling in front of her horse, crying mournfully, “…I was originally a farmer at the foot of the mountain. One day, when I went out, I heard a child crying in the woods.”

As she spoke, the woman pointed to a little boy in the crowd: "I approached and saw that he was so young, yet all alone in the wilderness, and I couldn't help but feel pity for him, so I agreed to take him home. Who would have thought that this child would lead me into the mountains, and we would wander further and further away from the right path! I gradually became suspicious and was about to turn back when several men jumped out from behind, knocked me unconscious, and kidnapped me to this dark and sunless place!"

Despite her injuries, Zhao Zhao dismounted and helped the kneeling woman up, asking, "How many others like you have been tricked into coming here?"

Upon hearing this, the women in the group started crying and cursing, all complaining about their grievances, and nothing could be heard clearly anymore.

At this point, the last few low houses were also searched, and the guards carried out more than a dozen baskets of things, including men's and women's clothes and shoes of different styles and colors, paper, pens and books used by scholars, and tools and materials used by farmers and fishermen... There were a lot of things, but they should never have been found in this isolated place.

Why get so angry and indignant, exclaiming, "These people have hidden in the mountains and become bandits!"

A gaunt old man stood up from the ground and said in a hoarse voice, "...Sir, the only ones who did the wrong thing were those dozen or so people outside. We were all forced into it."

It turns out that this group of people were indeed the Shihu and Linhu who had escaped death and fled into the deep valley with the help of Shi Gang.

At first, everyone was a poor soul sharing the same boat, relying on Wang Liuer's money and Shi Gang's farm tools and utensils to take root and sprout in the mountains.

Later, Shi Gang, who was being hunted down, had no time to spare and could not deliver supplies to the small settlement as often. The people also began to quarrel over the distribution of hunting, from cursing to beating to killing each other, like mice biting each other in a rice jar. In order to survive, they threw ethics and morality to the back of their minds.

Gradually, the small settlement came under the control of a dozen or so young and strong men, who gained power—the same power as the corrupt officials they cursed.

They ordered elderly men without sons to work, forcibly took women who were helpless, and as for disobedient children... Later, this group of men had other evil intentions, luring outsiders into the valley to commit murder and robbery.

Wang Liuer, far away in Yunzhou City, was unaware of the filth and sins of this place. Foolishly, she sold herself to earn money so that Shi Gang could buy food and supplies to send into the valley. Shi Gang tried every means to evade the search and transport the supplies to the entrance of the valley. The men in charge would go out to receive the goods with smiles, calling him "Benefactor Shi" repeatedly, but they never allowed him to go into the village.

Zhao Zhao felt a chill run down her spine. What would Wang Liuer and Shi Gang think if they knew that the person they had saved had turned out like this?
"Bring them in," Xiu Yi said.

"Yes!"

Why did He Bi lead his guards to kick and shove the group of men in? Their misdeeds exposed, they showed no shame whatsoever. The burly leader knelt before Xiu Yi's horse, shamelessly saying, "Sir, now that everyone's here, we can talk..."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of silver light appeared before his eyes. The burly man's mouth was still open when Xiu Yi's knife sliced ​​across his throat. With a thud, his head fell to the ground, his eyes still full of confusion as he stared blankly at Xiu Yi.

Once the blood on the blade had dried, Xiu Yi sheathed his sword and said to He Bi, "Kill them all."

The remaining dozen or so men were executed one by one. Cries of injustice rose from the crowd; these were the men's parents and wives, who had often bullied and oppressed them. Just as He Bi was about to ask Xiu Yi how to deal with them, whether to kill them or not, the elderly and women who had been oppressed overwhelmed them.

Cries, shouts, fighting crowds, fallen corpses... all the crimson and filthy things, gleaming brightly in the blinding sunlight, fell into Zhao Zhao's eyes.

She watched coldly, feeling a tightness in her chest, unable to tell whether it was disgust or sorrow.

-

The city has been in chaos lately. First, two groups of soldiers entered the city and trampled people to death, and then the prefect was assassinated. Before the people could recover from the shock, at sunrise that day, fiery clouds floated in the east, red with gold, a breathtaking sight.

Every household ran out into the street to watch, saying that the sun was really strong today, and that it was stirring up the clouds on the horizon, making them look like tigers and dragons fighting in the sky.

As the sun climbed to its zenith, a sudden, rumbling sound echoed from the east of the city, and dozens of fireworks shot into the sky, exploding in the red clouds with a series of pops, revealing no brilliance whatsoever. The people were wondering which wealthy household was wasting things when they saw a large group of firefighters pushing water cannons towards the Xu residence.

It turns out that what's on the horizon isn't a fiery sunset, but the Xu mansion burning brightly; and what's battling in the sky isn't a dragon and tiger made of clouds, but a nobleman whose head and tail are nowhere to be seen.

From afar, Zhao Zhao could see red clouds floating over Yunzhou City, the sky seeming to drip blood—a bad omen. The refugees in the carts also saw it. They clung to the edges of the carts, as timid as cattle being released from their stalls, and whispered to Zhao Zhao, "Miss... are you really from some...something...royal palace?"

When these people hid in the mountains, the Prince Ning's mansion had not yet moved there.

Zhao Zhao glanced at the figure ahead and nodded in agreement. The refugees were still worried: "Girl, we're about to enter the city. Those two young men are so young, can they guarantee our survival?"

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Zhao nodded.

The refugees, having just escaped a den of wolves and tigers, were somewhat apprehensive: "...What were we being led to do again?"

"Go to the government office, see the judge, and sue whoever has oppressed you."

Upon hearing this, the refugees looked fearful: "You want us to personally appear in court?"

Zhao Zhao hadn't expected their reaction: "You are witnesses, so naturally you should go to court."

As soon as these words were spoken, a woman carrying a child jumped out of the cart, fell to the ground, and made the child cry loudly. Without caring about anything else, she got up and ran away, disappearing in a flash.

Zhao Zhao was stunned, as were the guards standing on either side. They didn't understand the woman's thoughts, but the other refugees did. They crawled out of the wagons, ready to scatter like birds and beasts. The guards surrounded the refugees, preventing them from leaving. The refugees huddled together, sitting on the spot and weeping bitterly.

Xiu Yi and He Bi, who were leading the way, rode back. When the refugees saw them, they stopped crying and pleaded in unison, "Sir, let us go! We can't get involved in your high-ranking officials' affairs!"

Why are you frowning so deeply? "Your family was destroyed, and you had to hide in the mountains to escape the pursuit. Wasn't that all thanks to those corrupt officials? Now that someone is backing you up, how come it's the other way around?"

The refugees voiced their concerns, their main fear being used and discarded. Why bother with explanations and promises? The refugees remained afraid. He angrily questioned, "Don't you know that Xu Feng put your family members' corpses in jars, performed rituals, and buried them in the dike as living stakes? If you don't come forward to protest, how will the bones beneath the dike see the light of day again? How will that beast Xu be punished?"

Upon hearing this, the refugees turned pale and then knelt down to beg for mercy: "Sir, how dare we identify Lord Xu? He has connections in the court and countless followers. If we offend him, we don't know how much trouble we'll get into! Can you protect us for a while, or for a lifetime? Even the midday sun doesn't shine on every place!"

She started sobbing again: "As for our family members who died tragically, we have no way to help them! Digging up their remains would require breaching the dike and undertaking such a massive project. Will the tens of thousands of people on both sides of the river agree to that? They'll think we're being nosy and want to tear us apart. We're all ordinary people on both sides, so who will you help? No matter what, we can't live like human beings here anymore, we can't stay here any longer!"

Finally, he kowtowed repeatedly to Xiu Yi, saying, "Sir, we are grateful for your rescue, but we have escaped death several times and barely managed to save our lives. We don't want to jump into the fire again!"

After working hard for half a month, this is how it ended. Why feel sorry for yourself and for Xiu Yi? He felt a pang of sadness and wanted to ask Xiu Yi what to do, but before he could speak, a frail figure walked out and stood up straight.

"I know you're all scared and don't want to get involved in this mess." Zhao Zhao said loudly, ignoring the pleading looks on everyone's faces, "Who has been quietly helping you? Before you were forced into banditry, where did you get your farm tools, clothes, and seeds?"

The refugees asked in confusion, "Isn't that Shi Dashan?"

"He is indeed a kind man, but where would a rebel soldier being hunted down get the money to buy so many things?"

"That was..." The refugees looked at Zhao Zhao, wondering who had come to her rescue. Was it these two military officers? Or some prince? Or some high-ranking official with a sense of justice?

Zhao Zhao gave a cold laugh: "She's a prostitute. She's using her own money to support you!"

The incident caused a huge uproar. The refugees were stunned, looking at each other in disbelief.

"Her name is Wang Liuer. Her family was originally from the forestry household. Like you, they suffered a wrongful death. Her mother was beaten to death in the government office, and her father led you there to file a complaint—"

Before he could finish speaking, someone exclaimed in shock, "Is she Old Wang's daughter?"

Among the villagers were many acquaintances. Some thought Wang Liuer was already dead, some couldn't believe that someone as proud as her would become a prostitute, and some were curious why she did good deeds in silence without saying a word... A sense of embarrassment and shame filled the air, choking them into silence. After a long while, someone finally asked Zhao Zhao, "Where is she now?"

Zhao Zhao remained silent. The others assumed that Wang Liuer was still working as a prostitute and said, "Young lady, is she in a brothel or a brothel? Although we are afraid of the officials, we are not without conscience. She helped us, and we cannot forget to repay this kindness... If dozens of people pool their money, we can redeem her sooner or later."

Everyone chimed in with their own words, but Zhao Zhao remained silent. Only after she had accumulated enough guilt and gratitude did she take out the purse that Shi Gang had given her from her bosom and say, her words sharp as knives, "Shi Gang is dead."

Silence, a cold, rigid silence.

Zhao Zhao continued, "Before he died, he gave me this purse. Can you guess what's inside?"

Suppressed sobs began to rise from the crowd. An old man, wiping away tears, asked Zhao Zhao, "...Girl, what did your benefactor give you?"

“This wasn’t given to me by Shi Gang,” Zhao Zhao said softly. “It was Wang Liuer and Shi Gang who asked me to bring it to you.”

All eyes were on the purse in Zhao Zhao's hand. It was so small. Could it contain a letter? Was it a request to avenge them, or a confession of some unfulfilled wish in this life?

Zhao Zhao opened her purse and took out a stack of paper-like things. They thought she would read them aloud in front of everyone, but to their surprise, she waved her hand and scattered them. The papers fell like snowflakes, landing on their heads, hands, and feet... Someone picked them up and exclaimed, "They're silver notes!"

It was indeed silver notes, some a few taels, some tens of taels, in small amounts—all the money Wang Liuer had earned from selling herself. To make up for her guilt in dragging Zhao Zhao into this mess, she gave all her savings to Zhao Zhao. Zhao Zhao, in her kindness, lied to everyone: "This is the money Sister Liuer left for you."

"...Stay?" Everyone noticed this ominous word. "Where is she right now?"

"Sister Liu'er..." Zhao Zhao's eyes reddened, unable to distinguish between feigned emotion and genuine worry. "She's suffering torture in prison..."

The crowd gathered around, asking anxiously, "What did she do wrong? Why are those corrupt officials interrogating her?!"

With tears in her eyes, Zhao Zhao looked at everyone and began to tell her story: “When you fled into the mountains, she went into hiding and became a prostitute. She gave all the money she earned to Shi Gang so that he could exchange it for food and utensils to send to everyone.”

At this moment, an old man, his face flushed with embarrassment, asked, "Why has En Gong never said this?"

Zhao Zhao continued her fabrication: "Sister Liu'er forbade us to say it, because she was afraid you would feel unworthy. You are all kind-hearted people, and if you were to do something risky for her sake, it would go against her original intention."

Given their predicament at the time, even if they had known, they wouldn't have done anything for her. Everyone lowered their heads in shame.

“A few days ago, the authorities arrested Shi Gang and interrogated him about your whereabouts. Shi Gang refused to answer and risked his life to protect your whereabouts.”

The main event arrived, and Zhao Zhao cried even more bitterly, wiping away her tears as she said, "But those corrupt officials followed Shi Gang's trail and found Sister Liu'er, arresting her and torturing her to extract a confession. Before she was arrested, Sister Liu'er told me to tell everyone to live well, and one day her innocence will be cleared..."

After he finished speaking, everyone present was moved to tears. Shi Gang had already died for them, and Wang Liuer was still being tortured for them. The sunlight shining on them seemed to have gained weight, trampling on their consciences.

He Bi stared in disbelief and whispered to Xiu Yi, "This girl is such a good liar."

While everyone was still crying, an elderly woman came out shakily and tightly grasped Zhao Zhao's hand: "Girl," her voice was old and hoarse, "please take me to the court to file a complaint, or... the Wang family girl will be gone."

If those corrupt officials who persecuted them could be brought down, wouldn't Wang Liuer's crimes be cleared?
What was originally a plea for justice for herself was transformed by Zhao Zhao into saving her savior from dire straits. Her gaze swept over the crowd, and several older women stood up, saying with a death-defying spirit, "We have no land, no family, and our worthless lives are nothing to be ashamed of! We originally thought we could just eke out a living, but even though Wang's girl has fallen into prostitution, she hasn't forgotten us. Now that she's being tortured, how can we just ignore her?"

The dry tinder caught a spark, and more people stood up one after another: "That's right! Those corrupt officials ruined our families and killed us. They keep chasing us until we're dead! If we don't run, we'll die, and if we run, we might not survive. We might as well fight them!"

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation, but some were also worried about their future. At this moment, Zhao Zhao raised her hand and pointed to Xiu Yi on horseback:
"You just need to testify, and there's nothing else to fear. Those corrupt officials are no match for him."

Everyone followed Zhao Zhao's gaze to Xiu Yi, who was dressed in simple casual clothes but exuded an air of nobility: "And this is..."

He Bi was very sensible. He immediately took out Xiu Yi's waist token, which was gilded with a python pattern and engraved with the character Ning. He loudly proclaimed, "My master is the only son of Prince Ning!"

Previously, no one had taken this matter seriously, but now, upon seeing the gleaming gold waist tag and hearing the deafening "Ning" in the name, they all knelt down in unison, bowing and kowtowing with a mixture of fear and trepidation, filling Xiu Yi's vision with a sea of ​​faces.

Xiu Yi disliked this scene, so he snatched the waist token from He Bi's hand and said, "Get up, everyone."

With old grudges, new grievances, and powerful backers, no one had any reason to cower any longer.

With her mission accomplished, Zhao Zhao wiped away her tears and walked up to Xiu Yi, asking, "Will they be used and then discarded?"

“As long as they appear in court to testify, whether the case succeeds or fails, they will all receive thirty acres of royal land,” Xiu Yi said. “As long as the Prince of Ning’s mansion exists, they will also be included.”

Wangtian has low taxes, making it a good place to go. Zhao Zhao smiled, opened her palm to reveal her empty purse: "This performance was a huge investment, three thousand taels. Will the young master compensate me?"

Xiu Yi looked at her red eyes, the tear stains on her face still wet, and the sorrow in her eyes vanished completely: "Pay up, pay up double."