The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 308 The Human Heart is the Best Lesson: The Growth of Liu Shan and Li Zhi
Meanwhile, Liu Shan and Li Zhi were strolling in the West Market of Ye City, and the two were talking.

Suddenly, they heard a wail coming from ahead, and the two children looked in the direction of the sound.

A group of soldiers were seen escorting a group of prisoners down the street.

They would often curse the prisoners, but if they were slow to move, they would be whipped.

The two children got up to look, and only when they got closer did they realize that these prisoners were actually more than thirty women and children.

They were disheveled, their chains jingling, and they looked utterly wretched.

The leading military academy officer held a thorn whip, the tip of which was soaked in blood.

A pregnant woman dressed in plain clothes stumbled and fell, her belly swollen like a drum, clearly indicating that she had been pregnant for quite some time.

Seeing that he was late, the military officer raised his whip and began to scold him:

"You lowly servant, run! Do you still have any desire to live?"

Having said that, he raised the whip and began to strike.

The woman let out a wail and fell to the ground, clutching her abdomen, tears streaming down her face.

Liu Shan was kind by nature and was quite taken aback by this scene.

He looked at the people around him and said:
“Heaven cherishes life, yet these soldiers mistreat women like this.”

How could I possibly do it?

"Even if it is the duty of the officers and soldiers, how can others bear to see this?"

A soldier's nature is to obey, there's no question about that.

However, the onlookers remained completely indifferent, showing no sympathy whatsoever.

This greatly surprised Liu Shan.

The rabbit dies and the fox grieves; creatures grieve for their own kind.

He felt uncomfortable just looking at it, let alone the people around him?
A woman nearby, having overheard Liu Shan's words, immediately became interested and leaned in to chime in:
"Young master, you're not from around here, are you?"

Liu Shan paused, then said:
“I am from Xuzhou, but my ancestral home is Zhuojun.”

"I guess I'm half a Hebei native."

"Hey, it's not surprising that you're not a native of Hebei."

The woman spoke with a standard Hebei accent, and her words carried an air of confidence.

After Liu Shan learned that the woman was a local, he asked:

"Auntie, do you know what crimes these people have committed?"

"Why are all the prisoners women, and one of them is pregnant?"

"How can you treat me like this?"

hiss……

The woman took a deep breath; she didn't seem quite sure why either.

He only spoke of what he knew, saying:
"I don't know exactly what crimes these people committed."

"But the Prime Minister has always been lenient and benevolent, and never wrongs anyone."

“These wretched women deserve this calamity.”

Just then, another woman who was buying groceries nearby overheard their conversation. She came over, eager to gossip, and chimed in:
"I heard that these wretches are relatives of wanted criminals."

“Those criminals were from the Sima clan of Hanoi, and they not only slandered and spread rumors about the Prime Minister.”

"They even intend to overthrow my Hebei regime!"

Liu Shan then asked, "What about those criminals?"

"I heard they were all killed by Hebei soldiers."

"The general in charge of carrying out the orders is none other than Wei Yan, the current magistrate of Ye City."

"Hey! I heard that Wei Yan was promoted and became the magistrate of Ye City after he carried out this task."

Since the capital of Hebei had been moved to Yecheng, the position of the magistrate of Yecheng was quite prestigious.

"And these women...?" Liu Shan then asked.

"Of course, we're also prepared to kill them."

Without hesitation, the woman replied, "The Sima family committed the grave crime of treason; how could their families escape punishment?"

“They should have been killed when we attacked Hanoi.”

"But the Prime Minister had a benevolent heart and spared their lives for a year."

"Now that the one-year period has come to an end, it is time for him to be killed."

This was all the information that all the people of Hebei, including this woman, knew about the Sima clan of Hanoi.

Of course, as we've said before.

The information that ordinary people receive is the information that the ruling class wants them to hear.

The truth always lies in the hands of the ruling class.

For example, when you go on an expedition, you might have 10,000 soldiers, but you can claim to have 100,000.

If you lose a battle, you can claim that you fought to a draw.

These are all just means to stabilize public opinion and consolidate their own rule.

The same applies to the Sima clan of Hanoi.

In fact, the crimes committed by the Sima clan were mainly two.

One accusation was that Li was spreading rumors and slander that he held absolute power in Hebei.

If successful, it could indeed overthrow the Hebei regime.

It is no exaggeration to say that the entire power structure of the State of Qi was built under the leadership of the Li family.

Once the Li family falls, it will inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions, potentially leading to the division of the State of Qi.

Therefore, this crime is the most serious.

The second crime was the Sima clan's stubborn resistance.

Originally, it was only stated that it was not targeting his collateral relatives.

However, the Sima clan not only refused to surrender, but also dared to fight back against the Hebei government troops.

This led Li Yi to issue an ultimatum: exterminate them all.

In fact, after Chen Dao and Wei Yan were criticized, they began to carry out the orders from higher-ups.

The entire Sima clan, young and old, was slaughtered.

Only some women remained.

These women were mostly wives and children of the Sima family, or wives and children of maids or servants.

There are three main reasons why they didn't kill him immediately.

First, women themselves don't have strong resistance and can't cause too much trouble.

So we can kill them later.

Secondly, the armies of the feudal era had their limitations.

The discipline of Liu Bei's army, which was so strict that it did not harass the people, was already a model for the times.

Are prisoners of war and wanted criminals not even allowed to be disturbed?
Even Liu Bei wouldn't prohibit this.

After all, "military prostitutes" were legal in this era, and even the Han Dynasty government included them in special legal provisions.

Third, generally speaking, criminals involved in major cases are usually left alive.

Because they were afraid that if they killed everyone, something might happen in the future, or other clues might be discovered.

To prevent a situation where one wants to follow the clues but finds no one to interrogate the perpetrator.

Therefore, some survivors are deliberately left alive.

So right now, you can see this group of Hebei soldiers escorting more than 30 women and children.

These women and children were all destined for execution or forced labor, meaning they had no value left in living.

Because whether one serves in the military or is executed, there is no possibility of survival.

It was simply a matter of executing them in batches.

Besides them, some family members of the wanted criminals are still imprisoned.

What happens next depends on the Court of Justice's interrogation and further investigation.

"Hmph, we can have plenty of food and clothing in Hebei."

"The food, clothing, and shelter were all provided by Prime Minister Li."

"These traitors actually slandered the Prime Minister and even tried to overthrow the government in Hebei."

"They deserve to die!"

The crowd quickly became agitated, and everyone pointed at the women and began to hurl insults.

I felt no sympathy for them whatsoever.

Liu Shan could not understand this.

After roughly figuring out the "truth," he looked up again.

Sure enough, they saw dozens of women, all with their hands bound by ropes, walking unsteadily.

Among them were two or three men with large bellies, pale faces, and unsteady gaits.

The military academy student glared angrily, cursing incessantly.
"You lowly servant, you've delayed our journey!"

Having said that, he raised his whip and lashed it out.

The woman let out a wail and fell to the ground.

Seeing this, Liu Shan became furious and finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Ignoring Li Zhi's attempts to stop him, he rushed forward, shoved the military officer aside, and angrily shouted:

"Stop! Don't bully people!"

Caught off guard, the military academy student staggered two steps before taking a closer look.

He was furious to find it was a young boy in fine clothes.
"Where did this little beast come from, daring to obstruct military affairs?"

Having said that, he lashed out with his whip at Liu Shan!
Li Zhi was greatly alarmed and rushed forward to block with his arm.

With a sharp crack, the whip lashed Li Zhi's arm, instantly tearing his skin and causing it to bleed.

Li Zhi gritted his teeth and endured the pain, but still turned to Liu Shan with concern and said:

"Is A Dou alright?"

Liu Shan shook his head and then asked Li Zhi, "Cousin, what about you?"

Li Zhi gritted his teeth and shook his head. "It's alright."

Although he said he was fine, his face was already pale with pain, and his back was covered in sweat.

The servant, seeing this, was so frightened that he stumbled over.

"Oh my! My little darling!!"

The servant knelt down at Li Zhi's feet, his gaze quickly sweeping over Li Zhi's entire body.

Are you injured?

"Oh dear, your hand, ouch!"

The servant was sweating profusely with anxiety. "You've been so reckless! How am I supposed to explain this to Madam Yuan when I get back?"

The servant let out a wail, his face showing utter despair.

Upon seeing the servant, the military officer raised his whip and cursed:
"Hey kid, are you the adult of these two naughty children?"

Upon hearing the military academy's call, the servant's anger erupted instantly.

"presumptuous!!!"

The servant straightened his back and roared like thunder.

"How dare you harm my young master! I'll have the mistress cut off your head!"

Do you know who we are?

The military academy officer never expected that a servant would be so arrogant.

The military academy student sneered:

“I don’t care who you are, I am a soldier of General Wei.”

"General Wei has ordered that anyone who obstructs military orders may be whipped!"

"I advise you to take these two unruly children and get out of here right now, otherwise I will accuse you of obstructing official business."

"Take them all and punish them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two burly soldiers from Hebei stepped forward, holding iron chains, intending to arrest everyone.

The servant was frustrated and had nowhere to vent his anger.

After all, he wouldn't dare vent his anger on the two children, so he's taking it out on you, the military academy student.

He then gave a light snort and coldly rebuked:

"Who is it? It turns out to be one of Wei Yan's soldiers."

"When Wei Yan saw my master, he still had to look at him with disdain."

"How dare you harm my master's eldest son?"

The military academy officer was furious and raised his whip to strike the student.

"How dare you, you brat, insult my general!"

Upon seeing this, Li Zhi hurriedly took out a jade seal from his bosom.

The three characters "Prime Minister's Residence" are engraved on it, shining brightly in the sunlight.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers' faces changed color, and they all knelt down.

The military academy officer, his face ashen, said in a trembling voice:
"...I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness, sir!"

"I hope you will forgive me, young master."

Hmph, now you know you're wrong?
The servant walked up to the military academy officer with his head held high, looked down at him, and said in a sarcastic tone:
"You have no idea how much my wife loves my young master."

"If she finds out that you were the one who hit her, do you think Wei Yanbao will be able to protect you?"

this! !

The military academy student was dumbfounded, his clothes soaked with sweat.

He was just a low-ranking military officer, and he never imagined that the young man in front of him would be the eldest son of the Prime Minister's family.

After all, given his status, we don't usually see him.

It was only his superior, Wei Yan, who could have known Li Zhi.

Sigh, I'm used to being arrogant, I never thought I'd run into a brick wall today.

The military academy officer had no choice but to pull the servant to a quiet place.

"Hey, buddy."

"We're all working for our own masters, why make things difficult for each other?"

The military officer took a bag of money from his pocket and stuffed it into the servant's hand.

"Consider this our brothers treating you to drinks. Please put in a good word for us with the young master."

"You and I are both scoundrels who rely on the power of their masters..."

"Pooh!!"

The servant flew into a rage and shouted, "Who told you to be a dog who abuses his power?"

"—Oh no, no, I misspoke."

"I am not very educated, unlike you who come from the Prime Minister's family. Don't you agree?"

This military academy student certainly hadn't received much formal education, but Wei Yan was always unconventional in his approach to personnel selection.
He himself rose through the ranks from the bottom, so naturally he was used to promoting soldiers from the bottom as well.

In contrast, this servant came from the Prime Minister's household.

He may not be a genius, but he is at least literate.

"That's a more palatable statement."

The servant weighed the money pouch in his hand and then discreetly put it into his pocket.

"Fine, all I can do is say a few good words for you."

"But whether the mistress will blame me or not is not something I can decide."

"...Well, then I'll leave it all to you, brother."

Just as the two were whispering to each other, Liu Shan had already helped the pregnant woman who had been knocked down to her feet.

He patted the dust off her clothes and asked:
"Who are you? Why are you being escorted?"

The woman wept and said:
“My name is Aruo, and I am a member of the Sima family.”

“Because my husband was defeated and captured, we were also forced into slavery.”

"Today I'm being sent to the mines for service, but I didn't expect... sob sob..."

Before she could finish speaking, she was already sobbing uncontrollably, and then clutched her stomach, choking back tears.

Dust filled the air on the official road outside Ye.

Liu Shan's eyes flickered, her small hands tightly gripping Li Zhi's sleeve, her gaze fixed expectantly on the pregnant woman named Aruo.

The hempen clothes had been torn by the whip, and a bloody welt was clearly visible on his bulging belly.

"Cousin..."

Liu Chan's voice trembled, "If she goes to the mine, she and her unborn child will surely die!"

Li Zhi's fingertips caressed the jade pendant at his waist, his brows furrowed, clearly deep in thought.

Then he turned to Liu Shan and asked:
"Adou, you...you really want to save her?"

"I, I, I..." Liu Shan hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. "I don't want to see her die."

"Alright!"

Li Zhi hardened his heart, even though he knew the possible consequences of doing so.

But his sense of chivalry compelled him to step forward.

He grew up listening to stories about his father and Liu Bei.

I greatly admire the two of them; they had that spirited and ambitious air about them when they were young.

Li Zhi strode forward, suddenly looked up, and shouted at the leading military officer:

"This woman, I want her!"

Huh? The thorn whip in the military academy's hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

The soldiers looked at each other, bewildered.

Isn't this just making things difficult for them?

"Young master, please reconsider! These are all wanted criminals, and the Prime Minister has specifically named them."

“We would never dare to disobey military orders and release him. Please forgive us, sir.”

The military academy was clever enough to emphasize the title of "Prime Minister."

I told you your father had already given instructions, so don't try to take advantage of your father to demand your return.

Unless your father gives in, we have no choice but to risk offending you.

"Cut the nonsense."

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow. "It's not like I'm asking you to release everyone. I only want her!" With that, Li Zhi suddenly untied the brocade pouch from his waist and threw it at them.

"That's enough to buy ten slaves, isn't it?"

This……

The military academy students were stunned again; they had enough money.

The problem is that these women are not for sale.

Just then, the servant rushed over to stop him:
"Young Master! Young Master!"

"This, this, this is a family member of a wanted criminal; you must not release them without authorization."

"Otherwise, if the Prime Minister were to blame us, neither of us could bear the consequences!"

The servant groaned inwardly, lamenting that accompanying the young master on his travels was no easy task.

One second he was worried about how to explain Li Zhi's hand injury to Yuan Ying when he got back.

The next second, Li Zhi presented him with a new problem.

"Fool!" Li Zhi said loudly, his hands behind his back.

"I want her to become a household slave in my manor, to come into the manor as a laundry maid!"

"Is this also unacceptable?"

Seeing that the servant was still hesitant, he said seriously:

“Last month, my father praised me for reading Mencius well. Can you guess which chapter the line ‘I cannot bear to see him die’ comes from?”

"Now that I have stumbled upon this matter, I cannot ignore it."

This……

The servant's eyes darted around, thinking that the young master intended to take her into his household as a servant.

That wouldn't count as releasing it without permission.

By then, both the Prime Minister and the Lady should be aware of the situation, and given the Young Master's stubbornness, it seems that this is the only way.

"Alright, alright."

The servant hurriedly stepped forward, picked up the sachet that Li Zhi had thrown away, and then squatted down to help him tie it back on.

After tying it up, he took out a bag of money and gave it back to the military academy student.

"for you!"

The servant pointed at Aruo and said, "I want this woman from the Prime Minister's residence."

How could Li Zhi really be allowed to use a sachet to buy people? The servant returned the money that the military academy had just given him.

The military academy officer hurriedly said, "Brother, this woman is—"

I know!"

The servant interrupted the military officer, replying somewhat impatiently:
"I said it's from my residence that I need someone. Are you deaf?!"

The servant deliberately shouted the words "Prime Minister's Residence" very loudly. Upon hearing this, the military officer and several other officers gathered together to discuss the matter.

Soldiers are generally quite disciplined, even though they have moved out of the Prime Minister's residence.

They still need to have an internal discussion.

After a while, the servant grew impatient and urged:
"How is it? Have you reached an agreement?"

"If you want to discuss this, then do it quickly, you're delaying our journey."

"Can you afford to suffer the consequences?"

Before he finished speaking, the military academy student had already turned around.

"Very well, then we will do as the eldest young master wishes and sell this woman to the Prime Minister's residence as a slave."

Aruo was saved, and with tears in her eyes, she knelt down before Liu Shan and Li Zhi.

"Aruo thanks both of you benefactors!"

The two boys helped her up and led her toward the Prime Minister's residence.

On the way, the servant couldn't help but sigh:
"Young Master, Young Master, you two have done a truly good deed today, a great act of kindness."

"but--"

Then the tone suddenly changed, "Excuse my indiscretion."

"Even if you bring this woman back to the Prime Minister's residence, I'm afraid you won't be able to keep her."

"Even if the Prime Minister is willing, I'm afraid the Mistress will not agree."

That's an interesting point.

The servant deliberately emphasized that, given Li Yi's meticulous nature, he would definitely not take her in.

Even if he were to take her in for the first time ever, Yuan Ying would definitely not agree.

Don't be fooled by Yuan Ying's usual cute and harmless appearance.

But don't forget her identity—the Yuan family of Runan, with four generations of three dukes.

The hierarchy of scholars in the Han Dynasty was already quite severe, and people like Yuan Ying, who came from a prestigious family and had never experienced any major setbacks in their lives, were particularly vulnerable.

They look down on the lower classes.

This is ingrained in her blood; it's not something Yuan Ying can decide on her own.

Yuan Ying usually helps "examine" the backgrounds and identities of the people in the Prime Minister's residence.

Because of her inherent air of nobility, she could judge a person's temperament at a glance.

Given Yuan Ying's personality, she would never allow a family member of a wanted criminal to get close to her son.

As they were talking, Li Zhi suddenly spoke up:
"Hey, Wu, what happened to the candied fruit you bought me last time?"

"Go buy me another one!"

Upon hearing this, A-Wu, who was driving in front, quickly said:

"Oh dear, young master, please spare me."

"Dinner will be served soon, and if you eat candied fruit, you won't eat dinner."

"Then the mistress will blame the young master again."

"Besides, tonight is a family banquet hosted by the Prime Minister, and many high-ranking officials from Hebei have come."

"As the eldest son, you can't be late!"

Li Zhi smiled and said:

"I bought the candied fruit for my younger brother and sister."

"Go quickly and come back soon, you should be able to make it in time."

"male--"

"Go!"

Before A-Wu could speak further, Li Zhi gave another stern command.

"Sigh, alright then."

"Young master, please don't wander off."

Unable to persuade Li Zhi otherwise, A Wu had no choice but to go to the shop to buy candied fruit.

As soon as A Wu left, Li Zhi pulled Liu Shan out of the carriage.

"A Dou, come down quickly."

"What's wrong, cousin?"

Li Zhi did not answer, but urged the pregnant woman to get off the carriage quickly.

"follow me!"

Li Zhi was quite familiar with the location of Ye City's streets, and he quickly led Aruo to an alleyway.

"Cousin, what happened?"

Liu Shan rubbed his sleepy eyes and couldn't help but continue asking questions.

Li Zhi then explained:

“Awu is right. Given Father and Mother’s personalities, they would never have kept Aruo.”

After saying that, he turned to face Aruo.

He gave her his jade seal and said:

"Aruo, take my jade pendant and go out of the city."

"Once we leave here, we can exchange it for money, which should be enough for you and your child to live comfortably for the rest of your lives."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Aruo bowed again, weeping:
"I would repay your immense kindness even if I were to be reborn as an ox or a horse in my next life!"

Just then, a shout of "Young master! Young master!" was heard from outside the alley.

Li Zhi then urged Aruo to hurry up and leave.

Liu Shan then asked:

"Cousin, how do we explain letting Aruo go?"

"Don't worry!"

On a sudden impulse, Li Zhi grabbed Liu Shan and plunged into a muddy ditch by the roadside, his brocade robe instantly turning the color of earth.

Then, he didn't forget to grab a handful of rotten leaves and smear them on his face, which shocked Liu Shan so much that his eyes widened.

"Cousin, have you gone mad?"

"Silly boy!"

Li Zhi muttered as he rubbed the mud off his hands, "Father will surely question me if he sees the whip marks. If he sees you, I'll be rolling in mud like a monkey..."

He suddenly grinned and tore open his sleeve, "Just say you fell while chasing a rabbit!"

Just then, the servant A-Wu arrived.

Seeing the young master and prince in this state, they were immediately dumbfounded.

He was only gone for a short while, how did things turn out like this between the two of them?
"Hey!"

A-Wu stamped his feet in frustration and sighed:

"Young master, didn't I already tell you?"

"Tonight is a family banquet hosted by the Prime Minister, who has specially invited many officials from Hebei."

"Young master looks like this—"

Looking at Li Zhi's appearance, A Wu immediately forgot about the missing A Ruo.

I'm just worried that if I go back now to shower and change, it won't be in time.

"Wonderful!"

Li Zhi's eyes lit up, and he grabbed a handful of mud and smeared it on Liu Shan's face.

"It is precisely because there are so many guests that Father cannot lash out!"

Liu Shan suddenly realized what was happening and, imitating Li Zhi, rolled around in the mud like a monkey.

Seeing each other's comical appearance, the two children laughed.

……

As the first drumbeat sounded, the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence was already brightly lit.

Li Yizheng was raising his glass to discuss the new laws with Chen Qun.

He was accompanied by Yuan Ying.

In fact, after arriving in Hebei, whenever Li Yi attended social events, it was always Yuan Ying who accompanied him.

For no other reason than that she came from a family that had produced four generations of high-ranking officials.

Hebei is also the old territory of the Yuan family. Bringing Yuan Ying into the public eye would win over the hearts of the northerners.

Over time, the people of Hebei came to believe that Yuan Ying was the mistress of the house.

However, within the Prime Minister's residence, Mi Zhen's words still carried more weight on ordinary days.

After all, everything should be done in a first-come, first-served manner.

The couple sat side by side, sharing the main seat.

Yuan Ying glanced at the sky, her delicate brows furrowing, and asked:

Why haven't Zhi'er and A Dou returned yet?

Before he could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the hall.

Two mud-covered monkeys stumbled in, their brocade robes stained with dirt and a few withered grasses tangled in their hair.

Liu Shan's boots were stuck with river mud, and with each step he took, he left a wet footprint on the carpet.

Li Zhi was even worse; half of his face was covered in mud, making him look like a water ghost that had just crawled out of the bottom of the Zhang River.

The assembled officials were silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Zhang He spat out a mouthful of wine onto the table and pointed at the two children, saying:
"The young master of the Prime Minister's residence is quite the player, even more so than my son!"

Gao Lan slapped his leg and laughed:

"My son fell off his horse while drunk back then, and he was no different!"

Li Yi's face darkened, and his brows furrowed.

Yuan Ying was so angry that she dug her fingertips into her palm, forcing a smile as she said:
"They must have gone to raid bird nests again..."

"Somebody come!"

Li Yi suddenly spoke up, startling everyone into a halt to their laughter.

"Take the two young masters down to bathe and change their clothes."

His tone was eerily calm.

The maids hurriedly stepped forward and took the two young masters away.

"Gentlemen, let's continue drinking."

Li Yi raised his glass, and Yuan Ying also raised hers.

All the officials then raised their glasses and spoke auspicious words.

After a while, the two young men had washed up and were dressed in neat clothes when they entered the house.

Yuan Ying caught a glimpse of the tear in Li Zhi's sleeve, revealing a wound, and her pupils contracted sharply.

He quickly pulled her over and asked with concern:

"Zhi'er, what happened to your hand?"

Liu Shan quickly interjected:

"We were injured when we fell into the old course of the Zhanghe River while chasing the white rabbit."

"Why are you so careless..."

Although Yuan Ying felt sorry for him, she didn't think too much about it.

He simply instructed the maid beside him, "Go to the bottom of my trunk and fetch that bottle of snow frog ointment."

Li Yi put down his wine cup and said calmly:

"Alright, what's a little flesh wound compared to what a real man does?"

"Now that you're done washing, sit down quickly."

"Don't let everyone laugh at us!"

Li Zhi and Liu Shan exchanged a glance, then bowed respectfully to thank him for his seat.

"Thank you father!"

"Thank you, Prime Minister!"

The two brothers quickly sat down and both laughed.

Liu Shan sighed softly:

"My cousin is the wise one. Father really didn't blame him or ask any further questions."

Li Zhi chuckled and pointed to the guests below the hall:
"Thanks to the banquet today, my father will not ask any further questions out of consideration for his reputation."

"Once tonight is over, let's pretend nothing happened."

Just as the two brothers were feeling smug about having outsmarted Prime Minister Li, they suddenly heard a commotion outside the mansion.

The sound of armor clashing suddenly arose from outside the mansion.

Everyone was startled, and they all stopped drinking and looking towards the door.

"boom!"

The hall door was pushed open, and Wei Yan, the magistrate of Ye City, clad in armor and with his hand on his sword, strode in, followed by several soldiers.

Li Yi frowned and said in a deep voice:
"Wen Chang, what brings you here without permission?"

Wei Yan clasped his hands in a salute and solemnly reported, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, today this humble general, while patrolling the city gates, captured a family member of a traitor who was attempting to escape!"

Li Yi was furious upon hearing this and shouted:

"You have to report to me even for the smallest things."

"Why have I transferred you to be the magistrate of Ye City?"

"Are you going to spoil our refined enjoyment with you gentlemen with such a trivial matter as the escape of a lowly maid?!"

"You can just handle it according to the law, why do you need to sue me?"

Wei Yan frowned and said in a deep voice:
"This matter is of great importance, and I dare not act on my own authority!"

"Let the Prime Minister decide this himself."

Li Yi's gaze sharpened. "Oh?"

He realized what was happening and put down the wine bottle. "Bring it up."

The soldiers shoved the woman forward. She staggered a few steps, knelt on the ground, and slowly raised her head.

—It was Aruo!
Liu Shan and Li Zhi's pupils contracted sharply, and their bodies froze.

Wei Yan sneered, grabbed Aruo's hair, and demanded sharply:
"Speak! Who let you out of the city?"

Blood trickled from the corner of Aruo's mouth. Her hand trembled as she raised it, pointing at Li Zhi and Liu Shan—

"It was him, they...it was them who let me go!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was in an uproar!

All eyes were on Liu Shan and Li Zhi.

The two children stood frozen in place, their eyes glazed over.

You could almost see the emotions in their eyes—

It wasn't fear, it was despair!

Huge disappointment!
The two children felt as if a needle had pierced their hearts.

It hurts! It hurts so much.

Yuan Ying frowned, remaining silent.

Li Yi slowly rose to his feet, his face ashen.

The hall was deathly silent, with only the flickering of candlelight breaking the silence.

……

(End of this chapter)