Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 170 Fire Attack
Lord Sun's eyes were sharp, his face tense, and he said sternly, "Are you going to defy the imperial decree? What's there to talk about? Do you think they'll hand over the people? What if these traitors escape again? Can you bear the consequences?"

Zhao, the head constable, turned pale, lowered his head, and cupped his hands, saying, "I dare not, I dare not."

"Chief Zhao, you can't do this! We've worked together for so many years, you know me. Although I might embezzle some money, I haven't done anything else that's morally reprehensible! I've been loyal to you all! You can't kill me! Besides, those lying on the ground are all your brothers, how can you do this?" Governor Wang lay on the ground, sobbing, trying to calm Chief Zhao down. He wept bitterly, his cries filled with genuine emotion.

"Yeah yeah……"

"Help us!..."

The soldiers holding bows and arrows all turned around to look at Zhao, the head constable.

Zhao, the head constable, was ashen-faced and remained silent, but his raised hand did not fall. Yes, if he were to lay a hand on his own brother, how could he ever face the world again?

Yan Mingzhang stood with his fists clasped, his expression stern, and said to the head constable in a deep voice, "Head constable, please wait! I am Yan Mingzhang, an official of the Inspectorate of Judicial Review. Even if I am guilty, I should be investigated by the three judicial departments and sentenced according to the law. To execute me before trial and to have me implicated by arrows is not in accordance with the laws of the court."

"I have a secret edict from the Emperor. If you disobey, you will be disobeying the imperial decree!" Lord Sun took out the secret edict from his bosom, held it high in his hand, and was extremely proud of himself.

"Archers, prepare!" Zhao, the head constable, had no choice but to give the order.

Seeing that negotiations were impossible, Rong Wanyin and the others could only take out their weapons and protect Governor Wang and his soldiers behind them, hoping that they would enter the secret prison first while they would cover their retreat.

"Those who don't know martial arts should go into the secret cell and hide. Don't cause us any trouble," Liu Mubai said, turning to the people behind him.

Unfortunately, their hands and feet were bound, making it difficult for them to move. Li Feihu, with his superhuman strength, raised a foot and kicked the constables one by one into the entrance of the secret prison.

"Ouch, that hurts so much! My butt!" Governor Wang cried out. Li Feihu slapped him hard across the face. "If you want to live, shut up and stop being so coy!"

The group entered the entrance to the secret prison, but because Li Feihu had just lit a lot of dry grass, although the fire had been extinguished, there was still a lot of thick smoke inside, and the group couldn't help but cough.

"Why aren't you shooting arrows yet? When are you going to stop?" Lord Sun, seeing that the prison door was almost closed, roared at Zhao, the head constable, "Shoot! Shoot arrows right now!"

As the saying goes, "a higher-ranking official can crush a lower-ranking one," and Chief Zhao gripped the sword at his waist tightly, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously.

But under Lord Sun's piercing gaze, he finally gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "All of you... aim carefully! Fire the arrows!"

A dense barrage of arrows rained down, the muffled thuds echoing in succession. But the arrows were too late; they struck the prison door, sending sparks flying.

Zhao Dutou's words had a hidden meaning, and they were definitely not accurate; they hit the nail on the head!

So many arrows failed to hit a single person, and even the prison gate appeared almost undamaged. Lord Sun's face was terribly grim, veins bulging on his forehead, as he roared, "Ordinary arrows are useless? Fine! Then use fire! Switch to fire arrows and burn everyone inside to ashes!"

At his command, the soldiers quickly wrapped the arrows in oil-soaked linen, lit them, and drew their bows again—in an instant, countless arrows with tongues of fire pierced the sky and rained down.

Inside the secret cell, however, the scene was quite different; the people were either lying down or sitting, looking rather disheveled.

Thick smoke seeped in through the crack in the door. "Oh no, they're using fire!" Rong Wanyin looked down and quickly warned everyone, "Quick! Strip them naked and block the crack!"

Governor Wang and his yamen runners protested, "Hey, why are you taking off our clothes?"

Why don't you take off your own?

"That's right!"

"Hey, you little girl, aren't you ashamed!"

“Miss Rong, this is not appropriate…” Yan Mingzhang grabbed Rong Wanyin’s wrist, preventing her from tearing off Governor Wang’s clothes.

"Yes! What kind of behavior is this!" If his hands weren't tied with ropes, Governor Wang would have jumped up and pointed at Rong Wanyin's nose, cursing, "You shameless brat!"

"I'll do these dirty jobs!" Yan Mingzhang smiled slightly, helped Rong Wanyin stand back a bit, and then deftly stripped off Governor Wang's outer garment. Since his wrists were tied with rope and he couldn't take the garment off, he simply used a dagger to cut open the sleeves.

"Dirty...dirty work?" Governor Wang's lips twitched a few times.

Everyone: "..."

"You...you...Lord Yan! You've wasted your time studying the classics!" Governor Wang exclaimed in anguish as his outer garments were stripped off before he could react.

"You're about to die, why be so fussy!" Li Feihu kicked Governor Wang in the stomach, his eyes full of disgust. "Don't die, you stinky thing!"

"You!" Governor Wang's face turned purple with rage.

The gap was plugged, and the situation eased slightly.

Yan Mingzhang paced back and forth, frowning and shaking his head: "No, I don't understand this logic. Why would he go to such lengths? It's unnecessary!"

“Hey, brother, what time is it and you still can’t understand the logic? It’s too obvious. It’s that bastard surnamed Sun who’s using the excuse of being a petty person or a gentleman. What’s that saying again? Sigh, never mind, did you offend him somewhere?” Li Feihu sighed repeatedly. “Even I, Li Feihu, can see it. He just wants to kill you. It’s that simple.”

"Judging others by one's own petty standards," Liu Mubai added.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Li Feihu nodded repeatedly.

Yan Mingzhang shook his head again and said, "No, even if he wanted to kill me, why would he kill all these county soldiers and Governor Wang? How would he explain this to His Majesty, after all, they are officials appointed by the court."

“Isn’t it simple? We’re too lazy to save them. It’s a waste of time and effort, and they might even let you escape. Rather than that, we might as well kill them all.” Li Feihu was straightforward and said whatever came to mind. Although the others didn’t speak, they thought similarly to him.

"No, I don't think it's that simple." Yan Mingzhang squatted down, his eyes fixed intently on Governor Wang. "He didn't even try, there was no negotiation, he just issued a death order, it feels more like he wanted to silence you. Governor Wang, did he show you the secret edict at the time? What did it say?"

Governor Wang's eyes darted around, and he lowered his head guiltily, his Adam's apple bobbing as his voice trembled: "Ah? This... there was indeed a secret letter at the time, but I only read the second half. The letter did indeed bear the Emperor's seal, and at the end it said 'all at his command.' Lord Sun said that this matter was extremely confidential and must not be circulated, so I... I didn't dare to ask any more questions."