Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 350 Facing Death (Part Two)

The veterans of the Beiping Army shouted in unison with their general.

The shouts of hundreds of veterans echoed through the ears of the panicked and disoriented civilians. At first bewildered, the people quickly understood the instructions, stopped their frantic flight, and began heading home. The crowd in the streets dwindled at a considerable pace.

Meng Liulang didn't stop shouting; he continued to yell. The veterans around him also shouted along.

He shouted like that for almost half an hour, until his throat was hoarse. Finally, most of the people on the street had left, and the area was cleared out.

Meng Liulang then continued to lead his troops forward.

After walking through two streets and turning into a wide passage, I finally arrived at the Zhang family's gate. The sight of blood-soaked corpses lying on the ground immediately came into view.

Meng Liulang's pupils trembled violently.

He had experienced the most brutal battlefields and was used to seeing corpses strewn everywhere. But the scene before him sent chills down his spine.

Li died.

Lu died.

Fang died.

More than twenty elderly women from the Pei family fell into pools of blood without exception.

Pei Jia, who changed his surname to Pei seven years ago, still had his eyes open after his death.

Familiar faces were ashen.

On Zhang's side, there were also casualties. General Zhang clutched his left abdomen, and Zhang Yun was deathly pale and covered in blood. Many of Zhang's personal guards lay dead on the ground.

Meng Liulang's body stiffened, and for a moment he didn't know what to say or do.

Should we step forward and avenge the Pei family elders?
Or should we feign concern and go to help the injured General Zhang?

"General Meng, you've come at the right time." General Zhang gritted his teeth, his face extremely ugly, perhaps because of the pain from his injuries, or perhaps because of the resolute, suicidal attack from the old women of the Pei family: "Today, an unexpected turn of events has occurred. Our Zhang family has no choice but to take action in order to protect ourselves. Please, General Meng, bear witness for me."

Meng Liulang snapped back to reality: "I just arrived and don't know the whole story. I only saw all the elders of the Pei family dead at the Zhang family's gate. Please forgive my bluntness, but General, don't think about how to clear your name. You should quickly think about how to deal with the Emperor's reprimand and General Pei's wrath!"

How can I distance myself from this?

Didn't your Zhang family kill the person?
Even if the old women of the Pei family deliberately rushed to their deaths, it was indeed the Zhang family who did it. There's nothing to be ashamed of.

Behind this seemingly flawless scheme lies the lives of over twenty elderly women and a hundred soldiers from the Pei family.

There is no solution.

There is nothing to do.

Zhang's reputation will surely plummet and become utterly disgraced.

General Zhang's expression grew increasingly grim.

Zhang Yun, having lost too much blood, staggered and was about to collapse, but was supported by his personal guards who were still able to stand. Meng Liulang, who had always been at odds with Zhang Yun, couldn't help but say a few sarcastic words: "General, you should find a doctor to treat Young Master Zhang's wounds first! Too many people have already died today. Don't let Young Master Zhang's life be lost as well."

Zhang Yun was so angry that he saw stars. He suddenly straightened up, about to retort, but the world spun around him, and he fainted. General Zhang was shocked and shouted, "Quickly, summon Physician Xie!"

The unfortunate imperial physician, who had been trembling and hiding behind the door, had no choice but to rush out. Not daring to move Zhang Yun, he quickly administered acupuncture to treat his injuries. General Zhang had lost a considerable amount of blood and was experiencing waves of weakness and dizziness. He was faced with a terrible mess and didn't know how to clean it up. General Zhang had fought many deadly battles and encountered numerous difficulties, but this was the first time he had ever been in such a predicament.

A personal guard stepped forward and applied simple medicine and bandages to General Zhang. Taking advantage of this brief moment, General Zhang quickly devised a countermeasure.

The bodyguard, Xiao Mo, had red eyes and a choked voice: "Young Master, Madam Li and the others died such a tragic death. We can't let their bodies lie exposed here. Let's gather their remains and give them a proper burial!"

Meng Liulang's eyes also turned red.

Li and the others lived in the Pei residence, and he frequently visited them to pay his respects. When important matters arose, he would proactively go to inform them and discuss them. Over the years, he had come to regard Li and the others as his elders. Their relationship became even closer after his elder brother, Meng Bing, married into the Pei family.

Just two days ago, he was still talking to them at the Pei residence, patting his chest and promising to present the memorial to the emperor on behalf of the Li family. Who would have thought it would be their last farewell...

This was the choice made by Li and the others. They were willing to use their blood and lives to stab Zhang in the back, paving a smooth path for Pei Qinghe.

But he was still in great pain. It felt as if a dull knife was churning inside his chest.

"Don't move for now," Meng Liulang said slowly, in a low, hoarse voice, "Wait a little longer."

A cacophony of footsteps broke the silence.

somebody is coming.

Meng Liulang looked up and saw Prime Minister Pang, whose pupils suddenly widened and whose face was deathly pale, and Eunuch Shen, who stood there dumbfounded, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. Many civil and military officials also rushed over upon hearing the news.

In addition, there were two most unexpected figures.

Empress Zhang Jingwan, her face pale with fright, rushed trembling to General Zhang and his son: "Father, elder brother, are your injuries serious?"

Emperor Jian'an, his body stiff, had an unprecedentedly grim and furious expression. His gaze swept over the corpse of the old woman from the Pei family lying there, his body trembling uncontrollably. When a person is too shocked or too angry, they tend to speak very little.

"You ordered them all to be killed?"

Under the watchful eyes of many, there were at least eight hundred to a thousand people who witnessed it firsthand; almost half of the people of Bohai County had come to "join in the fun."

The Pei family women did indeed die at the hands of the Zhang family. There is no denying it, no way to refute it.

At this point, it would be utterly absurd to say that the old women of the Pei family were plotting against the Zhang family.

General Zhang took a deep breath: "Yes."

Zhang Jingwan trembled, grabbed General Zhang's sleeve, and turned to Emperor Jian'an with tearful eyes: "Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding. My father and brothers are loyal and righteous men; they would never kill indiscriminately. It must be a misunderstanding..."

"Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Pang exclaimed angrily, "What misunderstanding? Twenty-three members of the Pei family were to be killed! One hundred of the Pei family's elite troops also perished here; not a single one is still alive."

Meng Liulang also spoke up: "When I arrived, several streets were blocked by chaotic crowds. Everyone was shouting, 'The General has killed someone!' May I ask Your Majesty, what is General Zhang's predicament?!"

The officials were all stunned by the bloody scene before them. Some couldn't help but turn away and vomit, while others were filled with righteous indignation and spoke out.

The sharp criticism came like a storm.

Zhang Jingwan's face turned deathly pale, her body swayed, and her eyes were full of pleading: "Your Majesty, things have already come to this point, further anger and accusations will be of no use. We should think of a way to quell this. General Pei must not know about this matter."

Emperor Jian'an's gaze was gloomy and cold as he looked at Zhang Jingwan as if she were a stranger: "Your Majesty is intelligent and quick-witted. Why don't you tell me directly how to cover up this matter? How can we silence the gossip?"

(End of this chapter)