Chapter 96 Destroying the Fields: Chen Liangyu Severed Xi Cang's Neck with a Single Blade.

At noon, Li Hezhang's visiting card arrived at the Xuanping Marquis's residence.

He borrowed pen, ink, and paper from the palace eunuchs, hastily wrote a note, and rushed over without stopping, but didn't even enter the mansion.

Upon hearing Li Hezhang announce his family and explain his purpose, the guard at the main gate of the Xuanping Marquis's residence bowed, gripping his spear. "My lord, the General is far away in the northern border, and I cannot deliver this visiting card to him." As he spoke, he quickly gave a signal to one of the guards on duty inside the residence. That man then quietly retreated a few steps, concealing himself behind the vermilion gateposts, and hurried to the back to report.

Li Hezhang then realized that Chen Liangyu had been "secretly" summoned back by the Emperor. He had momentarily forgotten that, ostensibly, Chen Liangyu should currently be stationed on the northern border.

Li Hezhang thought to himself, "During the Wanhe Festival, the General and the Princess, wearing veils, swaggered into the South Garden Horse Ranch through the East Gate. Many officials saw them that day. Later, when the Princess went to the Taihuang Temple to pay respects to her mother, the General accompanied her."

The secret of Chen Liangyu's return to Yongdu is common knowledge.

But since the guards said the man wasn't in the mansion, they meant they didn't intend to see him.

Xun Shutai didn't offer any advice on what to do if Chen Liangyu refused to see him. He rushed to the Xuanping Marquis's residence in a hurry, only to be held back by the pretense. Although there are priorities, this was ultimately a matter for the Court of State Ceremonies, and no matter how urgent it was, it wouldn't be Chen Liangyu's responsibility.

He had come here to ask for favors, and since the general was unwilling to show himself, he couldn't very well forcefully break the ice.

Li Hezhang sniffed again, his nose twitching.

After all that fuss, it's still safest to let the Ximano people slash him. Even if we can't stop them from causing trouble, getting injured is still a way to report back to the Emperor.

The morning fog hadn't dissipated yet, and a few raindrops were falling intermittently, making the road slippery. Li Hezhang slipped and fell to the ground.

He had come directly from the palace, still wearing his official robes. The moment he fell, the guards saw with their own eyes an official dressed in a dark scarlet fourth-rank official robe with a gold belt, hugging the stone beast guarding the left side of the Xuanping Marquis's mansion gate, and bursting into tears.

The backyard of the Marquis of Xuanping's residence.

Chen Liangyu brought a beggar's chicken and personally delivered it to Jiang Bojin's dining table.

The stable boy placed a shallow soup plate on the table, deboned the beggar's chicken, shredded it into bite-sized pieces, and served it in the soup plate.

It was rare that Chen Liangyu hadn't glared at him these past few days. Instead, he was grateful for the small favor Chen Liangyu had done for him by relaying a message to Xiqing. He personally delivered meals to Jiang Bojin every day, which pleased him greatly. He then crossed his legs and tapped his feet rhythmically.

The servant had just torn off a fat chicken leg, and before he could even remove the bone, Jiang Bojin took a bite.

The gatekeeper who came to report quickly caught up with the stables. "General, Minister Li of the Court of State Ceremonies requests an audience regarding Ximanuo's plundering of people's property and destruction of farmland. He is outside the mansion."

Chen Liangyu immediately guessed what had happened.

Jiang Bojin felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn't even taken a bite of the chicken thigh when his teeth loosened, and the chicken leg fell into the soup bowl with a "thud." The next moment, the dining table was struck with a sharp palm strike, making the soup bowl bounce a few times on the table.

Chen Liangyu lifted the soup plate and slammed it onto the dining table, burying Jiang Bojin's rice underneath. "Don't eat!"

"Don't waste it, don't waste it, it's all food."

Jiang Bojin, fearing that Chen Liangyu might get angry and sweep away the plate of fragrant meat, immediately stretched out his severed arm to protect it.

Chen Liangyu gritted his teeth. "I'll settle the score with you when I get back." With that, he turned and left the granary, saying to the gatekeeper who came to report, "Please invite Lord Li to the front hall."

"Yes." The guard ran all the way to the outside of the mansion to fetch the person.

Chen Liangyu had just walked through the archway in the backyard, and ahead was the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Suddenly, she felt a cool breeze on her back. Looking to the side, she saw that Jiang Bojin had indeed followed her.

The backyard was deserted; guards and servants rarely passed through it, and there was no one around.

Jiang Bojin said, "Why are you stopping them? The more trouble they cause, the sooner your princess will return. It's just a few rows of wheat and some worthless handicrafts. They've already stolen and destroyed them. How much are they worth? They can pay for them later."

Chen Liangyu said, "How many days later? Do the common people who have had their things stolen and their fields destroyed know that someone will come to compensate them in the future? Destroying fields is seen by the common people as someone trying to cut off their livelihood. If even one person is so distraught over this that they fight Ximano to the death, who will bear the blame for this sin?"

"I only have you deliver a message: instruct Xiqing to petition the Emperor that the Eldest Princess has approved Daiqing's marriage. The wedding can proceed once the Eldest Princess, in her esteemed capacity, officiates. Instruct Xiqing to insist on bidding farewell to the Eldest Princess before departing. Whether Xiqing goes to the Taihuang Temple or the Eldest Princess descends the mountain, as long as the Emperor opens this door, I have my own way to rescue His Highness. When have I ever allowed you to instigate Xiqing to plunder and destroy farmland?"

Chen Liangyu strode towards the front hall.

“I should have realized long ago that, given your character, your schemes were certainly not benevolent. It seems that you only feel comfortable when the world is in chaos. I should have had my second brother kick you out long ago.”

Jiang Bojin stopped and walked away from Chen Liangyu, saying, "Do you think your second brother doesn't know about this?"

Chen Liangyu paused in her steps.

Yes, that's it. There was something she hadn't figured out earlier. Li Hezhang had even gone so far as to think of the Marquis's residence, so the situation must have gotten out of control and reached the Emperor. Judging from this, besides looting and destroying fields, people must have been injured as well. And Ximano was a guest from afar, so the Emperor would never send troops to disrupt the harmony. This forced Li Hezhang to lose his backbone, which is why he came to the Marquis's residence.

But since things had escalated to this point, she was completely unaware. Jiang Bojin couldn't have done it herself; it could only be that Chen Luan wanted to keep it from her.

"Xingqian knew you wouldn't agree to destroy the fields, which is why he kept it from you. Have you ever thought that the Emperor also knows you wouldn't do something like destroying fields? Only in this way can the Emperor not suspect you. What do you think the Emperor is afraid of when he imprisons the Princess? What he fears most is not the little power the Princess holds, but you, colluding with the Princess."

Jiang Bojin knew she had taken his words to heart.

"The Ximano are the most powerful tribe on the grasslands, with a formidable army. Both the Princess and the Emperor want to win them over. The Censorate and Yong'an Prefecture have already gotten involved in this matter. Why are you going to be the first to stick your neck out?"

Chen Liangyu said, "Your Highness values ​​agriculture the most. I was the one who sent you to deliver a message to Xiqing. I cannot escape responsibility for this matter. If Xiqing destroys a few more acres of land, Your Highness will be the first to behead me after you come down the mountain."

No matter how strong Ximano's army is, she will be the one to bear the brunt of any attack.

“The people of Ximano are fierce and barbaric, showing no mercy to living beings. Even if their own people die, they are immediately dragged to the wilderness to be fed to vultures. If this is not stopped, people may die.”

Her Eagle Head Army was the natural nemesis of the bandits.

In the past two years, she launched several military campaigns, defeating the three largest grassland tribes—Chief Di, Kuirong, and Ximano—so badly that they were driven back into the heart of the grasslands. After that, none of the tribal leaders dared to challenge her face-to-face. It seems that Xiqing was unaware that she was in Yongdu.

The situation arose because of her, and it should be resolved by her.

Xi Qing would naturally restrain himself upon seeing her, thus avoiding a conflict by living peacefully.

When Chen Liangyu arrived at the outskirts of the city with Li Hezhang, Ximanuo's horses were still frolicking and eating ears of grain in the fields.

Ximano drove about three hundred horses this time.

Looking around, the seedlings were trampled beyond recognition.

On the compacted paths between the fields, there were farmers with lifeless eyes and no idea what to do. Families of all ages knelt and cried, kowtowing repeatedly to Ximano's iron hooves.

The colorful banners of the horsemen fluttered around their shoulders as they cheered and laughed mockingly.

"Hahahahahaha, don't stop, keep kowtowing, keep kowtowing!"

From afar, the other grassland people waved their whips and laughed in unison, "Keep kowtowing! Kowtowing! Kowtowing now!"

The common people couldn't understand the gibberish of the grassland language, but they could tell it was malicious. Having exhausted all other options, a grandfather and grandson stepped into the field, spreading their arms to block the horse. A burly grassland man wrapped in a leopard skin reined in his horse, took a few steps back, and with a running start, the black horse neighed and soared over the heads of the grandfather and grandson.

Another round of cheers erupted.

The tall, strong black horse turned and trampled over even more ears of wheat.

The old man swung his hoe at the livestock that were chewing on ears of wheat.

Ximano's horse was fitted with an iron bridle. The old man didn't know that the horse's weakness was in its lower limbs. When he swung his hoe, it struck the iron bridle with a "clang".

The horse was not harmed in the slightest, but the rider on its back was enraged.

The man suddenly raised his thick right leg and kicked the old man hard in the shoulder. The old man fell heavily into the wheat field, bending another ear of wheat, his limbs outstretched, and blood spurting from the corner of his mouth.

The burly man on horseback, his eyes wide open, gently stroked his horse's bridle and spoke some unintelligible words to it, seemingly trying to soothe it. In an instant, his gaze revealed a ruthless intent, his disheveled beard and hair flew wildly in the wind, he pulled the reins back, and the horse's hooves rose, ready to trample the old man.

The black horse neighed and leaped into the air.

The boy threw himself on the old man, crying, "Grandpa..."

The iron hoof failed to crush the boy's back, but a spinning dagger severed his forelimbs.

Chen Liangyu sheathed his Eagle Cloud Pattern Blade, gripped it in his hand, and dismounted on the ridge of the field. The black horse fell into the wheat field, bleeding profusely, and the rider on its back tumbled several times.

Li Hezhang hurriedly caught up with Chen Liangyu and explained to her the origins of the rough man who had fallen off the black horse.

This person was Xi Qing's younger brother, named Xi Cang.

Chen Liangyu helped the grandfather and grandson up and escorted them to the path.

Xi Cang got up and knelt in front of the black horse for a long time, until the horse died, before slowly straightening up. He stared at Chen Liangyu with a sinister look in his eyes and said in broken Central Plains dialect, "Who are you?"

Instead of answering, Chen Liangyu asked, "Where is Xiqing?"

Xi Cang said, "I don't know you. Why did you kill my horse?" The grassland people don't value human life, but they cherish their horses immensely. Their mounts are selected from calves and raised by hand. The situation was critical just now, and Chen Liangyu couldn't care less about anything else.

Chen Liangyu asked, "Why do you want to harm my people?"

"I don't understand."

Chen Liangyu repeated herself in the grassland language, and then said, "Where is Xiqing? Tell him to come to me." She did not see Xiqing among the group of barbarians trampling on the seedlings, so this Xicang must be the leader of this band of swordsmen.

Xi Cang said, "My brother is not here. If you kill my horse, I will kill you." With that, he brandished a long sword.

The instant the blade swung towards him, Chen Liangyu immediately flipped her wrist, her eagle-cloud patterned blade pressing down fiercely onto Xi Cang's sword. Her swordsmanship was extremely fast; before Xi Cang could react, the blade of the short sword had already circled halfway around and slashed his wrist, causing blood to spurt out.

The long sword fell to the ground, and Xi Cang clutched his wrist, kneeling and screaming in agony.

Chen Liangyu asked, "Where is Xiqing?"

Xi Cang felt a sharp pain in her wrist, which began to tremble slightly uncontrollably. Cold sweat instantly broke out on her forehead, dripping down her temples and onto the green ears of grain at her feet.

He said, "My brother did not leave the city."

"Tell your men to get out of the fields right now!"

Upon hearing this, Xi Cang blew a strangely timbre whistle, and the grassland people around seemed to receive some inescapable command, urging their horses to gather on the official road.

A moment later, a carriage hurried along the official road, with a nameplate hanging from the roof bearing the character "盛" (Sheng). The carriage came to a stop slowly when it was still some distance from Chen Liangyu.

Sheng Yu'an jumped down from the carriage and hurried over.

"General, what brings you here?"

Li Hezhang patted his chest: "I invited him."

Sheng Yu'an bowed to him, "Lord Li."

"Lord Sheng, your arrival is just in time," Chen Liangyu instructed Sheng Yu'an to stay and comfort the farmers whose fields had been trampled. "I'm going to find Xi Qing to settle this score. You stay here and tell them that the court will compensate them for this year's harvest. Make sure they don't try to stop us again."

Xi Cang was still rolling on the ground clutching his wrists. Chen Liangyu had originally intended to tie him up as a gift to Xi Qing, but she hadn't brought any troops with her today, only a few personal guards following behind. Within a few miles, besides the green seedlings in the fields, the most common people were the Ximano people dressed in animal skins, and then there were innocent civilians. If the two sides fought, she wouldn't gain any advantage and would only bring harm to the innocent.

So they let Xi Cang off the hook for now.

Chen Liangyu took the reins, and the jade lion nudged the back of her hand and followed her forward.

The grandfather and grandson bowed to Chen Liangyu. Li Hezhang and Sheng Yu'an stepped forward, one helping the old man up and the other helping the boy up. Sheng Yu'an's hand was still on the boy's shoulder when, unexpectedly, a cold arrow shot out from behind, piercing the boy's chest.

Before the bloodstains had even soaked into the fabric of his clothes, the boy's eyes had already become unfocused.

Chen Liangyu suddenly turned around.

Right before her eyes, the boy's knees hit the ground first with a dull "thud," and his body slowly tilted to the ground. He instinctively tried to brace himself with his arms, but they fell backward uncontrollably.

"Grandpa..."

After weakly calling out "Grandpa," he collapsed onto a broken stalk of wheat.

"Hesheng!" The old man staggered and rushed to his grandson's side.

"Hesheng, wake up... wake up..." The old man frantically groped for his grandson's face, tears streaming down his face, wailing and sobbing uncontrollably.

Xi Cang knelt on the ground, raising his other arm, a crossbow hidden in his sleeve. "Someone must pay for my horse's life. If I can't kill you, I'll kill him."

Several guards rushed forward, pinned Xi Cang to the ground, bound his hands and feet, and confiscated his longsword and crossbow. Seeing this, the Ximano people from the surrounding area immediately rode up on horseback, forming a circle that encircled Chen Liangyu and his party.

Xi Cang seemed to realize that their forces far outnumbered the enemy's, and roared, "Bye ya ga ha la!"

Kill them!

In an instant, the Ximano people were unleashed in a frenzy, letting out wild roars and slashing with their knives without warning, leaving chaos in their wake.

Chen Liangyu hastily drew his sword to meet the attack, and in the chaos, he stuffed Li Hezhang and Sheng Yu'an into the carriage, blocking several swinging cleavers. Suddenly, amidst the sounds of swords clashing everywhere, he discerned the sound of weapons piercing flesh.

Xi Cang was plunging a long spear into the old man's throat.

Chen Liangyu seemed oblivious to the wind and the howling. She cleaved through the sweeping longswords, carving a bloody path through Ximano's encirclement.

He severed Xi Cang's neck with a single stroke.

Author's note: Thank you for reading this far!