Chapter 1307: Welcoming the Royal Army (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

The woman's grievances were not complicated.

The trigger for the massacre of her family was the discovery of some valuable items in their field. The whole family was overjoyed and hoped to pawn some money to buy food, clothes, and bedding for the winter, with the remainder to buy seeds, rent farm tools, and oxen for the spring planting the following year.

Adults can keep their mouths shut and understand the principle of not flaunting their wealth, but how can a child of a few years old have so much guardedness?

Within two days, it was discovered that this family had received an unexpected windfall.

After several days of surveillance, I have basically figured out what's going on.

What followed was a routine of cunning and forceful plunder.

A local bully attempted to rob a house, and during the ensuing struggle, someone was injured. Fearing a fatality, he had to temporarily stop. Back home, the bully grew increasingly resentful and hatched a wicked plan—to fabricate a story that the family had stolen the ancestral grave of a wealthy household. The family, upon hearing this, were naturally outraged. They sent their head steward to investigate. The good news wasn't an ancestral grave; the even better news was that it was a large tomb!

The tomb's owner had no descendants.

Whoever occupies the land on the cemetery can rightfully possess the burial goods inside the large tomb. At this point, things would be simple: the family could offer some compensation, and the subsequent tragedy might be avoided. However, they were unwilling to even pay this small cost. Instead, they directly sued the authorities, falsely accusing the woman's family of stealing from their ancestral grave. They even produced several pawn contracts, hoping to settle the matter without spending a single penny.

The woman and her family were imprisoned.

He was beaten to death by bribed jailers the same day he entered the prison.

The woman escaped arrest when the authorities came to apprehend her because of intestinal parasites. On the day her entire family's bodies were returned, she nearly went blind from crying. A wise man in the neighborhood heard of her plight and told her that someone could help her seek justice. The woman was overjoyed and prepared to bury her family before going to seek justice, but the wise man stopped her: "If you bury them all, you'll have no proof!"

The old woman was completely unaware.

Her whole family is dead, how can you say there's no proof?

Would I risk my entire family's lives to lie to the officials?

The old woman was completely disoriented and hoped someone could help her figure out how to convince the official to help her get revenge. She suddenly remembered a rumor she'd heard before—it seemed she could take the corpse with her…

But--

She was old and frail; even a long journey alone could end in death, let alone carrying several corpses—wouldn't that be providing food for wolves and tigers? The villagers were afraid of being associated with her family and wouldn't offer her any help. The old woman was disheartened, but the wise man pointed her in a new direction: "...It's certainly inconvenient to travel with several people, but you can still take a head and a hand."

The old woman was horrified upon hearing this!

I dared not agree at all.

The whole family died so tragically, and now she wants to leave them without a complete corpse. How can she bear it? The master even wants her to personally cut off their heads, limbs, and hands. Isn't this going to torture her to death?

The expert sighed and explained things to her step by step.

She said, "You're going to seek justice alone, with no evidence, and you're likely to be falsely accused. Look at this world, how many families are more pitiful and miserable than yours? So many people are waiting for justice; when will it be your turn? If you drag your whole family's corpses there, you'll be dragged to your death before you even walk two miles! But it's different if you bring your head. You're a mother; unless there's an immense injustice, what mother could be so heartless as to cut apart the bodies of her own flesh and blood, leaving them without a complete corpse?"

Precisely because it is shocking enough, it offers a glimmer of hope.

The old woman fainted several times from crying.

In the end, he made a tough decision and chose to go all in.

Following the directions given by the wise man, she walked and walked, losing track of time and distance. When thirsty, she drank muddy water; when hungry, she ate grass roots, clinging to her will until she reached this place. Hearing that there was free porridge nearby, she went to ask for a bite. Perhaps it was because she was closer to her destination, or perhaps the aroma of the hot porridge stirred her senses, but her consciousness began to cloud.

The person behind her gave her a push.

She didn't realize what was happening until she fell to the ground.

Shen Tang knew everything that happened after that.

Aside from the scene where she cut off her own children, which moved Gongyang Yongye, he remained unmoved by the rest. Such things were all too common in chaotic times, and the old woman was actually quite lucky.

At least, she lived to this age before experiencing the pain of her entire family being wiped out.

At least, she's still alive and able to come and complain.

"...The person who gave her the advice was quite clever."

There are too many injustices in the world. If we don't find a way to "stand out," then the day when these injustices are redressed will truly be a long way off.

The common people are like ants.

For matters concerning ants to reach the ears of the emperor is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Even if Shen Tang didn't witness today's events herself, they might still reach her ears, which is much better than having no hope at all.

The person who came up with the idea is quite capable.

"What does Shen Jun plan to do?"

In Gongyang Yongye's view, the best outcome for the old woman would be for Shen Tang to issue orders to have his subordinates thoroughly investigate the government officials handling the case, arrest the jailers who disregarded human life, and incidentally use the opportunity to punish that family, with a few people dying and that would be the end of it.

Shen Tang placed the bamboo slip face down on the table.

He said, "What can we do? We'll just have to make a big fuss about it!"

Gongyang Yongye didn't understand, but he noticed that Shen Tang's officials did, and some of them were too embarrassed to ask questions, which made him quite unhappy.

He shamelessly pressed on, "How exactly will it be a grand and special event?"

“Food alone cannot truly win people’s hearts. If one day a charlatan appears and loudly proclaims that the food was not given by me, Shen Youli, but by God who sent me to give it to them, and that they only need to be grateful to God and do not need to be grateful to me, then wouldn’t I be raising a bunch of ungrateful wretches? They can eat my food today, but they will eat someone else’s food tomorrow, and they will turn their backs on me without any guilt. While the poison of the Eternal Life Cult is not yet deeply ingrained, we should eradicate it as soon as possible and completely win people’s hearts.”

Gongyang Yongye: "You seem to know quite a lot."

The doctrines of the Eternal Life Cult don't seem to be that outrageous.

"I'm more curious about how you plan to truly win people's hearts." In Gongyang Yongye's view, winning people's hearts is nothing more than a matter of interests. As long as the interests are in place, what can't be bought off? On this point, his views are completely opposite to Shen Tang's.

Shen Tang said, "Didn't that expert already provide the answer?"

Seeking justice is that simple.

It's not just about seeking justice for the old woman!

Anyone who has been wronged can come to her!

Help the wronged to seek justice, provide warmth and food for the hungry and cold, and later distribute land to them so they can recuperate and thrive—a smooth little combo.

"My knife has already drawn blood. Killing one or a hundred, killing enemies on the battlefield or insects off the battlefield, is no different in essence. If I don't go on a killing spree now, am I supposed to wait until things calm down?" The old woman offered her an excellent excuse. Who wouldn't be moved by a mother being forced to cut off her children's corpses with her own hands to seek justice?

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

Gongyang Yongye felt that Shen Tang was too reckless.

But with her current influence, she certainly has the capital to do so.

Shen Tang: "There are no heads that I can't cut off with my knife, no people I dare not cut off. You, my lord, don't understand me at all."

What is the difference between being afraid of death and not being afraid of death?

If she were afraid of dying, she wouldn't have started this makeshift operation.

Every single thing she did along the way was suicidal.

Shen Tang's efficiency far exceeded Gongyang Yongye's expectations; he issued orders to seize land in various locations that very day. Early the next morning, a notice board was erected near the porridge distribution area. Since the starving people were illiterate, the guards verbally recited its contents. Most people couldn't believe it was true.

Two days later, all of the old woman's enemies were imprisoned.

Shen Jun personally presided over the trial of this case.

The news spread like wildfire.

"Any news about that 'expert'?"

Shen Tang didn't care about the outside turmoil, nor did she care about the fierce resistance in the areas that hadn't been conquered yet—a group of people with dirty hands would naturally be afraid when they saw Shen Tang was going to seek justice for others—she was most curious about that "expert".

The person who came up with such an idea, whether genuinely trying to help the old woman or deliberately creating difficulties for Shen Tang, deserves to be met. However, the people sent out ended up empty-handed.

The thatched hut where this person lived in seclusion was covered with a layer of dust.

Judging from the appearance, this place has been uninhabited for half a month.

Before she could even despair, things took an unexpected turn for the better.

Someone delivered a visiting card to the residence where Chu Yao was temporarily staying.

The moment Chu Yao received the invitation, he seemed dazed. He abruptly stood up, even losing his wooden clogs in the process, afraid of being late and driving the guest away. The guest hadn't left. Seeing his state, he smiled and said, "Wu Hui's demeanor is still the same as it was back then."

The guest was robust, with gray hair and the marks of time etched on his face, though he looked to be in his early forties.

But Chu Yao knew very well that the other party was already in his twilight years.

"I never imagined that we would meet again in my lifetime."

"I didn't expect this either."

The experience of fighting side by side feels like it was just yesterday.

The guest had once shared a camaraderie with the young Chu Yao, fighting side-by-side in the Northern Desert before going their separate ways. Recalling the past, both sighed with regret. Upon learning that Wei Shou was not only alive but also living a comfortable life in Kang, the guest exclaimed, "Alas, how could we have imagined this situation back then? The Northern Desert, which has threatened us for hundreds of years, has been dealt with so easily… If only things had remained peaceful."

He too grew weary of war and left his hometown with his family to live in seclusion. With his protection, his descendants, though lacking great talent, managed to settle down, multiply, and live a relatively peaceful life. As his children passed away one after another, he became distant from his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, so he moved alone to the mountains for a quiet environment.

As they were talking, the guest suddenly brought up a joke he made many years ago.

He asked Chu Yao if he had any grandchildren of suitable age.

"We were engaged back then."

Chu Yao was embarrassed: "This, this... I'm still single."

guest:"……"

That's really awkward.

Chu Yao asked his old friend why he suddenly brought up marriage.

The old friend said, "Isn't it all for my great-granddaughter? The child is so ignorant and arrogant. A mere woman wants to go out and make her way in the world... To be honest, I was seriously injured in my early years, and my life is coming to an end. I want to find someone to entrust her to."

He knew that Chu Yao had come out of seclusion many years ago, but he did not pay him a visit. Firstly, their friendship only lasted for a few months back then, and secondly, he had been away from the Northwest for many years and had not cared about Chu Yao's troubles during those years. Now that Chu Yao had become successful, it would not be appropriate for him to come knocking on Chu Yao's door.

It took a lot of courage for me to come today.

If we could arrange a marriage, that would be the best outcome.

Even if we cannot become husband and wife, we can still create a good connection.

|ω`)

You really shouldn't be too complacent. I twisted my wrist at the gym today. Luckily, I didn't break any bones, but my wrist is a bit swollen and will probably hurt for a couple of days.

This resulted in a shorter update today.

(End of this chapter)