Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Xie Tingyu came here to fight. ...
Without stopping, Xie Tingyu rushed back to Jiankang City and headed straight for the common people's market.
Along the way, he even encountered several villains driving a carriage. He heard sobbing sounds from inside. Xie Tingyu immediately stopped them, opened the door and saw several young men from wealthy and aristocratic families tied up inside. Their mouths were stuffed with linen and their hair was disheveled.
When they saw Xie Tingyu, they were as if they had seen the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the savior of suffering, and they thanked her with tears in their eyes. Xie Tingyu then assigned two of her personal guards to escort them back to her residence.
Blood flowed along the way, corpses piled on the streets, and every door was closed, some violently broken open. From a distance, it looked like a chaotic and desolate place. Previously, this place was a place where people lived and worked in peace and contentment, a place full of bustling and peaceful atmosphere. Now, it was desolate and desolate, a cause for regret.
Suddenly, a red date horse came towards him, and the female general on the horse was holding a bloody spear. It was Wang Lanzhi.
"Are there any fish that have slipped through the net?" Xie Tingyu glanced at Wang Lanzhi's left shoulder. The edge of his clothes, torn by the sharp blade, was ripped open, and there was a faint trace of blood. "How badly are they hurt?"
Wang Lanzhi's face was filled with anger, the spear in her hand still dripping with blood. "It's nothing serious, just a minor injury." She looked up at the end of the alley. "We've eliminated all the thieves."
Xie Tingyu surveyed the chaotic scene on the street, her brow furrowed. "It's hot this summer, and the bodies must be disposed of immediately. Otherwise, it could easily breed plague." She tapped her temples with her fingers. "Just disposing of the bodies will probably cost a considerable sum."
Wang Lanzhi raised his spear and was about to spur his horse, "Let's go and ask Yuan Wangshu for money!"
Xie Tingyu stopped Wang Lanzhi on her horse and said, "Go bandage it first." She tapped the same spot on her left shoulder with her fingertips. "If the wound festers and festers, I'm afraid you won't be able to live to seek revenge on Yuan Wangshu."
Wang Lanzhi had no choice but to ride his horse back to Wuyi Lane. Before leaving, he specifically instructed Xie Tingyu to punch Yuan Wangshu in the face a few more times, and Xie Tingyu agreed.
Xie Tingyu rode her horse straight to the newly built Yuan Garden on the banks of the Qingxi River. She was certain that Yuan Wangshu was there.
The Yuan Clan Garden had only recently been completed, and even the patrolling guards had yet to be fully staffed. Yuan Wangshu had originally built it to establish his own family, intending to move away from his Yuan family in Runan, start a family there, and marry the eldest son of the Fanyang Lu family.
Xie Tingyu reined in his horse and stopped.
But the plaque on the vermilion lacquer gate had been chopped in two, lying limply on the stone steps. The gate to the mansion opened wide, and Xie Tingyu walked straight in, followed by Xie's personal guards who filed in behind him. From a distance, they looked like they were heading off to a fight.
In fact, Xie Tingyu did go to fight.
Yuan Wangshu poured a great deal of effort into this newly constructed garden. For example, the corridor railings were decorated with peonies, the most fashionable in Jiankang City, while the flower hall featured a glazed peacock screen for viewing. Even the swing in the courtyard was meticulously carved from the finest red sandalwood.
But now, all of this was gone after the riot that had broken into the house tonight. The pottery basin was shattered, the fertile soil was scattered all over the floor, the broken glazed screen was scattered on the ground in the flower hall, the rope of the swing was broken in two, and the carved seat was stuck diagonally in the cracks of the rockery.
There were mottled bloodstains on the bluestone slabs, and torn brocade clothes were hung among the broken branches and wood.
Corpses were scattered all over the garden, with deep finger marks on their necks and bulging eyeballs.
Xie Tingyu glanced at the mess and walked towards the main courtyard.
The Yuan family's soldiers, usually slack in training, naturally suffered a heavy loss in the fight with this group of desperate criminals. They were either half-kneeling on the ground with their swords, or sitting slumped, gasping for breath, their bodies covered in blood, and it was impossible to tell whether it was enemy blood or their own.
Suddenly, they heard the clatter of orderly footsteps and the clashing of armor and weapons. They thought the thugs were coming again. Their legs trembled as they struggled to stand, but when they saw it was Xie Tingyu, they collapsed back down in despair. Some simply threw down their swords and gave up completely.
Xie Tingyu met Yuan Wangshu in a corner.
Yuan Wangshu sat dejectedly on the ground, the blade of her sword tilted to one side, the horn bowstring on her back broken and its arrows empty. She lowered her head, and beside her lay five corpses, their throats pierced with arrows. Her knuckles were covered in scrapes and bloodstains, and even the cracks between her fingernails oozed blood.
"Yuan Er."
Hearing this voice suddenly, Yuan Wangshu raised his head abruptly.
At that moment, Xie Tingyu saw her appearance clearly.
Her eyes were as red as blood, with terrifying hostility surging in them. There was still blood at the corners of her mouth, and she looked like a Shura who had just crawled out of hell.
Yuan Wangshu stood up and suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the ground. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth awkwardly and looked up at Xie Tingyu, "What are you doing here..."
Before she could finish her words, Xie Tingyu had already landed a heavy punch on her left cheek. Yuan Wangshu's vision went dark, and she fell heavily to the ground.
"My wife!"
Two of Yuan's personal guards immediately rushed forward, one hurriedly supporting him while the other drew his sword and prepared to fight. Behind Xie Tingyu, two palace guards quickly stepped forward and pinned him to the ground.
Xie Tingyu said coldly: "This punch is for the innocent people who suffered tonight."
Yuan Wangshu was already injured, and her strength had been depleted. The punch made her ears ring. As she staggered to her feet, she was hit by an even harder blow to her right fist.
"This punch is for the abbot, monks, and others who were innocently implicated in Ci'en Temple."
In fact, to be fair, those two punches also concealed a fear of Ji Lian. If she had come a little later tonight, given his stubborn temper, she would probably have only seen a cold corpse.
"Why are you pretending to be a saint?" Yuan Wangshu clenched his fingers, his eyes blazing with anger. "You just wiped out a few thugs, and you really think you're the savior of Jiankang City?"
She spat out a mouthful of blood foam and sneered, "What business do you have with the lives of these lowly people? What business do you have with a high-ranking noblewoman of the Chenjun Xie family? Don't think you can win my favor just because you saved my brother."
Xie Tingyu suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Yuan Wangshu by the collar. "Open your eyes and look! How many people are coming here tonight armed with hoes and sickles to fight to the death?" She increased the force in her grip. "If these people in plain clothes and straw sandals weren't forced into a desperate situation, who would come here with farm tools to die?!"
Yuan Wangshu's face turned blue from being strangled, and Xie Tingyu's angry scolding rang in his ears, "Do you think those silks and satins, and all those delicacies, fell from the sky? Without these people farming and weaving, where would all these precious goods in your Yuan family garden come from?"
Xie Tingyu threw the man to the ground and said, "You've been living in luxury for too long. Your brain has become clogged with gold!"
Yuan's personal soldiers were shocked by Xie Tingyu's posture. No one dared to step forward and could only watch their master struggling on the ground.
Xie Tingyu let go and stood up, looking down at him and saying, "If you still have any conscience left, you should allocate money from your private treasury to make up for the losses in the refugee market and the repair costs of Jiankang City."
Yuan Wangshu felt a lightness on her back, and suddenly she started coughing violently. She looked up and stared at Xie Tingyu's receding figure.
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At three quarters past the hour of Yin, a group of people hurried into the Yuan family garden. After passing through several corridors, they finally found Yuan Wangshu in a lighted room.
Yuan Wangshu's face was bruised and swollen, with a bloody gash at the corner of her mouth. Her bloodstained armor hadn't been removed yet. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she was gloomily applying an ice handkerchief to the corner of her mouth.
"My wife."
Yuan Wangshu raised his eyelids and took a look without saying a word.
This man's name was Jiang Xiu. He was her mother's confidant when she followed her mother in the Northern Expedition against the Xianbei. Now he held the important position of Sinong Dianshi in the Sinong Pavilion and was highly valued by her mother.
Jiang Xiu bowed and said solemnly, "I heard about this incident tonight and am deeply troubled. I wonder how your injuries are? Have you counted the damage in the garden?"
Yuan Wangshu pretended not to hear anything and simply asked, "Mother is still in the palace. Has she heard about what happened tonight?"
"It was the Grand Minister of Agriculture who secretly ordered me to come here." Jiang Xiu hesitated for a moment and lowered his voice. "This refugee riot has had a terrible impact and may have alarmed the emperor. If the emperor is furious..."
"I... I just took a small interest." Yuan Wangshu clenched the ice handkerchief tightly, took a few deep breaths, and his voice was hoarse. "I didn't expect what happened tonight. Go tell mother that I have placed my third brother Fuxue in Qingliang Mountain Villa on the outskirts of the city. He is safe."
"No matter what happens, my wife is always the direct descendant of the Runan Yuan family and the most beloved jewel in the palm of the Grand Minister of Agriculture."
Jiang Xiu suddenly turned serious and spoke word by word, "Although my wife comes from a distinguished family, she has learned from the words and deeds of the Minister of Agriculture and understands the principle that 'the people are the foundation of the country.' This time, I have been ordered to pacify the refugees and will not commit any acts of corruption."
Yuan Wangshu's hand that was applying facial mask suddenly stopped and he stared at Jiang Xiu.
Jiang Xiu took three steps back and knelt solemnly. "My lady bravely acted tonight. When you were returning from the outskirts of the city, you encountered a riot. You immediately led over a hundred soldiers and fought alongside Jinwu Guards Captain Huan, Commander Wang, and others to eliminate the rioters and protect the people. I am truly ashamed of this heroic act."
"Jiang... Aunt, what you said is indeed too serious. Aunt, please get up quickly." Yuan Wangshu raised his hand to support her.
Jiang Xiu rose and continued, "Madam has pure intentions and has done nothing wrong. She was simply deceived by her subordinates and failed to detect the corruption. It's at most an oversight. Moreover..." She pointed at Yuan Wangshu's bandaged arm, "Madam was injured in the suppression of the rebellion, yet she still cared about the people. She personally drafted a letter of apology and submitted it to the palace, and even took the initiative to go to the Jinwu Guard to cooperate with the investigation. Such responsibility is truly rare."
After he finished speaking, Jiang Xiu gestured sideways, and the person behind him immediately took out the pens, ink, paper, and inkstone that had been prepared long ago from the lacquered wooden box and laid them out one by one on the desk.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Wangshu understood Jiang Xiu's intention. She stood up and bowed, "I will remember your teachings, Envoy Dian, and will definitely live up to my mother's kindness in nurturing me."
Several people quickly spread out the rice paper, added water and ground ink, and respectfully handed over the wolf-hair brush.
Yuan Wangshu picked up his pen and in less than a cup of tea, he had written a letter of apology that was sincere and heartfelt.
After the ink dried slightly, Jiang Xiu carefully folded the document and put it into the brocade box. "I hope my lady will put it away carefully and return all the relief money and grain that was withheld. You can go to the Jinwu Guard after daybreak."
Yuan Wangshu nodded, personally carrying a lantern, and escorted Jiang Xiu and her group to the garden gate. After the carriages had driven away, she returned to the garden and, after a moment's hesitation, instructed, "Open my private treasury and allocate 30% of the money and grain to provide relief to the refugees and compensate for losses in the market."
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The author has something to say: Every time I write a chapter, I shed tears.
The plot has to move forward. If not, how can Mr. Xie get promoted?
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