These are all facts, which explains Yan Shujin's words earlier. Just as she said, those mountain people were only seeking revenge for their wives and daughters, and did not truly intend to be enemies with the imperial court. And what was the result? Things that could have been salvaged have ended up like this.
Yan Shujin said coldly, "You all deserve to die."
The officials in the south had a feeling that Princess Yongfu was not just talking, but really wanted to kill them: "Princess, we are officials appointed by the court. Even if we have done something wrong, the court should be the one to punish us."
"Heh," Yan Shujin said, "Now that you've remembered you're officials of the imperial court, do you?"
Yan Shujin stood up, placed her hands on the table, and looked at the people in front of her: "Now tell me, what exactly is going on with Lord Wang's son! Since Lord Wang has been demoted to the south for nearly ten years, why did a son suddenly appear in the capital three years ago? Don't tell me you didn't suspect anything!"
I may not understand these things, but these court officials could not possibly be unaware of the suspicious circumstances. Yet, not one of them reported it to the court. Yan Shujin even suspected that they knew the identity of the so-called Lord Wang's son.
"Since I left a way out, only killing Lord Wang's family, what have you done?" Yan Shujin questioned, one question after another, "leading to this current situation?"
The officials from the south, feeling guilty, couldn't help but betray their unease; they were all aware of the situation, especially regarding the Wang family...
Yan Shujin said, "Kill them all, hang their heads at the city gate, and meet with the chief of the mountain tribe."
Bai Yan replied respectfully, "Yes."
Before the officials could react, they were gagged and taken away.
Han Jing handed Yan Shujin a glass of warm water and said, "Princess, calm down."
Yan Shujin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "There must be people from the Zheng family of the previous dynasty hiding in these homes. Interrogate them thoroughly. Moreover, I suspect that the so-called young master Wang did not escape at all, but is hiding in Nanzhong City."
Even if Yan Shujin were to produce evidence, it would be impossible. These are all just guesses. Among the officials in Nanzhong, that Lord Wang was a discarded pawn, and there are likely other hidden pawns involved. Even if the rest did not collude with the remnants of the previous dynasty, they are not entirely innocent.
After the mountain people killed Lord Wang's family and left, these officials from Nanzhong actually killed all the mountain people in Nanzhong City. Some of them were mountain people who had come down from the mountains to live many years ago, and the common people who had marriage ties with the mountain people were also driven out of the city.
It would be strange if I didn't rebel against all of this.
Even if the officials in Nanzhong were not involved, they were still aware of the situation. How could Yan Shujin not be furious, and how could she let them off the hook?
After learning about these things, Yan Shujin was so angry that she couldn't eat. Moreover, because of these people, she was forced to separate from her newborn daughter.
No one expected that after Princess Yongfu arrived in Nanzhong, she would first deal with all the officials there. Their heads were hung at the city gate, which was quite conspicuous. The mountain people were all bewildered. Some thought it was a conspiracy, while others thought they could meet with Princess Yongfu and then talk about other things.
The people in Nanzhong City, however, were all delighted.
Before the mountain people could figure things out, Yan Shujin had a notice posted and announced that she still wanted to meet the mountain people, with the location to be decided by them, and that she was willing to bring only two people with her.
In fact, Yan Shujin initially wanted to go alone, but before she could even say that, Han Jing rejected her idea. If someone were to go alone to meet the hermit, Han Jing felt that he should go himself rather than let Yan Shujin take the risk. However, given Yan Shujin's identity, if someone else went instead, it might seem like they weren't being sincere enough.
This is how it ended up in this situation.
There was no response from Shanren for the time being, and Yan Shujin was not in a hurry. Instead, she began to purge Nanzhong City. Unlike the previous officials, Yan Shujin focused more on dealing with the families of officials in Nanzhong City and searching for remnants of the previous dynasty. The portrait of Prince Wang was also posted in various conspicuous places.
Moreover, those hermits didn't keep Yan Shujin waiting too long. After all, Yan Shujin had already shown her sincerity. The hermits weren't fools. If they really angered the imperial court, although they weren't afraid, they would still have some reservations.
The hermit chose a pavilion outside the city as his meeting place. The pavilion was for travelers to rest, and there used to be a teahouse next to it, but it's gone now. It's still a place to talk, though.
Yan Shujin kept her promise. The guards stayed at the city gate, and she only took Han Jing and Bai Yan with her. The three of them rode there on horseback.
Besides the clan chief who had lost his wife and daughter, there were several other people in the mountain village. When they saw Yan Shujin and her two companions, they told the others to step back. Once Yan Shujin entered the pavilion, only the three of them remained.
Yan Shujin did not go in immediately, but stopped at the entrance of the pavilion and solemnly bowed to the three mountain clan leaders: "The events in Nanzhong City have implicated you all."
Author's Note: In summary, these chapters...
Bao Jie's psychological journey from princess to empress!
Thank you, little angels, for watering me with nutrient solution!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Rice (10 bottles), Kalavinka1996 (8 bottles), and Big Baby who loves torturing male protagonists (2 bottles).
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard! ^_^
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