Chapter 130: Hang Up for a Year
Baixiu Mountain is located southeast of Xiaogang Village and south of Dongji Town.
Shen Yuexi rode on a warhorse and galloped with the cavalry, arriving in just half an hour.
Baixiu Mountain is a steep, precipitous mountain, a rare sight in the plains beyond the Great Wall. One must look up to see it. At its foot lies the only path to the border. Since establishing the border, the imperial court has disregarded the civilians outside the Great Wall, leaving them to fend for themselves.
The mountain breeze blew Shen Yuexi's hair, making her feel the chilly and cold air again.
She'd once encountered bandits while riding in an ox cart with Doctor Hua, and that had been a real scare. But this time was different. She was escorted by a thousand murderous Xiliang cavalrymen, and her mind wasn't on the bandits, but the Xuanming powder that could cure Meipu's condition.
The owner of the drugstore in Dongji Town did not tell her the specific location of the Xuanming Powder, so it seemed that she would have to search for it herself after going up the mountain.
"Madam, I've inquired with the farmers on the way," Qiu Liming said, spurring his horse to catch up with Shen Yuexi. "There used to be a large Taoist temple on this mountain. It's been occupied recently by a group of bandits, over two hundred strong, who frequently come down the mountain to rob people."
Shen Yuexi nodded and said, "Prince Mei may have already gone up the mountain, let's go up too."
"Dismount," Qiu Liming ordered the cavalrymen. They dismounted one after another, removing their bows and swords from their saddles.
"General Qiu, you lead the troops to find the bandit camp," Shen Yuexi said, "I also need to go look for medicinal herbs."
She wasn't an expert at eliminating bandits, so she let Qiu Liming and the soldiers handle it. This was a just act of eliminating harm for the people, and she wouldn't interfere.
Yang Cong stood with Shen Yuexi without waiting for her instructions. Shen Yuexi smiled and shook her head.
Qiu Liming said, "I will leave two hundred soldiers at the foot of the mountain, lead six hundred soldiers into the mountain to search for the prince, and two hundred soldiers to protect the mistress."
"It's too much. We don't need it." Shen Yuexi thought it was a bit exaggerated.
A few bandits, yet thousands of regular troops were dispatched to wipe them out, was already a bit of an overreaction. Going out to collect herbs, and being accompanied by two hundred guards, was too grand a spectacle for her to handle.
Qiu Liming insisted on her own opinion, and even Yang Cong tried to persuade her:
"Madam, you are so forgetful. Have you forgotten the last time we ran into the Xirong scouts in the mountains? There are bandits here. We should bring more soldiers to be safe."
"Okay, I'll do as you say." After saying that, Shen Yuexi took the lead and walked up the mountain.
"Two hundred soldiers, come and volunteer to protect the mistress." Qiu Liming waved his hand and shouted, and the soldiers responded one after another. Two hundred of them followed Shen Yuexi.
Shen Yuexi and Yang Cong followed the path up the mountain. Looking around, they felt like generals on the battlefield. Not only were there soldiers scouting ahead, but there were also guards on all sides.
She had never had this kind of experience in her previous life, and it was quite interesting to have two hundred bodyguards with her.
"Big Bear, collect the materials for the leprosy medicine."
As she walked, she mentally gave Big Bear the order to gather the items, and Big Bear finally agreed. Several soldiers ran out of the dense forest ahead and ran up to her to report:
"Madam, there's a Taoist priest hanging in the woods ahead, calling out. Please give me some instructions."
"Hanging?"
Shen Yuexi was stunned and looked forward. Is there still someone hanging?
"Yes, Madam, you will know when you go to the front and take a look." The soldier didn't know how to describe it and led the way.
As I approached the woods, I heard a man screaming from inside: "What are you looking at? Let me down!"
The sound was very high and didn't seem to come from the ground.
"Madam, it sounds like someone is calling from the tree." Yang Cong said to Shen Yuexi.
Shen Yuexi curiously went into the woods with Yang Cong.
Hundreds of soldiers had gathered in the woods, all looking up at the sky and pointing. Shen Yuexi also looked up at the point where everyone's gaze was focused.
A tall tree stretched a thick branch across the sky, and there, indeed, was a Taoist priest hanging from it. A strong black belt bound his body, the other end of which was tied to the branch, dangling him in the air.
Isn't this Dr. Hua's son? It must have been done by Mep. He's so mean, why would he hang someone so high up?
Shen Yuexi couldn't help but laugh. Considering how this fake Taoist priest had been scamming people in the village, Meipu's punishment wasn't excessive. However, he was three stories above the ground, and if he fell, he'd be crippled, if not killed.
"Put him down." Shen Yuexi ordered the soldiers.
Punishment can be changed.
"Madam Shen, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has ordered us not to do so." The soldiers shook their heads.
Shen Yuexi looked at the fake Taoist priest in confusion: "Does the prince still have an order?"
Seeing so many people refusing to let him go, the fake Taoist priest became even more anxious and moved his body twice: "Please be kind, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not here, what are you afraid of?"
One of the soldiers pointed upwards and whispered to Shen Yuexi, "Madam Shen, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has ordered that he be hanged for... one year."
Shen Yuexi walked around to the back of the Taoist priest and saw that there were two lines of words written on the back of his pants. On the left leg was written "Order of the Prince of Xiliang" and on the right leg was written "Hang for a year and then release".
It doesn't take a year, it only takes two days and the person is gone. The scammer didn't get any money, so his crime is not punishable by death.
"This is a prank played by your heir," Shen Yuexi said to the sergeant, "It's okay, just put it down."
"Madam Shen, we really don't dare," the soldier said. "Perhaps he has done something, and the prince really wants to hang him for a year. If we let him go, we would be disobeying the Lord's orders."
The soldier's voice became louder, and the fake Taoist priest in the air heard it and shouted:
"Oh my god, it takes a year to hang. Medicinal herbs only take half a week to dry. How can you make bacon out of it if you hang it for a year?"
Shen Yuexi bent her fingers and tapped her forehead. She glanced around and saw the dead yellow leaves all over the ground. She immediately had an idea.
She said to the sergeant, "His Highness has ordered that you not be released. Will you do what I tell you to do?"
The soldiers said one after another: "Madam Shen, we will do everything except this."
"Go and gather some leaves and pile them under him. Then surround him with planks of wood."
The soldiers understood what Shen Yuexi meant and went to collect leaves from the surrounding area and piled them under the Taoist priest. Soon the pile of leaves was more than a man high.
Seeing this, the fake Taoist priest started yelling again, "You...are you going to set me on fire? I have no grudge against you, why are you doing this?"
Shen Yuexi walked up to him and raised her face and said, "I have a grudge against you. That time when I invited you in at midnight, you had to pay a consultation fee of ten taels."
"Ah, it's you, I remember now!"
The fake Taoist pointed at Shen Yuexi and said, "For just ten taels of silver, you actually want to take revenge like this. You also know that I have a son, and he even drove the carriage for you..."
Shen Yuexi looked around and said, "Let's find someone with excellent archery skills."
"Ah, you're using arrows again, trying to shoot me!"
The fake Taoist was speaking excitedly when a skilled archer below bent his bow and drew his arrow. The bowstring snapped and the arrow pierced the belt on his back. He immediately fell from the sky with a scream.
With a "bang", countless dead leaves flew in front of Shen Yuexi.
Shen Yuexi took a step forward and looked at the fake Taoist priest who had fallen into the pile of fallen leaves: "Are you okay?"
"Don't move... It's broken." The fake Taoist priest lay straight on the leaves, glaring at the soldiers approaching. "Go get me a splint and carry me to town to see a doctor. A broken bone will take a hundred days to heal."
Yang Cong couldn't stand it and kicked him in the leg: "Stop pretending, get up and put on your clothes."
Seeing Yang Cong being so arrogant, the fake Taoist priest had no choice but to slowly turn over and get up, saying, "This poor Taoist priest... this fall really hurts."
Before he finished speaking, Shen Yuexi, Yang Cong and the surrounding soldiers all laughed.
It turned out that there was a line of words on his back. He himself could not see it, but everyone could see it clearly. It read:
"Compensate for my tape."
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