Chapter 89: The natural opposition, unsolvable...
The candlelight was bright, and the air was filled with the aroma of wine, mixed with many other flavors. If you smell it for a long time, your head will feel dizzy and your eyelids will feel heavy.
Perhaps it was because Zhao Changning's expression was too calm and her tone of voice did not fluctuate at all, which made people feel that she did not seem angry, but just felt humiliated.
The man sneered and nodded without hesitation, under the influence of alcohol. "So what if it's me? So what if it's not me?"
At this moment, the actor on the stage seemed to notice something was wrong and slowly stopped.
Someone below was shouting, "Why did you stop? Keep going."
The actors looked at each other in fear and finally didn't dare to continue. Now, everyone in Yujing knew that there was a powerful female calligrapher.
They hang out in places like this all the time and are well-informed. For the past year, they've been hearing all about this female scribe. After all, the officials describe her as ferocious and evil, like a demon. Some even say the drought in Yujing might be the result of this woman's rebellion, and that even God is angry.
Zhao Changning turned around and beckoned Yunsheng over. He whispered several words of advice into his ear, then patted him on the shoulder and said gently, "Go."
Yunsheng's face was full of worry, and he was reluctant to leave. He pursed his lips and said firmly, "Auntie, I won't leave."
Anyi pushed him away and said solemnly: "If your aunt asks you to go, just go. It's useless for you to stay here. I will protect your aunt, don't worry."
Zhao Changning shook his head, "You should leave too. Return to the palace and tell the Emperor..."
She mouthed a sentence.
Anyi's eyes widened instantly, but when he looked at the stage, he felt that with his aunt's strong temper, she would definitely not be able to endure today's humiliation.
He gritted his teeth, calmed himself, and ran with Yunsheng, "Let's go, we have to help our aunt."
Yunsheng looked back every few steps, his heart aching and tears in his eyes. Thinking of his aunt's instructions, he finally ran out quickly.
Zhao Changning held up his long sword and asked again calmly, "If it's you, then it's you. If it's not you, then it's not you. So, you dare not take responsibility for it?"
The man looked at Zhao Changning's beautiful and elegant face, and thought that the six departments were now suppressed by a group of women. He suddenly became furious and blurted out.
"Yes, it's me. If the Nüshu Ling is not satisfied with this program, you can change it. These actors have arranged many performances, and I guarantee you will be satisfied with every performance."
There were people nearby who agreed, but they quickly lowered their heads. It was obvious that some people disagreed and some did not know about it in advance.
Zhao Changning nodded, thinking that her guess was right, and her ability to read people's expressions was still there.
Her heart was calm at the moment. After her anger reached its peak, she was strangely calm. Looking at the room full of so-called colleagues, she seemed to see inhuman faces like beasts, entangled by desire and jealousy, and no longer had much to do with human beings.
She finally understood that she was different from them after all. Her body was different, her camp was different, everything was different. Even if she lowered her bottom line again and again and tried to fit in, she was simply incompatible.
This is a natural contradiction that cannot be resolved.
She laughed at herself, dragging her sword as she walked slowly, cold as a ghost. Her tone was calm and indifferent, as if she was talking about the weather today, and she sighed softly.
"Oh, this is truly disgusting. I'm beginning to regret smiling at you all the time, and even more so, my wishful thinking of fitting in. I'll never be grateful for your fake smiles. I never imagined that even today, with my current status, I could still be humiliated by you..."
Looking at his ugly face full of sarcasm and disdain, he raised his sword without hesitation and stabbed it down with lightning speed.
"ah……"
"Oh my God, someone's been killed..."
The crowd was frightened, and a group of men just watched. No one thought that she would raise a knife, and no one guessed that she dared to raise a knife.
"Bitch, you dare..." The man's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked at Zhao Changning with anger and disbelief, then lowered his head to look at the sword that pierced his chest.
The long sword pierced the man's heart. Zhao Changning seemed dissatisfied with his struggle, so she grasped the hilt with both hands and exerted force again. The tip of the sword slowly emerged from behind him. The white knife went in, and the red knife came out. Blood was dripping from the tip of the sword. She even turned the hilt hard. Screams rang out in the house until he died.
Endless curses rang in his ears, and those people dispersed and formed a circle, surrounding Zhao Changning and the man.
Zhao Changning glanced around with a cold look.
"Who else planned this? In this time of national crisis, you dare to indulge in wine and women, without any regard for the people's livelihood. Even the emperor is fasting and praying for blessings, so what right do you have to eat and drink here? The court always shouts that they have no money. Is it because all the money is spent here?"
Many people turned their heads away in guilt, while others lowered their heads and dared not look at her. These people had actually received Zhao Changning's care and favors, and they had also encountered each other during their daily work.
But there are always people who can't stand her.
Zhao Changning observed carefully and found that most of these people had various industries at home and were influenced by the Maritime Customs, or they had some minor frictions in their daily lives, which made them dislike her. More often than not, they couldn't stand seeing a woman on an equal footing with them.
Nothing can be done without profit. With her current power, not many people dare to humiliate her in such a way.
"Zhao Changning, you dare to kill an official appointed by the imperial court?"
"Yes, how dare you?"
"Report to the authorities, report immediately. We must go to the palace tonight and submit a petition, asking the emperor to kill this evil woman..."
Zhao Changning calmly stepped on the chest of the corpse, pulled out his sword, and pointed it at the man who was shouting the loudest.
Her tone remained calm as before, "If you have the guts, you can kill me now."
The room fell into an eerie silence. As they watched Zhao Changning kill someone without hesitation, who would dare to show up at this moment? After all, Zhao Changning had the emperor behind him.
Zhao Changning sneered in his heart, with a hint of disdain in his eyes.
She felt that they were really nothing special, not even as good as the female officials under her command.
However, some people were irritated by the blood and started to curse, and the cursing gradually became louder.
Zhao Changning watched them approaching her viciously. Perhaps her mind was dazed by the alcohol, she raised her sword and stabbed. Waves of strange cries rang out, and the crowd began to lose control. Some rushed forward, while others tried to stop them. Self-interest and sanity were entangled...
"Hey, don't, don't be impulsive..."
“Stop, stop now…”
"Kill this witch, kill her, and clear the court..."
"Kill her..."
"Everyone, don't be impulsive, it will cause a big mess..."
All shouting was drowned out by the chaos.
When the prefect of Yujing arrived with his troops, surrounded Qianjiao Tower, and finally separated the crowd, he saw Zhao Changning standing on the stage, covered in blood.
The prefect was really shocked, because Zhao Changning had disheveled hair and was covered in blood, with some of it splattered on her face. The blood contrasted with her snow-white face, and her dark and calm eyes were emitting a strange light. Under the fluorescent red candlelight, she looked as weird as a bloodthirsty ghost.
"Female Secretary?" he stammered.
Zhao Changning glanced at him calmly, then calmly dropped his sword. Without even glancing back at the wailing man, he walked over to the prefect and said softly, "Don't worry, sir. I'll go to the jail with you."
The prefect was shocked by her alertness and calmness, and didn't know what to say for a moment.
He turned his head to look at the situation in the house again. The bodies were in a mess and had been trampled on. Five or six people were scratched, but fortunately their lives were not in danger.
"This, isn't this the son of Princess Huachang?" The prefect squatted down and took a closer look. He immediately felt a chill all over his body. He turned his head to look at Zhao Changning in surprise. He didn't believe that Zhao Changning, who had served the emperor in the deep palace for many years, didn't recognize him, but she still killed him.
What is the purpose of this?
The prefect thought of the delicate relationship between the emperor and Princess Huachang, realized that something was wrong, and became cautious.
"Take them away, take them all away, including the actors, and interrogate them together."
The person who could become the prefect of Yujing Prefecture was not an ordinary person, nor was he a fool. When he saw the makeup and clothes of the female actor, he knew that today's show must be the fuse.
When one reaches Zhao Changning's position, there is no need to suppress many things in one's heart and endure them silently.
The prefect couldn't help but sigh in his heart, and even more wanted to curse. The New Year is almost here, and they are still looking for trouble. What a bunch of shameless people. I'm afraid this year will not be peaceful, and he will have to make judgments during the New Year.
Zhao Changning followed calmly, having almost wiped the blood off his face.
At some point, a strong wind started to blow under the pitch-black sky, and yellow sand was dancing wildly. In the dust, something could be vaguely heard falling down, making a rustling sound.
Everyone reached out to take it and found that it was actually grains of snow.
Someone shouted happily, "It's going to snow, it's going to snow, great, it's going to snow..."
Snow means that the disaster is about to end. Yujing, which has been suffering from drought for many days, is longing for this belated snow.
At this time, the cheers were mixed with cries of pain and curses. Especially with Zhao Changning covered in blood and with an indifferent look on his face, the atmosphere was extremely weird.
These people were about to be thrown into prison, knowing nothing about anything, while Yujing was already in chaos.
Yunsheng looked at Song Huan, wiped his tears, and told Song Huan about the scene at that time.
"Sister Huan, Auntie will definitely not be able to control herself. She may appear gentle on the surface, but in reality, she's extremely strong-willed. She will definitely not be able to control herself and will definitely do it..."
Song Huan's face darkened when she heard this. Zhao Changning's temper didn't seem to be soft at all, but she didn't have time to dwell on such words at the moment and looked towards his side.
"Didn't you say to take Anyi with you? Where's Anyi?"
"An Yi entered the palace. Auntie asked him to find the emperor, but I didn't see what she said. I'm sorry, Sister Huan..." Yunsheng choked up and said, "Sister Huan, Auntie only asked me to come to you. She said that we must make this matter bigger, the bigger the better. She said you will definitely understand what to do."
Song Zongheng naturally heard everything from the side, and said hesitantly, "Huan'er."
Song Huan said with a cold face, "Dad, if you try to stop me, then you can collect the bodies of me and my aunt together."
Song Zongheng shut up immediately.
He stood up and went to his study. "I'll draft a memorial right away. The officials from the six ministries are really outrageous."
Song Huan gathered all the servants and maids in the house and explained the situation to them in general.
"Immediately harness the carriage, take my visiting card, and go notify everyone in my poetry club. Don't leave any of them out. Have them come to my house. Also, have Zhou Miao and Chen Qi meet me in front of the prison. Tell them there's an emergency, a huge one, concerning the survival of the poetry club, and the president has summoned them."
My aunt said she wanted to make a big fuss, so it must be useful. Time is of the essence and we cannot waste a single moment.
Song Huan dragged Yunsheng to the prison. When she heard Yunsheng sobbing softly, she couldn't help but frown and said, "Don't cry. Auntie will be fine."
Yunsheng nodded vigorously and wiped away his tears fiercely, "Yes, Sister Huan, I won't cry anymore."
Song Huan urged the driver, "Hurry up, hurry up, we must see our aunt before we go to prison."
She was worried about her aunt's safety. If she really killed the official, with so many officials present, she didn't dare to think about what would happen to her aunt. She also wanted to ask her aunt what was the best thing to do next and how to save her.
At this time, at the Zhou family's house, Zhou Miao finally climbed over the wall with the help of the maid.
She looked towards her parents' yard and said, "Go back to your room and lie down. If anyone finds you, just put the blame on me. If all else fails, just run away. Got it?"
The girl was so frightened that she started crying, "Miss, please come down quickly, I'm scared."
Zhou Miao glared at her, "My aunt is in trouble, I have to go."
She climbed over the wall, got into the carriage that had been prepared long ago, and left without looking back.
The home of the Imperial College's chief academic officer, the main courtyard in the north.
Chen Qi bowed to her grandfather and said, "Grandfather, your granddaughter is gone."
Lord Chen looked at his granddaughter and couldn't help but sigh, "You're just an eighth-rank female official. For a little money, you've been bullied and quarreled all day long in the six ministries. If things really don't work out, resigning isn't a big deal. Why bother getting involved in this? You're bound to get yourself into trouble."
Chen Qi shook her head. "When I was working in the six ministries, I was often ostracized and ridiculed. We were all like that, so how could my aunt be so high up? If it weren't for her, how could my granddaughter have become an eighth-rank female official? Grandfather, you were very happy at the time, and you even said that I, like my brother, had brought honor to our family."
Lord Chen's old face turned slightly red and he stopped talking.
Chen Qi looked up at her grandfather and said sternly, "Grandfather, if one day, your granddaughter is forced to watch Feiyou bare her breasts and pose in front of you, and has to smile and say "I love it" to please men, how would you feel? Your granddaughter understands your aunt's feelings, and I hope you understand yours, too."
Master Chen sighed deeply. "Never mind. You've always had your own opinions. You'd go even if I disagreed. You're willing to come and explain it to me. I think you're thoughtful."
He waved his hand, "Go ahead, go ahead."
Looking at his beloved granddaughter, he thought that he had to draft a memorial to the emperor about this matter, as it was too outrageous.
Running wildly all the way, with the wind blowing like a knife and his mouth full of yellow mud, Song Huan finally stopped the man in front of the prison.
The sleet had stopped, but it didn't snow. Instead, the raindrops fell sparsely like star drops.
Song Huan was stopped by the police. In the flickering torch, she saw Zhao Changning standing alone with his back straight among the crowd. He was covered in blood and looked in a mess. She was so scared that her legs went weak.
Yunsheng collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face, but he didn't dare cry out loud.
"Aunt, Aunt?" Song Huan didn't have time to look around and shouted.
She had a lot of questions to ask, but in the end she just asked in an urgent tone, "Auntie, why?"
In the deep night, Zhao Changning looked at her from afar through the torches. Just then, a drop of rain fell on the tip of her nose, waking her from her slightly drunken state.
Yeah, why?
Why couldn't you hold back? Why did you do it? Why did you kill?
Why?
Zhao Changning stopped, and everyone else stopped too.
The prefect did not urge him. In the sparse raindrops, he looked at Zhao Changning with complicated eyes, his face full of embarrassment.
Zhao Changning straightened his slightly messy hair again and responded to Song Huan loudly, "Because I have no way out, Song Huan, I have no way out."
Everyone had a way out, even the female officials, but she was the only one who didn't.
Song Huan understood, and her heart felt like it was being hit by a huge hammer. The pain made her burst into tears immediately.
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The author has something to say: [helpless] [helpless]
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