Chapter 7
"Zhang Wei used my mother's family's influence to ascend to the position of prefect of Zhang County, but he turned a blind eye when my mother's family fell into decline. At first, I thought he was just snobbish, but I never expected that I would never see through Zhang Wei."
The prefect's wife said, "Then he began to take concubines, one after another. He seemed to be completely transparent and there was no coercion. Each family gave a hundred taels of silver as a betrothal gift. But who knew that this hundred taels was the money they had to pay for their lives?"
"To prevent his actions from being exposed, Zhang Wei ordered those who took the money to move out of Zhang County and never return, promising to give their daughters a good life. My husband was obsessed with beauty, and my family fell into decline. I hated those concubines. But gradually I discovered that when those concubines came to pay their respects to me, they were often injured, and some could not even do the greeting."
Now when she thinks back to the state of those women at that time, she is still terrified.
"They were often naked in Zhang Wei's courtyard. They were inhumane, and beating and scolding were considered the least of their trouble. When Zhang Wei was in the mood, he would take a knife, cut off a piece of their skin, and sew it with cowhide to make a blanket. Or he would let wolfhounds in to tear apart those powerless women. If they were tied up, and by chance..."
She turned to look at Shi Ye and asked, "I wonder if you've ever smelled a strange fragrance in this mansion. In the winter, they drag people out into the snow and let them freeze to death. Then they take the oils from their bodies, mix them with scented powder, and then add beeswax. They do all this in secret. If I weren't the lady of this mansion, I'm afraid I would never know about this until I die."
Shi Ye took a quick look at the evil spirits in the courtyard last night and couldn't bear to watch any longer. Coupled with the words of the prefect's wife, Shi Ye's expression became increasingly gloomy.
Shi Ye asked her: "Then why didn't you stop Zhang Wei from killing people, or expose Zhang Wei's evil deeds to the outside world?"
The governor's wife took the handrail and sat down. She chuckled softly, then looked at Shi Ye. "You are capable. You can walk freely in this world and support yourself. I am a woman of modesty. I marry my husband and obey him. I live at his mercy. Besides, Zhang Wei is a governor after all. He is powerful and influential. If I expose him, what will happen to me and my family?"
"All I can do is let some people go, one at a time."
Shi Ye: "So you are not afraid of him now?"
The prefect's wife said: "Over the years, the corpses buried in the backyard have piled up. I can't sleep or eat. I can't atone for my sins. I have nothing to fear."
She slowly began to count the Buddhist beads, and Shi Ye stood up and looked at her, "Zhang Wei will pay the price. Since you believe in Buddhism, the Buddha will consider your price." Then he walked out.
The prefect's wife stared at his back in a daze, unable to speak for a long time.
Someone rushed in and said, "Madam! Prince Huai'an has sent people to surround the entire prefectural government!"
"You go ahead."
"lady?"
"Go and lead the way for them and dig out all the corpses in the backyard."
.
In the courtyard, the housekeeper was being held down by someone who came with great force and presence.
The leader had sharp eyes, a powerful build, and a murderous aura. He wore a brocade robe with flowing silver threads, a black jade wolf pendant dangling from his waist. His voice was as cold as iron: "Zhang Wei, the prefect of Zhang County, as a local official, should be honest and law-abiding, serving the country and its people. Instead, you are corrupt and pervert the law, treating human life with disregard! The Prince of Huai'an has ordered that Zhang Wei's property be confiscated and he be executed according to the law to uphold the law!"
The housekeeper shouted, "I am innocent! I was threatened by Zhang Wei. Your Highness, please understand!"
Chen Nian's eyes were filled with contempt: "Drag him away."
"yes."
Zhang Wei himself was dragged out of the room half-dead and insane.
At the corner of the corridor, a man in black clothes appeared. Chen Nian lowered his folded arms and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Mr. Shi."
Shi Ye also clasped his fists in return and said, "General Chen's actions were faster than I expected. Is the prince doing well these days?"
Chen Nian grinned and replied, "Your Highness is doing well. It's a good thing that we happened to be near Zhang County. Otherwise, if you had sent the news two days ago, you would never have reached Zhang County today."
The Prince of Huai'an is the brother of the current emperor, and has his own fiefdom in the north. Although the north is bitterly cold, it is also a vital part of the country. The Prince of Huai'an commands a large military force, which is sufficient evidence of his deep affection for the emperor.
Chen Nian looked at the man in front of him. Although he had a noble demeanor and extraordinary looks, he was not yet twenty years old. However, the prince attached great importance to this period.
He said he had just received a letter from this man two days ago, and the prince had ordered him to bring his men to Zhang County to arrest the prefect without even bothering to verify the letter's authenticity. Chen Nian didn't understand what this Taoist priest could do. He couldn't be playing tricks, could he?
The prince’s order is everything. Chen Nian had doubts in his heart and could only lead his troops forward.
Shi Ye nodded and said, "Give my regards to the prince. I will definitely visit him when I have the chance."
Chen Nian: "I must tell you this, sir. Won't you go back with us? The prince keeps talking about you."
"No, I have something important to do, so I won't bother you anymore."
After saying this, he said goodbye and returned to his guest room.
Whether Zhang Wei lives or dies will be determined by the law. All he has to do is catch ghosts.
.
In the guest room,
Shi Ye had already stepped inside when he suddenly paused. Remembering Wang Sheng, he withdrew his foot, a little hesitant. He had always been solitary, and suddenly being asked to take care of someone was a bit strange.
But it was his own fault after all, so he chose to continue walking forward, wanting to see if Wang Sheng had woken up. Before he got close to Wang Sheng's guest room, he heard the sound of water flowing inside.
A young woman in a light green shirt was in Wang Sheng's room, with her sleeves rolled up and a handkerchief twisted, wiping Wang Sheng's face. After wiping her face, she thought for a moment and then reached for Wang Sheng's neck with the handkerchief.
"What are you doing?"
"ah!"
The handkerchief fell to the ground, and the woman was startled. Her face turned red on the spot, and she hesitantly explained: "I, I, the housekeeper asked me to serve the master, so I came..."
He also recognized the woman. She was the concubine that Zhang Weixin had married, whom he had met yesterday.
He walked in, blocking out a large area of sunlight, and kindly reminded her, "Zhang Wei has been arrested by the Prince of Huai'an for corruption and abuse of power. You don't have to stay here any longer."
The woman was a little surprised and didn't know what to do, "I..."
A fat bird flew in, landed at the head of the bed, licked the feathers on its wings, and then called out, "Your Majesty, please understand! Your Majesty, please understand!"
The father-in-law imitated the housekeeper's voice to 90% of its original tone, and shouted particularly loudly, and with one shout he woke up Wang Sheng who was still in a coma.
Wang Sheng propped himself up on the bedside with one hand, half-closed his eyes and said unhappily, "Which bastard disturbed my sweet sleep?"
The blanket on him slipped off, revealing a large area of his chest. The woman, who had not yet had time to move away, screamed and quickly dodged.
The sound of this cry lingered in the air, and Wang Sheng was completely convinced.
Seeing that he didn't move at all, Shi Ye frowned and threw the blanket at Wang Sheng, saying with a cold voice, "How shameful."
"What's going on? Where are my clothes?"
Wang Sheng clutched the quilt tightly and looked at Shi Ye in surprise. Shi Ye was confused by him. Then he said in disbelief: "You don't think I took off..."
It was really him who took off Wang Sheng's clothes. Seeing Wang Sheng looking at him with even more fear, Shi glared at him, shook his sleeves and ran out of the door. The woman also trotted out after him, leaving Wang Sheng alone in the messy room.
He felt inside the quilt, and luckily, his pants were there, and his innocence was there.
There was also a eunuch in the room. He was not afraid of people at all and was standing by the bed licking his fur. Wang Sheng slapped him and said, "Go away, you fat bastard."
Father-in-law: "I am your uncle."
.
After Wang Sheng got dressed, he stuffed the fifty taels of silver into the bottom of his backpack and hid it. After he stood up straight, he almost fell flat on his face.
He even felt as if there was water in his nasal cavity. It was just like the dream he had last night, where he was suffocated to death by being drowned in a pond. Fortunately, it was really a ghost.
After he went out, he found that the prefect's mansion had been ransacked by a group of well-trained people, and many people who were unaware of the situation had been driven out, including the prefect's wife.
Wang Sheng was not stupid and probably knew what had happened.
A group of people passed by him carrying a mahogany box. The lid was not closed properly, and a string of Japanese beads fell from it. Wang Sheng swallowed his saliva, and when he saw the beads being picked up, he felt a surge of anxiety in his heart.
These people looked ferocious and evil. Wang Sheng could imagine that if he was caught stealing something, he would definitely be beaten to death on the spot.
A black jade wolf pendant passed by Wang Sheng's eyes. It looked familiar to him, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.
Someone looked at him and asked, "Who are you and where are you from?"
Wang Sheng nodded and bowed: "I'm just passing by, I'm leaving now."
After being driven out of the prefectural government, Wang Sheng looked back and asked, "Where is the master? Why can't I see him?"
All the irrelevant people were there, but Wang Sheng didn't see Shi Ye. He walked away, looking back every few steps, and when he was sure that Shi Ye was not there either, he felt a little discouraged.
He said he wanted to become an apprentice, but he can't even be found. What's the point of becoming an apprentice now?
At the intersection, an old man sat steadily on a small stool, guarding his bucket of half-dead fish. He didn't even know to shout when someone came.
Wang Sheng exclaimed, then looked around. There was no one around here, and yet this old man still set up his stall here. No wonder he often couldn't make money. It would be strange if he could make money.
He put on his backpack, then walked over and picked up the old man's bucket. "Uncle, there's no one here. The only prefectural government office has been sealed off today. No one will buy your fish. Let's go somewhere else."
Only after Wang Sheng had walked far away did the old man calmly put away the small stool and follow Wang Sheng calmly.
After arriving at the downtown area, Wang Sheng chose a good location for the old man, put down the bucket, and said to him, "This is a good place. You can sell fish here."
The old man opened the stool with a bang and sat down directly.
Wang Sheng squatted down and asked, "By the way, uncle, have you seen a man with a sword on his back? He's... not bad looking, just a little less handsome than me, and he looks down on people. I have something to discuss with him."
The old man continued to look straight ahead.
Seeing that he didn't seem to know the answer, Wang Sheng sighed, got up and went home.
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