Chapter 187 She's about to give birth.
The man frowned, staring intently at Yao Qingling, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle to discern the truthfulness of her words.
Qingling continued, "Chen Mazi at the dock has already told you the whole story, but you don't believe him because you're afraid. These people were bribed by me when you set sail. And those who were killed were people who opposed me and were loyal to you."
“You have suspicions and think I should lock up those traitors and deal with them when you come back. I need you to see it with your own eyes before you can believe that these people really betrayed you.”
“I know that those people followed you in starting the uprising. You have a deep bond with them, sharing both good times and bad. You don’t believe they would betray you. After all, when you decided to come down the mountain, you all swore an oath never to betray each other.”
“But Sheng Dahe, loyalty to one’s brother depends on who you’re dealing with. Open your eyes and look at the people who are still by your side.”
"Use your brain too. Do those people really want to follow you, or are they just being coerced by your power? If there were better and more benefits, would they still willingly follow you?"
Everyone wants to be the king, and nobody wants to be a pawn being bossed around.
A loyal person is one who truly submits, believes that they cannot create a future on their own, and is willing to entrust their life to someone they trust.
"The world is in chaos. They've become accustomed to attaching themselves to the strong and to making a living by robbery and theft. If you ask them to do hard labor, will they still be willing? At first, they're willing to follow you because the government's crackdown on bandits is strong and they're afraid. But once the storm subsides, their mentality will change."
“I didn’t spare their lives because I was afraid. They had already colluded with outsiders, and the longer I kept them alive, the greater the changes would be.”
"I must kill them to ensure the safety of the others."
Qingling said she was tired and had to stop to catch her breath.
This also gives Sheng Dahe time to think.
Sheng Dahe's gaze wandered.
Is that really the case?
Is Yao Qingling really not slowly weakening his power by cutting him with a dull knife?
"Then just kill them. Why burn down my village? You've made those people's lives a stepping stone for Lin Shiyuan's promotion!"
Yao Qingling was about to give up; cold sweat poured down her face as she gritted her teeth and held on.
"The place is deserted. Leaving that stronghold is not only useless, but it will also become a hidden danger... The prefect needs to arrest the bandits to fulfill his duty and give the court an explanation... Those people died, so it was a fitting end. As for Lin Shiyuan... Lin..."
At this moment, Xiao Pingfeng pulled Sheng Dahe back, moving the knife away from Qingling. Lou Yue and Xia Chan quickly stepped forward to support Qingling, with Xia Chan pressing a handkerchief against Qingling's stomach: "Miss, how are you?"
Qingling's clothes were soaked with sweat. She shook her head weakly: "It should just be a cut. He wouldn't dare to do that."
Putting everything else aside, the reason Yao Qingling was willing to cooperate with Sheng Dahe was that, apart from having no other choice at the time, she felt that Sheng Dahe was a loyal and righteous person who could shoulder responsibility.
She had been seeing Sheng Dahe for half a year, and he wouldn't still treat her like a stranger.
If Sheng Dahe were a tiger out of control, he wouldn't listen to a single word she said; instead, he would kill her with a single blow as soon as he entered the door.
Previous encounters have shown that Sheng Dahe likes to draw his sword to scare her.
This time, he was also just bluffing, but with an added element of venting his anger.
Those who died were his brothers.
Sheng Dahe shoved Xiao Pingfeng's hand away: "What? You think I'm wavering? Would I doubt my brothers like that?"
Xiao Pingfeng said, "Boss Sheng, what Madam Yao said is true. People's hearts can change. Our previous team consisted of refugees we took in during our escape. Don't you know what they were like?"
There were honest farmers, hooligans, lazy bullies, swindlers, down-on-their-luck scholars, landlords whose families had been destroyed... all sorts of people, but they were all bound together by a common thread while fleeing for their lives and trying to make a living.
Now that we have enough to eat and live a stable life, we have greater desires and needs.
Sheng Dahe didn't want to admit that he had been betrayed and fooled, so he turned his head away and refused to listen.
Xiao Pingfeng sighed: "Madam Yao gave you those household registration documents first, saying that people at the docks could avoid being checked by the officials with these documents. You don't know, the officials have been checking very closely lately, and we've spent a lot of money bribing them."
"Because of these household registration documents, the people in the village were dissatisfied and almost started another disturbance."
"Madam Yao told you not to linger in the capital. Once you unload the cargo, continue sailing. She's about to give birth. After she gives birth, she won't be able to take care of you for a while. Boss Sheng, although Madam Yao isn't your sworn sister, she considers you one of her own."
"The way you treat her is heartbreaking!"
Sheng Dahe's hand holding the knife trembled, and he glanced sideways at Yao Qingling.
is that so?
At this moment, Yao Qingling sat in a chair, enduring wave after wave of cramping pain from her stomach.
She couldn't hold back any longer and screamed, "Ah—!"
The shout startled Sheng Dahe so much that he almost dropped his knife: "I...I didn't do anything to her!"
“You didn’t do anything? Boss, cut her stomach off.” The second-in-command said from the side.
Boss Sheng, his face flushed and neck red, stammered, "I... I was just angry..."
He was so guilty that he couldn't continue.
He was so overwhelmed by the bad news that he lost his mind.
At that time, he thought, so what if Yao Qingling was carrying a baby? How could her baby compare to the lives of his brothers? Yao Qingling paved the way with the lives of his brothers for her baby!
Yao Qingling kicked her legs in pain, gripping the maid's hand tightly, unable to speak.
A trickle of water flowed out from beneath her, a small amount.
"Xia Chan, I...I think I'm going into labor...Ah!" she cried out in pain again.
She's not afraid of anything else, but she's afraid that the baby in her belly is moving too much and will rupture her belly skin.
Xia Chan and Lou Yue were also terrified.
"She's born...she's given birth...how could it be so fast..."
"He Yin!" Nie Yun grabbed He Yin and pulled her over. "Aren't you her doctor? Deliver her baby!"
He Yin waved her hands repeatedly.
She's just a doctor; she's never delivered a baby before!
When she gestured, only Xia Chan and Lou Yue, who were familiar with her, could understand some of it.
"What if you can't deliver the baby?"
"Even if she's going to give birth, it can't be in this yard; she has to be taken inside!"
"How do we get her in? Will she be able to walk?"
"Go and find a midwife right away!"
At this point, no one could make a decision. Everyone was talking at once, and things were in complete chaos, like a pot of Laba porridge.
Sheng Dahe and his group of big men were crammed together in the courtyard, some even bumping into each other.
Even when his own wife was giving birth, he had never been this panicked. Of course, their children and wives had all died in that disaster, and their families were destroyed.
"Stop making noise!" Yao Qingling calmed down after a wave of pain subsided and adjusted her breathing to calm herself down.
"I can't give birth here! Get me back to the Marquis's residence right now!" She gripped the armrests of the chair tightly as she stood up, almost grinding her teeth to powder.
"Miss, go back to the manor? How can we make it in time..." Lou Yue's voice trembled with panic.
We shouldn't have made the young lady make this trip.
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