Chapter 44 His overtures led her to her death!
The Censor's Wife: "Things have come to this point, is there still any possibility of reconciliation? How can we reconcile them?"
Qingling sat down next to her: "I haven't thought of that yet."
The Censor's Wife: "..."
Seeing how calm she was, I thought she had come up with a solution.
Yao Qingling turned to look at the Censor's wife: "Madam, have you experienced such riots before?"
Because she didn't behave like an official's wife, or rather, she didn't seem like a pampered official's wife, nor did she have the spoiled air of a young lady; she had a commanding presence that many men couldn't match.
The censor's wife sighed deeply, looking at the raindrops falling from the eaves, and said heavily, "When I was young, I encountered something like that once. Many people died that time. I hid in the cellar and managed to escape... I hid for five whole days without food or water. When I came out, I was so thin that I had no strength left and had to crawl out."
"But when I went out, I saw an even worse sight. Young Madam, have you ever seen a human leg bone being boiled in a pot? There was no meat left, not a single bit..."
Beside the pot was a head covered in ash, its face completely obscured.
“My parents, younger brother and sister are all dead, as is Lao Cao’s family. He’s the only one left.”
The censor's wife hung her head and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
“I haven’t eaten any lard with him for a long time; the smell of it makes me want to vomit.”
Yao Qingling remained silent.
How could she not have seen it before?
She would remember the devastation of the burned town for the rest of her life.
The topic was too heavy, as if it were dragging one's heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys down.
Qingling forced a smile: "Are Madam and Imperial Censor Cao childhood sweethearts?"
The censor's wife smiled as she thought of her husband: "We're more than just childhood sweethearts. I sold tofu to pay for his tuition and supported him through the imperial examinations. He's completely mine."
No wonder, no matter how much the two argued or fought, Imperial Censor Cao always gave in to her.
As Qingling listened to the Imperial Censor's wife recount her story with Imperial Censor Cao, she envied their deep affection and mutual support.
It's wonderful.
The cacophony of fighting outside and the eloquent conversation between the Imperial Censor's wife were happening simultaneously in this time and space.
Strangely, I felt a sense of peace at this moment.
No one thinks about what will happen next. They use memories to remember their families and give themselves the courage to live on; it's like saying goodbye with memories and leaving behind the courage to wait for death.
Qingling had no family to miss, so she put herself in the shoes of the Imperial Censor's wife and imagined how the couple had come to be together.
If a couple is of one mind, even hardship will feel sweet.
She thought that if she died now, the child in her womb would go with her to be reborn...
"Madam, I have a question I'd like to ask you."
The censor's wife glanced at her and said, "Speak."
Yao Qingling asked, "What happened in the imperial court yesterday? Why was General Lin paraded through the streets today, and why was there such a public trial?"
Imperial Censor Cao respected his wife very much. The couple were of one mind, so Imperial Censor Cao would also go home and discuss matters of state with his wife.
After listening to what the Imperial Censor's wife said, Yao Qingling understood.
No wonder Zhan Xingzhuo changed his attitude after finishing his shift yesterday and insisted that she come to Yongning Temple.
It turned out to be Zhou Zhining again; she had gone from being the daughter of a disgraced official to a remnant of the criminals.
The cause was that nursery rhyme.
Zhan Xingzhuo only showed kindness to Zhou Zhining in order to quell the criticism from the outside world and for her sake.
But his overtures led her to her death!
Yao Qingling trembled.
What is he doing now that he's gone down the mountain?
Did they know she was surrounded and about to die?
Does he feel guilty?
Or is he comforting the delicate Zhou Zhining?
Suddenly, Qingling thought of something. She turned sharply to look at the Censor's wife and said, "Madam, is the attack on Yongning Temple by the refugees related to that nursery rhyme?"
Some people used nursery rhymes to incite displaced people to rebel!
The Zhou Zhining in the nursery rhyme is a remnant of the criminals, yet she is safe and sound, living in a comfortable house, served by maids, well-fed and warm; while so many people died when the Yellow River breached its banks, countless people were homeless, starving, and without a roof over their heads.
Despite being one of the main culprits in the embezzlement case, the Zhou family was not confiscated or exterminated; they were merely exiled and even received some assistance, though their lives were not as good as before.
How can we quell this resentment?
The Censor's wife frowned: "Now that you mention it, it seems that way..."
Before he could finish speaking, a loud bang rang out, and the two heavy doors crashed down.
The refugees rushed in, brandishing various weapons and shouting, "Arrest them all!"
The guards fought them, but they were no match for them.
The sounds of knives slicing through flesh, cries of pain, and screams of agony filled the air, and the scene of blood and flesh flying everywhere once again appeared before Qing Ling's eyes.
Taoye clung tightly to Qingling, urging her to run away; the Imperial Censor's wife and her maid, armed with kitchen knives they'd somehow acquired, bravely charged forward—
Qingling watched this scene unfold, her blood boiling with a mixture of heat and cold within her.
We can't... we can't let the conflict escalate any further...
Yao Qingling felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest and into her throat—
She suddenly shook off Tao Ye's hand and rushed out. Just as the Imperial Censor's wife was about to be slashed, she used all her strength to grab the Imperial Censor's wife and pulled her back forcefully.
The knife barely grazed the censor's wife's arm.
The Imperial Censor's wife winced in pain, glancing at the bleeding wound, but she couldn't care less at the moment. She turned to look at Qingling and roared, "What are you doing out here? Hide right now!"
The man, long knife in hand, looked at the two women with disdain, his smile bloodthirsty and cruel: "Tsk, another one coming to die. Saves me the trouble of going looking for them—"
He raised the knife high.
"Wait!" Yao Qingling shouted before his knife fell, "We surrender!"
The man paused, glancing behind him.
The monks couldn't stop their bandit army at all, so what was the point of surrendering now?
Their surrender is not needed.
They originally intended for all these nobles to die here, to atone for the sins of their deceased relatives!
The man's eyes were cold as he raised the knife again—
"You think the authorities will let you off the hook after you killed us? Do you think you can escape? Will you even have a chance to spend the money you stole?"
"Is it possible to return to my homeland and rebuild my life?"
"You've come so far, you've already reached this point, are you heading towards a dead end?!"
"Your family members are dead, is there no other hope? You don't even want the rest of your lives?"
“You don’t care about life and death, but what about the other refugees? Those in Nanxiang and Luozhou who are still struggling will also be dragged to their deaths by you, with no way out. If you can still say that you are taking revenge and have no remorse for them, then take action!”
Qingling closed her eyes, waiting for her execution.
At the same time, he clenched his fists tightly.
The icy rain poured down on her body, so cold and so painful; yet her blood was warm.
She could feel her blood boiling in her veins, and she could clearly smell the strong stench of blood. A stream of blood and rainwater flowed over her feet; Peach Leaf was screaming—
And the sharp gust of wind as the knife cuts through the air—
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