Chapter 43 I'll Stew You All Together
It was as if the sky had collapsed, and the rain kept falling without end.
Blood mixed with rainwater seeped in from under the archway, filling the air with a damp, bloody stench that seeped into one's lungs, as if it had mingled with the blood of the living.
The pounding on the door and the screams sent shivers down one's spine, stretched one's nerves to the limit, and made one's stomach twitch slightly.
Someone couldn't hold it in and vomited.
Some of the noble ladies couldn't help but cry, their voices trembling as they asked, "We...we won't die here, will we?"
As the first sound faded, more sobs began to emerge.
Yao Qingling had walked the mountain path today, and her strength was now at its limit. She held Tao Ye's hand tightly.
Tao Ye gripped Qing Ling tightly, looking fearfully at the heavily painted door. She didn't know how long those people outside could hold out; she didn't know when rescue would arrive; and she didn't know when the door would collapse.
The last guard, closest to the door, gripped his sword tightly, his hands clenching nervously, unsure when the men would burst in.
"I want to get out! I don't want to die here!" someone screamed and rushed toward the door, only to be pulled back.
"Yes, going out might allow us to survive in the chaos. If we just wait here and wait until they've killed everyone outside, we'll have no chance of survival!"
Even more people rushed into the rain.
These people all understood that the soldiers couldn't get up the mountain; they were like a flock of sheep in a pen in this inner courtyard.
Some ladies and young women forcibly ordered their maids to take off their clothes and put them on.
Taoye also wavered, her trembling fingers loosening her clothes as she bravely said, "Miss, put on my clothes and go out, give it your all... If you escape, come back and save Taoye..."
Tears streamed down her face; she was clearly terrified, but she was determined to save the young lady.
If it weren't for Miss, she would have died long ago.
She was sold at the age of seven and fell seriously ill as soon as she arrived at the general's mansion. It was the first lady who saved her. When the city fell, the barbarian tribes invaded the city and burned, killed, and looted everywhere. She was almost killed by a knife, but the young lady was clever and lured the barbarian tribes away, saving her.
It's time to pay for this life.
Yao Qingling pressed Tao Ye's hand, shook her head, and said, "I'm in a bit of pain. Help me back to my room."
Upon hearing that she was in pain, Tao Ye instinctively looked at her stomach and said in a trembling voice, "Okay...okay, let's go back first."
Yao Qingling was actually fine, but the fact that she didn't want Tao Ye was making her anxious.
Escaping through that door would only lead to certain death.
There were mostly monks and women outside, making them too conspicuous. Even if they changed their clothes, they would still be easily recognized.
The commotion in the inner courtyard was not much better than outside. Just as someone was about to rush to the door, a loud shout rang out: "Stop her! Don't let her open that door!"
The censor's wife pointed at the woman who rushed to the door. She herself rushed into the rain. She was strong and grabbed one woman with each hand, then grabbed two with both hands and forcibly dragged them back.
"No one is allowed to open the door! Anyone who dares to open it, I'll kill her right now!" The Imperial Censor's wife glared at everyone, her murderous intent palpable.
"You dare kill me!" The woman she was holding scratched and clawed, still unwilling to give up, and tried to run away.
The Imperial Censor's wife was not one to tolerate her, and with a forceful shove, she flung the woman away.
She lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time, looking utterly disheveled.
But no one sympathized with her; in fact, no one had the time or inclination to sympathize. They simply watched in bewilderment.
The woman lay on the ground, weeping and calling for her father and mother, and said that she would kill the censor's wife when she got back.
"Why are you crying before the very end? How far can people like you go? How clever do you think you are?"
"You're all so fair and delicate-looking, if anyone saw you, they'd stew you all in one pot!"
The censor's wife got to the point.
Not to mention the ladies and young misses, even the maids had enough to eat; they had never seen refugees before, those people were so thin they were skin and bones, and their eyes would light up at the sight of half a rotten bun.
People starving to the extreme resort to cannibalism to survive a little longer; they send their wives and daughters out to be abused... The tragic state of everyone is unimaginable to these pampered ladies.
The censor's wife intimidated these delicate ladies and young women.
She added, "Go back to your rooms, all of you. If you just stand here and watch, you'll be scared to death!"
"Let's find a place to hide while we still have time!"
The unseen fear is what truly breaks down a person's psychological defenses. It's better to give them something to do and leave them a glimmer of hope.
"Yes, yes, hide!" someone exclaimed as if waking from a dream. Then, a group of people ran towards the side rooms, looking for any place where they could hide.
The covered walkway suddenly became empty, leaving only the guards standing watch.
The censor's wife reiterated her instructions: no one was to approach the door; the door was not to be opened.
She didn't leave; she stayed in the veranda to oversee things.
Yao Qingling was helped back to her room by Tao Ye. When she reached the door, she turned her head to look at the Censor's wife who was sitting there.
Her plump body, with her hands crossed over her thighs, made her look like a great general; or like a steadfast rock, giving people a sense of security.
Yao Qingling paused for a moment, then turned and walked back.
Tao Ye asked, puzzled, "Miss?"
The censor's wife looked up at her: "Weren't you feeling unwell? Why are you back again? Go away, hide. Hold on a little longer if you can."
Every second gained is a chance to survive.
Yao Qingling stood beside her and calmly asked, "Then why doesn't Madam go into hiding?"
The censor's wife laughed: "I'm so fat, how could anyone fit someone as big as me inside?"
Yao Qingling knew in her heart that the madam wasn't fat; she just wanted to keep an eye on the guards so they wouldn't pretend to be bandits and sneak out to escape.
Qingling said, "I am the daughter of the late Marquis of Loyalty and Valor, Yao Rui. How can I be worthy of his spirit if I cling to life and fear death?"
The censor's wife stared at Qingling for a while. At this moment, her resolute little face showed no fear or weakness, only composure in the face of danger.
Her calm and composed gaze seemed to transcend life and death.
No wonder she's the daughter of a general!
The censor's wife nodded: "That's true. If I had a general as my father, I would grab a knife and rush out to fight them right now..." She paused, feeling that her words were a bit strange.
Tao Ye was somewhat displeased: "Madam, are you asking our young lady to go out and fight them now?"
Yao Qingling glanced at Tao Ye, and Tao Ye fell silent.
The censor's wife scratched her head and said, "Young mistress, that's not what I meant."
But in truth, she looked down on Yao Qingling.
The descendants of a general, and of meritorious officials at that, were so humiliated by the daughter of a disgraced official.
She must have figured out why she couldn't go out after making such a fuss, yet she coldly made up an excuse to go back to her room, showing no sense of responsibility.
Both of them remained silent.
Qingling guessed what the Imperial Censor's wife was thinking, and she spoke softly, "Madam, do you think those refugees deserve to die? Should we point our swords at them?"
The censor's wife was stunned.
Those people were simply rebelling against the extreme oppression they had endured, unable to survive any longer.
All of this could have been avoided.
The sword of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, Yao Rui, was never used to kill his own people.
And how many of those ladies and young women have sucked the blood of others, living a life of luxury while always despising the lives of ordinary people and showing them no regard?
When the powerful and wealthy break the law, they are treated leniently; when ordinary people make mistakes, they are severely punished, or even beheaded.
To take up a knife and kill civilians in order to protect them?
The censor's wife clenched her fingers and let out a deep breath.
If it were her husband, Lao Cao, he would definitely think the same way.
She looked at Qingling again, her eyes filled with respect, yet also with helplessness.
She smiled and said, "Young Madam, you sympathize with them; but now they want your life, and you don't plan to resist?"
That would mean the Buddha was alive today.
Qingling said, "The conflict is not irreconcilable; I'm just thinking of a suitable method."
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