"Fanyang Luqing...?"
Upon hearing Lu Qing's name, everyone in the Kong family was shocked.
The Kong family was well aware of the rebellion in the three prefectures, but no one could have imagined that the second-in-command of the rebels would suddenly appear here with his men.
For a moment, a bad feeling arose in the hearts of the Kong family members.
Kong Bao looked at Lu Qing and asked in a deep voice, "What is your purpose in bringing these people to my Kong family?"
Lu Qing glanced at Chen Man, who nodded, indicating that Lu Qing should handle everything.
Lu Qing, holding a long sword, looked at Kong Bao and smiled, "We have come here hoping that the Kong family can lend us a hand and jointly issue a proclamation, inviting all those of insight in the world to join us in punishing the treacherous officials in the court!"
Upon hearing this, Kong Bao frowned and then said loudly, "My Kong family has been favored by the emperor for generations. How can we associate with you traitors and rebels?"
"Ha... a traitorous villain...?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Qing sneered, then drew his sword and stepped forward, arriving in front of a seven-year-old boy.
Looking at the little boy in front of him, Lu Qing's lips twitched, and then he pulled him in front of him.
"Father, Third Uncle, save me...!"
The boy was also terrified and burst into tears, begging Kong Bao and his father for help.
"Release my son at once!!"
Upon seeing this, Kong Qian, who was sitting next to Kong Bao, quickly stood up and shouted to stop him.
"Let him go!!"
"What does the thief intend to do?"
Seeing this, the Kong family members around also looked at Lu Qing with resentment.
"Don't move!!"
Upon seeing this, Lu Qing immediately shouted and held his long sword to the little boy's neck.
"you.....!"
Seeing this, the members of the Kong family were furious, but dared not say anything more.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Lu Qing said loudly: "Today, the emperor is young and has been misled by treacherous officials in the court. He intends to take back the tax exemption privileges of us scholars and destroy the foundation of our scholars."
As the leading family of scholars in the land, shouldn't the Confucius family stand up for scholars?
As he spoke, Lu Qing pressed the blade of his longsword against the little boy's throat.
The members of the Kong family remained silent and turned to look at Kong Bao.
Kong Bao took a deep breath: "Although my Kong family is respected by the world, it is all thanks to the protection of our ancestors' holy name. There are many scholars in the world, and my Kong family cannot represent anyone. I am afraid that I will disappoint Patriarch Lu!"
"Is that so? It seems that the head of the Kong family is unwilling to stand up for us scholars?"
Lu Qing chuckled lightly, then his eyes turned cold. With a slight movement of his long sword, a thin wound appeared on the child's throat, from which a trickle of blood seeped out.
"Father, it hurts...!!"
Feeling the pain in his neck, the little boy cried out again, his cries echoing throughout the hall. Everyone in the Kong family turned away, unable to bear to watch.
"Patriarch Lu, I beg you, please release my son!!"
Upon seeing this, Kong Qian immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Lu Qing, weeping in gratitude.
Kong Qiansheng had four sons, but the other three all died young. Now he only has this one son left, so he is naturally very distressed.
Lu Qing laughed and said, "Releasing him is fine, but it depends on whether your Kong family is willing to cooperate!"
"Master...please have mercy on my son!"
Upon hearing this, Kong Qian hurriedly turned around and knelt before Kong Bao.
Seeing his brother in such a state, Kong Bao closed his eyes helplessly and said in a deep voice, "If my Kong family aids and abets evil today, and the royal army sweeps away the rebels one day, my Kong family will also be doomed."
How can I face the ancestors of the Confucius family after I die?
“Brother is right. Our Kong family has inherited the virtues of our ancestors. How can we be controlled by others?”
Kong Rong, who was standing to the side, also stepped forward and glared angrily at Lu Qing.
"Absolutely! How can a gentleman be coerced into committing treason?"
All the members of the Kong family in the hall stepped forward and looked at Lu Qing without fear.
This situation is not because the Kong family is loyal to the Han Dynasty, but because they are gambling that Lu Qing would not dare to do anything to them.
After all, the Kong family has survived for more than twenty generations since Confucius, through the Warring States period, the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty, and the turmoil caused by Wang Mang, and no one has ever harmed the Kong family.
However, the Kong family has miscalculated today. Chen Man is now at her wit's end, so why would she care about her reputation?
As for Lu Qing, needless to say, he was just an imposter. Even if the Kong family was wiped out, Lu Qing would be the one to take the blame, what did it have to do with him?
The fact that Chen Man and Lu Qing, two reckless individuals, came together sealed the fate of the Kong family's tragedy.
"Hmph~ You won't listen to reason, so bring the person up here!"
Chen Man snorted coldly, then shouted sharply, and the rebels behind her immediately brought the women and children from the Kong family mansion to the front of the hall.
"Mother....!"
Looking at the elderly woman at the head of the group, Kong Bao, Kong Qian, and the others couldn't help but exclaim in unison. Their gazes toward Chen Man and Lu Qing were filled with extreme hatred.
Then Chen Man looked at the Kong family members with a gloomy expression: "I will ask you one more time, are you willing to stand up for us scholars and punish the treacherous officials?"
The members of the Kong family remained silent. They were not stupid; they knew that the rebellious Lu Qing, Chen Man, and others were about to be destroyed, so how could they possibly follow them in committing acts against the will of Heaven?
"They're really a tough bunch...!"
Upon seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Chen Man's eyes. She then drew her long knife and plunged it into a woman's chest.
"Ah~, Qing'er!"
Inside the hall, a young man saw his wife being killed and cried out in alarm. He rushed towards the outside of the hall, but was stabbed to death by a rebel soldier.
"You bunch of scoundrels, how dare you kill members of my Kong family?"
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