After Yue Zhixiao's defeat, he was taken away by the Imperial Guards.
Looking at the bustling street, Yue Zhixiao thought that in the past, everyone who saw him would kowtow and call him "Prince Xiao," but now he had become a rat that everyone wanted to beat.
"Did you know? This Prince Xiao—no, he's not Prince Xiao anymore—forced the emperor to abdicate this morning!"
"What? A coup? Is it real?"
Many ordinary people still couldn't believe it was true. Although this Prince Xiao was not as powerful as the current emperor, he shouldn't be guilty of treason, since that would make him infamous and a sinner for all time.
"Of course it's true. I just saw the Imperial Guards escorting Consort Chen and Prince Xiao out of the palace. Judging from the direction they're going, they're probably headed to Prince Xiao's residence."
"I reckon the imperial edict will be issued soon. Let's go, let's go join the fun."
"Let's go take a look."
The group headed towards the Xiaowang Mansion, all wanting to see if Yue Zhixiao's rebellion was real or not.
"Come and see! This Prince Xiao has truly rebelled!"
"His Majesty cares for the people and thinks of their welfare, yet you, a treacherous villain, dare to rebel. You deserve to be arrested!"
An old man glared at him fiercely, then reached into his basket, grabbed some rotten vegetable leaves meant for feeding pigs, and threw them at Yue Zhixiao.
Yue Zhixiao had been pampered since childhood and had never suffered such humiliation. He hated Yue Yufeng, Yue Xiyuan, Yan An, and even more so, these people who took advantage of his misfortune.
Yue Zhixiao's face was flushed, and the veins on his hands were bulging. However, he was trapped in the prison and no matter how much he struggled, it was useless.
He clenched his fists and secretly made up his mind that one day, when he escaped, he would kill all those who had insulted him today.
Suddenly, a young and beautiful girl rushed out from the crowd, shouting, "Give me back my parents! Give me back my sister-in-law Wang! Give me back my sister Yingzi! Give me back my Uncle Yong!"
Gu Yi'an blocked the young woman's path, "What brings you here, young lady? Why do you want Yue Zhixiao to return your family?"
The young woman saw that the man in front of her was exceptionally handsome and dressed differently from the other Imperial Guards. She thought that this must be the man, so she immediately knelt down.
"Please, Your Excellency, do justice for this humble woman!"
"Get up and we can talk about it later." Gu Yi'an looked at the pitiful girl and quickly helped her up.
The girl bit her lip tightly, trying hard to control her emotions, but tears still streamed down her face, making people feel extremely sorry for her.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, my name is Xiaorou, and I live in Wangjia Village in the southern border. Not long ago, a group of people appeared in our village. They bite anyone they see, and those who are bitten seem to have their blood drained. Moreover, even if they are slashed, they are fine. The people in our village have suffered greatly."
As Xiao Rou spoke, she glanced cautiously at Gu Yi'an, afraid that she might have said something wrong. Seeing that Gu Yi'an's brows were furrowed, Xiao Rou quickly explained, "Sir, the villagers did not mean to kill them, it's just... it's just that they killed too many villagers."
Gu Yi'an actually knew about the living dead. The emperor had already ordered that the village where the victims were killed be properly buried and that the management of the southern border be strengthened. This was why Yue Xiyuan did not go to the southern border this time, because the living dead in the southern border could not cause any trouble at the moment.
He never expected that while escorting Yue Zhixiao back to the Prince Xiao's mansion today, he would encounter villagers who had escaped from that village. If he were to add the woman's petition and the imperial edict in his hand, Yue Zhixiao would be able to kill them all.
"Go on."
“Yes, sir. My father and mother risked their lives to protect me and I survived. For those few days, I hid in a dried-up well in our village. I didn’t dare to come out until everyone had left. After I came out, the whole village disappeared, as if nothing had ever happened. Only the tombstones at the entrance of the village showed me that someone had come to bury the villagers.”
Gu Yi'an frowned, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Although he had never seen it before, he could feel the misery of that time.
"Sorry! We arrived too late. The tombstone was erected by the army that protected the people."
"Will the other villages be killed too?"
"No, never again. The Emperor has sent more troops to garrison the southern border. Those people can no longer harm the villagers. Moreover, they will all be captured soon, and the villagers will be given justice."
"That's good, at least no one else will get hurt."
Xiao Rou suddenly remembered something and pointed at Yue Zhixiao, "My lord, it was him, it was him, he did all these things."
“Young lady, are you sure you’re not mistaken? Prince Xiao has never left the capital.” An old man who was “watching the show” asked.
This month, Zhi Xiao was focused on preparing for a rebellion in the capital and had indeed never left the city. He attended the morning court every day, and many people saw him coming and going.
“Impossible, I couldn’t have misheard. I heard it with my own ears. There was a woman leading those people, dressed in red, and she had a xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument). As long as she played it, she could control those people.”
"You saw it?"
“Yes, I saw it. I was picking mushrooms on the mountain and saw it on my way down. Because those people looked strange and were covered in festering sores, I felt something was amiss, so I took a side path back to the village and told the villagers about it. Just as my father and the others were about to go and see what was going on, they encountered those people. They were incredibly strong and would bite anyone they opened their mouths. My mother hid me in a dry well when no one was looking. I heard the woman in red say to a man, ‘Go back and tell your Prince Xiao that the Living Dead technique has been mastered and will definitely be of help to him on the day of his grand plan.’”
Every word Xiaorou spoke clearly reached the ears of everyone present, and the surrounding air instantly froze, filled with tension and oppression.
A moment later, someone started throwing a rotten egg at Yue Zhixiao, followed by rotten vegetable leaves, and finally a bucket of swill landed on Yue Zhixiao's clothes.
The guards tried to stop him, but it was too late; Yue Zhixiao was in a terrible state.
When the last person dumping the swill saw the guard, fearing he would be blamed, he said, "Sir, please let me dump it. I'll clean it up in a bit."
The guard seemed not to hear him, turned his head away, and waved his hand behind his back at him.
The last half-bucket was poured over Yue Zhixiao's head without missing a single drop.
Yue Zhixiao's breathing became rapid, his gaze sharp and fierce, like an angry beast. When had he ever been so disheveled? He struggled, wanting to break through this prison and tear apart those who threw things at him!
"Ah! You bastards! I will kill you all! Kill you all!"
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