Chapter 67: Wolfish Ambition, Foreign Imperial Grandson
The cemetery was, after all, a place to store corpses. Furthermore, although the number of deaths in Luzhou City had decreased recently compared to the initial period, and the previously accumulated unclaimed bodies had been taken out one by one and burned, the two children couldn't be kept here forever. Yesterday's sudden downpour had meant the cemetery needed a larger area to accommodate the bodies.
Liu Mengyao had been detained at the cemetery yesterday because he seemed interested in Liu Ziqi's body. Song Pingsheng figured everyone was busy, so detaining the child there was a temporary solution. Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qinggu discussed the matter briefly and ultimately decided to bring Liu Mengyao and the Mud Monkey back to the City Lord's Mansion for further questioning.
Liu Mengyao's face looked really unusual, and she was also a Youkou person. Shang Yuwan didn't want to make things too difficult for a child, nor did he want to cause any more trouble and leave room for Youkouguo to gossip about him.
If they held him captive for too long, Youkouguo would surely send for him, or perhaps they would find an opportunity to kill these two worthless bastards to eliminate any evidence. But Shang Yuwan and his men were no pushovers. They had killed a Dayu man, notably an official who oversaw the water regulations and was crucial to Luzhou City. This account would definitely be settled.
However, they didn't have much time. There was post-disaster reconstruction of Luzhou City and a lot of other things to deal with. Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qinggu agreed that a quick victory was better.
Perhaps because of the mud monkey, Liu Mengyao did not resist, but pulled the mud monkey and followed Shang Yu into the carriage at night.
The carriage was small, just enough for the three of them. Xiao Qinggu was in another carriage, while Yue Zhu and Zhou Zhou, both men, were riding horses outside, making it inconvenient for them to ride in the same carriage.
Song Pingsheng knew he was busy, but he didn't neglect his duties. When the princess led people to look for Shang Yuwan, he had already instructed that the road back to the city lord's mansion be counted to avoid blocking the princess and the others. Therefore, Shang Yuwan and others had no problems returning to the mansion.
Yue Zhu and Zhou Zhou were out on horseback, and there were indeed fewer people, but some people were still busy doing what they should do and did not leave. Some were carrying people, some were moving things, and quite a few were sending corpses to the charity cemetery. After all, now in Luzhou City, except for the charity cemetery here with Li the Coroner and another charity cemetery, the charity cemeteries in the east and south of the city had all been flooded.
Xiao Qinggu sat in the carriage, opened the curtain with his hand, nodded in response to the grateful eyes of the people, and thought in his heart.
Because the charity cemeteries east and south of the city were flooded, doctors and soldiers were rushing to the scene. The cemeteries, which housed numerous bodies and were also flooded, worried Xiao Qinggu about the possibility of an epidemic. If the epidemic spread, even with Ji Suxian and the many doctors present, it would be a devastating blow to Luzhou City.
Yue Zhu and Zhou Zhou rode their horses slowly, knowing that passersby would steal a glance from time to time, and that many people on both sides of the street were hiding in their houses, poking holes in the window paper to peek.
There was not a single refugee who asked them for medicine or food. They had already discovered this when they followed Xiao Qinggu to the charity cemetery.
Zhou Zhou sighed inwardly, admiring Xiao Qinggu as worthy of being the emperor's daughter. Even though she had once been unknown, she now, in conjunction with a new city lord, had managed to keep the city in such good order, without a single troublemaker. Although there was a hint of post-disaster desolation, it wasn't overly lifeless.
Yue Zhu had a lot of thoughts in his mind, and no one knew what he was thinking about.
In the carriage, Shang Yuwan closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.
She temporarily put Yue Zhu behind her. His current target was herself, and he would not harm Xiao Qinggu and Baijialou in the short term.
Shang Yuwan also considered the possibility of an epidemic, but Ji Suxian was handling the matter. Ji Suxian was busy treating the people during the day, and at night he would discuss countermeasures with other doctors late into the night. As for the epidemic, Shang Yuwan could put it aside for the time being and not think too much about it.
Her biggest worry now was that Youkouguo would use the two children as an excuse to suddenly launch an uprising. Luzhou City had suffered many casualties, most of them soldiers. Even with the help of nearby cities and the help of General Zhendong, it would be like distant water cannot quench the immediate thirst.
Besides, the nearby cities had already lent them soldiers, as well as a large number of doctors, food, medicine and other necessary items. If they were to lend them more, even Xiao Qinggu's reputation would be damaged, which was what Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu least wanted to see.
General Zhendong and his soldiers guard the important coastal cities in the east of Dayu. In recent years, the Youkou Kingdom has also been following the example of the Langjiang Kingdom to do business with Dayu. Those cities are important checkpoints for Dayu to make money from the Youkou Kingdom.
The transactions between merchants on both sides of Dayu and Youkou Kingdom have advantages and disadvantages for both sides. There are good and bad people here, and sometimes it is difficult to catch enemy spies who sneak in. What General Zhendong is guarding against is the black loach of Youkou Kingdom.
While Liu Mengyao was secretly glancing at Shang Yuwan, whose brows were furrowing more and more, she was secretly loosening the hemp rope that bound Ni Houzi's hands.
Shang Yuwan's brows twitched, she had a headache from thinking so much.
If they were lucky and the plague didn't arrive, there was still the venomous snake of Youkou Country waiting for an opportunity. If that island nation was really so shameless as to use children to raise an army to attack Luzhou City, then they would really be...
Shang Yuwan noticed that Liu Mengyao was stealing glances at her from time to time, so she opened her eyes.
Seeing his nervous expression, she casually said, "Don't bother pulling it. Even if he's untied, you two won't be able to escape. He's your brother?"
Liu Mengyao's heart tightened when she heard that. She protected the person behind her, and her bound hands couldn't help but clench. "It's none of your business. I can tell you anything you want me to tell you. As long as you don't make things difficult for her and let her go."
Now he doesn't look like a wolf cub anymore, but more like a baby protecting its own cub.
Shang Yuwan took another look at the mud monkey and said, "Come here, I'll wipe it for you."
His face was covered in dirt and mud, and no one could recognize his original appearance.
When the clay monkey heard this, he shrank back behind Liu Mengyao again and again. Seeing how scared he was, Shang Yuwan didn't force him.
She remembered Li Chi's words. Liu Mengyao looked like she was about to bite someone.
Shang Yuwan and Yue Zhu took Liu Mengyao to the newly built secret room for interrogation, while Ni Houzi was dragged by Xiao Qinggu to take a bath.
Even a boy should be clean, right?
With the clay monkey as their weak point, Yue Zhu didn't have a difficult time interrogating him.
Liu Mengyao confessed everything to save the life of the clay monkey. Yue Zhu took the testimony out of the secret room. It happened that Shang Yuwan had just come from the cell where Xiaoman and Mingshu were imprisoned.
Yue Zhu handed the testimony to Shang Yuwan. She looked at the testimony in her hand and was silent for a long time.
She thought that this child's identity was not simple, but how could he be the son of the ninth princess of Youkou Kingdom? The grandson of the emperor?
Shang Yuwan opened the door to the secret room and asked Liu Mengyao, "You said that Youkou State has been busy joining the business banquet between Langjiang and Dayu recently, and is negotiating with General Zhendong. General Zhendong just sent the news to Kyoto, and Youkou State hasn't secretly sent people to harass them yet. You and your brother sneaked out, right? Just the two of you?"
Yue Zhu stood at the door, looking at Shang Yuwan's back without saying a word.
Liu Mengyao sat on a stool with his hands tied and his fingers tightly grasping his clothes. He was silent for a moment and nodded.
Shang Yuwan: “…”
"You came to Luzhou City to kill your father and avenge him because you listened to your uncle?"
Isn’t Liu Ziqi just an ordinary official in Luzhou City? How did he get the chance to get involved with the princess of Youkou Kingdom?
If the Youkou Kingdom really wanted to further reach a trade deal with Dayu, how could it be so easy for two little kids, Liu Mengyao and Nihouzi, to sneak across the border by waving their little arms and rowing a boat, and even seize the opportunity to sneak into Luzhou City.
You Kouguo's evil ambitions were obvious, and Shang Yuwan felt a surge of anger in his heart when he thought of this.
Isn't the reason why You Kouguo behaved like this because he was thinking about the severe damage done to Luzhou City after the disaster and the attention-grabbing Shang Liu Banquet in Kyoto. He wanted to use the Shang Liu Banquet to cover up his real motives and then take advantage of the opportunity to launch an attack on the city and seize the land?
Shang Yuwan rubbed his brows. "You said that only your uncle, the eighth prince Luo Gui of Youkou Kingdom, knows of your existence? Besides your grandfather, only him?"
Liu Mengyao nodded silently.
Shang Yuwan almost laughed out of anger, "Are you sure? You two sneaked into Luzhou City so easily. Is there really no one else helping you behind the scenes?"
Liu Mengyao: “…”
How could he not understand Shang Yuwan's reaction?
But he didn't want to admit it.
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