Xie Yuancheng led me off my horse, tied it up, and we went inside. There were many bottles of wine hidden on both sides, so he first set fire to one of the houses. These were all built of wood, so there was nothing that couldn't be burned.
"This house was so beautiful, and it just burned down like that?" I still feel it's a pity, what a waste!
“Ying’er, some things are meant to exist for a short time, not for a long time. If you like this house, I’ll build one for you when I get back.”
"No, you're too tired. I want you to rest more." I wrapped my arms around his waist. Xie Yuancheng's smile was so handsome.
"Ying'er~" Xie Yuancheng pulled me into his arms and whispered in my ear. I pinched his waist and then went back to my work.
We stayed there for an hour, and all the wine was poured into the burning houses. Soon, all the houses were on fire, but the smoke wasn't very thick.
“It’s built with very good wood, so there won’t be much smoke.” Xie Yuancheng and I stood side by side, looking at the fire burning brightly above.
"It's really spectacular. Burning down wooden houses in broad daylight is much better than at night."
As I watched, I couldn't help but marvel at how impressive this place was. It had been burning for so long, yet no one had been able to get in. Xie Yuancheng had said that this place had taken six months to build, roughly the length of ten years, and now it was being burned down so suddenly; he was still reluctant to do so.
"Ying'er, let's go." The house was mostly burned down, and its shape was no longer recognizable.
I then followed him back. The place smelled of earth and wood everywhere; although the smoke wasn't thick, the smell was definitely there. We mounted our horses and rode away, and when I looked back, I could still see a large patch of firelight.
“It must have taken a lot of work to build this place.”
"Yes, the teacher and some hermits helped with the drawings, and the skilled craftsmen and carpenters who built it were all hired. We paid them a lot of money."
"I guess you've already made the money back by now, so you don't feel any pain at all."
"Of course I feel bad. This house is always sending messages around Beijing. Sometimes when I think about the past, it seems unbelievable."
I turned back to look at him, my face full of reluctance: "I know, didn't you say there are better things to come? So don't be sad."
"I'm not sad, it's Ying'er who should be sad."
Xie Yuancheng, that little arrogance, is at it again. I shook my head, letting him be. Right now, the whole of Da Zhao is talking about the Ninth Prince's affair from back then, and a lot of evidence has surfaced.
The old emperor still had some conscience. Although he distanced himself from the matter, he showed absolutely no mercy to those who committed offenses.
The empress's relatives immediately lost power, affecting a large portion of the court.
However, Xie Yuancheng said that the old emperor had long wanted to replace him, so he took this opportunity to expose everything. The old emperor was consolidating all the power dynamics, and if he missed this chance, he would hardly have another one.
With more and more old people in the court, the Great Zhao Dynasty is easily put in a passive position. For the old emperor to secure his throne, more talented individuals are needed.
The prime minister always escaped unscathed because he didn't wield excessive power, but instead fulfilled his duties and shared the old emperor's burdens. It's just that last time, all the evidence pointed to him, but thankfully everyone escaped unscathed.
As soon as we emerged from the woods, Xie Yuancheng reached out his hand. Since there was no one around, I let him be. There were very hidden, narrow paths nearby; you might not even notice them if you weren't careful.
"Okay, okay." I held his hand. It was too quiet here, and we were outside. I was scared.
"Ying'er really likes me more and more. This is what my wife should do."
Xie Yuancheng leaned against me to rest. I heard birds chirping and tugged at his hand: "Let's go out. I'm so afraid something bad will happen."
"No, you're tired. I'll hold you, and nothing will bother you."
I adjusted my clothes and said, "I have a bad feeling about this. Let's hurry up and go. I want to go back and take a bath."
Xie Yuancheng then opened his eyes. "Great!" With his brain, if he could come up with anything good, I could call him my ancestor.
We walked back along the main road, and after only two incense sticks' worth of walking, we saw General Qin leading a large number of soldiers out. He had fought alongside my father before, so he was quite familiar with Xie Yuancheng.
"My lord, have you left the city recently?" General Qin looked anxious, as if something bad had happened.
"Yes, Ying'er said she was a bit bored at home, so I brought her out of the city for a walk."
"You'd better go back quickly. Recently, some vicious bandits have gathered from somewhere and are roaming outside the city. This has turned many people into refugees. We are the first group, and we've only sent out 5,000 soldiers."
There are four or five more groups behind you, so you should go back. There are still many places to visit in the capital.
After giving his instructions, General Qin rode off. I remembered what those people had said when we first arrived. I wondered what it would be like if we encountered those vicious bandits.
"Luckily I told him I was coming back. My sixth sense is strong!" I went to Xie Yuancheng to take credit, but as soon as I turned around, I saw him frowning.
"What's wrong? We didn't run into anyone, don't worry."
"It's a house, they went inside." Xie Yuancheng tightened his grip on the reins. He was referring to the house we had just burned. Aren't bandits all dimwitted? How could they have gone inside?
"Could I have remembered wrong? There's nothing inside the house."
"There's really nothing there, but we left some usable things inside before, and they must have moved them out to sell. Some trees were cut down earlier, so we need to alert others."
Xie Yuancheng rode his horse back. Luckily, we hadn't been making a scene for long and hadn't entered the city yet. Xie Yuancheng then used his sword to stab a seemingly honest-looking man.
I was terrified and quickly covered his hand. Xie Yuancheng led me off the horse, and with two swift strokes, he tore off the man's clothes from the back, revealing an embroidered tiger head.
"They're bandits!" someone shouted from the side. The people who had been pretending to be pitiful on the ground suddenly rose up and attacked.
He possessed brute strength, and Xie Yuancheng only had to make two moves before he was knocked to the ground. Soldiers who arrived later broke his legs with sledgehammers, slapped him several times, and gagged him with strips of cloth and medicine to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide.
The soldiers knelt before Xie Yuancheng and let us into the city. People around us started checking everyone entering and leaving the city, regardless of gender, to see their tattoos.
"How did you find out?" I looked at the person being dragged away; that fierce look in their eyes was truly disgusting.
You rob others and still think you're right? You're shameless! You even claim to be acting on behalf of Heaven. Go ahead and do whatever you want in your own backyard. You don't even spare the poor. And you still dare to speak so arrogantly.
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