Yan Bazong rolled his eyes, then suddenly turned pale and said, "It's Empress Su."
“Lord Yan is indeed wise,” Jia Tuo said. “As a Grand General, Meng Ruliu holds a very high position. How could he possibly accompany an ordinary woman on a private trip? Empress Su is the Grand General’s sworn sister. Who else could the Grand General accompany besides her?”
Magistrate Du pushed back his chair, stood up in a panic, and tried to run outside.
"Lord Du, wait a minute," Jia Tuo called out to him, "Where are you going?"
Magistrate Du said, "What are you doing? The Empress and the General have arrived. Shouldn't we hurry up and greet them? What are you doing sitting here in a daze?"
Yan Bazong also stood up and said, "Let them hit us, let's go and greet them quickly."
As the two were about to leave, Jia Tuo sneered, "My lords, they know what's going on at Huishan. They've probably come specifically to deal with us. If you go like this, you'll probably be captured on the spot."
Magistrate Du trembled, turned around and said, "Then... you're not going?"
Jia Tuo said, "I don't know how they suddenly came to Huishan, but they must have already learned about our relationship from those lowly people. If we go there, it's a small matter if I lose my life, but the two of you will lose your official positions, and I'm afraid you won't be able to keep your heads either."
Yan Bazong said, "Those are the Empress and the General. What else can we do but kowtow and confess our sins?"
Jia Tuo said, "My lords, please don't panic. They've disguised themselves as common women, clearly traveling without the court's knowledge. We can't go so hastily; if someone recognizes their identities, we'll be helpless."
Magistrate Du wiped the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve and said, "Then let's pretend this never happened?"
Yan, the head constable, spat and said, "Lord Du, what kind of daydream are you having? Old Jia already said that they came here specifically to find us today. How can we let this go? Even if we don't take action, they will come looking for us."
As the three were discussing, another yamen runner came in to report: "Your Honor, the two women who beat people have gone to Tongchan Temple to find Master Huiming."
Jia Tuo exclaimed, "So that's how it is. They came to have the old monk tell their fortunes, and it just so happened by accident."
Magistrate Du and Chief Supervisor Yan said, "Now that things have come to this, what should we do? Even if they finish questioning us, they probably won't let us off the hook. Especially Empress Su, if she were to report Huishan's matter to the Emperor, we would all be finished."
Jia Tuo said, "This matter concerns our lives, and we must keep it a secret. A man without ruthlessness is no man at all, and a man of petty mind is no gentleman."
He turned to General Yan and said, "My lords, quickly muster all your troops. While they are questioning you in the temple, first disperse the people, then surround Tongchan Temple. Tell your men that a vicious bandit has entered Tongchan Temple."
Magistrate Du stammered, "You want to... to surround the Empress and the General?"
Jia Tuo said coldly, "My lord, think carefully. If we release them, we're doomed. You know what we've been up to all these years. Do you really think the Emperor will spare us if this gets out?"
After hesitating for a long time, Magistrate Du gritted his teeth and said, "That's true. We're going to die anyway, so let's take a gamble. Maybe there's still a glimmer of hope."
Over the years, the three of them have colluded and committed enough evil deeds to fill a book. They've only managed to keep it a secret for so long by suppressing information. If Emperor Ming were to find out, confiscating their property and exterminating their entire family would be the least of their worries.
The three huddled together to plot, and Yan Bazong said, "It's easy to besiege Tongchan Temple, but if the General comes out to attack, we won't be able to stop him."
“Why be polite now? Bring out the archers, then set fire to the entire Tongchan Temple and burn it to ashes,” Jia Tuo said in a low voice. “Later, we’ll report to the Emperor that thieves set fire to the temple during the festival, and we’ll find a few scapegoats. As for why the Empress and the General were burned to death inside, we don’t know they were there. The Emperor has no evidence, so he can’t punish us.”
The two nodded in unison, saying, "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
