Chapter 1354: The Beast Unleashed (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Kang Shi?
Ever since Luo San learned that Xiahou Li was backed by the Kang State and that his former subordinates had indirectly joined the Kang State's camp, Luo San had been intentionally studying Kang State's relevant information. The first thing he came up with was two volumes of biographies of famous ministers and scholars. Although Kang Shi was not listed, he was still mentioned in the biographies of famous scholars.
During the Kangxi era, he served as the Minister of Justice, in charge of the criminal law of the Kangxi Kingdom.
He is rumored to be an incorruptible and devoted person.
These assessments originated from official Kangguo documents, but the opinions among the common people were quite different. Those who admired him spared no praise, while those who hated him wished they could dig up his ancestors' graves for eighteen generations, calling him a lewd and cruel official who loved to scheme for horrifying things.
Overall, he is a normal person.
Judging from Xiahou Nujun's words, the other party seems to have other faces?
"What does this matter have to do with Minister Kang?"
"Well, he's a bit of a jinx to his master."
Luo San sneered, "King Kang actually believes such absurd rumors? He's hardly a magnanimous person. Isn't his claim that his ministers are incompetent just a cover-up for his own ineptitude?"
Shen Tang: "..."
You old man, you can say whatever you want, but why are you cursing?
Just as she was about to speak, Old Deng added teasingly, "To put it another way, if this Kang Shizhen is truly a jinx, why would the King of Kang dare to entrust him with the important task of Minister of Justice? This person must have some extraordinary abilities. I am but a commoner, and I have presumptuously said these unpleasant things. I hope Lady Xiahou will not hold it against me?"
Shen Tang: "...Of course not."
Old Deng has already said that, what else can she say? A rank 20 Marquis is truly powerful; let alone crickets blabbing in front of her, even if someone defecates in the street, no one would dare to say a word. Hehehe, looking forward to the day Kang Shiwen takes down Luo San.
People don't listen to what you say, but they understand as soon as you're taught something.
Xiahou Yu didn't reveal Shen Tang's plans to the others, but they weren't fools either. They could see the signs from the daily delivery of grain to the granary and the sudden increase in the frequency of soldier drills. The scholars remained calm, but the military officers were already beginning to anticipate what was to come.
We've sharpened our knives and are ready to go; all we await is our lord's command!
finally--
On an ordinary day, without wind, rain, or waves, a proclamation suddenly appeared, like a drop of water falling into hot oil, instantly causing oil droplets to splatter and crackle, alarming the entire Qi Kingdom—Lord Xiahou announced to the subjects of Qi that he was going to attack Qi Kingdom on behalf of Lord Ye!
In summary, the current ruler of Qi is insane, leading the way in selling official positions, falsifying accounts, and ruthlessly embezzling funds; the royal family exploits the people, slaughtering innocent civilians; and the court officials are incompetent and hold their positions without merit…
From top to bottom, inside and out, their virtue is not commensurate with their positions!
It is only right that the sun and moon be renewed.
Qi Guo had previously fabricated a bunch of baseless accusations against Xiahou Li and smeared her with a lot of mud. She originally wanted to let things rest, but Qi Guo went too far. She heard that Ye Gong, a loyal and righteous man in the court, had also suffered because of this. She could no longer tolerate it and decided to overturn the table!
Trash should be thrown into the trash can!
The common people of Qi Kingdom were largely unaware of what was happening. They were even unaware of the existence of such a warlord force within the kingdom's borders, let alone who the "Lord Ye" mentioned in the proclamation was. They only knew that war was about to engulf them. The powerful clans were slightly better off; they knew that this warlord was growing in strength and had even inflicted heavy losses on the royal army sent to quell the rebellion, with many never to return.
When a warlord becomes too powerful, there are only three possible outcomes: he is pacified by the royal court, he is recruited by the royal court, or he overthrows the royal court and takes his place.
The first option has failed, the second option has not yet shown any signs of success, and the warlord leader Xiahou Li has taken the initiative to choose the third option.
The powerful families were prepared for this and were not surprised.
What surprised them was who Lord Ye was mentioned in the proclamation.
What merit or ability does this person possess to become the trigger for this war?
Ha, let alone them, even the King of Qi himself was shocked and furious when he first saw the proclamation. A chill ran straight to the top of his head, his pores stood on end, and his blood ran cold! After calming down slightly, his second reaction was to think about who Lord Ye was.
Thinking about it again, I remembered the scapegoat who was recently imprisoned.
Oh, that person's surname seems to be Ye.
A mediocre talent who accomplished nothing in his life, neither high nor low in aptitude, living off the legacy of his ancestors and receiving a stipend from the Qi Kingdom. His temperament was as stubborn and unyielding as a rock in a latrine; he was taciturn and had few close friends in court. Whenever the King of Qi wanted to repair the palace, build a temporary residence, or even take more concubines and keep more entertainers in the inner court, the Ye family always liked to interfere.
The ruler of Qi Kingdom had long disliked him.
Last time, it was discovered that he and his accomplices had embezzled military rations for personal gain. Even though the case was full of doubts, the King of Qi didn't send anyone to re-examine it, directly convicting him, confiscating his property, and ordering his execution. He never expected that this man was truly colluding with treacherous officials, attempting to overthrow the Qi state! He wasn't entirely wrong to have wronged him! Suppressing his anger, he threw the proclamation on the ground: "What has become of him?"
The personal eunuch picked up the proclamation.
He bowed and said, "Today I will be executed."
The King of Qi said, "Hmph, good riddance."
Wasn't Xiahou Li using the Ye family's name to attack himself?
They are truly ignorant and arrogant!
"After the execution, order his head to be sent to the army of the traitors, so that the people of Qi can see what the consequences of disloyalty and injustice are!" The proclamation listed a bunch of crimes, but he didn't admit to them. What could they do to him? Qi was all his, and he was free to use what was in his pocket as he pleased. So what crime was there to speak of?
Does he need outsiders' permission to use his own things?
As for the public outcry...
"Issue an order that all commoners are forbidden from speaking ill of the emperor. Anyone who discusses this proclamation shall be regarded as a traitor and executed without mercy!"
There were few literate commoners to begin with, and with the government restricting the dissemination of this proclamation, even fewer people knew about it. Within a few days, this earth-shattering event was completely suppressed, leaving no trace, and no one in areas far from the front lines dared to discuss it.
With peace restored among the people, the ruler of Qi Kingdom was at ease.
Ordinary people are exhausted just trying to stay alive; they have neither the energy nor the means to learn about anything beyond survival. Many didn't even know there was going to be fighting nearby until the day the war broke out, and chaos ensued.
"Report—"
The Qi Kingdom's envoy delivered a "grand gift" to the front lines, stating that Xiahou Li should receive it personally, fearing she might not have the courage to look at it.
Shen Tang scoffed: "What do I have to be afraid to look at?"
It was a large, tightly closed box.
The weight of the box does not match its volume.
Before the copper lock was even opened, Shen Tang could smell a stench of blood mixed with decay, and was mentally prepared for what was inside the box.
A flash of sword light appeared, and the blade cleaved through the copper lock.
Shen Tang used the tip of his sword to pry open the box lid, and heard a collective gasp from the crowd—the box contained more than a dozen highly decomposed heads. Countless yellowish-white maggots wriggled within the decaying flesh, crawling from the jaws to the eye sockets, and a pungent, putrid stench assaulted everyone's nostrils. Those with weaker constitutions felt a spasm rise in their throats just from the sight.
"These heads are—"
Xiahou Yu remained calm and stepped forward to examine and identify the object carefully.
The head was severely decomposed; the congealed blood clots clinging to the hair had long since softened from the corpse fluid and dried again, with hair from different people stuck together in knots. It wasn't difficult to determine the age and gender of the head's owner, and a rough estimate of their age was possible. The box contained not only young men, but also elderly women, children, and even toddlers—it looked like a family.
Xiahou Yu was certain that he had never seen these people before.
They shouldn't be any classmate or their family.
Based on recent events, he made a guess.
He stood up and looked around, saying, "Take a look, do you recognize any of them?"
Everyone shook their heads: "I don't remember."
Xiahou Yu sighed inwardly; his 70% certainty had now become 100%. He bowed to Chen Tang and suggested that his lord could have the former Prefect of Shanyong, uncle and nephew, come and get acquainted; perhaps they would recognize each other.
Shen Tang guessed as well: "Yes."
The former governor of Suginaga County had only met his uncle, a classmate, many years ago, and only briefly; his impression was vague, and he didn't recognize him immediately. However, the moment his uncle saw the head in the box, a high-pitched scream escaped his lips, his face turning ashen like a ghost. He seemed to have his spine removed, collapsing to the ground like a noodle.
It was so heavy, I couldn't lift it up no matter what I did.
"Uncle? Uncle?"
"My uncle has fainted!"
"Ahhh—I can't breathe!"
A flurry of activity ensued before the medic finally managed to revive the person who had been agitated and held their breath. Upon waking, the person was still groggy, and upon seeing a box full of heads crawling with maggots, burst into tears, unable to believe it!
"I am irreconcilably opposed to this tyrannical ruler!"
Every word was written with blood and tears, as if he were about to grind his teeth to pieces.
"We are irreconcilable enemies!"
A friend merely spoke a word of justice for him, and the tyrannical ruler took such ruthless measures, confiscating his property and exterminating his entire family, disgracing his posthumous reputation! How could a human being do such a thing? If the ruler of Qi were standing in front of him now, he would pounce on him and bite his neck off!
Peel the daylily, drink its blood and eat its flesh!
After the Qi Kingdom envoy finished delivering the gifts, he smugly wondered about Shen Tang and the others' reactions: were they shocked, frightened, or filled with regret?
He took a leisurely sip of his drink, his slanted eyes narrowing slightly.
He asked in a high-pitched voice, "Where are you from?"
A beautiful maidservant bent down and leaned closer, her sweet, delicate voice almost dripping with moisture: "The general ordered me to serve the envoy."
"He's quite sensible."
Although the envoy was a eunuch, he still had physical needs. Unable to release them through normal channels, these needs accumulated and fermented into a deeper destructive desire, causing suffering to the palace maids who shared his services.
Now that a beautiful, sensible, and attentive woman had come to him for free, he naturally had no reason to refuse. He drank half a pot of wine under the attentive service of the maid in his arms, becoming slightly tipsy. Just as he was about to do something else, someone rushed into the tent, shattering his plans. The maid, startled, cried out and turned to straighten her disheveled clothes and belt. The envoy's displeasure turned to rage, and he threw his wine cup at the intruder, smashing it into his forehead, drawing blood.
"presumptuous--"
The man, his face covered in blood, knelt on the ground, trembling and begging for mercy.
The envoy suppressed his anger: "Speak, what is it?"
"Godfather, the enemy soldiers are attacking!"
The messenger abruptly stood up, shoved the maid to the ground, and the screen crashed to the floor. Without even looking back, he kicked the table away and roared, "These scoundrels don't know what's good for them!"
If you listen carefully, you can indeed hear shouts of battle from a great distance.
"We have high walls and deep moats, what do we have to fear from the thieves?"
This godson is really an eyesore.
"Boost the morale of others while diminishing our own!"
With another scream from the maid, the messenger's godson, who had come to deliver the message, collapsed to the ground, lifeless. In his dying moments, disbelief remained in his eyes. The maid cowered in a corner, terrified she would be next. Thankfully, she escaped.
After a long while, the expected death did not come.
The maid lowered her hands, panting, and looked up to see only an empty, dark tent, with the corpses lying on the ground gradually growing cold.
She practically crawled over using both her hands and feet.
She took off her outer garment to use as a bundle, grabbed some valuable-looking ornaments, and picked up some scattered food from the ground as provisions for her escape. Outside the tent, chaos reigned; the dark night sky was flashing with various lights, and eerie shouts of battle drifted over the high walls and into her ears. The surrounding soldiers must have all rushed to fight the enemy; she hadn't encountered a soul along the way. Soon, she blended into the nearby crowd of fleeing civilians, being jostled and pushed forward by the throng…
"ah--"
The ground beneath my feet suddenly trembled violently.
The maid was tripped by the people pushing from behind.
Feet were everywhere, and I was about to be trampled to death.
At the critical moment, an even louder explosion and a deafening earthquake followed, and the fleeing group, which had been able to stand, collapsed in disarray. The maid, disregarding her disheveled state, used all her strength to push away the limbs that were pinning her down and struggled to move towards a corner.
The others were only concerned with escaping, frantically grabbing at anything to get up. The maid kicked several people, tearing their clothes to shreds and leaving bloody scratches on their exposed skin. Just as she regained her footing, the blast wave from the explosion blew her around, and flying debris left bloody marks on her face.
She was gasping for breath, almost in despair.
The roof above her head finally gave way and collapsed under another impact. By the time she realized it, it was too late to escape.
"Help--"
Her voice was drowned out by the cries for help from the crowd.
I don't know whether to call her lucky or not, but the heavy wooden beam grazed her shoulder as it fell; tiles at that height wouldn't kill anyone. After a moment of dizziness, the explosions seemed to stop, and the noise seemed to have been turned down, with only indistinct sounds audible.
There was no time to think about the reasons; only one thought occupied my mind—
Escape and survive!
She climbed over the collapsed courtyard wall, trying to find another way to avoid the crowded area, when she was horrified to find that the moonlight overhead had suddenly been swallowed up by something. Looking up, she nearly fainted from fright. A huge boulder was flying from the sky, about to crash into the area.
It’s over!
She awaited death's kiss in despair.
I can already imagine what it would look like if his body were smashed into a bloody mess.
Just as the boulder was about to hit the ground, it inexplicably turned into a "rain of sand and stones".
The maid below was soaked.
The blood and sand on her face made it almost impossible for her to open her eyes. She lay on the ground, panting, shocked that she was still alive.
He opened his eyes, enduring the discomfort, and vaguely saw something bright streak across the sky. Then, a nearly towering, illusory figure had its right hand severed by the bright object. The figure staggered back two steps, the light pressing against its face, and a shout rang out.
"Get down!"
The face of the illusory figure was dented by the immense force of the blow.
ヽ(ー_ー)ノ
Ugh, the spilled cola dirtied my old aluminum keyboard, so I'll have to replace it.
The thought of having to unpack and wash it tomorrow is giving me a headache.
P.S.: Having gotten used to the clattering sound and feel of a keyboard, I really find it hard to adjust to a quiet one. It feels too mushy. (I'm never buying a keyboard from an aluminum manufacturer again. The Little Prince collaboration's Rose Promise keyboard doesn't even compare to those cheap, low-quality aluminum ones—it's garbage! I bought this keyboard last April, took it apart, and barely used it twice. Using it today, I finally remembered why I never used it.)
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