Chapter 19 Cooperation
The restoration of the altar progressed rapidly under the leadership of Cui Junji. The roof of the main hall had been re-beamed and covered with freshly cut straw.
The border residents were visibly calmer, looking at Cui Junji with eyes filled with gratitude and respect. Wen Youqing even saw an old woman secretly stuffing precious milk lumps into Cui Junji's arms.
Of course, she didn't miss Cui Junji's momentary embarrassment and disgust. The former was of course what Cui Junji wanted. Wen Youqing sneered and ignored these trivial matters.
However, on the eve of the most important ceremony of raising the main beam of the west side hall, an accident occurred.
In the middle of the night, a dull and huge roar ripped through the silence, like a painful groan from deep within the earth. Then came the terrible sounds of bricks and stones rolling and wood breaking, coming from the distant western foothills! The entire pass seemed to be awakened.
Wen Youqing was almost lying in bed with her clothes on. When she heard the sound, she jumped up and grabbed the dagger on the bedside.
Shen Zijie was also awakened. The two looked at each other and without saying a word, they ran towards the altar at the same time.
The soldiers from the garrison quickly set out, their torches linked together, illuminating the mountain path leading to the altar as bright as day. Leading the charge, Cui Junji, dressed in military uniform and a cloak, arrived at the scene, accompanied by his personal guards.
In the light of the fire, his handsome face showed just the right amount of shock and pain.
The sight before them made everyone gasp. The West Side Hall, which had been largely repaired during the day, was now completely reduced to ruins! The massive main beam had broken, collapsing half of the newly built wall. The newly laid straw mats were scattered all over the ground, mostly buried by the pouring mud and rubble.
The air was thick with the smell of dust and the snapping of fresh wood.
"How could this happen?!" Cui Junji's voice was filled with suppressed anger, and his eyes were like lightning as he scanned the chaotic scene. "Where is the person in charge of supervision?!"
Several border craftsmen tasked with nighttime watch were already terrified, their faces pale as they knelt on the ground, babbling incoherently: "Master Jijiu, this is none of our business! We've been standing guard the entire time, not even daring to blink... and then... suddenly there was a loud 'crack' from inside, like... like wood exploding! And then... then it collapsed!"
"Explode by itself?" Cui Junji frowned, obviously not believing it.
Shen Zijie had already squatted down, ignoring the flying dust, and carefully examined the cross-section of a huge broken main beam.
Wen Youqing also leaned in. Her sharp eyesight immediately spotted something unusual near the fracture—a fine, dark brown powder scattered there, emitting a faint, yet sickeningly sweet, fishy odor. Mixed in with the sawdust and dust, it was difficult to detect unless one was searching for it. She calmly crushed the dirt nearby with her toes, covering the traces.
At this moment, the sound of soldiers and horses suddenly came from inside the pass. It was so close that everyone was stunned in panic. It took a while for the people to flee in all directions and the soldiers to get ready and rush towards the direction of the sound.
-
The chaos ended when a Hun fled with the loot, and the soldiers and civilians in the city were busy cleaning up the mess.
The scene was as horrific as a slaughterhouse. Dozens of grain carts had been completely burned, leaving only charred skeletons and a mess of ashes. The grain had been looted and scattered across the ground, mixed with mud and dark red blood.
The medicinal box was trampled to pieces, and various roots, stems, branches and leaves were mixed in the blood mud, emitting a strange smell.
Corpses were scattered across the pass, some escorting civilians, and even more soldiers wearing the standard leather armor of the royal army. Most of them had died in horrible ways, their bodies covered with wounds from arrows and scimitars, and many had even been shot from behind and cut down while fleeing.
Blood soaked the icy ground of early winter, solidifying into vast, shocking patches of dark purple ice. The air was thick with the smell of burning, blood, and death.
When the bodies of several young and energetic captains were found, they had been trampled beyond recognition by war horses. Only half of their blood-stained faces were vaguely visible, with their eyes wide open, staring at the gloomy sky, as if making a silent accusation.
Wang Rong stood amidst a sea of corpses and blood, his face gloomy and bloody. The garrison soldiers he had brought with him silently collected the bodies of their comrades, and the atmosphere was extremely depressing.
No matter how cunning Cui Junji was, this was his first time on the battlefield with real weapons. His heart was pounding like a drum and his stomach was churning, but he still suppressed his fear and carefully inspected the scene, especially the bodies of the dead enemies.
He squatted down, examining the fur coat and scimitars that had been stripped from the corpse, even removing the arrows and carefully examining the shape of the arrowheads. His movements were meticulous, but his brows furrowed ever tighter.
While everyone was in shock, a village elder was supported and tremblingly squeezed into the crowd. His cloudy eyes were fixed on the ruins, and his wrinkled face was distorted with fear. His skinny fingers trembled as he pointed at the broken walls, and he cried out miserably in an old and hoarse voice: "God's wrath! It's God's wrath! Someone has blasphemed the Goddess of Harmony! You must have done something shameful when you were supervising! You have brought down a curse! A great disaster is about to befall!" His voice drifted in the night wind, and his eyes were fixed on Cui Junji, Wen Youqing and his group. In an instant, the air was filled with a heart-pounding sense of prophecy.
Panic spread through the crowd like a plague. The border residents, initially stunned, quickly became filled with fear. Their whispers turned into suppressed cries and panicked commotions. "Curse!" "Empress Hehe is angry!" Cries echoed one after another. The flames danced across their faces, illuminating each one distorted with despair.
This situation was out of control. They hoped to use religion to rule the border, but they didn't want religion to be above them. Cui Junji's face turned pale, and he shouted, "You are spreading rumors to confuse the people! Stop your nonsense!"
But his rebuke seemed pale and powerless in the face of the overwhelming fear. He turned to Shen Zijie and said pleadingly, "Mr. Shen! There's something fishy about this matter. I hope..."
Shen Zijie understood and stood on top of the ruins. He struck the metal in the ruins with his long sword, which was still stained with the blood of the Huns, making people's ears buzz.
All eyes instantly focused on Shen Zijie. There was suspicion, fear, anger, and even anxiety in the eyes of the few who trusted him.
Shen Zijie slowly stood up and brushed off the dust on his robe. In the firelight, his face remained calm, but his deep eyes, like pools of water, flashed a cold, sharp light as they swept across the area covered by the dark brown powder, so fast that it was impossible to catch.
He did not look at Cui Junji, who was already gritting his teeth in fear due to the madness of the people. Instead, his gaze went deep into the ruins, as if he wanted to see through the layers of rubble and people's hearts.
"The wood is strong and has no hidden damage." His voice was clear and steady, piercing the noisy panic. "The fractures were caused by abnormal stress, not natural decay." He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone with a steady, calm expression. "As for whether it's 'divine wrath', if the gods are angry at the barbarians for invading our borders, the punishment should be brought down on the Xiongnu! Not us! The temple collapsed, and the barbarians just happened to invade. This timing seems to be prepared for the Xiongnu! I don't understand the ways of the gods, so I dare not speak rashly. But this is strange, and we must thoroughly investigate it."
His answer was neither humble nor arrogant. He immediately pointed out the doubts and ignored the so-called curse.
"Come here, seal off the scene and keep it under strict guard! No one is allowed to approach! We will conduct a detailed investigation at dawn!" Shen Zijie quickly gave orders to temporarily stabilize the situation, but the cloud of fear hanging over the ruins of the altar weighed heavily on everyone's heart, especially those border residents who believed in the Goddess of Harmony.
Wen Youqing stood beside Shen Zijie, the cold night wind caressing her cheeks. She looked at Cui Junji's profile, which appeared particularly majestic and worried in the firelight, then glanced towards the broken main beam in the ruins. There, beneath the mud crushed by her toes, her dark brown powder was hidden...
As long as the Queen Mother Hehe has anything to do with the Xiongnu, those who sacrifice children, take the Five Stones Powder, and all the complicated things will be scattered at the root.
Cui Junji had to cut off the head of Queen Hehe on behalf of the aristocratic family.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com