Chapter 69: Miss Thief 6 A pity for a good show
The ground was quite a distance away from the city wall, but the scene of the commotion below was at an angle where they were. In addition, the scholars were shouting very loudly, their faces flushed. At this level, they should have been able to hear some words, but now they could hear every word clearly...
The words they shouted out were "the dead are the greatest" and they denounced Qin Ji's atrocities. They repeated them over and over again in an attempt to fan the flames in the hearts of the people.
Even if an ordinary person is born with a loud voice, it is impossible for him to do this. It is like... he knew Qin Ji was here and said it deliberately for Qin Ji to hear.
Wu Yue tilted her head to look at him, while Qin Ji had a calm expression on his face. However, the more so, the harder it was to tell what he was thinking at the moment.
However, these innocuous words really didn't affect him. If he was provoked by such a small matter, he wouldn't be the regent with all the power in the court.
Wu Yue rubbed his chin and speculated, "Could these scholars be members of the Seven Killing Hall in disguise, trying to divert attention?"
Most people are indifferent to things that don't concern them. She couldn't think of anyone else besides the Seven Killings Hall who would care about the corpse.
Moreover, scholars have to take the imperial examinations and study hard for many years. Whether they can go far is decided by Qin Jilai. Even if there are a few busybodies who really can't stand such behavior and stand up to show their righteousness, they dare not talk about the royal family on the spot. The serious crime is the death penalty.
Qin Ji did not deny her guess, "Does it look like it to you?"
"From the temperament point of view, he is indeed not like the Seven Killing Hall, but everyone can disguise themselves, and people in the martial arts world have many identities. You can't let your guard down with some children. Maybe he can take your life in the next second." Wu Yue was not sure, but she was very sure that Qin Ji must know who it was.
Qin Ji put his arm on her shoulders and held her close to him. Wu Yue, standing beside her, only reached a little above his shoulders. Covered by him like this, she, who was not very petite to begin with, now looked like a little bird.
"Look, the second good show is about to begin."
They stood on the city wall, Qin Ji was like a king commanding the world. Wu Yue didn't care about the heat from being too close to him, and followed his gaze to see what was about to happen.
At this time, a patrol of city guards came. They were wearing armor, with swords on their waists, and looked very majestic. The onlookers automatically moved aside and made way for them.
When standing together on flat ground, ordinary people would be frightened when they saw the officials. The guards in the city were generally from aristocratic families and were naturally arrogant. They would feel that they had to respect the officials because of their different status.
But when you stand on a high place and look down, you will feel a kind of contempt in your heart, thinking "they are crawling at my feet" and you will not take them seriously. This is the change brought about by a different state of mind.
It’s no wonder that everyone likes to climb up. The view from a high place is wide and the scenery is unique.
The chief guard in the guard team had a serious face. He had been on the battlefield and was full of murderous aura. His sharp eyes swept around, silencing the noisy crowd.
The scholars he was staring at also shut up. Just standing together, they looked less imposing.
Chang Wei said in a low voice, "Who is gathering here to cause trouble?"
Hearing his harsh questioning, the five scholars surrounded in the middle lowered their heads, but the one who had shouted the loudest just now stood up with a look of neither servility nor arrogance.
He said bluntly, "It's me!"
The long guard stared at him, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. Everyone around was frightened by his majesty. The other scholars looked timid and pulled their classmates' sleeves to signal them to stop making trouble and stop it, otherwise it would be difficult to deal with it later.
Several of us have studied hard but haven't achieved a high ranking. We'll be taking the final exam next March, and our chances of success depend entirely on next year. We've failed the exam several times before, and it's been a torment.
After learning that Prince Yan would come today and hearing the instigation of people around them, they came here in a hurry.
People are most likely to go astray when they have given their best efforts but still get nothing in return.
In fact, they regretted it after they came, but before they could leave quietly, a classmate came behind them and started shouting.
He was shouting, but he insisted on dragging them all along. This made them the target of public criticism, and they panicked. However, every path they could take was blocked by the people, and leaving would be embarrassing.
"That's what I said, so what!" The man ignored his classmates' attempts to stop him, met Chang Wei's eyes, and continued loudly, "I know these people aren't good people, but the Four Books and Five Classics say that the dead are the greatest. I think that since they've been executed, all their past sins have been erased. Bury them. Why hang their bodies on the city walls? How can such an act demonstrate that our great Zhou is a country of etiquette?"
Hearing that he was going to continue his passionate speech, several classmates behind him had already lost their spirits and had bitter taste in their mouths. The word "regret" occupied their minds at this moment. They didn't know why they were confused and believed his instigation.
The common people were ignorant, and even fewer could read. Even after the imperial examinations, there were many students from the common people, but most of them came from humble backgrounds. There were very few students from farming families, and the descendants of merchants and people of all stripes were not allowed to participate. This was a law left over from the previous dynasty, and the Great Zhou had continued to use it for over a hundred years and had not abolished it to this day.
Therefore, the resources for reading and writing were in the hands of princes and nobles, as well as aristocratic families in various places.
The expensive brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone alone were beyond the reach of ordinary people, and this was just the basics of learning. The six arts, including chess, music, and horseback riding, were all very expensive, and those without aristocratic backgrounds or financial resources could not afford them.
Therefore, ordinary people do not have the habit of thinking about what is going on in the whole thing, and that is not what they are going to do.
Now, just hearing the scholar's words, they thought it made sense and started discussing it. For them, seeing a hanging corpse was indeed frightening, and the people also believed that the dead were the greatest and should be buried in peace.
"Hahaha, hahahaha!" Chang Wei laughed out loud. His laughter was very heroic, as if he saw his heroic figure on the battlefield.
Although he has an ordinary appearance, his upright physique and upright temperament give him a very dazzling and outstanding appearance.
The scholar pursed his lips. The laughter sounded harsh, not in praise, but in mockery.
"What are you laughing at? Am I wrong?" The scholar was unconvinced. "No matter how many faults they have, they are still citizens of the Great Zhou. If they were treating foreign enemies like this, I would applaud them. But now, the people hanging here are citizens of the Great Zhou. How can we not be chilled to the bone?"
What he said was illogical. Everyone present was a citizen of the Great Zhou, and those at the bottom of society were the most susceptible to this perception of "unfair treatment." They thought that if the same thing happened to them one day, they would be treated the same way, and for a moment, this shook the people's hearts.
"I don't care about the bullshit you talk. I just know that whoever wants to rebel and bring disaster to the Great Zhou will be my enemy who I will kill with my sword!" Chang Wei's face suddenly turned cold. He drew his sword, and the sword shone with a sharp light under the sunlight, but he didn't point it at the people. Instead, he stuck it into the ground and stood there.
He propped himself up with his hands, speaking with the force of a general heading into battle. "Twenty-six years ago, the enemy army broke through two of our cities, slaughtered the civilians, and blood flowed like a river for days and nights. Corpses littered the ground, and even unborn children were disemboweled and abandoned, trampled upon. My entire family perished in that failed war, and I was the only one who escaped. From then on, I vowed to capture a hundred enemy soldiers and offer a bloody sacrifice to my hometown. I believe that those present here, though young, may not know, but the elders will surely know about the battle that nearly destroyed our nation."
When he mentioned this, the older generation was deeply moved. Many of their relatives had died, and they shed tears with red eyes.
The scholar moved his lips. As a scholar, he certainly knew and felt sad about this matter. Among the people of the two cities, less than a hundred people were able to escape alive.
However, he did not think he was wrong at the moment, and continued, "...the discussion was wrong and it was the enemy's fault. Now I am talking about the people of Da Zhou, there is no connection."
"Ten years ago, some citizens of the Great Zhou colluded with the enemy and betrayed their country. Among them were people from the Jianghu who served the enemy under the banner of justice. If it weren't for the King of Yan who turned the tide at that time, you would no longer be citizens of the Great Zhou today, and you wouldn't be living in the prosperous times you enjoy today. How could you forget the humiliation of nearly destroying your country after just a few days of good times?!"
What Chang Wei said made them look ashamed and they all lowered their heads.
"These seven are now the root of trouble in the Jianghu. Their leader is a former bandit, committing all sorts of evil, including murder, looting, and arson. He later fled, hid his identity, and organized a force to continue his evil deeds. These seven are his minions. If we don't punish them severely, wouldn't it show that our Great Zhou is incompetent and allow them to oppress the people at will?"
Chang Wei looked at the scholars with disdain. "You are fortunate to be able to sit in the academy and peacefully read the books of sages. You should serve the court and benefit the people. But now, you are doing stupid things that bring shame to the Great Zhou!"
"Or are you inciting the people here? Do you have ulterior motives?" Chang Wei put away his sword and put it back into the scabbard with a clang. As his every word fell to the ground, it struck the scholars' hearts, making them inexplicably panic.
Then he heard the chief guard give the order, "Come here! These people have suspicious identities. Bring them all back for a thorough investigation. Could they really be spies from the enemy country?"
As soon as he gave the order, the guards behind him took action. Several scholars were frightened and shouted in panic that they were not spies.
On the city wall, Wu Yue was amazed at the farce unfolding at a strange angle.
It's no wonder Qin Ji said he wanted to see a good show, it was indeed quite entertaining. What Chang Wei said was indeed very touching, but it felt a bit strange to her.
Indeed, from this perspective, he seems to be a good soldier who loves his country and his people, but it is too deliberate.
Killing with a borrowed knife? Or making a feint to the east and attacking in the west? Wu Yue thought of a possibility, "Qin Ji, are they in the same group?"
Qin Ji laughed, his tone unusually cheerful, "Why do you ask that? Hearing him say that, shouldn't you be very moved?"
Look at the common people under the city wall, they have already started throwing rotten vegetable leaves at the scholars.
They are so ignorant, but this ignorance cannot be blamed on them, because a large part of the reason is that the court and the aristocratic families are deliberately causing it. People who are too knowledgeable are difficult to control, and those who are too ignorant are also difficult to control.
As an old saying goes, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. This sentiment always rings true no matter when it is applied.
"When I first heard him, I was indeed shocked for a moment by his words. It's a good thing for the people that the Great Zhou has such loyal soldiers." Wu Yue touched his chin and thought deeply. "But after listening to the rest, I felt strange. As a leader, he is not an instigator. What he wants is the enforcement of the law. There is no need for so many speeches. He can just take away the troublemakers in the street. And these words... seem to be directed to you specifically. He wants you to surrender to him and show his loyalty, and it would be best if you can be reused."
From this we can see that the scholar's appearance is just a foil and he is not the leading actor on the stage.
Qin Ji smiled and pinched her hair. "Little cat is really smart. Look, the fun isn't over yet."
What else? Wu Yue was about to ask what it was when she saw a group of men in black launching a sneak attack in broad daylight.
The guard immediately looked up, drew his sword, and rushed to the tower, "There's an assassin, protect the prince!"
With his shout, chaos broke out in the city. Taking advantage of this opportunity, a group of hidden people went to the city gate and took away the body of the assassin from the Seven Killing Hall.
The guards around Qin Ji immediately drew their swords to meet the enemy.
He wasn't flustered at all, and sat down leisurely to drink tea. "Not together?"
Just as Wu Yue was about to turn around, she saw a sharp hidden weapon coming at her from the corner of her eye. She turned around, hooked the dagger, spun it around and threw it at the wall. Seeing that it was a five-star hidden weapon, Wu Yue's expression paused. She held the dagger and walked to the city wall.
There was a figure standing in the distance in the crowd. She was also wearing a conical hat, and her eyes met Wu Yue's from a distance.
Sure enough, she really showed up.
As if it was a signal that they understood each other, the man raised his hand and pulled down his hat, covering Wu Yue's familiar face. He lowered his head slightly, turned around and walked into the crowd, disappearing with the same steps as Wu Yue.
"I have something to go do." Wu Yue leaned on the wall to gain leverage and jumped down, running across the eaves and walls at a fast speed.
In the blink of an eye, I saw only the corner of her dress swaying, and the gilded jade chain shimmering in the sunlight. When I looked again, her figure had disappeared, as light as a cat.
Qin Ji didn't stop Wu Yue from leaving. She wasn't a delicate flower in need of protection. On the contrary, she was a vicious cat that would scratch people. The outside world was her home turf.
And with secret guards following us, there's no need to worry about anything happening.
The fight was noisy, and the assassins were unable to get close, with nearly half of them killed or wounded. Having achieved their goal, they wanted to retreat, but there was nowhere to retreat.
Suddenly there was a whooshing sound that broke through the air. No one saw how he did it. Qin Ji was originally sitting, but now he was standing aside, tall and graceful, with the demeanor of a dragon and a phoenix.
The teacup in his hand was also cut in half by the flying hidden weapon. The tea splashed onto the table and scattered, flowing along the edge of the table in a curtain of water. Some of it fell to the ground, bounced up and splashed onto his clothes.
Qin Ji didn't throw it away. He put down the half-empty teacup and brushed the water droplets with his sleeve. He didn't even look panicked. He just sighed softly, "What a pity..."
For a play to be exciting, it would be best if it had both literary and martial arts scenes. It's a pity that there was no kitten to watch with me.
"Qin Ji, give me your life!"
The man who had just passed by the carriage in the opposite direction ran to the eaves, took off his hat and swung it over, carrying a hidden weapon.
There was a guard standing in front of Qin Ji. The hidden weapon hit the sword with a clanging sound. The bamboo hat also flew past Qin Ji and inserted into the cylinder, halfway inside. It can be seen that this person has a strong internal force.
The sudden appearance of fighting had the common people terrified into fleeing in all directions. Shops were shut, and vendors took up their loads and hid. Swords and knives have no eyes, so they were not harmed.
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