Chapter 63 The Confrontation of God-Making
"Your Excellency, you cannot kill people indiscriminately." A sharp, effeminate male voice rang out.
The fair-skinned man in the crimson cloak had his hands tightly tucked inside, his face even paler from the cold, seemingly still unable to adapt to the northern climate, so different from that of those serving the emperor.
Gong Shiliang slowly withdrew his spear and said calmly, "Eunuch Gao is overthinking it. I was just trying to scare her."
Sure enough, this man was Eunuch Gao, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, who was the eyes and ears of the imperial family. Gong Shiliang also had to listen to his ideas.
Qin Song's expression remained unchanged. She knew very well that countless ordinary people were watching her. No matter what reasons they came up with, if they wanted to trample on Yunzhou, they had to make it seem reasonable.
If they can slaughter at will, they won't need to fabricate excuses for divine punishment.
The atmosphere eased slightly, and Qin Song calmly asked, "May I ask Commander Gong and Eunuch Gao, is this formation intended to starve the people of Yunzhou to death?"
Are the people of Yunzhou trapped and dying?
Upon hearing those six simple words, the common people surrounding Qin Song suddenly widened their eyes, craned their necks to listen, and their faces were filled with shock and vigilance.
Faced with the questioning, Eunuch Gao spoke calmly and unhurriedly: "Since Miss Qin has appeared in Yunzhou, she should know the situation in the city better than we do. The disease has swept through the entire city and has even spread to the surrounding cities. Countless doctors and physicians are helpless. What do you think is the reason?"
Qin Song asked calmly, "Then what does Eunuch Gao think is the reason?"
Gong Shiliang, full of vigor, interrupted, "Let me tell you, it's divine punishment. The strange phenomena in Yunzhou City are due to certain high-ranking officials who are corrupt and harmful to the country, angering the gods and bringing disaster upon themselves. To ensure the safety of the Great Yu, we have no choice but to seal off Yunzhou to prevent the spread of the epidemic to other cities."
"Divine punishment? How can you prove that this is divine punishment?" Qin Song smiled leisurely, making no attempt to hide his sarcasm. "The Great Yu Dynasty is protected by the noble aura of the imperial family, yet divine punishment still occurs. Could it be that the imperial family's virtue is unworthy of its position, and it has violated the laws of heaven, thus incurring divine retribution?"
"Shut up! You unruly woman! Not only do you not kneel and pay homage to us and the warlord, but you also dare to slander the imperial family!"
Eunuch Gao slammed his fist on the head, but remained calm throughout. “Don’t worry, since the root of the problem has appeared in Yunzhou, once the divine punishment of Yunzhou has passed, the scourge in the nearby cities will be cured on its own. At that time, the entire Great Yu will see the true dragon prophecy of the Heavenly Family.”
After saying that, Gong Shiliang casually raised his hand again: "Miss Qin, you can't blame me for this."
As soon as he finished speaking, several soldiers quickly stepped forward and surrounded Qin Song and the others behind him.
Li Yu stayed by Qin Song's side the whole time, while the silent people behind them seemed ready to rush up at any moment to defend Qin Song with their bare hands.
Qin Song remained calm and composed. She glanced at the group and said sternly, "Why are you two in such a hurry? Don't you want to know why I've come?"
"What else could it be? If you want to see your father, I can let you in anytime, but only you can go in alone." Gong Shiliang glanced at Li Yu again.
He had ulterior motives and planned to turn a blind eye to Li Yu.
Qin Song, of course, wouldn't expose her. She smiled and said, "Who said I wanted to see my father? I'm here to share your burdens. You said Yunzhou has suffered divine punishment, so I've come to relieve this suffering."
She took out a box of medicinal powder from her sleeve, slowly unscrewed the lid, and poured out the powder while saying, "Look carefully, this is what you call divine punishment."
The powder poured out, scattered in the wind, and fell to the ground, staining it with a glaring white.
It was already a hard-won opportunity for Li Yu to find some medicinal powder, but now they found several boxes in the bundles of those two northern barbarians.
This kind of thing that harms the people will be destroyed sooner or later. Dispersing it like this gives me a kind of silent satisfaction.
The medicinal powder scattered in the air was swept by the wind and rushed towards Gong Shiliang and the other man. Gao Gonggong subconsciously raised his sleeve to cover his face, and Gong Shiliang also shook his large hand and took half a step back.
Sure enough, they were afraid of this thing; they knew everything.
Qin Song was not surprised by their reaction. She then took out a prescription from her bosom. "This is a divine gift. General Gong, would you allow me to bestow this remedy upon Yunzhou City to cure this ailment?"
"Nonsense! Have you become a god or something?"
As soon as Gong Shiliang finished speaking, all the people behind Qin Song, as if they had planned it, knelt down and worshipped: "Heaven bless us. We are fortunate to have received soup from the reincarnation of the Mountain Goddess, which has cured our illness and relieved our pain. We thank Goddess Qin. Goddess Qin has immeasurable merits, saves us from suffering, and protects our prosperity."
The thousands of people spoke in unison, their voices resounding, which suddenly roused Gong Shiliang, who had been arrogant and disdainful just moments before.
He glanced at the group behind Qin Song. Although they were all ordinary people, there were a lot of them. Even behind the hidden paths in the distance, one could vaguely see the throng of people.
If they were all refugees, that would be fine; he could simply slaughter them all. But he didn't know if they were all refugees, nor did he know how many troops were hidden in the distance. He had underestimated her.
Seeing Gong Shiliang's expression change slightly, Qin Song became even more confident; she had made the right move.
Since spreading rumors about Yunzhou has resulted in divine punishment, then she will create a god.
Outside Rongyang City, Qin Song changed his mind and brewed the medicinal herbs he had brought from Qingze into a soup to cure the patients suffering from serious illnesses at the Mountain Goddess Temple.
She did not reveal the prescription for her treatment. Patients who recovered saw Qin Song standing in front of the Mountain Goddess Temple and, without any guidance, regarded her as a goddess who saved them from suffering.
After being passed down by word of mouth, this suddenly appearing goddess actually earned the title of the reincarnation of the Mountain Goddess.
That would be perfect. With the reputation of the Mountain Goddess already established, her prestige quietly rose. She only hinted twice that she was going to Yunzhou to help those in distress, and almost the entire population of Rongyang City rushed to join her.
This is the source of her confidence, which allows her to approach an army of 300,000 seemingly alone, like an egg trying to break a rock or an ant trying to shake a tree.
Unable to fathom her plans, Gong Shiliang and his companion dared not act rashly. After a moment's thought, they changed their tune.
Eunuch Gao smiled faintly: "Madam Qin is really good at playing tricks. What does sprinkling some medicine powder prove? How can you, a mere woman, bestow a good remedy?"
Gong Shiliang still had a bit of arrogance: "Like father, like daughter. This is not the first time that Qin has incited public opinion and gathered people to cause trouble. I can shoot you dead right now."
Qin Song calmly looked at him: "How do you conclude that I am inciting public opinion? When have I ever guided anyone with a single word? Besides, is Lord Gong sure he wants to take action?"
"Are you threatening me?" Gong Shiliang's face was dark and his voice carried a chilling pressure. "To tell you the truth, the lawsuit filed by the military strategists of Yunzhou against you for inciting the people and inciting military power has already been received by the cabinet. It is reasonable to punish you for multiple crimes and to act first and report later."
As soon as she finished speaking, the bows and arrows that the soldiers had prepared moved even closer to her.
I remember now. Back then, in order to seize the grain supplies from the northern barbarians who were launching a surprise attack from the west, Qin Song organized the prisoners and civilians in the city to fight together. At that time, several of Chen Peizhi's subordinates did indeed clamor and impeach her.
It's really strange that important news can't get out of the city, yet a few defeated generals can easily file a petition to file a complaint. This Great Yu Dynasty is truly rotten to the core.
Qin Song scoffed inwardly, but didn't reply.
Li Yu held him tightly, still feeling complicated emotions towards Gong Shiliang: "Uncle, there's always a way out. How can you be so stubborn?"
Gong Shiliang glanced at Li Yu, clearly displeased with his behavior. "You two are the ones who are stubbornly clinging to your ways. A-Yu, tell your uncle, besides the two of you, how many other officials in the city have abandoned their posts?"
What he wanted to ask was how many more damned targets in Yunzhou City were lurking outside of Yunzhou.
Li Yu frowned slightly, even more disappointed in his uncle. "Is Governor Gong here to massacre the city?"
"Shut up!" Gong Shiliang's displeasure deepened.
Qin Song found it ridiculous. He was still trying to give Li Yu a break out of consideration for their family ties, but he was actually driving his own daughter to the brink of despair.
She didn't want to waste any more words on him and calmly said, "Commander Gong, there's no need to hide anything. Of course you can kill me, you can slaughter the entire Yunzhou, and even everyone behind me. But don't forget, behind me lies the territory of the Great Yu, the core of imperial power. What you did today will be widely known through every citizen behind me. Even if you kill just one person today, it will spread throughout the entire Great Yu in less than two days. If you are trapped and die in Yunzhou, I dare not say what will happen to the imperial power, but you two will soon become sinners for all time. Unless you slaughter everyone in the world, the crimes of Yunzhou will eventually be exposed to the world."
Never underestimate the power of the people and the power of public opinion. She not only wanted to spread the news of Yunzhou to the world, but she also agreed to Master Shen's suggestion to let the Qin family gather heroes from all over the world and spread anecdotes, so that the whole country would know that the goddess had given soup to cure diseases and relieve pain, and that it was named Qin Song.
As long as there are people in the world, she has no reason to lose.
Grandpa Gao fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.
Gong Shiliang scoffed, "Look at the people behind you! Rough-clothed, poor refugees who probably can't even read a few characters. How can you expect to spread your fame throughout the Great Yu? Do you really expect Li Yu to sing your praises?"
“Me too.” A deep male voice came from a distant carriage.
As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage curtain was slowly lifted, and a tall and handsome young man sat inside. When he looked up at the young man with his deep-set features, he put down the writing brush in his hand. A piece of white paper in front of him was covered with densely written small characters.
The servant boy bowed and entered the carriage, carefully putting away his writing brush and ink, folding up the small table, and then stepped aside to let him get out of the carriage.
Gong Shiliang and Eunuch Gao both froze, "Lu Youchuan?!"
Qin Song did not turn around to see what was happening behind him.
According to the original plan, Lu Youchuan should have reappeared to stabilize Gong Shiliang's army after she led her people into the city, but he actually got out of the carriage at this time.
However, the current situation is not complicated, so this difference doesn't really matter.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Lu Youchuan calmly approached and stood beside Qin Song: "I have recorded all the events from Qingze to Rongyang and then to Yunzhou. The information will be sent to the nearby cities tomorrow. Does Eunuch Gao need to further verify the deduction of the divine punishment?"
Eunuch Gao immediately changed his attitude. The young lady's words might be alarmist, but he was all too familiar with the style of the Left Censor-in-Chief. Moreover, he had always been at odds with the Qin family, and now he seemed to be on the side of this Qin woman. With him pushing things along, he could not be taken lightly.
After a moment's thought, he realized that it was better to let the Court of Imperial Sacrifices take the blame than to lose face here. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a delaying tactic was the best course of action. He smiled and replied, "There is probably more to this than meets the eye, and we do need to investigate carefully."
Lu Youchuan ignored his softened tone and stared coldly at Gong Shiliang, "Commander Gong, are you not going to make way?"
Gong Shiliang's arrogance just now was entirely due to his belief that Qin Song was ignorant of his own limitations. However, Lu Youchuan's appearance forced him to carefully assess the current situation. He glanced at Eunuch Gao and also came up with a new idea.
He waved his hand dismissively, "Make way."
Without giving any instructions, Qin Song strode confidently into the city.
Lu Youchuan and Li Yu followed closely behind, and most of the nearby guards and civilians also entered the city, leaving only a group of people in the distance whose numbers were indistinct.
The long procession passed by, and the soldiers on both sides closed in again, continuing to tightly surround the entire city.
Gong Shiliang and Eunuch Gao were still standing on the outskirts of the army, looking at the crowd in the distance whose origins were unclear, and they began to plot.
"Eunuch Gao, it seems this mission will take some time."
"What are Governor Gong's plans?"
Gong Shiliang turned back to look at the high walls of Yunzhou City: "You and I both know that this trip goes against the will of Heaven. If we want to successfully seal the city under so many eyes, we must either insist on divine punishment and slaughter everyone in front of us, or take the initiative to admit that the divine punishment is false, withdraw our troops and return to the capital to end the war."
The old eunuch followed his gaze and said, "Neither of these two options is a good choice."
"Therefore, we can only choose the third option."
Grandpa Gao glanced at him sideways: "Oh?"
Gong Shiliang stroked the spear in his hand: "They will poison again and create another disease. They may be able to cure it this time, but they may not be able to cure it a second time. As long as we can wait for some more time, when Yunzhou City is destroyed, the disease in the surrounding area will be cured without treatment, thus confirming the prophecy of divine punishment. No matter how many people die inside and outside Yunzhou City, it will all be due to divine punishment, and there will be no fault in it."
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Author's Note: Thank you so much everyone for the nutrient solution you donated! I've been busy writing down ideas and outlines for my new story these past few days, so I haven't been able to reply to your comments promptly. I'm so sorry! [Please!]
Here's a preview of my new novel that I started reading today, "After Living with My Deceased Husband's Brother" [Heart][Heart][Heart] The synopsis is as follows—
Chu Yu, the daughter of the Grand Historian, was widowed on her wedding night. Her mother-in-law forced her to continue the family line with her deceased husband's elder brother, Wei Xu.
Before her mother-in-law had even exhausted all her methods, Chu Yu eagerly nodded.
Because she has two secrets.
Firstly, she was not actually the daughter of the Grand Historian.
Secondly, she had always coveted Wei Xu.
Everyone knows that Wei Xuzhi, the eldest son of the Duke of Zhenguo, is exceptionally handsome, talented, and has extraordinary qualities.
Unfortunately, he contracted an illness and went blind. His already cold and aloof nature became even more indifferent and apathetic, and he was not interested in women.
Chu Yu had already planned how to use her deceased brother's widowhood to spy on him from the shadows, follow him, and ideally possess and toy with him.
Before she could even finalize everything, her mother-in-law ushered her into Wei Xu's courtyard.
"Let's try anything, even if it's a last resort. Remember, you're mute now, so you absolutely mustn't let Ah Xu know your identity."
Wei Xu couldn't see, and his mother-in-law dismissed all the ordinary people in the courtyard. As long as she didn't speak, she could haunt him like a ghost.
She stayed in the corner, secretly watching him.
I secretly drew him in the bathroom.
Steal a kiss from him while he's drunk.
...
However, one day, she suddenly discovered... he could see!
Torn between fleeing in panic and kneeling down to beg for forgiveness, she chose to threaten him:
"If you don't want anyone to know you're pretending to be blind, kiss me."
She thought he would punish her, but to her surprise, he actually... agreed.
Later, Wei Xu gained real power and no longer needed to pretend to be blind, so Chu Yu knew that her good days were over.
In order to stay in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Chu Yu lied and said that Wei Xu had no reaction to her, and begged her mother-in-law to let her become the widow of his deceased brother again.
On the day she moved back to her deceased husband's courtyard, Wei Xu arrived with a cold face, his eyes half-closed, pressing her closer step by step:
"What kind of reaction do you expect from my sister-in-law? Haven't I tried hard enough?"
A sullen, freakish woman who was forced into marriage vs. a cunning, seemingly blind, and aloof beauty.
The female lead is truly effeminate and has a severely flawed personality!
-The title and main character's name may be changed after the story begins. [Dog head with rose in hand]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
