Chapter 116, Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen: The Butcher's Knife...
Chapter 116 The Butcher's Knife
"You say I'm safe and sound?" Zhu Xi walked in from outside. "But I say I'm in trouble." She had been snatched away from the protection of her uncles. At that moment, more than a dozen ways to die flashed through her mind, each one extremely painful. When she saw herself being thrown into Lu Xiaofeng's bed, she actually breathed a sigh of relief.
But this was followed by intense anger; she had never suffered such a loss before. Besides, isn't it the person who was hurt who decides whether or not anything has happened?
Upon hearing Zhu Xi's voice, Sikong Zhaixing closed her eyes, as if nothing would happen if she couldn't see.
Zhu Xi laughed in anger. She pulled out a dagger from her body and said, "Since that's the case, I'll send you on your way."
"Calm down, calm down, please calm down." Lu Xiaofeng stepped forward and grabbed Zhu Xi's wrist. "We still don't know who ordered that stinky monkey. Compared to him, those who want to do dirty work are more important, right?"
Zhu Xi sneered, "I don't see this King of Thieves has any intention of cooperating at all. Should I keep him alive instead of sending him on his way?"
Sikong Zhaixing cautiously opened his eyes a crack and saw the gleaming dagger. He felt a pang of fear, but thinking of the identities of those people and seeing Lu Xiaofeng right in front of him, he felt there was still a chance. So he closed his eyes again and refused to speak.
“Lu Xiaofeng, look at you, your good friend doesn’t appreciate your good intentions.” Zhu Xi pushed Lu Xiaofeng away. “I have to avenge myself. Sikong Zhaixing, you’re just unlucky. Since I can’t find the person behind this, I’ll take it out on you.”
"Oh no, don't!" Lu Xiaofeng cried out as he saw where the dagger was about to fall. "If this dagger is used, Sikong Zhaixing will become Eunuch Sikong."
Upon hearing this, Sikong Zhaixing suddenly opened her eyes and saw Zhu Xi's dagger aimed at that spot. "No! I'll talk, I'll talk!"
Zhu Xi stopped what she was doing and looked at him coldly. "Sikong Zhaixing, if you're lying and I find out, your two ounces of flesh will be chopped into mincemeat. It won't be wasted, because you'll eat it anyway. Don't worry, I'll have someone cook it thoroughly, so you won't get a stomachache."
Hearing this, Sikong Zhaixing's face turned completely green. "I'll talk, I really will. Don't worry, I absolutely won't say a word. Lu Xiaofeng can tell if I'm lying. Right, Lu Xiaofeng?" He cast a pleading look at Lu Xiaofeng, his eyes filled with a desperate desire to survive.
"Yes, yes, I can tell." Lu Xiaofeng's face also turned green. He was winking at Zhu Xi in a corner where Sikong Zhaixing couldn't see him. Hadn't they agreed to cooperate and deceive him? Now, using a dagger was one thing, but why chop him into minced meat, cook it, and feed it to him? This wasn't right.
Zhu Xi slowly smiled at Lu Xiaofeng. She had agreed to cooperate, but she hadn't agreed not to deal with Sikong Zhaixing. She was only deceiving him for now, but if he truly lied, then she would really take action.
A qualified head of the Zhu family cannot be a soft-hearted person. If she easily lets go of those who bullied her, how can she win people's hearts?
Lu Xiaofeng saw the seriousness in Zhu Xi's eyes and couldn't help but shiver. "Hey, Zhu Xi, let's take it easy, take it easy." He reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
Although Sikong Zhaixing was lying on the ground and couldn't see everything from certain angles, he understood Lu Xiaofeng and could hear the fear in Lu Xiaofeng's voice, which made him even more afraid. "Those people were almost all government officials, and some were well-known grain merchants. They should all be involved with the Youqiao Group. Because I was worried they would betray us after using us, I secretly followed them and know the true identities of most of them. I will tell you everything, really, I will tell you everything!"
There was only one person who threatened and instructed him, and that person was working for someone else. However, Sikong Zhaixing was cautious and secretly followed them. Coincidentally, those people were gathered together discussing how to deal with the emperor in court, so he got a clear look at their faces and found out their identities.
He had originally planned to have a backup plan should they turn their backs on him. Now it seems he was lucky he did that, otherwise he would have been finished.
Oh God, he didn't want to be a eunuch, and he certainly didn't want to eat his precious treasure chopped into mincemeat! He swore he would never steal again, really. If this could materialize, Sikong Zhaixing's tears would probably have flooded the entire capital.
"Heh." Zhu Xi sneered, but then sheathed the dagger in her hand. "Isn't that better now? You're really asking for it."
Lu Xiaofeng: "..."
To be honest, any man would be scared by that look just now, and he was no exception.
Standing outside the door, Master Zhu smiled at the eldest son of the Hua family and Hua Manlou. Although he was a little embarrassed, he was mostly proud. He knew that his fifth son could do it.
The eldest son of the Hua family wasn't afraid; on the contrary, he looked quite appreciative. Kindness needs shrewdness, otherwise he wouldn't dare maintain a business relationship with the Zhu family indefinitely. The Hua family's business was quite large; if they were implicated, who knew how many people would lose their jobs.
It seems that the next head of the Zhu family is quite capable, and the cooperation between the two families can continue.
As for Hua Manlou, although he found Zhu Xi's words somewhat frightening, he also believed that she was not wrong to want to seek justice for herself. A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions, and besides, she hadn't even taken any action; she was just trying to scare him.
Terrified, Sikong Zhaixing obediently wrote down the identities and addresses of all the people she knew, behaving very obediently and without daring to disobey in the slightest.
Seeing him like that, Zhu Xi rolled her eyes. Heh.
She reached out and took the paper, glanced at it, and then folded it up. "Father, we're afraid we'll have to make a trip to the Divine Marquis's Mansion."
Master Zhu's face was extremely grim. "Fine, we'll do it together." They could deal with the grain merchants and other businessmen listed on the paper, but they were less inclined to take action against the officials and even the imperial relatives.
It's possible to bribe江湖人 (jianghu people) to carry out assassinations, but that would make them a thorn in the emperor's side. Currently, the Zhu family is cooperating with the court; if they violate the laws, the emperor would likely see it as betrayal and would naturally want to remove them from her sight.
If court officials or imperial relatives made mistakes, the emperor could punish them, but they could not be killed by hired assassins. Master Zhu understood this very well. However, he was still uneasy; his daughter had been bullied, and he couldn't personally deal with the perpetrators; he truly felt uncomfortable.
Zhu Xi knew immediately what her father was thinking, and she smiled to comfort him, "Father, don't worry, the Emperor will handle this impartially." She seemed to have thought of something, and her smile became very bright, "If we take action, it might be a quick and painless end for them."
It's important to understand that this emperor may appear mild-mannered, but he is actually ruthless and never backs down from a decision he's made. She has nearly wiped out the imperial family, leaving only a handful of quiet, obedient members. And the emperor makes no attempt to hide this fact; everyone in the land knows it.
These court officials and imperial relatives, now accepting bribes, enriching themselves at the expense of the public, and showing no remorse, are in the emperor's hands. Their fate is far more painful than if she and her father were to deal with them. Under the emperor's butcher's knife, few survive. At this point, she began to feel confused.
"Father, you know the Emperor's character, how could they still dare to do this?" Zhu Xi didn't understand. Were they really not afraid of death? Those court officials could be said to have done something for the court, but what about those imperial relatives?
They weren't members of the imperial family, had no blood ties to the royal clan, and were merely connected to the royal family in some ways; some were even relatives of the emperor's concubines. The current emperor hadn't established an empress, only a few servants, none of whom could be considered her in-laws. And yet, after their bribery was exposed, instead of trying to make amends, they actually wanted to challenge the emperor?
Zhu Xi didn't understand, she really didn't understand.
Master Zhu smiled and patted his daughter's head. "Little Fifth, you still haven't seen enough. You'll learn in the future that no amount of force can stop the greed in people's hearts."
Did they know the emperor's character? Yes. Were they afraid of death? Certainly. But they still did it, because of their greed and their wishful thinking. Such people are everywhere; it's not surprising at all. His daughter is still too young to understand, but it doesn't matter; she'll understand later.
Zhu Xi nodded.
The eldest son of the Hua family said, "I'll join you two. The Hua family also has a part in cooperating with the imperial court." Besides, he already knew about it, and if he stood idly by, wouldn't people think the Hua family was deserting their post? That wouldn't be good.
Hua Manlou hesitated for a moment.
The eldest son of the Hua family laughed and said, "Seventh Child, you should go back to the inn and wait for me to return." It was better for his Seventh Child not to get involved. This matter involved the lives of many people, and Seventh Child, who always cherished all life in the world, would surely feel reluctant to do so.
He knew that Qi Tong wasn't sympathizing with the evil people, but simply couldn't bear the thought of losing life. Therefore, he didn't want Qi Tong to face those things.
Hua Manlou could only nod, "Alright, I'll go back to the inn."
Lu Xiaofeng said, "Hua Manlou, I'll go with you." This time, he would stay obediently in his own room instead of trying to take Hua Manlou's room.
After receiving the gift from Zhuge Zhengwo, the emperor was furious. But only for a moment; she quickly calmed down and seemed completely unmoved.
However, Zhuge Zhengwo knew that if the emperor vented his anger, it meant there was still room for maneuver. The current situation, however, truly demonstrated that she was furious.
"My dear minister Zhuge."
"Yes," Zhuge Zhengwo replied, his brows furrowed.
"Make arrangements. I request to see Fang Yingkan in the dungeon of the Divine Marquis's residence," the emperor said.
Zhuge Zhengwo hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Yes, Your Majesty." She rarely referred to herself as "朕" (Zhen, the imperial "I") in private, which suggested that she was truly furious and filled with hatred.
Alas, it seems Kyoto is about to be engulfed in another bloodbath. I hope that the area around Caishikou won't be soaked in blood.
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