Hands-on
"General Zhong, I have some personal matters at Zhang's house, so please don't worry about it."
"Rape of a woman is a serious crime. Are you going to just brush it off like that?"
Zhang He felt as if he had heard a huge joke. "What laws are there in this remote and untamed land? Not to mention that most of the people here are poor. If I hadn't abducted these lowly women and brought them to my mansion, they might have lived an even worse life out there. At least I'm giving them food to eat, yet they're so ungrateful."
Zhang He glared fiercely at the woman kneeling on the ground, "You think I'm harming you? Fine, get out of my house and don't get in my way!"
The kneeling woman was at a loss for a moment. When she saw the guards at the door make way, she reacted instantly and ran towards the door without looking back.
Zhang He glanced at Zhong Yingqi, and changed his previous friendly tone, speaking in a gloomy tone:
"Is General Zhong satisfied now? No one has ever died in my palace. Compared to the imperial city, it's far better. Reinforcements haven't arrived yet. If things go wrong, my city might be trampled by the Liang army's cavalry. Those nobles won't even look at me. I opened the city gates to welcome the soldiers of the Qi Kingdom, but in turn, General Zhong accuses me of seizing a woman. It's really a chilling winter."
"Oh, and you too." Zhang He pointed at the remaining women. "Why don't you leave? Are you scared? Look at how cowardly you are. You really don't know how to appreciate the blessing you have. Get out of here right now! Otherwise, General Zhong will throw dirty water on me again."
The remaining women glanced at each other, and one of them ran towards the door, taking the lead, and the others followed. Only Fang'er stood there in shock, unsure whether to stay or go out.
Zhong Yingqi finished watching Zhang He's performance and then spoke: "Gravekeeper Zhang has so much on his mind. I just said that robbing a woman is a serious crime, but he kept saying it, making me feel like I'm in a difficult situation."
Zhong Yingqi looked at Zhang He with interest. Zhang He felt uneasy when he was looked at by him. As soon as he let out the breath he had been suppressing, Zhang He regained his composure. Zhong Yingqi was the only son of the Zhong family. The Zhong family's century-old foundation would eventually be handed over to him. He could not afford to offend this man.
A flattering smile crept onto Zhang He's face again. "General Zhong, you really embarrassed me with what I said. I admire General Zhong for fighting for our country. I just heard that you misunderstood me. I got anxious and didn't control my words. I said something a little rude. I hope you can forgive me."
Zhong Yingqi waved his hand. "I don't mind what Zhang Taishou said. I originally wanted to ask Zhang Taishou for something, but Zhang Taishou's words revealed a lot of dissatisfaction with the capital. Is there something hidden behind this?"
Zhang He was stunned, and the smile on his lips became more and more forced. "General Zhong, you also know that the Liang army attacked the Northern Frontier military camp. Such a big news has been reported to the capital for several days, but there is no news from the capital. My city cannot withstand the attack of the Liang army, and I am also anxious."
"I understand that." Zhong Yingqi changed the subject and asked, "What are your plans for the future, Grand Administrator Zhang?"
"Um... without reinforcements, we definitely can't stop the Liang army." Zhang He lowered his voice and leaned close to Zhong Yingqi's ear and said, "General Zhong, I'm speaking frankly. Don't blame me, don't blame me."
Zhong Yingqi gestured for him to invite him in, and Zhang He finally spoke slowly, "The enemy is so powerful, and our stubborn defense is like an egg against a rock. It's better to conserve our strength and make a comeback in the future. As long as we have a strong foundation, we won't be afraid of running out of firewood."
Zhong Yingqi narrowed his eyes slightly, his pupils shrinking to a cold point. "What does Governor Zhang mean by that? Abandon the city and flee?"
"To put it bluntly, that's it."
"But I have a question. If we abandon the city, it will take a long time to evacuate the civilians. The Liang army is watching closely. Has Governor Zhang already made any moves?"
"That's not the case. Such an important decision must be discussed with General Zhong and taken after careful consideration." Zhang He assured.
"In that case, then please, Governor Zhang, hold your troops still. The news is still unclear. If we abandon the city prematurely and the news gets back to the capital, the Empress will blame us. None of us can afford to bear the consequences."
Zhang He asked, "But what if the Liang soldiers attack us?"
"The surviving brothers in our army will do their utmost to defend Mucheng. As the lord of Mucheng, Governor Zhang should shoulder his responsibilities and defend the city with us to buy time for the people to leave."
Zhang He's expression flashed with hesitation for a moment, and Zhong Yingqi saw everything.
"General Zhong truly lives up to his name as a descendant of the Zhong family. I admire his righteous character. Zhang will do his utmost to fulfill his duties as governor."
In response to Zhang He's flattery, Zhong Yingqi responded in kind.
We chatted back and forth until late at night.
"Zhang Taishou, if there is any news from the capital, please inform me immediately. I will take my leave now."
"General Zhong, take care."
After sending Zhong Yingqi away, Zhang He held his forehead and thought to himself, "This Zhong Yingqi wants fame for himself and even drags me into it. How unlucky! I won't accompany him to exchange my life for the lives of a bunch of lowly people."
Zhang He turned around and saw Fang'er still there. He said impatiently, "What an idiot! Why are you still standing here like an idiot? I'm not in the mood to sleep with you right now. Get out of here!"
Fang'er was kicked away and dragged her aching body back to the small room. She thought back to what had just happened and felt extremely regretful. Why had she just stood there like an idiot, missing her chance to leave the palace? Now she was filled with regret. She grabbed her hair and hated herself for being as stupid as an ox.
On the second day, Fang'er saw a group of guards surrounding the yard. Fang'er lowered her head, walked quickly past, and took a quick glance. This glance made her frightened.
The guards surrounded several women, or more accurately, several corpses. These were the women who had rushed out the door yesterday, and now they were dead.
His eyes were wide open, his mouth was wide open, and his death looked miserable, as if he had been strangled.
Fang'er calmed her pounding heart, walked away quickly, and didn't dare to look at them again.
"How did they die?"
"Ah!" Fang'er screamed, attracting a group of guards. Seeing that it was Fang'er who screamed, they took a quick look and left. They knew that this girl was timid and weak, and would make a fuss when she saw snakes and some insects. It was a miracle that a woman like this could survive for a year in a man-eating gold cave. It seemed that Prefect Zhang really cared about her face.
As soon as the guards left, Yuan Ming stuck his head out from the high wall again, found the right spot, and sat down on the top of the wall.
"Could you please stop making such a fuss?"
Fang'er lowered her head and dared not speak.
"Do you know how they died?"
Fang'er shook her head frantically, "I don't know, I don't know, don't ask me." She hugged her head, almost collapsing.
Yuan Ming stopped questioning Fang'er and made up his mind to turn around and jump off the wall. But when he looked back, he saw an old acquaintance.
Zhong Yingqi followed her here.
He gestured, signaling Yuan Ming to follow him. Yuan Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking, "What's this guy up to?" Yuan Ming hesitated for only a moment before following Zhong Yingqi's steps.
This place is far away from Zhang He's residence and is a good place to chat.
"General Zhong, if you have anything to say, just say it now. There's no need to be secretive."
Zhong Yingqi asked, "Are all the concubines in Zhang He's room dead?"
"It seems that General Zhong knows something." Yuan Ming put one hand on his waist and looked at Zhong Yingqi. "Before answering this question, please answer my question first."
"Your Highness, I didn't ask you what you did when you sneaked into Zhang He's mansion. I just wanted to save the lives of several innocent women. Your Highness, are you unwilling to help me with such a small favor?"
Yuan Ming's expression remained unchanged as he asked directly, "First question: Why are you following me?"
"Your Highness, you are really..."
Looking at Yuan Ming's pale yet energetic face, Zhong Yingqi completely lost his temper.
"Your Highness easily climbed over such a high wall, so he must be very confident in his martial arts skills. If I followed His Highness, he would definitely notice me, so I didn't follow him. I just happened to run into His Highness."
"Second question."
Zhong Yingqi: "..."
"Why are you asking about the concubines?"
Zhong Yingqi sighed softly, "Because I visited Zhang He yesterday, I happened to run into one of his concubines complaining to me about his inhumane behavior. I said a few words to Zhang He, and those concubines took advantage of Zhang He's angry words to leave the mansion. It was late at night, and those women walked very fast. I had planned to help them find their families at dawn, but I never found anyone. I guess they might have met with an accident."
"It's not a possibility, it's that they're already dead." Yuan Ming's face darkened. "Only a timid and somewhat dull girl survived. I just asked her about it. She was very upset after encountering the bodies in the yard and didn't want to say much. But from what I can see, it's definitely Zhang He's doing."
Zhong Yingqi expressed his pity, "Are they all dead?"
"Yes, he was strangled to death."
"Zhang He, that bastard, I'm going to kill him sooner or later."
"His life is mine. General Zhong, please don't come and take my head."
"Your Highness, did you start taking action after the last quarrel?" Although it was a question, Zhong Yingqi remained very calm. He must have thought of this possibility early on.
Yuan Ming didn't answer, but turned and left.
Nowadays, she adheres to the principle of being strict with others and lenient with herself. In order to comfort herself so that she will not get angry when stimulated, she has also put a lot of thought into it.
As for what Zhong Yingqi thought, whether he was speechless or even more speechless, she didn't care. It was her fault that she was sick.
Yuan Ming shook off Zhong Yingqi and once again climbed over the wall that seemed insignificant to her. Sure enough, she saw Fang'er squatting in the corner, hugging her knees, curled up into a small ball.
"Are you the mushroom growing in the corner?"
Fang'er looked up and saw Yuan Ming, who was holding up his chin and looking at her with a smile.
"I dare not go to that person again. I will die, and die miserably." Fang'er was shaking like a sieve.
Yuan Ming jumped to her side and said, "You're talking as if you can just not go to Zhang He. Besides, if you don't go, won't you die miserably? How naive! You're at the mercy of others. Do you have any choice but to fight back?"
Facing Yuan Ming's ridicule, Fang'er's eyes were red and swollen, and her eyes were staring at a certain empty point, as if the air had been sucked out of her, and she was silent like a dead person.
Yuan Ming was not surprised. He took out two large bottles of Minglan poison from his sleeve and stuffed them into Fang'er's hands.
"You haven't finished the previous bottle yet, right? Seeing how scared you are now, there's no need to poison him bit by bit like an ant moving house. Give him a stronger dose. The weather's getting cold. A cup of hot water will send Zhang He to his grave."
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