Chapter Fourteen: Renowned Throughout Greater Xia

“Sister Qing, Sister Cui!”

Hiding among the brothel girls, little Yu spotted the two corpses and immediately threw herself onto one of them, bursting into tears.

Xiang Yun, seeing this, stepped forward with her people and helped little Yu to her feet.

“To both of you, so that your grievances may be cleared, today I must trouble you!”

“If I, Xiang Yun, have offended either of you, I hope you will not blame me!”

Lowering her gaze to the two bodies covered with white cloths, Xiang Yun’s eyes brimmed with hatred and tears. She bit her lip and pulled off the white cloths.

The two corpses, their bodies covered with bruises and wounds from brutal torture, were instantly revealed to the eyes of the gathered crowd. The onlookers’ faces changed drastically, many even closing their eyes in fright.

“Damn it, I should have killed that bastard earlier!”

After witnessing the horrific state of the two bodies, Yang Xiu’s eyes reddened instantly.

“I’ll kill him!”

Zhang Pengyuan, standing nearby, was about to rush forward but was held back by Qin Song.

“Don’t worry. One day, I will make sure he dies without a grave!”

Qin Song clenched his fists, restraining his own anger and suppressing the urge to act rashly.

“What fine girls, yet they were tortured to this state!”

“Even if they were brothel women, who would want to do this work if not forced by circumstances?”

“Beasts!”

“Kill those beasts!”

Some of the townsfolk, led by a few voices, could no longer control their emotions.

Even the elders joined in the calls for justice, the thunderous voices shaking the sky.

“Lord Wang Lin, please see clearly and bring the culprit to justice!”

Xiang Yun, tears streaming down her face, stood straight and bowed deeply to Lin You.

“Rebels! A bunch of rebels!”

“Li Wusi, what are you standing there for? Arrest all these rebels!”

Lin You, trembling all over with fear, shouted at Li Wusi.

But Li Wusi seemed to ignore the order, and his subordinates did nothing.

“Dog official, if you have the guts, arrest us all!”

“Yes, arrest us all!”

“Dog official!”

Someone shouted again, stirring the crowd into a frenzy. The situation was rapidly slipping out of control.

“Rebellion! The rebels are revolting!”

Faced with the deafening accusations, Lin You’s face turned pale with fright, completely losing his composure.

“Idiot!”

Seeing Lin You’s state, Qin Song could not help but think, “I really don’t know what my father saw in this fool back then.”

Lin You’s biggest mistake was not dispersing the crowd immediately. Coupled with his earlier remarks—calling them brothel women and rebels alike—how could the people remain calm?

Especially after they had witnessed the tortured corpses of the two girls murdered by Cao Ruixuan, the public’s fury was ignited beyond measure!

“Lin You! Open your eyes and take a good look!”

Seeing Lin You still defending Cao Ruixuan, Qin Song shouted angrily at him.

“Even if they were brothel women, so what? They were tortured to death in such a cruel way. As the prefect, you’re protecting the murderer at this moment. Do you deserve to wear that official robe? Do you deserve to be the father and mother of Yuezhou?”

“We are not rebels; we only want an explanation!”

Qin Song’s words struck Lin You like a thunderbolt.

“Qin Song, I will investigate this matter thoroughly!”

“But you, inciting the people and causing disturbance, what crime should you face?”

Even now, Lin You had not fully come to his senses.

“You are wrong. I did not incite any disturbance, nor did I lead the people astray!”

“Lord Lin, this is the voice of the people!”

“If you don’t give the people of Yuezhou an explanation, you will surely provoke their anger!”

With a sigh, Qin Song continued, “Water can carry a boat; it can also overturn it.”

“These people are the foundation of Great Xia!”

Pointing to the crowd, Qin Song said, “This empire belongs to the Emperor, but it also belongs to the people!”

“Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it?”

Hearing these words, Lin You trembled violently. Facing the furious gazes of the crowd, he staggered back several steps, unable to hold himself up.

“Qin Song’s eloquence is indeed remarkable!”

“Qin Song is right!”

“Such words will surely become famous throughout Great Xia!”

Many young scholars nearby heard Qin Song’s words and immediately voiced their agreement.

Just as Qin Song was about to speak again, the sound of rapid footsteps approached. A group of fully armed soldiers, led by several middle-aged men riding tall horses, appeared in view.

“The Prefect has arrived!”

The man at the front was small in stature, with a sullen face and narrow, sharp eyes that pierced with cruelty.

This was Li Wei, the Prefect of Jiangnan Commandery.

Accompanying Li Wei were Yang Xun, the Yuezhou garrison commander, and several officials.

“My father is here!”

Seeing Yang Xun, Yang Xiu crouched like a mouse before a cat, looking around nervously, trying to find a place to hide.

“Your Honor!”

Seeing Li Wei, Lin You became ecstatic and hurriedly bowed.

“Yang Xun!”

Li Wei cast a cold glance at Lin You and spoke.

“At your service!”

Yang Xun responded.

“Arrest everyone involved!”

“Yes, sir!”

Without further ado, Yang Xun issued the order.

Soon, Qin Song and his companions in the center, along with Cao Ruixuan and Tang Chenyang on stretchers, the two corpses from the Jade Tower, and Xiang Yun and little Yu, were all taken into custody.

“Disperse! I will handle this matter myself!”

“If anyone else stirs up trouble, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

“I will give the good people a full explanation!”

After warning the crowd to disperse, Li Wei led everyone away.

“Beasts!”

“May they die miserable deaths!”

“Dog officials!”

The crowd cursed Cao Ruixuan as he was taken away, and naturally, Lin You could not escape their scorn.

Riding beside Li Wei, Lin You wished he could disappear into the earth.

“Sir...”

“Waste!”

As Li Wei’s cold gaze landed on him, Lin You barely opened his mouth to speak before Li Wei harshly rebuked him.

Nearby, Yuezhou’s garrison commander Yang Xun remained composed but glanced back at Yang Xiu, who was nervously watching his father. Seeing his father’s stern look, Yang Xiu quickly lowered his head in guilt.

“Commander Yang!”

Li Wei’s keen eyes caught every movement.

“Your Honor!”

“Is your son among them as well?”

“Do you know that this Master Cao is the only grandson of the Right Prime Minister?”

Li Wei spoke coldly and mockingly as he scrutinized Yang Xun.

Hearing this, Yang Xun lowered his head and respectfully pleaded, “I beg you to show mercy, Your Honor. The Yang family would be eternally grateful!”

With his head bowed, Yang Xun could clearly feel Li Wei’s unwavering gaze. As long as Li Wei’s eyes did not shift, Yang Xun dared not raise his head.

“Commander Yang is a wise man. You must have guessed my true purpose in coming to Yuezhou!”

“In this game of chess, one wrong move can cost the entire board!”

“Those who understand the times are true heroes. I hope Commander Yang chooses the right side!”

Faced with the veiled warning, Yang Xun remained silent, bowing his head even lower.

“Rise!”

After a long moment, Li Wei, satisfied, spoke, allowing Yang Xun to lift his head.

“Thank you, Your Honor!”

Shortly after, the group returned to the prefecture. After imprisoning Qin Song and the others and sending Cao Ruixuan for treatment, Li Wei, accompanied by Lin You, entered a secret chamber.

“Your Honor, I...”

Facing Li Wei’s murderous glare, Lin You’s expression fluctuated between fear and obsequiousness.

“Waste! Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?”

Li Wei’s eyes burned with rage. “Qin Zhong was merely dismissed by His Majesty; the final decision still rests with the Emperor!”

“But you!”

“The entire Yuezhou and Jiangnan Commandery now know the Qin family is doomed. Rumors say you wield power beyond the Emperor, even seeking to destroy the Qin family!”

“This will reach the Emperor’s ears soon. How am I to explain this to His Majesty?”

“You were supposed to secretly undermine the Qin family’s business, yet you...”

“You hastily canceled the engagement with the Qin family, fearing their downfall would affect you!”

“You fool, you have ruined all my plans!”

Seething with anger, Li Wei roared at Lin You, who could only kneel trembling on the ground.

“And today, I just arrived in Yuezhou yesterday, planning to appear later and handle the Qin family’s affairs for you!”

“But you, in front of the entire city, not only failed to resolve the matter but also incited the people’s wrath and allowed the Qin heir to steal the spotlight!”

“I had no choice but to show up and save you!”

“This matter will soon spread throughout Jiangnan Commandery and all of Great Xia!”

“Soon, it will reach the Emperor’s ears!”

“Lin You, are you trying to destroy the Qin family or save it?”

At this moment, Li Wei even began to doubt whether Lin You’s allegiance to him and the Right Prime Minister had ever been sincere.