Some of the spies that had been sent to Song Zhou City reported that after Duan Mu An Guo received his eldest son's corpse, he was filled with grief and indignation and decided to bury Duan Mu Cong with 100 people. In the past, he would start killing people early in the morning. One person a day, after killing them, he would hang them outside the city walls and allow the corpses to dry naturally. The people that were killed were chosen from the families of the officials that had come from Dashun to celebrate his birthday. The first to be killed were the ones that had tried to escape.
The deputy general reported this news to Xuan Tianming. The citizens that were nearby also heard a bit. The people began to spread the news, and very quickly, everyone knew about Duan Mu An Guo's actions.
These citizens were all native residents of the North. The Duan Mu family had ruled the North for over 100 years. In the past, he had done his best to beautify and attack them. All of the evil deeds had been successfully covered up. But now that the truth had been exposed, all of the citizens in the city had zero tolerance.
The people's emotions were very emotional. Xuan Tianming brought Bai Ze and Ban Zou to do their best to calm the citizens. At the same time, they skillfully reinforced Duan Mu An Guo's negative image. Feng Yu Heng helped up the elderly woman that had finished eating her noodles, saying to her: "Don't worry. We will go home with you to see how the family is doing."
The citizens were persuaded by Xuan Tianming to disperse. The fat boss of the noodle stall did not want money no matter what was said. It was Ban Zou who forcefully stuffed him with some money.
Along the way, Feng Yu Heng said to Xuan Tianming: "Back then, I used Fu Ya's identity to enter the Illusory Hall and enter the Winter Palace; however, I implicated Fu Ya's family because of this. If possible, that couple must be saved."
Xuan Tianming nodded.
She continued: "There's also the girls in the Illusory Hall. They did not all enter the Winter Palace for the sake of glory and wealth. Some were forced by their families, and some were forced to do so because they lived in that sort of environment. Generation after generation, there was no other way out."
Xuan Tianming said, "People's servile nature isn't something they're born with. Rather, it's a habitual behavior that's influenced by the surrounding environment as they grow up. There are many people that need to be saved, including the prefect of Guan Zhou, Zhao Tian Qi. There are also the officials that went to celebrate Duan Mu An Guo's birthday. Even if they are guilty, they will be punished according to the laws of Dashun. They should not end their lives in this manner. "
The old lady lived in the northern part of the city. On the way, Bai Ze hired a carriage and quickly entered the alley.
The old lady said, "Although our family is poor, we still have a few rooms. Originally, I wanted to sell two rooms after my son got married. That way, they would be able to set aside some capital to start a small business. Who would have thought … sigh." She sighed helplessly. Her eyes were a bit cloudy, and her face looked even older.
Under the guidance of the old lady, the carriage stopped in front of a house. Feng Yu Heng personally helped the old lady out of the car. But before she could stand still, she heard a lot of noise coming from the courtyard.
The old lady's hand trembled, as she subconsciously called out: "Zhu 'er!"
Feng Yu Heng followed her gaze and saw a middle-aged man standing at the entrance of the courtyard. Pointing at a woman inside, he loudly cursed: "You venomous woman! For the sake of bringing your family over to live, you chased away my mother. Is this home yours or mine? "
The woman immediately cursed back: "I've already married you. What's wrong with my family living in a few rooms? Your family is so poor that you didn't even give half of the betrothal gift. There's only a few rooms left. Of course, I have to let my family live in them. You're even talking about your mother. If your mother had the ability, would you have waited until your age to get married? I'll tell you, if you don't take good care of my family, this grandaunty won't live with you! I'll see who else you can find! "
When the old lady heard this, she was so angry that she almost fainted. However, she was an honest person. The woman's words made her feel extremely guilty. She felt that it was because of her own incompetence that she couldn't let her son live a good life. If her son's marriage was broken up because of her, she really wouldn't have the face to see the old man even if she died!
Thinking like this, the old lady hurriedly broke away from Feng Yu Heng's hand. She stumbled forward, grabbed the man's arm, and anxiously said: "Zhu 'er, you must listen to your mother's words. You must not make her angry. You must live a good life, do you understand?"
The man called Zhu 'er suddenly saw his mother, and his eyes turned red. But he couldn't agree with his mother's words. He pointed inside and said: "Mother, you see, our house has been occupied by them. Her parents, brothers, nephews, a total of 13 people moved in. I'm now squeezed to sleep in the woodshed every night. How can I live like this?" Then he said to the woman: "If you only took your parents, this matter can be discussed. But now both your brothers' families have moved in. What is this? Also, why did you drive my mother out? "
When the woman saw the old lady come back, she was also angry. "Deng, deng, deng," she stepped forward a few steps. She glared at the old lady and scolded: "Where did this beggar come from? Quickly get out of this grandaunty's house! "
Pa!
Zhu 'er was angry. He swung his hand and slapped her face: "Who are you calling a beggar?"
The woman was stunned by the slap. She didn't expect that Zhu 'er, who had always been obedient to her, would hit people. In a hurry, she rushed forward and wrestled with Zhu' er.
Feng Yu Heng helplessly pulled the old lady back. At the same time, she asked Xuan Tianming who had come over: "In Dashun law, how should this kind of daughter-in-law be convicted?"
Xuan Tianming said: "This kind of behavior is regarded as unfilial. According to Dashun law, she should be divorced and all the betrothal gifts should be returned."
His words were filled with anger. Naturally, it also contained some internal qi. His voice wasn't small, but it was enough for everyone present to hear clearly.
The two people who were originally wrestling immediately stopped. The woman turned her head and looked over, blurting out, "Which dog is gossiping over there?"
This sentence almost scared the old lady to death. She desperately wanted to stop the woman from talking, but some people's mouth was cheap. You can't stop them. Thus, a series of curses came one after another – "If you're full, then go and exercise. Don't meddle in other people's business. It's not your turn to meddle in this old lady's family matters!"
Xuan Tianming's eyes were cold. He took a step forward. The woman's voice raised a bit: "What? You don't accept it? Aiyo, do you want to hit me? A big man hitting a woman, don't you feel ashamed? "
Feng Yu Heng helplessly shook her head. She only thought that this woman was seeking her own death. She really can't blame others. A man hitting a woman? If Xuan Tianming had this awareness, he wouldn't be Xuan Tianming.
Sure enough, as soon as her voice fell, she saw Xuan Tianming reach out and grab the old lady's walking stick. Without saying anything, he hit the woman's head. With a "bang", the woman's forehead split open, and a large amount of blood flowed down from her head.
The old lady and Zhu Zi were scared silly. Even the people in the courtyard were dumbfounded. However, it was obvious that Xuan Tianming was not done venting his anger. He raised the walking stick in his hand and hit the woman's head again and again without mercy.
She was a living person just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, she was beaten into a half-human, half-ghost, bloody thing. After a few whimpers, she stopped breathing.
Everyone was dumbfounded. They stared blankly at Xuan Tianming. The same question flashed through their minds: Isn't this killing someone on the street?
At this time, they heard Xuan Tianming say: "According to Dashun law, unfilial people should be divorced and beheaded."
"Sister!" With a sudden wail, a man rushed over and picked up the woman's corpse. He shouted, "Damn it, there's no law! Killing someone on the street! Is there any justice? Come and see, come and see! "
"Tsk!" Bai Ze rolled his eyes and loudly said: "As for why she was beaten to death, it was already clearly stated. She was unfilial and should be beheaded."
"What Dashun law? What Dashun law my ass? " The man became emotional, "We are people of Qian Zhou. For generations, we have all been people of Qian Zhou. Who needs to follow some Dashun law?"
Xuan Tianming truly did not want to waste another word with these unruly people. He pulled Feng Yu Heng into the carriage. At the same time, he ordered Bai Ze: "Call the soldiers over. Tie up everyone in this courtyard and escort them to Song Zhou City. Have them follow Duan Mu Anguo to Qian Zhou. I want to see if Qian Zhou can provide them with food or shelter. " After saying this, he thought of something and stopped to ask Zhu Zi: "Take your old mother and live a good life. If I hears that you chased your mother out to beg for food, you can go and accompany your wife."
Feng Yu Heng said to Ban Zou, "Leave some money for them. Keep an eye on them over the next few days. If anyone else abandons their birth mother, just do as your Highness said."
Their group came quickly and left quickly. Only after the carriages had disappeared and only after Bai Ze ordered a large group of soldiers to charge into the courtyard to arrest them did those people understand that they had offended someone that they should not have offended.
The Ninth Prince of Dashun brought Princess Ji An to eat noodles on the street, chatting with the citizens, beating the evil daughter-in-law and helping the citizens seek justice. Through word of mouth, the news quickly spread throughout Guan Zhou City. In an instant, the image of Xuan Tianming and Feng Yu Heng quickly grew. The people that had been holding back on Dashun and still had hopes for Duan Mu An Guo completely gave up on returning to Qian Zhou after learning about these things.
Xuan Tianming's army was set to continue North the next morning, heading straight for Song Zhou. Right before leaving, Fu Ya went to find Feng Yu Heng and requested to accompany the army to Song Zhou; however, she was stopped by Feng Yu Heng, only promising that she would do her best to save the Fu couple.
Intuition told her that Song Zhou was not a place that would be easy to attack. It definitely would not be as easy as it had been in Guan Zhou. When the time came, it was possible that rivers of blood would flow. Bringing along Fu Ya, not only would there be more trouble, there was also no way to guarantee Fu Ya's safety.
Fortunately, Fu Ya was a reasonable girl. If she was not allowed to go, she would not go. Feng Yu Heng entrusted Kong Sheng and Zhao Tian Qi's family to take care of her. Xuan Tianming left another 5,000 soldiers to guard Guan Zhou before leaving with peace of mind.
The army continued North, and the further they went, the colder it became; however, the morale of the soldiers had never been higher. This was especially true for the people that had come with Xuan Tianming from the suburbs of the capital. This time, the one at Xuan Tianming's side was no longer Bai Fu Rong's substitute. Instead, it was the real Princess Ji An. Just thinking about this was enough for them to feel proud.
Feng Yu Heng and Xuan Tianming sat on two different horses and traveled side by side. She counted on her fingers: "The new year has just passed. I am already 14 years old. Next year, I will be 15."
"Un." A certain person nodded and looked at her with a sly smile, "Beloved concubine, wait another year. I will use the world as a betrothal gift to marry you."
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