ragginovel Chapter 81: Plans
Chapter 81: Plans
"Feed..."
Feng Zhixue stepped forward to stop a county official carrying bamboo slips and question him.
But the person seemed not to hear him, glanced at him, and continued walking forward.
"What...what's going on?"
Feng Zhixue was left standing there, muttering to himself, "Why are they all...acting like they've lost their souls? Is Shangjun haunted?"
The guards under the eaves were clad in bright armor, their postures still upright.
However, upon closer inspection, one can see that the armored soldiers seem to have been stripped of their backbone, leaving only their shells mechanically performing their duties.
Upon seeing this, a sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in Zou Yun's heart.
"Could it be?! But how could that be? My astrological destiny clearly tells me it will be late July."
He suddenly looked into the mansion, his eyes anxiously searching through the crowd.
Finally, at the corner of the corridor, a somewhat familiar figure flashed by. It was the middle-aged county official who had been in charge of serving them on a daily basis.
Zou Yun rushed forward and grabbed the county official's arm.
The force was so great that it caused the opponent to stumble.
"Who...?!"
The county official turned around angrily, but when he saw who it was, his anger was instantly replaced by astonishment.
"Great...Great Master?! Why...?"
"It's someone!"
Zou Yun had no time for pleasantries, nor did he bother to explain why he had suddenly appeared there.
He gripped the other man's arm tightly and said urgently, "I have something extremely urgent. Quickly! Take me to see Prince Fusu."
"immediately!"
"Fusu...Young Master..."
Upon hearing this name, the magistrate's joy vanished instantly, replaced by a bitter smile and a low, hoarse voice.
"I...I don't know where you are now, young master. Or rather...whether you are still..."
He choked on his words and couldn't continue.
"What's going on?! Explain yourself!"
Zou Yun's heart sank suddenly, and the hand gripping the county official's arm unconsciously tightened a little more.
The county official was gripped so tightly he was in excruciating pain, but he didn't care.
He nervously looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to this corner before leaning closer to Zou Yun and whispering.
"Just a few days ago! Just a few days ago!"
"An envoy carrying an edict with its seal intact and bearing the emperor's seal burst into the palace and publicly... publicly proclaimed the edict."
"The imperial edict...the imperial edict says...His Majesty intends to execute Prince Fusu. And...and General Meng Tian. Furthermore...He orders General Wang Li to take over military command in the northern frontier."
"Young master... young master at that time..."
The county official's voice choked up.
"The moment he saw the imperial edict, his face turned deathly pale. His hand was already gripping the hilt of the sword the messenger had brought... the sword that sealed his fate..."
Upon hearing this, Zou Yun's heart leaped into his throat.
Meng Xuande took a sudden step forward, his breathing becoming heavy.
The official continued with difficulty, "But...but! Just when the messenger thought the young master was about to obey the imperial decree and commit suicide, the young master...he suddenly put down his sword."
"Under the envoy's shocked and angry gaze, the young master said nothing, but summoned his personal guards, mounted his horse, and rode straight... straight towards Xianyang."
"The guards were stunned; they couldn't stop them at all, nor did they dare to."
"Now... now Young Master Fusu has long since disappeared and his whereabouts are unknown."
"And what about my... General Meng?"
Meng Xuande could no longer contain himself and rushed forward.
"General Meng...he..."
The county official was so frightened by Meng Xuande's imposing aura that he retreated repeatedly, his eyes darting away, his gaze towards Meng Xuande filled with pity.
But under the other party's almost murderous gaze, he finally spoke with pity.
"It is said that General Meng was imprisoned in Yangzhou, and the general... he refused to be humiliated by the eunuchs and... hanged himself..."
"What did you say?!"
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Meng Xuande's eyes widened in horror, and his last shred of reason completely crumbled.
He roared like a mad beast, lunged forward, grabbed the county official by the collar, and almost lifted him up.
"Say that again?!"
Meng Xuande's eyes were bloodshot; he clearly couldn't accept that his revered father had died so tragically.
"This...this...I...I only heard...heard it. Perhaps...perhaps the information is wrong. General Meng is a lucky man, and he is fine in the prison..."
The county official, almost breathless from being strangled, his face flushed, struggled to explain.
"Meng Jun! Stop right now!"
"Calm down! Meng Jun! Let go!"
Feng Zhixue and Zheng Ze were also shocked by this sudden bad news.
But seeing Meng Xuande acting like a mad tiger, and the surrounding officials and soldiers already drawn by the commotion, they all cast surprised and suspicious glances their way.
Ignoring their shock, the two rushed forward and clung tightly to Meng Xuande's arm.
They used all their strength to try to separate him from the county official.
At this moment, the scene was in complete chaos.
Seeing the commotion escalating and potentially causing unnecessary trouble, Zou Yun, whose face had been ashen, finally shouted.
"Alright!!"
The sound wasn't loud, but it resonated in everyone's heart.
The chaotic pulling stopped instantly.
"This place is not safe to stay for long."
Zou Yun's gaze swept over the crowd with icy coldness, especially over Meng Xuande, whose chest heaved violently. "Let's leave here first, find a quiet place, and then discuss this further!"
"Lord Wang, it was we who lost our composure."
After saying this, he stopped looking at anyone, turned around, and strode quickly away towards the gate of the mansion.
That silhouette exuded a suppressed, chilling aura.
Feng Zhixue and Zheng Ze exchanged a glance, then looked at Meng Xuande, who was standing there panting heavily. Finally, they gritted their teeth, let go of each other's hands, and hurriedly followed Zou Yun's back as they left.
Only the still-shaken Wang County official remained on the spot.
And Meng Xuande, who was still clenching his fists tightly, and Wei Shuqing, who was looking at him with a worried expression.
Watching the three figures disappear into the distance, Meng Xuande's facial muscles twitched violently.
"I apologize, Magistrate Wang."
In the end, all the struggles turned into an apology.
After saying that, he suddenly loosened his fist, no longer looking at the county official, and turned to follow Zou Yun.
-----------------
In Fushi County, the wind and sand of the frontier beat against the simple window frames.
Inside a dimly lit earthen house, the air felt so stagnant it seemed you could wring water out of it.
At this moment, Zou Yun and his group were all crammed into this small space.
Meng Xuande paced back and forth anxiously on the rammed earth, each step making a dull thud, and the veins on his forehead throbbed faintly.
Feng Zhixue sat close to Zou Yunxi, turning his head several times and moving his lips.
Wei Shuqing, on the other hand, huddled alone in a corner of the room, his arms wrapped around his knees.
Only Zheng Ze remained calm, almost indifferent. He knelt peacefully on the mat, his gaze lowered, as if the surrounding anxiety had nothing to do with him.
As for Zou Yun, he stared intently at the panel that only he could see. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his knuckles were gripping the panel so tightly that it seemed he wanted to crush it.
"Great Master, what should we do?!"
Meng Xuande's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
He finally couldn't contain himself and rushed to Zou Yun, saying, "I absolutely do not believe that His Majesty would issue such an edict."
Meng Xuande practically roared it out.
"really."
Feng Zhixue quickly replied, "I never thought Your Majesty would... so casually kill border supervisors and commanders."
"So what do you all think we should do?"
Zheng Ze, who had been silent all along, raised his head and a cold, almost sarcastic smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
His gaze swept over Meng Xuande and Feng Zhixue, his expression filled with undisguised sarcasm.
"The imperial edict is genuine. Do you really think you can overthrow the entire Qin Dynasty by your own power?!"
Or perhaps...
Do you really think Prince Fusu and General Meng dare to raise an army in rebellion against His Majesty?
Zheng Ze leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp as knives, piercing into the hearts of the two men.
Before the other party could answer, he immediately threw out an even more fatal question.
"Not to mention, even if they dared to rebel, guess how many of the 300,000 troops on this frontier would dare to voluntarily follow you, young master, under the strict laws?!"
Zheng Ze spread his hands, his face full of mockery for the two of them's "delusional dreams."
"this......"
Feng Zhixue was speechless at his series of questions. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only lower his head in dejection and remain silent.
The air inside the room grew even colder because of Zheng Ze's words.
"I understand everything Zheng Jun said."
Meng Xuande took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, but his bloodshot eyes remained fixed on Zou Yun.
"But I only want to know, Great Master, what are your plans?"
His voice grew lower and lower, even becoming calm.
"Intend......"
Zou Yun's body swayed almost imperceptibly, as if stung by the word.
His gaze remained fixed on the panel, watching the cultivation points steadily decrease as his killing intent grew. A bitter, self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.
"What plans could someone possibly have?"