Chapter 54: Human Sacrifice
Jinsui quickly asked Han Xing, “What’s going on?”
Han Xing was also full of worry:
“This was sent to me by Assistant Secretary Cheng. Assistant Secretary Cheng entered Yanzhou City, could something have happened to him?”
Hei Hu anxiously jumped up and down, stating forcefully, “Prefect Li must have detained him!”
Jinsui’s blood rushed to her head, and she raised her arm to shout, “Brothers, Assistant Secretary Cheng has very likely been detained by that scoundrel Li Heng!”
“Are you willing to go with this King to rescue Assistant Secretary Cheng?”
The soldiers who rushed over upon hearing the news all shouted, “Your subordinates are willing!”
“Let’s go save Assistant Secretary Cheng!”
“Smash the Prefect’s Mansion!”
…
Jinsui said loudly, “Li Heng is not like Jiang Nansheng. If you follow this King to rescue him today and are convicted by the Imperial Court, we can only flee outside the pass.”
“Are you still willing?”
The soldiers were stunned for a moment, not out of fear, but because they didn’t expect the Prince to go this far for Assistant Secretary Cheng!
A thought arose in their hearts: if they were the ones detained, would the Prince also rescue them so recklessly?
Hei Hu was the first to respond, “As long as I follow the Prince, I’m willing to go anywhere!”
On the contrary, the most composed person now was Assistant Secretary Wei. He pulled Jinsui and said,
“No, Your Highness! You leading soldiers into Yanzhou City like this is suspected of rebellion!”
“Let me first find Prefect Li to inquire. If we can avoid using force, we should.”
Jinsui said urgently, “By the time you find out, what if Assistant Secretary Cheng is tortured to death?”
The methods I used to torture Huo Zi’an, what if Li Heng uses them too?
Han Xing was already ordering horses to be prepared. Huo Zi’an from the infirmary heard the commotion and found it unbelievable.
This Fake Li King is truly audacious! Is her goal to incite the border soldiers army to become enemies with Yanzhou?
As the border camp was in an uproar, several fast horses galloped over. They were the soldiers who had gone to buy supplies in Yanzhou with Assistant Secretary Cheng.
They dismounted and prostrated themselves before Jinsui, “Your Highness, please save Assistant Secretary Cheng quickly!”
Jinsui said angrily, “Don’t worry, this King will lead people to Li Heng’s mansion and rescue Assistant Secretary Cheng!”
To her surprise, her answer stunned the kneeling figures, who then explained in a panic:
“No, Your Highness, this matter has nothing to do with Prefect Li.”
After listening to the explanations of the few people, Jinsui, Han Xing, and Assistant Secretary Wei all stared at Hei Hu in unison,
“In the future, speak less when there’s something important!”
Hei Hu felt very wronged. I only made a guess, who knew you all believed it.
Cheng Yu was indeed detained, but the person detaining him was not an official, but the Zheng Family, the gentry of Yanzhou.
According to the soldiers, the Old Master Zheng had passed away, and today was his funeral. Assistant Secretary Cheng must have heard something.
Angrily, he drew his sword and entered the Zheng family, only to be detained by them.
It sounded like Cheng Yu was in the wrong. As for what old grudges he had with the Zheng family, no one knew.
Assistant Secretary Wei only knew that Cheng Yu was a Jinshi from six years ago, from a prominent family. By rights, he should have been an official in the capital.
For some reason, he was serving as an assistant secretary on the Yanzhou border. A couple of years ago, Cheng’s family members came looking for him, but in recent years, none of his relatives or friends have appeared.
Jinsui quickly asked the soldier, “Did Assistant Secretary Cheng say anything?”
The soldier was on the verge of tears, “He asked us to give his resignation letter to Your Highness, and then, then to consider him dead.”
Jinsui calmly analyzed and finally decided, “Since it has nothing to do with Prefect Li, this matter cannot be blown out of proportion.”
“Han Xing, select thirty brothers with good skills, and follow this King to the Zheng family to demand the person.”
She then said to Assistant Secretary Wei, “Please take care of things here. If we don’t return by tomorrow morning, you can notify Prefect Li.”
“Oh, and bring that Huo person along before we go.”
Jinsui had the space as a trump card and believed she could save everyone’s lives. She was only worried about her identity being exposed in Yanzhou City, which would implicate the Black Feather Camp.
With Commander’s Office’s Huo Imperial Guards as witnesses, even if someone said she was fake, she would have to become real.
By the time Jinsui and the thirty brothers arrived outside Yanzhou City, it was already afternoon. They were originally going to enter the city to go to the Zheng family.
Another brother who had entered Yanzhou with Cheng Yu stayed behind to provide support. He quickly told them that the person was at the Zheng family’s ancestral tomb.
Jinsui and her group hurried to the Zheng family’s burial ground. On the way, this person told them that Old Master Zheng was being buried, and a concubine was to be buried alive with him.
It was when Assistant Secretary Cheng heard this that he went mad and rushed to the Zheng family with his sword.
Jinsui’s heart stirred, and she quickly asked, “Did Assistant Secretary Cheng know that concubine?”
The soldiers shook their heads, “We don’t know. We’ve never heard Assistant Secretary Cheng talk about his past.”
Jinsui then asked Han Xing, “The Imperial Court abolished the practice of human sacrifice long ago. The gentry of Yandi are so audacious, daring to violate the law and have living people buried as sacrifices!”
Han Xing sighed softly on horseback, “Such matters are not reported by the common people, and the officials do not investigate. And in Yandi, the gentry have more power than the Imperial Court officials.”
Jinsui’s heart was instantly filled with a surge of anger, an anger that was inherent in the blood of Huaxia’s children.
Damn it, our Flower Planting Family liberated serfs how many years ago, and you people here still dare to bury people alive!
She was the Fake Li King, and her soul was truly the daughter of a County Magistrate. Her real identity was a child of Huaxia, a commoner from the bottom level.
Therefore, she empathized not with the powerful gentry, but with the pitiful common people.
Did Cheng Yu have a past with that concubine, which is why he was so angry?
Or did he simply cannot stand the gentry trampling on human lives and thus took this action?
Regardless of which it was, Jinsui supported him!
They arrived at the burial site on horseback and heard the sound of suona from afar. A group of monks and Taoists were performing rituals, with yellow paper and white talismans flying like snowflakes.
Many servants knelt on the ground crying, and a group of noble youths in mourning clothes were easily identifiable in the crowd.
And Assistant Secretary Cheng was even easier to recognize. Several martial artists in hemp clothes were holding him down with sticks. His clothes were stained with blood, and he looked like a beast trapped in a cage.
He let out a desperate roar of unwillingness.
And the direction he was desperately looking towards, the direction his bloody hand was reaching, was an extremely luxurious tomb, the tomb door not yet closed.
A woman in white was gagged, and two strong women forcefully pushed her into the tomb door.
Immediately, the tomb door was pushed by several strong men and was about to close.
This scene made Jinsui’s eyes split with rage. The monks chanted sutras for rebirth, yet allowed the powerful to push a pitiful woman into a fiery pit.
The Taoists chanted purification spells, yet turned a blind eye.
Those men and women watched this horrific farce as if they were watching livestock, grass, or a play.
That woman was still alive.
Jinsui shouted, “Stop!”
Instantly, horses neighed and people roared. Thirty men followed her and charged into the tomb.
Han Xing went to save Cheng Yu, while Hei Hu went to kick down the group of strong men, using his body to block the closing door.
The Zheng family members were greatly alarmed. One person rushed out of the crowd and shouted:
“Who dares to disturb my Zheng family’s funeral? Zheng Family Head Zheng Pengpeng is here, state your name!”
Jinsui spat heavily on the ground and cursed,
“Damn it, this King hates people named Pengpeng the most in my life!”
“Your face is full of wrinkles, and you have a reduplicated name, isn’t that disgusting!”
A young soldier beside her asked, “Why does Your Highness hate Pengpeng?”
Jinsui laughed and cursed, “The last person named Pengpeng swindled this King out of eight thousand taels of silver!”
This one named Pengpeng is both ugly and wicked, looking at him makes me sick!”
Zheng Pengpeng was furious. Looking at the person who had arrived and hearing the conversation, it was not difficult to guess that this person was the Li King.
My Zheng family has not offended you, yet you bring people to cause chaos at a funeral and insult this family head. For what reason?
Darlings, happy National Day! Happy holidays!
