The smell of blood dispersed in the cold winter air.
The corpse lying on the ground, the soldiers walking over the corpse, the bright red blood, the cold weapons, the screaming crowd.
This scene stimulated everyone in the Huang family, the people and officials who were watching.
Gwangju Prefecture is now well known as a peaceful and prosperous place, but that does not mean that the people here have not seen blood. Gwangju Prefecture was besieged for half a month, and rebels rushed into the city and burned it.
.
People choose to forget those tragic and horrifying experiences.
Now this scene has opened everyone's memory, and the people surrounding him screamed and fled in all directions.
"The Zhenwu Army captured, robbed and killed the murderous thieves in Liangcun!"
"No one can act rashly! Otherwise, we will call him a thief!"
There were four levels of soldiers and horses surrounding the Huang family's mansion. The inner two levels stood inward and the outer two levels stood outwards. At this time, a commotion began. The soldiers, horses, swords and guns were raised, and they roared. Nearly a thousand people.
The sound of soldiers and horses was like thunder, and they rolled to the ground with one sound. They drowned out the screams and cries, and shocked the running crowd.
After the officers and soldiers calmed down the panicked people, the officers walked through the people. Their voices were not as loud as the officers and soldiers roaring together, but they were more flexible in their actions.
"That's the murderer who killed more than a hundred people in Liangcun!"
"Mrs. Wu of the Zhenwu Army is catching the murderer!"
"You are not murderers, so what are you afraid of!"
The people who no longer ran around and shouted gradually came to their senses. They were murderers, and the Zhenwu Army was catching the murderers, just like the Zhenwu Army was killing the rebels.
When Guangzhou Prefecture was besieged and the Zhenwu Army killed the rebels outside, the scene was much more bloody and terrifying than this one. They were not afraid at all. They even shouted excitedly and happily, scrambling to climb up the city wall to watch.
Now the Zhenwu Army is also killing thieves, but not outside the city, but inside the city. The opponents are not fierce soldiers and horses, but wealthy and aristocratic families...
The aristocratic family is not a soldier, so why do they turn people into thieves? The people became quiet and looked at the Huang family mansion with sad expressions.
The panic outside did not affect the inside. After an order was given, unless an order was given to stop, even the mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead could not stop it.
The two men who tried to stop them turned into corpses, and the other people retreated one after another. The Huang family was not civilians after all. The moment the officers and soldiers took action, groups of guards came out.
The guards did not have armor, but they had weapons in their hands. They fought fiercely. Although they failed to stop the Zhenwu Army from advancing, they protected Huang Axiao and others behind them.
Behind you is the tall gate of the Huang family.
They are not officers and soldiers, and have no responsibility to guard the emperor's land and the people, but they have the responsibility to guard their master's house. When the guards with swords and guns shout, they will rush forward to fight with the officers and soldiers.
"stop."
An old, deep voice came from inside the door.
Accompanied by this shout, the half-closed and half-opened door of the Huang family was opened, and Old Mrs. Huang walked out alone.
"Mrs. Wu, I am the owner of this house. I'm out. There's no need to break in."
Upon hearing what he said, Mrs. Wu raised her hand, and Yuan Ji ordered the soldiers to stop.
Seeing Old Mrs. Huang standing in front of the door, Huang Axiao and others finally came to their senses and ran over stumblingly, crying, shouting and angry.
"Shut up." Old Mrs. Huang stopped them. His eyes swept over the corpses in front of the door, the blood on the ground, the solemn officers and soldiers waiting for orders, and the witnesses of the same family...
The gentlemen of the seven families no longer hid their faces. The moment the perpetrators of the Liangcun catastrophe were brought forward, they lowered their sleeves and looked shocked and stunned, then angry and scared.
"Old man, are these murderers really instigated by you?" shouted a man. He was filled with grief and anger. He put his hand on his chest and couldn't straighten up. "How can you be so heartless and crazy!"
Mr. Huang ignored him and looked at the bound guards. The guards were caught and beaten by children and had their heads buried on the ground motionless.
"Mrs. Wu, these guards are indeed from my family." Old Mrs. Huang looked at Mrs. Wu, "Since I decided to move, many people have been dismissed from my family. They have always been valued by me, and I don't want to let them go, so
I found another way for them to go to my relatives, but I didn’t expect them to..."
At this point, he looked up to the sky and sighed, tears falling from his eyes. There was no need to say the rest of the words, everyone knew what he meant.
The guard belongs to his family, but has been dismissed.
The demobilized guards were arranged to join relatives of the Huang family. They had to leave their hometown and join a new master. The future was uncertain, so they became evil and crazy, took risks and even became thieves...
Therefore, he did not instruct these guards to kill people. He did not know about it, and the Huang family did not know about it.
How can you lie so confidently? Yuan Ji and others looked a little surprised and amused. Before they could come up with the detailed confessions of these guards, Mr. Huang who was standing on the steps fell to his knees and fell down the steps...
The quiet people screamed again.
Huang Axiao and others also yelled at Grandpa and stumbled over to them. Old Master Huang who fell down the steps did not faint, but stood up and knelt on the ground.
"Mrs. Wu, this is my fault, this is the fault of my Huang family." He fell and his face was covered with blood. His fine clothes and gray hair were messy with dust, and he raised his hands in front of him.
After worshiping again and again, his rickety figure no longer looked as prosperous as before, "I am willing to plead guilty and be punished and go to jail. I am willing to offer all the Huang family property as atonement."
His head knocked heavily on the ground, again and again.
"I just want my family to be spared. They are innocent and ignorant."
The octogenarian hit his head on the ground. This scene made the people hold their breath again and became silent. It seemed that they felt the vibration under their feet.
The elderly and children are weak and helpless, which is always unbearable to see.
Huang Axiao called out to her grandfather and burst into tears: "Punish me, punish me. I am willing to plead guilty and be punished, and let my grandfather go."
He also hit his head on the ground, and the handsome young man fell into the muddy water, without any trace of his former grace and grace.
More people rushed over, and the elderly, weak, women and children also poured out of the gate of the Huang family. They all knelt down and kowtowed behind Old Mrs. Huang.
The cries and shouts of the old, weak, women and children shook the sky.
Just then, the officers and soldiers shouted orders not to move, and the magistrate and other officials also stood in place. At this time, they finally came to their senses. Looking at this scene, their expressions were complicated, ranging from joy to sadness, but of course they were more relieved.
The magistrate took a deep breath and walked to Mrs. Wu's side, looking at the woman who seemed to be sitting on the clouds.
"Young Madam, the Huang family has been defeated." He whispered, "Let's stop here."
Mrs. Wu looked at him and said, "No."
The prefect couldn't believe it, why? It's still not possible? The family property was surrendered, and Old Mrs. Huang was convicted. The Huang family was already finished and could no longer make trouble in Guangzhou Prefecture.
What else is going on?
There is a fairy sound falling in my ears.
"The crime of treason is, of course, linked to the nine clans. If questioned, he should be killed."
A sound of death cut through the cry.
The Huang family's cries stopped for an instant, but the next moment they shook the sky again.
She wants to wipe out the roots and kill the entire Huang family!
Huang Axiao jumped up. If taking a step back would bring peace, he would take a step back. But his opponent is aggressive if he takes a step back. Why should he endure it any longer?
He shouted: "Spewing nonsense! We are not treasonous!"
Old Mrs. Huang stopped kowtowing: "Mrs. Wu, you can't just talk about rebellion."
...
...
Although those acts of guarding were extremely sinful, they were not treason.
If you want to use this conviction to plot rebellion, it is unreasonable and unconvincing.
Mrs. Wu Shao did not speak. She did not need to explain and demonstrate, she only needed to give orders.
Yuan Ji shook out two pieces of paper: "This is the confiscated correspondence between Ma Jiang, the leader of the thief, and A Xiao, the son of the Huang family."
The name Ma Jiang was suddenly unfamiliar to the people, but they quickly remembered it.
The original observer of Huainan Province defected to the rebels when the rebellion first started and became the subordinate of Ande Zhong. He occupied half of Huainan Province with his troops and horses, and was also the main force in many battles with Guangzhou Prefecture.
"This letter is a letter written to your family after Ma Jiang's rebellion, urging the Huang family to join the rebels."
"This letter is Ma Jiang's reply to the Huang family, saying that he is very happy that the Huang family is willing to help him, and will send troops and horses to assist him. He looks forward to creating great achievements together."
"Instigating relocation, ordering guards to rob and kill good villages, spreading various rumors, and plunging Gwangju Prefecture into chaos, all in preparation for rebellion."
Yuan Ji's voice echoed around, hitting everyone's eardrums, like a thunderbolt from the blue, and everyone was stunned.
"You're talking nonsense!" Huang Axiao shouted angrily with red eyes.
Yuanji handed the letter forward, fluttering in the cold wind: "Ma Jiang was originally an observer of Huainan Road. Many people should recognize his handwriting."
The letter floated in front of the magistrate's eyes. He gritted his teeth and took it. He only glanced at it and closed his eyes, his face turned livid.
The other officials gathered around to take a look, and their expressions instantly changed.
"You, you!" Some officials were angry and pointed at the Huang family members.
"Ma Jiang did write me a letter, urging me to surrender, but am I, Huang, a disloyal, unjust, kingless and fatherless person? I wrote a letter to scold Ma Jiang, and I did not hide this matter from anyone, including my relatives and friends.
I know." Old Mrs. Huang took a deep breath and stood up, with his rickety figure standing upright. "If I, the Huang family, wanted to rebel, would I wait until today? If I, the Huang family, wanted to rebel..."
He looked at Mrs. Wu.
"Your Zhenwu Army will not be in Gwangju Prefecture now."
"Suppose I am colluding with the rebels now because of your harsh treatment, in order to preserve my family wealth and my status."
Old Mrs. Huang laughed, his laughter bitter after all the vicissitudes of life.
"I should have captured Gwangju with Ma Jiang before the rebels came. Wouldn't the wealth I saved and the status I gained be worse than what I have now?"
His eyes fell on the letter in the magistrate's hand again, with disdain and contempt.
"Many people know Ma Jiang's handwriting, so it is not difficult to forge a letter."
"I am not convinced that the Huang family is plotting rebellion based on just one letter. I am not convinced. I am not convinced by the Huang family."
This is true, if nothing else, if they practice more, they can probably imitate Ma Jiang's handwriting, and the officials' expressions become hesitant again.
In the eyes of the public, this octogenarian was described as embarrassed and had a different kind of aloofness. He didn't look like a real bad guy. There must have been some misunderstanding. There were low comments all around.
Old Mrs. Huang took a step forward.
"I am willing to plead guilty and go to jail, and I will be executed without any resentment at all. I will use my life and my Huang family property to repay the grievances of the people who died."
The gray hair was flying as the old man staggered, and the wrinkled face was pleading and strong. His sunken eyes looked at Mrs. Wu, stretched out his hands to her, and asked her a sad question.
"So Mrs. Wu will not let go of my Huang family?"
The Huang family was the head of the family in Gwangju Prefecture, and their accumulated prestige was deeply rooted. Old Mrs. Huang first knelt down to plead guilty and humiliated himself, then rebutted calmly and calmly without making a fuss, and the situation was reversed in an instant.
The prefect sighed softly and said to Mrs. Wu sincerely again: "Young madam, it's hard for the Huang family to stand up. If they don't stop, they will be pitied in the eyes of the people. This matter ends here. Let them go."
A way out."
"It's not that I don't want to let them live." Mrs. Wu said, her voice was clear and seemed a little dull, "It's the national law that cannot be tolerated, the crime of treason, the confiscation of the family and the extermination of the clan..."
The woman's voice was astringent when she said that conspiracy is the ultimate in confiscation of the family and extermination of the clan, as if Coptis chinensis was slipping on the tip of her tongue.
".....what can I do."
This woman was as stubborn as a child sometimes. The prefect was a little anxious. Before he could speak, Yuanji spoke first.
"The Huang family's rebellion was certainly more than just a letter." He said, "We also captured Ma Jiang's spies."
After saying that, he waved his hand and shouted, "Bring him up." Two soldiers escorted a thin man up.
"This is the accounting room of a jewelry shop owned by the Huang family. This shop is owned by the Huang family's son, Ah Xiao."
"Huang Axiao, do you recognize him?" Yuan Ji shouted.
The Huang family has many properties. Except for the big accounting room, Old Man Huang would not recognize them all, let alone a small shop that serves as pocket money for his grandchildren.
Old Master Huang looked at Huang Axiao, but saw Huang Axiao's expression changed drastically. He suddenly felt terrible in his heart. Before he could speak, Huang Axiao had already shouted and backed away.
"I don't know him! You are talking nonsense! You have wronged me! I have never had any correspondence with him! I just talked to him..."
Old Mr. Huang stretched out his hand to hold him back and yelled "Axiao" to cut off his words.
But it was no use, Yuanji was there to speak out for him.
When did this person enter Guangzhou Prefecture, when did he meet Huang Axiao, when did he go to work as a cashier in the shop, and what conversations took place at what time and place.
Along with the narration, pieces of evidence were brought out. There were books in the township recording people who passed by, and there was information about foreigners entering the workforce registered by the government. However, in these two books, the information about this person was completely different, so he was arrested by the government.
Listed as a subject of surveillance, a lot of suspicious things were discovered.
He also took out the keepsakes found on this person, a waist badge of Majiang Huainan Dao Yamen, and a secret message hidden in a small bamboo tube that had not yet been sent.
Finally, ask the person to confess, maybe you can get a way out.
The man raised his head and smiled sadly: "Everyone is his own master and everyone has his own responsibilities. Since I failed, I deserve to die. I don't want to live."
Keep your mouth shut and don't say a word.
But it didn't matter whether he said it or not. At this time, everyone inside and outside had been stunned, and there were waves of exclamations and comments as Yuanji told the story.
The Huang family stopped crying and acting, and finally started to really panic.
"Ah Xiao!" Mr. Huang looked at his grandson in disbelief.
Huang Axiao turned pale and looked at the accounting room, then at his grandfather, and then at the family members gathered around him. He grabbed Old Mrs. Huang's arm and shouted: "Grandpa, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't premeditate with him, I didn't write a letter,
I just know his identity, I, I didn’t report it..."
Hearing these words, Old Mrs. Huang looked dejected. Looking at the smart grandson who had high hopes for him, his lips trembled and he just asked: "Axiao, why did you do this?"
Why? The rebels have never been defeated, Ankang Mountain has taken over the capital, and chaos continues, and all the achievements and official powers that have been achieved have been overthrown and disrupted. Which young man doesn’t want to make contributions? Especially a young man with a family, status, and talent like him.
.
He is so smart, he sees through everything, he has a flexible mind, he just wants one more opportunity, one more path...
He did nothing rebellious, he did nothing, so he has nothing...
Huang Axiao fell to the ground with a pale face.
"The Huang family has conspired with the thieves. Everyone should be taken to prison for questioning." Mrs. Wu issued the last order, "Anyone who dares to disobey will be killed without mercy."
The prefect said nothing and did not stop him.
But Mrs. Huang suddenly turned around and shouted sharply: "Wait a minute!"
He stretched out his hand and pointed at Mrs. Wu.
"Mr. Wu, you are neither a general nor an official. What qualifications do you have to criticize my family's crimes?"
He stretched out his hands to the sky again.
"We have an emperor in Daxia, and we have officials below. How can you, the Wu clan, decide life and death?"
"Are you rebelling?"
This old guy, who is too old to die, is a thief. The magistrate stepped forward angrily: "Then I give an order to capture them!"
Mr. Huang flicked his long sleeves: "I want to file a complaint! I want to appeal! Hold up the plaque!"
Plaque? What is it? The prefect was puzzled, and Chang Shi next to him groaned and remembered.
"My lord, you have only been here for a short time, but you don't know that the ancestors of the Huang family once helped the victims during the plague, and were given the imperial inscription plaque of the Great Benevolent House by Emperor Hui," he said.
Yubi? That really can't be stopped. The prefect's expression changed. It turned out that this was the biggest escape route for the Huang family.
He was the prefect of Daxia. He could not stop the emperor of Daxia from writing, so he could only ask Huang to file a petition.
But if the Huang family left Guangzhou Prefecture, there would be nothing he could do, let alone Huang's relatives and friends in the court.
What to do? The prefect couldn't help but look at Mrs. Wu.
The Huang family must be eliminated, otherwise this turmoil will not be settled and people's hearts will not be at peace. Li Minglou tightened his grip on the reins and carelessly rubbed his hand in front of him.
Just when she was about to give another order, a shout came from the distance.
"The imperial edict has arrived! Guangzhou Prefecture will pick you up!"
Imperial decree?
Everyone turned around in astonishment. The shouts split apart the layers of people and soldiers. More than a dozen horses galloped over. On the horses, the soldiers were surrounded by a red-robed eunuch.
The eunuch held up the bright yellow scroll in his hand, which shone brightly in the dark winter day, and shouted loudly.
"The Holy One has decreed that the Wu family should be loyal to oneself, benevolent to care for the people, wise to detect subtleties, guard against treachery and insult, be granted the title of Lady of Chu, control the roads in Huainan, and be mighty to pacify Qianli."
With a snap, Old Man Huang, who had just taken the plaque and hugged him, let go of his hand, and the plaque hit his feet, splashing earthy color all over his face.
How is it possible...
Mrs. Chu, in charge of all the roads in Huainan? Li Minglou looked at the approaching soldiers, horses and eunuchs with an expression of surprise. Unknown to her, she loosened her hand holding the reins and pursed her lips into a crooked smile.