Chapter 164: The Prosperity of the Human World
The sunset glow on the horizon was bright red, but it lacked the crimson hue of Xiao Fengxian’s blood.
Xiao Fengxian was in disbelief, looking down at the blood on her body.
She remembered a man who, in order to express his love and sincerity for her, had killed his original wife in front of her.
That original wife was plump and had borne him three children.
The man’s sword couldn’t even pierce his wife; he had to stab her several times before she died.
At the time, she only felt it was dull. That brainless man—she had merely smiled at him a few times and spoken a few ambiguous, complaining words, and he had assumed she was his alone, believing only his wife and children were holding him back, and used the murder of his wife to prove his love.
Xiao Fengxian was determined to find the most handsome man; one day, he would come to pick her up, dressed in red and riding a white horse.
He came.
His long hair fluttering, his red clothes vibrant, he rode a white horse, arriving as he stepped into the sunset.
He came.
He was just like the lover of her dreams.
From the moment she laid eyes on him, Xiao Fengxian swore that this time, she would absolutely not play any schemes; she wanted to stay together with him until they grew old.
She wasn’t worried about his original wife or children.
Those dull-witted people would sooner or later be no match for her; she only wanted him.
This time, she was truly moved.
Then she looked down.
She felt her heart move.
It felt as if her heart had been pierced.
It twitched a few times.
She opened her eyes in disbelief, looked down, then looked up again.
Finally, she fell straight backward, eyes wide open, staring at the red glow on the horizon.
The officials and attendants who had come to welcome Commander Jiang were stunned.
The nannies and maidservants beside Xiao Fengxian were trembling, not daring to scream or cry.
Because as Lord Jiang approached, the vast, seemingly endless procession behind him became visible.
They still looked like a group of the old, weak, sick, and disabled, but they had the advantage of numbers.
If not for Commander Jiang at the front, one would have thought the Rebels were making a comeback.
Wait, Commander Jiang was also from the Rebels.
This dark, dense crowd didn’t look like they were here to take up a post; it looked more like they were here to conquer the Prefecture City.
Such a beautiful young lady, and he killed her just like that; wouldn’t his heart ache?
Of the two officials, one wiped the blood of Xiao Fengxian that had splattered onto his face.
The other wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead.
Both of them had been standing straight, but now they were both hunched over, bowing their backs.
They didn’t dare to copy Xiao Fengxian, who would bow and tilt her neck to seduce people.
They just obediently looked at the ground.
There were many more ants on the ground now.
No one knew where they had come from.
“Lord, this subordinate has come to welcome you to the residence.”
The imperial court was exceptionally generous to those who accepted amnesty, offering money, housing, women, and a complete package of entertainment and indulgence—they were willing to give anything.
Even empty titles were fine; you could have various appointments and all sorts of titles, but if you actually wanted your soldiers and your horses, that was a no-go. Anything else was fine.
This tactic worked every time.
Those who accepted amnesty were usually dazzled by the mansions and wealth.
Those with more resolve would be pulled into the official system, forced to attend meetings every day—big meetings, small meetings—and compete for various job titles.
By then, the Rebels would forget they ever wanted to rebel, losing themselves in the process.
When the Rebels no longer had the strength to rebel, they weren’t far from death.
In the officialdom, people were killed without a drop of blood being shed; any excuse could be used to finish you off.
Yet, throughout history, how many who accepted amnesty could withstand it?
Therefore, despite it being humiliating, those civil officials still supported amnesty.
“Pull you into our system; if we can’t kill you off, then I lose.”
But as soon as this Jiang the Second arrived, he didn’t play by the rules.
Such a beautiful girl, and he pierced her with a single sword strike; wouldn’t his heart ache?
It was afternoon in late autumn, and not hot at all.
Yet, the two welcoming officials were dripping with sweat.
Whether Lord Sima’s heart would ache, they didn’t know, but Xiao Fengxian’s heart would certainly ache.
Xiao Fengxian’s corpse was still twitching at their feet, until it stopped.
“Lord, this… this Prefecture City cannot accommodate so many people, and the residence I prepared for you is… is not big enough.”
One of the officials trembled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
As he spoke, he knelt down, very worried that he would be stabbed to death once he finished speaking.
“It is of no matter. These are just the fellow villagers who escorted me to the Prefecture City; they will not be entering the city.”
The other official’s legs also turned to jelly, and he knelt down, moving even closer to Xiao Fengxian’s body.
Damn it, given his salary, this was the first time he had been this close to Xiao Fengxian’s body.
“Lor-Lor-Lord Sima, le-le-let’s go into the city now.”
The official, pressed against Xiao Fengxian’s body, couldn’t help but stutter uncontrollably.
And so, Commander Jiang’s family finally entered the city.
Jiang Feng and Meng Shaoxia took most of the procession to settle in at Meng Shaoxia’s estate.
Aside from Meng Shaoxia’s estate, Mianmian also had an estate, which Little Bug had sent to her for her birthday.
It wasn’t far from Meng Shaoxia’s estate, and it was even a bit larger than his.
Meng Shaoxia:…He was speechless. He actually lost in a contest of wealth.
Jiang Mianmian, Jiang Yu, and Great-Aunt were together in the carriage.
Just now at the city gate, Great-Aunt had drawn the curtains and wouldn’t let them look outside.
She had also instructed them: “A noble young lady cannot casually show her face, lest she be seen by those with ill intentions. Moreover, on such an occasion, it is not appropriate to lift the curtains; it is also a matter of etiquette.”
Then, they heard a woman’s voice.
Great-Aunt’s expression was very ugly.
Great-Aunt had just finished saying that it wasn’t appropriate for a woman to casually show her face in public, and then there was a woman outside showing her face.
These people really used every trick in the book.
Offering a woman right in front of someone’s wife and daughters.
If the master accepted her out of a sense of face, there would be many more troubles in the future.
When Great-Aunt heard how the woman outside referred to herself, she knew who the woman was, and her frown deepened.
The women in her own household were all incredibly naive.
If they faced someone like Xiao Fengxian, they would probably be wiped out in a single round.
Some men just fell for that sort of thing.
When she had been in the Prefecture City, she knew that some people had abandoned their wives and children for this Xiao Fengxian; even worse, some had killed their wives and children just to let Xiao Fengxian through the door.
And yet, she lived on, acting so ostentatiously.
Then, she heard a soft puchi sound.
Aunt Yin was stunned.
She had been thinking about how to explain this set of officialdom rules and the woman outside to the children, and how to handle it.
But that puchi sound had been crisp and decisive.
The master’s voice came through steadily: “Fenger, you were too hasty. You could have killed her later when no one was around. Doing it in front of these officials was a bit too bloody.”
This… this person was just done for?
Xiao Fengxian was dead?
Aunt Yin was still a bit incredulous.
She saw that The Eldest Miss and the little girl had their eyes wide open.
The little girl couldn’t help but use little ants to lift the curtain.
She reached out and flicked the ants away, saying: “Your Father did not kill an innocent person. He must have investigated beforehand. This woman is very vicious; don’t let the fact that she is a weak woman fool you. The number of women and children who have died because of her is not small. Other courtesans hope for a chance to reform, but she is different; she delights in others’ families being destroyed.”
Jiang Yu widened her eyes and nodded.
Jiang Mianmian puffed out her cheeks and nodded.
Their family was currently Rebels accepting amnesty, so this action was very ‘Rebel’-like.
“Great-Aunt, can I take a look? Is she pretty? Next time I encounter someone like this, I will avoid them.”
Married Jiang Yu completely couldn’t understand; if Brother Meng ever tried to kill her for another woman, she would definitely make a pot of mushroom soup and let everyone go together. If they were going to die, they would die together.
Aunt Yin thought about it and nodded.
They had to see the world eventually.
Jiang Mianmian was also very curious.
She sounded like a classic courtesan character from an ancient story—and she died as soon as she appeared?
She had also expected some kind of household intrigue to follow.
She had even worried that her Mother might not be able to handle it, since her Mother seemed like such a straightforward person who definitely couldn’t stand that kind of passive-aggressiveness.
And so, the curtains were opened by Great-Aunt.
Not just lifting a small corner, but opening them wide.
Because Great-Aunt had taken two pieces of gauze and covered Jiang Yu’s and Jiang Mianmian’s faces.
Jiang Mianmian felt Great-Aunt was being overly cautious… It hadn’t even been a few years since she was weaned, so there really was no need.
However, the two girls, wearing light veils, looked in unison at Xiao Fengxian lying on the ground.
Jiang Yu took one look and shrank back, patting her chest, and said with relief: “That’s good, that’s good. Brother Meng doesn’t like this kind—this kind with a sharp chin. Brother Meng thinks they look like snake spirits and would poke people.”
Aunt Yin:…The person is already dead, what are you saying.
Jiang Mianmian examined her carefully, then sat back and said to Great-Aunt: “This girl’s waist is so thin. I wonder if we cut it open to see, if there would be two fewer bones in her waist than others.”
Aunt Yin:…The flesh on her cheeks couldn’t help but twitch.
Her worries were completely unnecessary.
“Creak, creak.”
The carriage wheels continued to roll.
The road into the city was paved with bluestone slabs, and the sound of the wheels was much crisper.
Great-Aunt did not lower the carriage curtains.
The two girls sat inside and looked out.
It was truly worthy of being a Prefecture City.
There were so many shops.
Various signs fluttered in the wind.
There were also many pedestrians on the road.
They were better dressed and didn’t look sallow or emaciated.
There were many two- or three-story buildings along the roadside.
There was also a small river by the roadside.
There were carriages passing by.
There were hawking cries, the sound of flowing water, and laughter.
The prosperity of the human world.
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