Empress, Can I? [Transmigration + GL] - Chapter 71

“Sir, look! No wonder the flood in Wangnan County hasn’t receded—someone destroyed the upstream embankment!”

Yao Xianhui was furious, her pretty face flushed red with anger.

“They blocked the downstream river channel, then released water from upstream. How could Wangnan’s flood ever recede? Such an evil act! Do they have no conscience? Do they have no fear of the law?!”

Meng Wan’s expression darkened, but before she could respond, several men guarding the embankment arrived. Seeing people on the embankment, they immediately panicked, gripping shovels and wooden clubs as they surrounded them.

The leader shouted, “Who are you?! How dare you trespass on the embankment!”

Meng Wan countered, “I should be asking who you are! What are you doing here?”

“Oh? Meddlers, are we? Men! Arrest these criminals who destroyed the embankment for profit and murder!”

Yao Xianhui, hearing this, angrily retorted, “You vile thieves! The guilty accusing the innocent! You’re the ones who committed this atrocity, secretly sabotaging the embankment, and now you falsely accuse us! We should be dragging you before the authorities! Let Her Majesty the Emperor exterminate your entire clans!”

“You sharp-tongued shrew!” The leader, his face twisted with malice, rolled up his sleeves and swung his club. “Brothers, we can’t let these people live. Let’s kill them in the name of justice!”

Yao Xianhui, frightened by their viciousness, quickly hid behind Yan Xing.

Yan Xing and the other two Guards, disguised as commoners, watched as the seven or eight thugs charged forward. Unfazed, they merely smirked coldly.

Meng Wan stood at the front and declared, “I am an Imperial Envoy, an official of the court! Who dares act recklessly?”

The men froze at the mention of an Imperial Envoy, exchanging nervous glances, no longer daring to advance.

Meng Wan ordered, “Guard Yan, apprehend them. Let none escape.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Yan Xing and the two others rushed forward. As Imperial Guards, their skills were unmatched—capturing a few thugs was effortless.

Upon hearing they were to be arrested, some dropped their weapons and fled, others raised shovels in desperate resistance, while some wailed pitifully. Yet, in moments, all were bound tightly and dragged back.

Meng Wan sternly said, “You have immense audacity! Destroying the embankment is a capital offense.”

The men begged for mercy, “Your Excellency, spare us! It wasn’t our doing—we were just following orders!”

“Whose orders?” Meng Wan demanded.

The men hesitated, too afraid to speak.

On the way back to the city, Meng Wan was surprised to find the prefect himself leading a delegation to greet her.

After exchanging pleasantries, the prefect motioned to have the men seized and imprisoned.

Meng Wan said, “These men are crucial witnesses. They’ve already confessed vital clues. I must take them to the capital for interrogation by the Censorate.”

The prefect narrowed his eyes slightly but did not insist.

With a forced smile, he said, “As you command, Imperial Envoy. Please rest at the courier station.”

That night, back at the station, Meng Wan grew increasingly uneasy. The memorial she had submitted had yet to receive a response from the court.

Perhaps it had never reached Emperor Xuan Jingchi’s hands. The forces behind this were far more formidable than she had imagined.

The details of the disaster situation in Yanzhou have been thoroughly investigated, and now await trial. The officials involved range from the provincial governor down to the county lieutenants. If the trial were held in Yanzhou, witnesses might be silenced before any questioning could begin.

The only solution now was to return to the capital with both witnesses and evidence.

Fearing further complications, Meng Wan immediately instructed Yao Xianhui to pack their belongings and ordered Yan Xing and the others to gather the witnesses and evidence. They purchased three carriages and set off for the capital that very night.

Due to continuous rainfall, the roads were muddy and difficult to traverse. After traveling for an hour, they had only covered thirty li when they reached a narrow path flanked by steep cliffs.

Suddenly, their path was blocked. A crowd stood ahead, each holding a torch.

The torchlight illuminated the night, bringing a glimmer of brightness to the endless darkness, but Meng Wan’s heart sank at that moment.

She had a bad feeling—a very bad feeling.

Yan Xing dismounted from the carriage and demanded, “What do you want? This is the carriage of an imperial envoy. How dare you block our way?”

The leader, a tall and thin man, stood in the middle of the road with a sharp knife in hand, exuding an air of invincibility.

“No one is taking them away! They are our brothers. If you dare to take them, my men here won’t stand for it.”

Yan Xing’s gaze turned sharp. “Who are you people?”

The leader replied, “We are the common folk from the surrounding villages. We heard the imperial envoy has unjustly arrested our fellow villagers, and we’ve come to rescue them.”

Meng Wan and Yao Xianhui stepped out of the carriage. Meng Wan raised her voice, “Fellow villagers, I have been sent by Her Majesty to oversee disaster relief in Yanzhou. It is true that some officials have acted corruptly, pursuing personal gain at the expense of innocent lives. These men destroyed the dikes and aided the wrongdoers—they are crucial witnesses in this case. Rest assured, upon returning to the capital, I will report to the Emperor and ensure justice is served.”

Yet the crowd remained unmoved, standing still with their torches raised.

Yan Xing whispered to Meng Wan, “My lord, I don’t think they are ordinary villagers. They look more like garrison troops.”

His words made Meng Wan realize that among the so-called “villagers,” there wasn’t a single elder, child, or woman. They all stood rigidly, their expressions alert—nothing like the demeanor of simple farmers.

Meng Wan surveyed the scene: a sea of at least six or seven hundred men. On their side, there were only six or seven guards, plus two defenseless women. How could they possibly stand a chance?

“If you are indeed the people of Yanzhou, please step aside. Upon our return, Her Majesty will surely uphold justice for you all.”

“And what if we refuse?”

The leader waved his hand, and immediately two men stepped forward, ready to drive away the two carts carrying the witnesses and evidence.

Meng Wan said sternly, “How dare you! This is the convoy of the Imperial Envoy. Even the Governor has no right to obstruct us.”

“Is that so?” The leader smirked. “We common folk know nothing of such rules. Either leave the two carts behind and crawl back to the capital, or—none of you will leave here alive today!”

As he uttered the last word, a flash of murderous intent gleamed in his cold eyes.

At that moment, a figure in white darted past. Swordlight flickered like a pale shadow, and in an instant, agonized screams erupted as blood sprayed like scattered crimson blossoms. The sudden ambush felled a row of men in the crowd, clearing a path before the carts.

“Go, now!” a woman’s icy voice commanded.

Yan Xing was the first to snap back to his senses. He lashed his whip across the leader’s face and hastily called over his shoulder, “Hold on tight!”

Another crack of the whip sent the horses bolting forward, and the first cart raced away. The second and third carts followed closely behind.

Struck by the whip, the leader’s face swelled with an angry red welt. Enraged, he bellowed, “Kill them! Kill them all!”

Meng Wan turned her head, her gaze piercing through the fluttering carriage curtain. She saw the white-clad woman weaving through the crowd with her sword, swift as a phantom. But the narrow terrain and overwhelming numbers soon trapped her in a tight encirclement.

Meng Wan’s heart lurched. “Xiao Leng! Xiao Leng!” she cried out in alarm.

The young woman in white was none other than Leng Qiuci.

After leaving the inn that day, she had kept a watchful eye on Meng Wan, concerned for her safety. Now, seeing them in peril, she had drawn her sword without hesitation, carving a bloody path for their escape.

Once Leng Qiuci saw the three carts safely break through, she leaped onto one man’s head and vaulted onto the last cart.

The leader snarled viciously, “After them! Leave none alive!”

Just then, a bound figure tumbled out from the middle cart, hands tied and mouth gagged with cloth, frantically muffling protests.

It was one of the saboteurs responsible for breaching the riverbank.

Thinking to escape, he had jumped—only to be hacked to death by a flurry of blades the moment he hit the ground.

The others inside the cart glimpsed the scene through the gaps in the curtain. Realizing this was a deliberate execution, cold sweat drenched their faces as they huddled together, too terrified to attempt escape.

The three carts raced desperately down the road—only to find their path blocked by massive boulders just a few miles later. The carts couldn’t pass.

On horseback, they might have cleared the obstacles. But with so many people and only six horses among the three carts, what could they do?

Yan Xing dismounted at once and called two guards to help move the boulders. Yet each stone weighed a thousand pounds—even shifting them slightly took immense effort from the three men.

As the pursuers drew nearer, their torches flickering against the dark cliffs, Yan Xing urged, “Minister Meng and Lady Yao, go ahead without us!”

He moved to unhitch two horses from the cart.

Meng Wan stopped him. “Guard Yan, we leave together! I won’t abandon any of you—nor the witnesses and evidence.”

Touched, Yan Xing bent again to push at the boulders. Leng Qiuci jumped down from the last cart, glanced at Meng Wan, and joined them in their struggle.

Yan Xing recognized her, his gaze filled with shock—wasn’t this the female assassin who had stormed Chenyuan Palace last year and nearly killed the Emperor?

Leng Qiuci gave him a cold glance. “Why are you staring at me? Put your back into it!”

This time, the four of them worked together and finally managed to shift a large boulder slightly. Encouraged, they prepared to move the second one.

Suddenly, flames erupted behind them, accompanied by deafening shouts of battle.

“There they are!”

“Knew they couldn’t escape!”

“Kill them all!”

Seeing the pursuers closing in, Leng Qiuci urgently said, “Keep moving the rocks! I’ll hold them off!”

Yao Xianhui suggested, “Teacher, have those prisoners help with the lifting!”

Yan Xing, busy as he was, objected, “No! If we untie them, what if they run?”

Yao Xianhui countered, “One side is a sheer cliff, the other a deep abyss—they can’t escape.”

Meng Wan nodded. “Call them down to help!”

Yao Xianhui strode to the second carriage and yanked open the curtain. “If you don’t want to die, get down here and help now!”

The eight people inside nodded frantically, whimpering, their expressions even more desperate than hers.