Transmigrated into the Scum Female Consort - Chapter 30

Yu Lu strode to Zeng Laosan, pulled back his collar, and took out a money pouch.

Zeng Laosan’s face instantly changed. He shook his head vigorously, making muffled sounds in his gagged mouth.

Yu Lu acted as if he hadn’t heard anything. He untied the money pouch and pulled out the silver and bank notes. Zeng Laosan became frantic, struggling to stop him, but his hands were tied and his mouth was gagged, making it impossible to interfere.

Yu Lu flipped the money pouch over, catching the contents with his other hand, then pinched the pouch and shook it.

In just a few seconds, a shallow layer of black, powdery substance fell into his palm, visible even in the dim light of night.

When Yu Lu searched him earlier, he hadn’t thought much of it, as several constables hadn’t taken out their money pouches. He had simply touched them, confirmed they contained silver and bank notes, and stuffed them back. But the feel of it in that instant had left an impression: powder. Yes, only Zeng Laosan’s money pouch was unclean, containing dust.

It turned out to be iron filings.

There was no longer any room for doubt. The masked men were using these iron filings as markers, following them all the way with magnets.

Zeng Laosan had initially clung to a sliver of hope. He had anticipated this step when he was called out and had dumped out the iron filings beforehand. But in his haste, he hadn’t been able to empty it completely.

At this moment, his face turned completely ashen.

Yet, despite his defeated look, there was not much fear. On the contrary, a hint of mockery gradually emerged in his eyes.

Yu Lu removed the cloth gag from his mouth, raised his knife, and demanded: “What do you have to say?”

With the knife held to his neck, Zeng Laosan actually started to laugh.

“Yu Lu, you, a mere eighth-rank prison officer, do you truly intend to go against me?”

Yu Lu’s movement froze, and his full-blown anger seemed to be chilled, leaving him momentarily paralyzed.

Yes, he could not go against the person behind Zeng Laosan…

The crowd was either surprised, realizing, or resigned, and the atmosphere settled into an eerie silence.

Zeng Laosan raised his head, commanding imperiously: “Hurry up and release me! Don’t you dare lay a hand on me. Don’t you know your own worth?”

Yu Lu still didn’t move, a struggle visible in his eyes.

“Dog thief! Prepare to die!” Sensing Yu Lu’s hesitation, Shi Niang walked up to Xiao Gao, drew the knife from his waist, and charged forward.

Yu Lu blocked her with his own knife, warning sternly: “Stop!”

Shi Niang gritted her teeth: “He colluded with outsiders to take the lives of all of us!” If they didn’t kill a man like this immediately, should they just let him go? What was the difference between that and having a sword hanging over their heads? Especially now that the pretense was broken, what if Zeng Laosan became desperate? If Princess Consort Ye suffered any mishap, she believed Yu Lu would fare no better.

Yu Lu stood between Shi Niang and Zeng Laosan, shaking his head heavily: “Do not act recklessly.” Zeng Laosan could not be killed yet.

Shi Niang was angered by his stance: “If you don’t dare to kill him yourself, why stop me?” With that, she moved to the side and swung the knife at Zeng Laosan again.

Yu Lu’s face was stern, and he moved to block her again. Before leaving, his old patron had repeatedly warned him not to act on impulse and not to confront the person behind that man. He could not put his patron in a difficult position.

After a few exchanges, Yu Lu shouted: “Stop already! If you keep fighting, you will alert them.”

Shi Niang reluctantly put away the knife, unable to resist cursing: “A coward! Ptooey.”

“Hahaha, at least you know what’s good for you. Hurry up and untie me!” Zeng Laosan saw that Yu Lu had been intimidated by his words and swaggered toward him.

Yu Lu’s eyes turned cold, but he simply re-gagged Zeng Laosan’s mouth.

Zeng Laosan glared, struggling violently again.

Shi Niang shifted her stance, murder in her eyes once more.

“Shi Niang, come with me for a moment.” Yu Lu, utterly distraught, decided to have a serious talk with her.

Shi Niang threw the knife onto the ground, turned, and gave Shi Song a pointed look before following Yu Lu.

Sensing a deeper meaning in Shi Niang’s glance, Shi Song looked blankly at Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju: “What did Shi Niang mean by that?” Did she misunderstand, or did Shi Niang truly have a hidden meaning?

Mei, Lan, and Zhu shook their heads, equally confused.

Only Shi Ju’s heart pounded heavily. She stared at the knife on the ground and slowly backed away a few steps.

“Shi Ju?” Shi Song noticed that she was the only one who hadn’t shaken her head and asked.

Shi Ju recovered, pulled Shi Song’s hand, walked a few steps away, took two deep breaths, and whispered: “Actually, those masked men…” After explaining the collusion between the Zhenshan County Yamen and the Mao Family Manor, her thoughts became clearer. “Shi Niang knows I am steady but not as bold as you. I guess she meant for me to tell you…”

“I understand.” Before Shi Ju could finish, Shi Song turned without hesitation. So, the man was colluding with the Mao Family Manor! He deserved to die! He should be hacked into ten thousand pieces!

Unexpectedly, someone picked up the knife on the ground before she could.

Old Imperial Censor Zhou straightened up, his face impassive: “This knife, I will keep it. Young girls should touch such sharp instruments less often.”

Shi Song was stunned. She looked at the other bound constables, who all still had knives hanging on their waists. The constables quickly huddled together, warily watching her. After Shi Niang had snatched Xiao Gao’s knife, they dared not let anyone get close.

Zeng Laosan seemed to sense something and quickly joined the constables. He was not afraid of Yu Lu, because Yu Lu’s superior feared the person above Zeng Laosan. But he was afraid of these women of unknown origin. They were unaware of the political situation and might actually lay a hand on him.

Shi Song couldn’t help glaring at Old Imperial Censor Zhou, but she had to suppress the hatred in her heart.

Old Imperial Censor Zhou stroked his beard without changing his expression and turned to walk toward Ye Xuejin.

Seeing him approach with the knife, Yun Chi instinctively shielded Ye Xuejin: “What do you intend to do?” No way, could this old man be plotting something deeper?

Ye Xuejin steadied herself, grasped Yun Chi’s hand, and stood beside her. “What is your advice, Sir?”

Old Imperial Censor Zhou did not move any closer. He asked solemnly: “Do you two know why that girl just now said that he wanted the lives of all of us?”

Yun Chi watched him warily, not understanding his motive.

Ye Xuejin looked at the knife in his hand and somewhat understood. Old Imperial Censor Zhou had misunderstood, thinking the Emperor wanted everyone’s lives. For a moment, Ye Xuejin was tempted to nod, because Old Imperial Censor Zhou was still weighing the pros and cons, not yet determined to gamble.

But was it worth turning herself into a despicable person just for that position? Ye Xuejin sighed inwardly and slowly said: “The people he colluded with want the lives of all the men, because their target is the women.”

Everyone who heard this immediately turned to look at Zeng Laosan. This dog thief colluded with masked men to take the lives of all the men!

Zeng Laosan, upon hearing this, looked at Xiao Gao and the others: “Wuwu,” meaning, why don’t you all stop them from talking?

Xiao Gao rolled his eyes. Hearing Ye Xuejin’s words, he wanted to kill this dog himself. The lives of all the men, of course, included him. Furthermore, with Yu Lu gone and the constables all bound, how were they supposed to intervene? Among the remaining people, the young women listened to Shi Niang. The Mu brothers had always remained aloof. The Zhou family all listened to Old Imperial Censor Zhou, the head of the family. Therefore, not only did no one interrupt the conversation between Old Imperial Censor Zhou and Ye Xuejin, but everyone was listening intently.

Old Imperial Censor Zhou was silent for a moment, then looked at Ye Xuejin: “This old man believes this thief deserves death. What do you two think?”

Ye Xuejin glanced at him in surprise, and said softly: “What Sir says is absolutely correct.” Zeng Laosan did deserve to die.

Old Imperial Censor Zhou looked deeply at Ye Xuejin, turned around, and said gravely: “Zhou family sons, follow this old man and kill this thief.”

“Kill this thief!”

“Kill this thief!”

Zhou Qishan led the servants in shouting.

Zeng Laosan was so scared his legs went soft. He cried bitterly, kowtowing toward Old Imperial Censor Zhou. He didn’t want to die; he hadn’t returned to the capital yet to report and enjoy wealth and glory.

The remaining constables silently backed away two steps, lest they be splattered with blood later.

Old Imperial Censor Zhou asked again: “Who will strike the blow?”

The Zhou family members fell silent. They were ordinary people. Who among them had ever killed a person?

Yun Chi was completely confused: “What is he trying to do?” Is he going to kill him or not?

A hint of disappointment flashed in Ye Xuejin’s eyes: “He wants to pledge allegiance, but he is still hesitant and overcautious.”

“So wishy-washy,” Yun Chi couldn’t help but complain.

Ye Xuejin smiled lightly: “Fù Mǎ‘s insight is profound.” Old Imperial Censor Zhou, while intelligent, lacked the boldness necessary to thrive in chaotic times. He was fit to be a wise official in times of peace, not a capable minister in times of turmoil.

“What happened?” The delay and the commotion were heard by both Yu Lu and Shi Niang.

Yu Lu immediately stopped trying to analyze the situation with Shi Niang and hurried back, keeping an eye on Shi Niang, fearing she might act impulsively again.

The Zhou family members exchanged glances, remaining silent. Old Imperial Censor Zhou frowned, also not speaking. He wanted to go all out, but when it came down to it, he couldn’t make up his mind. He was old, and ultimately, he did not dare to gamble…

Everyone was watching them, but one person quietly circled behind the bound constables. While they were distracted watching Yu Lu, she drew a knife and slashed at Zeng Laosan, who was two steps away. The action was swift and clean.

As the head rolled, the few constables finally reacted, screaming incoherently through their gags.

Yu Lu looked over and felt like the sky had fallen.

The Emperor’s man had died in the exile group he was leading, right under his nose. How was he going to explain this to his old patron? He had caused a huge disaster.

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the girl holding the knife. She actually killed him! Just like that!

“A bunch of cowards,” Shi Song spat at the severed head on the ground. “If you want to punish me, come at me.” Anyone colluding with the Mao Family Manor deserved to die, and so did this thief. She had finally vented her anger. If it meant her life, so be it.

“Well done!” Shi Niang clapped her hands and laughed loudly. She had not judged wrongly. Shi Song was brave enough.

Yun Chi blurted out: “That was brilliant!”

Ye Xuejin’s gaze deepened as she looked at Shi Song. She then looked at Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju behind her, finally settling on Shi Niang’s loudly laughing face. In times of chaos, bravery took the lead. Someone both courageous and resourceful could become a great general.

Ye Xuejin’s eyes flickered. Before Yu Lu could recover, she walked toward Shi Song.

Yun Chi followed without hesitation, afraid something might happen to her.

Ye Xuejin walked straight to Shi Song, smiled at her, then turned to Yu Lu: “If Lord Yu intends to assign blame, then include me in the punishment. I am willing to advance and retreat together with Miss Shi Song.”

“Count me in,” Yun Chi immediately echoed.

Shi Niang raised an eyebrow: “And me.”

“And us.” Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju walked together and hugged Shi Song tightly.

“You… you…” Yu Lu said “you” several times, unsure what to say.

At this moment, Old Imperial Censor Zhou gave his son a meaningful look and announced loudly: “This thief deserved death. We are willing to advance and retreat together with Miss Shi Song.” Events had reached this point, and he felt inexplicably regretful, as if he had just missed a chance to soar to the heavens.

Zhou Qishan quickly led his people in agreement: “We are willing to advance and retreat together with Miss Shi Song.”

“Wuwu,” Xiao Gao and the constables also walked over. They felt the same way.

The Mu brothers exchanged glances. Mu Er whispered: “Elder Brother, should we go over?”

Mu Da gave Ye Xuejin a heavy look and squeezed out two words: “Be quiet.”

Yu Lu enunciated each word: “You… you are a sight to behold.” His heart seized up, and he clutched his chest, saying helplessly: “What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and go!”

At this command, the crowd immediately cheered.

“Silence! Are you trying to make more noise?” Yu Lu scolded, looking at the constables: “Quickly untie yourselves, and let’s go!”

“Wait.”

“What trouble are you trying to cause… What is it?” Yu Lu was nearly driven mad. When he heard the voice, he immediately wanted to snap back, but realizing it was Ye Xuejin, he quickly changed his tone. He suddenly felt utterly humiliated by this assignment and wanted to cry.