Chapter 619: Rumors Spread, The Crowd Besieges 4
"Old Master Zhan, kinship has never been constrained by these formalities. You need to be more open-minded. Besides the Imperial Mausoleum and Beili, given what you know of the little girl, do you think this is what she would have wanted?"
"I understand what you mean, Dean, but the weather is growing hot. Even with medicinal preservation, her body will only last a month at most. It will take at least two to three months to get out of Beili. Her body will decay... How tragic." The thought of the little one’s body decaying, unable to be laid to rest, was utterly heartbreaking for Zhan Yi.
"There should be ice cellars in the wealthier towns along the way. If we keep her packed in ice, it should be enough to last until we are out of Beili."
"And where do we go after we leave Beili? Is the little girl to be buried back in Nanyuan?"
"I will take her to a mountain range on the border where my master once lived. It’s a peaceful, secluded paradise. The little girl enjoyed tranquility; she’s sure to like it there. And it will be convenient for you to visit in the future, Old Master Zhan." Dean Chen had already begun formulating this plan as he walked out of Dragon and Qilin Hall.
"Very well. We will proceed with your arrangements, Dean Chen." Zhan Yi said no more. He still had to figure out how to break the news to his wife when he returned home.
"The Qian family will escort Qian Ning with you, Dean," Qian Fu stated.
Dean Chen sighed at his words. "The Qian family is large. This decision is too rash."
"No one knows his children better than their father. I know what my kids are made of. They can make their way in the world even after leaving Beili. As it happens, my eldest is a professional escort. He’ll be a great help on the journey."
"The road ahead is perilous, and the future is uncertain," Dean Chen sighed.
Qian Fu looked back toward the Imperial Palace. ’Such is the heartlessness of an emperor.’
「As night deepened, the capital magistrate’s office remained brightly lit.」
Sang Qi stood at the very front. Behind him, eight of the General’s concubines, along with the residence’s steward, servants, and staff, all stood ramrod straight. The sound of weeping was incessant.
A large crowd had gathered, and nearly everyone clutched a written petition detailing the cause of Ye Qianning’s death and the events that had transpired on Four-direction Mountain.
"How could Consort Yuan be so vicious? Conspiring with the Princess of East Shu to murder one of our Beili princes!"
"Ever since she entered the palace, the Emperor’s favor for her has been second to none. She’s already the Crown Prince’s mother, so why would she go after the unassuming Eighth Prince?"
"Who can really say when it comes to the affairs of the imperial family? East Shu must have promised the Consort some enormous benefit. Otherwise, she never would have taken such a risk."
"I agree. And the Xiang family’s young daughter died such a wrongful death. A six-year-old child, daring to go up Four-direction Mountain all by herself to mount a rescue... she had more courage than most adults."
"The child was lucky enough to evade the people from East Shu and survive the mountain fire set by the Consort, but she couldn’t escape the clutches of the Consort’s martial brother. It’s such a tragedy."
"I heard that Yuan Yintang gave the order to shoot to kill without the slightest hesitation. He even wanted to kill Minister Qian, Boss Gu, and Young Master Zhan along with her. The man’s arrogance is unbelievable."
"Is that true?"
"Of course it is! My cousin is with the Grand Council’s troops, and he was dispatched to Four-direction Mountain. I happened to run into him right when he returned, and he told me everything. He said he couldn’t bear to watch, but what could anyone do? Yuan Yintang had the Emperor’s verbal order to ’kill on sight.’ There was no choice. The General’s daughter pushed the Eighth Prince out of the way and took the arrow for him. It was an incredibly heroic act. Such a shame."
"Sigh, it’s a real tragedy. General Xiang received an imperial edict to go eliminate some bandits and he isn’t even back yet. Meanwhile, his child dies a violent death on Four-direction Mountain. If General Xiang finds out, I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t tear Yuan Yintang to shreds."
"Who does Yuan Yintang think he is? He’s just some nobody from a martial arts sect. The only reason he can run wild and act like a tyrant is because his martial sister is a powerful consort!"
"Outrageously arrogant."
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, their anger growing with every word, becoming ever more convinced of the terrible injustice of the General’s daughter’s death.
"Punish Yuan Yintang! Punish the traitor who colludes with our enemies—!"