Blood sprayed out and splattered across the ground.
Although the Ninth Princess had gone through the Battle of Great Python Slope, this was the first time she had seen a beheading at such close range.
Her heart felt somewhat uncomfortable, but with her strong mental resilience, she did not show it. She only stepped back two paces with a slight look of disgust, to avoid getting any blood on herself.
“Captain Qin, arrange for someone to hang the body outside the North City Gate. At the same time, post a notice to inform the common people why he was killed!”
“Yes!”
Qin Ming waved his hand. Several guards immediately stepped forward and lifted the goat-bearded man’s corpse.
A junior captain carried the goat-bearded man’s severed head and walked out of the small courtyard.
Ugh!
The nobles had all lived lives of luxury and comfort. When had they ever witnessed such a scene?
Many of them started to retch.
Two with weaker nerves were so frightened that they wet their trousers on the spot!
The Xie family member was one of them.
“Your Highness, I confess my crime! I beg Your Highness to spare my life!”
The Xie family member could no longer hold on. He knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.
“Your Highness, we are also willing to hand over the grain!”
The other nobles no longer harboured any hope. They all followed suit, kowtowing and pleading.
“This palace gave you a chance to live earlier, but you did not cherish it. It is too late for regrets now.”
The Ninth Princess shook her head. “Now you must choose: have your corpse hung outside the city wall, or hand over the grain!”
“Your Highness, have mercy!”
Faced with life and death, the nobles no longer cared about any aristocratic dignity. They all knelt on the ground and became kowtowing insects.
A few of them knocked their heads so hard that blood flowed from their foreheads.
“Choose quickly. This palace does not have time to wait for you much longer!”
The Ninth Princess’s expression remained cold and indifferent. “Qin’er, count to ten. Anyone who has not chosen will be treated as resisting and will have their corpse hung outside the city wall!”
“Yes!”
Qin’er agreed and began the countdown. “Ten! Nine! Eight!”
Each number she called out was also a countdown to their lives.
“I won’t choose! I want to return to the capital!”
Two nobles could no longer bear the pressure. They scrambled up and tried to run out of the courtyard.
But after only a few steps, they were kicked back by Zhu’er.
“Four!”
By now, Qin’er’s countdown had only three numbers left.
“I confess!” Fatty Xu raised his head and shouted. “I am willing to hand over the grain!”
“I will hand it over too!”
The psychological defences of the other nobles completely collapsed. They all knelt and begged for mercy.
“You have made a wise choice! This palace keeps her word. As long as you cooperate and hand over the grain, this palace will arrange for someone to collect your bodies!”
The Ninth Princess’s constantly tense expression finally relaxed a little.
She understood these nobles too well. Every one of them bullied the weak and feared the strong.
If you gave them an inch, they would take a mile and become even more arrogant.
The opposite was also true. If you showed the determination to perish together, they would back down.
Only by getting serious could you suppress them!
Since the relationship had already been torn apart with no way back, the Ninth Princess decided to maximise her gains.
From the looks of it now, the results were quite good.
Not only had she dealt with this group of nobles as agreed with Jin Feng, but she had also unexpectedly obtained the grain they were hoarding.
This was the Ninth Princess’s ultimate goal!
“Lord Qing, arrange for people on your side to receive the grain. If anyone dares to play tricks, there is no need to ask me. Hang them directly at the gate to keep company with that surnamed Zhou!”
“Yes!”
Qing Xinyao bowed and agreed.
The nobles had originally planned to take advantage of the grain handover to secretly send messages for help. But after hearing the Ninth Princess say this, the last tiny spark of hope in their hearts was completely extinguished.
The Qing family had operated in Chuan-Shu for so many years. Their informants were everywhere. Otherwise, they could not have captured all the white gloves so quickly.
For these outsiders to try any tricks under Qing Xinyao’s watch would be far too difficult.
Only then did the Ninth Princess turn to look at Jin Feng. “Is Sir satisfied with this outcome?”
Jin Feng did not answer. Instead he asked, “What about Xie Xiguang and Cai Liuyang?”
“If nothing unexpected happened, their heads should already be hanging at the city gates of Guangyuan and Jinchuan by now,” the Ninth Princess replied.
Jin Feng finally gave a slight nod.
The nobles not far away heard this exchange and all showed expressions of disbelief.
From the conversation between Jin Feng and the Ninth Princess, it seemed the Ninth Princess had gone to such great lengths, even willing to become mortal enemies with so many families, all for the sake of Jin Feng?
They desperately wanted to ask what on earth the Ninth Princess was thinking.
Had she gone mad?
Unfortunately, they lacked the courage to ask. Even if they did ask, the Ninth Princess would not answer them.
“As long as Sir is satisfied, that is enough!”
A faint smile finally appeared at the corner of the Ninth Princess’s mouth. “This palace is a little tired. For the matters that follow, I will have to trouble Sir to assist Brother Xinyao!”
“Your Highness can rest assured. Even if Jin Feng has to sell everything he owns, he will do his utmost!”
Jin Feng nodded solemnly.
The Ninth Princess had fulfilled her promise. Now it was Jin Feng’s turn.
“Wuyang trusts Sir!”
The Ninth Princess gave Jin Feng a slight smile, then turned and left.
Once she was out of the small courtyard and beyond Jin Feng’s line of sight, it was as if all the strength had been drained from her body at once. Her legs went weak and she pitched forward.
Fortunately, Qin’er reacted quickly and caught her in time.
“Wuyang, what is wrong?”
Qing Mulan asked anxiously.
“It is nothing. I have been rushing continuously on the road lately and I am a bit tired. I will be fine after some rest.”
The Ninth Princess waved her hand. “Sister Mulan need not worry, and there is no need to alarm anyone else!”
Even someone as straightforward as Qing Mulan realised something at that moment.
She glanced back towards the courtyard, but in the end she held back the urge to call Jin Feng. Together with Qin’er, she supported the Ninth Princess to go and rest.
Ever since receiving the imperial decree, the Ninth Princess had been constantly on the move.
And it was not ordinary travel. It was the kind of desperate, braving wind and snow, life-risking rush.
The pressure on her mind had also been far beyond imagination.
An ordinary person would probably have fallen ill long ago.
In fact, the Ninth Princess was already close to her limit.
But at that time the disaster in Western Sichuan was growing more and more severe. Jin Feng was like an unpredictable bomb that could explode at any moment. The Ninth Princess simply did not dare rest, and she did not dare fall ill.
She could only grit her teeth and endure.
Now that things had finally come to a temporary end, she could no longer hold on.
After being brought back to the room by Qing Mulan, she fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow, and then she began to run a high fever.
In her feverish delirium, she kept murmuring, “Sir, Wen’er begs you, Wen’er does not want to be enemies with Sir…”
“What exactly happened between Wuyang and Sir?”
Qing Mulan looked at Qin’er.
Qin’er then recounted everything that had happened when the Ninth Princess caught up with Jin Feng outside the county office in Jinchuan.
“Wuyang really stayed alone with Sir in the small grove for more than half an hour?” Qing Mulan asked. “There was no one else nearby at all?”
“Yes.”
“What were they doing in the small grove?” Qing Mulan frowned and asked. “Did you hear anything?”
“No,” Qin’er shook her head. But she understood what Qing Mulan meant. After thinking for a moment, she said, “From Her Highness’s posture when she came out, she is still a virgin.”
Hearing Qin’er say this, Qing Mulan clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
But before she could fully relax, she noticed that Qin’er’s expression was a little strange, as if she wanted to say something but was hesitating.
“What else is there? Speak quickly!”
“When Her Highness came out, her clothes were somewhat dishevelled, and her sash was not tied the same way as before…”
