The disaster in Chuan-Shu has reached such a serious state today, and these few grain merchants in front of us bear inescapable responsibility.
If they had not falsely accused Jin Feng, causing the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce’s granaries to be sealed, Jin Feng would have started relief efforts long ago.
There would not have been so many people who starved or froze to death.
Before coming to Xichuan, Jin Feng had wished he could chop these grain merchants into pieces and feed them to the dogs. But now that he had caught them and seen their disgraceful state, he suddenly felt calm.
The Ninth Princess had even executed powerful nobles. The fate of this group of grain merchants would naturally be no better.
After rushing back and forth for so long, Jin Feng was truly exhausted and too lazy to waste energy arguing with people who were already doomed to die.
So he did not make things difficult for the grain merchants. He simply waved his hand, signalling the Weisheng Army to take them along, forcing the grain merchants to walk back to Xichuan City naked, just like the others.
“Sir, my lord, look what I found in the kitchen!”
Meng Tianhai came running over, holding several large bear paws. “Such thick and plump bear paws are rare. Even with money, you might not be able to buy them. I never expected Green Water Villa to have so much in stock!”
In Jin Feng’s previous life, black bears, like tigers, were protected animals. But in Great Kang, they were extremely harmful. Killing black bears or tigers not only went unpunished by the authorities but even earned rewards.
Jin Feng’s first pot of gold in Great Kang had come from killing a tiger.
Black bears were not as swift as tigers, so they usually stayed in remote deep mountains and old forests. Hunting black bears was far more difficult than hunting tigers, and bear paws were rarely seen on the market.
Across two lifetimes, Jin Feng had never eaten bear paw. If he ever met a hunter selling them, he would have been happy to try one.
But now he had no appetite at all.
Meng Tianhai hung the bear paws on the saddlebags and said with a smile, “Sir, my lord, let me tell you, the kitchen not only has bear paws but also dozens of monkeys. Monkey brains, monkey lips, monkey milk, all rare delicacies. We have really come at the right time…”
“Stop talking!”
Jin Feng could not bear to listen any longer and interrupted Meng Tianhai. “Go and release all those monkeys!”
Chuan-Shu had many monkeys, and monkey brains had long been a common dish at banquets among the powerful families there.
Although Jin Feng had never eaten it, he had heard of it.
To eat monkey brains, the monkey would be restrained, then its skull pried open alive. Boiling oil would be poured in, and the brains scooped out with a spoon while still warm.
Just thinking about it made Jin Feng feel sick with cruelty.
His mind could not help but flash back to the several wooden crates he had seen earlier in the rooms where those wealthy gentry were feasting.
At the time he had wondered what those crates were for. Now he knew.
The crates were probably used to fix the monkeys in place.
“Sir, there are also leopard foetuses, camel humps, abalones and such in the kitchen. If you do not like monkey brains, I can fetch something else for you.”
Meng Tianhai still had not noticed Jin Feng’s unusual mood and continued excitedly. “Those abalones are still alive. Who knows how they managed to transport them all the way from the coast.”
“No need. Eating anything from here, I am afraid I would invite heaven’s wrath!”
Jin Feng shook his head and stopped Meng Tianhai again.
The silver of the powerful nobles could be said to have been scraped from the fat and blood of the common people. Green Water Villa existed specifically to serve those nobles and wealthy gentry. Jin Feng truly could not stomach anything from here.
He found it revolting.
“Put the bear paws back!” Qing Xinyao glared fiercely at Meng Tianhai. “You are a general of the Weisheng Army, not a bandit!”
“Yes!”
Even if Meng Tianhai was as dense as a rock, he could now sense Jin Feng’s abnormality. He quickly took the bear paws down.
“Also, pass the order down. The Weisheng Army came here to arrest people, not to rob. Anyone who dares to take advantage of the situation to molest the women here or take things from this place will be dealt with by military law!”
Qing Xinyao added another sentence.
It had long been an unspoken rule for soldiers to pocket things while searching homes.
Meng Tianhai had taken things from the Green Water Villa kitchen as if it were perfectly natural and justified.
When a general acted this way, the soldiers naturally followed suit.
Earlier Jin Feng had noticed several soldiers secretly stuffing valuable items from the rooms into their clothes after kicking the doors open.
But the Weisheng Army was not under his command, so Jin Feng could not interfere.
“Sir, my military discipline is lax, and I have made a fool of myself in front of you.”
After Meng Tianhai left, Qing Xinyao looked at Jin Feng with some embarrassment.
In truth, the Weisheng Army was the most elite force under Qing Xinyao. Their discipline was generally strict, and they would not normally behave like this.
It was only because, in Qing Xinyao’s eyes, Green Water Villa was merely a money-burning pleasure den for the powerful, that he had not restrained the Weisheng Army.
Meng Tianhai understood this, which was why he had dared to swagger over with the bear paws to show off.
“Green Water Villa is not for ordinary common people. If they get robbed, they get robbed.”
Jin Feng understood what Qing Xinyao meant and shook his head. “I simply remembered a line of poetry and felt a surge of emotion. It has nothing to do with the Weisheng Army.”
“I have long heard that Sir is gifted in poetry. May I know what fine work Sir has recalled?”
Qing Xinyao asked curiously.
“Through vermilion gates comes the stench of wine and meat, while on the road lie bones frozen to death!”
“Through vermilion gates comes the stench of wine and meat, while on the road lie bones frozen to death…”
Qing Xinyao silently recited it once and gave a slight nod.
On the way here from Xichuan, he had indeed seen several corpses frozen by the roadside.
Arriving at Green Water Villa, he had encountered nothing but extravagance and decadence.
The scene perfectly matched the poem Jin Feng had just quoted.
“That is only one line. Is there more?”
“Rise, and the common people suffer! Fall, and the common people suffer!”
“Rise, and the common people suffer! Fall, and the common people suffer?”
Qing Xinyao’s brows furrowed slightly.
The previous line merely satirised the powerful nobles. Though it might offend people, it was still acceptable.
But this line touched on a taboo. If someone with ill intentions twisted it maliciously, they could accuse Jin Feng of cursing the downfall of Great Kang.
However, recalling the poems Jin Feng had written before, Qing Xinyao felt relieved.
This was not the first time Jin Feng had written poetry sympathising with the common people and criticising the court. Nor was it the first time he had been impeached in the imperial court for supposedly cursing Great Kang. Yet Chen Ji had never blamed Jin Feng for it. Instead, he had even praised his writing.
In this regard, Chen Ji was indeed more magnanimous and tolerant than the vast majority of emperors.
“Through vermilion gates comes the stench of wine and meat, while on the road lie bones frozen to death. Rise, and the common people suffer! Fall, and the common people suffer… What kind of poetic form is this?”
Although Qing Xinyao was a general, he was also well-read and understood the basic rules of poetry.
“There is no particular form. I just thought of it.”
At that moment Jin Feng really had no mood to discuss poetry with Qing Xinyao, so he answered casually.
Seeing that Jin Feng was not in high spirits, Qing Xinyao asked no more questions.
The people they came to arrest had all been captured. Qing Xinyao waited until Meng Tianhai returned the bear paws, then gave the order to return.
The escorts protected Jin Feng in front, while the Weisheng Army guarded the rich merchants and powerful gentry behind. They left Green Water Villa.
Those who could afford to spend at Green Water Villa were either rich or noble. Now they walked naked in the biting cold wind. One could imagine how miserable it felt.
Fortunately, the rich merchants and gentry were all fat. With their plump heads and big ears, they could endure the cold better. Along the way, only two of the older ones could not hold on and collapsed by the roadside.
Qing Xinyao truly kept his word. He directly ordered the Weisheng Army to leave them by the roadside, abandoning them to their fate.
