Chapter 190 – Visitors from the Cangzhou Meng Clan (Part Four)
“What happened?”
Jiang Pengji had just finished breakfast, sat in silence for a moment, and then started a live stream, greeting the audience as usual.
On her way to the study, she spotted two house maids whispering by the rockery; one of them looked tearful and distressed.
Her senses were exceptionally sharp, but sometimes, too sharp could be a burden.
To cope with this flaw, Jiang Pengji usually chose to suppress her senses, maintaining them at just above the average level.
From a distance, she could only catch bits and pieces like “city gate,” “casualties,” and “injuries.”
The house maids showed panic upon seeing her; it was clearly work hours, and they were caught slacking off. With the Liu Residence’s strict rules reinforced after the Governor’s return, there was no room for leniency.
“Calm down. Tell me, what happened at the city gate?” Jiang Pengji asked the middle-aged woman with reddened eyes who had obviously been crying, “I’m not insensitive; if you were gossiping about a serious matter, I won’t blame you.”
The middle-aged maid nervously gripped her sleeves and, with a sorrowful expression, replied, “This morning, my mother and father went into the city together. Unexpectedly, a group of burly men claiming to be from the Cangzhou Meng Clan barged in, trampling people with their horses. My father tried to protect my mother and got his leg broken by a hoof…”
Jiang Pengji’s expression turned serious, and the live stream viewers gasped in shock.
【Mingyue Tianya】: No way, did I hear that right?
【Armstrong】: Why does it feel like everyone the streamer meets is somehow connected to that Meng Clan?
【Yi Ye Cheng Zhou】: The Meng Clan is really too arrogant, barging through the city gate like they own the place. Do they wanna get themselves killed?
“Since your father was hurt, I imagine you’re quite distraught and can’t focus on work. Go to the treasury and get an extra month’s pay. Buy your father some nourishing tonics; old folks heal slower than the young after injuries.”
Upon hearing this, the maid immediately burst into tears, repeatedly thanking Jiang Pengji.
Once she left, Jiang Pengji turned her cold gaze onto another maid who had come with news.
“Come here and tell me in detail what happened at the city gate this morning,” she commanded. She had anticipated that the bodyguard protecting Meng Liang would come but didn’t expect them to arrive so quickly and so boldly. Hurting people and possibly causing fatalities? Unbelievable!
The maid delivering the message worked at the Liu Residence but didn’t live there, usually tending to her duties in a quieter part of the estate. She had a lot of free time and enjoyed gossiping about town rumors, making her the gossip hub of the Liu Residence.
Although she hadn’t been present, her talent for storytelling was impressive, vividly recounting the events.
“Are you sure people died?” Jiang Pengji asked, a slight murderous intent flickering in her gaze, her dislike for the Meng Clan intensifying.
The delivering maid animatedly gestured as she spoke, “Yes! Not only did several people die by hoof, but there was also a beautiful young girl who was at the right age for marriage, accompanying her mother to the city to buy some red hair ribbons. Who would have thought it would end like this… They say that Meng Clan is like the local emperor of Cangzhou, even the current Emperor can’t control them. Upon seeing this, it seems to be true.”
Jiang Pengji glared at her and said coldly, “You dare speak such words? Don’t you want to live?”
The maid snapped back to reality, breaking out in a cold sweat, hurriedly bowing and pleading for mercy.
“Remember this: trouble comes from your mouth. Your life or death doesn’t matter, but don’t drag the Liu Residence into your mess,” Jiang Pengji waved her hand, signaling her to leave. “Since it was a serious matter, I won’t pursue this further this time, but don’t slack off in the future.”
The chat barrage in the live stream flew by, ranging from laughter to outrage.
【Give a Chestnut】: This behavior from the streamer is the classic case of ‘allowing officials to start fires, but not letting the common folks light lamps.’ Didn’t she recently name-drop the Dongqing royal family too? Now she’s scolding this maid? What a psychological trauma!
【Another Chestnut】: If she didn’t act this way, how could she be the bossy streamer?
【Two Chestnuts】: The only bossy streamer who doesn’t annoy people when she’s capricious.
【Sugar Roasted Chestnuts】: Isn’t it the case that the real issue is the Meng Clan’s arrogance? They stormed the city gate and caused fatalities, right?
Clearly, there were some viewers eager to know the live stream plot, but they were the minority; most were just there to watch the streamer.
“The Meng Clan…”
Jiang Pengji could easily picture the bloody chaos at the city gate that morning.
In the near future, they would be the first to be eradicated!
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and left the Liu Residence, hopping onto a carriage that would take her to the earlier mentioned Fulai Gambling House.
Even before approaching, the scent of blood filled her nostrils.
Each person’s blood had a unique smell; those with acute senses could discern various details from it, like how many had died and for how long… That was her proficiency in her past life. In this life, her skills had merged but weren’t quite sharp enough yet.
However, from her considerable experience, the number of deaths was definitely above fifty!
Jiang Pengji’s expression turned cold. She instructed the coachman, “Go a bit further; let’s see what’s happening…”
The coachman complied, and as they got closer, a crowd was gathered at the gambling house entrance. One by one, officials in uniforms were hauling out bodies covered with white cloths; the blood hadn’t even coagulated, dripping along the way, causing the onlookers to turn pale.
“Unbelievable… they were all killed…”
Jiang Pengji clenched her fists, a chilling expression on her face. At that moment, her very own system wished to blend into the void, fearing that Jiang Pengji would recall its existence… No way, with this hostile aura from the host, I can’t take it anymore!
This nearly stagnant atmosphere didn’t last long. Jiang Pengji relaxed her fists, opened her eyes, and regained clarity.
“Go ask what happened specifically.”
The coachman got down to inquire, and Jiang Pengji lifted the carriage curtain, watching as officials continued to haul out corpses. One official held a large bag of bloody contents, the rich crimson staining the rough cloth, continually dripping—likely severed limbs of other bodies.
In truth, she already pieced together a complete picture simply from the crowd’s discussions.
A gang of armored brutes, with big knives at their waists and holding long whips, had stormed the gambling house shortly before, leaving all inside dead.
“Hey… do you think the killers are the same bunch from the city gate?”
Someone whispered, cautious of being targeted by the violent group.
“Of course they are! Some even saw them charge through the city gate right before coming here…”
“An eye for an eye, those butchers should be punished…”
“Hmph, too naive. They are from the Cangzhou Meng Clan. No matter how many they killed, who can touch them?”
