Chapter 233 – Spitting Blood (Part Two)
“Something big has happened!!!”
At the break of dawn, the Hejian County Guard was jolted awake from his warm bed by his own servant.
With bleary eyes, he groaned, “What’s all the fuss about… Go back to sleep, I’ll see what’s going on.”
His beloved concubine, still disturbed from her sleep, drowsily complained, “My lord… it’s not even light out yet…”
“Guess something must have gone terribly wrong…”
The Hejian County Guard, still grumpy from being woken up, felt the irritation rise. Who wouldn’t be angry when jolted from a sweet dream? After all, he had lived a life of luxury for many years and had developed quite the touchy temperament. He threw off the covers, donned his clothes in a hurry, and dashed out.
Then, as he listened to the servant’s frantic report, all remaining traces of sleep vanished instantly, leaving him nearly paralyzed in shock.
“You—what did you say? Repeat that! Who died?” The Hejian County Guard’s eyes widened, round like two copper bells, filled with disbelief, and his normally slow speech rushed out, “What on earth happened last night? Explain in detail!”
Grabbing the servant by the collar and pulling him closer, the poor servant trembled in fear, his body shaking like a leaf.
With the two of them so close, the guard’s heated breath hit the servant’s face, making him even more anxious as he stammered, “My—my lord… something big happened yesterday. It’s said that the Young Master of the Cangzhou Meng Clan was poisoned by some villains!”
The Hejian County Guard went stiff all over. How he wished this was all just a nightmare and not the horrible news he was hearing.
“The Young Master of the Cangzhou Meng Clan… which one?” If it were a side branch’s Young Master in trouble, he wouldn’t worry too much, but a sense of foreboding nagged at him, fearing the Young Master in question was an important figure in the Meng Clan, “What’s his status?”
The servant gasped for air and painstakingly replied, “The one in question is the legitimate second son of the Meng family, named Meng Liang!”
Second son!
The moment he heard those two words, it was like a thunderclap, leaving him stunned in place. His legs went weak, and he unceremoniously slumped to the ground.
“My—my lord! Are you alright?”
The servant, already terrified, grew even more anxious upon seeing the esteemed head of the household in such a state.
“Help me up…” The Hejian County Guard grasped the servant’s arm for support, rising with great effort.
At that moment, his mind was in a whirl, feeling like this year was jinxed, as if he had offended some celestial entity.
How could it not be? Just recently, the Hejian Noble Girl had nearly faced disaster, and now this about the Meng Clan’s second son being harmed?
“My lord… what should we do now?” The servant recalled the previous month when the Escort Group Leader led a group to forcefully storm the city gate, harming common folks, showing complete disregard for the Hejian County Guard’s authority. “If the Meng Clan decides to hold you accountable, you might…”
Even though Meng Liang hadn’t been killed by the Guard, a tragedy occurring on his turf was still a serious matter.
If the Meng Clan furiously sought retribution, it was quite likely they would involve him.
The Hejian County Guard snapped back to reality, steadied himself, and tried to feign calmness, saying, “What’s there to fear? I, your lord, have acted justly and uprightly. If the Meng Clan’s youngsters come to Hejian County without any warning and something happens to them, how can they blame me?”
Though he said that, the Hejian County Guard wasn’t too confident about avoiding entanglement. In his panicked state, he just wanted someone to offer suggestions.
Suddenly, he thought of Liu Zhi and smacked his thigh, exclaiming, “Get the carriage ready! We’re heading to the Liu Residence!”
The servant nodded hastily, “I’ll prepare it right away!”
But he hadn’t taken two steps before he quickly turned back, “My lord, forgive me; I almost forgot another matter.”
The Hejian County Guard impatiently asked, “What else? Spit it out all at once, don’t drag it out.”
The servant replied, “Yesterday, the City Gate Guard reported seeing a suspicious grain convoy…”
The Guard prompted, “Are you saying this grain convoy is connected to the murder of Meng Liang?”
“Not exactly. This morning, an old hunter from the official department brought some shocking news. It turns out that the grain convoy was carrying grain prepared by the Meng Clan to exchange for Meng Liang. But the villains were ruthless and killed Meng Liang ahead of time, tricking the Meng Clan into sending grain instead. The old hunter said there was a bloody battle in the mountains last night, and the convoy lost a majority of its members, now only a remnant of twenty or thirty survivors are in the official residence.”
The servant rushed through this explanation in one breath.
The Hejian County Guard was left dumbfounded. The first piece of news shocked him, while the second stirred a mixed bag of emotions within him.
While he always had a disdain for the Meng Clan’s ways, he never expected the murderers to be so brazen — killing and then deceiving them for grain!
The Hejian County Guard pondered for a moment, then changed his tune, “First, let’s go to the official residence, then to the Liu Residence. You send someone to deliver formal greetings to the Liu County Guard.”
Although that day seemed calm, beneath the surface was a brewing current that could shake Dongqing’s very foundations.
The common people were blissfully unaware, while the well-informed reacted differently.
The survivors from the grain convoy were all Meng Clan people, so their lips were tight, but don’t forget about the old hunter who had survived. He didn’t have the same restraint and would spill the beans under just a little pressure.
Among the gossip, two mocking lines about the Meng Clan surfaced.
How laughable that the former Meng Gong was brave, yet his descendants are not even as good as dogs.
And an even more infuriating second line: Meng Gong fought to bring peace to the land, but his descendants lose both children and grain.
Even a blind person could hear that the kidnappers who murdered Meng Liang were blatantly trampling the Meng Clan’s pride into the dirt.
People were wary of the Meng Clan, so they wouldn’t dare speak those two lines aloud, but their disdain was palpable.
The prestigious four great families of Dongqing were now falling to such derision from mere villains.
It was hard to imagine the bravery exhibited by Meng Gong in his day, and seeing his descendants brought so low was exceedingly disheartening.
In no time, those two lines spread through the streets like they had sprouted wings.
Regardless of the era, common folks are always eager for gossip, a love for the ruckus carved into their very bones.
Before the Hejian County Guard even set out to visit, Liu Zhi had already heard several versions of the tale, leaving him speechless.
He knew who was behind this and was mentally prepared, yet hearing the news still struck a chord.
“Give me some advice. If even you can’t help, then with the Meng Clan so arrogant, won’t they just come after me?”
The Hejian County Guard was so anxious he was twitching with frustration.
Liu Zhi chuckled and shook his head, elegantly pouring a cup of tea for the Hejian County Guard, leisurely starting to speak.
“Is it really that difficult? Though the Young Master Meng is indeed a descendant of the Meng Clan, in the end, he’s just a plain citizen with no official position. If something happens to him in Hejian County, the blame will fall on the Meng Clan’s guards for their incompetence. At most, they would criticize your poor governance for letting villains wreak havoc. You just need to capture the culprits who harmed Young Master Meng, thus turning your faults into merits, clear out the threats, and stabilize the people. What can the Meng Clan do about it?”
