Chapter 438: What Are You Doing Here

Chapter 438: What Are You Doing Here

Zhang Shuitong was momentarily excited when she heard her mother's cry, but just as quickly, she was shoved by the soldiers escorting her, nearly falling flat on her face.

Ignoring her disheveled state, she shouted at Lu Dashan, "Mother, save me! Quick, save me!"

She didn't want to die. She was so young, having only been married for a few days, and had barely begun to enjoy a comfortable life. How could she be facing death already?

Of course, Lu Dashan wanted to save her daughter, but as soon as the thought arose, she looked at the looming army and her hopes were dashed.

So many people... Even if she and her husband sold everything they owned, it wouldn't be enough to bribe even a single one of these soldiers! Besides, she was still confused and had no idea what was happening.

Lu Dashan and Zhang Shuitong could only follow the army, walking all the way to the largest execution ground in Jiuyuan Town. When they saw the familiar guillotine at the execution site, their eyes widened and their bodies trembled, feeling dizzy.

Magistrate Wang wasn't faring much better. His lips were pale, and his teeth were chattering. Only when he saw Lord Xie enter the scene did he finally snap back to his senses and began to shout about his innocence.

"Lord Xie! Lord Xie, this lowly official doesn't know what crime I've committed to incur such wrath from you! I might have done some foolish things in the past, but ever since the traitorous Prince Rong rebelled and surrounded Jiuyuan Town, I've been cooperating with you, working diligently for the people of the town. Even if I have no merit, I've surely earned some sympathy. Why should I be condemned to death?"

His loud cries of innocence momentarily confused many of the onlookers.

"That's true. Officials from other towns fled when they heard Prince Rong was coming. Magistrate Wang didn't abandon the town this time."

Some of the onlookers whispered among themselves.

"Who knows if he didn't want to escape or simply couldn't. With Lord Xie here, there's no way he could have gotten far." Others retorted, clearly holding a grudge against the magistrate.

Magistrate Wang seethed internally, vowing that if he got out of this safely, he would make sure to deal with these people later.

"It's true that Magistrate Wang has been more well-behaved recently. He has made those useless yamen officers do some actual work. You know Niuer from next door? He's a yamen officer. He used to act as if he was too good for us common people, but during the siege, he distributed relief rations as ordered!"

Some couldn't help but speak up in Wang's favor. After all, he had been behaving under Lord Xie's pressure, which had led some of the townspeople to view him more favorably and even speak up for him.

However, they still didn't know why exactly Lord Xie had suddenly decided to arrest Magistrate Wang.

Seeing that not everyone was condemning him, Magistrate Wang grew bolder. "Lord Xie, I, Wang Renzhi, might have done some foolish things in the past, but now, in this national crisis, I am dedicated to serving the country and the people. Even if you insist on my death, I would rather die on the battlefield than be unjustly executed here!"

His impassioned speech almost moved himself to tears, his eyes reddening.

The confused onlookers began to murmur among themselves. It seemed that Magistrate Wang was truly remorseful. Otherwise, why would he be so distressed? Yet, Lord Xie still hadn't explained why he wanted to execute Wang. Could it be a personal grudge?

Rumor had it that Magistrate Wang had offended Lord Xie during an incident in Small River Village and was punished for it. At the time, the townspeople felt satisfied, but now they were beginning to feel conflicted.

With Prince Rong's army still twenty miles away and a potential attack on Jiuyuan Town looming, an internal conflict now would be disastrous.

Seizing the moment as public opinion seemed to turn in their favor, Zhang Shuitong dared to speak up. "Lord Xie, what exactly did our magistrate do to deserve such humiliation for his family?"

This gave her the opportunity to look directly at Lord Xie again. For a moment, she was captivated by his handsome appearance again, but quickly, hatred rose in her heart.

She began to wonder if Lord Xie was still seeking revenge for her previous attempt to seduce him, and that was the reason for today’s events.

Seeing a young man suddenly appear beside Lord Xie, Zhang Shuitong's hatred deepened.

"Lord Xie, nobody is perfect. Our magistrate may have done some foolish things in the past, but he's turned over a new leaf, hasn't he? Aren't you the same? Claiming to have deep feelings for your wife in distant Yanjing City, but secretly keeping a lover in the camp!"

The mention of a "lover" left everyone stunned for a moment.

Su Youyue couldn't contain her expression, raising an eyebrow before looking around to confirm that Zhang Shuitong was indeed talking about her.

Was she Lord Xie's lover?

Su Youyue didn't speak for a long while, but the crowd had already followed Zhang Shuitong's gaze and looked at her. They began to realize that this young master, standing tall and graceful like a jade tree, did indeed seem to resemble a woman.

A woman entering the military camp was a major taboo.

The army was a place of strict discipline, where women were absolutely forbidden to enter, and soldiers were not allowed to seek pleasure. Lord Xie, as the current commander of the army, would be committing a severely improper offense if he were to knowingly break these rules.

County Magistrate Wang was secretly thrilled. He hadn't expected this clumsy woman to still be able to trip up Lord Xie at such a time. His heart was bursting with joy, and he could hardly contain his excitement.

Zhang Shuitong, seeing the strange expressions on the faces of the crowd, knew she had guessed correctly.

She wanted to bring Lord Xie down from his lofty pedestal, to make him fall hard and fast, so that he wouldn't seem so aloof and unapproachable. She wanted to show that Xie Yuan was just an ordinary man, perhaps even a despicable one.

Like a victorious fighting cock, Zhang Shuitong stood tall, casting a covert yet provocative look at Su Youyue.

The only reason she couldn't have Xie Yuan was because he simply wasn't worth it.

Su Youyue noticed the provocation but didn't take it seriously. However, when she detected Zhang Shuitong's deliberate attempt to belittle Xie Yuan, her temper flared.

Who did she think she was, to belittle her man?

Just as Su Youyue was about to coldly retort, a figure suddenly barged through the crowd and arrived in front of everyone. "Lord Xie, the fifty thousand reinforcements from the imperial court, along with ammunition support, have arrived outside Jiuyuan Town!"

The crowd of onlookers were stunned.

Fifty thousand reinforcements? Didn’t the fifty thousand reinforcements already arrive?

The crowd, of course, hadn't carefully counted the number of reinforcements earlier. Even if they had, they wouldn't have been able to. They had assumed that the twenty thousand soldiers they saw were the fifty thousand reinforcements sent by the imperial court. Now, hearing that another fifty thousand had suddenly arrived, they were thoroughly bewildered.

"Welcome the troops into the city," Xie Yuan finally spoke. As he rose, the many soldiers behind him immediately followed suit, seemingly unaffected by Zhang Shuitong's words or the crowd's emotions. Following Xie Yuan had become second nature to them.

Upon hearing that fifty thousand reinforcements had arrived, County Magistrate Wang was shocked as if struck by lightning. He nearly leaped to his feet.

What? The imperial court's fifty thousand reinforcements and ammunition support had arrived at Jiuyuan Town? Hadn't the prince tried to intercept them halfway?

What was the real story?

Zhang Shuitong, who had been stunned only moments earlier, was also taken aback. Cursing inwardly that it had arrived just in time to divert attention, she felt irritated that the topic had been shifted away.

Just as she was feeling frustrated, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a family in the crowd looking at her. In an instant, a chill ran down her spine, and she screamed in terror.

"Why are you here?"