Chapter 796: Coveting My Head

Before long, a large number of government troops appeared on the streets.

"Citizens of Qingshan City, return home immediately! Close your doors and windows, and extinguish your candles! Do not go outside, and do not make a sound! Anyone found outside will be killed without exception!"

The government troops patrolled the streets, ordering all citizens to hide indoors.

This was perhaps the most chaotic Qingshan City had been in recent years.

Yet the Local Government responded swiftly, as if they had rehearsed this in advance. Guards from the Military Camp rushed to the city gates at the very first moment, sealing them off. With sentries posted every two steps, no one was allowed to leave the city.

...

Ruyi climbed onto the courtyard roof, looking out at the massive number of government troops and heavy forces rushing through the streets.

Their gazes were fierce. Whenever they spotted a figure on the streets, if there was any resistance, they executed them on the spot, regardless of identity!

Overnight, screams echoed incessantly from every corner of Qingshan City.

Blood stained the ground red. The corpses were then dragged away, tossed into some unknown place.

Watching this scene, Ruyi pursed her lips. It reminded her of many years ago, when the Rebel Army had done the exact same thing, leaving a river of blood overnight.

"Is Chen the Good Man still not back?" Lihua asked.

Ruyi returned to her senses and said, "Don't worry. No one can cause trouble for Mister."

Lihua nodded, then resumed watching the scene play out.

As it gazed out, it saw scattered auras of bloodlust rising across Qingshan City, likely emanating from those government troops. The auras continuously surged upward; every new wisp meant another person had died by the blade.

Yu Hongjin climbed up as well. Cradling a jar of wine in her arms, she blinked at the sight ahead.

"It looks like a lot of people died..."

Yu Hongjin remarked.

Ruyi glanced at her and said, "There must be quite a few."

Yu Hongjin said, "I don't even know what's going on."

Ruyi said, "In any case, just don't go outside."

Meanwhile, in the neighboring courtyard across the street.

Ouyang Feng was naturally watching as well.

He could not help but click his tongue. "This Prince Wei truly hides his depths without a trace."

This was vastly different from what Prince Wei usually professed.

Decisive and ruthless, he had thrown the entire city into a storm in the blink of an eye.

Everything had happened so suddenly.

It seemed no one had anticipated that Prince Wei would employ such ruthless and absolute methods.

This unexpected turn of events had caught them all completely off guard.

"How could he dare..."

Someone voiced their doubts. To do such a thing during such a critical period—was he not afraid of destabilizing public sentiment and throwing the political climate into turmoil?

After midnight, the streets grew much quieter.

Everyone who needed to be killed had been killed.

But the matter was not yet over.

Tonight, many more people would die.

It would definitely not be limited to just this handful.

"Clang!!!"

The sound of a brass gong rang out.

A man on a warhorse, clad in armor, shouted, "All residents of Qingshan City must prepare their tokens or official household registry seals for Local Government inspection! Anyone without a token will be temporarily thrown into prison and released only after their identity is verified! Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"

The streets had only just calmed down a little, but now they fell into chaos once again.

For a time, panic spread rapidly, as no one knew what was happening.

Such a commotion had occurred so abruptly, taking everyone completely by surprise.

Ruyi naturally heard these words as well.

Lihua blinked. "Ruyi, Ruyi, what did that man just say?"

Ruyi paused and said, "He said they need some kind of token, or an official household registry seal."

Ruyi asked, "Do we have one?"

"...No."

Lihua blinked. "Then doesn't that mean..."

Ruyi opened her mouth, then said, "We'll just hide."

Lihua pondered for a moment and blinked. "Are we going to prison?"

"..."

Yu Hongjin looked at the two of them and asked, "How did you get into the city without a token?"

"We climbed over."

Yu Hongjin paused upon hearing this, then said, "No way, no way, I need to stay away from you two, or they'll drag me away as well."

"You're not allowed to leave!"

Lihua shot her a look and said, "We're going to prison together. I heard people don't get enough to eat in prison. If Lihua gets too hungry, I can just eat you."

Yu Hongjin stared blankly at this and said, "Stinky cat! Do you hear what you're saying?!"

"You're the stinky one! Stinky fish!"

"Stinky cat!"

"Stinky fish!"

Ruyi could not help but rub her forehead, thoroughly exasperated.

However, her gaze remained fixed on the streets. She naturally knew that these mortal affairs could not possibly trouble Uncle Chen, but without seeing him in person, it was hard not to worry a little.

...

Chen Changsheng and Yunxiang had indeed been taken away by the government troops.

In reality, however, they had been invited to Prince Wei's Manor.

The one who recognized the two of them was a guard serving under Prince Wei. That guard had accompanied the prince to Chuanfeng Alley the other day and had seen Miss Yun's true face. Naturally, he did not dare offend them, and thus invited them to Prince Wei's Manor.

At this moment, however, Prince Wei was out in his courtyard, teasing a bird.

The bird chirped frantically inside its cage. The commotion outside had left the bird anxious, sending it fluttering wildly about.

Seeing this, Prince Wei lost his interest.

Turning his head, he saw the manor's guards leading two figures over.

Prince Wei immediately cupped his hands and smiled. "Greetings, Miss Yun."

But when he turned to look at Chen Changsheng, the smile on his face abruptly vanished. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Forget about you."

Chen Changsheng chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Look at that attitude."

Prince Wei snorted softly, too lazy to pay him any mind.

After they sat down, Prince Wei ordered servants to serve tea.

The tea was of excellent quality; it certainly had not been cheap.

Prince Wei appeared quite relaxed within the manor. From the backyard, however, came the intermittent sounds of heavy thuds—bang, bang, bang—as if something was hitting the ground.

Hearing these sounds, Prince Wei called out, "Keep it down."

As soon as his words fell, the clamor in the backyard grew much quieter.

Yunxiang shot a glance behind the door and asked, "Assassins infiltrating the manor?"

Prince Wei nodded. "There are quite a few people who want to kill me."

Compared to other places, here in Weidi, if Prince Wei died, it would solve all of their problems. No matter who took his place, it would be difficult for them to possess Prince Wei's benevolence; they might fake it, but they wouldn't be able to maintain it, and the stability of Weidi would be shattered.

This Temple Fair had presented those people with an opportunity.

These people hailed from many different places.

There were those from the Capital City, from Jindi, from Yan Land, and even from the Northwest...

All of them wanted him dead.

Those people actually knew full well that this Temple Fair was bait.

In earlier years, the unusually heavy defenses of Qingshan City had denied them any openings. Thus, even knowing this was a trap, they were still willing to give it a try. They harbored a sense of wishful thinking, and at the same time firmly believed that Prince Wei would not dare initiate a massive bloodbath.

But this Prince Wei was exceedingly decisive.

Chen Changsheng said, "I imagine there are quite a few of them."

Prince Wei nodded. "Quite a few. There are probably dozens of corpses in the backyard right now. This head of mine is truly highly coveted."