87 Grieving Ghos (1/2)

So Zhangsun Wuji did not drag her away by force, but even then, he did leave a message for her, along with a few trusted guards. He also leaked information about her to Zhan Beiye, leading him to bring his own horsemen. In that case, even if Yaocheng was being schemed against, it would not be ruined.

It turned out that King De had actually offered Yaocheng up and Zhan Beiye had met with one of the ten strong fighters on his way. ”Fog,” who usually appeared unpredictably within the Five Region Continent, had surfaced in Wuji Nation at that exact time. All three coincidences had stacked up to lead to a bloodbath in Yaocheng. It could be said that it was God's will that had caused her such a calamity.

'Just...' Meng Fuyao continued thinking. Zhangsun Wuji must have had his doubts when it came to King De's motives. He was baiting him, and because of that, he avoided monitoring King De's movements and armed force in the southern border. 'He... had wanted King De to rebel.'

Sweat accumulated over her body at this conclusion. This man had dared gamble his own land!

'But why didn't he destroy King De in Jingcheng? Why did he let him out and even gave him 200,000 soldiers to create a commotion?' Meng Fuyao couldn't wrap her head around his decision and eventually pulled her quilt down. She had decided to consult Zhan Beiye when he returned. He must know since he was a political figure himself.

A sobbing sound could be heard.

It was remote and drifted from outside the courtyard wall, which wasn't considered high. The sun had set and the clear, moonlight night, made the cry sound even more mournful.

Meng Fuyao frowned, tossing the quilt aside and sitting up. ”Ghost? I fear ghosts the least! Damn! Come cry in front of me if you dare!”

The sobbing stopped, and someone's footsteps could be heard approaching fast. Yao Xun's pale, long face appeared by the courtyard wall, and he walked in, smiling in gloat, ”Hu Sang's crying.”

”Eh?” Meng Fuyao uttered. She was aware of what the lady had done and hadn't thought of a punishment for her. Why was she crying already?

”Prince Zhan's beyond handsome...” Yao Xun appeared infatuated. ”Do you know, Miss Meng, she's already been crying for 3 days now...”

His brows twitched as he spoke, and Meng Fuyao was in shock.

Three days ago, upon finding out about the city gate being locked, petty Zhan Beiye set his eyes on Hu Sang since there was no point being calculative with the ignorant citizens. He had pinned no hope on them to remain calm and clear-headed in times of danger since humans were selfish creatures. Yet, he couldn't forgive Hu Sang, who was purposefully vicious. For three days and night, Hu Sang's father and herself had been pleading for forgiveness. Soldiers from the Dark Wind Horses spat on the ground they knelt on, jeering, ”Bah! You think you can fight with us? Do you think you're worthy of setting yourself against the mayor? You're not even fit to carry her shoes.”

They then produced a stack of bills, mentioning that the delay in her family's delivery of materials had caused them losses. Seeing the figures on the bill, Hu Sang fainted. Upon waking up, she heard someone speaking coldly, ”Master Zhang of the western city is willing to pay your debt. All you have to do is to work as a servant.”

At that, Hu Sang fainted once more. Everyone knew that Master Zhang had a thing for servant girls. He had no wives and concubines. Instead, he collected servant girls to have fun with before tossing them aside when bored. It was a convenient, one-off thing for him.

But the man was not done. ”Master Zhang is only settling half of your debt. As for the other half, Master Liu from the south city has arranged for you to be a laundry lady.”

Hu Sang fainted again. Master Liu's so-called ”laundry ladies” were actually stripping ladies. Master Liu was a fan of art involving the human body, and the washing ladies at his place had devilish figures despite their ordinary-looking faces.

The soldiers dumped the bills and swaggered off, threatening to press them for payment until the Masters divided up her day and night time. Hu Sang held onto the stack of bills and sobbed for days, receiving no help and support from neighbors. She only had herself to blame, and those who insisted on keeping the city gates closed were filled with guilt and couldn't plead on her behalf.

It was in the middle of the night when Hu Sang with swollen eyes from all that crying, set up a long, pitifully preparation to end her own life. Fortunately, upon her third try, she was spotted by Tie Cheng, who had just received a beating from training with Zhan Beiye. He then pointed a way out for her - beg the mayor. No one else had the power to forgive her.

Beyond grateful, Hu Sang repeatedly kowtowed before Tie Cheng's feet, even repaying what she had owed him twofold.

Hu Sang was crying outside the wall. As a shrewd lady, she knew that crying outside the main entrance might be less effective. Hence, she went straight to where Meng Fuyao was resting, so that the latter wouldn't be able to ignore her existence even if she wanted to.

Frowning and puffing her cheeks out, Meng Fuyao wondered how accepting the girl's handkerchief for Zhangsun Wuji had caused such a big problem. Indeed, Zhangsun Wuji wasn't one to be provoked. 'Offend him, and heaven will punish you. Look, isn't this great? Hu Sang's here to punish me now. What a crier! She's not going to let me sleep and recuperate in peace until I let her in.'