91 Thunderstorm in February (1/2)
The voice was crisp, quick and bright, no different from a drum-shaped rattle made from jade.
Four corpses laid in the room, and standing before them were four individuals who were exchanging looks.
Dumbstruck, Meng Fuyao swept her gaze across Zhan Beiye and then Ya Lanzhu, complaining, ”...please, I'm trying to stay low profile. We'll be exposed like that.”
”It's good enough that I allow you to be here,” Zhan Beiye reprimanded. ”You haven't recovered. How can I not watch over you?”
Zong Yue added calmly, ”I'm a physician, and it's only natural for me to follow my patient.”
Ya Lanzhu swung her pigtail, emphasizing again her mission to keep the adulterous couple in check.
Meng Fuyao was speechless, her face anguished. Zong Yue had already pulled the window up and started melting the corpses to make human skin masks.
No matter the reason, none of the four was willing to leave. Ya Lanzhu had even claimed one additional victim. They arranged the skin masks according to size, and since Tang Jian was a skinny man to begin with, Meng Fuyao and Ya Lanzhu were fighting over him.
Eventually, Meng Fuyao pointed at her nose and highlighted, ”I've been forced to take my own life. Aren't you going to let me take revenge?”
Upon hearing her words, Zhan Beiye felt his heart twist. He dragged Ya Lanzhu to a side, leaving her with no other choice but to play the servant.
As for the skin of the other servant and the assistant official, Zhan Beiye and Zong Yue almost broke into a fight as well. ”The servant has pointy brows and narrow eyes. Such strong yet elegant features.”
Zhan Beiye let out a cold laugh. ”I think he looks wretched and has crafty, rat-like eyes similar to yours.”
Meng Fuyao flew into a rage, jumping onto the table and pointing. ”Please, Prince Zhan, look properly. That servant is stronger and has a waist thicker than Zong Yue's.”
Just like that, Prince Zhan ended up becoming the servant, but not without throwing gloomy glances and grumbling in the process. Ya Lanzhu leaned closer to eavesdrop, managing to make out the words, ”Men with thin waists can't stand.”
As a result, she innocently went to consult Zong Yue, ”He said you can't stand. What does it mean?”
Meng Fuyao opened her mouth wide in shock, grief evident on her face as if foreseeing a bleak future.
Upon complete transformation, the four observed one another, with Meng Fuyao as Tang Jian, Zong Yue as the assistant official, and Zhan Beiye and Ya Lanzhu as servants.
As chance had it, the previous official was appointed under Wuji court, and King De had naturally wanted to appoint his own men. Tang Jian was a distant relative of King De and an opportunist who had rushed all the way from Zhongzhou to assume the post. Within a few days, he had brought along his assistant official and two servants. Now that all four had been murdered and switched out, they wouldn't need to worry about being detected.
No matter how chaotic the process had been, the four actors were finally ready. Meng Fuyao went on her knees, looking extremely sorrowful. Aish, she had seen how spies worked, and not once did they bring along a physician friend and a suitor of their friend...
”Send this batch of provisions from Huazhou over quickly. It must reach before night time,” Meng Fuyao shouted while standing on the platform, dressed in her official robe.
Just like that, she had been impersonating the official for a few days, and because the soldiers transporting the food weren't familiar with him, there hadn't been any problem. Meng Fuyao acted skillfully, waiting patiently for movements on King De's side in order to take action.
She had placed her resignation letter on King De's desk. Mayor Meng is discouraged and hopes to leave, and wish for King De's understanding and for him to select another candidate to run the city.
Zhan Beiye's Dark Wind Horses transformed into a fog, vanishing into the massive mountains in the southern border.
Extremely busy, King De had no time to entertain the resigning mayor. He had to gather his army to kill Zhangsun Wuji. While it was a pity Meng Fuyao had escaped, it was also beyond his influence.
The weather wasn't ideal that day. It was gloomy, and rain was to be expected. The pressure was low, and Meng Fuyao, who was still in recovery and had been forced by Zhong Yue to put on thicker clothes, sweated buckets while ordering batches of food to be transported. As she was about to take a rest, she heard gallopings approaching rapidly. Looking up, she saw a soldier from Suishui camp, whipping his horse non-stop and shouting, ”Quick, quick! How much food is left in Wuling storage? Place them in the carriage and send it over! The troop is setting out soon!”
Stunned, Meng Fuyao inquired, ”Didn't we just send a batch over? I haven't heard anything about the troop setting out. To fight the Rongs, both northern and southern?”