Chapter 586
Chapter 586
Outside the Marquis of Changping’s estate.
A thousand sons of aristocrats, along with their servants and hired thugs, were still surrounding the estate, spewing curses. Since Shen Lang paid them no mind, their insults grew even more unbearable.
“Shen Lang, give us our money back! Pay up!”
“Can’t pay us back? That’s fine. Just have your wife entertain some guests. We’ll even pay a high price. A hundred gold coins a go. After fifty thousand customers, your debt will be cleared, won’t it?”
“Shen Lang, you swindled us out of our money! Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning? I hear your wife, Jin Mulan, is pregnant. I bet the baby will be born without an asshole!”
Not only was the estate wall splattered with filth, but it was also covered in vicious graffiti.
“Shen Lang, if having your wife entertain guests isn’t enough, you can come out and sell your ass too! At five gold coins a turn, plenty of masters will be looking for you.”
Then, a torch emerged from the crowd and was thrown straight over the wall. Everyone was stunned for a moment.
‘That guy’s got some nerve!’
Surrounding the estate and shouting insults wasn't such a big deal. After all, Shen Lang had swindled them first, so it was only natural for them to come demanding their money.
‘But setting fire to the Marquis of Changping’s estate? That escalates things in a heartbeat. Who threw that torch?’
It was, of course, one of Shen Lang’s men. They had hidden themselves among the crowd that was causing the disturbance. With this signal, they would escalate the situation by pretending to burn down the Marquis of Changping’s estate. But Shen Lang, inside, still showed no reaction. A hundred of Shen Lang’s men, hidden among the protestors, lit their torches in unison and hurled them into the Marquis of Changping’s estate. Seeing this, the aristocratic sons who had been causing the ruckus suddenly felt a chill of fear.
‘Wh-whose men are they? Why are they so aggressive? Won’t causing such a huge scene bring disaster?’
Yet Shen Lang, inside, still gave no reaction. He neither lost his temper nor retaliated.
‘Is Shen Lang scared? Surely… not!’
The hundred men, as if possessed, relentlessly threw torches into the Marquis of Changping’s estate. A moment later, a great fire erupted within the estate, with thick smoke piercing the sky. The rioting sons of nobles finally sensed that something was wrong. A feeling of danger washed over them. The thugs, however, rejoiced at the chaos.
“Burn, baby, burn! Burn that bastard Shen Lang, burn his woman to death!”
“Shen Lang, come out, come out!”
The fire inside the estate grew more and more alarming. And how could it not? In an empty lot inside, Wu Lie, Han Nu, and the other female warriors weren’t putting out the fire; they were desperately adding more firewood, fanning the flames to make them blaze even higher.
“Burn Shen Lang to death! Burn the pretty boy to a crisp!”
Unlike the thugs, the aristocratic sons, their faces pale, began to back away, trying to flee to their homes. Though they were trash, they still had an instinct for danger.
‘There’s a conspiracy here!’
But they wouldn't be able to escape. The streets around the Marquis of Changping’s estate had all been sealed off. Ten thousand city guards, fully armed, were marching forward in imposing formation. At the sight of this massive army, every one of the noble sons was on the verge of fainting.
‘It really was a conspiracy. A huge one! Th-this is going to be a disaster!’
*Thump, thump, thump, thump.*
The ten thousand soldiers looked like a moving mountain, closing in step by step, surrounding them completely. Ning Zheng was guarding the Yue Kingdom’s Admiralty, so the one leading the army was Commander Go Duhwan.
“How dare these lawless thugs set fire to the Marquis of Changping’s estate! They have a death wish! Charge! Arrest all these criminals. If anyone dares to resist or flee, kill them without mercy!”
At Go Duhwan’s command, the ten thousand guards began to charge. In an instant, the sons of the powerful and influential families were so shocked they trembled uncontrollably. They felt a moment of fear, but then shouted.
“Run! Everyone, break through! The law doesn’t punish the masses. They won’t dare to kill us!”
The noble sons naturally intended to use the thugs to break the encirclement so they could escape in the confusion. Hearing the shouts, the rioting thugs charged furiously at the line of guards.
“Break through! The law can’t punish a crowd! They won’t dare kill us.”
“Shen Lang, you son of a bitch! May you be struck by lightning!”
“Break through!”
Thousands of thugs charged like madmen, trying to break the encirclement and escape. Go Duhwan’s eyes were cold. He had been thinking that the quota of acceptable kills for this Operation Spring Thunder was too low.
“Kill them! Kill them all!”
As soon as his order fell, the guards unleashed a rain of arrows, beginning a great slaughter. Crimson blood splattered everywhere.
“Aaargh!”
The brutal volley of arrows fell mercilessly, easily piercing the flesh of the charging thugs. Droves of them fell to the ground at once, letting out blood-curdling screams as they painted the ground red. The fighting prowess of these local ruffians and lowlifes, so formidable when bullying the weak, was nothing but a pile of shit against a professionally trained army. After two volleys of arrows, hundreds of thugs lay on the ground, creating a sea of blood. To their surprise, the guards had actually killed people.
This wasn't the first or second time they had caused a disturbance. They had rioted when Madman Lan and the ten beggars announced they would take the imperial examinations, and again after the civil and military examination results were posted. Later, when the failed candidates wailed at the Confucius Temple, they all caused a ruckus. But there had never been such an open slaughter, as the authorities rarely punished mass lawbreaking.
‘This time, we had a reason to protest! We were clearly here to demand justice from that swindler Shen Lang, and yet they’re actually killing people?’
“Kneel! Kneel!”
Go Duhwan commanded, and the ten thousand guards roared in unison.
“Kneel! Kneel!”
In an instant, the thugs who were still alive all dropped to their knees. Go Duhwan pointed at the sons of the powerful families behind them and shouted coldly.
“You too! Kneel! All of you, on your knees!”
The noble sons were instantly resentful.
‘Who do you think we are! We’re not from common families; we’re from noble houses of merit. A mere commander like you wouldn’t even be qualified to dine with us on a normal day. And now you’re telling us to kneel?’
The son of a count stepped forward and said calmly.
“General, my father is the Count of Benign Grace. Shen Lang swindled us. Is it wrong for us to demand an explanation? Aren’t the Marquis of Changping’s guards being a bit too tyrannical? Telling us, the sons of noble families, to kneel? Can you even handle the consequences of this…?”
Go Duhwan pulled out a list, glanced at the man, and said.
“You are Cheng Qian, the third son of the Count of Benign Grace, correct?”
The young noble replied arrogantly.
“That’s right!”
Go Duhwan barked coldly.
“Kneel!”
Cheng Qian was taken aback. He was the dignified young master of the Count of Benign Grace’s estate. How dare a mere commander of the guard tell him to kneel?
“You audacious fool. I am a man who need not kneel even in the Crown Prince’s residence.”
Cheng Qian said coldly. Go Duhwan gestured, and two warriors from the Nirvana Army stepped forward and kicked the back of Cheng Qian’s knees with force.
*Thud!*
He was forced to his knees. Just then, Shen Lang finally appeared before them. Everyone glared at him, their eyes filled with a hatred so deep it seemed they wanted to flay him alive. Shen Lang walked directly to Cheng Qian and asked him.
“You never bought any Golden Dragon’s Blood in the first place. As a mere scholar from the Imperial Academy, why did you come to cause trouble at my home?”
Cheng Qian sneered in response.
“So you’re allowed to stir up trouble, but others aren’t allowed to point it out?”
“What have I done?”
“You swindled everyone out of their hard-earned money. Are you saying we can’t come and demand justice? Shen Lang, to escape your crimes, you mobilized the city guard to commit murder. Isn’t this an act that enrages both heaven and men? Today, you can use the guards to bury your crimes, but can you do the same tomorrow? Will you order the guards to rebel tomorrow?”
Spoken like a true scholar from a noble house. He was quite skilled at slinging mud. Shen Lang glanced at him and sighed.
“How pitiful, truly pitiful…”
Cheng Qian flew into a rage.
“What’s pitiful about me? I am a legitimate son of the Count of Benign Grace’s estate. My status is far higher than a worthless son-in-law like you.”
“The title of the Count of Benign Grace will likely not pass to you. As for the path of the examinations, someone of your mediocre talent is unlikely to ever pass. You tried to attach yourself to the Crown Prince, but he doesn’t value someone like you. So you resorted to petty schemes, voluntarily coming to my home to cause a disturbance, hoping the Crown Prince would look favorably upon your actions and promote you, am I wrong?”
His sore spot having been prodded, Cheng Qian said angrily.
“Shen Lang, you think you’re any better than me? Didn’t you also take the path of petty schemes? Didn’t you attach yourself to Ning Zheng as a stepping stone to climb the social ladder? Didn’t you also do it for wealth and glory? How are you any better than me?”
Shen Lang didn’t even deign to reply. He took out the list and said coolly.
“Cheng Qian, you run a business in the capital. You have one shop, but you stole it from someone else. You also engage in money lending. To collect debts, you broke the legs of seven people and beat two to death.”
Hearing this, Cheng Qian flinched. Shen Lang took a brush dipped in red ink and drew an ‘X’ over Cheng Qian’s name. Seeing this, Cheng Qian was startled.
‘What does that mark mean?’
Without another word, Go Duhwan took out an edict issued by the King. It wasn’t an imperial decree, but a notice written to be shown to the people of the capital, with paste smeared on all four corners. On the paper, it was clearly written:
Though the edict’s content was clearly written, it was guaranteed that the common people would not be able to read it. But the large seal stamped upon it was, shockingly, the King’s own seal. This meant that the crackdown, Operation Spring Thunder, was not an arbitrary action by the Yue Kingdom’s Admiralty, but came from the will of the King himself.
“Idiot. You’re finished.”
Shen Lang said calmly. Instantly, two guards stepped forward and shackled Cheng Qian’s hands and feet. The young master of the Count of Benign Grace’s estate began to tremble so violently he couldn't speak. After a long moment, he finally cried out.
“Young Master Shen, spare me! Spare me… I can atone for my crimes with merit! I’ll expose them! I’ll pledge my allegiance to His Highness, the Fifth Prince…”
Shen Lang looked at him with disdain.
‘Do you think the Marquis of Changping’s estate is so desperate? That we’d take in any cur off the street?’