The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 739 Dragon’s Wrath

Princess Liu Yufei's ceremonial procession was as simple as it could be.

There were no red staffs, clearing flags, or silk pennants, let alone ceremonial weapons such as spears, halberds, and ceremonial axe.

There were only two guards in front and behind the carriage, each carrying a green square umbrella that was one foot long and made of a wooden gourd with gold inlay. They were alone and walked alone, and there was nothing else with them.

Soldiers from the Suoyi Guard and the Five Cities Military Commission, clad in distinctive armor, followed in a long line behind, while the road was lined with onlookers. These people formed a stark contrast to the princess's desperate plight.

As the carriage approached Longsheng Pass, the crowds gathered on both sides became increasingly dense, and the surrounding area was filled with noisy voices and various curses.

Stones, branches and fruit peels fell on the carriage and the green square umbrella like raindrops, making the tent bang loudly, which was frightening.

The horses had never seen such a scene before. They raised their four hooves, let out mournful cries, and ran forward in a panic.

A guard in front held the reins tightly.

The gentry were still not satisfied with their anger even after throwing stones, and a few dandy young men rolled up their sleeves and were about to climb onto the carriage to beat people up.

The guard who was leading the horse loosened the reins and stood in front, allowing stones and dirt to hit his face. He did not move, protecting the carriage. In a moment, he was hit on the head and bleeding.

"That bitch's lackey, beat him to death! Beat him to death!"

The two dandies started to make a fuss and urged their companions to rush forward and beat up the guard. At that moment, three or five young men with extraordinary clothes and the appearance of noble gentlemen drew their swords and came up to chop people.

The guard drew his sword and, ignoring the blood from his mouth and nose, took a fighting stance like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Seeing that someone was about to die, the officer of the Five Cities Army who was watching the excitement from behind finally raised his musket.

"Oh!"

The arrogant young men were so frightened by the sound of the gunshots that they stood still like puppets, and some even wet their pants on the spot.

The officer glanced sideways and waved his hand, and the soldiers of the Bingmasi immediately drove the troublemaking gentry to both sides.

"Don't you know the laws of the Great Qi? Private fighting is strictly prohibited! Private fighting is strictly prohibited! Even if the eldest princess was exiled to Yunyang and demoted to a commoner, she is still a member of the royal family. In Nanjing, you are humiliating the royal family like this. Aren't you afraid of the emperor's reprimand?"

The gentry were so furious that they would not listen to the officers' advice.

A middle-aged man who looked like a student came forward and said indignantly:
"Officer Jiang, you don't know. During the reign of the late Emperor, many cruel officials relied on their connections to impose heavy taxes on the gentry and wealthy families! The eldest princess's followers instigated the late Emperor to implement the "Qi Dynasty Land System" modeled after the north, distributing silver to the unruly people! They forced us into a desperate situation! The best farmland was given rent-free to the untouchables! This is not only heartless, it is absolutely insane! Fortunately, the emperor corrected the chaos, but now they have jumped out to oppose the new policy and are lawless! We, the righteous people, wish we could eat their flesh and sleep on their skins to relieve our hatred!"

The chief officer, known as Jiangyingguan, is named Jiang Sheng. He is the confidant of Deng Shouchang, the commander of the Five Cities Army. Today he was ordered to escort the eldest princess out of Nanjing.

It is not known whether Jiang Sheng had received instructions from Deng Shouchang in advance, but along the way, he turned a blind eye to the actions of the "Jiangnan righteous people" and allowed them to throw stones at the carriage and curse.

"alright,"

Jiang Sheng waved his hand and said, "I have said that if you cause trouble in the capital, I will take care of it. If you leave Nanjing, hehe..."

The student grinned, understood, nodded repeatedly, and bowed to Officer Jiang, saying:
"Understood, understood. We all support the new policies of the imperial court and are definitely not those unreasonable and unruly people. Since Officer Jiang has spoken, we will give the Military Commander face."

After saying this, he trotted back to the gentry and whispered a few words to a few pot-bellied masters. Soon, the crowd that had rushed towards the carriage in front all retreated.

People then threw stones.

Every time a stone hit the carriage, a burst of laughter would be heard from the gentry, the sound was piercing and sharp, like a whistling arrow shooting into the sky.

~~~~~
Lu Xiangsheng hung his head and curled up in the prison van, which was pulled by two inferior horses and creaked forward.

Compared with the eldest princess who has royal blood, the former prime minister of Da Qi was not so lucky.

The people cursed him endlessly. Some accused Lu Xiangsheng of deceiving the late emperor, some accused him of obstructing the new policy, and some accused him of colluding with traitors...
Half a month ago, during the public trial of the eldest princess, Lord Lu, who claimed to be neutral, was inexplicably dragged into it - although he was walking on thin ice, he was ultimately not spared.

The Suoyi Guards searched the Lu family's house thoroughly, but only found eight hundred taels of silver, and no antiques or paintings.

Emperor Guangde was obsessed with finding no evidence of the collusion between Lu Xiangsheng, Pu Gang and the princess.

Liu Kan was furious and demanded that his confidants must get rid of this old minister who neglected the new policy at all costs.

In desperation, officials from the Ministry of Justice convicted Lu Xiangsheng of "failing to fulfill the trust and delaying the new policy."

With this false charge, Lu Xiangsheng was quickly arrested and imprisoned, and sentenced to beheading.

After Kang Jingxiu pleaded for mercy, Emperor Guangde showed mercy and announced that he would be stripped of his official position and exiled to Yunyang.

~~~~
The gentry were very angry because Lu Xiangsheng was not dead.

The reason for their anger is probably because Liu Zhaosun, who had oppressed them for a long time, is now missing, and the traitors under Liu Zhaosun (such as Pu Gang, Zhang Dong and others) are either dead or escaped.

Therefore, after finally catching Lu Xiangsheng, they naturally wanted to vent all their resentment on him.

It would be best if we could kill the traitor today.

Therefore, the local gentry, who had been allocated land and collected taxes during the reign of the retired emperor, lined the roadside early in the morning, waiting for Lu Xiangsheng to pass by, and then threw baskets of bricks and tiles they had prepared in advance at the prison van, as if the bricks and tiles were free.

Fortunately, there was the shield of the straw raincoat guards, otherwise Lu Xiangsheng would have been smashed into a pulp before he even left the city.

It was not until Kang Guangxu, the Minister of Rites, came over and looked at the former minister with interest that the people throwing stones were forced to stop.

Minister Kang was a favorite of Emperor Guangde, deeply trusted by him. Although currently serving as a minister, his power was no less than that of his cousin, the Minister Kang Jingxiu. Jiang Liuer looked around with a complicated expression.

Kang Guangxu saw his former political enemy with his head drooping, as if he was half asleep and half awake. He called out "Lu Ge Lao" once, but seeing no response, he turned around and ordered his personal guards:

"Splash water on the prisoner to wake him up!"

Jiang Liuer jumped off his horse and grabbed the Minister of War:
"Master Kang, this is inappropriate."

"What's wrong?! The prisoner is motionless and won't wake up even when I call out. I'm afraid he bit his tongue to commit suicide. Officer Jiang, you are the commander of the Imperial Guard after all, and you are close to the Emperor. The Emperor said that he should be exiled to Yunyang, and now he hasn't left the capital yet. He died on the road. If we investigate, who will bear the responsibility, you or me?"

Jiang Liuer was speechless for a moment.

The personal guards came over carrying two buckets of water. The gentry who were watching the excitement around them burst into cheers when they saw this.

"All right! All right! Drown him!"

"Take off the prison uniform and rinse it! Lingchi him right here! Skin him!"

"Lu Xiangsheng, Lu Yanwang! You deserve this day. You surveyed my family's land and beat my master to death. Today, I will kill you for my life..."

Jiang Liuer glared at everyone: "Anyone who dares to make noise again will be sent to the Imperial Prison for punishment!"

The straw raincoat guards raised their muskets one after another.

The surroundings became quiet. Lu Xiangsheng's enemies took a few steps back and looked at the prison van with hatred.

Kang Guangxu acted as if nothing had happened and turned a deaf ear to the noise. He stood on a bench, grabbed a water scoop, and poured water one scoop after another.

After two scoops of water, Lu Xiangsheng woke up.

"Master Lu, have you woken up from your dream?"

Lu Xiangsheng looked up and saw Kang Guangxu, and snorted coldly:
"Kang Guangxu, why are you still alive?"

"I'm fine, hahaha. I'm here to see you off today. Your Excellency is leaving for Yunyang, and I'm afraid I won't even be able to see your bones again."

Lu Xiangsheng sneezed.

"Don't worry, I'm waiting for you on the Yellow Springs Road."

Kang Guangxu laughed heartily, looking towards the prison van with a beaming face:

"Lu Xiangsheng! You were an accomplice to the evil! You encouraged the retired emperor to suppress the gentry and acted perversely! You reformed the imperial examinations, causing me to fail the exams repeatedly! Things have their consequences, and now you're a prisoner. Tell me, who won in the end?"

Lu Xiangsheng smoothed his wet hair and said sharply:

"Justice is in the hearts of the people. It's not the end yet. Let's wait and see who wins and who loses!"

Kang Guangxu looked around and saw a row of prisoner cars at the back. Inside were all the followers of the princess appointed by the court. He grinned and was about to make a few more sarcastic remarks when he heard Lu Xiangsheng say loudly:

"Kang Guangxu, your father, Kang Yingqian, was a Jinshi (Jinshi) scholar. He was loyal and devoted, and he served the retired emperor, rising from general to minister. You, you're not even a Jinshi (Jinshi) scholar. You're a shameless villain, uneducated and incompetent, obsessed with profit. For your own selfish ends, you've committed perverse acts that have brought disaster upon the country and its people! Kang Guangxu, you know you won't live long."

"Hahaha, I won't live long? Elder Lu, are you crazy?"

Kang Guangxu forgot that he was still standing on the bench, and laughed loudly towards the sky. He stepped on empty air, staggered, and fell to the ground.

A pile of colorful medicine bottles slipped out of the robe and rolled everywhere.

The personal guards hurried over to help Lord Kang pick up the bottle.

The eighteenth generation inheritor of the Vajra Powder, disregarding the dignity of a civil official, pushed aside his personal guards and pointed at the prisoner car, cursing:

"Lu Xiangsheng, you're so stubborn even when you're about to die! Well, I'm busy with official business and won't bother with a dead man like you! But I want to see who dies first, you or me! Humph!"

After Kang Guangxu said this, he walked towards the princess's carriage angrily.

Jiang Liuer didn't dare to look Lu Xiangsheng in the eye. He ordered the guards to protect the prisoner and turned to leave.

Suddenly I heard a commotion ahead:
"Traitor! Get out of Nanjing!"

"Liu Yufei! You obstructed the court's new policies and favored the people. You shall not die a good death!"

"Bitch, go to Yunyang and keep the peasants company!"

"We can't let her go like this. Return the taxes that have been withheld from each family over the years to us!"

"My family's land was occupied by unscrupulous people two years ago. Compensate me for the land!"

Jiang Liuer knew that the princess was in trouble, so he quickly led the guards to rescue her. However, he had taken two steps when he suddenly stopped.

In full view of everyone, Liu Yufei kicked open the car door and jumped onto the roof, regardless of the maid's obstruction.

She looked down upon the crowd, her eyes swept over Jiang Liu'er, and pointed her finger at the crowd of nobles and dandies. She ignored the mockery and abuse from the people around her and roared like a tiger and a dragon:
"You bunch of rats! Worms! Cowards! Scum! My father's defeated generals! You all heard this clearly! I! The flesh and blood of the retired emperor, the eldest princess of Great Qi, the designated heir to the throne, the ruler of the seven kingdoms, and the defender of the Qi Dynasty's land system! Liu Yufei, born in the midst of rebellion! I will use my life's strength, with fire and blood, to take back everything that belongs to my father! Today, I swear on my father's honor that all those who harm or betray Great Qi will die without a burial place! They will bleed to death and wail!"

(End of this chapter)