Chapter 12

On the riverbank, the young masters of the Ye family took off their shirts and were only wearing shorts, bare-armed as they practiced martial arts. Duan Jin and Zhao Jingwen were also among them. From afar, the group of muscular young men looked full of vitality. The scene was truly lively.Duan Jin glanced over during a break and saw Ye Suijin standing by the water looking pensively at the surface. The others were used to this by now. Ever since she had fallen ill that one time, she would often drift off like this. And recently she had started doing many things she didn't use to do before, so they all felt she was shouldering the whole Ye Manor and leading everyone to find direction. Her constant contemplation showed she was using her heart and mind, which oddly put people's hearts at ease.

In fact, Ye Suijin was trying hard to regain her memories.

Too much time had passed, nearly twenty years. And her life was not like that of ordinary people, having gone through so much. To her, even the relatively peaceful Dengzhou when she was 20 could be considered a warm memory.

Naturally it was not as deeply etched in her mind as those events of life and death, intrigues and power struggles.

It was all so fuzzy.

She had to reorganize her memories.

Just then, the sound of hoofbeats approached from afar, pulling Ye Suijin back from reminiscing about the past. She turned to look.

"Master—“

It was the person she had sent out earlier to secretly scout around, as expected.

Duan Jin had just been sparring with Tenth Son. With the quickest reaction, he immediately threw down the wooden staff he was using for practice and turned to grab his clothes and blade. "Something's up!"

And something was up for sure. During this harvest season, it was all too easy for something to happen if you stayed put for just a few days. The young masters could often gain intelligence just by camping out in an area.

Ye Suijin gave the word, and the group charged out swiftly like a gale.

Once they arrived at the site, surveyed the situation, and identified the targets, Tenth Son was no longer hesitant and unsure like before. He charged in joyfully.

Not to be outdone, Duan Jin rushed out as well.

The two were similar in age and still in their youth. Especially Duan Jin, who had a fearless spirit. Even Tenth Son had transformed.

The older brothers couldn't help but smile.

Just days ago in Neixiang County, who could smile at times like this?

They were already familiar with the process.

After capturing the migrant refugees, the local villagers would be in an agitated mood, especially those who had suffered casualties. Their families would be particularly emotional.

A trial and execution could appease these emotions. After going through it several times in Neixiang County and Ruzhou County, the young Ye masters had gained deep understanding.

Now they could better grasp why Ye Suijin did this.

That feeling of holding people's hearts in your hand was strangely exhilarating.

But this time, unexpectedly they met resistance. Someone forbade them from carrying out the executions.

The newcomer wore official robes and held considerable authority. He frowned and sternly ordered, "This official is present. Who dares to carry out vigilante justice!"

It was none other than the magistrate of Nanyang County, Ma Jinhui, who had returned.

These past couple days, he had already caught wind of rumors about the Ye Manor's killings, though he was skeptical. The Ye Manor had always given him the impression of being docile and timid. How could a group of obedient commoners dare to start killing people?

Unsure what to make of it, and since it hadn't happened in his own county, he thought he would wait until after the harvest season when he had time to ask those two county magistrates about it.

How could he have expected to suddenly receive report that the Ye Manor people were interrogating and killing someone?

How could this be allowed? Were they not putting him, the county magistrate, in their eyes? Only the government had the power to interrogate and pass judgement.

In the current circumstances, Ma Jinhui knew that his authority still held weight only by inertia. He was an official appointed by the court, regardless of whether that court still existed or whether the new dynasty recognized him. The common people were used to his presence.

But once his prestige crumbled, it would be difficult to rebuild. And the force that caused his downfall might replace him.

He could not let that happen.

When Ma Jinhui heard the report, he brought all the clerks from the county office and mobilized the full force. Those with horses rode horses, those with donkeys rode donkeys, even some riding mules, rushing over as fast as they could to not miss the action.

Luckily, to attract more onlookers and create greater spectacle, Ye Suijin did not immediately interrogate and execute the prisoners.

She waited until villagers from all directions heard the news and gathered, the hubbub reaching a peak, before Ma Jinhui arrived in time.

But after he finished yelling "Who dares to carry out private executions", and took a clear look, all he saw were strong and vigorous youths, blades glinting in the sunlight. Especially the eyes of those young masters, bright yet sharp.

Compared to them, the yamen clerks he brought seemed pathetic. Those clerks could usually strut around the streets but now seemed insignificant before these heroic young masters.

Ma Jinhui couldn't help but falter.

He then singled out one person to ask: "Third Son! Who ordered you all to make trouble? Where is your father?"

Clearly the most dazzling figure among the crowd was that fiery and bright woman. Yet he deliberately acted as if he didn't see her, only addressing Ye Sanlang whom he had met before.

Sanlang was the eldest son of Ye Sizi. For many of the Ye Manor's external affairs, especially dealing with officials, it was often Ye Sizi who represented them. Sanlang had accompanied his father to see Magistrate Ma several times so they were familiar.

Sensing Ma Jinhui's intentional ignorance of Ye Suijin, Sanlang grew wary. Still holding his blade, he cupped fists and declared in a clear voice: "Greetings to you, sir. My father is not present, but our manor lord is here."

As he said this, he gestured towards Ye Suijin.

Only then did Ma Jinhui properly look at Ye Suijin, and said: "So it is Miss Ye—“

Before he could say "young lady", Ye Suijin abruptly yelled: "Kill—!"

Her shout was crisp yet forceful, brimming with youth yet beyond her years.

Duan Jin swung his blade first.

Closely following were Zhao Jingwen and Tenth Son. Not a moment of hesitation as they obeyed amidst the spectators' shrieks and screams, blades chopping decisively with blood spraying on the spot.

Magistrate Ma was too close and had his mouth open speaking, only feeling something wet splash onto his face. He licked his lips and tasted the warm, bloody tang. Wiping with his hand, there were several streaks of blood in his palm.

Seven or eight heads rolled on the ground. One of them bounced all the way to his feet.

County Magistrate Ma instinctively staggered back two steps until held up by the yamen clerks behind him.

Though he succeeded in not screaming like the others, he no longer had the imposing air when yelling "Who dares to carry out private executions".

"You, you—" He glared wide-eyed at Ye Suijin, too angry to speak.

Since he "did not see" Ye Suijin, she also "did not see" him.

Ye Suijin only asked Sanlang: "Who is that yelling and interfering with the Ye Manor's actions?"

Having grown older, Ye Sanlang had seen these officials with his father before, so held some awe for them deep down. Just now when he stepped forward to answer, he was a beat slower than the other brothers to swing his blade when Ye Suijin ordered the executions.

But after that one swing, when he looked up again at the county magistrate, the accumulated awe somehow vanished.

The official hat was askew, the voice feeble and powerless.

So these officials were just like this after all.

Sanlang still remembered how shocked he was hearing Ye Suijin's earthshattering declaration in the hall about first taking Dengzhou. He simply couldn't believe it at the time, vaguely feeling "How can this be done?"

Now he realized, why couldn't it be done? Without the court or army backing them now, these officials' foundations were so precarious, laughable that he and his father hadn't recognized it before, even paying them full respects.

Hearing Ye Suijin's question, Ye Sanlang wiped the blood that had splashed onto his face and said: "This is the magistrate of Nanyang County."

The youth's tone and bearing were different from before. Even Ma Jinhui could sense it. The gazes of the surrounding villagers towards the Ye Manor and him had also changed.

Collapsed.

Rushing over urgently yet still collapsing in the end.

Ma Jinhui shook off the clerks supporting him and stepped forward, angrily yelling: "Ye Suijin, you daring woman, to scorn the laws of the state!"

"Which state?" Ye Suijin sneered. "Wei? Liang? Or Jin?"

Ma Jinhui was silenced.

Ye Suijin said: "The emperor has already changed, I ask sir, do you have new credentials from the new emperor and court?" Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NƟvelFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Ma Jinhui said: "It is precedent for officials of the former dynasty to remain in place when dynasties change..."

"Boyi and Shuqi did not eat Zhou grain," Ye Suijin cut him off. "I'd have thought men of principle and integrity would insist on loyalty and righteousness, dying in these fields rather than serving two dynasties and masters."

"Just a woman's nonsense," the county magistrate said. "As ministers, we shepherd the people for the emperor. If I die for such pettiness, who will provide for all these commoners!"

He said this so self-righteously.

Ye Suijin had long seen the shamelessness of civil and military officials, but she still couldn't help twitching the corners of her lips.

The magistrate of Ran County was a person who didn't understand the times. When he saw the scene, he was very respectful to her, and she also gave the other party some face. But this Ma magistrate of Nanyang obviously wanted to suppress Ye Family Fort, so there was no need to be polite to him.

"The common people work hard day and night, men plowing and women weaving, and they can support themselves." She said, "The meaning of the yamen is to maintain stability in one place and protect the safety of the villagers. Today, Magistrate Ma, can you do it?"

Her voice became severe: "If it weren't for our Ye Family Fort today, I dare to ask Magistrate Ma, could you and your men possibly snatch back the grain that was robbed? Could you possibly avenge the innocent villagers who were wrongfully killed?"

Ma Jinhui moved his lips, but in the end he couldn't say "yes" in front of layer upon layer of villagers watching.

The Ye family didn't even sheathe their bloody knives, which reflected a cold and cruel light in the sunlight. The yamen runners felt chills running down their necks and desperately tried to shrink their heads back.

Ma Jinhui hated this very much. He shouldn't have rushed over so eagerly, he should have organized a group of able-bodied men to come over.

"Ah Jin, tell the villagers about the rules of our Ye Family Fort," said Ye Suijin.

Duan Jin sheathed his knife and took the big "Ye" flag from someone else, pounding it heavily on the ground next to Ye Suijin!

"Fellow villagers, listen up. Ye Family Fort protects the safety of Dengzhou people, outsiders are not allowed to do evil in our hometown!"

"Ye Family Fort orders: Robbers shall be beheaded! Rioters shall be killed! Those who deceive and incite riots shall be disemboweled, and their corpses exposed for ten days!"

The villagers knelt down in unison.

"Thank you, Fort Lord Ye!"

"Fort Lord Ye, plead for us!"

"Please, Fort Lord Ye, drive away all these damned outsiders!"

Ye Suijin helped up the elder in front and promised, "I'll do my best."

This scene was too glaring. Ma Jinhui gritted his teeth and attacked Ye Suijin from another angle: "The refugees are also people, also our dynasty's commoners. Arriving destitute and helpless for the time being, Miss Ye, have you ever thought about this!"

As soon as he said this, the noisy voices of gratitude from the villagers suddenly fell silent.

But soon after, a hoarse, shrill cry of a woman rose sharply from the ground—

"Husband, ah—"

"You died so miserably—"

"Without you, how will the orphans and widows survive—"!

Ma Jinhui's face instantly turned dark.

Ye Suijin walked over to the source of the sound, and the villagers gave way to reveal a woman sitting on the ground crying loudly.

The men were the ones who died in the fight, so the women naturally became widows.

Ye Suijin comforted the widow and also slipped a silver ingot to her. That one ingot of silver was enough for a peasant family to use for several years. The woman clutched it tightly and kowtowed to Ye Suijin while crying.

The scene was even more glaring than before.

Ye Suijin stood up and looked at Ma Jinhui: "What the county magistrate said is right. The refugees are also commoners."

"But people have varying degrees of intimacy. My Ye family is the Ye clan of Dengzhou."

"First of all, I have to protect the safety of the local elders and villagers of Dengzhou."

"Talking about 'we are all commoners' is your business as an official, not Ye Family Fort's business."

"Come, string up these rioters for me and expose the corpses for ten days!"

Without even needing the young and strong of Ye Family Fort to take action, the villagers swarmed forward.

Soon, ten wooden crosses were erected by the roadside, and the beheaded corpses were tied to them, bloody and truly deterring.

The local villagers were naturally encouraged, but the surrounding refugees dared not look up, some even wiping away tears stealthily.

Ye Sanlang took all this in.

Today, Ye Suijin had trampled the authority of the Nanyang county magistrate to the ground.

It didn't matter, she had no intention of keeping this Ma-surnamed magistrate anyway.

Yes, Ye Suijin now regarded Dengzhou as her possession. In the future, whoever was in charge of Dengzhou's three counties would naturally be up to her.

She told the local villagers: “Expose the corpses for ten days! Don't take them down before ten days! Whoever dares to take them down secretly is opposing Ye Family Fort. Feel free to come report to me at Ye Family Fort, and I will settle accounts. The informant will be rewarded with two taels of silver."

Ma Jinhui was so angry that his face turned iron blue.

Two taels of silver was enough for a peasant family to use for more than a year. The eyes of these country bumpkins lit up, and they peeked at him stealthily.

He had originally planned to dismantle the corpse racks after Ye Suijin left. But now there was no way he could do that.

If he let Ye Suijin kill him with a backhanded slap and humiliate him again, he was afraid that even the yamen runners would stop listening to him in the future.

He could only watch helplessly as the agile and fierce people of Ye Family Fort leapt onto their horses and galloped away in a cloud of dust.

That handsome young man had excellent horsemanship and was responsible for holding up the flag. The big "Ye" flag fluttered in the wind as he galloped.

The ignorant and stupid commoners were still kowtowing there.

It was truly glaring.

"Come." He gritted his teeth. "Send a message to Fangcheng."

"Just say, the engagement... I have agreed to it!"

He couldn't do anything without soldiers on hand.

That group in Fangcheng were the remnants of the Xuanhua army garrison left behind in this place. Although they were now just local bandits, they were still a force to be reckoned with.

He wanted to grasp this force in his hand.

He wanted to grasp Dengzhou in his hand!