At dawn, as soon as the sun rose, it displayed its formidable divine might. The hottest season of Chang’an City had arrived. There was no wind, only heat waves. Even in the morning, not a trace of coolness could be felt. Each ward gate stood wide open as the residents of Chang’an City began another day of their lives.

The Huang family’s dog, the instant the ward gate opened, darted out of the ward market. In just a few bounds it reached the crossroads of Duliu Street. After driving away a large swarm of flies, it extended its crimson tongue to lick the bluestone pavement.

A foul stench assailed the senses, causing passersby to cover their noses and flee without exception.

A rock flew over, striking the Huang family’s mangy dog. The old dog let out a mournful cry and quickly scurried home with its tail between its legs.

“The Huang family’s dog is beyond redemption—of all things to eat, it licks human blood.” An elderly ward attendant came out the gate holding a broom, followed by a young fellow carrying two large buckets of water.

Enduring the vile stench, he ladled out and splashed the clean water. The water splattered on the stone slabs, and before it could seep down, it turned into red-stained sewage, spreading along the cracks between the stones.

“Uncle Liu, when will this blood finally be washed clean? Duliu Street stinks so bad it’s becoming uninhabitable. We’ve been washing for three days already, and it still reeks like this. My shoulders ache from carrying water.” The young fellow complained as he sprinkled water.

“What nonsense are you spouting? What’s wrong with a young fellow doing some work? Be careful the ghosts don’t hear you. One hundred sixty-four lives! I heard they were sons of prominent families, every one with delicate skin and tender flesh, all scholars. What a pity. How is it that scholars don’t understand reason? Why must they throw themselves onto the blade’s edge? What matter could be more serious than losing one’s head?” The old ward attendant felt some regret.

“What about being a scholar? When beheaded they still bleed. Left for a couple days they still stink. Wasn’t it said the corpses would be exposed for three days? How come they disappeared after just one night?”

“No matter how great the law, it’s not greater than propriety. Throughout all dynasties, for all condemned prisoners whose corpses were exposed—aside from those rootless, homeless wandering ghosts, as long as the family wasn’t completely exterminated—by nightfall, relatives and friends would secretly carry the bodies back for burial. The authorities would turn a blind eye and let it slide. No one would pursue the matter.” Old Liu had lived in Chang’an City for decades and knew these unspoken rules clear as day.

Yun Ye was released from the palace. Although Chengqian told him the high ministers were all meeting in the Taiji Palace to discuss how to control the locust plague, he was still somewhat fearful, constantly feeling that a group of old fellows were waiting at the palace gate to seize him.

Fortunately, there were no outsiders—only Old Zhuang and Liu Jinbao. A good opportunity!

The three of them on three horses disappeared from Chang’an City in a flash. Only then did Yun Ye breathe a huge sigh of relief, feeling as relaxed as if he had escaped from the gates of hell.

“How are things at home? I was confined in the imperial palace with no knowledge of anything outside. I don’t know if Grandmother and the others could cope with this locust plague?”

Old Zhuang tugged the reins, slowing his horse’s pace, and said to Yun Ye: “Everything’s fine at home. With you away, the old mistress led the stewards, servants, and all the manor’s farmers, dividing into several groups to catch insects day and night. All the chickens, ducks, and geese at home were released. Every one ate until they could barely waddle. That’s how we managed to preserve sixty percent of our household’s grain—forty percent was fed to the locusts. If not for our household having many poultry, we’d have ended up like the Hu manor and Liang manor above us. I heard some manors had even their wheat stalks completely devoured by locusts.”

Speaking of this matter, Old Zhuang unconsciously puffed out his chest, quite proud. Among all the manors near Chang’an, only their manor still had grain in the fields. Other households were in unbearable misery, with wailing reaching the heavens.

“Speaking of which, Your Lordship was indeed wise. When you initially had those farmers raise chickens and ducks, they were unwilling. I knew from the start they were a bunch of fools. When have you ever done anything unreliable, Your Lordship? Calling you a wastrel? For this, I beat quite a few of those nonsense-spouting idiots during those days. Now no one calls you a wastrel anymore. Those who were beaten even specially came to the manor to kowtow to the old mistress and admit their wrongs.”

“Are the tenant farmers still at ease? No one fled as refugees?” Yun Ye recalled that several locust plagues in history had invariably created large groups of refugees, their situations pitiful as they dragged children along.

“None, not a single household fled. Our manor has sixty percent of its grain, Your Lordship graciously waived the rent, and the families have livestock and poultry—the circumstances are better than in previous years. What would they flee from? Besides, the whole Guanzhong region looks like this—where would they flee to?”

Only then did Yun Ye’s heart settle. With no refugees, it meant he was a qualified manor lord. Spending two hundred strings of cash to buy livestock, chickens, and ducks to distribute to the farmers truly meant nothing to him. The Yun family didn’t rely on that bit of grain from the fields to survive. The entire manor’s field output converted to money might not even equal two hundred strings. Besides, didn’t he just obtain ten thousand strings? To preserve the manor’s population, he wouldn’t care even if it cost a thousand strings.

“I won a bet with someone a few days ago for ten thousand strings of cash. Has the money been delivered?” Counting the days, Li’er should have dealt with those several prominent families by now, right? The property confiscation should have been quite thorough, right? Old Lu Jiang did promise me ten thousand strings! Hahaha! Next time I see that wastrel old man Old Lu, I’ll tease him some more. Who told him to lead the charge in bullying my academy’s instructors? Though if he hadn’t bullied them, I wouldn’t have obtained this large group of talented people. Old Lu, oh Old Lu, you truly are my lucky star!

The thought made him happy. In any case, your Lu family has enjoyed blessings for several hundred years. Rather than falling into Wu Mei’s hands, better to fall at Li’er’s feet. At least he’s an emperor for the ages.

“In response to Your Lordship, the money hasn’t been delivered. However, the authorities said all the numbered male members of the Lu family have been beheaded. They asked if there are many female relatives and servants being sold off, wondering if our household wants any, so they can calculate the money accordingly.” Zhuang Santing mentioned casually.

In that instant, Yun Ye felt as if he had entered an ice cellar. His entire body turned cold. Feeling the sky spinning and earth turning, he slipped powerlessly down from his horse.

Old Zhuang and Liu Jinbao hurriedly dismounted and helped Yun Ye up. In just this short moment, his entire body was soaked through with sweat, his face wax-yellow, as if he had suffered a serious illness.

“How many people from the Lu family were killed?”

“I heard it was one hundred sixty-four people.”

“Return to Chang’an, return to Chang’an. We must return to Chang’an immediately.” Yun Ye struggled to stand up, trying to climb back onto his horse.

Zhuang Santing and Liu Jinbao didn’t dare dissuade him. They could only help Yun Ye mount his horse. They walked on the ground, carefully attending to their lord, afraid he would fall from his horse again.

“Actually dead? Actually beheaded? Actually the entire family beheaded?” Yun Ye murmured over and over, as if asking others, yet also as if asking himself.

The weather was oppressively heavy. On both sides of the road were defeated crops bitten to death by locusts. There were still farmers in the fields working hard to capture locusts, to dry them and exchange them for money at the Yun family manor. No one paid attention to the master and two servants on the main road. All were busy with their own affairs, all toiling so they could fill their bellies in the future.

What have I been rushing about for? What was I risking being struck dead by lightning on the rooftop for?

Yun Ye’s mind was in extreme chaos.

Aside from enjoying deceiving Li’er and tricking his hidebound ministers, I have no sins. Besides, these things don’t even count as sins—they might even be good deeds. I merely contracted some bad habit of saving people from Niu Jinda. I only wanted fewer people to starve to death. I never wanted to eliminate anyone’s entire family. Before, I was just running my mouth, talking idly. It was clearly a good deed—why did so much blood have to be shed?

Are contradictions truly irreconcilable?