As it was getting dark, Chen Changsheng went to the street to take a look.

When he came back, he said something to Wang Sanniang.

“Do not go out tonight, stay at home.”

Wang Sanniang nodded and said, “Brother Chen, you be careful too.”

Chen Changsheng responded with one word and then went back to his room.

Wang Sanniang closed the door and kept Ping’an and Ruyi near her all night, afraid that anything bad might happen.

Perhaps the noise was too loud, the people in Qingshan City all shut their doors and windows at home, and did not open them at night.

Even the brothels and wine shops closed down.

Everyone was very scared.

On that night, screams kept coming from the city.

Yan Huanglou heard them and was terrified, he did not sleep at all that night.

Almost all the people in the civic districts were like that, no one could sleep through the night, and the fear in their hearts grew stronger and lasted all night.

Until just before dawn, Qingshan City slowly became quiet, but footsteps could still be heard on the street from time to time.

Hearing no more movement from outside, everyone sighed with relief.

The sky became fully bright.

Only then did people slowly dare to go outside.

Almost no one understood what had happened the night before.

But when they came to the street, it was peaceful, though there was still a little blood smell in the air, many places had been cleaned up perfectly.

“What exactly happened last night?”

“I don’t know, I only heard the noises.”

“Who were the dead people? Even the army from outside the city came in.”

People only dared to talk about it softly, if their voices were a bit louder, they quickly went silent.

In that Prince’s Mansion.

An older man covered in blood walked into the main hall.

He knelt down and reported, “Young Master, this old servant has carried out your orders well. Together with what some generals caught, the troublemakers in Qingshan who killed innocently totaled more than a hundred thirty-nine people. Ninety-seven were from the military, and the other forty-two were from the local officials and gangs. Besides that, we caught one thousand forty-eight people, and all have been put in prison.”

Yan Ruchu only nodded slightly and said, “We still need to change the main official in the government to someone strict and fair.”

“This old servant has already found the right person for you, Young Master.”

“Mmm.”

Yan Ruchu nodded and said, “What about the bodies? How were they handled?”

The older man said, “We piled them up outside the different army camps, to warn others.”

“Good.”

The older man asked again, “Young Master, what should we do with the over one thousand people in prison?”

“Take away their military status, lock them up for half a month first. Send them wherever people are needed. I do not need soldiers who do not follow rules.”

The older man took a deep breath and agreed, “Yes.”

“Go now.”

Yan Ruchu waved his hand.

After the older man left, his hanging heart finally felt better.

He clearly knew that this time was completely different from other years.

Our Young Master was truly ready to kill.

The big reason was not about how those underlings broke the rules, but about how all this was told to the Young Master yesterday by that Green-Robed Gentleman.

The older man could not understand who that Green-Robed Gentleman really was, to make the Young Master, who was usually calm, so ready to kill.

The older man almost did not get out of it himself.

Over the years, those under him had gathered much money for him, doing many bad things in secret. The Young Master’s words showed he knew about the older man’s actions.

He had to show his loyalty.

After leaving the Prince’s Mansion, he immediately sent all the money he had collected to the Prince’s Mansion, not even one bit left.

Yan Ruchu accepted it all and put it into the treasure vault without hesitation.

The government put up notices all around the civic districts, saying that anyone who murdered innocently would be killed without mercy, and explaining what happened yesterday.

When the people heard about it, all clapped and praised it!

“They killed them well!”

“They deserved to be killed, those awful people!”

The blood smell in the streets slowly became less as people cheered.

But the cost of this was very big.

Almost one thousand people were caught, and there was a lot of trouble in the army camps, with constant protesting and complaints reaching the Prince’s Mansion.

Hearing this, Yan Ruchu just laughed coldly, then asked lightly, “What is going on?”

“This has happened in all three big camps, it seems like some bad people have gotten in. It is best to look into it carefully.”

The older man heard this and looked serious, nodding as he said, “This old servant will go check right away.”

Yan Ruchu nodded. He looked outside the hall where it was peaceful, sighed deeply, and said.

“Zhao Zhen is still doing his work well.”

The thirty thousand soldiers staying outside Abyss River were meant to watch over him.

But the situation now was still okay.

At least Zhao Zhen could not do much to them now, but in secret, he would still set traps for them, he could find small holes easily.

If someone said Zhao Zhen had not meddled in the three big camps this time, that would certainly not be true.

Yan Huanglou and Wang Sanniang could now set up their stalls safely.

Since that night, no one in Qingshan City dared to eat food without paying anymore.

There were many more people on the streets, slowly making it a busy and lively place.

Business became much better too—before, Yan Huanglou only made a few small coins in a day, now he could make at least fifty coins daily, and on good days, he could buy some meat and vegetables.

Wang Sanniang also made some money selling baked pancakes, gave some good nourishment to the two kids, bought some white flour, and saved a small part for later emergencies.

Yan Huanglou smiled and said, “You really called it right.”

Chen Changsheng said, “Now business is easier to do, no more fear and worry.”

Yan Huanglou nodded and said, “The head of the rebel army has a bit of conscience.”

He sighed deeply and added, “But we still need to stay careful, what happens out in the open is not scary, what happens in secret is harder to guard against.”

After hearing that, Chen Changsheng thought the same, saying, “That is true.”

The situation in Qingshan City now would not be completely quiet, there would always be people blinded by greed.

“But it is better than before.”

Yan Huanglou sighed deeply, showing that he was much more relaxed.

In those days, Chen Changsheng taught Ruyi and Ping’an some simple words. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

He also took out two books to help them recognize characters.

The two little children were obedient and learned quite well.

Ping’an could even memorize a small poem already, which was very good for a three- or four-year-old child.

On this day, Yan Ruchu came to visit Chen Changsheng again, bringing some small gifts, and Chen Changsheng was not shy—he took them all in.

After that, they found a quiet teahouse to talk about serious things.

Yan Ruchu said, “What I mentioned to you before, sir…”

Chen Changsheng said, “That day, I cast a fortune telling. The current state of Xian Yue…”

He started to say something but stopped, the meaning was already clear.

Hearing this, Yan Ruchu was startled inside and asked, “Sir, can you tell me where Xian Yue is now?”

Chen Changsheng said, “When she saved you all those years ago, it was very wrong. It brought big karma. The city gods and ghost deities everywhere would not let her go. She once came to find me. After leaving the mountain, she went north and is now in the Shangjing City’s City God Temple, settling that past karma.”

“That past karma…”

Yan Ruchu muttered to himself and asked, “How is it settled?”

“If a living person does wrong, the laws punish them. If a wraith does wrong, the judge of the underworld records it. Xian Yue saved your life, which was a huge wrong karma. She must suffer one hundred seventy-seven thousand strikes with a soul whip. Only after all that can she be reborn. She is still being punished in the netherworld tribunal now.”