Chapter 1256: Investigate to the End (6)

As Lin’an was the capital under the Emperor’s rule, there were the most nobles here, but that didn’t mean that the commoners here were the most bullied.

Although the commoners behaved cautiously when they were out, the taxes and contributions they faced were relatively light. After all, in the capital under the Emperor’s rule, maintaining appearances was still necessary.

Therefore, most of the people in Lin’an merely scolded Qin Fang out of patriotism. Very few people there had really lost their families because of him.

However, it was different in the south of the city. 60% of the people in this area were refugees who had been taken in after the war.

People tended to feel a special affection towards their hometown since they likened it to their roots. Thus, they would not leave home easily. While there were various reasons why they became refugees and migrated here, war and heavy taxes were the two most important reasons.

Therefore, if one wanted to know how much the victims hated Qin Fang, the teahouse in the south of the city was the best place to go.

With tears in their eyes, many older middle-aged men and elders gathered together to denounce Qin Fang by recalling their tragic lives more than ten years ago.

The young men in their early twenties sitting at the side also talked about their childhood with emotion.

13 years ago, they were still young thus they did not share the deep hatred of their elders. Nonetheless, the sufferings they endured during their childhood were still deeply engraved in their hearts.

Mu Yangling looked at the dozen or so prisoners. Seeing their gloomy faces, she knew that this was working.

Lord Bai also followed her gaze and looked over, his eyes filled with splendor. He, too, had used the tactic of persuasion and reasoning. He had mentioned everything from their country to families but it didn’t have such an effect!

Seeing that they were almost done listening, Mu Yangling put down the teacup and left. This time, they went to a restaurant in the east of the city.

Mu Yangling asked for a large private room. After pushing open the window, she looked at the endless stream of people below for a while. Then, she turned around and said to the dozen or so prisoners, “Come and take a look.”

They were extremely reluctant as they felt that this was Mu Yangling’s scheme, but the guards dragged them over.

Qi Haoran and Lord Bai also curiously opened another window and looked out. Other than people, there were only people below. What was so strange about that?

However, Mu Yangling pointed at the people on the street and said to them, “Look, the children on the street have parents or grandparents taking care of them. Look at that child. The child standing in front of the candied hawthorn store with his finger in his mouth. Do you think he’s blissful?”

The prisoners’ expressions were very dark. Of course, they were blissful. The kid only had to turn around and tug at his father before the latter reluctantly took out money to buy candied hawthorn for him.

On the street, the young father stuffed the candied hawthorn into his son’s hand and emphasized again, “I have no more money left. No more candied hawthorn in the future. If your mother finds out, she’ll get mad…”

The young son nodded repeatedly. With sparkling eyes, he held the candied hawthorn in one hand and held his father’s hand firmly with the other.

There were many such blissful children on the streets. At a glance, those on the street were either busy vendors or buyers who brought their wives and children out to bargain. Although it was very ordinary, there was a faint sense of blissfulness.

Ordinary people might not notice this blissfulness and find it trivial, but these prisoners were all people who lived precariously. They had never enjoyed such peace since they were young, so this ordinary happiness was magnified more than ten times in their eyes.

No stranger to the battlefield, Qi Haoran quickly understood what Ah Ling meant and couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.

Lord Bai frowned and looked at the street for a long time, but he still couldn’t understand what was going on. Just as he was about to ask, he heard Mu Yangling ask indifferently, “Everyone has parents. What about your parents?”

The prisoners immediately snapped out of their daze and said with a dark expression, “We’re orphans!”

“Why did you become an orphan?”

“What do you mean?” Rage was subtly brewing within the prisoners.

However, Mu Yangling calmly looked into their eyes and asked, “Who told you that you’re orphans? Why did you become orphans? Why did your parents die? Or did they abandon you? Why would they abandon you when you’re healthy, able-bodied and male?”

The prisoners were stunned.

Mu Yangling turned to the window and looked at the pedestrians outside. She asked softly, “Isn’t Qin Fang your adoptive father? Didn’t he mention your parents and relatives to you?”

The prisoners swallowed nervously, feeling that it was best to leave now. Otherwise, this sense of unease would only intensify.

However, their feet continued to be nailed to the floor, rendering them unable to move.

Mu Yangling acted as if she did not see their nervous expressions and continued to ask, “Since you’re only in your twenties or thirties now, I wonder if you still remember what happened when you were young?”

Two or three prisoners shook their heads and said bitterly, “We were all very young when we were adopted. We don’t remember anything.”

“In other words, you’ve been raised by Qin Fang since you were adopted? Then do you know what kind of life the commoners were living 20 to 30 years ago?”

Mu Yangling said softly, “The tax burden increased every year. Later on, when the taxes reached the point where it was impossible to increase them anymore, they began to increase grain collection and the duration of conscription labor. 60% of the annual harvest in the fields had to be handed over to the government office. Then, after the autumn taxes, conscription labor would be increased. The government implemented all the taxes they could think of. Farmers were left with less than 30% of their harvest. Other than the Winter Solstice and New Year’s Eve when they could eat their fill, everyone usually only ate porridge. They couldn’t afford to fall sick. Because once they did, they would implicate the entire family. Do you know how many people sold their children back then?”

“You think that because Qin Fang raised you up, you owe him a great deal and ought to repay him. How do you know that you didn’t become orphans because of him?” Mu Yangling pointed at the children below and said, “If Great Zhou at that time wasn’t controlled by Qin Fang, your parents would also have had the chance to dote on you.”

The prisoners’ hearts suddenly ached as they looked at the people below in a daze.

Qi Haoran said in a deep voice, “Back then, many officials impeached Qin Fang. Those people were later either imprisoned or had their entire clans exterminated. The ‘Great Zhou Code’ stipulated that unless there was a rebellion, children under the age of eight would be exempted from punishment. Back then, many swaddled babies disappeared from the residences of those ministers for no reason…”

Qi Haoran looked at one of them and stopped talking.

Lord Bai also stared at that person, and his eyes gradually widened. “Is—isn’t this 30-40% similar to Li Wenyuan back then…”

The prisoners’ faces turned pale, and Lord Bai immediately stopped talking.

However, at this moment, silence was better than non-silence. The guards also stared curiously at that person’s face and then at the faces of the other prisoners.

Surprisingly, even though these dozen or so people were either assassins or bandits, they did not carry the aura of bandits at all. Instead, they had delicate features and were very handsome.

The guards could not help but mutter in a low voice, “Are all orphans so good-looking? Why don’t I adopt one too?”

The prisoners also looked at each other, their moods fluctuating rapidly.

Mu Yangling coughed lightly before stopping. Then, she turned around and said in a low voice, “Alright, I brought you out today to let you understand that a sinner is a sinner. If he were to choose all over again, our master would still kill Qin Fang!”

Qi Haoran retorted weakly, “I didn’t kill Qin Fang. It was the previous dynasty’s Second Prince who attempted to stage a rebellion…” Why do you all have to pin his death on me?

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