IDWBE -Chapter 373 Suicide

With the suspect captured, the Capital Garrison, the Court Guard, and the Cavalry Command all withdrew. The main street soon returned to peace.

“Claypot rice!”

“Chicken-droppings cake!”

“Head rice!”

As the sun dipped behind the city walls, the hawkers’ voices only grew louder.

“These southern barbarians really are—”

Passersby, hearing such hair-raising snack names, were so frightened they hurried away at once, not daring to linger another step.

They feared their heads might be chopped off by these southerners and turned into “head rice.”

“Hah! These northerners are so ignorant. My head rice is delicious!” grumbled Liu Banzi, grandfather of Liu Kan. “If they don’t want to eat it, fine. I wasn’t selling it to them anyway.”

Most of the vendors in this area were Sanhe laborers who had come north—largely elderly men and women.

The Prince had recruited large numbers of laborers from Jingzhou, Yuezhou, Nanzhou, Yong’an, and other places. As a result, these older Sanhe workers were no longer favored by suppliers—after all, their wages were higher.

Suppliers preferred the cheaper outsiders. Still, they couldn’t use only outsiders—they needed some skilled fighters too, especially young ones.

Thus, the old, the weak, and the women were eliminated.

Since the weather wasn’t cold yet and they had no intention of returning to Sanhe, they stayed in prosperous Ankang City and set up food stalls. Their main customers were nearby Capital Garrison soldiers.

Most of the Capital Garrison troops were from Sanhe. They weren’t used to Ankang’s cuisine—many even suffered stomach troubles from it—so they happily paid out of pocket to patronize these stalls.

Liu Banzi and the others were doing very good business.

“It doesn’t hurt to fleece these outsiders a little,” joked Zhou Xun’s mother from the next stall. “It’s not like they can do anything to us.”

Liu Banzi glanced at her table. “Why are you selling head rice too?”

“You’re allowed to sell it, but I’m not?” she shot back.

“Just stick to your fried dough sticks! Why are you muscling in on my trade?” Liu Banzi fumed. “We each do our own thing—wasn’t that fine?”

“Fried dough sells well in the morning. Who wants it for dinner?” Zhou Xun’s mother retorted. “Besides, your head rice tastes awful. You’d be better off going back to sell cloth with your son. Cooking? What nonsense.”

“What did you say? Mine tastes bad?”

“It does!”

“Say that again and see if I don’t beat you!”

“Go on, then!”

Their quarrel gradually drowned in the bustling crowd.

“It was Jiang Zhong?”

When Lin Yi heard that Jiang Zhong had been captured at the gates of the Capital Garrison, his mouth fell open in shock.

“Your Highness, the man has been brought,” Pan Duo said, stepping aside to reveal a dark-skinned man kneeling on the ground. “Rebel! Show proper respect before the Prince!”

“Prince He…”

“Commander Jiang,” Lin Yi said, staring at the gaunt Jiang Zhong in disbelief. He set down his teapot and walked forward. “It’s only been a short time since we last met. What have you suffered to become so thin? Even I feel sorry seeing you like this.”

In his memory, Jiang Zhong had been a fierce, imposing man. As Commander of the Shadow Guards, he had carried an aura of authority without even needing to show anger.

Who would have thought he’d fall to such a state?

“I have come to this,” Jiang Zhong said stiffly. “I have no complaints.”

“Don’t worry. You certainly won’t live,” Lin Yi replied calmly. “If I don’t kill you, I won’t be able to appease public anger. The sins committed by your Shadow Guards are too many to count.”

Thinking of those unjustly killed by the Shadow Guards filled him with rage.

Who doesn’t have parents?

To treat human lives like grass!

How many orphans had the Shadow Guards created?

Utterly inhuman!

“Don’t celebrate too soon. You may not win,” Jiang Zhong said coldly.

“You escaped the palace. Why stay in Ankang City?” Lin Yi asked curiously. “And right outside the Capital Garrison gate? Don’t you know you only have one life? Were you looking to die?”

Jiang Zhong lifted his head and met Lin Yi’s gaze without flinching. “I refuse to accept this!”

“Winners become kings, losers become bandits. What is there not to accept?” Lin Yi said lightly. “Do you still harbor illusions?”

“I refuse—”

Suddenly Jiang Zhong laughed. Blood spilled from his parted lips. Before Lin Yi’s stunned eyes, he collapsed.

Dead.

He had died right in front of him!

Pan Duo rushed forward, placed his hand under Jiang Zhong’s nose, then fell to his knees. “This subordinate deserves punishment!”

He had never imagined Jiang Zhong would sever his own meridians.

“Take him away.”

Lin Yi turned his back, feeling ill-fated.

“It was my negligence,” Hong Ying said, kneeling after Pan Duo carried the corpse away.

“He knew he wouldn’t survive. Giving himself a quick end is only natural,” Lin Yi sighed. “The only trouble is, with him dead, many secrets have died with him.”

“Rest assured, Your Highness. I will investigate thoroughly,” Hong Ying said, his face shifting uneasily.

If only he had sealed Jiang Zhong’s acupoints earlier.

“No one is to blame,” Lin Yi waved a hand. “Dead is dead. Don’t dwell on it. I heard Sun Chongde was injured—go see him on my behalf. The lad’s clever. Don’t let him actually die. Otherwise, how would his parents bear it?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Hong Ying bowed and withdrew.

Sun Chongde lay in bed for an entire month.

By the time he awoke, the Sanhe army had already reached Liangmatai.

Late autumn. The north wind wailed.

Sanhe’s rat-banner fluttered wildly in the wind.

Across the sprawling military camp stretching over a dozen li, many soldiers—especially southerners—curled up against the cold. Unaccustomed to such weather, quite a few had already fallen ill.

Inside the main tent, Shen Chu used iron tongs to gently stir the charcoal in the brazier before him.

“Hulagu is just ahead,” he said calmly. “Take his head, and we can return home for the New Year before the heavy snows seal the mountains.”

“General!” Bao Kui leapt to his feet. “I request to lead the vanguard and strike straight into the enemy camp!”

“Not your turn,” Shen Chu replied, fishing a roasted sweet potato from the coals and peeling it as he spoke. “You can’t take all the credit. Give the other brothers a chance.”

Just then, the tent flap was thrown open and a soldier rushed in.

“General! Wei Yishan has arrived!”

“Some people really shouldn’t be mentioned—speak of them and they appear,” Shen Chu said with a chuckle.

The Prince wanted to promote the young. But without proving themselves on the battlefield, how could they command respect?

“Reporting to the General!”

Wei Yishan knelt directly before Shen Chu.

“Greetings, General Yuan!”

Wei Yishan did not recognize Yuan Qing.

But besides Bao Kui, the only one seated below Shen Chu could only be Yuan Qing.