Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Exposed in the Street

The next day at noon, Vermilion Bird Avenue, the busiest street in capital city, was packed with people and noise.

Today it was even livelier than usual. A medical hall had been surrounded so tightly that no water could pass through.

Because a terrifying, bizarre Cuju Man had appeared in a place known for wealth and splendor.

His lower body was completely gone. A huge cuju ball wrapped around the root of his thighs, and he was missing an arm as well. With only one arm left, he crawled along the ground.

He looked frightening and pitiful.

But Zhang Da Hu did not care about the stares. This was already the fifth medical hall he had “walked” to.

When he came out, he finally faced reality.

What Sheng Zhi Wan said was actually true.

Years ago, Qian Ji Powder really had no cure. The Yan Jue Six Tribes relied on it and made the soldiers of Sheng Kingdom suffer bitterly.

But more than twenty years ago, Senior Imperial Physician Song developed an antidote for Qian Ji Powder. Morale surged, and the front lines reported victory after victory.

The late Crown Prince even pushed through objections and ordered the Imperial Physician Institute to spread the cure widely. Almost every healer in Sheng Kingdom knew the antidote.

After confirming this, Zhang Da Hu almost collapsed on the spot.

His eyes turned red, bloodshot. He nearly crushed his teeth from grinding them.

commoner pointed at him and whispered.

He ignored them and suddenly screamed, “Meng Yang! Haha… Meng Yang, you will die a horrible death!”

He shouted as he struggled to writhe forward, crying and laughing like a madman.

These days, hardly anyone in capital city did not know the name Meng Yang.

Lady Meng. Jiao Niang Wine. Everyone knew.

A farm girl of humble birth, she had won countless supporters in capital city through her courage and wit. She saved generals and treated soldiers. Her hands brought the dead back to life, and she was said to be righteous and unmatched.

Because of that, the Jiao Niang Wine she brewed was loved by countless commoner.

Now, when they heard this ugly, terrifying Cuju Man daring to insult her, people immediately shouted in anger.

“Shut up!”

“How dare a beggar spewing madness smear a remarkable woman like Miss Meng? Slandering her in public- do you believe I won’t report you to the authorities and have you thrown in prison at once?”

The one who spoke wore a blue scholar’s robe. He was Su Qi Nian, a popular candidate to place first in this year’s Spring Metropolitan Exam.

His words carried weight. As soon as he spoke, other scholars echoed him.

“That’s right! A madman dares to bite people at random!”

“Miss Meng’s kindness to the soldiers is plain for all to see. Even the Heir Apparent took her in despite the pressure. If Princess Qing Ning weren’t of such high status, he might even have raised her as an equal wife!”

“In my view, we should arrest this kind of person and see if he still dares to talk nonsense!”

The crowd grew heated. Some even threw rotten leaves and stones at him.

With everyone supporting him, Su Qi Nian felt even more proud. He believed he had spoken righteously and defended Meng Yang’s name in front of all. He walked up to the Cuju Man.

“Miss Meng was kind and benevolent,” Su Qi Nian declared. “The soldiers she saved are deeply grateful. Without her, who knows how many would have died on the battlefield and never returned home.”

Zhang Da Hu, filthy and disheveled, lifted his head in a daze when he heard that.

“Died on the battlefield… never returned home…”

Seeing him quiet down, Su Qi Nian smiled smugly, thinking his words had worked and left the madman speechless.

The next second, pain shot up his calf.

The Cuju Man had grabbed him with his only remaining hand, gripping him with terrifying strength. His dirty nails dug through the fabric and bit into flesh. In moments, blood seeped out.

“Ah!” Su Qi Nian cried out and kicked him.

But the other man seemed unable to feel pain. He held on tightly and would not let go.

“Ha! Hahaha! Died on the battlefield? Never returned home?!” he screamed until his voice tore.

“If it weren’t for that Meng Yang, how could my own brother and so many brothers have died on the battlefield and never returned home!”

The street fell quiet.

What… what did that mean?

Before anyone could demand an explanation, two squads of constables rushed over.

When the Cuju Man saw their uniforms, he became frantic and shouted, “I want to report this!”

“I, Zhang Da Hu, former Tiger Guard Centurion, accuse the farm girl Meng Yang! She is vicious, she is steeped in evil, she harmed loyal men. Her crime deserves death!”

Former Tiger Guard Centurion?

The constables did not know centurions, but they had heard of the Tiger Guard. It was a force that had earned great merit in the Cang Nan army.

Yet this half-human Cuju Man claimed he had once been a Tiger Guard Centurion.

The crowd grew even quieter. Only Zhang Da Hu’s voice rang clear into every ear.

“That poisonous woman Meng Yang was ignorant and stupid! She swore Qian Ji Powder had no cure, then cut off my arm and even dared to claim it was to save me!”

“My own biological brother was tortured by Qian Ji Powder. After he heard her say it had no cure, he rushed into the enemy camp and killed himself!”

“And hundreds of soldiers who had been poisoned by Qian Ji Powder, unwilling to suffer, slit their own throats!”

“They didn’t have to die!”

“They didn’t have to suffer like that! Because the antidote to Qian Ji Powder existed long ago!”

“They still had a chance to come back!”

The more Zhang Da Hu spoke, the more his eyes split with rage. Bloody tears churned inside them.

Early that morning, Sheng Zhi Wan had sent word to Shang Xing Yu’s residence and had Zhang Da Hu released from the dungeon. Before he was released, she had also made someone whisper these lines into his ear.

Otherwise, a rough man like Zhang Da Hu could never have shouted such words.

Pitiful. Tragic. Ridiculous.

“Meng Yang! Haha, Meng Yang! You will die a horrible death! A horrible death!” Zhang Da Hu screamed until he was hoarse.

He had lost everything.

Making Meng Yang pay was the only wish he had left.

The constables exchanged quick looks. “If you want to file a complaint, come with us to Da Li Court and meet the Court Minister. Tell everything clearly. The lord will judge.”

The commoner were stunned.

Was such a thing possible?

If the madman spoke the truth, then even death by a thousand cuts would not be enough. That was hundreds of lives.

“Wait!” Zhang Da Hu suddenly remembered something else. “That vile woman did more than that.”

“Even though she married into the Duke’s estate and got pregnant, she couldn’t win the Heir Apparent’s favor, so that poison came up with an idea.”

“She wanted me to rob Princess Qing Ning’s carriage!”

“What? Rob a princess?”

“Yes! She wanted me to throw Princess Qing Ning into a bandit den and let her be defiled until her reputation was ruined. Then she could never please the Heir Apparent again, and the Heir Apparent would belong to Meng Yang alone!”

The crowd sucked in cold air.

Each piece of information was more shocking than the last. It did not only involve the military. It even touched an imperial princess.

Could the virtuous Lady Meng from the storybooks truly be such a cruel, terrifying poison?

“Plotting against an imperial princess, hehe.” Zhang Da Hu laughed harder as he cried, crazier by the second. “That’s a crime that wipes out nine generations! Meng Yang, you vile woman! I want you to repay blood with blood, and I want your whole family buried with you!”

The constables felt their scalps go numb. They had stumbled into something enormous.

They immediately gagged Zhang Da Hu and escorted him back to Da Li Court.

After hearing the details, the Court Minister was so worried he nearly pulled out his own beard. But he could not ignore the case. He gritted his teeth and ordered, “Go to the Duke’s estate. Invite the Heir Apparent and Princess Qing Ning, and also that Miss Meng. Bring them here!”