Chapter 1651: Meng Qi Startled

Chapter 1651: Chapter 1651: Meng Qi Startled

The stall owner nodded, “That’s what they said, though I don’t know if it’s true.”

Meng Yunzheng chatted with him for a few more moments until Shu Yu finished her wontons and called for him. Only then did he nod to the stall owner and the group left the wonton stall.

Meng Qi asked in a low voice, “Cousin, what were you talking about with the stall owner?”

“Just gathering some information.”

Shu Yu asked, “Did the stall owner mention any news about the mountain bandits?”

Meng Qi suddenly turned his head towards her. Did she know what his cousin went to do? So she ate slowly not out of urgency, but necessity?

Meng Yunzheng repeated the stall owner’s words. Upon hearing, Shu Yu frowned; indeed, it wasn’t just about the mountain bandits causing chaos. The Second Prince and the Third Prince were also using this situation to tarnish the Emperor’s reputation, shifting the ultimate responsibility for the bandits killing civilians onto the Emperor.

Meng Qi was stunned, “So those mountain bandits are all desperate, evil people who aren’t waiting for pardons?”

Meng Yunzheng cast him a sideways glance, “Remember what I told you before?”

What did he say?

Meng Qi paused, recalling the instructions Meng Yunzheng gave him along the way.

He had said not to trust the authorities of Chenggu County or even Changjin Prefecture. So, those words the stall owner heard from the soldiers were all lies?

“Those mountain bandits, aren’t death row inmates or banished exiles?” Meng Qi quickened his pace, standing beside Meng Yunzheng, lowering his voice even more, “Then why do those soldiers say so?”

“What do you think?”

Meng Qi wasn’t foolish; he was just young and inexperienced. With a little prompting from Meng Yunzheng, he quickly understood.

Why did the soldiers say that? They spread such statements so that the common people would think these bandits were driven to desperation and if there were amnesty, they would have a way out, thus not resorting to extreme measures.

And the one not granting amnesty is… the current Emperor.

Realizing this, Meng Qi gasped sharply.

Are they targeting the Emperor? The authorities of Changjin Prefecture and Chenggu County are targeting the Emperor, planning a rebellion!!

Meng Qi’s heart was pounding; he had never imagined the situation would be so severe.

At this point, even his legs began to feel weak. He grasped Meng Yunzheng’s arm, his voice trembling, “Brother, how can they be so bold?”

Shu Yu found it amusing; earlier he had called him the distant ‘cousin’ with such formality, but now he directly called him brother?

Meng Yunzheng continued to walk forward nonchalantly, “They think this will earn them a promising future.” Of course, it’s also because they chose the wrong side early on.

“Then, will our Chenggu County become a battlefield?”

This was truly uncertain; Meng Yunzheng was not sure. The main battlefield would naturally be in the capital, but Changjin Prefecture would certainly not be calm.

Seeing his silence, Meng Qi’s face grew even paler. He thought of how the bandits deliberately broke in and took his father. He couldn’t fathom how he got involved in such matters.

“Alright, since we’re here, we must adapt to the situation. With things developing as they are now, our most important task is to protect those around us. Then await rescue from the imperial court; with a place as large as Changjin Prefecture, the court won’t ignore it.”

General Huang was already on his way with reinforcements, but since they’re a large group, they hadn’t arrived yet.

However, by the count of days, it should be in the next day or two.

So Chenggu County will soon experience another wave of chaos. Before that, they must find his father and his little uncle.

If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.