Chapter 188: Chapter 188
Chapter 188
Another point was that the authorities could not blame Governor Mu for using this method to attract people to move to his city. In the past, whether it was floods, droughts, or any other disasters, as the governor, they had to do everything to protect their city’s interests.
As long as they didn’t use government resources to make medicine for personal profit, anything was permissible!
Speaking of the assassination attempt on his wife, Mu Heng understood that this was a warning or perhaps retaliation for Red Earth City’s refusal to cooperate with them. Those people didn’t target him but aimed at his wife, a woman. Such actions were truly shameless.
"Find out where they came from. If they dare to target Red Earth City, we must retaliate so they understand the consequences. Moreover, they dared to target my wife, who is just a woman. Once we know who is behind this, I will report this to the capital for judgment. The news of their audacity will be exposed. Let’s see if they can still hold their heads high," Mu Heng said with a stern tone.
If they had dared to attack him, he might not have been so enraged. But the fact that the other party didn’t face him as a man or a governor but instead involved a woman who had no combat abilities, he would ensure they and their entire families disappeared!!
If this news reached the capital, let’s see how their faces and their family’s reputation would hold up!
"Understood," Mu Heng’s men responded seriously.
They had long wanted a strict governor like this. Previously, Red Earth City had only governors sent reluctantly, who felt punished and vented their anger on the people or workers like them. However, they groveled to the powerful in neighboring cities, almost treating them like personal royalty.
After only a few cups of tea, the investigator came in, his clothes still stained with the rusty smell of blood, making Yueqian frown slightly. She wasn’t close to the men in the room, but her presence there was now a usual sight.
Mu Heng wasn’t worried about anyone talking nonsense. He wasn’t ashamed if people thought of him as an emperor who let his wife command from behind the curtain. His only goal was to make his family happy and perform his duties well to showcase their achievements.
He had become so powerful that people from the Du Region couldn’t touch him, and he wasn’t stuck in the Bai Region like someone with no way out. So, whether Yueqian was respected or it was him, it didn’t matter much.
However, Yueqian still knew how to give Mu Heng face. She only acted like a secretary, taking notes during meetings, and didn’t interfere with her husband’s decisions while he was working. She respected his authority to make decisions fully. Only if Mu Heng sought her opinion did he refrain from making a final decision and then ask her afterward. Therefore, in the eyes of others, her actions were not considered unacceptably inappropriate.
“What have you found?”
A royal official asked the question on behalf of Mu Heng, not letting him ask it himself. In fact, this role should have been performed by the governor’s assistant, but since the assistant had to cover Mu Heng’s duties while he rushed back, he wasn’t present at this meeting.
“It was the Small Mountain City nearby. They tried to blame it on angry townsfolk who didn’t receive help, but no one believed them.”
“If those townspeople really needed the medicine, they could have just changed their registration. If they thought staying in their original city was more important, they wouldn’t resort to such actions. It’s not like they had no other choice. Moreover, could they pretend to be ordinary villagers when their skills surpass those of spies?”
“The weapons used were not ordinary, and they were poisoned. This attack was definitely meant to be fatal. The target was vicious; they wanted to make the governor realize that if he continued not cooperating with them, not only his wife but also his siblings and he himself would not survive.”
Upon hearing this, the others couldn’t help but take a deep breath. As outsiders, it wasn’t strange for them to think this way. For men, wives were often seen as ornaments, a means to produce heirs and provide relaxation at night. The status of women was often scorned, and many women were abandoned to work hard without receiving any respect.
If it were others, losing their wife would be the beginning of a psychological war. They wouldn’t grieve that much; if they really wanted a wife, they would just find a new one. This is why other governors targeted Yueqian first, signaling that if they didn’t comply, they would be harassed in this manner.
However, if they were citizens of Red Earth City, such actions would be akin to sending assassins to kill the governor. And yes! The governor’s furen’s importance equaled the life of the governor himself in his eyes!
This wasn’t a warning; it was truly a declaration of war. There would be no reconciliation after this. The decision made by the Small Mountain City was like choosing to sever all ties between the two cities!
"Draft a decree to be sent to the palace and the Wang, informing them of this atrocious act. Issue a summons to the governor of Small Mountain City. If he does not surrender and confess, it will be considered intentional concealment and obstruction of the investigation, increasing his guilt and necessitating additional military and administrative expenses. There will definitely be a fine to the manor." Hearing this, everyone knew immediately that Mu Heng’s intention was to kill!
Not only would the governor be punished for his envy and selfishness, but his poor decisions could lead to only a death sentence for him. However, his family, who had nothing to do with the matter, might face exile or even lighter punishment if someone intervened.
However, issuing the letter first to allow for confession was different. Mu Heng could argue that the arrests, evidence gathering, and key witness testimonies required substantial funds. Of course, who knew how long the investigation would take?
If Mu Heng mobilized the entire city and all 600 soldiers for 30 days imagine how much the fines would amount to. Wouldn’t selling the governor’s manor still leave them short?
He wasn’t acting recklessly; he was notifying them in advance and providing details. If the person truly repented, they should come forward and admit their mistakes. But would someone like Small Mountain City’s governor truly admit guilt? He dared to harm a woman, so he must be extremely selfish.
His future looked bleak now, and it seemed his head would no longer in the original place.
Of course, Small Mountain City’s governor was still smug. Even after receiving the notification letter, he didn’t think that a small governor from the Du Region could do anything to him.
He didn’t even know that there was a petition accusing him of targeting a woman uninvolved in politics just to seize resources from the barren, desolate Red Earth City. People in the capital didn’t know, those at the Wang’s manor didn’t know, and no one knew that Red Earth City had changed. Everyone still believed that Red Earth City was a dead city, a place no one wanted to live.
Moreover, this city had recently faced an epidemic, and their demise seemed imminent. Who would have thought that after they poured all their resources into requesting herbs to treat the townspeople, they would end up being targeted for murder? And using such a disgraceful method—attempting to kill the governor’s furen first to force the governor to surrender.
The shameful story spread quickly. Within 10 days, the news had reached the capital!
It must be said that the people in the capital were all the same—they loved talking about others. Whoever was in distress, whoever behaved disgracefully, they would discuss and ridicule eagerly.
Soon, this scandal reached the ears of the King of the Bai Region, who had never thought this would become such a big issue. As the damaging rumors grew louder, the populace expected him to punish those responsible!
While the capital was abuzz with this news, Red Earth City had returned to peace. They had increased military patrols and sent people to other cities to prevent further malicious actions. Thus, while residents had places to seek refuge, they were being expelled from Red Earth City’s territory.
Initially, they hadn’t planned to build a fence to protect against people from their own Bai Region. But now, Red Earth City had started constructing a fence around the city.
The citizens of Red Earth City were quite pleased with this effort. They were concerned about their safety, and being surrounded by a fence gave them peace of mind. Soldiers were stationed at every point to help and ensure security. However, the long-time residents of other cities living in Red Earth City began to feel the pressure.
"How can the governor of Red Earth City do this, throwing us out like pigs or dogs?"
"He treats us as if we aren’t human, showing no compassion at all!"
"What is Red Earth City really up to in secret? I’ve heard they’re letting people from other tribes in. Are they actually planning a rebellion?"
"That must be it. They have medicine but won’t treat people from the Bai Region, instead giving it to people from other tribes!"
"Exactly. This must be the reason. We must report this to the authorities," shouted many villagers, demanding justice. When they didn’t receive it, they resorted to insults and continuous threats.
However, the soldiers of Red Earth City were not foolish. They knew well what was happening. Hearing the villagers from other cities slandering their governor, who was like a father giving them a new life, how could they not be angry?
"Shut up! This is your own fault for being too greedy. You refuse to become citizens of Red Earth City but want to seize Red Earth City’s resources. Moreover, you even sent an assassin to kill the governor’s furen. After such an incident, how can we allow you to roam freely in Red Earth City?"
" In fact, I think it was you who were spies for other tribes to harass us, the Red Earth City’s people. Wasn’t that boy from the Kuya tribe brought here by you? I heard that kid came with your convoy before separating"
"Indeed! If that boy Yapo hadn’t repented and helped the governor’s furen, she might be dead by now."
"Even though the governor’s furen showed kindness by allowing Red Earth City’s people to sell goods to you at normal prices, unlike how you treated us during hard times, charging us exorbitant prices. And yet, you still don’t appreciate it and have the audacity to slander us?"
"What kind of people are you, so vile and selfish? Even if you became citizens of Red Earth City, we’d still have to watch out for you, right?"
"The governor is too kind. Anyone who is sick can transfer their registration to become citizens of Red Earth City. I disagree with this. It would be better to select people who have never taken advantage of us. In the future, Red Earth City won’t need to rely on anyone. We will sustain ourselves and send our achievements to the capital. Let’s see who these people will exploit then."
"Exactly. We’re all from the Bai Region, yet you exploit the people of Red Earth City in every way. We return those words to you!"The soldiers retaliated fiercely, their long-held resentment boiling over. In truth, with Red Earth City developing so well, they didn’t want people from other cities moving into their city at all.
