Since the roads had been paved, it took less than four hours by fast horse to travel from Yecheng Academy to Xindu City.
Shen Yu whipped his horse along the way, the hooves kicking up a cloud of dust on the official road. Farmers in the fields on both sides raised their heads, watching his figure recede, and began whispering among themselves.
“Today, I've already seen several officials rushing back to Xindu City from elsewhere. Now even Second Young Master Shen has returned. It seems the rumors in the city are true!”
“What rumors?”
“You don't know yet? I heard that the southern court sent someone here to propose marriage to the Divine Lady!”
“What?!”
“How dare he! That is the Divine Lady! Has he lost his mind?”
“Exactly! He doesn't know his place!”
At the same time, a large crowd had gathered at the city gate.
Auntie Zhao, who sold flatbreads, whipped off her apron and stood in front of her stall with her hands on her hips, her voice three pitches higher than usual.
“That wet-behind-the-ears emperor from the south wants to marry our Divine Lady? Bah! Is he even worthy?”
Next to her, Old Man Zhou, who wove straw sandals, slapped the leg of his stool with a shoe sole, his eyes wide and his beard bristling with anger. “What Son of Heaven? In our Zhenbei Prefecture, the Divine Lady is Heaven! If those dog officials from the Yong Dynasty dare to take one step into Xindu City, I'll be the first to beat them to death with my shoe soles to show them what's what!”
Several young men rolled up their sleeves, revealing the firm muscles on their arms, shouting in a chaotic chorus.
“Let him come! Let him come! We can drown them with our spit alone! To think he actually wants to marry the Divine Lady—does he think we, her believers, are dead?!”
“Exactly! We can't let those bastards offend the Divine Lady. We must teach them a lesson!”
“Don't worry, everyone. Miss Pei and the others must already be discussing this. Just wait for the official notice!”
“If you ask me, we should have marched our troops into the Yong Dynasty's imperial city long ago and dragged that dog of an emperor down from his throne!”
“That's right! This mortal realm belongs to the Divine Lady. The Yong Dynasty occupies her land and dares to come north to offend her. They truly don't know what they're doing! We should help the Divine Lady reclaim the south and beat them into submission!”
“It's so hard to join the military these days. I wonder if we can bring our own rations and follow the Zhenbei Army when they attack the Yong Dynasty, just to vent this anger for the Divine Lady!”
The moment Shen Yu's horse reached the city gate, he heard this earth-shattering clamor.
He dismounted, holding the reins as he squeezed through the crowd.
Auntie Zhao spotted Shen Yu immediately and shrieked, “Look, everyone, it's Second Young Master Shen!”
“Second Young Master Shen, tell us quickly, what should we do about this? We absolutely cannot let those people enter the city. They'll dirty Xindu City's ground and insult the Divine Lady!”
Shen Yu raised his hand and pressed it down.
The clamor in the crowd gradually subsided, and hundreds of eyes fell upon him in unison.
“Everyone, please calm down.” Shen Yu's voice was not loud, but every word was crystal clear. “As believers of the Divine Lady, we naturally cannot stand by and watch anyone offend her.”
His gaze swept across their furious faces. “If the Emperor of Yong dares to come, the Zhenbei Army will naturally take action to make them pay for desecrating the deity. You should open your shops and set up your stalls as usual. If we cause trouble out of impulse, it will only give those with malicious intent an opportunity to exploit.”
After he finished speaking, the crowd fell silent for a moment.
Auntie Zhao lowered her hands from her hips and muttered, “Second Young Master Shen has a point, but I'm just so angry!”
Shen Yu handed the reins to Shen Da, who had followed closely behind. “I know you all love and respect the Divine Lady, but since this matter involves her, we cannot act rashly. Once we have discussed and reached a decision, the Governor's estate will issue an official notice. Please disperse for now and do not block the city gate, obstructing traffic.”
Though the citizens were unwilling, Shen Yu carried significant weight in Xindu City. The crowd muttered in low voices for a bit before finally dispersing in small groups.
Once the city gate returned to normal, Shen Yu turned and strode toward the Governor's estate in the center of the city.
When he stepped into the main hall, the round table was already crowded with people. At a glance, there were both men and women, some wearing civil official robes, others wearing armor they had not yet taken off.
Everyone had a solemn expression.
Pei Wanning handed the secret letter in her hand to Shen Yu as he walked over. “Second Young Master Shen, take a look at this.”
Without a word, Shen Yu took the secret letter and quickly scanned its contents. “This Guo Rong is simply foolish beyond belief. The Divine Lady is a true deity descended to this world. How dare a mere mortal dream of marrying her?”
“This is an absolute desecration of the Divine Lady!”
“If the Divine Lady is angered by this, even if that brainless fool Guo Rong dies ten thousand times, it wouldn't be enough to atone for his sin!”
Scholars did not use harsh language when cursing. As for the military generals nearby, they were no scholars, and their mouths were laced with venom.
“Those bastards! We've given them too much face, and now they're pushing their luck!”
“What kind of garbage is that little emperor in the south? He isn't even fit to carry the Divine Lady's shoes!”
“No matter what you all say, I'm going to teach those dog bastards a lesson. If I don't beat them until they get down on their knees to beg for mercy and cry for their parents, I won't have the face to see the Divine Lady again!”
Seeing that everyone looked ready to roll up their sleeves, rush out of the Governor's estate, and pick a fight, Pei Wanning stood up to calm them down. “We must not act on impulse. This matter must be planned carefully to avoid backfiring.”
Shen Jue, who had remained silent, spoke up. “Miss Pei, just give us a straight answer. Are we sending troops or not?”
The corners of his mouth were pulled down, his expression extremely grim.
Pei Wanning looked at Shen Jue, her expression faltering slightly. “Even if we send troops, General Shen, you are not suited to lead them.”
“Why can't I lead them?”
Dissatisfaction immediately flared on Shen Jue's face. “Could it be that Miss Pei believes my abilities are insufficient to pacify the south, help the Divine Lady unite the thirteen prefectures of the realm, and eliminate all these clowns?”
Compared to the slightly emotional Shen Jue, Pei Wanning was much more composed. She said in a professional tone, “General Shen, it is not that I am targeting you. It is because the one coming to Zhenbei Prefecture this time is not just the envoys, but the Child Emperor of Yong himself.”
“Isn't that perfect? I'll just take his dog life directly.” Shen Jue's voice was as cold as frost in the depths of winter.
Pei Wanning's expression was unreadable. “General Shen, the envoy accompanying the Child Emperor to Zhenbei Prefecture is your father, the Marquis of Ningyuan. I have long heard that the Marquis of Ningyuan is fiercely loyal to his sovereign and country. If the Marquis of Ningyuan protects the Child Emperor with his life, what will you do?”
“What did you say?”
Shen Jue could hardly believe his ears.
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