My spirit appeared on the road to exile, and I was treated as an ancestor.

Chapter 50 Du Hangwu Makes an Example of Someone Else

Li Si's words, seemingly a reprimand to the criminals, were actually meant to incite them and provoke them into directly robbing the inmates.

The Lu family was furious. These officials had been watching coldly from the sidelines, and now they were speaking like this. They were just like these people, wanting to get a share of the good things given to them by their ancestors.

Lu Xingyao was so angry that he wanted to go forward and argue with him, but Lu Xingyan grabbed his hand and shook his head at him, signaling him not to be impulsive.

Someone understood Li Si's meaning, and shoved the people in front of them, rushing towards the Lu family's house. "Everyone, let's go together! If the Lu family won't give it to us, we'll take it ourselves!"

"It must be the Lu family who seized what the gods left for us!"

"Let's take back our share!"

The officers behind Du Hangwu stepped forward to control the prisoners, whipping them indiscriminately, nearly striking members of the Lu clan several times.

Li Si looked smug, waiting for the scene to become even more chaotic so he could snatch all the treasures from the Lu family.

What Du Hangwu was too cowardly to do, Li Si did!

Surrounded and protected in the middle, Lu Qing leaned on his cane, feeling anxious and hurriedly asked his ancestors what to do.

Gu Xingzhao frowned, her hands poised to strike; if Du Hangwu didn't make a move, she would.

However, at that moment, Du Hangwu suddenly turned around, raised his hand, and the blade in his hand flashed. Before Li Si could react, his head hit the ground with a "thud," and blood splattered all over the ground.

"Ah—ah!!" Someone screamed!
Everyone looked over, only to see that Li Si was still standing, but the area above his neck was empty. With a "thud," his body crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust!
The scene fell silent instantly. The women turned their backs, their faces pale with fright. The timid ones dared not look. The crowd panicked. The few who had colluded with Li Si were stunned, their bodies stiff as if rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch.

Everyone was stunned, never expecting Du Hangwu to be so ruthless, showing no mercy even to his own colleagues, beheading them without hesitation, and taking a life just like that. They felt a chill run down their spines.

Gu Xingzhao hadn't expected Du Hangwu to chop off Li Si's head so cleanly. It was really cruel; a perfectly healthy head, all bloody. He'd have nightmares about it tonight.

She took a deep breath and felt that it was better for her to be struck by lightning; at least her body wouldn't be separated, it would only happen in an instant, and there would be no bleeding.

Du Hangwu swept his gaze coldly across the crowd, his voice like a declaration from hell: "No matter who you are, whether you're a prisoner or anyone else! If you cause trouble again, this is what will happen to you!"

His every move exuded an inviolable majesty.

The officers were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, "Boss! It was all Li Si who started it!"

"We didn't mean to cause trouble! He forced us into it!"

Especially the lowly official who had been following Li Si, who prostrated himself on the ground and recounted everything Li Si had said: "Li Si also said he was afraid the commotion wouldn't be big enough!"

"They said you and he are from the same village!"

"He also said that if you dared to do anything to him, you wouldn't be able to face your relatives in the village!"

Gu Xingzhao glanced at the minor official, who was really going all out to put down Li Si; this guy was definitely no good.

Fear spread through the crowd; everyone was afraid that one day their head would be moved like Li Si's.

Du Hangwu sneered, glanced at the Lu family, and ordered his men to bury Li Si. He told them to rest here for a while tonight and leave at dawn.

He turned and walked away with his men, leaving behind only the thick smell of blood in the night wind. Just moments before, it had been noisy and chaotic, but now it was eerily quiet.

Du Hangwu's performance left a deep impression on Gu Xingzhao. Simply taking action against troublemakers would not have the same effect. Only by beheading Li Si could he truly intimidate everyone.

The prisoners would think this person was ruthless, killing even his colleagues, so they wouldn't dare to cause trouble again.

His colleagues, who were also officials, felt that Du Hangwu showed no mercy. Li Si was his fellow townsman, and they were related by blood. If he made a mistake, he would kill him. Naturally, they dared not have any other thoughts.

After the conflict subsided, Gu Xingzhao realized more deeply that in the ancient world, people could not be persuaded by reason; sometimes, power and bloodshed were the only ways to solve problems.

The Lu family members helped each other and found a spot away from the crowd. After what happened tonight, they were even more afraid to have any contact with those people.

Princess Shunyu witnessed the entire process and was shocked that a life could be lost so easily. She was even more shocked that the escorting official, Du Hangwu, acted according to the Lu family's wishes.

At that moment, she finally understood and stepped down from the dilapidated carriage.

Because the horse had died two days prior, the eunuch who had been pulling the carriage had been struggling to keep up. Upon seeing Princess Shunyu alight from the carriage, he quickly stopped her, saying, "Your Highness, it's windy outside."

Shunyu raised her hand, gesturing for him to listen to her, "The horse is dead, and this carriage is useless now. Starting tonight, we will travel with the others."

The eunuch looked astonished. "How could Your Highness, a woman of such noble birth,..."

Shunyu interrupted him, "You and Caihe have been with me since you were little. Now that Caihe is gone, you're the only one left by my side."

The eunuch's eyes stung, his throat tightened, and he didn't say anything more. He followed Shunyu toward the Lu family.

Looking at the still slender figure before him, he felt that something had changed; the princess had grown up and was now capable of standing on her own.

At this moment, Gu Xingzhao opened her suitcase and took out all the compressed down jackets. She had bought black ones, and when she carried them, they seemed to blend into the night.

Lu Qing and his group were the first to receive the down jackets. Just by holding them in their hands, they were amazed by how light and soft they were, unlike the heavy cotton-padded coats.

Most of the other members of the Lu clan were reluctant to wear the clothes, especially because of their fragrance. They were afraid that their own body would smell bad and ruin such fine clothes.

Unfortunately, there's no water here, so I can't take a shower.
Some people sighed, clutching the clothes, both liking them and reluctant to wear them, their hearts filled with conflicting emotions.

Children love new clothes, especially now that it's the New Year. Lu Youtang felt comfortable and warm, and smiled happily, "Mommy, you should wear one too."

Madam Xu smiled and shook her head, "Mother isn't cold, she can wear it later."

Lu Yang's size was much larger than the others. He didn't care about the fragrance, nor did he think he smelled bad, and was the first to put it on.

At first, it felt soft and comfortable, but gradually it started to feel warm. When I put on the hat, my head felt extremely warm, and I didn't even feel cold in the cold wind!
Lu Yang was excited: "!!!"

Sorry, I had a big house cleaning today, so the update is more than half an hour late.

Two updates delivered. Please forgive the long wait.

(End of this chapter)