Chapter 107

He was so frightened that he hurriedly shut his mouth and fell silent, restoring his image as the cold and impartial King of Hell.

Only then did Yan Qinghong realize that the courtyard where Mo Xiaozhi was staying was secluded, situated on the outer edge of the Du residence and not far from the street beyond it.

Under the force of the firebombs, not only had the courtyard been blown apart, but most of the tall outer wall surrounding the Du residence had also been destroyed.

As a result, the commoners outside could now see everything happening inside.

Watching the excitement was human nature. Even knowing that danger might be involved, they could not suppress their curiosity.

Thus, more than a hundred people gathered around the ruined wall, all craning their necks to peer inside. Among them were noblemen and distinguished figures who lived nearby, as well as ordinary passersby.

Someone in the crowd who knew Du Guanliu shouted, “Guanliu! How did your residence get blown up? Who on earth had the nerve to do that?”

Others recognized Tu Shanjin and cried out excitedly, “It’s Concubine Sha! It’s Concubine Sha! I saw her before at the library!”

“Concubine Sha must be a goddess descended to earth! Could it be that she brought down divine punishment to chastise the Du family?”

“The man beside Concubine Sha is so handsome. His bearing… his bearing… How should I describe it? Anyway, if I stood next to him, I’d look like a lump of dung by comparison! Could he be His Majesty?”

“He definitely is His Majesty! We pay our respects to His Majesty! Long live the Emperor!”

“I actually got to see the Emperor in person! I’m going to call my wife and children over so they can bask in the imperial aura too!”

More and more people began shouting their greetings to the Emperor and Concubine Sha, and some even fell to their knees.

At the center of countless gazes, Yun Yaoyao silently shut herself off.

Despite having been so careful so many times not to reveal her true face to the common people while in her imperial identity, she had still exposed herself this time! How was she supposed to go out and shamelessly peddle swords in the future?

Her plans to secretly leave the palace had been exposed too!

Fine, then. Tomorrow, she would stuff two cotton balls into her ears during court and treat it as if she were watching the censors perform a monkey show.

After accepting the fact with remarkable composure, Yun Yaoyao changed her expression. She put on a polite yet approachable smile worthy of a national leader and waved to the people.

This drew another wave of cheers and uproar from the crowd. They kept shouting that the Emperor was wise and that Concubine Sha was a goddess descended from heaven, one piece of flattery after another tumbling from their mouths.

Yun Yaoyao forcefully suppressed the upward curl of her lips.

This was why people said commoners were so lovable. Every one of them knew exactly how to say things that pleased her.

Only Third Madam Du stared at that figure in horror.

“His… His… His Majesty?!”

Du Guanliu’s expression turned grim. He signaled for the guards of the residence to drive the people outside away.

Yun Yaoyao stopped him and smiled faintly. “My subject, regarding the leader of the Xiongnu Death Riders appearing in the Du residence, I naturally believe that you had nothing to do with it.”

Du Guanliu thought to himself: It really had nothing to do with me…

But the leader of the Death Riders had been hiding in his residence, and had just caused such a tremendous disturbance. The Du family could hardly escape responsibility.

Gratitude appeared on Du Guanliu’s face. “Thank you for seeing through the matter, Your Majesty!”

He had only just begun to relax when Yun Yaoyao continued, “However, I do have something to say about the Du residence’s rules regarding how the women of the inner household are treated.”

Yun Yaoyao’s gaze shifted toward an artificial lake not far away.

According to the reports from the Dragonshadow Guards, the leader of the Death Riders had initially been hiding in that lake. After throwing in several firebombs, he had moved to another position.

The lake was neither large nor small. Around its banks lay white bones scattered everywhere, exposed by the explosions.

Du Guanliu’s heart lurched. He attempted to muddle through the matter. “Your Majesty, since they have already divorced, let us put the matter behind us. From now on, I will keep Your Majesty’s words firmly in mind and amend the household rules. I will never allow such a thing to happen again!”

Yun Yaoyao ignored him, her gaze continuing to rest on the bones.

Left with no choice, Du Guanliu could only explain, “This lake is called the Cleansing Spirit Lake. The name means that it purifies the impure souls of women.”

“Any woman in the household who fails to observe wifely virtue, seduces her master, loses her chastity, or brings disorder to the residence is drowned in the Cleansing Spirit Lake, to demonstrate the purity and dignity of the Du family.”

“These bones belong to the women who were drowned in the lake.”

The smile at the corners of Yun Yaoyao’s lips grew wider, but Du Guanliu could not help feeling that there was danger lurking within it.

Yun Yaoyao asked, “What do you mean by ‘failing to observe wifely virtue’?”

Du Guanliu replied, “For example, being disloyal, unfilial, discourteous, unintelligent, unrighteous, or lacking in virtue. In serious cases, the woman is drowned in the lake.”

Yun Yaoyao asked, “And what of ‘seducing her master’? If the master forces himself on a maid while drunk, does that also count as the maid seducing him? If the master and a maid fool around together, is that considered the maid seducing him as well?”

Du Guanliu gave an awkward laugh. “That… in certain circumstances, it can be counted as such…”

Yun Yaoyao let out a cold laugh. “What utter absurdity! Relations between a man and a woman should be based on mutual consent. Why not say that it was the master who forced himself on her?”

“If a woman who has lost her chastity must be drowned in the Cleansing Spirit Lake, then what happens to the men who took that chastity from them? What fate awaits them?”

Cold sweat trickled down Du Guanliu’s forehead. He stammered and faltered, unable to give an answer.

Yun Yaoyao swept her gaze over the commoners who were still watching the spectacle and restrained the anger in her heart.

What a “pure and dignified” Du family!

Then she would take advantage of this perfect opportunity to publicly deal with this textbook example of a negative case in front of all these people.