Chapter 61  

Despite the quiet surroundings and the absence of any disturbances, Yiling still felt as though she had misheard.  

She stood rigidly in place, her entire body frozen, staring at the two blurry figures before her without moving an inch.  

In the deathly silence of the night, even though they deliberately lowered their voices, their words were exceptionally clear.

Li Chun said, “But if the court finds out…”

“The court will not know,” Xie Hengzhi said firmly. “Beitian Fang is overcrowded and chaotic. If a fire breaks out in the dead of night, it would seem perfectly reasonable.”

Every word, Yiling could understand.

Yet, in her ears, those words sounded utterly inhuman, as if no flesh-and-blood person could say such things.

After a long while, she managed to squeeze out a single sentence from between her lips.

“Xie Hengzhi… what are you talking about?”

A hoarse and faint female voice startled the two men in the darkness.

Xie Hengzhi turned his head sharply and saw Yiling’s blurred figure in the shadows. He immediately asked, “Why are you out here?”

Before she could answer, he gave Li Chun a slight nod.

Li Chun turned and approached Yiling. “Madam, you should go back and rest. The Lord will handle this…”

Seeing Yiling standing there in a daze, not saying a word, he glanced down and noticed she was holding Xie Hengzhi’s cloak and a steaming bowl of medicinal soup.

“Is this for the lord?” Li Chun, trying to ease the tension, took the cloak and soup from Yiling’s hands and diverted the conversation. “I’ll make sure the Lord drinks his medicine. Don’t worry.

The wind here is strong; you should—”

“You’re saying the way to eradicate the plague is to burn Beitian Fang to the ground,” Yiling interrupted, her gaze fixed on Xie Hengzhi. “You’re planning to burn all the infected people alive, aren’t you?”

Xie Hengzhi had no intention of answering her. He said in a low voice, “Go back first. I’ll explain tomorrow…”

Before he could finish, a sharp female voice cut through the night.

“Lord Xie!”

The three of them turned to look in the direction of the voice.

In the darkness, Mrs. Zhang stood three zhang (about 10 meters) away, unable to take another step.

Her whole body was trembling, and her voice was filled with shock and fear.

“You… you’re going to burn Beitian Fang?”

With the maids Chun Ye and others trailing behind her, the previously deserted corner suddenly became crowded.

Xie Hengzhi’s face darkened, his expression like a thundercloud. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, deciding to drop any pretense.

“Yes.”

Hearing Xie Hengzhi’s confirmation, Mrs. Zhang’s vision went black, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud.

She stared blankly at the hem of Xie Hengzhi’s robes, as if in a daze.

“Have you gone mad?”

After being frozen for so long, Yiling finally erupted upon hearing Xie Hengzhi’s confirmation.

Her furious shout shattered the facade of the night. “How many infected civilians are lying in Beitianfang? Instead of trying to treat them, you want to burn them alive?!”

Realizing Yiling’s sudden outburst, Li Chun panicked, thinking things were about to spiral out of control. He quickly turned to take her away.

But before he could act, Mrs. Zhang cried out and crawled on her knees to grab Xie Hengzhi’s robes. “My Lord, you can’t burn it! You mustn’t! There are so many poor people in Beitianfang—they’re innocent!”

Li Chun thought he should pull Mrs. Zhang away immediately, but Yiling started shouting again, “You haven’t even investigated the cause of the illness. You haven’t even laid eyes on the actual infected people, and you’re already planning to burn everything clean with a single fire? What a perfect solution for you!”

Oh no, stop yelling! Stop yelling!

Li Chun’s head was pounding as he struggled to figure out how to contain the situation.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Zhang began banging her head on the ground.

“My Lord, you mustn’t burn it! They can be saved—they must be! Please summon the imperial physicians! Yes! The imperial physicians from the capital can surely save them. Please, my lord!”

“I am here under orders to resolve the plague, not to act as a savior.”

Finally, Xie Hengzhi gave his justification.

When he spoke, his words silenced everyone around him, as if they had turned to stone.

He looked down coldly at the kneeling Mrs. Zhang and said, his tone calm yet indifferent, “Everyone has their fate. There is no need to waste more resources and manpower on these people.”

As his words fell, the surroundings plunged into silence.

Li Chun hadn’t yet recovered when he suddenly felt his right hand, which had been holding the tea, become empty.

Yiling had swung her arm and hurled the scalding medicinal soup, bowl and all, at Xie Hengzhi.

“You heartless beast!”

Although Xie Hengzhi turned his head to avoid it, he couldn’t completely dodge the soup that splashed onto his face.

The thick medicinal liquid trickled down his cheek and onto his collar, making him look utterly disheveled.

Yet he didn’t lash out, simply pressing his lips together, his jaw trembling slightly.

Li Chun closed his eyes, his temple throbbing violently.

Even Mrs. Zhang, who had been wailing, was stunned into silence by this sudden turn of events, frozen in place.

Only Yiling continued to point at Xie Hengzhi, her voice lashing like a whip. “You truly don’t care about anyone’s life, do you?! I thought you’d actually save the people of Songyuan County, but you haven’t changed at all! You’re still the same heartless, murderous—”

Xie Hengzhi shot a look at Li Chun, who finally snapped out of his daze and dragged Yiling away.

Her curses grew fainter and fainter. Outside the room, Yiling, restrained by Li Chun, kicked and struggled as if she wanted to fight Xie Hengzhi to the death…

At three quarters past the Shen hour (around 9 PM), the night was at its quietest.

The entire Zhang residence was brightly lit; even the servants’ quarters in the back had not extinguished their lamps.

From the main house, the faint sounds of Mrs. Zhang and her maids weeping occasionally drifted out, adding to the sorrowful atmosphere under the strict guard.

Xie Hengzhi returned from outside with Dao Yu. As they passed by the western wing, he glanced to the side. Dao Yu immediately switched places with Li Chun, who had been standing guard at the door.

The western wing was also lit, but it was eerily silent. No sound or movement could be detected within.

“Has the madam gone to bed?”

Xie Hengzhi asked.

Li Chun shook his head.

“She exhausted herself from yelling. Perhaps she’s taking an intermission.”

Xie Hengzhi stared at the window lattice of the side chamber in silence. Li Chun added, “The Madam threw a big tantrum earlier. I gave her some old bowls to vent, and she smashed them all.”

Xie Hengzhi: “You have a knack for appeasing her.”

Li Chun thought to himself, What else could I do? He could already cook a dish with the shredded flesh scratched off his neck.

Xie Hengzhi shifted his gaze toward the main hall. “And over there?”

“They’re crying,” Li Chun replied. “They can scream until their voices give out—it won’t change a thing.”

The two began walking toward the watchtower. As they passed the main hall, Mrs. Zhang, who heard their footsteps, stumbled out in a panic.

“My lord! My lord! I beg you to reconsider… My husband is inside as well! He has dedicated himself to Songyuan County for years, working tirelessly for the people. Even if he has no merits, he has labored hard. You can’t burn it down! There are so many innocent people in there!”

Xie Hengzhi didn’t even glance at her, nor did his steps falter for a moment.

Mrs. Zhang, frail and thin even in her forties, appeared even more haggard after a night of weeping. She followed Xie Hengzhi, pleading pitifully and humbly, but he showed no compassion.

Xie Hengzhi ascended the watchtower directly.

With his arms resting on the railing, he gazed calmly toward the distant Baitian Fang.

Mrs. Zhang kneeled at the base of the tower, pounding her head against the ground until it bled. Mud and blood smeared her forehead as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Suddenly, Dao Yu hurried over and said from below the tower, “My lord, the Madam…”

Xie Hengzhi turned his head and looked down. “What about her?”

“She suddenly began crying and is demanding to be let out, shouting something about ‘Yun Niang.’ I’m worried she’ll hurt herself. Shall we…”

Dao Yu’s idea was simple but brutal: force-feed her a bowl of medicine to make her sleep through the night. It would be better than letting her cry herself hoarse like this.

After a moment of contemplation, Xie Hengzhi descended the watchtower.

When Xie Hengzhi stood at the door of the side chamber, Yiling was still pounding on it with all her strength.

Seeing a shadow outside, she assumed it was Li Chun and shouted, “Li Chun! Let me out! I want to see Xie Hengzhi!”

But the figure outside remained motionless.

Realizing who it might be, Yiling froze momentarily before the door abruptly opened.

The moment she saw Xie Hengzhi, tears involuntarily streamed down her face again.

When she had been forcibly brought back to the side chamber, her emotions had been filled only with rage and resentment. She even regretted not taking the opportunity to kill Xie Hengzhi earlier—then none of this would be happening now.

But when she realized he intended to burn everyone in Baitianfang alive, her fierce defiance crumbled.

“Yun Niang is still inside! She’ll burn to death. Please don’t set the fire.”

Seeing Xie Hengzhi unmoved, Yiling reached for his sleeve, tears streaming down her face as she begged, “Yun Niang will die! They’ll all die! Please don’t set the fire… I’m begging you…”

Xie Hengzhi merely stared at her in silence.

He watched her tears fall, her lips turn pale, and listened as she called out “Yun Niang” over and over again.

Then, without a word, he grabbed her and dragged her toward the back of the tower.

“Let me go! Let me go!”

Yiling alternated between struggling and pleading, but Xie Hengzhi refused to release her.

He dragged her all the way to the top of the watchtower.

“If you’re so concerned about that doctor’s life, then come up here and watch her burn to death with your own eyes.”

“You’re insane!”

Unsteady on her feet, she raised her hand to slap him, but he caught her wrist and pinned her to the railing.

“Look!”

Xie Hengzhi’s strength left Yiling powerless to resist. She was forced to turn toward the northern Baitian Fang.

“The soldiers are pouring sesame oil. Once ignited, it will burn instantly,” Xie Hengzhi said coldly.

In the inky darkness, Yiling trembled as she saw the room as calm as ever.

Only a few scattered lamps lit the night, faintly illuminating the doctors and monks tirelessly caring for the sick.

But where were the soldiers pouring oil?

Still in a daze, Yiling barely registered Mrs. Zhang’s renewed wailing from below the tower upon hearing Xie Hengzhi’s words.

“You can’t burn it! My lord, you can’t burn it! My husband is still inside!”

Xie Hengzhi ignored her completely and continued, “The soldiers stationed on the surrounding rooftops are prepared with fire arrows. At my command, the entire ward will be engulfed in flames. They won’t suffer.”

Hearing this, Yiling grew even more confused.

Looking around, she couldn’t see any soldiers on the rooftops.

But Mrs. Zhang, terrified by his words, was gasping for air.

“My lord, please spare my husband! I can’t live without him… Please spare him! I’ll kneel to you—I’ll do anything!”

Her cries were so heart-wrenching that nearby residents lit their lamps.

“Since master Zhang is already infected with the plague, he cannot be spared.” Xie Hengzhi looked down at Mrs. Zhang. “You may continue shouting if you wish. For every person who hears, I’ll silence one more.”

Mrs. Zhang fell silent immediately, trembling violently as she kneeled in place.

Xie Hengzhi turned his gaze back to Yiling, giving her one last look before ordering, “Light the fire.”

“No!”

Yiling and Mrs. Zhang cried out in unison as Li Chun fired a signal arrow toward Baitian Fang.

Although Yiling still didn’t understand what Xie Hengzhi had just said, the sharp signal piercing through the night sky made her instinctively lunge toward the railing. However, Xie Hengzhi wrapped his arms around her waist and held her back.

She immediately tried to turn and rush down, but Xie Hengzhi was strong. No matter how much she struggled, hitting and kicking, she couldn’t break free.

“You madman! You lunatic—”

In the midst of the chaotic struggle, Yiling suddenly heard Mrs. Zhang crying out from below the tower: “Master Zhang wasn’t infected with the plague! He wasn’t infected! None of them were infected!”

Yiling’s body froze, rigid, just as the night wind blew away the stray strands of hair in front of her face.

The Beitian Fang, which she had expected to erupt in flames, remained eerily quiet. Some of the lamps had even been extinguished.

The clouds drifted, and the moonlight was faint and hazy.

Finally, Xie Hengzhi loosened his grip on Yiling and turned his gaze toward Mrs. Zhang below the tower.

“Mrs. Zhang, you had better explain clearly.”

His voice, cold and deliberate in the desolate night, fell like guillotine on Mrs. Zhang’s neck.

“Was it Master Zhang who wasn’t infected with the plague, or was it the common people who weren’t infected?”

Mrs. Zhang slumped to the ground, her hair completely disheveled. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably. After a long pause, she finally raised her face and spoke in full sentences.

“They weren’t infected with the plague… none of them were infected… it wasn’t a plague at all…”