Chapter 307: Chapter 307: Unmoved

Yu Shikui waved his hand and said, “Throw them onto the pyre!”

The two were already tied up, so throwing them onto the pyre was no trouble at all.

Wen Hao cursed loudly, while Shang Jingwang was initially trying to argue further, but when he looked up, he caught sight of the mocking smile at the corner of Yu Shikui’s mouth.

He immediately understood everything.

He actually understood this routine as well.

Such acts of killing innocents for personal gain are effortless as long as one’s heart is dark enough, and one’s conscience has been devoured by dogs. But what was the crime of those thousands of citizens?

Now, he couldn’t even protect himself and didn’t know what to say, only casting a desolate and helpless look at Huangfu Jingchen.

He also understood that even if Huangfu Jingchen was a noble in the Capital City and a relative of the Imperial Family, being now in the epidemic area, Yu Shikui, intent on killing innocents for merit, would not spare Huangfu Jingchen’s life.

He could only hope his martial arts skills were strong enough to get away on his own.

There was also Doctor Xia, who risked his own life, trying to save those citizens; yet now he would share the same fate as those citizens.

It was a pity that he could do nothing to help.

These days, Shang Jingwang was also running around the villages. A Fifth Rank Governor, of higher rank than the county magistrate, for the sake of the citizens, was now tanned dark, eating the same tough steamed corn bread and bitter vegetables as the citizens.

The villagers of Wangshan Town were grateful to Huangfu Jingchen, Xia Wenjin, and Shang Jingwang. Initially driven away and at a loss, they later understood the change in the situation.

They were blocked in the quarantine area, unable to leave, yet could see everything happening.

Seeing Yu Shikui about to throw Shang Jingwang onto the pyre to burn him to death, many villagers started moving, rushing towards the soldiers obstructing them. The soldiers, wielding weapons, pointed their sharp tips at the villagers, and a bloody conflict was on the verge of breaking out.

Shang Jingwang shouted loudly, “Do not move forward!”

The villagers halted before the weapons; someone shouted loudly, “Why burn Lord Shang? Lord Shang is a good person!”

“Release Lord Shang!”

“Lord Shang is an official of the Court; only the Emperor can kill him!”

“Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning for doing this?”

…

The crowd seethed with indignation, but Yu Shikui was unmoved.

After all, his first move was to burn Wen Hao and Shang Jingwang to death, and the second step was to burn these villagers to death. No one present, not even one, did he intend to spare. The people shouting here were merely facing an early death or a late death.

Huangfu Jingchen frowned and said, “No, if Yu Shikui truly intends to act, I cannot abandon Wen Hao, but Shang Jingwang, I must save!”

Xia Wenjin said, “Then let’s act together; you save Shang Jingwang, I’ll kill Yu Shikui!”

“We can’t; he is an official of the Court and will harm the villagers of Wangshan Town!”

Xia Wenjin coldly said, “I can’t care about that now! He intends to burn all the villagers of Wangshan Town in one blaze. If we let him live, all these villagers will die. As for what you mentioned about the future, we’ll talk about it later!”

She truly wanted to kill Yu Shikui.

This person, for his personal merit, could kill all the citizens of a town to serve as a stepping stone for his promotion. Moreover, he was someone Huangfu Yuxuan would later rely on heavily; he couldn’t be kept alive.

Of course, she couldn’t say these words to Huangfu Jingchen.

Huangfu Jingchen also knew the situation was urgent, and as Xia Wenjin said, even if the villagers of Wangshan Town might be implicated later, that was a matter for the future. They had to take one step at a time.

Wen Hao cursed for a while, noticing that Yu Shikui didn’t care at all. His eyes rolled; no one knew if he wanted to take someone down with him as he was dying or if he had truly discovered something.

Originally, he looked quite pathetic thrown onto the pyre, but he struggled to raise his neck, coldly laughing at Yu Shikui, “Lord Yu, do you think Wangshan Town is just us few? Do you think killing me and Shang Jingwang means the villagers here won’t stir up trouble and escape for their lives? You’re wrong; Wangshan Town is now a place hiding talents. See those two young men over there? Their identities would scare you to death!”

Yu Shikui actually also spotted Huangfu Jingchen and Xia Wenjin.

After all, amid the group of terrified people, the two were much calmer and certainly different from those villagers.

The taller young man stood there, dignified and imposing, with a majestic presence, exuding an air of nobility. Evidently, his background was either wealthy or noble; such noble temperament couldn’t be cultivated without a life of affluence, privileged environment, and good education.

The shorter young man had refined features, appearing sickly but with resolute eyes and a composed demeanor. He didn’t have the inherent nobility of the taller young man, but he possessed a different kind of ease and calmness, as if he could see through worldly matters, maintaining a detached demeanor as if nothing mattered to him.

These two were not from the same family, yet both possessed an extraordinary quality far beyond those villagers.

Too conspicuous.

How could someone like Yu Shikui not notice them?

But he simply didn’t care.

Everyone would die, and must die, regardless of their background!

Seeing the faint cold smile on Yu Shikui’s face, Wen Hao knew what he was up to. No, he definitely couldn’t let Yu Shikui be so dismissive; he had to think of a way to make Yu Shikui take it seriously, so he wouldn’t immediately order to light the fire.

Wen Hao shouted loudly, “Did you see that tall young man? He is currently a relative of the Imperial Family!”

Yu Shikui was taken aback, a relative of the Imperial Family?

If it were just an ordinary identity, it would be fine, but if it really was a relative of the Imperial Family, then he indeed should pay some attention.

Seeing Yu Shikui’s change in expression, Wen Hao was delighted; as long as he believed it, it was good.

He whispered to Shang Jingwang, “I heard you call him Young Master Jing; just what is his identity? It’s best if you say it out, otherwise, we’ll soon be burned to death.”

During this period, Shang Jingwang had developed admiration for Huangfu Jingchen as well. This young master, despite coming from a wealthy family, could still do so much for the citizens of the town, more dedicated than himself, the local officer. If he could save one person, he would; he also hoped that Huangfu Jingchen and Xia Wenjin would be safe.

Thinking of this, he said, “Lord Yu, this Young Master Jin is a noble from the Prince Kang Mansion in the Capital City!”

Prince Kang Mansion?

A young master from the Prince Mansion?

Yu Shikui suddenly stood up.

There were only two young masters in Prince Kang Mansion; the elder one had already become the princely heir, naturally no longer referred to as a young master. Then this one, is he the second young master from the Prince Kang Mansion?

The nephew of the current Holy Emperor, Prince Kang?

The great-nephew of the current Holy Emperor?

Yu Shikui’s eyes darted continuously.

His maternal grandfather was the Marquis Anning, a person from the Capital City, so he had heard about the situation of Prince Kang Mansion. This Prince Kang was highly valued by the Holy Emperor, burning a thousand or ten thousand ordinary villagers didn’t matter, but if it were the second young master of Prince Kang Mansion, that might not be very wise.

However, if he let him go, and he revealed this matter later, it’s very likely that his own merit for this achievement couldn’t be accomplished.

Shang Jingwang and Wen Hao both claimed there’s already a way to control the epidemic, and if it were true, he couldn’t let this second young master go.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep