Chapter 4: Lady Wei, Shao Ge'er, and Yu Lian (4)

"Wretched woman! Do you still have the face to see others?" Amidst the scolding, the sound of slaps echoed, and the woman's cries were exceedingly mournful

The man from the Chen family, coming back to his senses from his astonishment, coldly snorted in anger and annoyance, "Is the scoundrel here?"

"Stop it quickly, someone is going to get hurt!" Yulian followed out, her voice trembling

Guo Shao was instantly filled with rage. He threw aside the reins of the mule and noticed that the pile of firewood from last night was still outside. Grabbing a piece, he rushed to the door and, turning sideways, kicked it with a loud "bang." The old door panel did not just swing open; instead, it flew into the room along with the nails, causing the dust on the door frame to fall in a flurry. Guo Shao, clad in over fifty pounds of armor, moved as lightly as a swallow, leaping in with a single bound.

Yulian looked at him so carefully for the first time in the crowd, her heart filled with confusion; what kind of person was he, after all

Yulian hurriedly went to call the neighbors, saying that Shao Ge'er had killed someone, and everything was true

Guo Shao effortlessly lifted the man, who weighed at least over a hundred jin, as if he were a small chick, and stepped out with large strides. He then threw the man outside, causing him to tumble and roll into the foul-smelling drainage ditch, struggling to get back up.

A man wearing a tall hat, upon hearing this, wanted to step forward to seize the person, but suddenly saw Guo Shao reach for the knife beside him. The official was startled and quickly took two steps back, exclaiming: "You are a criminal, do you still dare to resist?!"

The trajectory of the steel knife was not hasty, yet it was unwavering. Upon hearing a scream, blood splattered onto the adjacent earthen wall, and the head of the Chen family man fell heavily onto the stones in the drainage ditch, a stream of blood staining the debris and sewage in the ditch red

The blade reflected the last sliver of light filtering in from the alley, slowly lifting, the entire motion seeming extraordinarily prolonged, as if it were a scene from a picture book. Yulian could have exerted a bit more effort to stop Guo Shao, perhaps by stepping forward to grasp his arm; however, she did not do so. Even in the final moments, she refrained from offering any advice, appearing as if she were frozen in fear, merely watching the entire process. Yulian could have exerted a bit more effort to stop Guo Shao, perhaps by stepping forward to grasp his arm; however, she did not do so. Even in the final moments, she refrained from offering any advice, appearing as if she were frozen in fear, merely watching the entire process.

This person is calculating and, even in moments of impulsiveness, does not act recklessly. However, when victory is assured, he can be extremely ruthless, and his methods of killing are particularly brutal, making him a truly terrifying individual. Nevertheless, Yulian realizes that he is not the kind of person who will stop at nothing, as his acts of murder are not for his own benefit.

... ...

Chen's man had not fainted yet, crying out while fearfully looking at Guo Shao. For a moment, the two startled individuals seemed unable to grasp what Guo Shao was actually saying.

The person next to me asked: "What should we do about the suspect?"

Guo Shao was seen sitting in the shop, with the murder weapon placed on the anvil beside him, as if waiting to be apprehended. Outside, a group of officials in black robes surrounded the area, along with countless onlookers, yet no one dared to step into the shop.

There were five or six soldiers accompanying him, all of whom were former subordinates of Guo Shao during his time as the commander of the Fourth Division, and they happened to reside in the southern part of the city. These individuals were evidently more familiar and closer to Guo Shao, and logically, he could have transformed the Fourth Division into his personal guard on the spot. With military power and loyal followers, it would have been relatively easier to control the entire army. Unfortunately, the current commander of the Fourth Division was Yang Biao, who had just been demoted from the head of the army to the position of commander, making it temporarily impossible to take action against him. This situation was rather unpleasant for Guo Shao.

With the chilling, dull sound of the blade slicing through flesh, and the air stained red with blood mist, everything seemed to have come to an end

At this moment, the officials dispersed the common people slightly - the image - the book was somewhat cleared away. A coroner clasped his fists and said: "The victim has already succumbed, the left arm is fractured, the shoulder is dislocated, and the face has been inflicted with fatal wounds by a sharp blade..."

A person wearing a wooden lacquered cap and a wide blue round-collared robe pointed at Guo Shao and asked: "Did you kill him? Why did you kill?"

Guo Lang ... ... "Yulian was also startled, her face instantly turned pale without a trace of blood, and her shoulders were trembling.

As soon as I reached the Chen family's doorstep, I heard the sounds of shouting and scolding from inside the house, along with a woman's cries. Yulian's choked voice pleaded, "Let go of my hair... Don't hit me anymore, how am I supposed to face others..."

However, mere pity and sympathy cannot sustain her as she struggles to survive in such difficult circumstances. A woman has endured years of gossip and slander, while also caring for a disabled husband addicted to alcohol. She has long hoped for a day when she could escape this sea of suffering. Although she does not want to admit it, this cruel scene indeed brings her an inexplicable sense of relief. Yet, having an outsider, a man already surrounded by rumors, kill her husband in front of her still fills Yulian with guilt. Although she does not want to admit it, this cruel scene indeed brings her an inexplicable sense of relief. Yet, having an outsider, a man already surrounded by rumors, kill her husband in front of her still fills Yulian with guilt.

Watching him being killed in the filth, Yulian felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow, finding him very pitiable. In truth, she had never truly hated this man; even though he often beat and scolded her, her heart was filled only with pity mixed with disdain.

Upon entering, there is a room that resembles a hall, empty and desolate, containing only a table, two round stools, and a bamboo chair, with shattered porcelain pieces scattered on the floor. A man sits on the bamboo chair, clutching the hair of Yu Lian in his hand. Both of them are startled by the earlier commotion, staring at the uninvited guest clad in iron armor, exuding a fierce and menacing presence

He spoke in a low voice, cold and devoid of much emotion, yet it sounded inexplicably terrifying. He was neither boasting nor trying to leverage his connections... he was merely stating a fact: the authorities in the two counties of Tokyo absolutely dared not take unilateral action against a commander of the Imperial Guard. The commander Wang Degong, out of respect for Zhang Yongde, would not truly do anything to Commander Guo. As for Yang Biao, who had inexplicably maimed someone, the lack of anyone to speak on his behalf would only result in a demotion.

Guo Shao ignored him, threw away the broken half of the stick, stepped forward, and grabbed the man's collar. With a loud "whoosh," he tore off a piece of gray cloth. He directly discarded the rag and, like a pair of iron pincers, seized the man's injured arm, forcibly lifting him from the chair. The man, whose recently injured arm might be fractured, cried out in a heart-wrenching manner, calling for his parents.

Guo Shao exuded an air of coldness, his face pale as iron. After standing like this for a while, he coldly said: "I have been promoted to the position of a hundred-man commander, and Commander Wang above is aware of my relationship with Prince Consort Zhang Yongde."

At dusk, Guo Shao left the training ground and first went to the barracks to retrieve a mule from Bendu, intending to return and collect his personal items for military operations. He planned to take the items and that evening hurry to the barracks' garrison to inquire about the storage conditions of mules, horses, and grain in Bendu

Before long, the officials arrived. The first to come were the constables from the official shop on the commercial street. Upon seeing Guo Shao fully armed in battle armor, they were at a loss as to how to handle the situation. Subsequently, the county officials brought more people, and the coroner also went to the back alley

As he walked to Zhuque Avenue, Guo Shao called for the soldiers to return home, and he alone led the mule through the alley behind. Just as he entered the alley, he heard the sound of clanging and banging, which was coming from the direction of the Yu Lian family's residence.

The official pondered for a moment and said: "Take the corpse from the back alley back to the yamen for examination, collect the murder weapon, and after clarifying the case, report to the magistrate before making a decision. Do not act rashly. Leave a few people here to keep watch, and ask that Captain Guo go to the back to avoid being seen... If a confession can be written, that would be even better."

Guo Shao slowly reached for the dagger strapped to his waist, the cold, fine sound of metal scraping against the scabbard resonating softly.

"It was I who killed him. That Chen, with his disrespectful words, provoked me. I intended to teach him a lesson, but accidentally killed him instead." Guo Shao remained seated, appearing quite rude. However, judging by the color of the official's attire and the style of his cap, it was clear that he was a minor official of little standing, perhaps even of a lower rank than Guo Shao, who held the position of a commander in the imperial guard.

The jade lotus outside, seeing that Guo Shao was unharmed, quietly took a detour through the back alley and returned home to wait.

There is a possibility that he is still unaware of his own danger. Without saying a word, Guo Shao swung a stick towards the man's head with a swift motion. The man instinctively released his grip and raised his arm to protect his head. With a loud "bang!", a sound reminiscent of bones breaking could be faintly heard, as the piece of wood snapped cleanly in two, and a scream, piercing and agonizing, immediately echoed throughout the entire alley

Upon hearing this, the official quickly raised his hand to stop the head of the guards and said in a low voice: "Immediately send someone to the north of the city to inform the commander of this matter"

After a period of confusion, she gradually began to understand the events of the past two days. Last night, Guo Shao mentioned something about having "no assurance," and just now he spoke of his promotion and connections with certain influential figures: it was because until last night, he still could not be certain whether killing someone would lead to severe punishment, but today he finally realized that one does not necessarily have to pay with their life for murder

Let her go!" Guo Shao shouted, pointing at the man with a wooden stick.

At that moment, a sudden scream echoed from the house not far away at mhetushucom.com: "Murder, murder..."

"What do you want to do?" Yulian hurriedly grasped Guo Shao's wrist, her eyes wide with fear. Guo Shao's voice: "I helped you drain the pus from the wound."

Regardless, being promoted several ranks is a good thing, as it saves many years of accumulating seniority and military achievements. The issue Shao Ge'er faces now is to establish authority and control over his subordinates, first securing his position as a centurion before proceeding further

Yulian's face was pale as she turned to look at him in a daze and said, "Tell you?" She noticed that Guo Shao was there, slowly wiping the blood off the knife with a piece of cloth after committing murder

She was so preoccupied that she didn't even have the mind to consider how to handle the aftermath of a death, momentarily lost in a tangle of complex emotions. It was not until Guo Shao called her: "Go summon someone, have the neighbors report to the street official's shop, and just say that I killed your husband"

Unexpectedly, he stood up, picked up the dagger, and simply threw it away to indicate that he would not resist. He then voluntarily stated: "I am Guo Shao, the captain of the subordinate troops of the Imperial Guard, commanding at the northern gate of Fengqiu, under the command of Wang Degong."

Even if killing does not lead to punishment, there will always be trouble and a price to pay! Killing a man from the Chen family clearly brings him no benefit at all. Moreover, this morning he even gave the land deed to Yulian for free... Why would he treat himself so well? Yulian naturally thought that Shao Ge'er had intentions towards her. However, upon further reflection, it still did not make sense. Shao Ge'er, being young and tall, had just been promoted to the position of headman; it would not be difficult for him to court a young maiden. If he merely wanted to indulge in an affair, there was no need for such trouble. He had plenty of opportunities at the blacksmith's shop and did not need to go through all this. Even if he were to force himself upon her, no one could sanction him, as there were already rumors in the marketplace about Yulian's lack of propriety.