Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Chapter 508: Chapter 515: City Gate Interception
 

“`

Sikong Ling could easily understand the reason behind it, suspecting that neither the Su Family nor Han Yu wanted Su Hengyi to be distracted by Su Wenyue’s issues. Therefore, they had not informed Su Hengyi. Since that was the case, he naturally wouldn’t remind Su Hengyi either, nor did he want to arouse his suspicions.

When Sikong Ling arrived at the city gate, things did not go smoothly. He was stopped before he could leave Chang’an City.

As the day of the execution at Marquis Beian Mansion drew near, the security in Chang’an City tightened. Inspections were mandatory for anyone entering or exiting, and even someone as powerful as Sikong Ling, though the guards would not be too offensive, was not exempt from the routine check.

“What’s the meaning of this? Do you know who is in the horse carriage? You dare to obstruct us? Are you tired of living?”

In such situations, Sikong Ling didn’t need to step in, as Qing Zhu could handle it directly. With an arrogant tone, he spoke to the intercepting soldiers, his words tinged with the threat of authority. It wasn’t that Qing Zhu liked to bully others with power; in Chang’an, such methods were simply the most effective and commonly employed.

Indeed, the soldiers, upon hearing Qing Zhu’s bold claim and seeing his disdainful expression, didn’t get riled up. Instead, they became even more cautious, especially since the carriage bore the Sikong Mansion’s emblem and might be carrying a master of the Sikong Family. They were just lowly men who couldn’t afford to provoke such a person. Under normal circumstances, they would have let them pass without question, but now they couldn’t. Orders from above were clear: everyone had to be inspected unless they had a decree from Prime Minister Wang.

“Why are you still standing there? Don’t you know my master is in a hurry? You’re so blindsided; I wonder how you’ve managed to survive this long. Aren’t you afraid of offending someone important and risking your life?” Seeing the soldiers still unyielding, Qing Zhu became even less polite and began to threaten their lives.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The leading soldier, with a strained expression, stepped forward with a fawning smile and said in a placating manner, “Young master, please don’t be angry. It’s not that we dare to inconvenience your noble self, but we have received strict orders from our superiors. If we let anyone pass without inspection, we could be punished immediately. Please understand our difficult position and allow us to conduct a cursory inspection. If everything is in order, we will let you through without any delay.”

Seeing the soldier’s attitude, Qing Zhu knew they were just following orders, and the master had already anticipated such scenarios and given instructions. He then said, “Fine, since that’s the case, I sympathize with your predicament. Go ahead with your inspection, but make it quick. My master’s temper is not the best; if we’re delayed for too long and he becomes angry, not only you, but even I won’t be able to withstand it. You’d best mind your actions.”

“Of course, of course, young master, please rest assured, we will speed up,” said the leading soldier, relieved by Qing Zhu’s concession. He quickly ordered the soldiers to start the search while cautioning them, “Hurry up and be careful. Inspect by all means, but do not damage the noble’s belongings, or you’ll have yourselves to blame.”

After saying this, the lead soldier turned to Qing Zhu with an ingratiating smile, clearly trying to please him.

At that moment, Qing Zhu covered his nose and said with a look of disgust, “What is that foul smell? It’s suffocating!”

The soldier initially thought Qing Zhu was being sarcastic out of anger, but before he could speak, he too smelled an extremely pungent odor. Following the stench, he saw several men pushing two carts of an unknown substance out of the city. Having been held up for inspection, the carts were waiting behind Sikong Mansion’s horse carriage.

“What is in these containers that reek so badly? Trying to kill us with the stench?” The soldier spoke to the men harshly without any pleasantries.

“Sir, this is swill from a restaurant, meant for pig feed. It’s turned sour and pungent from being delayed for two days, but since it’s for feeding pigs, the stench doesn’t really matter. After all, the pigs can’t be choosy about their food, and we got it for free,” explained one of the men, looking unfazed by the foul odor as if he had grown used to it.

Hearing the man’s explanation, the guard could hardly stand it, covering his mouth as if the stench nearly made him vomit.

“You men, go check it and see if there’s any problem,” the leader instructed some soldiers. Although they were reluctant, they had to follow commands. If they accidentally let someone slip by due to negligence, they wouldn’t be able to handle the blame from their superiors.

Then Qing Zhu’s voice was heard again, filled with disgust and impatience, “What’s there to check about two carts of sour water? How could anyone be hidden in such foul and rotten content? Let them go immediately. It’s bad enough to suffocate me, but if our master is bothered by this smell, who among you can bear the responsibility?”

The soldiers, already struggling with the stench, didn’t let the carts pass immediately, but after a quick inspection using a stick to stir the swill without finding anything amiss, they waved the men off, telling them to leave at once.

Once the men left and the nauseating smell finally dissipated, the soldiers resumed inspecting Sikong Mansion’s line. After finding nothing amiss with the boxes and items at the back, their attention turned to Qing Zhu’s horse carriage, seemingly intending to check inside it.

“What are you looking into? Inside, there is my master. How dare you spy upon him at will?!” Qing Zhu saw the soldier looking towards the carriage and spoke up in a displeased tone.

“The young brother is too severe. How would I dare to spy on your master? It’s just that…”

The soldier’s words were cut short by Qing Zhu, who spoke angrily, interrupting him, “Just what? Stop wasting words. You want to inspect, I let you inspect. What else do you want? If you know what’s good for you, let us pass immediately, or don’t blame me for not being polite!”

“Young brother, please calm down. I have no choice. We are ordered to check the carriage before letting it through. Please bear with us.”

The soldier was inwardly troubled, facing such a domineering and unreasonable person of status, they could only consider themselves unlucky. Not only were they unable to protest, but they also had to maintain a smiling façade and proceed softly.

“Don’t overstep your bounds. With your status, you dare to say you will search our master’s carriage? Don’t mistake our kindness for weakness!”

As Qing Zhu spoke, the soldiers, no matter how patient they were, could barely manage to maintain their smiles. They wanted to assert themselves but were mindful of many considerations; however, just then the carriage curtain was lifted to reveal Sikong Yu poking his head out.

“What’s the matter, why the repeated delays?” Sikong Ling asked with a furrowed brow and an air of displeasure.

The soldier looked up and realized that the person inside the carriage wasn’t just any master of the Sikong Family, but their Young Master, Sikong Ling himself,