Chapter 27: The Decline of the Xia Dynasty

"You damned beasts, damned beasts! All this time we kept even a sliver of kindness for them, and yet it turned out to be raising tigers that bite us!"

The old lady lamented, it's too late to repent!

"Grandmother, no need for regret. Even without that Rebellion Book, I think our Shen Family would eventually be exterminated."

"Sweetheart, you..."

The old lady looked at her calm, somewhat incredulous granddaughter with surprise.

"Grandmother, the Shen Family's downfall, though caused by treacherous slanders, if the Xia Emperor hadn't already harbored discontent and suspicion, why would he investigate—or not investigate—and so rashly condemn our Shen Family?"

"Sweetheart, some words must not be spoken carelessly!"

Her heart trembled, her flesh quivered.

"Actually, Grandmother, you should also know that the Xia Emperor not only fears our Shen Family's influence at court, but more importantly, the power of my mother's clan."

Shen Qingquan's eyes were sharp as blades, and his voice was chillingly cold: "The prestige of the Ning Guo Hou Residence within the army must keep this Xia Emperor sleepless, uneasy in both rest and food, right? Otherwise he wouldn't act so hastily, neglecting even to block every mouth in the world, and would wipe out both our Shen and Ning families at once. After all, a ruler's greatest fear is a minister whose achievements threaten the throne..."

The old lady stared at the granddaughter before her in shock, as if meeting her for the first time.

When did the granddaughter who used to constantly act coquettishly toward her, tender yet a bit willful, completely change?

"What has her sweetheart gone through to have such a gaze? That cold stare, as if bearing a deep‑seated hatred, made her feel both alienated and heart‑ache."

"Grandmother, I'm sorry, I startled you, didn't I? I didn't..."

Shen Qingquan saw the change in Grandmother's complexion and suddenly realized he might have said too much. It was natural that such matters were hard for Grandmother to accept all at once.

After all, the belief that had always sustained him was suddenly called false, and anyone would find that hard to accept.

"Sweetheart, this is not your fault."

The old lady spoke, interrupting her, and gently stroked her face with pity.

"All this time, your heart has been heavy, hasn't it? So many burdens, yet you couldn't tell anyone... When did our sweetheart grow up? Even Grandmother didn't notice..."

Her tone was tinged with melancholy, yet held a hint of pride.

"Grandmother..."

"The one who should say sorry is Grandmother. Grandmother didn't protect you, which left you to bear so much alone."

She gently embraced her, just as in childhood, lightly patting her back, once, then again.

Her nose felt a bit sour.

She recalled that in her youth, whenever she was sad or discouraged, she would lean on Grandmother like this. Grandmother would also gently hold her, patting her back repeatedly.

Although she lost much, fortunately she possessed even more.

…

Outside, Ning Shi looked anxiously at Shen Juancheng, "... Nothing will happen, right?"

"Mother dotes on Qinger so much; what could go wrong?"

He said that, yet his continual glances toward the door betrayed his unease.

"Mother, what's happening over at big sister's side?"

Here, Shen Yubai looked at the elder uncle's family standing in the courtyard and asked his mother in confusion.

"Adult matters, children should stay out of them."

Shen Yubai pursed his lips, but didn't think further and lay back down; Lin Shi was preparing dinner and glanced outside.

She sensed her mother had something to discuss with the elder uncle's family, so she didn't disturb. It now seemed related to Qinger.

Don't be fooled by Lin Shi's simple nature; she's not slow at all, quite meticulous instead.

At that moment, Ning Shi came over, "Sister, I'll help you."

Lin Shi also saw that her mind was elsewhere, but didn't refuse.

Just then, the tightly shut door on that side finally moved, and the old lady's voice came from inside, urging Shen Juancheng and Ning Shi to enter.

"You go first; I'll handle this here."

She smiled apologetically at her, then entered the room together with Shen Juancheng.

As soon as she finished speaking, the sky outside turned dark.

In short, when the two emerged again, their expressions were more solemn than ever.

The two each took their young son and daughter aside, gave them a stern lecture, and until night fell, when the scent of rice porridge drifted through the courtyard, everyone finally gathered there.

Just then, the two elders Huang returned from outside, bringing news they had gathered within the city.

"The city is full of displaced people; now the troops have started sweeping the area, and once they find them they will immediately expel them from the city. Any resistance will be punished..."

Both of their faces looked grim.

Especially Huang Yuanchang, whose complexion turned very pale after returning, as if he had seen something.

Shen Qingquan's eyes flickered slightly, guessing that he must have witnessed a bloody scene.

The troops' methods toward the displaced were naturally far from kind. They wouldn't allow so many people to remain in Xiangcheng; not only was there insufficient stored grain, but the risk of uprising was high, and any slip could threaten them.

Naturally, the sooner they were expelled, the better; otherwise, once they recovered, the city would likely descend into chaos.

"I think they'll soon act against the displaced in Denggu Alley; Xue Gui has always regarded that place as a tumor, eager to eradicate it quickly. This time, it seems a full‑blown conflict is inevitable."

And the people of Denggu Alley wouldn't simply surrender; a bloody disaster would be unavoidable. Yet here, with so many elderly, women, children, and the sick, facing fully armed soldiers wielding blades, how much chance of victory is there?

That dinner felt rather heavy.

After the meal, everyone returned to rest.

Outside, night deepened, yet inside the courtyard many tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Old Huang listened to the howling cold wind outside, recalling the tragic scene he had seen this afternoon...

It wasn't a battle, but a one‑sided massacre.

He had known Xue Gui to be brutal and unkind, but never imagined he was so maddened—sparing not even the elderly, women, or children!

He ordered the displaced to be gathered onto an open ground and executed on the spot. Most of them were ordinary civilians with no strength to resist, many of whom were wounded or ill.

They aren't unwilling to leave; they simply can't.

But even so, no matter how they begged, in the end they were mercilessly cut down with a single blade, their lives ended.

Hundreds of lives were wiped out like that. The blood almost stained the surrounding snow‑white ice red.

They even saw bodies lying on the ground, including those of five‑ or six‑year‑old children.

Even in death, they were still tightly held in a woman's arms.

The blood was a glaring, eye‑piercing red.

The whole air was thick with a heavy, cloying scent of blood.

It gave them a false impression, as if this place were not the mortal world but… a purgatory.

Huang Yuanchang vomited on the spot, as if his innards were about to come up with it.

And those ruthless executioners kept laughing wildly, spitting harsh words: if they don't depart by tomorrow, the people here today will become their own downfall!

What a spectacle, killing chickens to warn the monkeys! This novel debuted on 17K Novel Network; read the official version right away!