Chapter 327: Heaven Is Sending a Warning: Chu Marquis Zhao Qian Is Plotting a Rebellion!

The moment the words fell, the surrounding wind sounds seemed to stop.

"Stirring up rebellion across the world via the Wei River?!!"

Rao Kuai muttered repeatedly, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, his heart rising to his throat, his voice filled with disbelief.

Everyone stared at each other.

Most of them were illiterate, but they were not fools.....

Wang Er opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked, his eyes bulging as if about to pop out of their sockets, staring fixedly at the stone statue's neck, his face as white as if just pulled from a river.

Two young men beside them stepped back half a step sharply, the ice shards beneath their feet creaking.

One bit his lip, leaving a white mark.

The other's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, as if wanting to shout, but only a hoarse breath escaped.

A cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, sliding down his cheek and gathering at his chin, refusing to fall.

Rong Lu clenched the short knife in his hand, his knuckles whitening from the strain; usually the most composed, now his brows knotted, he asked in a deep voice: "Lai Qu, are you... are you sure you didn't misread or mispronounce?"

His eyes seemed lit with twin sparks of alarm, fixed rigidly on the characters.

What earlier felt like a chilling scar now each stroke resembled a poison‑coated needle, stabbing the temples with a throbbing pulse.

"The stone statue only has these few characters; how could I possibly get them wrong?" Lai Qu looked at the crowd's wide eyes, his Adam's apple moved, a half‑bitter smile appeared, the corners of his mouth twitched, as if a stiff line had been cut by cold wind.

He paused, then continued: "If you don't believe it, let someone else verify....."

As a literate person, Lai Qu understood the meaning of those characters better than they did.

At this moment, he only wanted to flee this place of controversy.....

"This is a rebellious poem!"

Rao Kuai suddenly let out a low cry, his voice trembling like leaves in an autumn wind, both hands clamped over his mouth, a sharp inhalation hissing through his fingers, his complexion paler than the ice beside his feet: "The stone statue appeared out of nowhere; could it be a heavenly omen!"

The stone figure opened its eyes; a prophetic utterance manifested—this is no ordinary matter.

Could it truly be divine will?

"It's only been less than two years of peace, and now the world is about to plunge into chaos again?" someone at the back sighed softly.

Staring at the inscription on the stone statue, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes knotted, his voice wrapped in unrelenting bitterness.

The words were like a bucket of cold water, weighing down everyone's hearts.

"Silence! No more nonsense!"

Rong Lu barked sharply, the short knife "seng" into the ice, half the blade sinking into the frozen layer, shaking the surrounding ice shards which fell away.

Usually stern yet rarely this angry, now the blue veins on his temples bulged, his gaze as if tempered by ice; as it swept over the crowd, even the most panicked few instinctively drew their necks back.

Rong Lu knew that at this critical juncture they must act quickly to stop it, lest panic spread further.....

Wang Er's lips moved, but he couldn't hold back, stepping forward half a step, his voice trembling with tears: "Brother Rong... what should we do now?"

Having said that, everyone looked toward the central figure.

Rong Lu sheathed the short knife, thought briefly, then looked at Wang Er, Rao Kuai and the others, saying in a low voice: "You few go separately to inform the superiors, Jing Zhao Fu, and the Mingjing Office!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping the remaining people, "You stay here with me!"

Such matters must be reported immediately, and the hot‑potato problem must be tossed out as well.

If the heavens collapse, the ones above must hold them up; here we only need to report.

"Yes."

Rao Kuai and the others answered in unison, then each set off on their separate tasks.

Jing Zhao Fu office.

Liu Bingzhong pushed open the window, a gust of cold wind swirling in with slivered snow, making him pull his fox fur tighter.

The ice ridges on the windowsill thickened, sharp as tiny knives, reflecting the dim gray sky with a cold white sheen.

"This winter is getting colder!" he murmured, raising his hand to shut the window, sealing the chill outside.

The fire in the charcoal basin flickered weakly, casting his frost‑tinged temples into sharper relief.

On the desk lay newly delivered case files, mostly petty neighborhood disputes and shop tax arrears, but he read them absent‑mindedly.

"The year's end is near....." Liu Bingzhong lifted his teacup; the warm tea failed to heat his palm, "Hope Chang'an will be more peaceful......"

"Sir!"

"It's bad!"

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside, clearly frantic; Minor Officer Li Shuren's voice burst through the door, accompanied by a slight gasp.

He usually carried a hint of composure, but now his official cap was askew, his robe's hem wet with snow, clearly having run here.

"What case has arisen again?"

Hearing that, Liu Bingzhong's temples throbbed, a dull ache climbing up his neck, his voice heavy with suppressed fatigue, he asked: "How many died?"

Prefect Liu felt a wave of headache....

For the case to make Minor Officer Li Shuren so panicked, it could not be minor.

This matter truly cannot be spoken or even thought of!

"No case!"

Li Shuren strode several steps into the room, hand braced on the desk, panting: "There are no dead bodies either!"

"Then why are you rushing here at dawn, shouting 'not good'? " Liu Bingzhong frowned, the irritation he'd just suppressed bubbling up again, "Just idle!"

His words were full of impatience.

Speaking, he lifted the teacup, took a sip, and steadied his irritation.

"Sir, there is no case....." Li Shuren said after catching his breath.

He paused, then shifted tone, adding: "But outside the city, in the Wei River, a strange stone statue was unearthed!"

"Stone statue?"

"What's wrong with the stone statue?"

Liu Bingzhong shrugged and said, "Perhaps the river, after many days, has eroded away, exposing the stone statue that the ancients buried!"

"But the stone statue has writing!" Li Shuren almost chattered through clenched teeth, his voice trembling.

"What does it say?" Liu Bingzhong asked reflexively.

For some reason, he felt a bad premonition.....

He constantly felt that something big was about to happen!

"The soldier who came to deliver the news said it was...."

"What did he say it was?"

Li Shuren blinked, his haste making him a bit stammering; after a brief thought, he slapped his head and recalled, "Ah, right, never say the stone man has one eye, stirring the Wei River, the world rebels!"

"What?!"

Clang!

Liu Bingzhong's tea cup slipped from his hand, fell onto the desk, and scalding tea splashed out, wetting the corners of the file.

The composure in his eyes shattered instantly, and his face turned pallid.

Stone man, rebel poem, Wei River, world rebellion.....

This is no ordinary matter?

Clearly it's a thunderclap that will overturn the Capital!

Lately, Chang'an has been plagued by endless turmoil; one wave settles, another rises.....

Thinking of this, Liu Bingzhong's peripheral glance fell toward the direction of the Mingjing Office, his eyes filled with dread.

Li Shuren saw the magistrate's face as white as paper, his lips pressed into a tight line, even the fingers holding the desk trembled slightly; his heart tightened, and he stepped forward half a step, "Sir, what's wrong with you?"

"Is something wrong with your body?"

He said he would go to help, but was brushed aside.

"Nothing!"

Liu Bingzhong's voice carried suppressed urgency as he spun and strode out, his robe's hem sweeping the desk, nearly toppling the ink slab. "Immediately send this office's order: gather the three squads of constables at the Fumen, equip them with tools, and rush to the stone statue's location at once!"

Immediately, he straightened his collar, forced the unease deep into his heart, and marched out with long strides.

The horse's hooves shattered the thin ice on the riverbank, emitting a crisp cracking sound.

Liu Bingzhong tightened the reins, his gaze sweeping the crowded riverbank, his brows instantly knotting.

In just a Half Hour Rest, so many townsfolk had gathered, whispering in groups, their eyes darting toward the stone statue covered by a straw mat, clearly the rumor had spread.

"Where is the stone statue?"

"Where is the stone statue with the inscription?"

Liu Bingzhong had no time to attend to the onlookers; he dismounted and led the men straight toward the stone statue.

At that moment, a figure clad in a black Brothel stepped forward, followed by a man and a woman, and several embroidered‑cloth emissaries, a half‑smile curling the corners of the mouth, hands clasped behind the back, he said leisurely, "Old Liu, you came quite quickly!"

"Arriving with my supervision, front and back..."

"Chen... Chen Supervisor?!" Liu Bingzhong instantly recognized the newcomer, and, astonished, he exhaled a sigh of relief and felt much calmer.

After all, with this lord present, he only needed to play a humble supporting role.....

Immediately, he stepped forward, bowed, and asked, "Supervisor, how do you think this suddenly appearing stone statue should be dealt with?"

"This is not for us to decide....."

Chen Yan walked slowly to the stone statue, hands clasped behind his back, his fingertips lightly tapping the jade beads on his wrist.

He lowered his gaze to examine the stone statue in the ice, his eyes moving from the single eye to the inscription, then leisurely circled the statue half a turn; the black robe's hem brushed the ice, raising fine shards. "Better to transport it back to the Capital and let the Grand Overseer decide its fate!"

"Such an arrangement is most appropriate!" Liu Bingzhong replied without hesitation.

As long as he doesn't have to handle it, any arrangement is fine.....

Chen Yan waved his hand, and several embroidered‑cloth emissaries immediately stepped forward, the blades at their waists flashing cold light.

Their movements were swift and silent; they first chiseled away the ice surrounding the statue, then bound the statue's torso tightly with coarse hemp rope, the rope digging into the stone cracks, leaving deep marks.

The constables of Jing Zhao Fu also joined, a dozen or so lifting each end of the rope; with a "Hey‑yo" exertion, they slowly pulled the half‑buried stone statue out of the ice.

The heavy statue carved two deep furrows in the ice, shards scattering along the way, striking the boots of the crowd with a crackle.

The embroidered‑cloth emissaries fetched a thick straw mat, layering it over the statue, even covering the inscription tightly, then draped waterproof oilcloth, leaving only a vague outline exposed.

But the onlookers' buzzing chatter spread like a tide.

"Look!"

A townsfolk who had seen Chen Yan from afar recognized him and shouted, "This oddly shaped stone statue even startled Lord Chen Yan....."

"It seems the inscription is unusual!"

"It's more than just unusual!" the embroidered‑cloth emissary Wu Mingche, pretending to be a townsfolk, rubbed his frozen red hands and said, "Each character holds great meaning!"

His words instantly sparked curiosity; an old man wearing a felt hat asked, "Brother, have you perhaps discerned something?"

"Stirring the Wei River, the world rebels, is straightforward and blunt; I won't elaborate further....."

Wu Mingche exhaled a breath of heat and said meaningfully, "The point lies in 'never say the stone man has one eye'; you must contemplate the two characters 'stone man'!"

"What about the stone man?"

"Isn't it this stone statue?"

The surrounding townsfolk listened, bewildered and clueless.

"Superficial!"

That embroidered‑cloth emissary Yuanzhou, also posing as a townsfolk, hummed lightly and said, "That stone man refers to the old pillar of the state!"

"Have you forgotten the verse the Buddha sent in a dream to Master Huineng?"

"Is it Duke of Chu Zhao Qian?!" A sudden gasp rose from the crowd, "Heaven is warning us; Duke of Chu Zhao Qian is about to rebel!"

The words had just ended.

The surrounding onlookers, the common folk, were in an uproar, looking at each other in disbelief.

"Everyone, calm down!"

Chen Yan, hearing the endless murmurs around him, pressed his hand and, out of goodwill, loudly defended the Duke of Chu: "Zhao Lao, the pillar of the state, is a key figure of Great Zhou, a loyal minister and fine general; before the truth comes to light, one must not make reckless speculations!"

But no matter which era people belong to, they all have a rebellious mindset.....

The more one tries to stop something, the more one ends up doing it.

The murmurs briefly ceased, but after Chen Yan and Liu Bingzhong left, they rose again, growing more intense.....