Chapter 694: This Subordinate is Guilty

"I want to know what exactly happened?"

With one foot stepping on Cheng Moshu, Shen Yu looked at Ma Mingchang, who was still in a state of agitation, his eyes full of inquiry.

At this moment, Cheng Moshu looked at Ma Mingchang anxiously, the threat in his eyes plain to see. He knew Ma Mingchang was a smart man who understood how to seek advantages and avoid harm.

Once some things were spoken of too much, Shen Yu might not necessarily be able to protect their whole family when the time came.

But Ma Mingchang straightened his clothes and bowed deeply to Shen Yu.

"Lord Shen, it is the members of the Baicao Sect from Qianchong Valley in Chengzhou; they are the ones who have controlled the entire Chengzhou."

"Ma Mingchang, you don't want to live yourself, but are you going to disregard your own family too!"

"Noisy!" With a forceful stomp, a 'crack' was heard, and suddenly Cheng Moshu's eyes nearly rolled back as he spat out mouthfuls of blood.

If it weren't for Shen Yu holding back some strength, this single blow would have been enough to send him off.

"Bah, you dare to threaten me in front of Lord Shen? Who gave you the guts!"

After spitting at Cheng Moshu, Ma Mingchang continued, "Lord Shen may not know, but as early as a few months ago, the Baicao Sect had already controlled the entire Chengzhou."

"Not only the State Yamen from top to bottom, but even the Garrison, the Black-Clad Guard, the Capture Gate, and others within the Prefecture Government have already been controlled by them."

He sighed helplessly; recalling the events from before, he still felt lingering fear even now. Fortunately, Lord Shen Yu had arrived, and he felt a bit more confident in his heart.

Otherwise, he would rather have continued to remain decadent. Only by preserving oneself first could there be any hope to speak of.

"Lord Shen, a few months ago, for some reason, the strength of the Martial Artists suddenly began to increase greatly, and riots broke out in the city. Even though this subordinate tried my best to suppress them, it was of no avail."

"In the end, while the major forces in the city were still competing, the people from the Baicao Sect suddenly arrived and suppressed all who refused with absolute, overwhelming strength!"

"The experts in the city who dared to resist were all suppressed, and those who remained either went into hiding or surrendered to them."

Speaking of this, Ma Mingchang glanced at Cheng Moshu, who was being stepped on by Shen Yu, and then said coldly, "Cheng Moshu, under Lord Shen's foot, is one of them!"

"He was originally the commander of the Huwe in my residence, yet he was the first to see that the situation was bad and defected to the Baicao Sect. If it weren't for him, how could I have been so constrained by others!"

"The various generals of the Prefecture Government Garrison were tricked out of the military camp by him and then controlled by the people of the Baicao Sect. Otherwise, how could the Baicao Sect have controlled the entire state city without a sound?"

"Cheng Moshu used his power to bully others; I don't know how many people he has harmed in these few months. My Lord, this man deserves to die!"

Saying this, Ma Mingchang looked fiercely at Cheng Moshu again; if Shen Yu weren't watching nearby, he would have wanted to go up and stomp on him a few times.

Come to think of it, he could be considered his own trusted aide; in the past, he looked like a man of integrity who would not fear danger.

Who would have thought that as soon as he saw the situation was wrong, he was the first to kneel. He was also the one who volunteered to trick all the officers and soldiers out.

This is a villain through and through; he only hates himself for being blind before and not seeing it at all.

Betrayed by his own trusted aide, all of Ma Mingchang's weaknesses were exposed under the eyes of others, and naturally, he was easily manipulated.

The entire Chengzhou was also completely controlled by the people of the Baicao Sect within just a few days, and no news could be sent out.

And he could only hole up here. News of Chengzhou being ravaged like this outside reached him, but he had no other way except to worry in vain, and could only drown his sorrows in alcohol every day.

"Lord Shen, the strength of the Baicao Sect people is too strong; any one of them taken out seems to be much more powerful than the experts in the city!"

"Even the experts in the Black-Clad Guard and the Capture Gate are no match for them and were easily taken down. If you want to deal with them, my Lord, you still need to plan carefully!"

"I have my own judgment on these matters; you continue!"

"Yes, my Lord!" Carefully glancing at Shen Yu, Ma Mingchang then continued, "After the people of the Baicao Sect controlled Chengzhou, it happened to rain heavily, but the river dikes were safe and sound at that time."

"Originally, after the rain cleared, everything would have been safe and sound. But they dug open the river dikes and let the flood submerge villages and farmland; they left countless commoners displaced and starving to death on the streets!"

"This subordinate didn't know why they did this before, but recently I have figured it out: they just wanted to make the commoners homeless and without food to eat."

"They wanted to drive people to a dead end, and only in this way could they easily control everyone. What they paid was nothing more than a little food."

"And only in this way, with just a little food, could they gather everyone in the entire Prefecture Government to the places they designated."

"In this way, they could leisurely select the candidates they needed from among the commoners of the entire Chengzhou!"

Gritting his teeth, Ma Mingchang said in a low voice with his eyes splitting in anger. Although he was trapped here and hadn't gone out to see the situation outside, he could guess a little.

Farmland destroyed, villages submerged, commoners with no food to eat and no houses to live in—who knows how many people will die from hunger and cold.

Thinking about it, Chengzhou at this moment must already be a place where people trade children to eat, with corpses strewn across the fields!

At the thought of this, Ma Mingchang was heartbroken; the Chengzhou he had painstakingly managed had been ruined in just a few months!

"Lord Shen, the Baicao Sect's intentions are punishable; they must be plotting something, but this subordinate is trapped here and doesn't know much about these things, but Cheng Moshu must know something!"

"You want me to open my mouth? Dream on! I won't say anything."

Turning his head with difficulty, Cheng Moshu simply closed his eyes, determined not to let anything slip.

He wanted to use what he knew to beg for a way to survive; of course, he had to bargain, how could he open his mouth so easily.

"I know I am bound to die, so since I am bound to die, why should I speak!"

"And you, Lord Ma Mingchang, you don't need to act like you are so benevolent and love the people; don't you know about your own dirty business? It's ridiculous that you are still deceiving yourself."

"If you, the Prefect, hadn't refused to cooperate to the death, how could they have controlled the entire Chengzhou so easily? By relying on me, a mere commander of the Huwe?"

"You!" Glaring at Cheng Moshu with hatred, Ma Mingchang then said loudly, "My Lord, this subordinate is indeed guilty, guilty beyond forgiveness!"

"Of course you are guilty; with countless commoners dead and injured, why are you, the Prefect, still alive!"

"Cheng Moshu, you!"

"Enough, I am not here to listen to you two bickering; I already know what I need to know!"

With a forceful stomp, Cheng Moshu, who was still thinking about bargaining, was immediately trampled to death; until the very end, Cheng Moshu did not react.

He did not understand why Shen Yu dared to kill him; didn't he want to know the things he knew?

Perhaps Cheng Moshu would never know that there are people who can view others' memories. He knew even less that after seeing the memories in his mind, Shen Yu had already formed the intent to kill.

Ma Mingchang was right; this person indeed deserved to die. He was a treacherous villain, and the kind who would commit all kinds of evil the moment he grabbed a bit of power.

Killing Cheng Moshu as if crushing an ant, Shen Yu then looked deeply at Ma Mingchang and said indifferently, "Lord Ma, you had better take care of yourself!"

"This, this..." Retreating in a panic for two steps, Ma Mingchang sat helplessly on the ground.

Who was Shen Yu? That goes without saying; his reputation for killing like hemp was already famous in official circles. Although his own actions were all forced, dying ten times would not be enough.

Some crimes cannot be erased by just saying one was forced.

"Husband, are you alright!" Seeing Ma Mingchang in such a state, Madam Ma immediately stepped forward, wanting to help Ma Mingchang up, but was stopped by him.

"Madam, since Lord Shen has come, then Chengzhou is saved, and I no longer need to worry about your safety!"

"I am incompetent; above, I cannot protect the common people, and below, I cannot keep my family safe. Madam, in the future, find someone who can truly cherish you and marry him!"

As he spoke, Ma Mingchang knelt in the direction of Shen Yu, while one hand pulled a dagger from his bosom.

"My Lord, this subordinate is guilty!"

"Husband, what are you trying to do, husband!"