Chapter 725: Surrender

Pan Yun's feet dangled outside the ox cart, swaying gently, while the ten-mile-long pavilion was half-hidden behind the trees, visible only intermittently.

Her gaze swept over the dense forests on either side of the road, and she smiled: "My lord Yu, look—our Yushan County has fine mountains, fine water, and fine trees."

Yu Qian scanned the trees lining the road thoughtfully and nodded: "Indeed, very lush."

Pan Yun: "You could hide a hundred or two hundred men in there, like hiding mosquitoes—completely invisible."

Cai Cheng: …

Cold sweat began to break out.

The ox cart stopped; Pan Yun stepped down nimbly, while Cai Cheng stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

Yu Qian, unwilling to let an imperial official appear too foolish, reached out and steadied him.

Cai Cheng thanked him repeatedly, wiped his sweat with his sleeve, and asked anxiously: "Where are Song Dalin and Wang Xiaojing?"

Pan Yun looked up at the sun and smiled: "No rush—the time hasn't come yet, my lord Cai. Why not take a stroll nearby, enjoy the scenery? You rarely leave the city; don't waste this fine daylight."

Cai Cheng always felt Pan Yun had hidden meaning in her words; he forced a laugh: "No, no need—I'll just wait here."

No sooner had he spoken than a sound came from the other end of the road; the group leaned forward to look toward the horizon.

Two figures emerged from the bend, followed by a crowd carrying swords, spears, hoes, and shovels—conservatively estimated, at least a hundred or two hundred people.

Cai Cheng: …

Pan Yun burst out laughing.

Cai Cheng suppressed his anger: "Priestess Pan, we agreed they'd come with two people—why did they bring so many?"

Pan Yun immediately dropped her smile and spoke with righteous indignation: "Exactly! This is outrageous—I'll scold him later."

Pan Yun said: "My lord Cai, don't misunderstand me—I merely relayed the message verbatim. I never expected Song Dalin to bring so many. Alas, I'm powerless—he won't listen to me."

Yu Qian said: "No matter. We're here to negotiate, not to fight. More people won't help."

"That won't do—if these unruly peasants seize my lord by force?" Cai Cheng regretted it bitterly, wishing he could drag Yu Qian straight back to Huicheng.

He shouldn't have agreed to negotiate outside the city—he should've lured them inside.

Pan Yun soothed him: "My lord, don't worry—they have people, but so do we."

Cai Cheng: "We've only ten or so men—what good is that?"

"Huh? Aren't the men in the woods your own men? Then…?" Pan Yun tossed a pebble in her hand, her gaze turning cold: "Could it be that Officer Fang has treasonous intentions—trying to use Song Dalin to eliminate His Imperial Majesty's envoy? If so, I'll go kill the ambushers right now to liven things up for you."

Pan Yun turned to leave; Cai Cheng grabbed her arm. Under Yu Qian and Pan Yun's stares, his face flushed crimson, and he stammered: "I—I was just being cautious…"

Song Dalin and the others had reached them; Yu Qian whispered a warning: "Enough."

The two fell silent.

Song Dalin's gaze swept over Pan Yun and Cai Cheng, then settled on Yu Qian; he bowed: "Are you the Imperial Envoy from Jingcheng, Lord Yu, the Just Judge?"

Yu Qian returned the bow humbly: "I dare not claim the title 'Just Judge'—I merely refuse to betray the people."

Song Dalin's face darkened: "An official who dares say he doesn't betray the people is a just judge. If Yushan County had an official like you, how could we ever have rebelled?" Pan Yun had instructed them: begin by complaining—make the envoy understand they didn't rebel out of disloyalty to the Emperor or disrespect for the imperial court, but because they were driven to it.

So Song Dalin had carefully selected every man present—each had a reason they could not help but rebel.

She had said it: Cai Cheng had already bribed everyone; as long as Yu Qian didn't renege, the amnesty was certain—and now came the next step: remove Cai Cheng along with the amnesty.

They were sick of this county magistrate; the sooner he was gone, the better.

Song Dalin immediately launched into a twenty-minute tirade against Cai Cheng, then stepped back to make way for Wang Xiaojing, who had suffered even more.

Wang Xiaojing wiped his tears: "My lord, because of Cai Cheng's forced labor conscription, my second uncle died from exhaustion—he was only nineteen, and he was supposed to marry this year. He spent seven years learning carpentry, and had just finished his training."

Others stepped forward one by one, each telling Yu Qian why they had rebelled.

"My lord, we are human beings, our families are human beings—do we not deserve to live?"

Yu Qian's lips trembled, his eyes reddened, and he could not speak.

Beside him, Cai Cheng's face flushed crimson; he opened his mouth several times but made no sound, even his body frozen in place.

He was furious—he knew Pan Yun had orchestrated this.

He glared resentfully at Wu the secretary, who stood motionless—why wouldn't he step forward to stop them? Why let these unruly peasants say so much?

Wu the secretary kept his head bowed, silent.

When their grievances were nearly spent, Pan Yun flicked her finger; an invisible force struck Cai Cheng, and he instantly regained movement.

He shot forward, fell to his knees with a thud, and wailed: "My lord, I'm innocent! I knew nothing of these matters—I did order the labor conscription, but I did it for the people's good! Had I not forced repairs to the riverbank, bridges, and roads this year, the floods and storms would've caused far greater damage."

"And the extra two cash in taxes—I'm falsely accused! That was ordered by the Prefect's office—what power did I have to refuse?"

Cai Cheng cried out: "It's all a lie—!"

Yu Qian looked down at him, then nodded gently after a pause: "I know. Afterward, I will report the truth to the imperial court. The priority now is to finalize the amnesty."

Yu Qian asked Song Dalin: "Did Priestess Pan convey our sincerity?"

Song Dalin nodded grimly: "She did. It's not perfect—but if you truly deliver what you've promised, we're willing to surrender."

Both sides laid out their terms, confirmed mutual understanding, and Yu Qian said: "If you surrender, I will immediately petition the court to pardon your crimes. As for labor conscription and taxes, County Magistrate Cai has already erased them for you. If…"

"Not just us—Yushan, Guangfeng, Kaihua, and Changshan counties. Our brothers all come from these four counties."

Cai Cheng: "…I'm just a county magistrate—do you think I'm the Prefect?"

Yu Qian paused briefly, then said: "I will petition Your Majesty. You may come in peace."

Song Dalin looked at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun gave them a slight nod.

Song Dalin: "I'm not afraid you'll break your word—we'll just rebel again if you do!"

Pan Yun's brow twitched; Yu Qian frowned slightly, then relaxed and nodded to Song Dalin: "Since we've agreed, have your men report to the government office for registration, then disperse. Past offenses will be pardoned. The notice abolishing labor conscription this year and restoring only the old standard will be issued soon."

The two-cash tax in Yushan County will also be announced shortly; for the other counties, it will take longer—I must first seek the Emperor's and the court's approval before issuing the notice.