Chapter 74: The Unveiling of a Treacherous Plot

“What precisely do you mean by that, Miss Su?”

Jia Qinglian’s smile vanished. He puffed out his belly, placing his hands behind his back, and proudly protruded his stomach, which seemed as swollen as if he were nine months pregnant.

“This official has toiled day and night for the safety of Moonfall Town. I was merely taking a brief rest. How can you say death is imminent?”

“Toiled day and night?”

Su Qinghan’s lips curled into a mocking sneer.

“Toiled to drive hundreds of refugees out of the city, delivering them as provisions to the demon race?”

Jia Qinglian’s brow furrowed in displeasure.

“Miss Su, you shouldn’t speak so carelessly. This official was merely resettling the refugees. The city is cramped, with too many people and too many eyes. What if demon spies were mixed among them?”

“Relocating them to the open ground outside the city not only makes management easier but also allows heroes like Lady Lu to protect them. This is a perfect strategy!”

He spoke with such self-righteous conviction, as if he had made the most brilliant and decisive judgment.

“A perfect strategy?”

Su Qinghan fixed her gaze on his eyes, her words rapid-fire.

“The area outside the city is wide open, with no natural defenses! If a demon tide strikes, those four encampments will be four pieces of meat delivered straight to the wolf’s maw!”

“Are you perhaps hoping they’ll act as human shields, taking the first wave of attack for you?”

Having been relentlessly pressed and rendered speechless, a flicker of embarrassment crossed Jia Qinglian’s face, but it was swiftly replaced by furious indignation.

“Nonsense!”

He flung his sleeve, his voice rising.

“This official cherishes his people as if they were his own children! How could I do such a thing? Besides, didn’t Lady Lu say when she was settling the villagers that the wolf demon is as timid as a mouse and wouldn’t dare attack the city?”

“Miss Su, you are merely spreading alarmist rumors and inciting panic!”

Behind him, Lu Hongzhuang awkwardly scratched her head, wondering how she had gotten dragged into this.

“What if the wolf demon’s previous display of weakness was all an act, specifically for you?”

Su Qinghan pressed on, unrelenting.

“What if he deliberately lulled you into a false sense of security, just so you would send those people out?”

Jia Qinglian paused, then scoffed aloud.

“An act? What do mere beasts understand of military tactics or deception? Miss Su, you truly overestimate those fiends.”

He waved a hand dismissively, an expression of utter impatience on his face.

“Enough, enough. This official is tired and needs his rest. Both of you, please leave.”

With that, he turned to retreat into his inner chambers.

“Wait!”

Su Qinghan’s sharp cry rang out.

Jia Qinglian’s footsteps faltered. He spun around, his face now etched with anger.

“Does Miss Su have any further instructions?”

“Tell me, who gave you the idea for this plan to resettle people outside the city?”

Su Qinghan stared intently at him, refusing to miss the slightest change in his expression.

Jia Qinglian froze, then instinctively replied, “Naturally, it was my chief advisor, Wu Yong. He is resourceful and cunning, truly my right-hand man.”

As he spoke of his chief advisor, a hint of pride touched Jia Qinglian’s face. It was indeed a clever idea, solving the city’s overcrowding while keeping those dirty vagrants out of sight and out of mind.

“Wu Yong…”

Su Qinghan chewed on the name, a chilling glint flashing in her eyes. “Where is he? Bring him out.”

“This…”

Jia Qinglian hesitated. “It’s quite late. Advisor Wu has likely gone to bed. Perhaps we can discuss this tomorrow?”

“Now! Immediately! At once!”

Su Qinghan slammed a hand on her wheelchair armrest, her voice piercing. “Go and drag him here for me!”

Lu Hongzhuang also sensed something amiss. She stepped forward, and her longsword hissed half an inch from its sheath, emitting a chilling gleam.

“Fatty Jia, call for him.”

Jia Qinglian trembled in fright, the flesh on his face jiggling.

“Alright, alright, I’ll call! I’ll call right now!”

He yelled towards the door, “Someone! Go and fetch Advisor Wu! Quickly!”

The servant outside responded and scurried away.

The atmosphere in the room solidified into a tense silence. The concubines, having also sensed the abnormality, huddled in a corner, not daring to breathe.

Jia Qinglian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his mind filled with uneasy doubts. Why was Miss Su acting as if she had swallowed gunpowder? It was just a resettlement plan; was it truly worth such a fuss? And why was Lady Lu joining in this senseless mischief?

Time ticked by, moment by agonizing moment. Each second of waiting felt like torture. Su Qinghan’s fingers tapped lightly on her armrest, the rhythm growing increasingly rapid, betraying her inner agitation.

Not long after, the servant returned, breathless, a hint of panic on his face.

“M-Master…”

“Where is he? Why isn’t he here yet?” Jia Qinglian glared, scolding, “Dawdling like that, do you not want to work anymore?!”

The servant thudded to his knees, his voice trembling.

“N-No, Master! M-Master! Advisor Wu… Advisor Wu isn’t in his room!”

“Not in his room?” Jia Qinglian froze. “Where did he go? The outhouse… he’s not in the outhouse either?”

The servant swallowed hard, stammering, “This humble one asked Gatekeeper Old Zhang, and Old Zhang said… said Advisor Wu had already left the city before the gates closed!”

Boom!

The words exploded in Su Qinghan’s mind like a thunderclap. Just as she suspected!

Jia Qinglian, however, was still oblivious, a blank expression on his face. “Left the city? What would he be doing leaving the city in the middle of the night?”

“Old Zhang said… Advisor Wu was carrying a large satchel and claimed… claimed his ailing mother in the countryside was gravely ill and he needed to visit her. He also took quite a few valuables, saying… saying they were for his mother’s medical treatment…”

The servant’s voice grew softer with each word.

Jia Qinglian was stunned. An ailing mother? Going back to visit? The reason sounded plausible, but…

“His mother died years ago!”

Jia Qinglian suddenly leapt to his feet, his voice warped into a shrill shriek. “When he first came to seek my patronage, he said he was an orphan! Where would he get a mother?!”

A chill shot up from his soles to the crown of his head.

Jia Qinglian might have been incompetent, but he was not a fool. At this crucial juncture, the chief advisor who had suggested expelling the refugees had suddenly run away after fabricating a lie. What did this imply?

He stiffly turned his neck, looking at Su Qinghan in her wheelchair. Su Qinghan was expressionless, but her eyes were chillingly cold.

“Now, do you still think I am spreading alarmist rumors?”

Jia Qinglian’s mouth was agape, gurgling sounds escaping his throat, yet he couldn’t utter a single word.

Ran off? That Advisor Wu, who was always so obedient and resourceful, was actually a spy? And the four encampments outside the city…

“It’s over…”

Jia Qinglian’s legs gave out, and he slumped to the ground, his entire body of flesh trembling. “This is a trap… this is a trap!”

Report————!!!

Just then, an ear-splitting roar, utterly piercing, ripped through the night sky. Immediately following.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

A dull, urgent tolling of bells echoed over Moonfall Town. Once, twice, thrice, continuous and deafening!

This was… the warning bell! The highest level of alarm, only rung when facing utter annihilation, a matter of life and death!

Jia Qinglian trembled, the color instantly draining from his face, leaving him pale as a sheet.

Outside the door, a flurry of hurried, chaotic hoofbeats approached. A messenger dismounted, stumbled into the courtyard, and scrambled and crawled his way into the room.

“G-Governor, it’s bad!”

The messenger’s face was filled with terror, his voice hoarse and tearful.

“A… a demon tide!”

“From all directions, it’s nothing but demons!”

“The refugee encampments to the east, south, west, and north… they’re all surrounded!”

“They… they are holding the refugees hostage… and are preparing to attack the city!!!”

Rumble!

It was as if the sky had fallen. Jia Qinglian’s eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

It had truly come! And it was a four-pronged assault! They were even using the refugees as the vanguard for their attack!

“It’s… it’s completely over…”

Jia Qinglian lay sprawled on the ground.

“How could this happen… how could this happen…”

He muttered to himself, his eyes vacant, utterly devoid of a magistrate’s former dignity.

Lu Hongzhuang’s grip on her sword tightened abruptly, her knuckles turning white. She hadn’t expected Su Qinghan’s predictions to be entirely accurate. That vicious demon was not enraged; instead, it was utterly insidious!

“What are you waiting for?!”

Su Qinghan’s voice, remarkably calm amidst the chaos, even carried a hint of deadly resolve.

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