Mo Sang – CH 250

Chapter 250. Sir

Zhang Zheng stretched, took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, squinting at the beggar sleeping on the street corner. After a moment, he let out a cold laugh.

“What? There are beggars here under the city wall, too?”

“Huh?” Master Zhong was startled, not quite understanding.

“I almost forgot; she started from among the beggars, known as the leader of the Beggars’ Clan. She’s the boss of all these beggars!” Zhang Zheng squinted at the beggar huddled in the street corner, grinning broadly.

“Who? What boss of these beggars…” Master Zhong was bewildered.

What was this all about? Just a beggar. There were beggars everywhere in this city, beggars everywhere in the world. Where were there no beggars?

“You!” Zhang Zheng ignored Master Zhong, whirled around, and pointed at one of his guards. “Go and call two squads of ten men each. Kill all the beggars in this city!”

“Huh?” Master Zhong’s eyes widened in shock. “What are you going to do? Why are you killing beggars? These beggars…”

“These aren’t beggars, they’re assassins!

Outside the city, that woman is known as the leader of the Beggars’ Clan! These beggars are her followers, her assassins!” Zhang Zheng pointed at the beggars, speaking to Master Zhong word by word.

“You’re insane!” Master Zhong stammered, unsure what to say.

“I’m perfectly fine. Everyone in this city is going to die sooner or later. The sooner they die, the sooner they’ll be reborn,” Zhang Zheng said, walking forward with his hands behind his back.

Master Zhong froze for a moment. Seeing the guard turn to leave, he lunged forward, grabbing the guard and gripping his shoulder tightly.

“You! Take it easy; don’t rush. Let me try to persuade him again. Wait for me! By tomorrow morning, don’t worry, I’m here. If the general gets angry, I’m here. I’ll handle everything! Don’t worry, I’m sure I can calm him down!”

“Alright.” The guard nodded hastily.

Commander Zhang, before him, was a bloodthirsty madman, and the guard was somewhat frightened.

“Sir, you should have advised the general sooner!”

Master Zhong whirled around, grabbed the front of his long robe, and hurried a few steps to catch up with Zhang Zheng. Seeing Zhang Zheng’s exhausted face, Master Zhong hesitated for a moment, swallowing the words he was about to say.

He was extremely tired now. When people were tired, their mood was bound to be bad, and they were bound to be irritable.

Once he had gotten a good night’s sleep, once he woke up, his mood would definitely be much better, and he wouldn’t be so irritable. When he was in a better mood, he would listen to what he said.

During this extraordinary time, Master Zhong lived with Zhang Zheng. Zhang Zheng lived in the main courtyard, and he lived in a side room.

Back at their lodgings, Zhang Zheng took a hot bath, lay down on his bed, and the loud shouts outside the city, mixed with the sounds of gongs and drums from the city walls, were muffled and indistinct after being blocked by many obstacles. In a daze, it sounded like the rumble of thunder before a storm.

“I’m going to take a nap. Don’t fall into a deep sleep; keep an eye on things,” Zhang Zheng mumbled, then rolled over and fell fast asleep.

Master Zhong agreed, tiptoed out, closed the door, stood in the doorway, and let out a long sigh.

It was good that he could sleep.

Master Zhong stood on the porch, listening intently to the shouts coming from outside the city and the weak drumming from the city walls. His brow furrowed, he turned to look at the closed door, hesitated for a moment, sighed heavily, went out the second gate, beckoned to the guard on duty, and whispered, “Go to the city wall and tell them: give those tied to the crenellations some food and water; let them relax a bit. Those who look like they can’t hold on much longer, untie them and let them rest. Tie them back up at dawn. If they’re dead, they’re useless anyway.”

“Yes.” The guard agreed and hurried up the city wall to relay the order.

……………………

On the warship on the river, having received the report, Li Sangrou and Wen Yanchao went up to the watchtower one after the other.

Sure enough, soldiers came forward at each crenellation, untying the hostages or untying their hands. It seemed they were even given water and food.

Li Sangrou slowly let out a sigh of relief.

“Was it Zhang Zheng?” Wen Yanchao asked, frowning.

“No, it wasn’t him. Zhang Zheng is the kind of person who always goes all the way.” Li Sangrou shook her head. “Zhang Zheng must not be on the city wall.”

“If it wasn’t Zhang Zheng, then the person who gave the order must either be very close to Zhang Zheng or be bold enough to dare to give such an order; secondly, they must have enough prestige to issue orders that bypass Zhang Zheng and still be effective.

There’s a gap!” Wen Yanchao’s eyes lit up.

“Hmm, let’s take another look.” Li Sangrou looked worriedly at the city wall. She had a pretty good idea of ​​who this person was; it was probably Master Zhong, the only person Zhang Zheng was close to and respected besides Su Qing and his sibling, and General Wu.

But Master Zhong was an overly kind and gentle man, an honest man who wouldn’t even step on an ant. She worried he might succumb to Zhang Zheng’s rage and temper.

The city before her was like a giant cauldron of boiling oil, tormenting her, and she was powerless to stop it.

……………………

Master Zhong left the door of the side room open, moved a chair to the doorway, and sat down, wrapped in a light jacket, seemingly half-asleep.

Zhang Zheng slept soundly, and when he woke up, the sky was already turning a pale white.

“Did you sleep well?” Seeing Zhang Zheng come out of the room, Master Zhong hurriedly came out to greet him, carefully observing his complexion.

Zhang Zheng’s eyes were bright, and his expression and complexion were quite different from yesterday. Master Zhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief; a good night’s sleep had indeed made him much better.

“Damn it, still shouting!” Zhang Zheng spat after listening to the shouts outside the city.

“Ignore them. They’ll stop when they get tired of shouting and realize it’s useless,” Master Zhong reassured him, then chuckled, “I’ve already had breakfast prepared: two bowls of noodles and some cold dishes. A good sleep followed by a proper breakfast will make you feel better.”

“Exactly!” Zhang Zheng stretched. “After we’ve eaten and drunk our fill, we’ll go up to the city wall and throw those beggars off to the Boss’s ship one by one. Every time they shout, throw one down. I’ll make them shout some more!”

Master Zhong shivered slightly, forcing a smile. “You still remember that? A bunch of beggars…”

“Those aren’t beggars. They’re the leader’s henchmen, her assassins. She’s the leader of the Beggars’ Clan. Haven’t you heard?

Cut ​​off their heads and hurl them onto their ships with catapults!

Forget it, just throw them down, head and all. If you only throw the head down, there’ll be nowhere to put those stinking corpses,” Zhang Zheng said, squinting as he pondered.

Master Zhong stared at him intently for a moment, then swallowed hard and said in a strained voice, “Zheng, the beggars are gone, but who knows how many lowlifes are left in this city? How many can you kill? Are you going to kill them all? That shouldn’t be the case.”

“Everyone in this city is going to die. Even this city, I’ll set it on fire and burn it clean!” Zhang Zheng said, taking the toothbrush and cup from his guard and bending down to brush his teeth.

Master Zhong subconsciously took a step back, staring blankly at Zhang Zheng happily brushing his teeth.

Zhang Zheng finished brushing his teeth, handed the toothbrush and cup to his guard, and bent down to wash his face.

“I’ll go check the kitchen. It seems there’s some steam. Stir the sauce a bit more, with lots of garlic, if you like it,” Master Zhong instructed, then bowed down as he went to the kitchen.

The guard carrying the washbasin stared wide-eyed in fright as Master Zhong headed towards the kitchen.

Why did you leave, sir? What would he say if the general asked if the beggars had been killed?

Zhang Zheng washed his face, carefully combed and trimmed his beard in front of the mirror, then sat down and had his hair combed by the guard. He changed his clothes, took a cup of fragrant tea, and waited for breakfast to be served.

Master Zhong stood at the kitchen doorway, his gaze unfocused as he watched the busy cooks.

Changsha had fallen; General Wu’s fate was unknown. Alas, even Concubine Su was dead; General Wu’s chances were slim.

Besides General Wu, no one else in this world could restrain Zhang Zheng.

He said he would kill everyone in the city and then burn it down. He said that yesterday, and today, after a good night’s sleep, in a good mood, and fully awake, he still said the same thing.

He had made up his mind.

He had made up his mind long ago.

The lives of the people in this city, this city…

General Wu never killed indiscriminately; General Wu would certainly not approve of this.

This cannot be done; it should not be done!

Master Zhong lowered one hand, pinching the small porcelain bottle in his purse.

The bottle contained arsenic. He had prepared it on the day Jiangdu City was besieged, carrying it with him in case the city fell, to use for suicide.

He was timid. Even with knives and spears, he dared not stab others, nor did he dare to stab himself. He wouldn’t even kill a chicken. To commit suicide, he could only take poison.

Master Zhong pinched the porcelain bottle repeatedly, watching the cook toss noodles into the pot, and said slowly, “Make the flavor stronger; the general has had no taste in his mouth these past few days.”

“Alright!” the cook replied, adding two more spoonfuls of broth to a large bowl.

……………………

The fragrant, steaming hot noodles were placed on the table. Zhang Zheng sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and first took a large bite of the cold toppings. Then he pulled the bowl of noodles closer, picked up the noodles with his chopsticks, and slurped them down.

Hot noodles must be eaten while they’re hot.

Master Zhong sat beside him, holding his chopsticks, slowly picking up a mouthful of noodles, but not putting it in his mouth. His gaze was fixed on the bowl of noodles in front of Zhang Zheng, watching as Zhang Zheng finished his noodles, picked up the bowl, blew on it twice, and took a sip of the broth.

“Why aren’t you eating? Don’t you have an appetite again? You can’t do this; you have to eat properly!” Zhang Zheng finished his noodles and broth, looked at Master Zhong, who was picking up noodles with his chopsticks but not putting them in his mouth, and frowned.

“I do have no appetite.” Master Zhong put down his chopsticks, looking directly at Zhang Zheng.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that? Trying to persuade me again? Go ahead and try; I’ll listen, just consider it selling my ear to you,” Zhang Zheng chuckled.

“No, I…” Master Zhong’s tears fell.

“What’s wrong? You…” Zhang Zheng didn’t finish his sentence when a sharp pain shot through his stomach. “You?”

“It’s me, I…” Master Zhong looked at Zhang Zheng, tears streaming down his face.

The sharp pain suddenly intensified, and Zhang Zheng’s smile twisted in agony. “Damn it, you really can do this! What is it?”

“Arsenic. I was saving it to commit suicide when the city falls,” Master Zhong’s voice choked.

“I haven’t even cried; why are you crying?!

Sigh! Fine!

Burn me, burn me to ashes!

This world, damn it. I’m fed up!

Burn me!”

Zhang Zheng lunged forward, knocking over the dishes and table with a crash.

Master Zhong, pulled by the table, fell to the ground, chair and all, and sat there, wailing loudly.

……………………

As the sun slowly rose overhead, the drums and gongs on the city wall suddenly stopped. A short while later, the heavy city gate was slowly pushed open.

“Into the city! Go save people first! Quickly!” Wen Yanchao shouted sharply, leaping down from the watchtower and rushing towards the shore.

“Zhang Zheng is dead?” Da Chang looked at the silent city wall.

Li Sangrou’s gaze shifted from the Qi soldiers rushing towards the city gate to the men, women, and children on the crenellations.

“I don’t know who killed Zhang Zheng.” Da Chang’s face was grim.

The Boss’s promise was too heavy.

“Let’s go see,” Li Sangrou said calmly.

“Boss, look over there!” Just as they reached the shore, Da Chang suddenly tugged at Li Sangrou, pointing to the highest watchtower on the Yanzi Isle city wall.

On the watchtower, Master Zhong, clutching a porcelain jar containing Zhang Zheng’s ashes, leaped into the surging river.

……………………

Li Sangrou followed Zhang Zheng’s guards into the courtyard where Zhang Zheng and Master Zhong had lived.

In the spacious main courtyard, the ground was charred black from the fire, and an old pomegranate tree in one corner was half-burnt.

Li Sangrou stood on the steps of the second gate, looking at the charred remains in the courtyard.

It was here that Master Zhong had cremated Zhang Zheng.

After observing for a moment, Li Sangrou crossed the courtyard, stepping on the charred remains, and ascended the steps to the main house.

The overturned tables, chairs, and dishes in the main house remained exactly as they had been.

Li Sangrou stood at the entrance to the main house for a while, then turned and headed towards the side room where Master Zhong had lived.

Li Sangrou stood at the door of the side room, not going in, but slowly looking around before closing the door behind her. She looked at Hei Ma and instructed, “Find a good painter to paint everything in this room.”

“Alright.” Hei Ma turned and left.

Li Sangrou then instructed Da Chang, “Once the painter finishes, make sure everything in this room is packed up, nothing is missing, and put it away with the painting. We’ll send it to Master Zhong’s house later.”

“Mm,” Da Chang replied, glancing back at the charred courtyard and sighing softly.

Li Sangrou left Master Zhong’s and Zhang Zheng’s residence, turned two streets, passed the prefectural school, entered a side alley, stood at the door of the second courtyard, and knocked on the door knocker.

“Who is it?”

A voice from inside the courtyard sounded slightly frightened.

“I am Master Zhong’s friend,” Li Sangrou answered loudly.

The courtyard gate opened quickly, and the thin, elderly man who opened it stared in astonishment at Li Sangrou. “Who are you?”

“My surname is Li, Li Sangrou, formerly the head of the Ye Xiang Guild in Jiangdu City,” Li Sangrou said, bowing slightly to the old man. “I’ve come to see Teacher Liu.”

“That’s me. I know you. Please come in.” Teacher Liu stepped aside and bowed to let Li Sangrou in.

“I heard you and Master Zhong are close friends?” Li Sangrou entered the courtyard but didn’t go inside. She stood in the middle of the courtyard and spoke to Teacher Liu.

“Yes, he and I are from the same hometown. We’re both alone in a foreign land and both cowardly and useless. We often talked together,” Teacher Liu replied nervously.

The story of how Boss Sang demanded Zhang Zheng’s head had been shouted for two days and two nights. Everyone in the city, whether they heard it or not, knew about it.

Even if some people didn’t know Boss Sang before, now everyone in Jiangdu City knew of her.

She came to him, saying she was Old Zhong’s friend, which filled him with a deep unease and fear.

Neither he nor Old Zhong could be considered friends with someone like Boss Sang.

“It was Master Zhong who killed Zhang Zheng with arsenic. Afterwards, Master Zhong cremated Zhang Zheng, and holding Zhang Zheng’s ashes, he jumped into the river from Yanzi Isle and committed suicide,” Li Sangrou said slowly and deliberately.

Teacher Liu stood there, mouth agape, stunned. After a moment, tears welled up in his eyes.

“I’ll have some of Zhang Zheng’s guards come over in a bit, and they’ll tell you the details. Ask them anything you want to know.

Please write a short biography of Master Zhong.

What is Master Zhong’s surname and given name? Where is he from? What were his experiences? What is his character and temperament like? What are his hobbies? What kind of person is he? Please write it truthfully.

In the future, when the history of the Southern Liang Dynasty is compiled, a short biography of a person as compassionate and courageous as Master Zhong should be included.

Thank you for your trouble, sir.” Li Sangrou bowed to Teacher Liu in gratitude.

“My writing skills are limited,” Teacher Liu began, his voice choked with emotion.

“Just keep writing, sir. Someone will polish it later.” Li Sangrou bowed again, took two steps back, and left.