{"id":3724,"date":"2026-06-02T17:21:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T17:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-48\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T17:21:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T17:21:34","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-48","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/bn\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-48\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 48"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the dense forest on the hillside outside Qingping County, several scouts hurried across patches of withered grass still dusted with lingering snow and rushed toward the army concealed among the pines.

\u201cGeneral! A contingent of imperial troops is heading toward Qingping County!\u201d

The young Chongzhou commander left behind to await orders immediately brightened.

\u201cAre they carrying Wei banners?\u201d

The scout replied, \u201cNo Wei banners were seen. They\u2019re flying the banner of Jizhou.\u201d

The commander\u2019s expression became difficult to read.

\u201cWho is leading them?\u201d

\u201cAn elderly general and a younger commander.\u201d

The commander muttered, \u201cCould it be that Wei Xuan and He Jingyuan have come together?\u201d

One of his subordinates asked, \u201cGeneral, should we still ambush those rebels gathered outside Qingping County?\u201d

The commander shook his head.

\u201cThe Jizhou army has arrived. Let our people continue leading the rebels in causing trouble. Better yet, have them break into the county seat. That way, no matter who came from Jizhou, the army will be forced to fight the rebels.\u201d

The greater the casualties among the city\u2019s civilians once the rebels entered, the more blame could be pinned on Wei Xuan and his faction.

Their heir\u2019s original plan had been to intercept the grain collected from Qingping County.

Given Wei Xuan\u2019s temperament, he would certainly fly into a rage and personally lead troops to collect the grain.

When confronted by county residents whose anger had already reached its peak, it would be impossible for the two sides not to clash.

Once news spread that the imperial court had forced grain requisitions so harshly that an entire county rebelled, and that the army had massacred unarmed civilians, it would undoubtedly shake the empire.

\u2014

The situation at the city gates was far from encouraging.

Qingping County was merely a small county town. City defenses had never been a priority.

Even the rammed-earth walls were absurdly low.

Aside from a bare gate tower, there were no barbicans, arrow towers, or defensive bastions of any kind.

Having received advance warning, Constable Wang had already led his men to shut the city gates.

He had also gathered what few bows and arrows he could find and stationed them at the firing ports above the gate.

Even so, the defenses looked pitifully sparse.

There weren\u2019t even enough people to fill the wall.

Having a group of constables defending city walls was ridiculous enough on its own.

But Qingping County had no standing troops and, aside from occasional bandits, had not seen warfare in decades.

Below the walls stretched a vast sea of farmers.

Every one of them carried hoes, rakes, or pitchforks.

Gone were their usual honest and simple expressions.

Now they looked fierce and savage, as though they wanted nothing more than to devour the constables standing above them.

Not only were the younger constables terrified\u2014even Constable Wang felt his heart quiver.

With thousands of farmers gathered below, what could this tiny gate tower possibly stop if they truly decided to charge?

At this point, his only hope was that Jizhou Prefecture had heard the news and would quickly dispatch troops.

Remembering Fan Changyu\u2019s message, he leaned over the battlements and called down to the crowd.

\u201cFellow villagers, what are you doing? Don\u2019t let a moment of confusion drive you into committing a crime that will bring extermination upon your entire clan!\u201d

Most of the farmers had followed the crowd this far but still feared the bows and arrows on the walls.

Though they vastly outnumbered the defenders, no one wanted to be the first to die.

Everyone knew the consequences of rebellion.

Knowing it in their hearts was one thing.

Hearing it spoken aloud was another.

Most of them had spent their entire lives working fields and had never even left Qingping County.

The only thing they knew was that officials and the Emperor were the greatest powers in the world.

And in Qingping County, the magistrate was the highest official.

Offend the magistrate, and you would be beaten and imprisoned.

Offend the Emperor, and your entire clan would be sent to the execution grounds.

Normally, even seeing these constables made them nervous.

Now, hearing Constable Wang\u2019s warning, many began to waver.

The man leading them noticed immediately.

His eyes sharpened.

Pointing at Constable Wang, he shouted,

\u201cWhen you dog officials throw your weight around, we farmers are nothing but lowly peasants for you to order about! But now that we\u2019ve been driven to the edge of death, suddenly we\u2019re your fellow villagers?\u201d

He spat.

\u201cI don\u2019t deserve to be called a fellow villager by a lackey of the magistrate!\u201d

\u201cExterminate nine generations?\u201d

\u201cOur grain seeds are gone! The Emperor doesn\u2019t even need to exterminate our clans\u2014we\u2019ll starve to death first!\u201d

\u201cIf death is inevitable, we might as well break into the city, grab some travel money, and join the Rebel King of Chongzhou! At least there\u2019s a chance of survival there!\u201d

The farmers who had begun wavering immediately hardened their resolve.

\u201cThe government won\u2019t let us live!\u201d

\u201cWe\u2019ll carve out our own path to survival!\u201d

The leader raised his farming tool high.

\u201cBring out that dog magistrate and let him die!\u201d

Behind him, the crowd roared in unison.

\u201cBring out the dog magistrate!\u201d

\u201cLet him die!\u201d

Seeing the situation slipping away, Constable Wang quickly shouted,

\u201cEveryone, calm down! The grain seeds… the grain seeds will be returned! Go home! As long as you disperse, the government won\u2019t pursue the matter of rebellion!\u201d

The leader sneered.

\u201cSee that, everyone?\u201d

\u201cWhen we weren\u2019t rebelling, these dog officials didn\u2019t care whether we lived or died. They killed people and still took our grain!\u201d

\u201cBut now that we\u2019ve rebelled, suddenly they\u2019re willing to return it!\u201d

\u201cAll these years of suffering happened because they knew we were easy to bully!\u201d

His words fueled the crowd\u2019s resentment even further.

Seizing the momentum, he continued.

\u201cWe can\u2019t back down!\u201d

\u201cThe moment we retreat, these dog officials will start bullying us again!\u201d

\u201cAnd what about those wealthy families in the city?\u201d

\u201cWhich one of them hasn\u2019t looked down on us?\u201d

\u201cWhen we came to town for market days, they looked at us like we were filth!\u201d

\u201cCharge into the city!\u201d

\u201cKill the dog officials!\u201d

\u201cTake their gold and silver!\u201d

\u201cMake them pay back every humiliation we\u2019ve ever suffered!\u201d

He exchanged glances with several men behind him.

Understanding immediately, they joined the shouting.

\u201cThat\u2019s right! We weren\u2019t born inferior! We just weren\u2019t lucky enough to be born in the city!\u201d

\u201cDon\u2019t let the magistrate\u2019s lapdogs fool you! If we go home now, we\u2019ll end up just like Ma Family Village!\u201d

\u201cWe\u2019ve already come this far! Why retreat now?\u201d

\u201cEven if I die, I\u2019ll die after enjoying myself!\u201d

\u201cI heard the women in the city are so soft you could pinch water out of their skin! Their skin is as white as dough!\u201d

\u201cBrothers who never managed to get wives\u2014don\u2019t you want to spend one night as the bridegroom of a wealthy young lady?\u201d

With the massacre of Ma Family Village fresh in everyone\u2019s minds, no one dared retreat.

And now there were temptations waiting in the city.

The farmers\u2019 eyes reddened with excitement.

Breathing heavily through clenched teeth, they shouted,

\u201cCharge into the city!\u201d

Constable Wang had only learned the full story after arriving at the gates.

The rebellion had two causes.

First, the soldiers sent to requisition grain had been brutal and tyrannical, treating farmers like animals.

Second, when villagers from Ma Family Village tried to report the matter to Jizhou Prefecture, their entire village had been massacred on the road.

Having already lost his position as head constable, even Constable Wang lacked confidence when promising the return of the grain.

Now, seeing the farmers below transformed into beasts driven by rage, he could only plead earnestly.

\u201cVillagers, don\u2019t be foolish!\u201d

\u201cQingping County is tiny!\u201d

\u201cIf you rebel here, do you really think you\u2019ll survive long enough to reach Chongzhou?\u201d

\u201cAnd even if you escape, can your wives, children, and elderly parents escape too?\u201d

The loudest agitators were mostly men with neither elders nor dependents.

Constable Wang\u2019s words struck home.

Many of the farmers\u2019 expressions changed.

Some of those who had only come because desperation left them no choice shouted,

\u201cWill you really return our grain?\u201d

Constable Wang honestly wasn\u2019t sure whether the authorities would.

After a brief hesitation, he gritted his teeth.

\u201cYes!\u201d

Others who had relatives in Ma Family Village shouted angrily,

\u201cHand over the dog officials and soldiers who slaughtered Ma Family Village! Otherwise this isn\u2019t over!\u201d

Constable Wang hurriedly replied,

\u201cThe government will thoroughly investigate the Ma Family Village tragedy and provide everyone with an explanation!\u201d

Seeing the rebel ranks beginning to fracture under Constable Wang\u2019s words, the instigators exchanged looks.

One of the loudest troublemakers shouted again,

\u201cThoroughly investigate?\u201d

\u201cHow?\u201d

\u201cHowever you dog officials decide!\u201d

\u201cWhat if you simply claim bandits did it?\u201d

\u201cWhat can we do then?\u201d

The argument immediately resonated.

The crowd began growing restless again.

\u201cThat\u2019s right!\u201d

\u201cHand over those bastards right now!\u201d

The mob started pushing toward the gates.

Constable Wang shouted,

\u201cDo not advance any further!\u201d

\u201cAnother step and we\u2019ll fire!\u201d

The constables beside him drew their bows.

Yet the hands holding the arrows trembled.

The crowd cursed even louder.

\u201cThis Wang fellow is a county constable!\u201d

\u201cMaybe it was his own men who killed the people of Ma Family Village!\u201d

\u201cWhy would he hand them over?\u201d

The farmers\u2019 anger surged anew.

They looked at Constable Wang with increasing hostility.

Just as he was becoming overwhelmed, a commotion erupted behind him.

The newly appointed yamen runners marched onto the walls with dark expressions.

One of them shoved Wang aside.

\u201cA bunch of dismissed nobodies think they deserve to wear those uniforms?\u201d

Constable Wang and his men flushed with humiliation.

Below, one of the leaders spotted the newcomers and smiled in satisfaction.

\u201cSee that?\u201d

\u201cThese dog officials have never treated our lives as human lives!\u201d

\u201cIf they want to shoot, let them shoot!\u201d

\u201cIf I die today, fellow villagers, remember to avenge me!\u201d

After shouting those words, he strode forward.

The \u201cyamen runners\u201d who had seized the bows immediately unleashed a volley into the crowd.

Ironically, none of the loudest agitators were hit.

Instead, several ordinary farmers who had been pushed forward fell dead with arrows through their bodies.

The moment blood was spilled, chaos exploded beneath the walls.

Someone recognized one of the dead and cried out in grief.

\u201cErdan!\u201d

The agitators immediately fanned the flames.

\u201cSee that?\u201d

\u201cFrom beginning to end, these government dogs never intended to let us live!\u201d

\u201cCharge in and fight them!\u201d

The man clutching one of the corpses appeared to be the victim\u2019s brother.

His face twisted with fury.

\u201cI\u2019ll fight these dog officials to the death!\u201d

The farmers, blinded by rage, were just about to storm the gates when\u2014

Boom!

A thunderous sound rang out.

Blood splattered below the walls.

The crowd stared.

A yamen runner had just been thrown from the city wall and smashed to death on the ground.

The farmers stopped in confusion and looked upward.

Standing atop the walls was a man wearing a green ghost mask.

His voice was cold.

\u201cWhoever fired the arrows is the one you should seek revenge against.\u201d

The mask had been a common sight during the New Year Lantern Festival.

Yet on his face, it radiated an eerie and chilling aura.

The leading agitator suddenly felt uneasy.

\u201cWho are you?\u201d

Xie Zheng replied,

\u201cThe man who kills corrupt officials.\u201d

The real and fake yamen runners on the wall finally reacted.

Constable Wang and his men had no idea what was happening.

The fake runners simply drew their blades and attacked.

Xie Zheng didn\u2019t even bother fighting back.

The cold wind filled his wide sleeves as he stood on the wall with robes fluttering.

As he sidestepped incoming blades, he casually grabbed attackers by their collars and hurled them from the wall.

Another body crashed below.

Constable Wang stood dumbfounded.

While tossing yet another fake runner over the edge, Xie Zheng turned his head slightly and said,

\u201cThe magistrate has been imprisoned. These are impostors. Tell your men to act.\u201d

Constable Wang finally snapped out of it.

Though he had no idea who the masked man was, the strange happenings at the yamen over recent days suddenly made sense.

\u201cCapture these impostors!\u201d

The constables didn\u2019t understand what was going on.

But seeing their leader charge forward, they stopped hesitating and drew their weapons.

Soon they were fighting the fake runners.

Below, the farmers watched as if attending a play.

One asked blankly,

\u201cWhy are the officials fighting each other?\u201d

Another replied,

\u201cLooks like Constable Wang\u2019s men are fighting the ones who fired the arrows.\u201d

\u201cThose people in the magistrate\u2019s office aren\u2019t exactly saints, but Constable Wang\u2019s a good man.\u201d

\u201cOnce my ox wandered into a neighboring village and that scoundrel Chen claimed it as his own.\u201d

\u201cConstable Wang got it back for me.\u201d

Seeing things spiraling out of control, the agitators continued stirring trouble.

\u201cCan Constable Wang outrank the magistrate?\u201d

\u201cThese dogs are killing their own colleagues just to save themselves!\u201d

\u201cOur lives mean even less to them!\u201d

\u201cIf you want revenge, break through the gates and kill the magistrate!\u201d

Many of the farmers were now hesitant.

They didn\u2019t know whether to force their way in or wait for an explanation.

Soon, all the fake yamen runners had been thrown from the walls by Xie Zheng and the others.

The farmers, most of whom had never killed anyone, looked nervously at the pile of corpses outside the gate.

Standing atop the wall with his hands behind his back, Xie Zheng said,

\u201cThose willing to take their grain and return home may consider today\u2019s matter closed. The government will not pursue any charges.\u201d

\u201cAs for those who remain stubborn\u2014Jizhou\u2019s army is already on its way.\u201d

\u201cIf you break through these gates today and take even a single life, there will be no turning back.\u201d

\u201cWhether you spend the rest of your lives farming beside your wives, children, and parents, or drag your entire families to their deaths, is your choice.\u201d

The mention of Jizhou\u2019s army immediately frightened the farmers.

For people who had spent their entire lives tilling the soil, soldiers represented something terrifying.

The combination of threat and reassurance was effective.

Compared to returning to their ordinary lives, charging into the city only to have their families executed afterward was obviously not an attractive choice.

One of the agitators challenged him.

\u201cWords are cheap. Where\u2019s the grain?\u201d

Just as Constable Wang was about to answer, a shout came from behind them.

\u201cThe grain is here!\u201d

It was the staff of Yixiang Tower carrying sacks of grain onto the walls.

The gates absolutely could not be opened.

Instead, baskets were lowered from the wall carrying portions of the grain.

Several farmers rushed forward and opened the sacks.

The moment they saw the contents, broad smiles spread across their faces.

Some even wiped tears away with their sleeves.

\u201cIt\u2019s grain!\u201d

\u201cIt really is our grain!\u201d

The instant the crowd learned their grain had been returned, most of the rebellious farmers finally relaxed.

Constable Wang stepped closer and quietly said to Xie Zheng,

\u201cHero, thank you for saving Qingping County. But returning the military grain to the farmers like this… how is the yamen supposed to explain it to the officials from Jizhou?\u201d

Xie Zheng replied calmly,

\u201cThe magistrate will explain.\u201d

The order abolishing the grain requisition had already been sent to Jizhou together with his command ordering Wei Xuan to return to Huizhou and strengthen its defenses.

Jizhou would not continue collecting grain.

But there was no need to explain all that to a mere constable.

Constable Wang had been on the verge of collapse all day.

Hearing those words, he finally relaxed.

Indeed.

His responsibility ended with calming the rebels and preventing them from entering the city.

Anything beyond that belonged to the magistrate.

\u201cThis hero truly has quick wits,\u201d he praised.

\u201cTo think you used the threat of the Jizhou army to frighten them. At least the people inside the city have been spared.\u201d

Xie Zheng remained silent.

The Jizhou army wasn\u2019t a bluff at all.

With something this serious happening in Qingping County, Jizhou would inevitably hear about it.

As long as the person arriving wasn\u2019t Wei Xuan, the army would never fight these manipulated farmers.

Seeing the rebellion being defused, the agitators grew increasingly anxious.

Their dreams of wealth and status were slipping away.

One of them shouted again,

\u201cWhat about the dozens of lives lost in Ma Family Village?\u201d

Constable Wang immediately looked to Xie Zheng for help.

The green ghost mask concealed all expression.

Xie Zheng only said,

\u201cStall for time.\u201d

Constable Wang blinked.

Then he understood.

There was no way to solve the Ma Family Village massacre on the spot.

All they could do was wait until Jizhou\u2019s troops arrived and stabilized the situation.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, he did his best to placate the troublemakers.

Meanwhile, Xie Zheng quietly observed the men who repeatedly incited the crowd.

They weren\u2019t seeking justice.

They only wanted to fuel hatred and make matters worse.

But what exactly did they gain from escalating everything?

Real farmers weren\u2019t eloquent.

They were being manipulated by these men and driven by hatred.

Once crimes were committed, the farmers would be the ones unable to escape punishment.

Yet these agitators acted without fear.

That suggested powerful backing.

Just as the troublemakers were once again reigniting tensions by demanding answers about Ma Family Village, Xie Zheng was preparing to quietly eliminate them.

Suddenly, a loud announcement rang out from atop the wall.

\u201cThe magistrate has arrived!\u201d

The crowd instantly fell silent.

All eyes turned toward the city wall with hostility.

Xie Zheng narrowed his eyes.

He initially assumed the people behind the conspiracy had forced the magistrate to appear.

But when he turned around, he saw the portly magistrate striding forward proudly.

Behind him came servants escorting bound soldiers.

And among them was Fan Changyu.

She wore a maid\u2019s outfit that clearly didn\u2019t fit properly.

In one hand she held a boning knife pressed against the throat of a captive.

Because the sleeves were too short, half of her pale wrist was exposed.

Several shallow cuts already marked the captive\u2019s neck.

Clearly, he had not behaved during the journey.

Xie Zheng\u2019s gaze shifted to the prisoner\u2019s face.

For a moment, he froze.

Then the expression beneath the green ghost mask became indescribably colorful.<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-3724","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3724"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3725,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3724\/revisions\/3725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}