After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 795 - 785: Narrow Escape

There was water around the well, some clean and some dirty from washing dishes. Zheng Mingzhu’s fall made a huge noise, drawing everyone’s attention, as they saw her lying motionless on the ground, her face as pale as paper.

The maid who bumped into her was startled and quickly defended herself when she saw everyone looking at her, saying, "I didn’t bump into her; she fell because she couldn’t stand properly." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

But no one spoke to believe her, nor did anyone blame her. Everyone looked on indifferently and then lowered their heads to continue their work as they heard the footsteps of the steward, not minding the incident at all.

People occasionally died in the General Mansion, and with so many deaths, everyone got used to it.

It was just a fall, what’s the big fuss?

The Purchasing Steward stepped forward, splashing water as he went, reached out to feel her nose, frowned slightly, and said to the steward who hurried over, "She’s dead, probably worked to death."

The steward was anxious upon hearing this, "We all work on time, how could she be worked to death?"

The Purchasing Steward said, "Then report it as a death by illness. Move her out tonight, and I’ll see if I can bring in a few replacements tomorrow. There have been many guests these days, be careful, if the Great General finds out someone was worked to death in the mansion, none of us will have it easy."

The steward shivered and nodded repeatedly, "I’ll have someone throw her out right away."

The Purchasing Steward grunted in acknowledgment, waiting for him to call someone to retrieve the corpse. He asked, "Is the list ready?"

"Yes, yes," the steward handed over a list to the Purchasing Steward, "These are the dishes and plates accidentally broken these days."

The Purchasing Steward just glanced at it and tucked it into his sleeve, "I’ll check if I can restock these when I go to buy people tomorrow."

When the corpse team arrived, the Purchasing Steward glanced at Zheng Mingzhu lying on the wet ground and sighed, "After all, she served the Great General, roll up her mat to at least give her a resting place."

The steward, having just gained favor from him, was naturally willing to return it with kindness, immediately had someone drag out a tattered mat.

Zheng Mingzhu’s mat was still good and was to be left for the next dishwasher, while a tattered mat could be given to her.

The corpse team wrapped the body in the mat and carried it directly out.

Because their contact with the body was not long, they didn’t realize she was still alive. Lying in the water, Zheng Mingzhu’s limbs were icy cold, feeling just like a corpse.

The Purchasing Steward also walked out. The stewards and servant guards in the front yard lived near the corner gate, so they shared the same path.

Near the corner gate, the corpse team intended to throw her in a corner, planning to send her out once it was a little brighter.

The Purchasing Steward saw this and asked, "Was there a death in the front?"

The corpse team replied, "Two disobedient dancers from the feast just got carried back; they didn’t die pleasantly."

The Purchasing Steward frowned slightly and said, "Send them to the mass burial site now, the smell of corpses and blood is unpleasant."

The corpse team was somewhat unwilling.

The Purchasing Steward tossed them a string of Copper Coins and said, "Hurry up, ever since that person from Yu State visited yesterday, both the Great General and the Little General have been irritable, especially the Little General, causing trouble all over. If it’s known you didn’t deal with the dead bodies in time and it blows up, we’ll all be in trouble."

The corpse team, upon hearing this, quickly took the Copper Coins and smiled ingratiatingly, "Rest assured, Steward, we’ll take care of it right away."

They assumed the Purchasing Steward was doing it for the Washing House’s steward, since if the Great General didn’t ask, by the rules, punishment was still inevitable when someone died in his yard.

The corpse team also gathered the other two bodies, which mainly involved throwing them on a cart and covering them slightly with straw to transport out.

There was a place in the city for disposing of bodies, which was once where corpses were cremated, a huge pit. Since the Emperor moved the capital to Yun City, and with the Great General’s strict rules, deaths happened occasionally. Moreover, with more aristocratic families arriving in Yun City, deaths occurred frequently, leading unclaimed bodies to be discarded there, initially attempted to burn, but eventually just thrown in without burning.

Thus the cremation pit became a mass burial ground. Over the past two years, lush wild grass and trees have grown there, looking extraordinarily nourished.

The corpse team was quite familiar with this route, and they pushed the cart all the way to the mass burial ground, casually dumping the three bodies.

Zheng Mingzhu lay within the tattered mat, listening to the cart being pushed further and further away, only starting to move slowly once there was no sound nearby.

She rolled around twice on the spot, out of the tattered mat, then propped her arms up to sit shakily, with one hand on prickly stones, the other on something cold, clammy, and wet.

She turned her head slightly, and under the moonlight, a semi-naked corpse came into view.

Zheng Mingzhu was startled, supporting herself to back away two steps.

Her lips trembled as she looked at the two bodies stacked together, shakily dragging the mat.

She covered them with the mat, then propped herself up, standing, looking around. Amid the wild grass and wilderness, came strange bird calls, the sound of wings flapping, the shadows haunting in the moonlight, seemingly with monsters in the darkness watching her.

Zheng Mingzhu glanced around, slightly afraid, but when she looked down again at the two corpses by her feet, her fear dissipated.

Is there a place more terrifying in this world than among the living?

Hell must be no worse?

Zheng Mingzhu, dragging her weary legs, walked outward; she had to leave. Though she didn’t know who saved her or why, she no longer wanted to be a pawn, wanting to go home, back to Gaowan.

Zheng Mingzhu was isolated from information. She had no idea her parents had moved to Yun City and was unaware of the split in Qingzhou, which was why Gou Chun returned from Qingzhou.

After she walked just over ten steps, two people emerged from the depths of the grass, blocking her path, "Miss Zheng? Are you Miss Zheng from Gaowan?"

Zheng Mingzhu pursed her lips, but eventually replied, "Yes, I am."

"What’s your courtesy name, and when is your birth date?"

Seeing the knives in their hands, Zheng Mingzhu knew if she answered wrong, she might die on the spot, compelled to answer truthfully.

It matched.

The two immediately sheathed their knives and approached, saying, "Miss Zheng, we were sent by your father to rescue you. Please come with us, and we’ll send you out of the city at dawn to catch up with your father."

Zheng Mingzhu widened her eyes in surprise, "My father hired you?"

One of them chuckled lightly, "Your father couldn’t afford to hire us; we are Zhao Family Army. Your father is now a servant of our Inspector."

Zheng Mingzhu’s lips trembled, her face particularly grim, her father becoming a servant, meaning their Zheng Family...

In the General’s Mansion across half the city, Wang Dun’s face was also remarkably grim.

He had come out from the feast, standing in the yard for some fresh air, thinking of the extravagance and absurdity at the feast, feeling still unhappy.

When he was in Qingzhou, he had heard that the Great General had become absurd, but he didn’t know it could be to this extent.