Xiao Jue's Fury

The carriage, drawn by two tall steeds, finally stopped before a grand and imposing manor.

The vermilion gates stood over ten feet tall. Above them hung a massive plaque with gold characters on a black background—

Marquis Jingyuan's Manor.

This had originally been the mansion the Great Yan emperor, Xiao Jue, built in Capital City for his third son, Xiao Ming.

But a year ago, during a court debate on affairs along Great Yan's northwestern frontier, Xiao Ming had been the first to advocate for peace talks rather than obey Xiao Jue's wish to fight. This had enraged Xiao Jue.

After winning a decisive victory in the war against the barbarians, Xiao Jue bestowed the mansion upon Chen Yan. That alone made his firm stance perfectly clear.

The carriage curtain was lifted. Inside sat five country folk, dressed in clothes that had been washed pale but still looked clean and presentable.

"Old man..."

Wang Juan stared at the imposing manor before her, looking a little dazed.

"I just remembered, we haven't fed the chickens at home. What if..."

"I've already sold all the chickens."

Chen Dasheng replied,

"After all, we've come this far. If we go back to the village, who knows when we'll be able to leave again."

"We have to keep the house in good shape."

Wang Juan hurriedly said,

"If anything happens in the future, at least we'll still have somewhere to stay when we return to our village."

"What are you saying, woman?"

Chen Dasheng immediately retorted, glaring at Wang Juan.

"Isn't that what happened to that Lin fellow from our village?"

Wang Juan clearly wasn't convinced. She retorted,

"Haven't the village elders said it before? Serving a ruler is like sleeping beside a tiger. Who knows..."

"Ahem, ahem!"

Chen Dasheng immediately coughed loudly several times.