Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 454: Lei Ao\'s Death

The excuse for a rebellion that had been lost when Yue Hongling assassinated Pacification Commissioner Lan Tiankuo suddenly reappeared.

That night, Lei Zhentang, the tribal chief of the Black Hmong Tribe, widely distributed invitations to all heroes, inviting all the tribes to gather in Dali. His message was clear: Since the Xia have killed my son, none of you are safe either, so why not join forces and rebel against them?

Everyone knew it was just an excuse, but an excuse was necessary.

There were already several ambitious tribal chiefs who wanted to seize the opportunity during the turmoil of the Great Xia Empire to establish their own independent kingdoms. What they lacked was a broader consensus among the hundred tribes.

The opposition from small tribes like the Ancient Spirit Tribe was a minor issue. The real opposition came from larger pro-Xia tribes like the White Hmong and the Yao[1] tribes, whose general stance was that there was no substantial difference between the current state of autonomy and complete independence. They had no interest in founding a kingdom and viewed rebellion as unnecessary and reckless. They knew full well that Lei Zhentang’s claims of oppression by the pacification commissioner were exaggerated, and they knew full well he had been taking a cut of the “taxes” himself.

Sisi believed that this was simply the Black Hmong Tribe’s attempt to consolidate power among the tribes. Once an alliance was formed and troops were raised under the guise of rebellion, the military response from Shu would facilitate integration. During the war, the tribes would be easily integrated under the leadership of the strongest. It would all likely just end with Lei Zhentang donning a royal robe and founding the Kingdom of Dali.

Lei Zhentang was one of the few people from Miaojiang on the Ranking of Troubled Times—twenty-eighth on the Ranking of Earth, even slightly higher than Wang Daozhong. He held immense prestige in Miaojiang and wielded significant power, and with the covert assistance of Shi Wuding, he was fully capable of executing such a plan.

However, Sisi’s view was not shared by the White Hmong and other tribes. They simply felt that rebellion was not in their best interests.

Everyone had their own agenda, and for several months, Miaojiang had been in turmoil. The Black Hmong Tribe had been maneuvering between the other tribes for a long time, trying to build alliances.

The situation had already become tense for quite some time. By the time Zhao Changhe entered Xizhou, the dissatisfaction of the Miaojiang people with the Xia was written on their faces. The Black Hmong Tribe was just one step away from securing the final agreements with the remaining tribes. Once that happened, they could rally the masses and use the pacification commissioner’s death as a pretext for rebellion, leaving smaller tribes like the Ancient Spirit Tribe with no choice but to follow.

At this critical time, Yue Hongling, fleeing to Miaojiang, happened to cross paths with Sisi. Learning that Yue Hongling was being pursued by Shi Wuding, Sisi quietly took her in. The previous tension between them, caused by Sisi impersonating Yue Hongling, quickly dissipated, and instead, they bonded as long-lost friends, even regarding each other as sisters.

After staying for some time, Yue Hongling grasped the situation. One opposed the pacification commissioner’s exploitation of the people, while the other did not want to be forced into a rebellion. The two women quickly found common ground. They devised a plan where Sisi would impersonate Yue Hongling to divert Shi Wuding’s attention while Yue Hongling secretly infiltrated Dali to assassinate Lan Tiankuo. On the day of the assassination, Zhao Changhe entered the storm.

With Lan Tiankuo dead, the Black Hmong Tribe’s pretext for rebellion suddenly vanished. However, they were already too far in to turn back.

Now, Lei Ao’s assassination became the perfect justification, even better than the previous reason to rebel against the pacification commissioner.

Lei Ao, the heir of a tribe, was killed. His assassination was a major political event. Even the White Hmong and other tribes began to question whether the Xia might target them next. After all, Lei Ao had no serious flaws. If the Xia could kill Lei Ao, who was to say that they would not kill others too?

Everyone knew that Lei Ao’s death was suspicious. What if it was Lei Zhentang, who murdered his own son for the sake of his ambition? They would need to investigate and get to the bottom of everything first.

The next day, the leaders of a dozen tribes that lived around the Cangshan and Erhai gathered in Dali at the invitation of the Black Hmong Tribe’s tribal chief, Lei Zhentang.

As the leader of the Ancient Spirit Tribe, Sisi was naturally among those invited. She brought a small team with her to the meeting. By her side were two protectors, one man and one woman, both unfamiliar faces to the others.

Naturally, they were Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling, who had mostly recovered from her injuries.

Zhao Changhe was still disguised as Si Laoye, and Yue Hongling wore a blue Ancient Spirit Tribe outfit. She deliberately chose an outfit that did not reveal her waist, but her upright posture still made her look rather alluring. To prevent anyone from staring at her too much, Zhao Changhe had maliciously smeared her face to make her look unattractive.

As they stepped into the hall, the atmosphere was tense and foreboding.

A thousand people filled the hall, crowded together. Lei Zhentang sat in the main seat, with a stretcher covered in white cloth before him, containing Lei Ao’s corpse.

Many were gathered around Lei Ao’s body, examining it, but eventually shook their heads and retreated back to their respective tribal groups.

Sisi took the opportunity to ask a familiar tribal leader, “Big sister Pan, what’s the situation?”

The Pan were the head of the twelve families of the Yao Tribe, and Pan Wan was the tribal chief of the Yao Tribe. She was a mature and graceful woman, nearing forty. It seemed like Sisi called everyone “big sister” regardless of their age.

At that moment, Pan Wan’s expression was grim, and she whispered, “He’s definitely dead. I personally examined the body. There are no signs of gu or witchcraft, it’s the real corpse.”

Sisi was taken aback and frowned. “Did he really kill his own son...?”

Pan Wan asked, “Did Lei Ao just leave your stronghold before this?”

“Yes, but I didn’t kill him.”

“No one’s saying you did, and Lei Zhentang doesn’t think so either,” Pan Wan glanced at her. “But this means that over a thousand Black Hmong witnessed a Xia person assassinate him.”

Sisi sneered, “They’re all his people. Is their only evidence their word?”

“But they captured the assassin on the spot, and it really is a Xia person—an official from Shu named Qi Siyuan,” Pan Wan gestured with her chin, “Look over there.”

Zhao Changhe and the others turned their heads and saw, in the corner, a group of Black Hmong guards restraining a Xia man in black. He knelt there with a dejected look, his head hanging low.

Qi Siyuan was a well-known swordsman from Shu, with some reputation. From the looks of it, it seemed pretty certain that Shu had sent someone to assassinate Lei Ao.

Zhao Changhe sighed in relief, glad it was not Li Sian who had been framed. From the current situation, it seemed like Li Sian was not involved, alleviating Zhao Changhe’s primary concern. He said, “What a horrible excuse. Who’s actually going to believe it? Why would Shu have any reason to kill Lei Ao? Even if they wanted to, why would they do it in front of a thousand soldiers? What kind of foolish assassin would do that?”

Sisi gazed at the stretcher draped with white cloth in the distance, her eyes showing a hint of insight. “That’s not important. What matters is that the event happened. Not everyone here is well-read; most are hot-headed brutes.”

Zhao Changhe paused, realizing she was right. He had been assuming that everyone had their own complex thoughts, but in truth, most of the tribes were hunters or herdsmen from the mountains. They would not think too deeply about the details behind an incident like this—what happened, happened, and Lei Zhentang had achieved his goal.

After thinking it over, Zhao Changhe moved closer to the stretcher to examine the body.

By now, the hall had quieted down. Most of those curious about the corpse had already seen it, and with Qi Siyuan, the captured assassin, displayed nearby, the facts seemed clear, leaving little else to investigate. Lei Zhentang quietly watched as the tribal leaders returned to their seats. He spoke in a calm voice, “So, have you all seen enough?”

Pan Wan, the Yao Tribe’s chief, said, “Why not let the culprit explain why he did this?”

A member of the Black Hmong Tribe grabbed Qi Siyuan by the hair, forcing him to raise his head. Surprisingly, Qi Siyuan still looked proud and defiant. “Prefectural Governor Di was furious at the poor quality of jade that Lei Ao supplied. He had warned Lei Ao several times, but Lei Ao continued to ignore him. The governor felt his authority was being challenged, so he sent me to teach Lei Ao a lesson. It had to be done publicly! The great might of the Xia cannot be challenged by you barbaric tribes!”

The hall erupted in outrage. “Unbelievable!”

“Let’s revolt! Who does Di Muzhi think he is?!”

“They know full well why the jade was poor quality!”

Even Pan Wan shook her head, somewhat believing the story. It certainly seemed like something a Xia official might do.

Lei Zhentang, seeing the crowd’s fury, had a brief flicker of satisfaction in his eyes before quickly putting on a sorrowful expression. “My friends, ever since our former king was treacherously slain by Xia Longyuan and the Dali Kingdom was destroyed, our tribes have been fragmented, and we’ve suffered under the Xia’s oppression for decades. Do I need to tell you what kind of lives we’ve been living? Lan Tiankuo was only in power for a month, yet how many of our women had he demanded? Even our wives and daughters weren’t spared!”

“And now it’s my son!”

“Next, it’ll be your sons!”

“I, Lei Zhentang, refuse to live as a slave any longer. Do you want to continue living this way?”

His powerful words stirred the crowd. The hall was filled with heated responses, but then a discordant voice suddenly interrupted, “That corpse isn’t even your son, so what are you shouting about?”

Lei Zhentang’s voice caught in his throat, and he erupted in fury, “Who are you?!”

Immediately, his aides whispered to him, informing him that the speaker was Si Laoye, the Ancient Spirit Tribe’s protector who had made quite a spectacle the previous night in the Spirit Tribe’s mountain stronghold.

Lei Zhentang sneered, “So, you’re the Ancient Spirit Tribe’s protector. I’ve heard of your impressive sword art and your ties to the Central Plains.”

“Does it really matter who I am?” Zhao Changhe brushed off the remark. “Isn’t the real question whether this is actually your son?”

Lei Zhentang slammed his hand on the armrest and stood up in anger. “Are you saying I can’t recognize my own son?”

“That’s what’s strange.” Zhao Changhe pinched the corpse’s cheeks and pried open its mouth. “As far as I know, your son was missing a tooth, but this corpse’s teeth are perfectly intact... Oh, except for a little cavity. Nice dental work—perhaps you could share this technique with everyone, Tribal Chief Lei?”

The hall suddenly fell into dead silence.

The deceased had a sword wound in the throat, and none of the examiners had thought to pry open his mouth.

Yet somehow, this man had already been certain it was a fake even before he checked!

1. The Yao people or Dao is a classification for various ethnic minorities in China and Vietnam. Their majority branch is also known as Mien. They are one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups within China and reside in the mountainous southwest and south of the country. ☜