It was the young lady the housekeeper had mentioned, the one who had come to warn them.
As soon as Jiang Lin and Wei Yunzhao appeared, she anxiously approached them. “Young Master Wei, something terrible is happening. These refugees have heard that the Wei family is wealthy, and they’re coming to rob you.”
She then tried to push Jiang Lin aside to take control of Wei Yunzhao’s wheelchair. “Young Master Wei, before these people break in, you must leave. It’ll be too late if you don’t.”
Wei Yunzhao stopped the wheelchair, preventing her from pushing him, and coldly asked, “Who are you? How do you know the refugees’ intentions?”
The woman was visibly hurt, clearly not expecting Wei Yunzhao to not even remember her.
Jiang Lin chuckled behind him and kindly reminded Wei Yunzhao, “She’s the one who threw herself at you on the street, begging to be your concubine. Miss, you’re from the Zhao family, right? What’s your name again?”
The woman was Zhao Danping, who had been manipulated by Jiang Rou. Zhao Danping glared at Jiang Lin, feeling that he was deliberately humiliating her.
“It’s all your fault, you're a jinx, you bringer of bad luck. If you hadn’t flaunted the wealth the Yun family gave you, the Wei family wouldn’t be facing this disaster today. If anything happens to the Wei family today, Jiang Lin, your crimes are unforgivable.”
[丧门星 (sàng mén xīng): lit. death-door star; fig. Jinx, a person who brings misfortune]
“I see,” Jiang Lin said, finally understanding why the refugees were targeting the Wei family. He looked at Zhao Danping and smiled. “None of your damn business.”
Wei Yunzhao turned the wheelchair to face Zhao Danping. Under her hopeful gaze, he coldly ordered, “Xun Qi, throw her out!”
A shadow flashed by, and Xun Qi grabbed Zhao Danping and carried her up to the roof. Looking at the sea of people outside, he said to Zhao Danping, “It’s not high. You won’t die.”
With that, he let go, and Zhao Danping screamed as she fell. The refugees who were eager to break into the Wei residence, hadn’t expected someone to be thrown from the roof. In the darkness, even with the torches, visibility was poor.
Hearing the scream, the refugees frantically tried to make way, but the crowd was too dense. They only managed to clear a small space after knocking each other over. Zhao Danping’s luck was truly terrible, she landed right in the middle of the cleared area with no one to cushion her fall.
“There are people on the roof! Watch out for arrows!” After Zhao Danping was thrown from the roof, the veterans on the Wei mansion's roof with bows and arrows caught the refugees’ attention.
Someone suddenly shouted, and the frightened refugees instinctively backed away. Those who had fallen and hadn’t gotten up yet suffered the consequences.
Some of the torchbearers also fell, and the flames ignited some people’s clothes. The refugees screamed and flailed, trying to put out the fires. The scene descended into chaos almost instantly.
Someone tried to maintain order, but with the fires spreading, the refugees’ survival instincts took over. They screamed and ran in all directions. The once-menacing mob of refugees was instantly halved by a woman thrown from the roof.
Xun Qi, sitting on the roof, remarked, “You guys aren’t very good at this. You should’ve come during the day.”
At that moment, the gate was broken open. Inside, a sea of fire made up of stacked firewood greeted the refugees. Jiang Lin and Wei Yunzhao stood behind the fire, with the Wei family’s servants armed and ready.
Jiang Lin addressed the refugees. “If you’re here to kill and plunder, then today we’ll all have to perish together.”
The burning firewood crackled and popped, serving as a warning. It told them that if they dared to charge forward, the flames would consume them like firewood.
Someone in the crowd shouted, “Don’t be afraid! Push aside the firewood and charge! Once we kill them, all the wealth and grain in this house will be ours!”
The words were tempting, and some even bent down to move the firewood. But as soon as their hands touched the wood, arrows from the roof pierced their palms. The injured clutched their hands and let out bloodcurdling screams.
The others instinctively took a step back, fear creeping in.
Then, someone else in the crowd shouted, “You dare to kill innocent people? Officials are all the same! Fellow villagers, charge! If we don’t charge, we’ll all die. If we charge and kill them, we’ll have a chance to survive. Charge! Kill them!”
The inciting words stirred the refugees at the front.
“A chance to survive? Quite cultured, aren’t you? Did you go to school, or did your master teach you that?”
Jiang Lin stared straight at the front row of people. “Go ahead and charge. Let’s see if you can harm even a single member of the Wei family.”
“You wouldn’t dare! We’re all ordinary citizens. If you dare to kill us, you’ll pay with your lives!” The person hiding in the crowd didn’t forget to threaten Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin laughed. “Ordinary citizens? Do you think I don’t know how many crimes you’ve committed in Shengjing, how many innocent common people you’ve killed? If I kill you murderers, not only will I not be punished, but the Emperor will even issue a decree to reward me. Do you believe me?”
“If you don’t believe me, go ahead and charge. See if I’m telling the truth!”
Xun Qi flew down from the roof and dragged out the person who had been inciting the refugees from the crowd. He then returned to the roof and asked Wei Yunzhao how to deal with him.
Wei Yunzhao pointed to the fire. “Burn him.”
Xun Qi exerted force, and the man he was holding was thrown heavily into the fire.
Sparks flew, and the refugees instinctively backed away. The man, engulfed in flames, screamed and tried to run back into the crowd, causing further chaos.
Wei Yunzhao’s voice rang out at the right moment. “You’ve suffered a disaster, and you’re pitiable. But you shouldn’t kill the innocent. A group of murderers doesn’t deserve sympathy.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly to everyone present.
Wei Yunzhao stated a fact. “Even if you hadn’t come today, I would have sought you out!”
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