Princess Qingping asked someone to call Commander Luo over and said to him, "These lowly commoners are looking down on the emperor and are disrespectful to me and my mother. Bring people to punish them with whips now!"
She looked at Bai Wutong and the others' mule cart again and lowered her eyes. "Burn all those things on that cart. Whoever dares to resist will be treated as rebels." In any case, those who wanted to escape to the Ling Kingdom were all traitors. Her father would definitely praise her for having the demeanor of a princess.
At this time, it was really inappropriate for Princess Qingping to treat the commoners like this as it might arouse the anger of the people. Commander Luo hesitated and said, "Princess, we are about to set off. It will take a lot of time to deal with them. We might not be able to reach the rest station before dark. Please reconsider."
Princess Qingping had been pampered by Consort Ping and Duke Ping since she was young. Other than the moon in the sky, she had everything she wanted. She especially hated it when others disobeyed her orders.
Her face darkened, and she said slowly and gloomily, "Commander Luo doesn't want to be the commander. He wants to be with these lowly people. I'll fulfill your wish now."
"Oh, those people in your family are also going to become lowly pariahs with you."
When Commander Luo thought of his wife and children, his face instantly turned pale. He knelt down and kowtowed. "Princess, no! I'll go now."
Princess Qingping's lips curled up, but the smile did not reach her eyes. "It's too late."
She was best at catching someone's weakness and torturing them.
How dare a mere servant disobey her? He was simply courting death.
She looked at a man beside Commander Luo and said coldly, "Deputy Commander He, Commander Luo is already a commoner now. You know what to do with my orders, right?"
Deputy Commander He looked at the pale Commander Luo and knelt down. He smiled and said, "I accept the order! I'll make these lowly commoners kneel and beg for mercy now!"
Deputy Commander He knew that if he did not satisfy Princess Qingping, she would definitely not let the matter rest.
He immediately led a few teams of soldiers towards the refugees.
Their carriage had been stuck here for a while. There were already many refugees on the road, and now there were even more.
The soldiers aimed their whips at the helpless refugees for no reason.
Suddenly, the Zhao farmyard villagers at the outermost area were hit by the whip. Their bodies were immediately covered in bloody red marks.
"Sir, spare me!" They had no idea why they had been beaten up for no reason.
The refugees all fled in panic.
The children clung to their parents and wailed helplessly.
When Princess Qingping saw the refugees kneeling and begging for mercy, the corners of her lips curled up in joy.
They were just a bunch of lowlifes. They deserved to die.
The soldier ignored their miserable pleas and waved his whip fiercely in the crowd. He shouted at Bai Wutong and the others on the carriage, "Get down! Hurry up and kowtow to our Princess Qingping."
Stinky was sleeping soundly when he was woken by a loud roar. He immediately started crying.
Village Chief Zhao immediately shouted at the villagers, "Protect Madam Bai and the young master and let the women and children hide inside." No matter how powerful Chu Tianbao was, in Village Chief Zhao's opinion, they did not dare to face the royal family.
Chu Tianbao had saved the entire village. The villagers of the Zhao farmyard hurriedly surrounded the mule cart. The women and children of the Zhao farmyard hid around the mule cart in panic, not knowing why these nobles were treating them like this.
The villagers at the periphery were beaten up by the soldiers' whips.
Bai Wutong lowered her eyes and stopped Chu Tianbao, who was about to draw his sword.
The other party was not a mob but a group of trained soldiers. There were probably experts hidden among them.
If Chu Tianbao attacked rashly and they escaped, none of the villagers behind them would be able to escape.
Just as she was thinking of an idea, Princess Qingping noticed that Bai Wutong's mule cart was protected by the villagers. She immediately smiled sinisterly.
A mere commoner actually dared to disobey her orders!
Were they intending to rebel!?
Princess Qingping immediately instructed someone to capture the person on the mule cart.
Consort Ping glanced at the sky and advised, "Qingping, stop fooling around. If we're any later, we won't be able to reach the rest station."
Princess Qingping pouted. "It's just for a while. It'll be done soon. I've already made them kneel, but they still refuse to get out of the car. They clearly don't take us seriously. If we don't teach such people a lesson, they will definitely have the guts of a bear and a leopard!"
Consort Ping glanced at the mule cart and felt that her daughter's words made sense. She compromised. "Then hurry up. Don't delay anymore. Your father is already waiting for us in the Imperial City." A group of lowly commoners was not worth her precious daughter's anger.
A soldier muttered something in Deputy Commander He's ear and he immediately led his men to capture the people on the cart.
The villagers blocked their way and refused to let them approach. No matter how hard the whip lashed at them, they refused to move.
Bai Wutong looked at the injured villagers and clenched her fists. She said to Chu Tianbao, "Let's get out of the cart first."
They refused to move away. Deputy Commander He pulled out his sword and pointed it at the villagers. "Those who block me will die!"
Village Chief Zhao looked back at the terrified villagers and then at the miserable refugees. He risked his old bones and shouted as if he was facing death, "Are the commoners not humans? How could they be allowed to be trampled on by you! You're simply scum! Even if I have to risk my life today, I will definitely not let you hurt anyone in our Zhao farmyard!"
Village Chief Zhao had been in the town when he was young and had even been a bailiff for more than ten years. He knew that if the matter blew up, officials would often choose to settle the matter peacefully.
There were so many refugees here. If they had any considerations, they might not have attacked them.
However, how could Deputy Commander He take them seriously?
They believed the group would be obedient after killing a few refugees.
"How dare you disobey Princess Qingping's orders!"
Deputy Commander He was not relenting at all. "Take them down!"
How could Zhao Pengfei let Deputy Commander He touch his father? If there was no way out of this world, he might as well force his way out!
Even if they fought to their deaths, there would always be a few who escaped.
The moment Deputy Commander He attacked, Zhao Pengfei suddenly hugged his waist. Deputy Commander He was shocked and stabbed Zhao Pengfei's waist.
A stone hit the sword with the power to split the world. With a bang, the iron sword flew out and accurately cut the throats of a few soldiers.
At the same time, Deputy Commander He was also lifted up by Zhao Pengfei and smashed into the ground.
With a bang, Deputy Commander He's internal organs were ruptured from the fall. He spat out a mouthful of blood and pointed at Zhao Pengfei as he trembled. "This is a rebellion! It's a great crime that will lead to annihilation of nine generations! None of you will escape today!"
Village Chief Zhao's eyes darkened and he gritted his teeth. He was going to die anyway! He waved his arm at the tens of thousands of refugees and said bluntly, "Fellow villagers, if they don't treat us as humans, we'll fight them to the death! If we snatch their food, everyone can live!"