Why were they clinging to Nan Batian so relentlessly?
Was it to avenge Taraâs family?
No, besides an old lady, Taraâs family had already been wiped out; they had no value to exploit, so the Mulan people wouldnât bother too much for someone valueless.
Take this funeral, for instanceâall the expenses were paid from Taraâs familyâs own funds.
Furthermore, through this funeral, Old Arutai had transferred ownership of the three shops owned by Taraâs family to his name, and others had profited too.
It could be said that with Tara dead, all the Mulan people benefitted, and they did not care how Taraâs family was treated.
But it was different when the one prying open the coffin was Nan Batian.
Because he had money, and money meant there were profits to be extorted, so much for "seeking justice for the Tara family."
To put it plainly: Taraâs family are our beloved kin; if you dig up their gravesâyou have to pay up!
At this point, when Nan Batian actually produced an arrowhead as an excuse, Old Arutai lost it immediately. We hadnât even squeezed anything out of him yet, thinking, Old Arutai said, "Lord Yelu, this is purely a set-up, and having an arrowhead inside Taraâs coffin is not surprising at all."
"Taraâs ancestors were the Great Khanâs divine archers; Tara himself loved practicing archery. After his death, we threw an arrowhead into his coffin. Is there a problem with that? What can one arrowhead prove?"
Old Arutai spoke up, providing a very reasonable explanation. Indeed, the Mulan people enjoy archery, so throwing an arrowhead in as a burial item, does it violate any laws?
This statement left Nan Batian dumbfounded. Indeed, if the Mulan people placed an arrowhead in the coffin, it really didnât prove anything!
Old Arutai continued to address Lord Yelu: "Lord Yelu, all of this is just an excuse by these Han people to desecrate our Mulan deceased. My lord, we are all children of Eternal Heaven, descendants of the Gray Wolf and White Deer. You canât let them bully us!"
"Please, Lord, stand up for us Mulan people."
"Please, Lord, stand up for us Mulan people!"
Old Arutai knew how to stir up the crowd; at this moment he shouted, and all the Mulan people bowed to Lord Yelu, trapping him on the spot.
Lord Yelu couldnât say much then; their request was entirely reasonable. He couldnât refuse them.
Thinking, Lord Yelu said, "Nan Batian, do you have anything else to say?"
Nan Batian was stunned, then said, "No, nothing more."
Lord Yelu said, "You think you can escape blame with just an arrowhead? Thatâs truly ridiculous, since you have nothing else to say!"
"Ah, thisâ"
Nan Batian wanted to say more, but at that moment, Tang Ziyue tugged at Nan Batianâs clothes. The words Nan Batian was about to force out were swallowed back, with a surprised glance at Tang Ziyue.
Tang Ziyue shook her head.
It was clear that the situation was very unfavorable for him, and Lord Yelu wanted to keep the peace.
Thus, any further quibbling would only leave a bad impression with Lord Yelu, so it was best to say nothing and await Lord Yeluâs judgment. Moreover, just for the grave-digging, Lord Yelu wouldnât push too hard.
Nan Batian, seeing this, said, "Your subordinate has nothing to say, at your disposal, my lord."
Lord Yelu thought for a moment and said, "Well then, youâll pay twenty thousand taels of silver, half for the repair of these graves, and half as compensation to the community. Does this sound fair?"
Nan Batian heard this and said, "Agreed."
If money could solve the problem, Nan Batian was willing. But then, suddenly from another side, Old Arutai said, "Lord Yelu, just paying is not enough. I heard earlier today that Nan Batian had also pried open Chen Jiusiâs coffin, then bowed three times before leaving."
"If he can bow to the Han people, why canât he bow to us Mulan people? We Mulan absolutely cannot let the Han people overshadow us. Today, he must bow three times to our Mulan coffins to settle this matter fully; otherwise, we do not agree."
"We do not agree. Bow!"
"Yes, he must bow!"
A cacophony erupted, truly a surge of emotions!
Seeing this, Lord Yelu slightly furrowed his brows, while Nan Batianâs face turned ashen with angerâbowing again, and this time to the Mulan people? Did I come out today just to bow?
Nan Batian remained silent with a stony face, and Qin Ying, also infuriated, pointed at the Mulan people and said, "Donât push us too much. We were helping the court find military supplies when digging the graves. Weâve already paid twenty thousand taels of silver, so isnât that enough? Why should we still have to bow?"
Some of the Mulan people responded, "Why shouldnât you bow? You bowed when you pried open Chen Jiusiâs coffin, so why not here? No, no!"
"Right, no way. He must bow."
"That Chen Jiusi didnât ask us for compensation!"
Qin Ying shouted, "Then we donât pay the money, just bow!"
Hmm?
Nan Batian turned to look at Qin Ying.
But the other side wouldnât allow it. They shouted, "No, you must pay and bow. If you donât bow, are you looking down on us Mulan people? Or do you think we are inferior to Chen Jiusi? You can bow to him, so why canât you bow to us? Do you think we are less worthy than Chen Jiusi?"
"Yes, are we less worthy than Chen Jiusi? He must bow!"
A chorus of voices rang out, and Nan Batianâs face grew even more ashen. Qin Ying was about to lash back verbally when Lord Yelu spoke up, "Hmm, Guild Leader Nan, they are right. I think you should bow to these deceased souls since you have disturbed their peace."