The news of Geng Liangcheng's capture quickly reached the Northwest King's city. This was Shen Xihe's final day of keeping vigil for Shen Yueshan.
"Your Highness, I must personally go to Tingzhou." Wei Ya, clad in full military attire and holding his helmet, approached Shen Xihe with a solemn expression.
Shen Xihe glanced at him, then briefly looked past him. Zhenzhu, standing beside her, immediately curtsied and led everyone away, leaving only Wei Ya and Shen Xihe in the room.
"Brother has already gone to Tingzhou. Uncle Wei should remain here to guard this place," Shen Xihe stated frankly.
"Young Master has gone to Tingzhou?" Wei Ya, who had been able to suspect Geng Liangcheng, possessed sharp intuition. He immediately discerned multiple implications from this statement. "Did Your Highness and Young Master already know the Turks would attack the city?"
Wei Ya was born in the northwest. Since he could remember, conflicts between the northwest and the Turks had never ceased. It was only after Shen Yueshan unified the northwest that nearly ten years of peace were achieved. He did not fear war, but having suffered from its devastation, he disliked it.
He particularly despised those who deliberately instigated wars for personal gain. This battle had nearly led to the fall of Tingzhou, and according to reports, the northwest had already lost thousands of soldiers.
"Brother went only after the battle," Shen Xihe said, watching Wei Ya's fingers tighten around his helmet. "Neither Brother nor I anticipated the Turks would launch an attack on the city. Yet, I am undeniably connected to this matter..."
Shen Xihe explained that Shen Yueshan's feigned death was initially part of a collaboration with Xiao Huayong, with the simple goal of allowing her to leave the capital under the pretext of searching for her father and attending her brother's wedding. However, the situation escalated, pulling in more people. To disrupt the political landscape, achieve their aims, and serve personal interests, the matter had been blown out of proportion.
Xiao Huayong played a pivotal role in this. Shen Xihe truly had not expected it to trigger a war with the Turks. At most, she had hoped to humble the Emperor's authority and remove his agents in the northwest. Xiao Changtai had not been part of her calculations.
But Xiao Changtai must have been part of Xiao Huayong's plans. Xiao Huayong had undoubtedly foreseen all these events. Shen Xihe did not blame him for this, nor did she have the right to. This sin originated with her, and she alone should bear the burden.
Shen Xihe told Wei Ya everything, except that Xiao Juesong was impersonated by Xiao Huayong.
For a moment, Wei Ya's eyes flickered incessantly, his emotions in turmoil. He did not fault Xiao Huayong, because he had considered something even Shen Xihe had overlooked: since Shen Yueshan was not truly dead, stopping this war would have been simple. Had he appeared in Tingzhou, he could have easily crushed the Turks. Yet Shen Yueshan had not gone.
The reason was that they needed Geng Liangcheng to be convicted as a traitor who colluded with the enemy. Only then could they maintain unity within their ranks.
They had endured countless life-and-death trials together. If Shen Yueshan were unharmed, even with evidence of Geng Liangcheng's allegiance to the Youning Emperor, some would still plead for leniency. Even with proof that Geng Liangcheng intended to kill Shen Yungan, unless Shen Yungan were truly dead, others would invoke past loyalties to sway the outcome.If Shen Yueshan agreed, it would be akin to releasing a tiger back to the mountains, making it impossible to severely punish other rebels in the future—this would break the rules. But if Shen Yueshan refused, those close to Geng Liangcheng or indebted to him would inevitably feel that Shen Yueshan was heartless.
They would condemn Shen Yueshan, believing he was no longer the great general who had shared hardships with them but merely the lofty Northwest King. They would grow distant from him.
Once the united hearts developed cracks, with further incitement or deliberate creation of conflicts, these fissures would widen, leading to more rebellions in the northwest. This was why the Youning Emperor sought to exploit Geng Liangcheng.
Only if Geng Liangcheng himself, driven by cowardice and greed, colluded with the Turks would these people, in their anguish, feel he deserved death.
Such is human nature—when one’s own bottom line and interests remain untouched, they often cling to past favors from even a executioner, hoping others will show leniency. If leniency is not granted, they perceive the person as changed or lacking tolerance.
Wei Ya let out a long sigh. Seeing the dimness in Shen Xihe’s eyes, his keen mind instantly understood the guilt in her heart: "Your Highness, do not dwell on it. Since Geng Liangcheng has pledged allegiance to His Majesty, if we do not eliminate him swiftly and cleanly, the sacrifices will far exceed this..."
Without Geng Liangcheng’s covert presence, Shen Yueshan would not have needed to feign death. Even with Xiao Changtai’s silver tongue, if Shen Yueshan were alive, he could never have stirred the Turkic king’s resolve to invade.
"Thank you for your consolation, Uncle Wei." Shen Xihe forced a faint smile. She lifted her gaze to the azure northwestern sky, cloudless yet seemingly veiled in dust, perhaps due to the blinding sun. "I simply dislike this feeling..."
The covert struggles of those in power ultimately harm innocent soldiers.
Shen Xihe’s approach to strategy had always differed from Xiao Huayong’s—not because she was incapable of grand schemes, but because she disliked involving too many people, especially the innocent. How tragic it was for those unaware to have their fates easily manipulated by others?
"Your Highness, given the prince’s position, there are times when he has no choice but to make difficult decisions. We all wish for perfect solutions, but the world seldom offers them. This is the minimal sacrifice possible."
Sparing Geng Liangcheng and keeping him close would lead to unimaginable consequences.
To execute Geng Liangcheng, it had to be done in a way that left no room for dissent. A fabricated charge would be a ticking time bomb, one that could shatter the northwest’s unity.
Geng Liangcheng was both cautious and beloved by the northwest forces. Even if Shen Yueshan wished to gradually demote him, it would be impossible. Moreover, without exposing his threat, merely stripping him of power would still allow him to exploit former comrades to easily access northwestern secrets.
Shen Xihe was neither stubborn nor excessively benevolent. She merely felt a pang of remorse thinking of the young men of Tingzhou who had fallen under Turkic blades—especially since this chain of events had begun with her own affairs. Yet, it was only remorse.
Even if given a second chance, knowing the outcome, she could not alter her choice. Everyone has a selfish side; she could not risk the Shen family. The moment Geng Liangcheng’s betrayal was confirmed, eliminating him required the most irrefutable charge.Whether it was the soldiers under Shen Yueshan, the brothers loyal to Geng Liangcheng, or the common people of the northwest who had trusted Geng Liangcheng—they all needed a reason to find Geng Liangcheng unforgivable, so that his death would not leave them with lingering resentment.
Since both Shen Yueshan and Shen Yungan had gone to Tingzhou, Wei Ya merely dispatched additional troops as a symbolic gesture of reinforcement, without leaving in person.
(End of Chapter)
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