Fan Changyu's heartstrings inexplicably trembled slightly at that soft chuckle.
But she concealed it perfectly, her face showing no trace of emotion as she maintained her respectful posture and calmly replied, "Marquis."
After she spoke, another long silence ensued.
Xie Zheng's smile remained at his lips, yet even a blind man could have sensed the sudden chill in the air around him.
The atmosphere in the room seemed to grow thin.
Deputy General He noticed the subtle tension between them and thought something was amiss. He wanted to help Fan Changyu, opening his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the right words to persuade Xie Zheng to leave.
Fortunately, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard.
It was one of Xie Zheng's personal guards. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he clasped his fists and reported, "Marquis, the rebel Sui Yuanhuai has been executed! The concubine and only son who fled with him have also been captured!"
Fan Changyu's bloodshot pupils contracted slightly, and her clasped hands tightened.
Yu Qianqian and Yu Bao'er had been captured?
Traitorous subjects were to be executed along with their entire clans!
Her mind was in turmoil, and she instinctively looked toward Xie Zheng.
For some reason, Xie Zheng frowned upon hearing the news, though no other emotion showed on his face. Capturing the remnants of the rebels was of utmost importance. He gave Fan Changyu one last glance, his gaze lingering on her blood-red eyes and the bandaged wound for a few extra moments.
His tightly pressed lips moved slightly, but in the end, he said nothing and turned to leave.
Deputy General He watched Xie Zheng's retreating figure, eager to follow, but the Marquis's earlier uncharacteristic questioning had been so unusual that he couldn't help asking Fan Changyu, "Are you and the Marquis acquainted?"
Given the current situation, Fan Changyu didn't want others to misunderstand any connection between her and Xie Zheng. She simply replied, "I dare not presume such an honor. I was merely fortunate enough to earn Grand Tutor Tao's favor and was taken in as his adopted daughter."
Deputy General He nodded. "I see."
Yet he still found it strange. But considering the enmity between their families, he didn't dare speculate further or press Fan Changyu with more questions. He only advised her to rest and recover before hurrying after Xie Zheng.
Fan Changyu stopped him to ask, "General He, what will happen to the rebel's family?"
In Lu City at present, aside from Xie Zheng, Deputy General He held the most authority.
She guessed he would know how Yu Qianqian and Yu Bao'er would be dealt with.
Deputy General He answered, "They will be executed immediately."
Hearing this, Fan Changyu's heart sank even further.
She knew the rebels deserved death—countless soldiers had died on the battlefield because of them, and the people of the entire northwest had been displaced.
But Yu Qianqian and her son had done no wrong. Yu Qianqian hadn't willingly followed the rebel either. They didn't deserve such a fate.
She pressed her lips together and asked, "Is there no other possibility?"
Deputy General He gave her a strange look. "How can we not root out the remnants of the rebels? As for the childless concubines from Changxin Prince Manor, they can be exiled or sold. Why do you ask, Commandant Fan?"
Fan Changyu deflected, "I haven't been in the army long and am unfamiliar with these laws. I was just curious."
After Deputy General He left, Fan Changyu lay back on the bed, lost in thought for a long while.
How could she save Yu Qianqian and Bao'er?
After leaving the courtyard, Xie Zheng asked, "How were her eyes injured?"
The personal guard following him had only just arrived in Lu City and didn't know what had happened to Fan Changyu. He hurriedly replied, "This subordinate will investigate at once."The evening wind swayed the lanterns hanging under the eaves, casting chaotic shadows from the cluster of asparagus ferns planted by the low wall.
Xie Zhengting's pale face gained no warmth from the lamplight as he ordered in a low voice, "Find the best physician to treat her injuries. Search for Xie Wu—see if he's still alive."
He could well imagine that all her wounds had been sustained on the battlefield.
But for her to be injured so gravely—just how brutal had the battle been?
Had he not received Xie Qi's letter and rushed here, would she have died in this place?
After the personal guard accepted the order and withdrew, Xie Zheng stood alone in the corridor with hands clasped behind his back. Suddenly, he slammed his fist violently against the stone wall, shattering the hard bricks and sending debris scattering to the ground.
His hand was scraped, beads of crimson blood welling up.
The other accompanying guards were startled by this sudden outburst, but none dared speak.
When Deputy General He arrived, the coroner had already completed the autopsy.
Peering at the corpse covered by a white cloth with only the head exposed, he asked the coroner, "Are you certain this is Sui Yuanhuai?"
The coroner replied respectfully, "General, Sui Yuanhuai's face was disfigured in the fire at the Eastern Palace during his childhood. It's said he never left the prince's manor all these years, relying on medicine to sustain his frail health. His appearance was so horrifically ugly that even the manor's servants rarely saw him."
"This humble one observed old burn scars on the body. The fingers are slender and callus-free, indicating a life of privilege. The darkened tongue coating and bitter medicinal smell suggest long-term drug use. Thus, I conclude without doubt that this is Sui Yuanhuai."
Deputy General He studied the severely burned face but found no clues. Turning to the grim-faced man seated in the Grand Tutor chair, he asked, "Marquis, what do you think?"
An aura of gloom surrounded Xie Zheng. Raising his eyes, he merely said, "With the rebel remnants executed, all should rejoice."
This implied his agreement that the corpse was indeed Sui Yuanhuai's.
With Xie Zheng's nod, Deputy General He breathed a sigh of relief.
Thus, the rebels who had plagued the northwest for so long were finally eradicated.
He cautiously inquired, "What of Sui Yuanhuai's concubine and only son..."
"Escort them to the capital to await imperial judgment."
Noticing Xie Zheng's visibly foul mood, Deputy General He ventured, "The Marquis doesn't seem pleased?"
Xie Zheng countered coldly, "With General Tang's tens of thousands of troops surrounding Chongzhou City, how did the rebel forces reach Lucheng?"
When Fan Changyu and Zheng Wenchang arrived with reinforcements, they had explained how the rebels evaded Chongzhou's siege. After hearing this, Xie Zheng gave a cold laugh and ordered, "Bring him in."
Dragged in by two personal guards was one of Sui Yuanhuai's advisors. Though bound tightly, he kowtowed desperately upon seeing Xie Zheng, pleading, "Marquis, this lowly one was truly forced to remain at Changxin Prince Manor! I only sought livelihood when I became an advisor there. After Changxin Wang rebelled, I wanted to flee, but those who tried to leave were silenced. That's why I dared not escape."
A guard beside Xie Zheng barked, "How did Sui Yuanhuai's rebels escape Chongzhou? Speak truthfully!"
The advisor hurriedly answered, "It was Wei Yan colluding with Sui Yuanhuai! I once overheard Sui Yuanhuai and his strategist plotting—Wei Yan's agents in the army secretly helped them leave the city!"Lu Dayi was precisely the man Wei Yan had recommended to join the army.
All evidence seemed to point to Wei Yan colluding with the rebels.
Deputy General He had never expected that the brutal battle in Lu City, which had nearly wiped out their entire force, was actually a political scheme. His eyes reddened with fury as he roared, "Bastards! Lord He was exhausted to death in those scoundrels' conspiracy!"
He dropped to his knees before Xie Zheng. "I beg the Marquis, when you return to the capital, to seek justice for Lord He and the soldiers who died in Lu City!"
Half of Xie Zheng's face was shrouded in the shadow of candlelight as he replied, "This blood debt—I will settle it."
Hearing Xie Zheng's words, Deputy General He thought of He Jingyuan's wrongful death and couldn't help wiping his tears with his sleeve.
Xie Zheng only said, "General, please restrain your grief."
His gaze fell upon the corpse covered with a white cloth, his eyes icy and piercing.
The dead man was not Sui Yuanhuai.
But from this moment on, there would no longer be a "Sui Yuanhuai" in this world.
Though the truth of Jinzhou seventeen years ago remained shrouded in mystery, the bloodshed in Lu City was enough to completely topple the Wei Faction.
Yet precisely because the evidence was too perfect—and because he knew Sui Yuanhuai's true identity—he grew even more suspicious of the truth behind this massacre.
Sui Yuanhuai, like himself, bore a grudge against Wei Yan. How could he have collaborated with Wei Yan?
This might very well be another massacre, identical in nature to the Jinzhou Massacre seventeen years ago.
Only this time, the mastermind knew full well that Xie Zheng also harbored a deep hatred for Wei Yan, and thus deliberately placed the evidence in his hands—making him the blade that would sever Wei Yan's head!
Xie Zheng's fingers tightened, snapping the wooden armrest of the Grand Tutor chair clean in half.
What he despised most in this life was precisely this kind of "scheme"—one that used the lives of countless soldiers as bargaining chips in political struggles!
The army led by Tang Peiyi did not arrive until dusk.
Upon entering the city and learning that though Lu City had been held, He Jingyuan had perished, Tang Peiyi—a man of towering stature—let out a guttural sob of grief. He knelt before the newly erected mourning hall and lamented, "This general is incompetent! I have failed Lord He and betrayed his trust!"
Deputy General He and the other officers who had once served under He Jingyuan all urged Tang Peiyi to restrain his sorrow.
"General Tang, do not blame yourself. This was not your fault. It was Wei Yan who colluded with the rebels—his crimes deserve death!" Deputy General He, though overcome with grief, spoke indignantly, recounting the confession of Sui Yuanhuai's advisor to the gathered men.
Battle-hardened generals valued courage above all else. Hearing that so many of their brothers had fallen in two grueling battles today—all due to the schemes of traitors—they cursed vehemently, swearing to bring Wei Yan to justice.
Li Huaian had followed the army to Lu City. Amid the clamor of curses, he silently gazed at He Jingyuan's coffin in the center of the mourning hall, his eyes turbulent with complex emotions.
Everything was proceeding according to the plan to overthrow Wei Yan—yet suddenly, his chest felt unbearably heavy.
The man lying in that coffin was a good official, a respectable elder.
But he had died in the grand scheme to topple Wei Yan.
Had he and his family chosen the wrong path after all?
A general clapped him heavily on the shoulder. Li Huaian turned to see the man's grief-stricken, reddened eyes. "Lord Li, you must petition His Majesty to seek justice for Lord He and the soldiers who died in Lu City."
Li Huaian met those sincere, sorrowful eyes and, after a long pause, managed to say, "It is my duty. Of course I will."
Did he feel guilty?
Yes.
But neither he nor the Li family had any way back now.
Outside the mourning hall, a commotion arose—the clamor of weeping and cursing gradually quieted.Li Huaian looked up to see Xie Zheng stepping in from the outside, the thick night clinging to his figure. The cold moonlight cast upon his face, as if frosting it with a layer of chilling silver.
His arrival silenced everyone involuntarily.
Li Huaian had merely glanced over instinctively, only to meet Xie Zheng's gaze directly.
The cold ferocity in those eyes sent an indescribable chill down his spine in an instant.
It was as if he had already become prey marked for death in the eyes of a wild wolf.
Forcing himself to steady his nerves, he frowned and looked again, trying to discern something more, but Xie Zheng had already walked past him.
An attendant offered lit incense sticks. Xie Zheng took them, bowed three times before He Jingyuan's memorial tablet, and after inserting them into the incense burner, he lifted his gaze briefly to the tablet before leaving without a word.
His arrival was abrupt, and his departure just as sudden, yet no one dared to comment.
With the cries and curses against Wei Yan interrupted, the hall full of battle-hardened men saw no further weeping. Deputy General He arranged shifts for the vigil and dismissed the other generals who had rushed back from their arduous journeys to rest.
Walking alone to his temporary quarters, Li Huaian recalled the look in Xie Zheng's eyes when they had met, his brow furrowing unconsciously.
Did he already know something?
As he reached a small path ahead, he noticed someone seemingly waiting for him in the waterside pavilion. Slightly taken aback, he promptly clasped his hands and bowed respectfully. "Marquis."
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