Chu Yu stood motionless before the coffin. Cao Yan narrowed his eyes: "Do you truly think I fear you? Young Madam, open your eyes and see—what wood is this coffin made of? What patterns are carved upon it? What lacquer adorns it?"
Without turning around, Chu Yu replied calmly, "The wood, carvings, and lacquer used for my father-in-law and brother-in-law's coffins are all appropriate for their respective official ranks and noble titles. There is nothing improper."
"Young Madam, you are mistaken," Cao Yan sneered. "Wei Zhong and the others were convicted criminals and should be buried according to commoner rites. How can they deserve such coffins? Guards, go to East Street and buy seven plain coffins for me. Young Madam," Cao Yan turned away with a sigh, "Cao is merciful by nature. Since Wei Manor has fallen to such a state, consider these seven coffins my gift. No need for thanks."
As he spoke, Cao Yan pointed at the coffin and said, "Kindly step aside, Young Madam. Things that don't belong should not linger even for a moment."
"Lord Cao, does Great Chu law explicitly state that convicted criminals must be buried as commoners?"
"Then does Great Chu law explicitly state that convicted criminals may be buried as dukes?!"
As they argued, more and more officers from the Court of Judicial Review arrived. Unwilling to waste time, Cao Yan barked, "Remove Wei Zhong and the others from these coffins!"
Leading the soldiers forward, Cao Yan charged ahead. Chu Yu remained unmoving before Wei Zhong's coffin. When the soldiers tried to pry it open, she pressed her hand against the lid, and it refused to budge. The soldiers hesitated, and Cao Yan roared, "What are you afraid of? Drag her away!"
The soldiers rushed to pull at Chu Yu, but she clung to the coffin, refusing to let go no matter how hard they tugged.
True to her word, she did not resist or fight back—yet no one could tear her away. She used her own body to block the soldiers. A light drizzle began to fall around them. Seeing that they still couldn't move her, Cao Yan bellowed at the others, "Do it now!"
With that, he lunged at Chu Yu and lashed her with a whip.
The whip drew blood, and gasps rose from the onlookers. Meanwhile, under Cao Yan's orders, the soldiers swarmed the other coffins.
Wang Lan was the first to break. Heavy with child, she threw herself onto her husband's coffin, wailing, "Sixth Brother!"
"Drag Sixth Young Madam back!"
Jiang Chun shouted, "Protect Sixth Young Madam!"
"Do not fight back!"
Chu Yu raised her head and declared loudly, "Wei Manor is no den of traitors. We will never raise a hand against the imperial court. No one is to fight back!"
Then she turned her gaze to Xie Jiu.
Her lips moved silently, repeating a name over and over.
Grand Tutor Xie.
Grand Tutor Xie.
Xie Jiu noticed Chu Yu's stare but remained where she stood, silent.
Around them, cries and shouts filled the air. Soldiers struggled to open the coffins, while the Wei family members threw themselves onto them, clinging desperately.
As Chu Yu had instructed, they did not resist—only clung to the coffins, torn away again and again, only to rush back once more.
"Third Brother… Third Brother, don't be afraid…"
Zhang Han, untrained in martial arts, sprawled over the coffin, only to be dragged off by soldiers.
Wang Lan, heavy with pregnancy, was held back by servants, sobbing and struggling to break free.
Jiang Chun faced the coffin, pressing her entire weight against it, her nails digging into the wood.Chu Yu lay sprawled beside Wei Zhong's coffin, his back drenched in blood.
The entire Wei Manor was filled with wails and sobs.
Yao Jue clenched her teeth, her eyes red-rimmed. Her entire body trembled as if she wanted to do something, yet she dared not step forward.
Meanwhile, Chu Yu stared fixedly at Xie Jiu, unmoving. Xie Jiu's expression was cold, yet flickers of emotion passed through her eyes.
It was as if she was seeing herself on the day she first married into the Wei family, with Wei Ya sitting beside her.
Wei Ya was two years her junior. He had lowered his head and whispered softly, "I've heard the Xie Family has been a scholarly household for centuries. You might like my name—my given name is Ya, Wei Ya."
As he spoke, his hand trembled as he took hers. "Though I'm younger than you, I'm very reliable. I saw you once before, at the Spring Banquet. Back then, my fourth brother hadn't yet married, so I couldn't ask for your hand. That's why I kept urging him to wed quickly—I was afraid you wouldn't wait for me..."
The young man exhaled and looked up at her. "Luckily, you didn't marry too early."
At the time, she had been astonished. The Xie family was cold-hearted by nature, and she had never met a youth so pure.
Marrying him had been a matter of expediency. As a concubine-born daughter, wedding into the Wei Manor wasn't a bad match. She had long prepared for his death and her remarriage, but she had assumed it would be in ten or twenty years—never this soon.
Fifth Young Master...
As Xie Jiu listened to the cries around her, she felt something rise in her throat. Clenching her fists, she slowly closed her eyes. After a long moment, she turned resolutely away. Yao Jue grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"
Xie Jiu gave a bitter smile. "To seek death!"
With that, she shoved Yao Jue aside and dashed into the rain.
Yao Jue stood rooted to the spot, watching the Wei family members struggling against the government soldiers in the downpour. Gritting her teeth, she suddenly charged forward with a furious roar, "Cao Yan! Have you truly no fear of the law?!"
"Fourth Miss Yao?"
Cao Yan looked up in surprise. "I thought you were a sensible woman?"
Yao Jue didn't respond. Panting heavily, she clenched her jaw. Cao Yan studied her and chuckled. "I'd assumed you'd have the same backbone as the young madam. Tell me, what's so special about the Wei sons? That Fourth Young Master Wei—wasn't he missing fingers—"
Before he could finish, Yao Jue's temper flared beyond control. She kicked out violently, shouting, "You bastard!"
Caught off guard, Cao Yan was sent sprawling by the kick. Enraged, he ordered his men to restrain Yao Jue and slapped her across the face. Even pinned down, Yao Jue struggled wildly, cursing, "You bastard! Who the hell do you think you are? Just a lackey under my cousin's command—"
"Good, very good..."
Clutching his cheek, Cao Yan nodded repeatedly. "Just wait. Your husband's coffin will be the first I open!"
With that, he strode toward Wei Feng's coffin—his steps swift and vicious, impossible to stop. Yao Jue's eyes burned as she screamed hoarsely, "Cao Yan, how dare you! If you so much as touch a single spike on Wei Feng's coffin today, I'll have you torn to pieces!"The moment the voice fell, Cao Yan had already swung his sword down fiercely, instantly splitting a crack in the coffin. The crowd surged forward frantically, trying to pull Cao Yan away, but he seemed utterly mad, indifferent to whether he might strike someone, hacking blow after blow at Wei Feng's coffin. Yao Jue and the others struggled desperately, while Chu Yu forced herself up with great difficulty. Jiang Chun lifted her head, gazing toward the direction of Wei Feng's coffin, only to hear Yao Jue scream, "No!" The coffin finally gave way and shattered.
The coffin lid splintered into pieces, revealing Wei Feng's remains.
The body had been prepared, treated with special spices and herbs. Though signs of decomposition had begun to appear, there was no smell of rot.
Cao Yan burst into laughter, pointing at the onlookers. "Look! Behold the legendary Wei Silang, the invincible archer who never missed a shot!"
No one spoke. The moment the coffin split, everyone was stunned.
The entire place fell silent, all eyes fixed on the coffin.
The man inside had been prepared—dressed neatly, the blood wiped from his face. Yet it was still clear that one of his hands was missing, a testament to the cruelty he had endured before death.
And in that moment when the body was exposed, even the soldiers who had come with Cao Yan remembered what the man in the coffin had gone through.
They had died on the battlefield. Even if the annihilation of seventy thousand troops was their responsibility, while these people in the capital lived in comfort, it was these men who had fought bloody battles to defend their homeland.
Chu Yu steadied herself and stood, looking down at Wei Feng on the ground, her voice hoarse. "Lord Cao, what is it you truly seek?"
Yao Jue rushed forward, sobbing, and threw herself beside Wei Feng. She knelt on the ground, clutching the sleeve where his hand should have been, wailing, "Where is your hand? You bastard, where is your hand?!"
Cao Yan turned to Chu Yu, watching as she took step after step toward Wei Feng.
"My Wei family has served the emperor since the founding of the dynasty, now spanning four generations. In our ancestral hall, there are hundreds of tablets—every male descendant has died on the battlefield..."
"Now, of all the men in my Wei family, only one young boy has returned. Is this sacrifice still not enough to grant my family the dignity of a peaceful burial?!"
Chu Yu raised her head, looking toward an elderly man standing in the corner of the courtyard.
The old man was dressed in black, his hands clasped behind his back, watching Chu Yu calmly.
Xie Jiu stood behind him, holding an umbrella over him. Chu Yu, covered in blood and mud, locked eyes with him. Everyone in Wei Manor followed her gaze to the corner—only Yao Jue remained, clutching Wei Feng and weeping uncontrollably.
Chu Yu stared at Grand Tutor Xie and suddenly raised her voice. "Grand Tutor! As the emperor's mentor, the upholder of justice and law, tell me—does a family's loyalty and bloodshed, a century of heroic souls, count for nothing compared to the flattery and deceit of petty men? Can it not even buy the safety of our last remaining descendant, nor a coffin to rest in peace?"
Grand Tutor Xie said nothing. He met Chu Yu's eyes.
There was light in that woman's eyes—fire. She scrutinized conscience, interrogated humanity. She made darkness sizzle and flee in shame.
When Grand Tutor Xie remained silent, Chu Yu turned away. Though her body was drenched in blood, she spread her arms and faced the people watching her."In the thirty-first year of Yuanshun, the Chen State suddenly attacked our borders and besieged Qian City. It was the Wei family's third son, Wei Chengyun, who defended the city. He held out for a full year without surrender, tying down two hundred thousand Chen troops, allowing our great Chu to achieve victory with minimal casualties. Yet all four of his children perished in Qian City from famine."
"In the second year of Pingde, when the Northern Di invaded, it was the Wei family's fourth son who led seven thousand elite soldiers to defend the city. They fought until only two hundred remained, not retreating a single step."
"In the fifth year of Pingde..."
Chu Yu spoke of each one, slowly walking toward the crowd.
Her gaze rested upon the people until, at last, she broke into sobs.
"In the nineteenth year of Pingde, on the seventh day of the ninth month, every male member of the Wei family—except for the fourteen-year-old Seventh Master Wei—fell in battle at White Emperor Valley! Among them—"
Chu Yu raised her hand, pointing at Wei Jun's coffin, clutching her chest in agony as she wailed: "—was my husband, the heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo's household, Wei Jun."
"He was only twenty-four years old. He should have had a bright future ahead of him. He could have been like the many young masters of Hua Jing, entering officialdom and enjoying the peace of this prosperous era!"
"But he did not. He went to the battlefield. He died there, and now he has returned..."
Chu Yu closed her eyes, turned around, and knelt before Grand Tutor Xie, bowing deeply: "Grand Tutor Xie... I only beg that he may be laid to rest in peace. I only ask for justice befitting Wei Manor. I beg you, Grand Tutor... grant our Wei family the dignity it deserves!"
"Grand Tutor! Grand Tutor!"
The crowd knelt, weeping as they cried out: "Grand Tutor, help the Wei family!"
Grand Tutor Xie stood among the people, his hands trembling slightly behind his back. Slowly, he closed his eyes, clenched his fists, as if making a momentous decision.
"Cao Yan," he said hoarsely, "kneel."
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