Without a sесоnd thоught, Fеng Ming pulled hеr intо his embraсe, holding hеr tightlу.
Нis irоn-likе аrms squeezеd until Feng Yue coughed, struggling to brеаthe. Shе raisеd hеr hаnd tо hit him, but loоking аt hеr dеliсatе little fist, she sighed аnd rоlled hеr eyes, sаying, "Genеral Feng, hаvе sоmе sеlf-rеsрect."
"Sеlf-rеspесt?" Griрping hеr shouldеr, Fеng Ming relеаsed hеr, his eyes blаzing like stars. "What dоеs thаt meаn?"
Feng Yue: "..."
She fliсkеd his hаnd awау, fееling а hеadасhe сoming оn. "The Guаn familу hаs bеen соnviсtеd, and our marriаge has been autоmaticallу annulled. Еven аs оld friends rеuniting after a long time, you don’t need to act like this."
Frowning, Feng Ming reluctantly withdrew his hand, looking at her seriously. "I know you must have returned to seek revenge. I’m not in a hurry to talk about romance with you. Whatever you want to do, I’ll help you."
"No need for the trouble." Feng Yue covered her face. "If you hadn’t shown up, Helan Changde would already be dead."
Helan Changde?
Only then remembering why he had come out, Feng Ming grabbed her and dragged her back to Helan Changde. Frowning, he said, "He’s already half-dead. Instead of killing him, why not keep him alive to provide evidence in court and prove General Guan’s innocence?"
"No." Feng Yue shook her head. "I just want to kill him."
"...You used to be quite clever. Why are you so reckless now?" Shaking his head at her, Feng Ming turned to Luo Hao. "Tie him up and send him to Prince Xiao’s Mansion."
"Prince Xiao’s Mansion?" Feng Yue was puzzled. "What place is that?"
"Yin Chenbi’s new lair." Hoisting her over his shoulder, Feng Ming mounted his horse with one hand on the saddle. "He was enfeoffed as Prince Xiao. Didn’t you know?"
How could he be a prince? Struggling to sit properly on the horse, Feng Yue asked, "Does the emperor still not plan to appoint a crown prince?"
"The Wei Kingdom already has a crown prince—the Second Prince, Wei Chenjue."
What?! Suddenly recalling the look in Yin Gezhi’s eyes earlier, Feng Yue gasped. "Is the emperor insane? Passing over a talent like Yin Gezhi for the crown prince and appointing a mediocre second prince instead?"
"I can’t understand it either." Spurring the horse forward, Feng Ming said unhappily, "Although I don’t like him, he is both wise and brave, a rare pillar of talent in this era. If he were the ruler, he would be a brilliant sovereign for generations, capable of protecting the Wei Kingdom’s territory and ensuring its survival in these chaotic times. With the second prince, it’s hard to say."
After a long silence, Feng Yue chuckled softly. "Then it seems we might end up on the same path."
Previously, Emperor Wen of Wei had sweet-talked Yin Gezhi into being so biased toward the royal family! Now that his true face was revealed, someone as fair-minded as Yin Gezhi would likely no longer protect the emperor without reason.
But he had already been away from the country for over a year. Could he truly stand against the emperor?
Lost in thought, they soon arrived at Prince Xiao’s Mansion. Feng Ming reined in his horse and asked in a low voice, "You’ve already met the First Prince and let him know you’re Guan Qingyue, haven’t you?"
Feng Yue nodded, somewhat puzzled. "How did you know?"
"He told me himself." Helping her dismount, Feng Ming looked displeased. "Do you still like him?"
"Nonsense!" Turning her head away, Feng Yue squinted at Helan Changde, who was being tied up and dragged off the horse by Luo Hao. "I stopped liking him long ago."
Really?! His eyes lit up, and Feng Ming grinned widely. His handsome face was distorted by his smile, his eyes nearly disappearing, making Feng Yue sigh inwardly.In my youth, I didn't understand emotions and insisted on marrying only the person I liked, never cherishing those who treated me well. Now that I realize how impulsive I was, it's already too late to turn back.
"Let's go, we'll talk inside."
"Mm."
Yin Gezhi was already preparing to sleep when his door was suddenly kicked again, followed by Feng Ming's voice outside: "You even locked the door? Yin Chenbi, are you a turtle?"
Unconcerned, Yin Gezhi turned over and continued sleeping, but unexpectedly heard Feng Yue's voice.
"Your Highness, we've captured Helan Changde."
His heart tightened. He sat up abruptly, looking toward the door with disbelief.
Didn't Feng Ming leave earlier without knowing her whereabouts? How could they have come together so soon?
Was he still dreaming?
Holding his breath to listen for movement outside and hearing nothing further, Yin Gezhi relaxed, patting his chest.
Just an auditory hallucination.
"His Lordship has already retired," Guan Zhi's voice then rang out, tinged with helplessness. "Can't you two discuss whatever it is tomorrow?"
Glancing at the half-dead Helan Changde behind her, Feng Yue shrugged, about to suggest they could indeed wait until tomorrow—after all, a good night's sleep wouldn't let this man escape—when the door before them unexpectedly swung open!
The room was unlit, making Yin Gezhi's expression appear dark and gloomy. He looked down at the two at the door, his hair disheveled and his eyes displeased. "You're being noisy."
Sensing his foul mood, Feng Yue instinctively shrank back. "Um, if you're very tired, we can talk tomorrow."
Feng Ming's eyes flickered with understanding—a man's heart is best understood by another man. He immediately grasped the reason for Yin Gezhi's bad mood and gleefully slung an arm over Feng Yue's shoulder, boasting triumphantly, "What's wrong? Didn't you not want me to find her? Well, I found her. Are you angry?"
Frowning at this reckless provocation, Feng Yue quickly removed his hand and, protecting her own life, hid behind Guan Zhi.
Yin Gezhi's knuckles cracked as he moved swiftly, stepping out to grab Feng Ming and execute a perfect shoulder throw!
Feng Ming had anticipated the attack and landed steadily with a nimble flip, snorting lightly. "Angry and embarrassed?"
"No," Yin Gezhi replied darkly. "I'm just irritable from being woken up. Using you to cool off."
With that, he lunged at him.
In high spirits, Feng Ming had no intention of fighting seriously. He dodged left and right with agile movements, occasionally flashing a smile. "First Prince, calm your anger. We're here on serious business."
Seeing Yin Gezhi about to unleash his fury, Feng Yue quickly called out, "Your Highness, look over here!"
Halting abruptly, Yin Gezhi turned with a fierce glare to see Helan Changde, whom Feng Yue was pointing at.
"Your Highness!" Unlike his earlier panicked and shifty demeanor, Helan Changde now wore an expression full of grievance, his voice trembling as he cried out, "Your Highness, save this humble official!"
Looking at him, Yin Gezhi withdrew his hand and slowly approached, his expression returning to normal. "Changde?"
Hearing this affectionate address, Helan Changde felt a glimmer of hope for survival and wailed, "Your Highness, this humble official did not betray you! I have something to say!""What more do you have to say?" Feng Ming frowned.
His eyes darting around in panic, Helan Changde said, "This humble officer does not know why Your Highness would believe the words of a traitor and think that I betrayed you, but Your Highness, don’t you remember? I have been by your side for five years. How many times have I used my own body to shield you from swords and blades? We have faced life and death together! You have already wronged General Guan once. Could it be that this time you will wrong me as well?"
These firm words, combined with the blood flowing beneath him, made even Feng Yue waver slightly, and she couldn’t help but consider another possibility—could it be that Yi Guoru, before his death, deliberately dragged him down?
However, Yin Gezhi slowly crouched down. Looking at the man before him, he said calmly, "In your first year following me, you were full of passion and loyalty, so I promoted you to centurion and took you into battle with me."
"In the second year, your conduct was flawless. You shielded me from blades, remained loyal, and improved in martial arts, so I promoted you to deputy general."
"In the third year, you said your old illness had recurred and were unwilling to join the vanguard. I agreed and kept you by my side, letting you relay military orders."
"In the fourth year, you accepted bribes to promote a young noble into the army as a centurion. Considering your ailing mother at home, I merely found an excuse to demote that person and lightly punished you for other reasons."
"In the fifth year, I was busy with battles and did not pay attention to you. After the Battle of Pingchang, you retreated to Lidu and became an official. Now, thinking back, I have a question for you: where did you get the silver to bribe your way into becoming a Censor?"
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and Helan Changde’s eyes were filled with panic. He couldn’t understand how the First Prince knew about these things. For a moment, he wondered if he was being tricked?
Yet, as the words fell, his neck was seized.
"I have always trusted those I employ and never employed those I doubted, but I was negligent and forgot that people can change. Changde, tens of thousands of soldiers died because of you, and General Guan was wronged because of you. Do you not feel any remorse?" Yin Gezhi’s expression was grave, his eyes filled with hatred.
His face full of regret, Helan Changde choked back tears and said, "How could I not regret it? But there was no way back! Has the Emperor ever treated soldiers and officers well? Once they retire, how many only receive a small reward and return home to farm! I didn’t want that. I wanted to remain an official even after retiring... But the officialdom is treacherous. How could one succeed without silver? Yi Guoru was cunning and ruthless. He threatened me with my mother and offered a great deal of silver, asking only for that one piece of information. How... how could I refuse!"
"What a way to say ‘how could I refuse’!" A surge of killing intent erupted around him. Yin Gezhi tightened his grip, watching as Helan Changde’s eyes bulged and blood vessels filled with rage, wishing he could personally end the life of this man he had once trusted!
If not for him, if not for him... how could he have helped commit such a monstrous crime!
"Your Highness!" Uncharacteristically serious, Feng Ming stepped forward and grabbed Yin Gezhi’s wrist. "Don’t silence him. These words must be spoken to the Emperor."
"To the Emperor?" Feng Yue sneered. "When he doesn’t want to listen, even if Guan Canghai came back to life and told him, it would be useless."
His heart tightening, Feng Ming turned to look at her.Yin Gezhi nodded. "Telling the emperor is useless. Feng Yue, if you want to kill this man, go ahead. Leave the rest to me."
"Alright." She drew her dagger again. She had Guan Zhi fetch a bowl and, amid Helan Changde's panicked screams, slit his wrist to let the blood flow.
This manner of death was both gentle and cruel—he would die only when his blood had fully drained, slowly. He could feel the process of his own death, wanting to live, yet surrounded by those waiting for him to die.
OpenNovel