The Emperor looked contentedly at Ashina Suwu, who was nodding earnestly. "Is the Great Khan clear about everything now?"
☆ Chapter 127: The Manchu Han Imperial Feast (Part 19)
"I was just asking casually..." Ashina Suwu tossed the cloth strip back toward Xue Rucheng and crossed his arms as he observed the calmly kneeling Xue Rucheng. "What I haven't figured out is this: Grand Tutor Xue framed the Prince of Wu Commandery for rebellion, crippled him so he could no longer go to battle, then forged his handwriting to collude with Ashina Turo... If it was just about embezzling some military funds, going through all these convoluted schemes, killing witnesses left and right—wouldn't it have been faster and safer to just extort money in the capital? Grand Tutor Xue, what were you really after?"
Xue Rucheng bowed his head humbly and responded in a deep, measured tone, "I have served as an official for over twenty years, holding various positions, and never had much ambition... When I first oversaw judicial affairs, I only sought to resolve every case with clarity. Later, when managing military affairs, I once desired victory in every battle. But after several campaigns, I realized that striving for total victory in every battle is not actually beneficial for our court."
Slowly straightening his kneeling posture, Xue Rucheng cast his profound, ocean-like gaze toward the Emperor standing at the prison door, his composure as steady as if discussing state affairs in the imperial court. "Your Majesty may not have considered—after all these years of warfare, if we had truly relied entirely on commanders like the Prince of Wu Commandery to engage in direct confrontations with formidable enemies like the Great Khan, how many casualties would our army have suffered? How many more troops would we need to recruit? How many farming men would be diverted from agriculture? How much more military provisions would we need to expend? Peace negotiations are merely temporary expedients. As long as we all serve our respective masters, wars will inevitably continue... Maintaining a perpetual state of low-intensity conflict benefits the military, benefits the people, and benefits the national treasury. Why shouldn't we pursue this?"
Xue Rucheng then looked toward Xiao Jue, who was leaning in his wheelchair. This man had been unable to feel the lower half of his body for five years now—three years of torment, nearly two years of being hunted, plus several stab wounds from recent days. Xiao Jue's once robust and upright frame had become as frail and withered as a leaf beaten down by storms and trampled countless times by passersby, looking as if it would crumble to dust at the slightest touch.
"Xue Qin hinted at this matter to the Prince of Wu Commandery when he first arrived at the Liangzhou military camp. Unfortunately, the Prince dismissed it and continued to throw himself into reckless, life-risking battles for momentary glory. After being transferred to the southwest, he became even more extreme, intensifying the conflicts there... Given such temperament, the Prince would have inevitably brought endless harm to the state if left unchecked. His conviction for rebellion is not entirely unjust."
Chu Chu frowned as she listened. Matters of state and national affairs had never occupied her thoughts. While she understood every individual word of Xue Rucheng's speech, the connected meaning left her bewildered. Based solely on how terribly Xue Rucheng had harmed Xiao Jue, she believed Xue Rucheng must be wrong—yet some parts of his argument sounded almost reasonable.
Xue Rucheng stopped speaking at this point. For a moment, no one made a sound. After a brief silence, Ashina Suwu suddenly cleared his throat."Grand Tutor Xue... warfare is a man's affair." Ashina Suwu turned to glance at Xiao Jue, who appeared so frail he seemed about to be crushed by his dark blue official robes. Only his eyes remained unchanged from his battlefield days - after years apart, their clarity undiminished, their depth increased. Ashina Suwu turned back to Xue Rucheng, who remained kneeling upright on the ground. Narrowing his eyes, he paced before Xue Rucheng and pointed between his legs, "Grand Tutor Xue, this part is male," then pointed at Xue Rucheng's forehead, "but unfortunately, this part isn't."
Ashina Suwu curled his lips slightly, "So you'll never understand in this lifetime why Xiao Jue didn't heed your advice."
Fixing Xue Rucheng with a hawk-like stare, Ashina Suwu said with iron-hard coldness, "Better beg your emperor to quickly grant you reincarnation..."
Chu Chu couldn't hold back, "Rebirth."
Ashina Suwu's eyebrow twitched, though his expression remained unchanged. A hint of anger crept into his voice, making it more imposing, "Rebirth... rebirth and reincarnation, so you can grow a man's brain in your next life and understand without thinking."
After Ashina Suwu finally finished speaking with great effort, the Emperor coughed several times to suppress his urge to burst out laughing. With both dignity and kindness, he asked, "Does the Great Khan understand everything now?"
"Understood..."
"Does anyone else have questions?"
After a moment of silence, just as the Emperor was about to order everyone to pack up and leave, they heard Xue Rucheng say unhurriedly, "This subject still has one matter unclear."
The Emperor nodded patiently, "Please speak, Grand Tutor Xue."
"If I am convicted, how should my accomplices be punished?"
The Emperor smiled courteously, "Which accomplice hasn't Grand Tutor Xue already dealt with himself?"
"Shi Niang."
Xiao Jin Yu, who had been sitting quietly like a painting, suddenly stiffened. Although Shi Niang had acted under Xue Rucheng's coercion, she had ultimately committed crimes violating the law. Even setting aside other offenses, merely privately conveying palace information to an outside man was enough to warrant execution several times over...
Before Xiao Jin Yu could speak, he saw the Emperor looking blankly at Xue Rucheng, "Who is Shi Niang?"
Xue Rucheng was taken aback.
The Emperor turned to the crowd behind him, "Does anyone know Shi Niang?"
The crowd shook their heads in unison.
Just as Chu Chu was about to speak, Jing Yi covered her mouth.
Xue Rucheng's expression darkened slightly, "She is Your Majesty's tenth aunt..."
The Emperor seemed to search his memory before saying, "I don't remember... I'll have someone investigate when I return to the palace. If such a person exists, she'll be punished according to the law. If no such person is found, I'll have to add another charge of deceiving the sovereign to Grand Tutor Xue."
"Your Majesty..."
Before Xue Rucheng could finish, the Emperor raised his voice to override him, "Great Khan, the palace banquet is prepared. What remains are all good matters - shall we continue our discussion over food in the palace?"
Ashina Suwu was more than eager to escape the civil officials' friendly smiling gazes fixed upon him and sincerely agreed.
"Cold Guard."
Leng Yan stepped forward, heroic and imposing, "Present."
"What I promised you earlier..." The Emperor glanced sympathetically at Xue Rucheng and retreated three steps, "You may carry it out here later."
"Thank you, Your Majesty.""Hmm..." The Emperor glanced at those present, his gaze settling on Chu Chu. "Prince An's consort shall remain to assist Leng Shiwei."
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