Chapter 100: Hatred
At that moment, Wen Yu had just finished hearing her subordinate's report about Jiang Yu going to inspect the military provisions when a maid approached and whispered that Zhao Bai had returned.
Wen Yu dismissed her ministers. Shortly after, Zhao Bai entered but remained silent, kneeling with bowed head at the foot of the steps.
Wen Yu was reviewing memorials that required her personal attention, one hand smoothing her wide gauze sleeve while the other held a vermilion brush. Seeing this, she looked up at Zhao Bai: "You didn't bring him back?"
Her voice was calm and composed, as if she had anticipated this outcome. Lowering her lashes, she continued writing on the memorial and said, "Rise."
But Zhao Bai remained kneeling, her posture rigid and her head still lowered.
Wen Yu sensed something unusual - even if Zhao Bai had failed to bring back Xiao Li, she shouldn't be this remorseful. Frowning with suspicion, she looked up at Zhao Bai again when she heard the other say hoarsely: "General Xiao... has fallen."
Wen Yu held her brush motionless for a long moment, as if not comprehending Zhao Bai's words. "What?"
Zhao Bai repeated with difficulty: "General Xiao has fallen."
A dull thud echoed as Wen Yu knocked over the inkstone beside her. Vermilion ink instantly stained the stack of memorials and most of her wide sleeve.
In that instant, dizziness overwhelmed her, and she barely managed to steady herself by gripping the table.
Seeing Wen Yu so distraught, Zhao Bai hurried forward to support her: "Your Highness..."
Wen Yu braced herself against the table corner with one hand while raising the other to stop Zhao Bai's approach. Bright sunlight streamed through the half-open window, yet her face appeared excessively pale, like a snowman exposed to the sun. Her eyes gazing at Zhao Bai showed no visible grief - whether from overwhelming sorrow that numbed all expression or for some other reason - only her voice betrayed hoarseness when she spoke: "What happened?"
Kneeling on the floor, Zhao Bai clenched her fists at her sides and reluctantly recounted everything that had happened that day.
"...This servant later returned to the place in Dai Yan where General Xiao had been shot and found the other Poison Arrows he had fired." She then retrieved an object from her side and presented it to Wen Yu.
The cloth bundle contained the Poison Arrows she had recovered.
That day in Dai Yan, after shooting Xiao Li with one arrow, he had disposed of his remaining Poison Arrows while taking advantage of the Jinzhou officers' pursuit and Zhao Bai's order to split up. Pressed by pursuing soldiers, he hadn't had time to destroy the other Poison Arrows he had shot at Xiao Li. The Jinzhou officers, eager to claim merit through pursuit, hadn't bothered to clean the battlefield either.
Wen Yu stared blankly at the arrows in Zhao Bai's palm, gazing at them for a long while before picking them up. Her hands were stained with vermilion ink from the overturned inkstone, and now she clutched the cloth-wrapped Poison Arrows so tightly it seemed like her hands were covered in fresh blood.
Struggling to control her trembling breath, she closed her eyes and asked: "Where is his body?"
Zhao Bai shook her head, ashamed: "This servant led people downriver for several days of searching but found no trace of General Xiao's body. We only retrieved a torn fragment of General Xiao's clothing from a submerged log at the river mouth."
"Then continue searching. I must see the person if he lives, see the body if he dies."
These words falling upon Zhao Bai's ears were deep and hoarse, yet resonated with unwavering determination.Zhao Bai knew Wen Yu was unwilling to accept this outcome. With some reluctance, she said, "I've left people there to continue searching for General Xiao's remains, but General Xiao that day... had already been struck by a sleeping draught and Poison Arrow. I'm afraid there's no possibility he survived..."
As she spoke, she lifted her head and met Wen Yu's gaze - eyes reddened to the point of heartbreak yet sharp as cold lightning. Those pupils held more determination and resolve than ever before: "Even if only bones remain, bring him back to me."
All of Zhao Bai's comforting words stuck in her throat. She bowed her head toward Wen Yu: "I obey your command."
After Zhao Bai withdrew, the study door closed with a click.
Wen Yu stood leaning against the desk with her back to the light, her shoulders taut like a bowstring about to snap. The hand braced on the desk had broken nails from excessive force, the seeping blood mingling with cinnabar ink to form an equally glaring red.
Drops of moisture fell on the unfinished official documents, spreading into damp stains. In the room gradually darkening with the slanting sunlight, an extremely hoarse voice sounded: "I'm sorry..."
The shadow cast by the roof ridge had crossed half the courtyard. Li Yao, leaning on his cane, personally rearranged the collection of books spread out to dry in the yard. When attendants nearby tried to help, he stopped them: "Let this old man handle it himself. These books have seen many years, and they got damp from the rain two days ago. They can't withstand your rough handling..."
The attendants had no choice but to stand by and help carry the books Li Yao had sorted.
Another attendant hurried in from outside the courtyard: "Sir, the Princess has arrived. She's in the main hall and wishes to see you."
Hearing this, Li Yao seemed to have expected it and showed no surprise. With difficulty, he bent down to pick up another dried volume, carefully separating the waterlogged pages that had stuck together. His aged eyes needed to squint to clearly see the characters. After smoothing all the damp-stuck pages and gently stroking the already damaged cover, he saw the title and paused for a moment before saying meaningfully: "It's Wu Zixu's book..."
The attendant felt Li Yao had suddenly become strange but didn't dare ask.
Li Yao handed the volume to the attendant, instructing him to return all these books to his study, then made his way to the main hall leaning on his cane.
Outside the main hall doors knelt a bound man, his back covered with whip marks - it was Dai Yan.
Li Yao acted as if he hadn't seen this person, stepping inside with normal composure. He bowed toward the woman standing with her back to him: "This old minister pays respects to the Princess."
Wen Yu didn't turn around. The brocade hem of her garment trailed behind her like a banner in the wind, or a raised sail. Her voice was low and hoarse: "You must know why I've come today, Master."
Li Yao said calmly: "If the Princess wishes to punish this old minister, I willingly accept."
Wen Yu suddenly raised her eyes, turning around with a gaze like cold lightning that pierced straight toward Li Yao, demanding: "Why?"
She was clearly asking about Li Yao ordering Xiao Li's assassination.
Li Yao uttered three words: "To cleanse the court."
Red-rimmed eyes instantly flashed with obvious anger as Wen Yu exclaimed: "I told you, Master, Xiao Li was no traitor! His entire family were my benefactors! When you cited subjects and the great cause, I ordered Zhao Bai to bring back Xiao Li to investigate the truth. Why did you still deal the fatal blow? Must you force me to become someone ungrateful, unjust, and untrustworthy?"
Facing Wen Yu's fury, Li Yao merely looked at her calmly with his aged, grayish pupils: "Princess, your protection of this youth has long lost impartiality."The words clearly carried an implicit meaning.
Li Yao averted his gaze and continued, "If he had been willing to return to Pingzhou with the princess's people, my men would not have taken action."
Wen Yu was almost driven to bitter laughter by this, and indeed she curled her lips into a faint smile—one filled with sarcasm and self-mockery. "Is this how you view me, sir?"
"Dare I ask, in the rewards and punishments I gave Xiao Li, which could be considered favoritism, and which lacked fairness?" Her gaze was like a sharp blade, cold and piercing. "How he rose step by step through military merits is witnessed by all the generals in Pingzhou. If he committed an offense, my reprimands would be even harsher than for any other general."
"If you believe I harbor favoritism toward him because I denied that Xiao Li is a spy, then it is I who should be disappointed in you. When Yan Que was executed, I acted only after the evidence was conclusive. Now, the evidence pointing to Xiao Li as a spy is still insufficient, and I have told you that this could very well be Pei Song's trap. You took lethal action without verifying the truth. If it is later proven to be a wrongful killing, how do you expect me to handle it?"
Li Yao gripped the head of his cane tightly with both hands, his tone rigid. "Throughout history, those who achieve great things do not fuss over minor details. As long as it does not hinder the princess's grand cause, even if it is a wrongful killing, this old servant accepts it. When the truth comes to light someday, I am willing to atone for it with my life."
The anger in Wen Yu's eyes seemed to solidify into something tangible. "If this is Pei Song's treacherous scheme, and this time he claims Xiao Li is a spy, what if next time he accuses Lord Chen, Lord He, or General Fan of being spies? Will you eliminate them one by one as well?"
Li Yao's expression shifted slightly, but he remained silent.
Wen Yu pressed on, "You once assisted Emperor Mingcheng. You should know that the root of the Great Liang's downfall was sown in his later years, when he grew muddled and indiscriminately killed loyal ministers and capable generals. When my father was chosen as crown prince, he had already begun overturning the unjust cases of several wrongly executed ministers. I have read those records—ministers from families with generations of integrity were wrongfully killed, branded with false charges of corruption and bribery. Their families were not only confiscated and exiled but also recorded in history to be scorned by future generations. I dare ask you, in such a dynasty, who would dare remain loyal?"
"My father and brother's lifelong wish was to eradicate the deep-seated ills of the Great Liang Dynasty, and this is my wish as well. Now, with our enemies still undefeated and our great cause yet to flourish, do you want me to emulate the ruinous actions of Emperor Mingcheng?"
Li Yao met Wen Yu's gaze but, for the first time, felt somewhat unable to look directly at this young woman.
—She was no longer his student, nor was she merely the Great Liang princess in whom he had placed such high hopes.
Indeed, he had stubbornly believed that her insistence on protecting Xiao Li and her repeated emphasis on insufficient evidence were mere excuses. Only now did he realize that she genuinely abhorred Emperor Mingcheng's wrongful executions of loyal subjects and was striving to avoid making the same mistakes.
If the spy mentioned in the secret letter had been someone else—someone without those intricate ties to Wen Yu—he likely would not have been so rash in his judgment.
He thought, perhaps he had been wrong. The imperial daughter of Great Liang was far more clear-sighted than he had assumed.
She did not need his pressure in the name of righteousness, nor did she need him to make decisions on her behalf.
But he did not regret it, for even if there had been only a one-in-ten-thousand chance that Xiao Li was a spy, that potential threat had now been eliminated.
Even if Wen Yu were to grow angry and no longer seek his counsel, with her current temperament, she was already capable of facing anything.What he had schemed for could be considered accomplished.
Li Yao remained leaning on his crutch, his graying beard and hair floating in the wind. He seemed to have aged considerably as he stared fixedly at Wen Yu for a long time, finally saying only, "This old minister has failed in virtue and is no longer fit to exercise the power of regent. I beg Your Highness to reclaim this authority. Once it is confirmed that Xiao Li is not a spy, this old minister will take his own life to face him in the afterlife."
Before coming, Wen Yu had indeed been filled with rage, but after Li Yao spoke these words, she felt that anger dissolve into profound helplessness and a bitterness that choked her entire throat.
Ultimately, Xiao Li's death lay in the hatred and mission she carried on her shoulders.
She closed her eyes heavily. "The one who failed him is me."
—
A drop of water fell between Xiao Li's brows. His eyelids twitched with difficulty, his vision filled only with floating, shadowy afterimages. Faint voices murmured around him.
"Old man, is your medicine even effective? Weren't you saying he'd wake up in three days at the latest? How many days has it been now?"
"That was according to the original prescription. With all this war and chaos, many herbs are unavailable. I had to find substitutes with similar properties..."
"Can it still draw out the poison?" The younger voice clearly grew anxious.
"It seems so. Haven't you noticed the wound isn't turning purple anymore?" The elderly voice sounded weak but somewhat familiar.
"Wah... A Niu doesn’t want big brother to die..."
Someone seemed to be crying. The noise was simply too chaotic. Xiao Li's consciousness was muddled; he couldn’t make out what the people around him were saying. He struggled to open his eyes, but his energy was limited, and he soon sank back into unconsciousness.
Later, in a hazy state, he became aware of someone prying his teeth open with chopsticks and forcibly pouring several bowls of medicinal broth down his throat.
In even foggier memories, it seemed as though someone else had also desperately tried to force medicine into him—in a half-dream state, he drank deeply as if quenching a thirst with sweet dew. In his blurred vision, he saw flames and Wen Yu's face, along with traces of blood on her lips.
When Xiao Li woke drenched in sweat, he was still somewhat disoriented. He didn’t know whether those hazy memories from the brink of death were real events or mere figments of his dreams.
A sharp "clatter" from the doorway abruptly cut off his thoughts. He looked up to see A Niu blocking the entrance like a wooden plank, shutting out all the light. At his feet lay the shards of a broken clay bowl. Seeing Xiao Li awake, the boy seemed flustered, then—whether from joy or panic—started crying and ran outside calling for Doctor Tao.
Xiao Li tried to call out to him but found his throat too hoarse to make a sound. Likely due to residual poison, even the slightest movement made him dizzy, and the wound on his back shoulder throbbed with pain.
By now, all of Xiao Li's memories had returned. The Azure Guard's pursuit and the chilling sensation of the Poison Arrow made him feel it was absurd to have such an extravagant dream under these circumstances.
No wonder others saw him as worse than a stray dog on the streets—he truly was despicable.
Xiao Li's veined hands clenched tightly at the straw beneath him. Remembering Zhao Bai's words that Xiao Huiniang was still in Pei Song's clutches, hatred flashed in his eyes. Ignoring the poison and injuries wracking his body, he braced his arms against the bed frame and forced himself to rise.
Zhang Huai, who had hurried over at the noise, urgently shouted, "Don't move! Don't move! The poison hasn't been fully drawn from your system. You can't get out of bed yet!"Author's Note: Xiao Huan is entering his rise mode~ Many thanks to the little angels who voted for me with support tickets or nourished me with nutrient solution between June 4, 2024, 04:03:23 and June 13, 2024, 01:53:07~
Special thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: Nan Ye's Cat, Zhi Zhi - 1 each;
Gratitude to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution:
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