The Road to Glory

Chapter 102: Massacre at the Manor

Wen Yu appeared somewhat weary, her eyes closed as she remained silent.

Li Xun bowed with sorrowful urgency: "Your Highness, although Lord Wen acted too harshly in handling General Xiao's matter, we are currently in dire need of capable personnel. Though Chen Kingdom and Wei Qishan have temporarily made peace with us, they continue to move against us in secret. With General Xiao dead, if Lord Wen resigns to take responsibility now, it will undoubtedly demoralize our subordinates and give Chen and Wei opportunities to exploit!"

His words were filled with sincere concern as he pleaded mournfully: "How much effort have you expended to forge Pingzhou and Tao County into an unbreakable whole? Now that the situations in Xin and Yi prefectures remain unstable, Pingzhou and Tao County must not fall into chaos again! Though Lord Wen has committed errors, you could allow him to atone through meritorious service. You must not permit his resignation out of momentary anger! Lord Wen has been utterly loyal to you and to Great Liang..."

Wen Yu, who had been supporting her forehead with her hand while keeping her eyes closed, finally spoke: "His loyalty lies only with Great Liang."

Li Xun hurriedly responded: "Regarding General Xiao's matter, Lord Wen indeed acted too radically and overstepped his authority. But his loyalty to you is as certain as the sun and moon! Before coming to see you, I already went to the South Garden to persuade Lord Wen. He too feels remorseful, otherwise why would he proactively offer his resignation to take responsibility?"

Seeing Wen Yu's cold expression showed no signs of softening, Li Xun grew increasingly anxious: "Your Highness, Great Liang has already lost General Xiao. If we lose Lord Wen too, it would be like clipping both wings from a tiger's back, then pulling its teeth! Since you suspect the letter might be part of Pei Song's scheme, and Pei Song tricked Lord Wen into executing General Xiao, wouldn't your angry punishment of Lord Wen also be part of Pei Song's plot? Thus, without deploying a single soldier, he would have eliminated both your key civil and military ministers!"

The news that Xiao Li had been struck by a Poison Arrow and might already be dead was currently known only to Wen Yu's close confidants.

When Tong Que first heard about this, she too was filled with indignation. But after listening to Li Xun's words, she couldn't help feeling a belated sense of alarm.

Indeed, Lord Li Yao was famously strict and impartial, unable to tolerate the slightest wrongdoing.

Pei Song's scheme to turn loyal ministers against each other was precisely meant to throw Great Liang into chaos from within.

If Wen Yu punished Li Yao, it would indeed be as Li Xun said - after losing Xiao Li as one arm, she would be voluntarily discarding Li Yao as the other. Changes among the upper ranks would undoubtedly cause unrest and endless suspicion among the lower officials.

When Wen Yu went to King Chen's royal court, wouldn't the remaining Great Liang forces become scattered like loose sand?

The more Tong Que thought about it, the more frightened she became, unable to help glancing toward Wen Yu.

Wen Yu remained silent, her dark lashes half-covering the expression in her eyes. The weariness from chronic sleeplessness showed on her face, yet it didn't diminish in the slightest the authority that radiated from her brow without need for words or expressions.

Having said this much, Li Xun finally spoke through tears: "Your Highness, after you depart for Chen Kingdom's royal court, besides Lord Wen, who else could shoulder the responsibility of overseeing the state? I beg Your Highness to allow Lord Wen to atone for his faults through meritorious service!"

Whether from reviewing too many memorials or prolonged sleeplessness, the headache afflicting Wen Yu caused throbbing pain at her temples. Long after Li Xun had bowed with tearful reverence, her voice, cold and still as an ancient well, finally sounded in the study:"Given your advanced age and frail health, it is inadvisable for you to overexert yourself. After I depart for the royal court of Chen, you, Sir, and Governor Chen shall jointly exercise regency authority. Routine matters may be decided by you and Governor Chen directly. Only critical affairs require deliberation and joint decision by all three of you. Once edicts are issued, dispatch them to me via eight-hundred-li urgent courier."

Upon hearing Wen Yu's words, Li Xun nearly wept with joy and promptly bowed to her: "Your servant—thanks Your Highness!"

Tong Que also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This arrangement preserved overall stability—while appearing to impose no punishment on Li Yao, his regency authority was stripped under the pretext of old age, with routine matters delegated to Li Xun and Chen Wei. In essence, Li Yao was compelled to relinquish power and engage in self-reflection.

For truly critical matters beyond Li Xun and Chen Wei's authority, decisions made through tripartite consultation would inevitably surpass those made unilaterally. Moreover, any major resolutions would be immediately relayed to Wen Yu via urgent courier, enabling her to stay informed of Liang territory developments even from distant Chen court.

Yet... privately, this might be unjust to the wrongly slain General Xiao Li?

Tong Que glanced again at Wen Yu, noting her apparent exhaustion and disinclination to speak further, and thus dismissed the guest on her behalf: "If there is nothing else, you may take your leave."

Li Xun hesitated briefly before saying: "There is indeed one more matter."

He clasped his hands toward Wen Yu: "Your Highness, with General Xiao's demise and no means to investigate his alleged espionage, to avoid complications at this juncture... shall we publicly announce he succumbed to illness during bandit suppression? We may conduct grand funeral rites, erect a memorial stele and tomb, and issue posthumous honors—"

"We announce the funeral only when Xiao Li's corpse is recovered." Wen Yu coldly interrupted before Li Xun finished speaking.

Li Xun stiffened momentarily before bowing and withdrawing. Wen Yu then felt a stinging sensation in her fingertips—glancing down, she realized her broken nail from bracing against the table earlier had begun bleeding again from her clenched grip.

Noticing the wound, Tong Que started briefly before exclaiming in alarm and fetching a handkerchief to bandage it: "How did Your Highness' injury reopen...?"

Sunlight streamed through the carved lattice window, distorting shadows in the room. Tong Que's voice seemed to reach her as if through water, muffled and distant.

Supporting her throbbing forehead, Wen Yu told Tong Que: "Prepare me a sedative draught. My head aches. After reviewing these memorials, I wish to rest briefly."

Tong Que stood frozen, watching blood from Wen Yu's fingertips soak a memorial unnoticed. A single thought crystallized in her mind: Wen Yu has truly gone mad.

—

Returning to his office, Li Xun sighed when Chen Wei inquired about Xiao Li's funeral arrangements: "General Xiao's death will likely become a perpetual thorn in Her Highness' heart."

After relaying Wen Yu's exact words, he massaged his temples: "We could conceal his resignation from Pingzhou using the bandit suppression pretext, but how do we indefinitely hide a missing person if the body remains unfound?"

Chen Wei responded: "Her Highness values loyalty deeply—every Manor Guard who escorted her south from Yongzhou received her generous treatment. General Xiao was a youthful prodigy who repeatedly distinguished himself. To be wrongly executed without investigation... how could Her Highness not be tormented by this?"After a moment's thought, he said, "Old Fan will need someone to continuously train new recruits from now on. I'll coordinate with Old Fan later, and publicly claim that General Xiao developed a chronic illness while suppressing bandits and is now recuperating while training troops at Yantang training ground."

This method could at least temporarily conceal the fact of Xiao Li's death. Li Xun nodded and said, "That works well. Thank you, Brother Muzhi."

Muzhi was Chen Wei's courtesy name. He waved his hand, indicating that Li Xun needn't stand on ceremony, saying, "Between us two, there's no need for such formalities. We're both working for the princess."

Li Xun smiled and nodded in agreement.

Chen Wei sat down to handle the mountain of documents piled on the desk, saying, "Let's hope Young Master Zhou from Yongzhou sends back news quickly. If we can rescue General Xiao's mother, we can clear General Xiao's name and ease the princess's worries."

Li Xun was sipping tea while skimming the foam with the lid. Hearing this, he said, "According to intelligence from Mozhou that reached the princess, General Xiao's mother should be with Pei Song in Mozhou, not in Yongzhou. Young Master Zhou is already walking on thin ice in Yongzhou. To avoid giving Pei Song any excuse to target him, the princess has already instructed him to stop investigating General Xiao's mother's whereabouts."

Yongzhou was the first city to surrender to Pei Song, making it particularly significant. The treatment Pei Song gave Yongzhou undoubtedly served as a weather vane - those prefectures that hadn't surrendered to Pei Song were all watching to see what would happen to Yongzhou after its surrender.

However, with Zhou Jing'an's suicide and Madam Zhou being humiliated by Pei Song's general before his coffin before killing herself by hitting the coffin, this surrender brought Pei Song no benefits whatsoever, instead landing him in trouble.

Facing public outrage and the hesitation of prefectures that considered surrender but feared suffering the same fate, Pei Song, even if he cared little for his reputation, had to treat Zhou Sui generously to demonstrate his benevolence.

Therefore, Zhou Sui was an especially unique existence among all the Liang officials who had surrendered to Pei Song. Even though Pei Song knew that with such deep blood feud between them, Zhou Sui could never truly be loyal to him, as long as Zhou Sui didn't make any obvious mistakes, he couldn't touch him.

Yet it was precisely Madam Zhou's heroic and tragic death that won Zhou Sui the authority to autonomously govern Yongzhou, making him undoubtedly a thorn in Pei Song's side.

As for how to remove this deeply embedded thorn that was Zhou Sui, Pei Song's side had surely devised numerous underhanded schemes.

Chen Wei naturally understood Zhou Sui's predicament and sighed, "Lord Zhou died for righteousness, and his nephew now endures humiliation while dwelling in the tiger's den. It truly puts the rest of us to shame."

Yongzhou, Council Hall.

As Zhou Sui stepped inside, he saw that all present were Pei's martial generals and strategists stationed in Yongzhou. The previously noisy crowd fell silent upon seeing him appear at the doorway, turning to look at him with expressions that could hardly be described as friendly.

Zhou Sui ignored them completely, addressing only the commander seated at the head: "You summoned me?"

The commander, leaning over a map spread on the long table, showed no particular expression toward Zhou Sui. He gestured with his chin toward an empty seat at the far end of the table, indicating for Zhou Sui to sit. "Minister Situ has ordered the interception of remaining Liang forces moving north at Jinzhou. Given Yongzhou's accessibility by both land and water, grain and supplies will be transferred from land to water routes here in Yongzhou. This matter is of utmost importance and permits no errors. I've gathered everyone today to discuss military deployment for that time..."

As these words were spoken, numerous hostile gazes immediately fell upon Zhou Sui.

Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Zhou Sui stood up and said, "I won't participate in this discussion."

But the commander said, "Sit down."Zhou Sui remained unmoved, while the officials of the Pei faction seated on either side of the long table wore expressions of confusion.

However, after the commander swept a glance over the crowd, he merely stated, "Since Yongzhou has already surrendered to the Minister Over the Masses, and all of you here are willing to serve under him, let go of past grudges and prejudices! The Minister Over the Masses has always adhered to the principle of trusting those he employs and not employing those he distrusts. Anyone who dares to object may leave this room immediately."

It was clear that he was speaking in Zhou Sui's defense. Though many in the room still wore expressions of resentment and turned their faces away, no one dared to utter a word.

Naturally, Zhou Sui could no longer leave. After he took his seat, one or two strategists seemed to genuinely accept him, nodding slightly in his direction.

After the meeting concluded, Zhou Sui deliberately waited until the end to leave, but the commander did not detain him for further conversation.

Upon returning to his residence, Zhou Sui frowned deeply, still filled with doubts.

The old steward who had accompanied him asked in surprise, "Could it be that Bandit Pei truly intends to recruit you, young master?"

Zhou Sui shook his head. "It might be another test. With the major battle in Jinzhou imminent, provisions are to be transported from Yongzhou by land and then by water. If Pei Song were to make any mistakes in the supply chain, it could severely damage the Pei Army on the Jinzhou front."

Hearing this, the steward was also alarmed. "The bait Bandit Pei has thrown this time is indeed substantial, but you must be cautious, young master, and avoid falling into his trap."

Zhou Sui's brow remained furrowed. "As the saying goes, 'When falsehood is taken as truth, truth becomes falsehood.' Pei Song's lack of caution toward me—even disclosing the arrival dates of provisions and the defense layout without avoiding me—is too obvious. It almost feels like he's luring me into a trap. But given Pei Song's methods, he wouldn't set up such an obvious scheme. Now I suspect that all of this is genuine, and Pei Song is deliberately acting contrary to expectations to make me think it's a trap."

The steward furrowed his brow and asked, "Then, what is your opinion, young master?"

Zhou Sui's gaze gradually hardened. "We'll play along with his scheme."

He turned to the steward. "Have our people pretend to investigate the real defense layout, making Pei Song believe I think it's a trap, but ensure no evidence is left behind. Then, secretly send a message to Pingzhou and report this matter to the princess as quickly as possible!"

The steward acknowledged each instruction and was about to leave to make arrangements when a Zhou family guard hurried into the courtyard and urgently reported, "Young master, we've found news of Madam Xiao!"

Both Zhou Sui and the steward were taken aback by this.

Zhou Sui quickly asked, "Is Madam Xiao truly still alive? How was this discovered? Where is she now?"

Regardless of Wen Yu's connection to the Xiao family, the fact that Xiao Huiniang had taken a blade while protecting Madam Zhou made Zhou Sui feel deeply indebted to the Xiao family. Thus, when he received Wen Yu's letter asking him to investigate whether Xiao Huiniang was alive or dead, Zhou Sui devoted all his efforts to the matter.

However, despite conducting secret inquiries for a long time, he had found no leads.

The guard replied, "It is almost certainly Madam Xiao. She is currently in the west wing of the government office's rear courtyard. That courtyard has always been heavily guarded by Pei's men, and only a mute old woman was allowed inside to serve. But yesterday, the mute woman fell and injured her leg while drawing water from the well and is now unable to work. The guards then assigned a laborer from the outer courtyard to take over. To gather as much information as possible about the government office, one of our people secured this laborer position. After starting duty in the west wing, he discovered that the resident was an elderly woman. Upon learning this, I specifically showed the laborer a portrait of Madam Xiao, and he confirmed it was her."Upon hearing the location, Zhou Sui felt slightly suspicious: "Even if Auntie didn't perish by the blade, why would Pei Song keep her under house arrest in the yamen's rear courtyard?"

The steward was equally puzzled. "Indeed, why would Bandit Pei detain an ordinary woman?"

After a pause, he suddenly added, "Could it be that Bandit Pei knew early on that General Xiao would rise to prominence? Did he intentionally keep her as leverage?"

What immediately came to Zhou Sui's mind, however, was the incident where Xiao Li had killed Xing Lie. If Pei Song had known back then that it was Xiao Li who killed Xing Lie, and feared that Xiao Li might eventually become a formidable threat, then deliberately sparing Xiao Huiniang's life would make sense.

But prior to this, his family's loyal servant had clearly claimed to have witnessed Xiao Huiniang taking a fatal blow for his mother. When he later rushed to the memorial hall, he indeed saw Xiao Huiniang lying in a pool of blood.

Now, Wen Yu had suddenly asked him to investigate Xiao Huiniang's death, and his subordinates had just discovered that she was still alive. The whole situation seemed rather suspicious.

Zhou Sui even wondered if Xiao Huiniang's survival was merely a decoy spread by Pei Song.

To verify this, he had no choice but to send someone to investigate the yamen again. If Xiao Huiniang was truly alive, he would do everything in his power to rescue her.

After brief consideration, Zhou Sui said, "If Auntie Xiao is still alive, Pei Song's house arrest of her is undoubtedly part of a scheme. The most dangerous place is also the safest. Hiding her in the yamen eliminates the need for heavy guard deployment, and any attempt to investigate would entail great risk. Pei Song has calculated that I wouldn't take such a gamble. Thus, even if the princess orders me to investigate thoroughly, I'd find nothing."

The steward worriedly advised, "Kidnapping someone from the yamen is too risky. Shouldn't you send a message to Pingzhou to seek the princess's instructions?"

Zhou Sui clenched his hands tightly behind his back and shook his head. "There's no time. Opportunity waits for no one. How many days would be lost with the back-and-forth of messages? Moreover, the princess is about to be married."

As if resolving himself, he declared, "The Pei clan's trap for me involves the military provisions. They likely aren't overly wary of me yet. Qingsong, take men to the yamen's west wing tonight. If it truly is Auntie Xiao, bring her back unharmed."

After the guard acknowledged the order and withdrew, the steward, still anxious, tried to say more. Zhou Sui turned to him and said, "Uncle Zhong, gather all the old retainers my father left behind."

He spoke calmly, "Let's prepare for the worst."

As dusk enveloped Yongzhou City, flames shot skyward from the Zhou residence.

The Pei Army stationed in Yongzhou dispatched over a thousand soldiers to surround the Zhou estate, even bringing catapults typically used for sieges. From beyond the ten-foot-high walls, they hurled oil and stone projectiles into the compound, the thunderous impacts shaking the ground.

The commanding officer stood at the front lines, shouting, "Zhou Sui of the Zhou Family, with wolfish ambition, has scorned the Minister's kindness and attempted to steal Yongzhou's defense plans to offer them to the remnants of the Previous Liang Dynasty! Caught red-handed, he shall not be forgiven!"

Kneeling bound before the troops were Qingsong and his companions, tortured until they were drenched in blood and barely breathing.

Although Zhou Sui had early on gathered the old followers loyal to their Zhou Family, facing such an encirclement was futile. Archers hadn't even reached the top of the walls before Pei's archers outside turned them into pincushions.

The main gate of the Zhou residence had been breached. Loyal old retainers and the Manor Guard desperately blocked the invading Pei Army, screaming hysterically toward the rear, "Young master, flee—!"The steward and the strategists of the Zhou Manor crowded around Zhou Sui, their voices hoarse as they urged him to flee quickly with the death-defying warriors.

A stray cannonball flew over, shattering half of the Zhou Manor's library pavilion in the distance. At the main gate, the loyal servants and Manor Guards were outnumbered, falling one after another into pools of blood as Pei's soldiers, armed with spears and blades, swarmed in.

Seeing the dire situation, the strategists—who knew not a whit of martial arts—disregarded their own lives and threw themselves at the soldiers, dragging them back while shouting hoarsely at Zhou Sui, "Young master, run—!"

Zhou Sui stood frozen, his face ashen, letting out a mad laugh that was half a sob. "So this was Pei Song's scheme all along! This was the trap he set for me!"

"The defense map, the grain convoy—it was all a lie! To make me think I was clever, only to trap myself!"

Never before had he felt such despair. Staggering down the steps, his eyes reddened as if about to weep blood, he cried out despairingly, "I, Zhou Sui, am willing to die ten thousand deaths!" Spare their lives—stop the arrows!"

He hadn't taken more than a few steps before tripping over a corpse on the ground, kneeling in the bloody mire, tears and mucus streaming down his face as he wailed hysterically.

No one paid him any mind. Wave after wave of arrows flew like locusts, pinning the few remaining loyal servants and Manor Guards to the ground.

It was his arrogance, his mistake.

What Pei Song wanted to eradicate was never just Zhou Sui alone! It was all of the Zhou family's old followers in Yongzhou!

In his cleverness, he had gathered everyone for a last stand, only to hand Pei Song the chance to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

An arrow grazed Zhou Sui's cheek, leaving a trail of blood. The steward lunged over, shoving him aside just as several more arrows landed precisely where he had been kneeling, piercing the steward's chest and abdomen.

Hatred and agony, like roaring tidal waves, engulfed Zhou Sui completely. Clutching the steward's body, he screamed and wept hysterically, "Uncle Zhong... Uncle Zhong! I'm sorry... I'm useless, I'm useless..."

In that moment, Zhou Sui truly believed that death was the only end and release.

Yet the loyal Manor Guards and death-defying warriors still desperately dragged him toward the rear courtyard.

Zhou Sui's hair had come loose, tangled strands sticking to his face with blood and sweat. He was like a walking corpse, letting his guards haul him away. His crimson eyes, now too dry for tears, stared numbly at the corpses littering the front courtyard and the Manor Guards still fighting desperately against the soldiers to cover his retreat.

The Zhou Manor was only so large. The remaining old followers and Manor Guards fought a retreating battle with Zhou Sui, trying to escape through the side gate. But when they reached it, they found the outside surrounded layer upon layer by soldiers.

To avoid the blind arrows shot from over the walls, the group had to press Zhou Sui against the base of the wall to catch their breath.

A middle-aged martial general, quick-eyed and swift-handed, noticed Zhou Sui had picked up a dagger from somewhere and was aiming it at his own heart. He immediately knocked the dagger away and barked, "What are you doing, young master?"

Zhou Sui's face was utterly lifeless as he replied, "Uncle Fang, with a burden like me, none of you will escape."

The words brought tears to the middle-aged man's eyes. He shouted, "We're not at our last resort yet! Don't you dare think of giving up! If you die too, who will avenge your parents? And the Martyrs who died here today?At this, the numb look in Zhou Sui's eyes was once again tightly wound with pain.The man picked up the dagger and handed it back to Zhou Sui, saying, "Young master, no matter when, this dagger in your hand must always point outward. Even if you were destined to die here today, you should still drag someone down with you!"

Hearing these words, Zhou Sui clenched the dagger tightly, the hatred in his eyes gradually solidifying.

The government troops who had stormed through the main gate had pursued them to this area. Once again, they found themselves surrounded. The stalwart man led his old comrades and the Manor Guards to meet the attack. Seizing an opportunity, Zhou Sui plunged his dagger into the chest of a fallen soldier, warm blood splattering across his face.

He gasped for breath, yet in that moment, he felt the hatred in his chest had finally found an outlet.

As he pulled out the dagger, ready to continue fighting alongside his old comrades, the tightly shut side gate was suddenly kicked open from the outside with tremendous force.

Xiao Li hurled the head of the Gate Guard Squad Leader into the courtyard. The government troops, still locked in combat with the Zhou Family's old retainers, recoiled in unison, taking a step back.

—The bluestone pavement in the alley behind him was completely submerged in a pool of blood. The mountain of corpses piled on the ground were none other than the Pei Army troops tasked with guarding this side gate.

Ignoring the horrified stares of the crowd, Xiao Li swept his gaze over the Zhou Family's old retainers before settling on Zhou Sui. He demanded, "Where is my mother?"