The Road to Glory

Chapter 160: Questioning the Heart

Pei Song said calmly, "She already carries my child."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Chou's expression shifted several times before settling into profound sorrow. "My lord... how could you have been bewitched by that Enchantress to this extent?"

But Pei Song replied, "She possesses no such bewitching abilities. It is I who wish to reclaim what rightfully belongs to me."

His handsome face showed not a trace of partiality or protectiveness, speaking of her as if discussing some object.

Gongsun Chou's worries momentarily stalled, realizing Pei Song held an excessive obsession toward everything represented by Qin Huan's identity.

However, Jiang Yichu was the former Liang Crown Princess—her status was truly exceptional. Had Pei Song merely kept her as a concubine, it might have been tolerable. But with no heirs currently, if Jiang Yichu were to bear his first son, it would undoubtedly stir unrest among their followers.

He advised, "The Remnants of the Previous Liang Dynasty are remarkably cunning. After the battles at Majialiang and Wayaobao, they still managed to regroup the Liang and Chen armies to launch a counterattack in the Southern Border. Though Wei Qishan has withdrawn due to injury, the Northern Wei remains like a centipede that refuses to die. In these difficult times, my lord must stabilize the generals under your command. Since none of the generals' daughters have announced pregnancies, if this Jiang woman bears your first heir, I fear the subordinates may voice discontent..."

Pei Song lifted his cold gaze. "General Zheng's beloved daughter is also with child. What discontent could there be?"

Only then did Gongsun Chou's expression ease slightly. He bowed and said, "Since my lord has his own plans, this old minister is relieved. However, if only that Jiang woman bears a son, my lord should first place the child under the care of a trusted general. Once the other consorts have heirs, you can find a pretext to reclaim the child as an adopted son."

Pei Song lazily lowered his eyelids. "It's still too early to discuss this."

Gongsun Chou opened his mouth as if to persuade further, but Pei Song had already moved to the main seat and unrolled a map on the long table. "What are your thoughts on the recent battles in the Northern Border?"

Gongsun Chou swallowed his words, knowing further discussion was futile. Their plans in the Northern Border were indeed progressing poorly. Approaching the table, he said, "When my lord initially sought alliance with the barbarians beyond the pass, I advised against it. But your mind was set..."

Pei Song appeared highly displeased by the reminder. "What you fear is merely the world knowing we colluded with the Rongjue and ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. But those prefectures were lost to foreign tribes under Wei Qishan's watch—what does that have to do with the Pei family?"

After a pause, Gongsun Chou responded with complex emotions, "The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun have been Central Plains territory since ancient times, with many civilians farming there. To simply hand them over to foreign tribes..."

Pei Song's brow was stern and cold. "Wouldn't reclaiming territory lost under Wei Qishan's rule earn more popular support than seizing the entire Northern Border directly from him?"

Gongsun Chou fell silent, gazing at the map for a long time before asking, "Is my lord so certain the barbarians won't continue south after capturing the Sixteen Prefectures?"

Seated in the main position, a faint, mocking smile played on Pei Song's refined features—as if the entire world were his plaything. "Don't you think the barbarians beyond the pass are just like the Army of tigers and wolves I've nurtured?""Barrenness and greed breed ferocity—that is their greatest weapon to conquer cities. Once they are satisfied, their fighting spirit dissipates. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are enough to satiate the barbarians who have breached the pass. By the time they think of marching south again, their bones will have been softened by the lap of luxury, leaving only greed in their hearts, devoid of the savagery they possessed when they had nothing. How could the fierce warriors under my command fail to stop them then?"

He picked up a cup of light tea from the table, rubbing the patterns on the cup with his fingertips as he asked, "Or does the master also believe that I am now trapped between two fronts and in a precarious situation?"

Gongsun Chou replied, "My lord overthrowing the unjust former Liang was ordained by heaven’s will and is surely blessed by divine protection."

Pei Song smiled faintly and said lightly, "I once trained ferocious dogs for Ao Qing to interrogate prisoners."

"To keep them savage, they must be kept hungry most of the time. Only when it’s time to attack are they released. Even a living person could be torn apart, their flesh ripped off and devoured raw. No prisoner in the Ministry of Justice Prison could withstand this Dog punishment."

Gongsun Chou gripped his cane tightly and remained silent.

Pei Song tapped the rim of the tea cup lightly with his fingertip, his expression still relaxed, but his voice had turned cold and somber: "Raising fierce soldiers is the same. At critical times, they must be 'kept hungry' to maintain their ferocity. Those who lose their savagery and only seek to grow fat and complacent—such 'dogs' are better off dead. In these times, the common folk are full of 'starving hounds.' Master, do you still fear my army of tigers and wolves will lack successors?"

Gongsun Chou sighed, "Those who scheme for power ultimately contend for nothing more than the clarity of their own conscience. Wei Qishan, to legitimize his claim to the throne, has produced a princess of the former Jin—whether real or fake. My lord, as the son of a Liang official wrongly accused, could have also rebelled with justified cause. Why insist on persisting to this point?"

He seemed both pained and puzzled: "The former Liang was corrupt, the Wen clan unjust—my lord’s rebellion aligns with heaven’s will. This old minister has advised you many times, hoping you would treat the former Liang’s officials with respect and be kind to the common people. The legitimacy that Wen Shi Hanyang and Wei Qishan are desperately fighting for—why does my lord hold it in such contempt?"

Pei Song sneered, "Such hypocritical gestures are indeed beneath this Minister of Works."

Gongsun Chou’s face was full of worry: "My lord…"

Pei Song finished his tea in one gulp, set the cup down, and then asked, "Does the master know why I chose the surname Pei and the given name Song for myself?"

Gongsun Chou’s words of admonition were cut short, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Pei Song raised his sharp eyes: "What I want is not just their Liang dynasty, not just the Wen clan—I want all the foolish commoners of this land to compensate my Qin family with the praise and honor they deserve!"

"What did that foolishly loyal warrior Qin Yi gain from guarding the pass for ten years? The emperor feared him, treacherous officials bullied him, and those so-called pillars of integrity and pure ministers—did any of them step forward instead of standing by and preserving themselves? Master, you always say the common people are innocent, but when Qin Yi was imprisoned on false charges of treason and large sums of 'embezzled' wealth were 'discovered' in his residence, which of those fools he protected at the western pass for ten years stepped forward to question it or speak a word of justice for him? Wherever Qin Yi’s prison cart passed, all that was thrown at him was filth and slops, covering his head and face!"Pei Song grew increasingly furious as he spoke, bloodshot veins appearing in his eyes: "Did Qin Yi ever treat the people under his rule poorly? It's just that those ignorant masses are like summer insects and cicadas—they only hear and see what the officials want them to know!"

Gongsun Chou's face was filled with complexity: "My lord, do not let hatred blind your eyes."

Pei Song sneered instead, his tone dripping with loathing: "Blind? No, I saw clearly from those early years the true faces of the worms crawling all over this land. They are cowardly, they are foolish, they are ignorant, and they cannot be exterminated, cannot be wiped out! No matter how harsh the conscription and taxes become, they will still mindlessly breed more little worms. If anyone raises a rebellion, it's only because they no longer wish to be the lowest worms—they want to climb to the top and become nobles who can command those worms. The lowest worms remain nothing but a herd of penned livestock."

Pei Song smiled mockingly: "Indeed, the barbarians outside the frontier raise cattle and sheep, while we raise such livestock. Would you, sir, consider a tribe cruel just because they didn't build shelters or provide enough fodder for their livestock?"

Gongsun Chou was too horrified by Pei Song's theory to speak.

Pei Song continued: "The tribes beyond the frontier aren't naive enough to think that treating livestock well will make other tribes' livestock willingly submit to them. Livestock are seized through contention—so why not just direct our blades at the tribes that possess them?"

"You believe benevolence is effective? Then look at Wen Shi Hanyang. She painstakingly built the reputation of her Changlian Wang lineage, yet after the Battle of Majia Ridge, I merely had people subtly guide public opinion, and the common people were already cursing her Liang Camp. Why should I restrain myself with 'benevolence' for such worms?"

Gongsun Chou closed his eyes sorrowfully for a long time before finally sighing heavily: "The world owes General Qin Yi, and they owe you too, my lord... Throughout history, truly few emperors cared for the realm rather than pursuing grand ambitions—fewer even than retired generals. This old minister knows you bear resentment, but our great undertaking remains unfinished. You must not make enemies of the entire world..."

Pei Song said: "The one currently inciting scholars in the major academies of the Southern Border to boost the prestige of his Liang Camp—isn't that the Zhou youngster who fled from Yongzhou?"

Gongsun Chou fell silent for a moment, eventually replying with extreme complexity: "Yes."

Killing intent sharpened coldly in Pei Song's eyes: "I long said we should eliminate that boy, yet you repeatedly advised against it."

In Gongsun Chou's silence, he said icily: "It's not too late to kill him now."

With Zhou Sui eliminated, they could intimidate the Southern Border scholars, and the Confucians' denunciations would no longer be so fervent.

Those prominent families with backbone had already made their choices. Those still maintaining neutrality were either self-righteously aloof from power struggles or still waiting to see which side to ultimately join.

The more cautious they were in their decisions, the more they would restrain their clan members from casually criticizing any faction, lest they face reckoning later.

After the trouble Zhou Sui caused by fleeing Yongzhou and stirring up turmoil in the Southern Border academies, Gongsun Chou could say little against Pei Song's decision and tacitly acquiesced.Pei Song rose and approached Gongsun Chou, personally assisting him to sit before saying, "In sharing these thoughts with you, sir, I am not rejecting your reasoning nor placing blame upon you."

His long eyes lowered slightly, expression stern: "I simply wish to contend for that position through my own methods, to prove that this is how things ought to be—without any hypocritical pretenses!"

Gongsun Chou sighed and asked, "My lord has examined his conscience, but can this principle sustain your followers without breeding thoughts of desertion? You spoke truly on one point—the common people are indeed ignorant. Yet precisely because of their ignorance, they draw the clearest distinctions between right and wrong, good and evil. Even the most wicked villains would never proclaim their deeds as evil to the world. Does my lord now understand this old minister's concerns?"

After two breaths of silence, Pei Song declared, "After eliminating that Zhou boy, I shall trouble you to compile the records and issue a proclamation denouncing the former Liang, exposing all their atrocities in persecuting loyal subjects to the world!"

Seeing Pei Song finally heed his counsel, Gongsun Chou was overcome with emotion, nearly moved to tears: "This old minister... shall not fail in this mission."

After further heartfelt exchange between ruler and minister, Gongsun Chou inquired, "Regarding Han Yang's situation in the Northern Border, has there been any new developments?"

Pei Song replied, "Several days ago, my informant in Wei Camp sent word that Wei Qishan has grown suspicious of Han Yang's identity. Using the pretext of envoys from Liang and Chen demanding her handover, he dispatched men to the righteous army's encampment to retrieve her. Pei Shiwu was ordered to carry out the assassination, but no news has returned thus far."

Gongsun Chou frowned upon hearing this: "We must prepare for the worst."

Pei Song, however, stated, "Even if Han Yang should miraculously survive and escape, it matters not. That Northern Wei has managed to linger this long is due to that Xiao Boy's interference. Previously, I ordered his past as a Liang general exposed. Surprisingly, Wei Qishan remained unshaken—not only did he refrain from suppressing him, but adopted him as a foster son, seemingly genuinely intent on winning him over. What truly astonishes me is that despite Han Yang being in his custody for so long, he never reported truthfully to Wei Qishan. This inadvertently aids our cause—I need not devise another scheme. Simply revealing this matter to Wei Qishan will ensure he eliminates the boy himself!"

Gongsun Chou expressed slight hesitation: "Could it be that he never saw Han Yang during his time in Liang Camp?"

Pei Song's eyes filled with bitter mockery: "Pei Shisan died by his hand while escorting Han Yang southward—how could he not recognize her features?"

Knowing Pei Song had once used a stratagem to lure Han Yang into killing the boy, Gongsun Chou pondered: "Our agents discovered Liang Camp dispatched Azure Guard to assassinate him with poison arrows. Having left Liang Camp yet now aiding Han Yang—this is truly peculiar. Could they have realized the earlier incident was a ruse?"

Pei Song scoffed coldly: "Whether they know or not, whether they've reconciled—none of that changes the facts. Han Yang believed him to be a spy and ordered his execution—that remains undeniable. Now that he has left Liang Camp and joined Wei Camp, assisting Han Yang constitutes disloyalty to Wei Qishan. That Wei Qishan—a surrendered general from the previous dynasty—managed to maintain firm control over the Northern Border even when Wen's emperor slaughtered all military commanders in his late years... he is certainly no benevolent man!"Gongsun Chou said, "But the Liang Camp has publicly claimed that Han Yang has been in Pingzhou all along, and the one who fell into the hands of the Wei army is merely a pregnant concubine of General Chen. Leaving aside other points, the fact that the woman is pregnant alone largely dispels the suspicion that she is Han Yang. How can we make Wei Qishan believe that the woman is indeed Han Yang?"

Pei Song played coy: "I have my own methods."