Chapter 172: "Ruler and Subject, That Is All"...
Guanlin Hall.
Wei Qishan sat in the main seat above, draped in a black cloak, with over ten armored generals of the Wei residence seated on both sides below.
An armored soldier jogged in and whispered into Wei Qishan's ear, "He's here."
Wei Qishan looked up and saw beyond the wide-open door, beneath the bluestone steps, the armed soldiers of the residence cautiously retreating from both sides.
Moments later, a lone figure ascended the steps. His tall stature stood out conspicuously even as he was surrounded by soldiers on all sides, exuding an indescribable pressure.
Such a man, yet he possessed an exceptionally handsome face. However, his expression rarely held a smile, and the fierce coldness in his eyes always made people afraid to look at him for too long.
As he approached, the generals of the Wei residence on both sides of the hall cast particularly hostile glances his way.
Xiao Li paid them no mind and strode in casually.
Yuan Fang, who followed Xiao Li inside, clasped his fists and said to Wei Qishan, "Marquis, I have brought Governor Xiao."
In front of Wei Qishan, Xiao Li tempered his ferocity somewhat and, as before, clasped his fists and said, "Xiao Li pays his respects to the Marquis."
Wei Qishan stared at Xiao Li with a gloomy expression for a moment. Without immediately tearing into him, he said, "Pingjin's wedding is approaching. Pei Song sent a gift. Take a look, my son."
With a gesture, a personal soldier behind him stepped forward, holding a scroll.
As the soldier released his grip, the three-foot-long scroll unfurled, and the person in the painting leaped into Xiao Li's view.
Amidst a field of golden and jade peonies, the woman's brows resembled distant mountains, her eyes like clear moons. Though dressed in white brocade woven with gold, exuding an air of nobility, she also carried an ethereal, transcendent aura, as if not of this world.
Due to her youth, her face still retained a hint of childishness and softness.
Wei Qishan said, "This is a painting of Princess Han Yang, created three years ago by the famous Luodu court painter Wu Gouzi. It is said that King Chen, then still the crown prince, saw this painting and became so lovesick for Princess Han Yang that he could neither eat nor sleep. Eventually, Queen Jiang of Southern Chen intervened and allowed him to propose to the Changlian Wang residence."
He fixed his gaze on Xiao Li and said, "I sent someone to your camp to fetch that concubine of yours, Jiang Yu, who bears the exact same face as Princess Han Yang in this painting. How do you explain this, my son?"
Xiao Li could only utter six words in response: "Xiao Li has nothing to say."
This response further incited the dissatisfaction of the Wei residence generals on both sides. Some kicked their low tables, making noise; others snorted disdainfully. Clearly, they felt provoked, their hostility so intense it was almost palpable.
One of them even shouted outright, "Marquis, the Young Master was right earlier. The Battle of Majialiang was suspicious from the start. How could he have coincidentally saved General Yuan? He must be a spy sent by the Liang Camp! Execute him as a warning to others!"
"Long have we heard that the Liang Camp's Princess Han Yang is cunning and scheming. To plant such a person deep within our Northern Border and grant him command of heavy troops—if not for the Liang Camp's treacherous plot being exposed like Bandit Pei's scheme this time, and if not for the Pei Camp and the Liang Camp turning on each other and sending this scroll, we might still be in the dark!"
The generals below the hall seemed to quickly reach a consensus, pounding their tables in unison and shouting, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"Yuan Fang, who had escorted Xiao Li inside, immediately knelt upon seeing this and pleaded urgently, "You cannot kill him! You must not! I beg you, Marquis, to reconsider! You know well that Liang Camp once attempted to take Xiao Jun's life due to a misunderstanding, which led him to leave Liang Camp. If the battle at Majia Liang was a trap set by the Liang and Chen Camps to harm our Wei Camp, then why did Dou Jianliang of Chen Camp defect to Pei Song and help Pei Song injure Liang Camp's general Fan Yuan? This nearly caused the collapse of both Liang and Chen Camps! Since Xiao Jun joined our Wei Camp, his numerous achievements have been witnessed by all in the army. Aside from concealing Han Yang's identity, Xiao Jun has never acted against our Wei Camp. There must be some misunderstanding in this matter!"
After speaking, he turned to Xiao Li and said, "Benefactor, quickly explain yourself to the Marquis!"
When Xiao Li heard Yuan Fang mention that Wei Qishan knew about Liang Camp's past attempt to poison him, a faint, almost imperceptible mockery flickered in his eyes.
So, there was no such thing as unconditional trust in this world.
Wei Qishan's decision at the victory banquet after the Youzhou campaign—not questioning his past in Liang Camp, insisting on keeping him, and later entrusting him with command of the thirty-thousand-strong righteous army—was not born of instant camaraderie. Instead, it was a calculated move after Wei Qishan had thoroughly investigated his background and weighed the interests at stake.
The sense of duty that had weighed on his heart, making him endure Wei Camp's various actions, suddenly felt hollow and insignificant.
The gratitude and loyalty he had believed in were merely his own wishful thinking.
Everything was a result of competing interests.
And to make it sound noble, they draped it in lofty rhetoric, forcing the other party to bow their head again and again, all while expecting gratitude.
At this moment, Xiao Li felt weary and disgusted. His tone turned cold as he said, "There is nothing to explain. Aside from the matter concerning Han Yang, I believe I have done nothing to wrong the Marquis or Wei Camp. When there is a will to condemn, what need is there for evidence? Since I dared to come here alone today, I am prepared for the Marquis to settle accounts. Once I have repaid the Marquis's 'favor of recognition,' I will owe him nothing more."
One of Wei's generals, provoked by his words, slammed the table and stood up, shouting, "How dare you! With such insolent words, even if you had nine more heads, they would not be enough to chop off!"
"Still claiming you are not a spy for Liang Camp? Why did you not resign earlier or later, but only after Han Yang was captured? Were you not afraid the truth would come to light?"
Wei Qishan raised his hand, and the agitated Wei generals fell silent.
The weather grew colder day by day, and his health seemed to be declining as well. Yet, no matter how aged or ill he appeared, the authority he had accumulated over decades was no mere facade.
His gaze was sharp enough to pierce through a person's heart. After covering his mouth and coughing for a moment, he asked, "I treated you like my own son. Is this how you repay my trust?"
Xiao Li replied, "A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject. I dare not overstep my bounds."
Wei Qishan, whether hurt or angered by these words, let out a cold laugh. "Well said! 'A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject'! Since you dared to conceal Han Yang's identity, do you truly believe I would not dare to kill you?"Yuan Fang saw that Wei Qishan was already enraged and felt increasingly uneasy. Fearing he might truly execute Xiao Li, he hurriedly said, "Marquis! Do not act on impulse! Lord Xiao has repeatedly achieved remarkable feats in our Wei camp! Setting aside the merits from the previous two battles, recently he not only annihilated a barbarian force that had been repeatedly invading and harassing Yanle Mountain, but also slew the traitor Dou Jianliang, who had harmed twenty thousand of our Northern Wei soldiers. Moreover, he uncovered Pei Song’s secret troop movements within our Northern Border. Han Yang of the Liang Camp has already led her army to breach Purple Sun Pass, and their momentum is soaring. If we kill Lord Xiao at this moment, forget whether the Liang Camp might seize the opportunity to slander us—just the thirty thousand righteous army soldiers would surely revolt!"
After speaking, he turned to Xiao Li and said, "Benefactor, I know you are a man who values loyalty. No matter how the Liang Camp treated you in the past, when your former master faced adversity, you ultimately could not bear to kick them while they were down. It is all a misunderstanding, Benefactor. Please apologize to the Marquis!"
A Wei general nearby sneered, "General Yuan, why plead for such a Liang Camp spy? Do you truly believe he ever intended to join our Wei camp? Even if he stayed, it was likely just a temporary measure for this scoundrel!"
The Wei general turned and clasped his hands toward Wei Qishan, saying, "Marquis! Even if we cannot kill this man now, he should at least be imprisoned! Since General Yuan claims he is not a Liang Camp spy, why not send a letter to the Liang Camp demanding several cities they have captured in exchange for him? Let’s see how the Liang Camp responds!"
Yuan Fang, however, understood all too well that given Xiao Li’s pride, sending such a letter would be a blatant humiliation. Xiao Li would never truly serve the Wei generals again.
Yuan Fang’s sole desire was for Xiao Li and Wei Qishan to clarify the misunderstanding and restore their lord-subject relationship. Repeatedly mocked by that Wei general, his temper flared, and he coldly retorted, "My only aim is to retain this valiant general for the Marquis. If Northern Wei loses Lord Xiao, who will bear the responsibility for the collapse of military morale? You? You keep calling him a spy—did you, as a spy in the Liang Camp, charge at the forefront and repeatedly achieve unparalleled feats for them? If even such deeds are slandered as espionage, who would dare join our Wei camp? In battle, which soldier would dare charge ahead?"
The Wei general tried to rebut, but Yuan Fang cut him off again: "The Liang Camp already owes Lord Xiao for that arrow wound. By demanding cities in exchange for him, aren’t you helping the Liang Camp reconcile with Lord Xiao and personally sending him back? I suspect you are the real spy!"
In his fury, Yuan Fang nearly jabbed his finger into the face of the Wei general.
As Wei Qishan’s most trusted general after Liao Jiang, the other general dared not retaliate, his face flushed with suppressed rage.
Wei Qishan, seated above, finally spoke: "Enough."
He looked at Xiao Li, his eyes not only authoritative and cold but also tinged with suppressed anger at the defiance and a trace of pain from the betrayal: "Tell me truthfully—were your repeated resignations for the sake of your former master, Han Yang?"
Xiao Li raised his eyes to meet Wei Qishan’s gaze, his expression frank: "It is said the Marquis treats his soldiers like his own sons. I believed the Marquis would understand why I resigned."
"But if the Marquis truly thinks I resigned for my former master, then I overestimated you. In that case, my resignation is even more justified."
Several Wei generals roared, "How dare you!"
Yuan Fang urgently cried out, "Lord!"However, the Wei general who had been rebuked by Yuan Fang earlier finally found an excuse to vent his anger. He kicked a low table toward Xiao Li and drew his sword, shouting, "Cease your insolence, traitor!"
The heavy wooden table flying toward Xiao Li was struck back with an elbow, smashing toward the Wei general instead. Before the general could bring his sword close to Xiao Li, he had to raise his other arm to block.
But when the low table slammed into him, it felt as if it carried the weight of a thousand jun. The Wei general was thrown to the ground, the edge of the table pressing hard against his throat, with a black boot stepping firmly on top of it.
Choked and struggling to breathe, the Wei general felt his windpipe nearly crushed. He dropped his sword, using both hands to push desperately against the table's edge, veins bulging on his neck. Yet his efforts were as futile as an ant trying to shake a tree.
Amid the chaos, armored soldiers flooded into the room, some leveling spears, others drawing crossbows, encircling Xiao Li in a tight formation. Yet none dared to advance.
Wei Qishan was densely shielded by Yuan Fang and over a dozen Wei generals.
Yuan Fang, unwilling to see the situation escalate to this point, pleaded with anguish, "Benefactor! Do not act rashly!"
Xiao Li did not release the general pinned beneath the table but lifted his intense, piercing eyes to stare directly at Wei Qishan, who was hidden behind the wall of men. He spoke slowly, "Your Lordship asked for my reasons to resign. I shall tell you now."
"Fifteen thousand eight hundred sons of Tongzhou followed me to the Northern Border. Now, only twelve thousand three hundred and seven remain. Of the three thousand four hundred and ninety-three who perished, barely over a hundred died in Youzhou, another hundred or so fell during the pursuit of the Pei Army, and around five hundred lost their lives in the battle at Yanle Mountain when Weizhou was nearly lost. The remaining two thousand—they died exhausted, rushing between various Border Defense Camps at Yanle Mountain, only to be surrounded and slaughtered by barbarians!"
"Some of them had elderly mothers in their seventies, some had newlywed wives, and others had young children. I may not know how to be a great general, but I know I must bring them home safely, just as I led them away from their homes. If they had died bravely in battle, I would erect monuments in their honor and care for their families. But now, because I failed to satisfy the commander's whims, they were sent to their deaths. How can I face their families upon my return?"
With his final words, Xiao Li exerted force under his foot, shattering the sturdy low table into splinters. The Wei general coughed up blood in agony, kicked back to the steps where the other Wei generals shielded Wei Qishan, gasping for breath.
No one dared to move.
Xiao Li remained unarmed, facing the dense array of spearpoints and arrows aimed at him without a trace of fear. In his eyes, besides the ruthless coldness that seemed to shred the wind and snow, there was a faint, deeply buried pain—as silent and enduring as black rock. He mocked himself, "Had I known that the Young Master of the Wei family's apology would cost the lives of over two thousand of my men, I should never have accepted it."
"Your Lordship, spare me the words of treating me like your own son. A ruler and his subject—that is all we are."
"I came here alone, only to fulfill this final act of loyalty and sever the bond between ruler and subject."
Yuan Fang listened, his face a mix of shame and sorrow.
No wonder Xiao Li had agreed so readily to accompany him to Weizhou when he went to persuade him.
He had known everything all along!
Wei Qishan's expression turned icy and stern, barely containing his rage. Coughing, he coldly commanded, "Seize him at once!"
OpenNovel