The Road to Glory

Chapter 176: "Hard Bones and a Stubborn Temper..."

The Wei soldier naturally didn't dare open the gate. Seeing Wei Pingjin appeared drunk and in a foul temper, he could only tremble and advise, "Young Master, please don't make things difficult for this humble one. The Marquis has given orders—unless he personally sends someone with his waist token, no one is permitted to enter this dungeon..."

Wei Pingjin violently kicked the iron bars, as if carrying immense resentment and fury, cursing, "I am his own son! Are my words worth less than some damned token?"

The iron bars clattered and shook violently from the kick. The Wei soldiers resting deep in the dungeon, thinking something had happened above, hurried over with swords and helmets.

Seeing it was Wei Pingjin causing trouble while drunk, the dungeon guard captain also showed a troubled expression, trying to placate him with pleasant words: "Young Master, on your joyous wedding day, why come to this gloomy prison? Better to return early and accompany the princess..."

With a loud "clang," Wei Pingjin delivered another heavy kick to the iron bars.

Through the bars, his finger nearly poked the captain's face, his alcohol-flushed face full of arrogance: "What are you, anyway? Daring to meddle in my affairs? Only because I'm in a good mood today can you speak with me. On ordinary days, you wouldn't even be worthy of polishing my shoes!"

Humiliated before his subordinates by these words, the captain still turned and clasped his fists: "We lowly officers are following orders. Please, Young Master, do not make things difficult..."

Wei Pingjin, seething with anger, couldn't be bothered to waste words on these guards who only repeated themselves. Seeing he couldn't kick the gate open, he looked around, picked up a stone from the ground, and began violently smashing the lock chained to the iron gate.

With Wei Pingjin this drunk, the captain and his subordinates dared not harm him. Finally, the captain gritted his teeth and shouted, "Sound the bronze bell!"

On Northern Border winter nights, standing outside for one night could freeze a person to death. Thus, there were no guards outside the dungeon—the jailers all kept watch inside. An iron gate blocked the entrance; if enemies attacked, they couldn't break through quickly. By ringing the bronze bell at the dungeon entrance, nearby patrol guards would know the dungeon was under attack.

As the junior soldiers clanged the bronze bell hanging on the stone wall a few times, Wei Pingjin broke the lock, tore off the chains, and staggered deeper into the dungeon.

The captain and his men tried to stop him, but Wei Pingjin wildly swung his waist sword, shouting, "Get lost!"

To avoid pointless deaths, the captain and his soldiers retreated again and again, not daring to obstruct further.

In the Wei family study, Liao Jiang was discussing his afternoon meeting with Xiao Li with Wei Qishan. He shook his head and said, "Hard bones and a stubborn temper—truly like a wolf cub. If you trust him, you must trust him completely. Once you've truly whipped him, you can never rein him back!"

Previously, because of Xiao Li's bravery in the Youzhou battle, various righteous armies—knowing they might only be used as cannon fodder if integrated into the Wei camp—had all rallied under Xiao Li.At that time, although Wei Qishan generously allowed Xiao Li to command the thirty-thousand-strong righteous army, he also sent Wei Pingjin to serve as Army Supervisor, tasked with winning over the other righteous forces besides the Tong Prefecture Army to prevent them from truly aligning with Xiao Li.

Wei Ang, acting as his eyes, accompanied Wei Pingjin to keep watch over Xiao Li, yet Xiao Li never displayed any dissatisfaction.

However, after Xiao Li led the righteous army to achieve another major victory, one of his subordinate generals was trampled to death. After Xiao Li sought justice for his fallen officer, he was immediately reassigned to guard Yanle Mountain. This truly touched Xiao Li’s raw nerve.

Wei Qishan had noticed how Xiao Li had demanded fairness for his subordinate, while Wei Pingjin remained stubborn and repeatedly insulted the righteous army. This had clearly swayed the various righteous forces toward Xiao Li. For multiple reasons, and to curb Xiao Li’s rising prestige within the righteous army, Wei Qishan made that decision.

If Xiao Li admitted he couldn’t defend Yanle Mountain or suffered a defeat under the surveillance of the Wolf Cavalry, his military reputation would sharply decline, and he would no longer pose a threat to the Wei family.

But for Xiao Li, the former—being monitored—was understandable. He was new, and Wei Qishan’s lack of complete trust was reasonable.

The latter, however, meant causing the death of his officers and forcing him to either accept a defeat or admit incompetence, thereby diminishing the hard-won achievements he had made for the Wei camp at great personal risk.

That was something he could not tolerate.

He could endure surveillance, but not suppression and covert obstruction from his commander while he and his men risked their lives charging into battle to earn military merits.

And all because he had failed to read his superior’s intentions—because he hadn’t knelt submissively like a dog, enduring both favor and humiliation, when the commander’s son killed his subordinate general.

If not for these later grievances, even if he had concealed Han Yang’s identity out of loyalty to his former master, once the truth came out, given his temperament, he would likely have accepted any punishment from Wei Qishan without resistance.

But with these subsequent events, he became determined to sever all ties of gratitude and loyalty with Wei Qishan.

Wei Qishan reviewed the latest battle reports from various regions on his desk and said, “Since the righteous army besieging the city has withdrawn, keep the prisoner confined for now.”

He looked up at his most trusted veteran general and said, “For this southern campaign, I will take that unfilial son with me personally. Let Yuan Fang accompany us. I entrust the Northern Border to you.”

Liao Jiang hesitated, “But your health…”

Wei Qishan waved his hand, signaling him to say no more. “A minor ailment—do you think it will keep me from mounting a horse? That Xiao family brat dares to act so defiantly only because he’s riding high on recent military successes, thinking there’s no one left in the Northern Border to challenge him!”

He had given Xiao Li multiple chances, but the other party showed no appreciation. Wei Qishan couldn’t help but grow angry. He slammed the armrest of his tiger-skin-covered chair and declared, “Once our Northern Wei tiger generals achieve a few major victories and overshadow his fame, when he can no longer affect army morale, let’s see how arrogant he remains!”

As his words faded, the sound of bronze bells echoed from outside.

Wei Qishan’s face turned icy. Liao Jiang’s eyelids twitched nervously. “It seems there’s trouble at the dungeon!”

In his heart, he wondered: Could it be that Xiao Li’s men were already so impatient as to attempt a prison break now?In the dungeon, Wei Pingjin staggered his way to the cell holding Xiao Li. Seeing the man sitting upright in meditation, showing no trace of the disarray expected from imprisonment, his anger flared. He kicked the cell door heavily and turned to roar at the cowering guards, who dared not approach due to the longsword in his hand: "Open this cell door for me, your young lord!"

The jailers naturally didn't dare. Their leader, while glancing anxiously toward the entrance, tried to placate him: "This... this really can't be opened, young lord..."

Wei Pingjin found their hesitant excuses as grating as a swarm of flies buzzing in his ears. He swung his sword at them again, and the underlings scattered like startled birds. The leader, whom he had fixed his gaze upon, dodged the first strike but was quickly caught by the second.

Pressing his sword against the leader's neck, Wei Pingjin coldly snapped, his patience exhausted: "Open the cell door!"

Sweat dripped from the leader's forehead as he trembled and lied: "I don't have the key. This man is a serious criminal. We're only here to guard him. The key is with the Marquis..."

The mere mention of "Marquis" now irritated Wei Pingjin. He lowered his sword and sliced through the keychain hanging from the leader's waist. Snatching the keys, he moved to the cell door to try them one by one.

The leader and the guards looked as if the sky had fallen. The leader signaled to his subordinates with his eyes, and one guard hurried out to seek reinforcements. The leader himself crawled forward, clutching Wei Pingjin's leg, and pleaded tearfully:

"Young lord! This must not be done! Though this man is shackled hand and foot, it took over ten house guards and a hundred tiger guards to subdue him when he was captured. If we open this cell door and he harms you, we would be guilty beyond redemption even if we died a hundred times!"

Wei Pingjin was in no state to listen. He kicked the man fiercely several times. Though he had little real battle experience, he had been trained in martial arts by specialized instructors since his youth. Even drunk, the force behind his kicks was substantial.

After a few blows, the leader curled up in pain, clutching his abdomen, and could no longer hold him back.

Inside the cell, Xiao Li, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, lifted his cold, desolate gaze and watched the commotion outside with detached indifference.

Wei Pingjin was trying each key, but he was too drunk to keep his hands steady. Combined with the large number of keys on the ring, he failed to find the right one after several attempts.

The lock on this cell door, unlike the ordinary iron chain on the outer gate, was forged from fine steel. Losing patience, he kicked the door violently and hacked at the lock with his sword, but failed to break it.

When he looked up and saw Xiao Li's icy expression, staring back at him as if he were a clown, the humiliation he had suffered from Xiao Li's ragtag forces at the wedding ceremony earlier that day surged back. The fire in his chest blazed uncontrollably.

He kicked the cell door with all his might and thrust his sword through the bars, pointing it directly at Xiao Li. Drunkenly, he snarled: "You bastard son of a whore, come here and face me, your young lord!"

He saw the sudden, bone-chilling coldness in Xiao Li's eyes, as if it could flay him alive, but took it as a sign that he had struck a nerve. The rage that had been burning inside him finally eased slightly, bringing a twisted sense of relief.He continued his mockery: "What are you glaring at me for? Do you think your sordid origins can be hidden? Ask anyone in Yongcheng—who hasn't heard of you and your mother? Half the men in the city have crawled under your mother's skirts, haven't they? With that pretty-boy face of yours, why not follow your whore mother's trade and make a living off your looks in a male brothel?"

As if suffering from a wine-induced headache, everything reflected in his pupils appeared blurred and double-visioned. He saw Xiao Li stand up.

Armed with his longsword and protected by the iron bars of the cell—with Xiao Li's hands and feet shackled in heavy irons, rendering him harmless—Wei Pingjin felt no fear. Having vented his insults, he felt thoroughly pleased.

He randomly slashed his sword twice against the prison bars and continued his taunts: "Who knows what the old man was thinking? Seeing you have some acrobatic skills, he says you resemble his eldest son. I wonder if my late mother—a noblewoman from the previous dynasty—has haunted his dreams to complain about him comparing her son to a prostitute's bastard..."

Xiao Li had already approached the cell door, now standing barely half a step from the tip of Wei Pingjin's sword.

Seeing this, Wei Pingjin attempted to swing his sword again. With a terrifyingly cold expression, Xiao Li sidestepped the clumsy strike, wrapped his iron chains around Wei Pingjin's sword-wielding wrist, and yanked hard.

The cold, coarse chains seemed to dig deep into his flesh. Wei Pingjin was dragged forward, his entire arm and half his shoulder squeezed between the prison bars. His upper body and head were forced against the bars by the position, and instantly, the dungeon echoed with his agonized screams.

The jail captain and his subordinates, never expecting Xiao Li—fully shackled—could still injure someone through the bars, rushed over to restrain him, terrified that any harm to Wei Pingjin would cost them their heads.

But using his leverage, Xiao Li bent Wei Pingjin's straightened arm backward against his spine, provoking another series of pig-like squeals from the dungeon.

The remaining length of chain was then flung through the bar gaps, looping around Wei Pingjin's neck and tightening.

With one arm brutally twisted behind his back and the icy, viper-like chain constricting his throat, Wei Pingjin's wine-flushed face quickly turned purplish from suffocation. His free hand desperately clawed at the deadly chain around his neck.

The guards strained with all their might to pull the chain loose and pry open Xiao Li's grip, but they couldn't budge him an inch.

Their orders were clear: do not injure or mistreat Xiao Li.

But now, Wei Pingjin was on the verge of death because of his provocation. The frantic jail captain was about to order his men to use blades on Xiao Li to save Wei Pingjin when a stern shout echoed from the dungeon corridor: "General Xiao! Stop this at once!"

The moment the jail captain saw the newcomers, he rushed toward them as if seeing his own mother: "Marquis, General Liao, you've finally arrived!"

Wei Pingjin, barely breathing, his gasps growing faint, reached weakly toward Wei Qishan instead of clutching the chain, struggling to plead: "Father... save... save me..."Wei Qishan did not look at his only son, but instead fixed his gaze on Xiao Li behind him—the man who was restraining his son with an iron chain, his eyes fierce as a wolf's. "You claim you owe this marquis nothing more, yet I too believe I have never treated you unfairly. Is this your answer to me after I refused to let you leave?"

Liao Jiang, who had come with them, hurriedly added, "General Xiao, think twice! Whatever misunderstanding exists between you and the young master, consider your comrades! If anything happens to the young master, they will surely be implicated!"

The ferocity in Xiao Li's eyes had never been so intense—it was almost an untamable beastliness that sent chills down the spines of the armored soldiers and guards outside the cell.

He tightened the chain around Wei Pingjin twice more, only releasing his grip when the iron links nearly crushed the other's windpipe.

Wei Pingjin collapsed to the floor, clutching his throat as he gasped for air with great difficulty. His neck throbbed with pain—not only bruised from the strangulation, but also scraped raw in multiple places by the coarse chain.

Xiao Li stared coldly at Wei Qishan. "No matter how noble your Wei family name may be, I never begged to join your camp! My deceased mother has been gone for years, yet now she must suffer such humiliation from your house. I have failed as a son!"

Liao Jiang had initially intended to mediate, but upon hearing these words, his first thought was: It's over.

Wasn't Xiao Li clearly declaring his break with Wei Qishan?

But then, hearing him mention his deceased mother, Liao Jiang suddenly sensed the matter might be more complicated.

When Xiao Li had previously come to resign and was captured, he hadn't shown such rage. Today, if he and Wei Qishan hadn't arrived in time, the man might truly have strangled Wei Pingjin to death.

Liao Jiang had heard some rumors about Xiao Li's background after Wei Qishan ordered a secret investigation. This explained why Xiao Li never allowed visits to brothels in the army, maintained impeccable conduct himself, and even during victory banquets, never touched the singing or dancing girls. Some informed generals had privately speculated this might relate to his deceased mother.

Now, seeing him nearly kill Wei Pingjin, Liao Jiang wondered: Had the young master foolishly insulted him with matters concerning his mother?

Liao Jiang wisely remained silent.

Wei Qishan had initially been angered himself, but upon hearing Xiao Li's final words, he withdrew his gaze and cast a cold look at Wei Pingjin.

Having narrowly escaped death, Wei Pingjin was mostly sobered up and knew he had caused trouble again. He dared not meet his father's eyes.

Seeing his son like this, Wei Qishan understood everything.

His face tightened, and he finally said only: "I will give you an explanation."

With that, he turned and strode away, sleeves fluttering.

Wei Pingjin was helped up from the ground by armored soldiers and shuffled out of the dungeon, only to find Wei Qishan hadn't gone far—he stood waiting in the wind and snow.

Knowing he couldn't avoid punishment today, Wei Pingjin didn't even adjust his disheveled golden crown from the earlier struggle. He approached and muttered, "Father."

Wei Qishan turned and glared coldly, then struck him hard across the face. The blow sent Wei Pingjin stumbling, his cheek quickly swelling while blood trickled from his split lip.

He didn't dare utter a word in protest. When he turned his face back, he still stood before Wei Qishan with his head bowed, staring at his own feet.

When Wei Qishan coldly ordered "Kneel," he obediently dropped to his knees in the snow.

This being a family matter between father and son, Liao Jiang thought it improper to intervene. Taking an oil-paper umbrella from an attendant, he opened it and said to Wei Qishan, "Marquis, the wind is strong out here."Before the words urging Wei Qishan to return to his study could be spoken, a soft, gentle woman's voice came from behind: "So my husband is here with Father."

Liao Jiang looked up and saw Wang Wanzhen appear at the intersection ahead, accompanied by two maidservants and holding a lantern. Though the lantern light beneath the eaves was dim in the darkness, he could still see her left cheek was severely swollen, as if struck by a slap.

Liao Jiang knew some hidden truths about Wang Wanzhen's identity, but it was still somewhat unreasonable for her—bearing the status of a former Jin princess—to be slapped so severely on her wedding night.

He lowered his head, not daring to look further.

Wei Qishan's expression grew visibly colder and darker upon seeing the swelling on Wang Wanzhen's face.

Wang Wanzhen bowed slightly to Wei Qishan and said, "My husband had too much to drink and didn't return. I was worried something might have happened to him, so I came looking. I'm glad he's alright."

Wei Pingjin did not want Wang Wanzhen to see him in such a disheveled state. Hearing her voice, he straightened his back and cast a cold, disdainful glance in her direction. Only when he saw her appearance clearly did he freeze in shock.

Turning around, he found Wei Qishan glaring at him with an expression that seemed to wish he could crush him. Wei Pingjin, unable to defend himself, instinctively blurted out, "I didn't hit her! I only lightly patted her face a few times earlier—her maidservants, as well as Laifu and Laiwang, all saw it with their own eyes..."

Wei Qishan directly kicked his son, sending him stumbling into the muddy snow. Coughing, he issued a cold order: "Guards! Lock this unfilial son in the ancestral hall! He shall not be released until he admits his wrongdoing!"

With that, supported by Liao Jiang, he left, his anger unabated.

Several armored soldiers lifted Wei Pingjin to take him to the ancestral hall. Furious, he glared at Wang Wanzhen, who stood gracefully at the intersection still holding the lantern, and gritted his teeth: "You plotted against me, Young Master!"

Wang Wanzhen's clear, dark eyes gazed at him. She seemed somewhat sorrowful as she gently covered her swollen cheek with her hand and said softly, "Wanzhen did not know Father was here. I only came out because I was worried about my husband."

Wei Pingjin, enraged, wanted to rush over and confront Wang Wanzhen again, but he was firmly restrained by the armored soldiers.

Wei Xian, the Wei family attendant in charge of escorting Wei Pingjin, bowed to Wang Wanzhen and said, "The night is deep, Princess. Please return and rest."

Wang Wanzhen gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

On the way back, the side of her face, which she had deliberately slapped until swollen, still ached faintly in the cold wind. Yet, the corners of Wang Wanzhen's lips slowly curved into a smile.

Whether Wei Pingjin liked her or not, she did not care.

The humiliation Wei Pingjin had inflicted on her tonight was nothing compared to the suffering she had endured in the opera troupe before.

Madam Wei's attitude toward her was already evident. After marriage, it was inevitable that she would endure mistreatment from Wei Pingjin.

Only by making her grievances known openly tonight, before Wei Qishan had grown accustomed to or even weary of the mother and son's oppression, would she gain the greatest advantage.

She was a princess acknowledged by all under heaven, and the entire Northern Border relied on her.

Once she had a child, what would the entire Wei family amount to?