The Road to Glory

Chapter 192: Viper

Seven or eight armored soldiers rushed forward to apprehend Zheng Hu. Shoving the man aside, Zheng Hu cracked his neck and clenched his fists until his knuckles popped, clearly ready to brawl with the soldiers. He sneered:

"I'm tarnishing the Wei army's reputation? General Liao died at the hands of barbarians, the Marquis of Shuobian exhausted himself to death, and my eldest brother is currently leading troops braving harsh winds, gnawing on snow in the mountains while pursuing barbarians! The army urgently needs to commission a batch of armor, but how did this dog deliberately create obstacles?"

As he spoke, he collided with two Wei mansion guards charging at him. Using his physical advantage, he sent both soldiers stumbling backward: "What? Is the Consort protecting this dog so he can deliberately delay the armor commission, leaving frontline soldiers to suffer cold and hunger—is this the Consort's intention?"

Although Wei Qishan had handed over all military power to Xiao Li, the battles throughout the previous year had depleted the treasury funds of all Northern Border prefectures.

With endless warfare, the common people found no peace. Mere survival was difficult enough, so little tax revenue could be collected in the new year.

Subsequent military supplies had to be financed by partially deregulating salt and iron monopolies, obtaining funds from merchants within the territory.

Having managed the Northern Border for decades, Wei Qishan ensured that all merchants controlling the region's financial flow complied with the Wei family's directives.

Xiao Li had just taken over military power, and the army wasn't yet fully stabilized, making it inappropriate to intervene in merchant affairs too quickly.

Forcing a complete overhaul of the merchant network would also harm the Northern Border's current need for stability.

Moreover, the merchant guild had long cooperated with the Wei camp regarding military supplies, requiring no further adjustment or negotiation of terms.

Thus, when Zheng Hu went directly to the guild today to order armor, the guild head unexpectedly demanded various official permits from the government office.

Knowing the urgency of the armor order, Zheng Hu skipped lunch. After obtaining the final required permit, he rushed back to the guild only to find the head absent. Learning the man had come to the Wei mansion to offer condolences, Zheng Hu followed.

Unexpectedly, after reviewing the permits, the guild head pompously declared they could no longer operate on credit as before—payment was required upfront.

Zheng Hu knew this was deliberate obstruction. Unable to restrain himself, he resorted to violence.

Seeing Wei Pingjin so blatantly shielding the guild head, Zheng Hu's anger flared, leading to his sarcastic questioning.

The commotion had drawn many guests to gather around.

When Wei Pingjin heard Zheng Hu's words, his initial confusion about the guild head's alleged obstruction was immediately overshadowed by fury at Zheng Hu's accusatory tone.

He had strictly followed his father's dying instructions, yet now even these nobodies dared to disrespect him!

Wei Pingjin gloomily ordered: "Outrageous!" Seize this reckless fool spouting nonsense immediately!"

His guards swarmed forward.

The scuffle forced observing guests to retreat into the covered corridors to avoid injury.After a fierce struggle, Zheng Hu had both his arms and legs pinned down by armored soldiers. Straining against their hold but unable to break free, he turned his head and let out a threatening roar at the soldier restraining his right arm. The soldier was momentarily stunned by the intimidation, and Zheng Hu seized the opportunity to swing his arm, hurling the man aside. He then grabbed the belt of the soldier still desperately clinging to his left arm, lifting the man high overhead before throwing him down in front of Wei Pingjin. With a fierce shout, he challenged, "Come on! Your Lord Zheng isn't afraid no matter how many of you there are!"

The armored soldier landed and writhed in pain on the ground.

Wei Pingjin's face twitched slightly, feeling as if he had been publicly slapped in front of everyone. He said coldly, "Raise the crossbows!"

A row of armored soldiers standing behind him quickly lifted their crossbows, aiming them uniformly at Zheng Hu.

Despite being targeted by so many arrows, Zheng Hu showed no fear on his face. Instead, he sneered, "I'd like to see who, after today, would still dare to risk their lives fighting on the front lines! First, it's the armor that can't be supplied—will it be the military provisions next?"

"My second brother took on this mess of yours, the Northern Wei, and sent his troops to clear out the barbarian bandits. Is this how your Wei clan repays the frontline soldiers—by withholding military supplies to harm them?"

His voice boomed like a bell, and his words caused many guests present to change their expressions, secretly speculating whether Wei Pingjin truly intended to use this method to eliminate Xiao Li.

But the Northern Border was already as precarious as a sandcastle. This method could be described as harming the enemy a thousand while damaging oneself eight hundred.

Even if they successfully got rid of Xiao Li and crippled the army, what would they use to defend against the barbarians beyond the pass and the ever-looming threat of Bandit Pei's resurgence?

Wei Pingjin could clearly read the thoughts of those present from their expressions, and his anger flared even more intensely.

When had he ever ordered a shortage of military supplies?

He said icily, "A rogue is a rogue—spouting slanderous lies comes so easily to you! Fire the arrows!"

Before the crossbow-wielding soldiers could release their bolts, another urgent shout came from outside the crowd: "Stop!"

The onlooking guests turned to look and saw a dense crowd approaching through the moon gate, including the state officials who had earlier gone to the front hall for discussions.

At the forefront was Xiao Li, his expression cold and imposing, though he remained silent.

The one who had shouted was Wei Ang, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

Seeing the situation, Wei Ang felt utterly overwhelmed. He addressed the soldiers holding crossbows, "What is the meaning of this during the Marquis's funeral? Put away your crossbows at once!"

The crossbow-wielding soldiers hesitated, not daring to obey Wei Ang directly. They looked to Wei Pingjin, awaiting his command.

Wei Pingjin's face was taut with tension. Some things could remain unspoken, but today, at Wei Qishan's funeral, the other party had pushed matters to this point with their aggressive behavior and repeated disrespect toward him. If he backed down now, it would be tantamount to telling everyone that he feared Xiao Li.

Wei Pingjin pressed his lips tightly together and pointed at the bruised and battered guild leader whom Zheng Hu had beaten. "What about the humiliation of a guest at my Wei residence?"

The guild leader he pointed to cowered, half-bent and trembling, not daring to look around.

Since Zheng Hu was Xiao Li's man, Wei Ang couldn't directly question him and instead looked at Xiao Li.

Xiao Li asked, "Tiger, what happened?"Zheng Hu clasped his fists toward Xiao Li and declared, "Reporting to the Marquis, this humble general has been wronged! This morning, I followed your orders to deliver a message to the merchant house about commissioning armor. This scoundrel made me run between the government office and the Military Camp four or five times to gather this pile of documents, yet now he denies it!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a handful of receipts from his robe, displaying them to everyone present. Gnashing his teeth in fury, he continued, "He insisted on a fifty percent silver deposit before he'd produce the urgently needed armor for the troops. I couldn't swallow this injustice, which is why I came to blows with him."

After finishing, he clasped his fists again and bowed deeper at the waist. "This humble general acknowledges his wrongdoing and willingly accepts punishment."

The mourners present were all officials who well understood the previous cooperation between the Northern Wei army and merchant houses—transactions were always on credit, to be settled either when funds became available or during year-end accounting.

Given the army's current financial difficulties, for this merchant head to dare openly create obstacles like this made it hard to believe he wasn't acting under someone's orders.

Upon hearing this account, Wei Ang grasped the situation roughly. He shot a somewhat disappointed glance at Wei Pingjin, then turned to Xiao Li with a ashamed fist salute. "The armor commission cannot be delayed. This humble general will investigate this matter thoroughly and give you a proper account."

Wei Pingjin felt both stung and enraged by Wei Ang's look. After Wei Ang had spoken to suppress the matter, he turned and kicked the merchant head, as if determined to clear his own name, shouting harshly, "Who gave you the nerve to throw your weight around like this?"

The merchant head was sent sprawling by the kick, ignoring the sharp pain in his joints, his face a mask of shock and confusion—as if Wei Pingjin had indeed put him up to it.

Seeing this, Wei Pingjin flew into a greater rage, delivering two more vicious kicks to the merchant head. "Answer me!"

The merchant head curled up in pain, hastily pleading, "This lowly one wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare..."

He scrambled for an excuse: "Truly, with the constant warfare this year, the prices of cotton and hemp have risen repeatedly. The merchant house can no longer manage cash flow. The armor needed by the army isn't a small order—this lowly one had no choice but to propose that the army pay half upfront as deposit. Then I'd scrape together the remaining half by any means necessary to rush-produce the urgently needed armor for the troops..."

Zheng Hu immediately roared, "Bullshit! Doesn't your merchant house have a full hundred thousand taels allocated for tomorrow's roadside memorial ceremony?"

This expenditure wasn't any secret—recently many nobles had praised the merchant house for its generosity.

By now the merchant head was weeping, tears and snot streaming down his face. Knowing his excuse was flimsy but committed to it, he pressed on: "The late Marquis was like a second father to me, and he built this merchant house with his own hands. His sudden passing—even if it bankrupts the whole business, this lowly one wanted to give him a glorious roadside memorial..."

This time, before Wei Pingjin could erupt, even the usually steady Wei Ang lost his temper, bellowing, "Preposterous! The Marquis cherished his soldiers like his own children in life! With the army lacking armor, you prioritize this extravagance over military needs and dare claim it's repaying the Marquis's kindness?"

The merchant head kowtowed like pounding garlic, his forehead soon bleeding. "This lowly one was foolish! This lowly one failed to see what mattered..."Wei Ang let out a heavy sigh before turning to Xiao Li. "My Lord, what is your view on this…"

Whether Wei Pingjin was truly behind this matter remained uncertain in Wei Ang’s heart.

If Wei Pingjin hadn’t instigated it, how could the head of the merchant house dare to act so boldly on his own?

Yet if he had, why had Wei Pingjin initially tried to suppress the matter, only to later interrogate the merchant head himself?

Wei Ang didn’t realize that Wei Pingjin was attempting to clear himself of suspicion by making the merchant head shoulder the blame alone.

As things stood, the merchant head had indeed taken full responsibility. Whether outsiders believed it or not was another matter, but halting the issue here was the best possible outcome.

Xiao Li said, "Since it was done for the late Marquis’s sake, it can be considered an act of loyalty. However, military supplies are still critically short. To prevent such incidents from recurring, the merchant house will now be temporarily managed by the army. What do the Imperial Son-in-Law and General Wei think?"

Wei Pingjin opened his mouth to refuse, but Wei Ang tugged hard on his arm. Knowing that, on the surface, the fault lay with the Wei family today, he suppressed his anger and reluctantly turned his head away in silence.

Wei Ang clasped his hands and replied on his behalf, "If it is for the sake of military supplies, we shall abide by Your Lordship’s decision."

Xiao Li said, "Although there were reasons for this, my subordinate caused a disturbance at the Marquis’s funeral. I will punish him upon our return to camp."

As the farce concluded, Xiao Li left with Zheng Hu. The gathered guests, no longer having reason to linger under the corridor, gradually dispersed.

Wei Ang turned to Wei Pingjin once more. Seemingly aware of what he was about to ask, Wei Pingjin snapped, "It wasn’t me!"

Wei Ang then shifted his gaze to the merchant head, who had kowtowed until his forehead bled, and coldly ordered his attendants, "Take him to Guanlin Hall."

With the funeral ongoing and many guests present, it was inappropriate to conduct an interrogation openly.

The Marquis’s study had been burned down when Song Qin and the others rescued Xiao Li and had not yet been rebuilt. Thus, Guanlin Hall had become the primary meeting place, heavily guarded even on such an occasion.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, the merchant head knelt and begged, "Spare me, Young Master! Spare me, General!"

Wei Ang’s expression was stern as he demanded, "Who ordered you to do this?"

Before the merchant head could speak, a Wei general who had rushed over upon hearing the news knelt down, bowing his head in shame. "It was my idea."

Wei Ang pointed at the man, trembling with anger, but for a long moment, he could not utter a word.

He was well aware that after Wei Qishan handed over military power and the title of Marquis to Xiao Li, many Wei generals were deeply discontented.

This man, in particular, had repeatedly argued that Xiao Li should be executed as an example of disloyalty after Xiao Li was imprisoned over accusations of concealing Han Yang’s identity. He had even clashed openly with Yuan Fang, who pleaded for Xiao Li’s mercy.

After the initial shock, a fierce expression crossed Wei Pingjin’s face. He stepped forward and slapped the man across the face. "Wei Tong! My father and I have treated you well. How dare you commit such an ungrateful act?"

Wei Tong endured the slap, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, and said with embarrassment, "I simply couldn’t bear the sight of the entire Northern Border turning cold toward our family before the Marquis’s coffin was even buried! I wanted to teach that Xiao fellow a lesson!"

Wei Pingjin roared, "Since when did I need you to teach lessons on my behalf?"

Wei Qishan was gone, and Xiao Li was now the rightful Marquis of Northern Wei. Wei Pingjin, now only the head of the Wei family and a former Imperial Son-in-Law of Jin, was no longer fit to be addressed as "Young Master."But in his rage, he could no longer care about such things.

A faint redness tinged Wei Tong’s eyes as he said, “This humble general knows full well that I deserve death ten thousand times over. Young Master may even hand me over to that Xiao Li for punishment. But when I see him taking everything that rightfully belongs to Young Master, and all those around us fawning over that Xiao fellow in every possible way, I simply cannot bear to see Young Master treated so unfairly!”

As he spoke, his anger flared up once again. Wei Pingjin, however, was stunned by his words, and a wave of humiliation and grievance washed over him, gradually overshadowing his own fury.

Wei Ang, in a stern voice, rebuked, “This is the Marquis’s decision!”

His face, a mix of sorrow and anger, showed unmistakable pain, yet he continued, “If you truly have Young Master’s best interests at heart, how could you delay and cause trouble over the matter of commissioning the Military Armor? At this moment, the barbarians are still plundering and causing chaos within our borders, unsettling the people. The Marquis wishes to order this batch of armor precisely because the Northern Wei is currently short on troops and must rely on conscripts from various prefectures! As long as the barbarians within our territory are not completely eradicated, neither military morale nor public sentiment can be stabilized. Before his passing, the Marquis was most concerned about the people of the Northern Border and the entire Northern Wei. He exhausted every means to ensure that Governor Xiao would take charge of the Northern Wei. By acting this way, what position are you placing the Marquis in? And what position are you placing Young Master in now?”

Wei Pingjin recalled the sidelong glances the guests had cast his way as they departed, and he too felt deeply humiliated, rendered speechless for a moment.

Wei Tong, unconvinced, argued, “The Marquis was provoked by General Liao’s death, and it was that Xiao fellow who drove the main barbarian forces out of our territory. In a moment of impulse, the Marquis entrusted the Northern Wei to him. But our Wei camp is filled with countless capable ministers and virtuous generals—how could we not be able to assist Young Master?”

“Silence!” Wei Ang roared sharply. “If back at Yanle Mountain, you had mustered even half the ambition you show today, leading our soldiers to repel the barbarians and behead their general, the Marquis would never have entrusted the Northern Wei to another!”

Wei Tong was left speechless by the retort, though his face still showed clear resentment.

Wei Ang pointed a finger at him, shouting in exasperation, “By daring to act in this manner, you are attempting to harm Young Master and endanger the entire Northern Wei!”

Wei Tong, humiliated, explained, “This humble general never intended to delay the matter for long. I only wanted to give that Xiao fellow and his associates a taste of difficulty, to make them understand that all of this originally belonged to the Wei family. I wanted them to know that not everyone in our Wei camp is a spineless sycophant rushing to curry their favor! I hoped they would show more respect to Young Master in the future. Who could have known that Xiao’s subordinates would directly cause a scene at the Marquis’s funeral…”

Wei Ang wanted to reprimand him further, but his emotions were too tangled, leaving him unable to speak.

After a long while, he finally uttered in a sorrowful voice, “You look at the Northern Wei now and assume everything is thriving, thinking it was merely the Marquis’s word that placed all of this into Governor Xiao’s hands. But you are mistaken.”

Tears welled in Wei Ang’s eyes as he lamented, “The stability and dignity the Northern Wei enjoys today—it was all beseeched by the Marquis!”

Upon hearing this, Wei Pingjin was reminded of his father’s final days, and his heart was seized by overwhelming grief and profound shame. He turned his back and closed his eyes.

Wei Tong, after a moment of composure, finally spoke in a defeated tone, “This humble general… acknowledges his mistake.”

Wei Pingjin, with his back still turned, said, “Go back and receive thirty military lashes. Your salary is suspended for a year.”

Wei Tong knew this was an act of mercy from Wei Pingjin. Overwhelmed with mixed emotions, he felt even more ashamed and responsible. “This humble general thanks Young Master.”

Wei Pingjin, his eyes filled with self-mockery, replied, “The Wei family no longer has a Young Master. Do not use that title again from now on, lest it become a subject of ridicule.”

With just those words, both Wei Ang and Wei Tong were once again brought to the brink of tears.After leaving the Guanlin Pavilion, Wei Tong encountered the chief strategist under Wei Pingjin's command on his way back.

The other man cupped his hands and said, "I've heard about what happened in the front courtyard. I am truly ashamed. That day, I spoke too freely with the general due to our congenial conversation, never expecting it would bring trouble upon both the general and the young master."

Wei Tong held great respect for him and immediately responded, "You are too kind, sir. We both acted out of indignation for the young master's unfair treatment. It was my recklessness and impulsiveness that brought this misfortune upon him."

Unwilling to dwell further on the day's events, he simply clasped his hands toward the young strategist and said, "The road ahead for the young master will be difficult. I must rely on you to strategize on his behalf."

The other replied, "Naturally."

After Wei Tong departed, the strategist watched his retreating figure, a slow smile curling at the corners of his lips.

Dusk had fallen, and the entire Wei residence was illuminated by dim yellow lantern lights.

As he turned to leave, he noticed a woman in plain attire walking alone toward him carrying a lantern. Recognizing her face, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he took cover behind a rockery under the cover of night.

The swelling from the slap Wang Wanzhen received from Wei Pingjin had subsided after ice treatment, leaving only a faint red mark.

She had re-styled her hair, adorned with no hairpins or ornaments except for a white mourning silk flower pinned loosely at her temple. Her meticulously applied light makeup gave her not the usual dignified elegance but instead exuded a fragile, pitiable charm. The plain white mourning robes fluttering in the wind added to her delicate, vulnerable appearance.

As she walked, she cautiously surveyed her surroundings as if afraid of being seen by anyone.

Author's Note: Next chapter will feature Yu Bao~ Also sending red packets to all dear readers this chapter~

A side note: Although this story borrows the place name "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun", the worldview and map are entirely fictional. Dear readers don't need to compare it with real geography. Many place names are randomly made up, and while I've tried to avoid overlapping with real place names, it seems no matter what name I choose for a prefecture, there's always some real place with the same name (tears).