The Road to Glory

Chapter 72: "Too Late? Not at All!"...

Wen Yu didn't know why Li Yao suddenly asked this question. She answered "yes" and recalled the look Xiao Li had exchanged with her. Her fingertips slightly curled as she put down the handkerchief she had been using to soothe her eyes and looked at Li Yao: "Why does the teacher suddenly ask about these matters?"

Li Yao slowly scraped the tea foam with the lid, half of his wrinkled old face hidden by the tea mist, speaking with a tone of regret: "That boy's ruthless approach to warfare bears some resemblance to the renowned Northern Garrison General Qin Yi, who once shook the court and the commoners."

Wen Yu had never heard this name before, a trace of confusion appearing between her brows.

Li Yao took a sip of tea and said: "You're young and wouldn't know this person. Over a decade ago, he was implicated in the crown prince succession dispute. His entire household was exiled, and he was imprisoned for life in Yongzhou Prison. Both the court and the commoners avoid mentioning him. Aside from those old fellows who handled the Ministry of Justice archives, few among the current veteran officials likely know of him anymore."

"But this person truly had some accomplishments in military strategy. The battles that made him famous were all victories against overwhelming odds, employing fierce and unpredictable tactics. Even Wei Qishan once suffered defeat at his hands. It's just a pity - one moment of foolishness, and the rest of his life was wasted in prison."

After speaking, Li Yao noticed Wen Yu gripping the handkerchief tightly with her fingertips, as if lost in deep thought, and couldn't help but ask strangely: "What's wrong, Ziyu?"

Wen Yu had suddenly remembered what Lady Liu's daughter told her before dying in Tongcheng - that Pei Song was connected to the Qin family.

After arriving in Pingzhou, she had instructed her subordinates to investigate all officials surnamed Qin in the court. However, the number of officials who had come to join her was limited after all, and the Pingzhou government office was only a local administration that didn't maintain records on all court officials. The information they could find was truly limited, so this matter had seen no progress.

Now that Li Yao suddenly mentioned a General Qin imprisoned in Yongzhou Prison who was involved in the crown prince succession case, Wen Yu connected this with how Pei Song, after capturing Fengyang, didn't press his advantage to directly attack the rising Meng County but instead turned toward Yongcheng. She found this particularly strange.

If Pei Song had gone to Yongcheng because he discovered her whereabouts, then the people chasing her had clearly caught up with her southbound convoy many days later. During that period, Pei Song hadn't made any major moves against Zhou Sui either.

That could only mean Pei Song's trip to Yongcheng at that time wasn't because he knew she was there.

Then his purpose for going to Yongcheng at that time becomes rather intriguing.

Wen Yu raised her thick, dark eyelashes, her eyes calm as water against the backlight: "Teacher, does the Qin family have any surviving descendants?"

Her question was somewhat abrupt. Li Yao thought for a moment before shaking his head: "There shouldn't be any. Qin Yi only had one son. During the exile journey, his wife and only son both fell ill and died one after another. I was still serving as Zhongshu Ling in the court at that time. The Shaojing Emperor was young, and many memorials required deliberation by the assisting ministers. I saw the report submitted by the Yongzhou governor to Luodu back then, stating that Qin Yi, having suffered the pain of losing his wife and son, had gone mad by the time he reached Yongzhou."

Hearing this, Wen Yu's tightly knitted brows still didn't relax.

Li Yao said with a laugh: "Could it be that the Princess suspects that Xiao boy is Qin Yi's descendant?"

He shook his head: "That would be overthinking it. I've seen Qin Yi before - the two share no resemblance in physique or appearance whatsoever. My earlier question was only because I noticed he had the bearing of a killer general, which reminded me of Qin Yi."Wen Yu had only a tentative speculation about Pei Song's true identity and dared not jump to conclusions, so she decided not to share it with Li Yao for now. She said, "I didn't think that way. I was just wondering—after Pei Song captured Fengyang, he first diverted to Yongcheng. Could it also have been to recruit Qin Yi under his command? But I haven't heard any rumors about it."

Li Yao replied, "Qin Yi has been insane for over a decade. He should be useless now and not worth fearing."

Wen Yu had never forgotten the ruthlessness with which Pei Song exterminated the Wen imperial clan and several major aristocratic families led by the Party of Ao.

If killing her father, brothers, and nephews was for power, then his refusal to spare even Lady Liu—a married woman—could only lead her to think in terms of hatred.

If Pei Song truly was a descendant of Qin Yi, the root of his deep hatred for the imperial family and the aristocratic clans led by the Party of Ao must lie in that event of family confiscation and exile.

Feeling that a long-puzzling question was finally beginning to clarify, Wen Yu looked up and asked, "Sir, was Qin Yi loyal or treacherous? Were there any hidden circumstances in the crown prince struggle back then?"

Li Yao gave her a strange look. "Your questions grow increasingly peculiar."

The window was wide open, revealing a courtyard of fresh greenery. The breeze rustled Wen Yu's gauze sleeves as her expression darkened slightly. "As you know, Sir, when the late emperor ascended the throne and the Party of Ao monopolized power, my father was still in Fengyang, guarding the people and biding his time. Many loyal ministers and capable generals were persecuted at court. From what you've said, Qin Yi seemed highly talented. If he too was victimized by the incompetent imperial family, then the Wen clan has wronged yet another loyal subject. I don't want to overlook any of them."

Li Yao's gaze held increased admiration. "Imperial families have always feared airing their dirty laundry, with most choosing to feign ignorance and whitewash reality. Your mindset is truly rare."

He picked up his tea again but, after stirring it twice without drinking, set it down as memories surfaced. His already gaunt face grew more solemn. "Whether Qin Yi was loyal or treacherous remains debatable, but in his youth, he was somewhat obstinate. Skilled in cunning strategies, he often disregarded military orders and refused obedience even before gaining prominence in the army. Even if he achieved merits in battle, they were offset by his faults."

"Because of this temperament, he remained a lowly cavalry captain for years in the Shuozhou army. Later, when Ming Chengdi faced danger in Shuozhou, Qin Yi seized the opportunity. By saving the emperor, he skyrocketed to become a favorite at court. It's unclear whether he was exceptionally clever or merely arrogant—he ignored all overtures from nobles. Ming Chengdi needed a subordinate solely loyal to him, and this behavior earned the emperor's favor, leading to repeated promotions."

Wen Yu listened intently, her expression calm.

Li Yao's wrinkled face clouded with complex emotions. "But excessive power corrupts. As Ming Chengdi aged and his health declined, Qin Yi maintained his habit of 'a general abroad may disregard orders' in military campaigns. His repeated defiance planted seeds of imperial suspicion."

Wen Yu handed her chilled handkerchief to Zhao Bai and asked, "So, was Qin Yi's family wrongly accused in the confiscation and exile?"Li Yao shook his head and said, "At that time, I had not yet been appointed as the Secretariat Director, so my knowledge is limited. I only recall that on the eve of the succession struggle, Qin Yi was still under house confinement for having offended the emperor. Later, news of Emperor Mingcheng's critical illness was somehow leaked. Several princes launched a palace coup under the cover of night, and the crown prince, who had been attending to the emperor in the Taiji Palace, died in a hail of arrows. Emperor Mingcheng was furious. The Ao family and the imperial guards purged the rebels and suppressed the rebellion. Afterwards, they discovered that Qin Yi, who was supposed to be under house confinement, had also led troops to appear at the Wu Gate."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yu's eyes seemed thoughtful.

She knew very little about the period after Emperor Mingcheng's death when the Shaojing Emperor ascended the throne. She only knew that the princes had fought for the throne, killing the crown prince who was then attending to the emperor in the palace. Emperor Mingcheng was deeply disappointed in his sons and grieved the loss of his heir. Later, he passed the throne to the Shaojing Emperor, who had been raised under the Empress Dowager's care.

Subsequently, all the princes who failed in the succession struggle, whether exiled or imprisoned, died one after another. Otherwise, when Grand Tutor Yu and others were selecting an heir, they wouldn't have considered Wen Yu's father.

Previously, Wen Yu hadn't given it much thought. But considering how the Party of Ao later monopolized power in the court, when looking back at the palace coup and succession struggle, it probably wasn't as simple as it seemed.

Zhao Bai said, "Even if Qin Yi was under house confinement, it would be reasonable for him to lead troops to rescue the emperor if there was trouble in the palace. Emperor Mingcheng shouldn't have purged him along with the others just for violating the house confinement order."

Li Yao glanced sideways and said, "Naturally. In such major cases throughout history, decisions are only made after joint investigation by the three judicial departments. But during the palace coup, when the fifth prince saw Qin Yi arrive, he immediately sought his assistance, asking him to help fight their way out—clearly treating Qin Yi as an ally. However, Qin Yi insisted that he had come to rescue the emperor. At that time, Emperor Mingcheng was enraged and threw them all into prison."

These events from the distant past made Li Yao's eyes cloud with melancholy as he recalled them in detail, thinking about how the Liang dynasty had ultimately declined to this state: "No one knows whether Qin Yi had previously agreed to help the fifth prince seize the throne, only claiming to have come to rescue the emperor when he saw the situation turning unfavorable. The Dali Temple searched Qin's residence and found many rare treasures gifted by the fifth prince. After interrogating Qin's servants, advisors, and generals, some testified that Qin Yi had long been in contact with the fifth prince. With conclusive evidence, Emperor Mingcheng stripped him of his military power. Initially, the entire Qin family was sentenced to immediate execution, but due to pleas from officials, the emperor mercifully changed it to exile."

The tea beside Li Yao had gone cold. Wen Yu poured him a fresh cup and said, "Based on all the surface evidence from that time, it doesn't seem like Qin Yi was wronged?"

Standing in the present looking back, she had doubts about the truth of what happened back then.

Perhaps Qin Yi was framed. Perhaps everything was orchestrated by the Party of Ao. Or perhaps Emperor Mingcheng was aware but, already harboring suspicions, took advantage of the situation to reclaim the Qin family's military power.

But these were merely suspicions. Solid evidence would be needed to overturn the conclusive proof that had convicted Qin Yi back then.

She didn't know Qin Yi's character. Everything she could deduce now came from fragmented accounts by those who knew bits of that history and her own conjectures.

Regardless of whether Pei Song was a descendant of Qin Yi, even if he was, his hatred for the Wen family and the Party of Ao might simply stem from bitterness over losing the succession struggle back then.Wen Yu acknowledged that was a formidable opponent, but for someone whose hands were stained with blood and who had slaughtered countless innocent commoners, she wouldn't imagine them as particularly pitiable or merciful.

Li Yao lifted his teacup, his gaze desolate yet resolute: "So many years have passed. The grand palaces of Daliang have long turned to ashes in the flames. Even your father could never trace those moldering old affairs—why must you persist in digging? I praised your noble character, but not to send you down dead-end paths. The urgent matter now is the upcoming alliance negotiations with Southern Chen."

Wen Yu replied: "I understand priorities. My questions today are solely for eventually exonerating all ministers who suffered unjust accusations. They remained loyal to Daliang—how could I let them bear eternal infamy? I take history as my mirror: if our ancestors committed errors, I must constantly reflect to avoid repeating them."

Someone called for Wen Yu outside. She cupped her hands toward Li Yao and withdrew first.

Li Yao stared at the steaming teacup in his hands for a long while, then suddenly wept bitterly: "Had I been born just ten years earlier, how could Daliang have come to this..."

He wiped his face with his sleeve, temporarily suppressing his grief, and turned to look out the window where birds were chirping.

Beyond the courtyard, trees flourished under the brilliant spring sunlight. The wooden hairpin holding his graying hair seemed to accentuate its thinning whiteness.

After this year passed, he would be seventy-one.

Those ambitions he once pledged to Changlian Wang... he no longer dared speak of them to Wen Yu.

The great river surged eastward.

His aged bones could not escape time's erosion—all those lofty aspirations now washed away by the flowing waters.

Gazing at the vibrant spring courtyard, Li Yao murmured as if to himself: "An old steed in the stable still yearns to gallop a thousand miles..."

His sunken, aged eyes gradually sharpened with determination as he chanted: "Too late? Not at all!"

Author's Note: Reference: "An old steed in the stable still yearns to gallop a thousand miles" — Cao Cao's "Though the Tortoise Lives Long"