Just as Lu Yumin had said, no conspiracy in the world doesn’t leave traces. When Pei Guanyue was arrested and his residence searched, many letters were found documenting his correspondence with Lu Yumin and Shen Que during his time in Fengzhou. He had kept these letters, presumably intending to use them to threaten Lu Yumin if he were ever betrayed. Instead, they became his death warrant.
Seeing that all was lost, Pei Guanyue confessed readily. As Lu Yumin had claimed, throughout the entire plotting process, Pei had never directly communicated with Emperor Longxing. He believed Lu Yumin represented the Emperor and was utterly convinced the Emperor had tacitly approved their plan. Upon learning what Lu Yumin had said, he was stunned and murmured, “So I was deceived by Lu Yumin?”
Xue Wanzhe coldly observed, “Whether you were deceived by Lu Yumin or not, you were blinded by greed and committed atrocities that enraged both gods and men!”
Hearing this, Pei Guanyue burst into laughter. “Blinded by greed? What is profit? What is desire? I wanted power and wealth—you call that profit and desire. But you, Xue Wanzhe, want reputation and honor—aren’t those also profit and desire? The difference is merely that you don’t consider them as such; you call them justice! Hah! Justice? Just dress up your cravings for profit and desire, and suddenly they become justice! But who in this world decided that pursuing power and wealth is wrong, while pursuing eternal fame is righteous?”
Xue Wanzhe was stunned by his brazen rhetoric. He sighed in astonishment: “You’re the first person I’ve met who can justify evil so eloquently. Pursuing power and wealth isn’t wrong, but betraying your closest friend and sending fifty thousand soldiers to be slaughtered by barbarians for that pursuit—that is wrong! If you still question why this is wrong, then I’ll tell you: what distinguishes humans from beasts is that humans understand good and evil, while beasts only know survival of the fittest. That’s why humans remain human, while beasts become food on our plates. If you choose to be a beast, that’s your decision. But I believe the vast majority of officials and common people would still choose to be human.”
Pei Guanyue merely sneered: “You lecture me about being human because you were born into a prestigious family and never experienced the pain of rejection. I, Pei Guanyue, was once a passionate youth like those Tianwei soldiers. Who made my blood run cold? The Great Zhou! It was the Great Zhou that turned me into the greedy beast you describe. For what I’ve become, who is to blame? Certainly not me.”
Seeing his obstinance, Xue Wanzhe simply shook his head: “As for who is truly at fault, the common people will tell you, history will tell you. Your opinion no longer matters, nor does anyone care about it.”
All that awaited Pei Guanyue was death and eternal contempt.
As Pei Guanyue and his associates continued to confess, statement after statement was delivered to Penglai Hall. The Empress Dowager summoned Emperor Longxing and presented him with the confessions from Pei Guanyue and his confidants. The more the Emperor read, the more ashen his face became. The Empress Dowager asked calmly, “Your Majesty, what do you think?”
Emperor Longxing gritted his teeth: “That Pei Guanyue and his people would dare commit such acts—they deserve death!”
The Empress Dowager studied his expression. The Emperor appeared genuinely shocked, without a trace of guilt. After a moment of silence, she finally asked, “Before his death, Lu Yumin claimed everything was his doing, even stealing the imperial seal. Is that true?”
Emperor Longxing looked up in disbelief: “Mother, why would you ask such a thing? Do you believe Lu Yumin took all the blame to protect me?”
His eyes reddened: “Mother, you don’t trust me!”
The Empress Dowager’s fingers crumpled the edge of Shen Que’s confession, the white hemp paper wrinkling in her grip: “I want to trust you! I don’t want to have a son who would betray his soldiers and people! But your relationship with Lu Yumin was extraordinary—I can’t help but have doubts!”
“Why would my relationship with Lu Yumin be extraordinary?” Emperor Longxing asked tearfully. “Why did I trust Lu Yumin so deeply? Mother, don’t you know the reason?”
“I lost my father when I was three; I can no longer remember his face. And you, my mother, after Father passed away, you were busy giving orders and implementing your new policies. You only cared about your authority—did you ever care about your son? It was Lu Yumin who cared for me meticulously and taught me with all his effort. Is it any wonder that I trusted him?”
The Empress Dowager’s knuckles had turned white from gripping: “I don’t wish to discuss who is right or wrong. I only want to ask you: did you, or did you not, participate in the Tianwei Army case?”
“I did not!” Emperor Longxing answered firmly. “I did not!”
He was so agitated that he raised three fingers in an oath: “If I participated, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!”
Seeing him make such a vehement oath, the Empress Dowager gradually calmed down: “You truly weren’t involved?”
“No!” Emperor Longxing emphasized again. “Even if I desperately wanted to rule personally, I would never do something so insane! Is there any emperor in the world who would hand over his territory and people to barbarians? And even if he did, how could he be certain that the Turks would stop after destroying the Tianwei Army and taking the six prefectures of Guannei? What if they broke their promise and marched straight to Chang’an? If Pei Guanyue secretly colluded with the Turks again and didn’t resist at Ningshuo, this emperor would become nothing but the ruler of a fallen nation! Mother, would you take such a huge gamble if you were in my position?”
The Emperor’s words made some sense, but the Empress Dowager remained silent. Seeing this, Emperor Longxing grew more distressed: “Only a madman would take such a risk. Mother, do you suspect me solely because of my relationship with Lu Yumin? Pei Guanyue’s conviction required evidence—doesn’t mine require the same? Is that not needed?”
Filled with grief and indignation, Emperor Longxing knelt: “If Mother wishes me to be a puppet emperor from now on, just say the word. There’s no need to burden me with such accusations—it’s the greatest insult to me!”
The Empress Dowager remained silent, but her reddened eyes betrayed her inner struggle. Finally, she spoke slowly: “After all, you are the greatest beneficiary of this incident. If I don’t have doubts, others will.”
Emperor Longxing straightened his back and laughed bitterly: “When someone wants to condemn you, they will find a reason. Pei Guanyue and his people wanted to use the Tianwei Army case to seize power, and somehow, this has become my fault? If I am at fault, it’s for my lack of vigilance and misplaced trust. But speaking of vigilance and trust, the Three Excellencies, Nine Ministers, princes, and generals—all of them failed to see through this. Why am I alone expected to have perfect judgment? Moreover, in these six years, which official ever submitted a memorial claiming the Tianwei Army was wronged? Not one. So why now has it become my sole responsibility?”
His questions left the Empress Dowager speechless. Disheartened, Emperor Longxing continued: “If Mother still doesn’t believe me, then kill me! But before I die, I must tell Mother once more: I did not do it!”
Having said this, he stopped defending himself and quietly awaited the Empress Dowager’s judgment. But the Empress Dowager suddenly sighed deeply and said, “Bodhisattva bless you, rise.”
Emperor Longxing looked up in shock. The Empress Dowager continued: “You are my son—how could I bear to kill you? I don’t want to believe you would do something so unconscionable, betraying both the Great Zhou and yourself. Since you say you didn’t do it, I believe you didn’t.”
Hearing this, Emperor Longxing choked with emotion, tears streaming down his face. The Empress Dowager rose and personally helped him to his feet, wiping away his tears: “Stop crying. Why are you still like a child, crying whenever something happens? I’ve told you before, you are the Emperor—you shouldn’t cry.”
Emperor Longxing hastily wiped his tears with his sleeve, nodding and saying softly: “They all deceived me. From now on, I will only trust Mother.”
The Empress Dowager looked at his face and nodded: “I’m tired now. Return to Shenlong Hall, and don’t cry anymore—people will mock you for not behaving like an Emperor.”
Emperor Longxing nodded and turned to leave. The Empress Dowager watched his retreating figure for a long while before finally calling out: “Wangshu, you may come out now.”
Cui Xun silently emerged from behind the landscape-patterned screen. The Empress Dowager asked: “Did you hear everything His Majesty said?”
Cui Xun bowed his head: “Yes, I heard everything.”
“Then your doubts should be dispelled, shouldn’t they?”
Cui Xun didn’t immediately answer “yes” to this question but remained silent. The Empress Dowager sighed: “His Majesty’s words do make sense. If he were truly responsible, how could he be certain the Turks would keep their promise? Wouldn’t he fear becoming the ruler of a fallen nation? Wangshu, the Emperor, has been timid since childhood. I believe he wouldn’t dare do such a thing.”
Cui Xun kept his eyes lowered and, after a moment, said: “If Your Highness believes in her son, this subject has nothing to say.”
The Empress Dowager glanced at him and said, “Don’t speak in anger. I ask you, do you have evidence that His Majesty was involved?”
Cui Xun pressed his lips together and answered: “No.”
Lu Yumin was dead, and Pei Guanyue and Shen Que had never directly interacted with Emperor Longxing during their planning. He had no evidence.
“If you have no evidence, on what basis do you suspect him? Intuition? Is your intuition, Cui Xun, infallible?”
Cui Xun was momentarily stunned, looking somewhat lost. The Empress Dowager continued: “If even a sovereign participated in betraying his own country, how could the people ever trust the government again? This matter ends here. I promise the Tianwei Army will be exonerated, and Pei Guanyue and his associates will be punished. The outcome will satisfy everyone.”
Hearing this, Cui Xun composed himself and bowed: “On behalf of the Tianwei Army, this subject thanks Your Highness.”
Having received the Empress Dowager’s promise, though doubts still lingered in his mind, Cui Xun felt relieved that the Tianwei Army officers would be exonerated. Some of the resentment that had accumulated over six years dissipated, and his steps toward the bookstore became lighter.
Since the day he had bid farewell to Li Ying at the bookstore, he had gone to court with a readiness to die, submitting Jin Ni’s confession. Fortunately, he had persuaded the Qingliu faction at court, leading to a reinvestigation of the Tianwei Army case. Afterward, to prevent any changes to the situation, he had stayed at the Investigation Hall, receiving reports on the case’s progress from Liu Jiu and others around the clock. Now that everything was finally settled, he was eager to share the good news with Li Ying.
When he pushed open the wooden door of the bookstore, Li Ying was sitting inside, chin in hand, staring contemplatively at the chess game Cui Xun had left behind before his departure. Hearing the sound, she suddenly looked up, then immediately rose with joy and ran over, throwing herself into his embrace. She hugged him and looked up with a smile: “I knew you would win.”