Li Yuan sighed deeply: “If they were still there, it would naturally be nothing to worry about, but now eight or nine days have passed since Shiyue saw them, and their route at the time was heading toward Chang’an. By calculation, they’ve probably already reached Chang’an by now. Though I have the heart to save Zhiyun, I am powerless to do so.”

“Chang’an…” Wan Shi repeated these two words in a murmur. After a long while, she looked at Li Yuan: “They… why did they take Zhiyun to Chang’an? What do they want to do?”

Li Yuan said hoarsely: “From their action of capturing Zhiyun, it seems they already know about my rebellion. Chang’an is now under the control of the Prince Dai. Taking him to Chang’an, I fear… I fear…”

Wan Shi pressed urgently: “Fear what? General, speak quickly!”

Under Wan Shi’s questioning, Li Yuan said in a muffled voice: “I fear they will kill Zhiyun to establish their authority!”

Before Li Yuan finished speaking, Wan Shi had already said excitedly: “No, Zhiyun cannot come to harm, he cannot die. General, save him, I beg you, save your son!”

“If there were a way, I would definitely save him, but…” Li Yuan shook his head: “Right now the Turks are not yet pacified, and Liu Wuzhou is eyeing us covetously. How can I dispatch troops to Chang’an, and moreover…”

Wan Shi interrupted: “So we’re to watch Zhiyun die with our own eyes? Don’t forget, he is your son, your own flesh and blood!” Seeing Li Yuan remain silent with darkened eyes, she suddenly rose and rushed outside. Li Yuan quickly grabbed her: “What are you going to do?”

Wan Shi said tearfully: “Since you won’t save Zhiyun, I’ll go save him myself. Even if I lose this life, I must ensure Zhiyun comes to no harm.”

“Nonsense!” Li Yuan held her tightly: “If you go, you won’t be able to save Zhiyun either, and will only die in vain.”

Wan Shi kept shaking her head: “I don’t care. In any case, I cannot let Zhiyun come to harm, I cannot!”

“Xiuzhen, calm down a bit!” Facing Li Yuan’s persuasion, Wan Shi said sharply: “The one who’s been captured and taken to Chang’an, whose life hangs by a thread, is my son. How can you ask me to be calm? Let go!”

Li Yuan said urgently: “I fear that as soon as you leave Taiyuan, you’ll be wanted by the authorities, thus bringing about mortal danger! Zhiyun has always been filial to you. Even at this time, do you still want him to be uneasy?”

His words gradually calmed Wan Shi, and she stopped struggling. Just as Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly knelt down, tears streaming down her face: “General, I beg you, save Zhiyun. Your concubine only has this one son. If he dies, your concubine doesn’t want to live either.”

Li Yuan crouched down, his face sorrowful: “Xiuzhen, if we go to Chang’an now, even if we truly save Zhiyun, we’ll be attacked from front and back by Sui and Turkic armies. Even if I had divine powers, I couldn’t turn the tide. At that time, not only would Zhiyun die, but you and I, including the entire Li family, would all die. Is this what you want to see?”

Wan Shi said through tears: “So you plan to ignore Zhiyun and watch him die with your own eyes?”

Li Yuan said mournfully: “If something happens to Zhiyun, I won’t feel any better than you, but no matter how painful it is, I cannot knowingly step onto a path of death.” After a moment of silence, he said: “Do you remember what wish Zhiyun made on his birthday last year? He said he hoped the world would be peaceful, with no more warfare!”

Hearing him mention this, Wan Shi became even more heartbroken, sobbing: “I remember. He also said he would follow the General onto battlefields in the future, to pacify the chaos. But… before he could fulfill this wish, he already… already…” By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

Li Yuan suppressed the soreness in his eyes: “That’s right. If today we sacrifice our entire family and even tens of thousands of lives in the army to save him alone, and also sacrifice the hopes of the people under Heaven, do you think Zhiyun would be happy?”

His words made Wan Shi’s tears fall even more fiercely than before. Only after a long while did she manage to stop crying, saying mournfully: “Your concubine… truly cannot bear to part with Zhiyun. General, is there really no other way?”

“If there were, how could I not do it?” He stroked Wan Shi’s trembling back, comforting her: “I promise you, I will do everything in my power to fulfill Zhiyun’s wish – peace under Heaven, no more warfare!”

“Peace under Heaven…” Wan Shi said through tearful eyes: “But… Zhiyun will never see it again, he won’t see it!” Although they hadn’t yet heard news of Li Zhiyun being killed, everyone understood that Yang You and others in Chang’an would absolutely not spare this son of a rebel!

“He will see it!” Li Yuan said through gritted teeth: “He will definitely see it, definitely!”

Wan Shi said nothing, only sobbed continuously in his embrace until her voice became hoarse, gradually stopping under Li Yuan’s comfort. When she opened the door to go out, she unexpectedly saw Li Jiancheng kneeling outside. Upon seeing them come out, he kowtowed: “Fifth brother being captured by Sui forces is all due to your son’s inadequate care. Your son has come specifically to beg forgiveness from father and Second Mother!”

Looking at Li Jiancheng, Wan Shi tightly clenched her hands hanging in her sleeves, wanting nothing more than to rush forward and slap Li Jiancheng hard. If not for him, how would Zhiyun have been captured by Sui forces? Yet here he was, putting on an act of deep grief – crocodile tears, truly detestable!

But no matter how much she hated him, she could only endure it. If she struck that slap, it would show she had seen through Ji Rong’s lies, making Li Jiancheng wary of her from then on, making it difficult to deal with him and Ji Rong later.

As Wan Shi’s hatred drove her nails into her palms, Li Yuan scolded: “You still have the face to speak! If you had been more careful on this journey, how would Zhiyun have fallen to such a state!”

“Your son knows he has made a grave error and dares not seek father’s and Second Mother’s forgiveness. I only ask father to give your son five thousand troops. Even if your son must sacrifice this life, he will definitely rescue fifth brother.”

“Nonsense! They went to Chang’an, where there are heavy troops guarding. With your two thousand men, you not only won’t save Zhiyun, but will put yourself in danger.”

“But Zhiyun was lost by your son. How can your son ignore this?” Seeing Li Jiancheng’s hypocritical appearance, Wan Shi felt nauseated. After forcibly suppressing it, she walked to Li Jiancheng’s side. Just as he thought she would scold or even slap him, she unexpectedly helped him up.

Li Jiancheng said in surprise: “Second Mother, you…”

Wan Shi wiped the tears from her eyes: “I heard from Ji Rong about what happened that day. It was Zhiyun himself who was disobedient. It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself anymore.”

Li Jiancheng recovered and said: “Zhiyun is still young and inevitably has times when he can’t control himself. As the eldest brother, Jiancheng should have looked after him more, but…” He forced out a trace of tears: “Ever since mother passed away, Second Mother has carefully looked after Shimin and us, but I… Please punish me, Second Mother!” Saying this, he was about to kneel down again but was stopped by Wan Shi: “Second Mother understands the pain in your heart. Perhaps… this is just Zhiyun’s fate.”