As Fan Changyu heard that light chuckle, her heartstrings inexplicably trembled. However, she concealed it perfectly, maintaining her greeting posture without a trace of emotion on her face, and calmly replied, “Marquis.”

After her words, another long silence ensued.

The smile on Xie Zheng’s lips didn’t diminish, but even a blind person could sense the suddenly chilled atmosphere around him. The air in the room seemed to thin.

Vice General He sensed the subtlety between the two and thought something was amiss. He wanted to help Fan Changyu and opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say to persuade Xie Zheng to leave.

Fortunately, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

It was Xie Zheng’s guard. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he reported with a salute, “Marquis, the rebel Sui Yuanhuai has been executed, and his concubine and only son who fled with him have been brought back!”

Fan Changyu’s blood-colored pupils contracted slightly, and her saluting hand tightened.

Ru Shanshan and Ru Bao’er had been brought back?

Traitors and rebels were to be executed along with their entire clan!

Her mind was in turmoil, and she unconsciously looked towards Xie Zheng.

Hearing this news, Xie Zheng frowned for some unknown reason but showed no other emotion on his face. Capturing the remaining rebels was the top priority. He gave Fan Changyu one last look, his gaze lingering for a few moments on her blood-red eyes and bandaged wounds.

His tightly pressed thin lips moved slightly, but in the end, he said nothing and turned to leave.

Vice General He, watching Xie Zheng’s receding figure, was about to follow, but the Marquis’s unusual forceful questioning earlier was truly abnormal. He couldn’t help but ask Fan Changyu, “Do you and the Marquis know each other from before?”

Given the current situation, Fan Changyu didn’t want others to misunderstand her relationship with Xie Zheng, so she only said, “I wouldn’t dare to claim such an association with the Marquis. I was merely fortunate enough to have been appreciated by Grand Tutor Tao, who took me as his adopted daughter.”

Vice General He nodded, “I see.”

In his heart, he still felt it was strange, but thinking of the blood feud between them, he didn’t dare to guess further. He also didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask Fan Changyu anything more, so he just advised her to rest and recover well, then prepared to go after Xie Zheng.

However, Fan Changyu called out to him and asked, “General He, how will the rebel’s family members be dealt with?”

In the current Lu City, apart from Xie Zheng, Vice General, He had the most authority.

She guessed that Vice General He should know how Ru Shanshan and Ru Bao’er would be handled.

Vice General He replied, “They will be executed immediately, of course.”

Hearing this answer, Fan Changyu’s heart sank even further.

She knew that rebels deserved death. Countless soldiers had died on the battlefield because of them, and the people of the entire Northwest had been displaced because of them.

But Ru Shanshan and her son had done nothing evil. Ru Shanshan hadn’t willingly followed that rebel. Their crimes didn’t warrant such a punishment.

She slightly pursed her lips and asked, “Is there no other possibility?”

Vice General He gave her a strange look and said, “How can we not root out the remnants of the rebels? The concubines in the Changxin Prince’s mansion who haven’t borne children can be exiled or sold. Why is Commander Fan asking about these things?”

Fan Changyu evaded, “I’ve been in the military for a short time and am not familiar with these laws. I was just asking out of curiosity.”

After Vice General He left, Fan Changyu lay back on her bed and remained lost in thought for quite a while.

How could she save Ru Shanshan and Bao’er?

After Xie Zheng walked out of the courtyard, he asked, “How did her eyes get injured?”

The personal guard beside him had just arrived in Lu City and didn’t know what had happened to Fan Changyu. He quickly replied, “This subordinate will investigate immediately.”

It was already dusk. The wind made the lanterns hanging under the eaves sway incessantly, and the bamboo planted by the low wall cast disorderly shadows.

Xie Zheng’s pale face didn’t gain much warmth under the lamplight. He ordered in a deep voice, “Find the best physician to treat her wounds, and look for Xie Wu to see if he’s still alive.”

He could, of course, guess that all her injuries were brought back from the battlefield.

But for her to be injured to such an extent, how brutal must the battle have been?

If he hadn’t received Xie Qi’s letter and rushed here, would she have died here?

After the personal guard accepted the order and withdrew, Xie Zheng stood alone under the corridor for a moment. Suddenly, he heavily punched the stone wall, causing the hard bricks to crumble and scatter on the ground.

His hand was also cut, oozing droplets of crimson blood.

The few personal guards accompanying him were startled by this sudden outburst, but none dared to speak.

When Vice General He rushed over, the coroner had already finished examining the body.

He peeked at the corpse covered with a white cloth, with only a corner of the cloth lifted at the head, and asked the coroner, “Are you certain this is Sui Yuanhuai?”

The coroner respectfully answered, “In response to the General’s question, Sui Yuanhuai’s face was disfigured in that great fire in the Eastern Palace when he was young. It’s said that he never left the Prince’s mansion in all these years, being too weak and relying on medicinal soups to sustain his life. Because his face was so hideously disfigured, few servants in the mansion had ever seen him.”

“This humble one observed that the deceased has old burn scars on his body, and his five fingers are long and thin without calluses, suggesting a life of luxury. His tongue coating is dark with a bitter medicinal taste, which is the result of long-term medication. Therefore, this humble one concludes that this person is undoubtedly Sui Yuanhuai.”

Vice General He scrutinized the face that was burned beyond recognition, unable to discern anything. He turned to look at the person sitting in the chair of state, whose face was as frosty as frost, “Marquis, what do you think?”

Xie Zheng, surrounded by a gloomy aura, only raised his eyes and said, “The rebel remnants have been eliminated. Naturally, it’s a cause for celebration.”

This meant he agreed that this was indeed Sui Yuanhuai’s corpse.

With Xie Zheng’s nod, Vice General He felt relieved.

With this, the rebels who had been causing havoc in the Northwest for so long were finally completely eradicated.

He cautiously asked, “Then, regarding Sui Yuanhuai’s concubine and only son…”

“Send them to the capital to await the court’s decision.”

Vice General He saw that Xie Zheng’s expression was truly unpleasant and inquired, “The Marquis doesn’t seem pleased?”

Xie Zheng coldly laughed and asked in return, “General Tang’s tens of thousands of troops surrounded Chongzhou City. How did the rebel army come to Lu City?”

When Fan Changyu and Zheng Wenchang brought troops to aid, they had already explained how the rebel army had escaped the siege of Chongzhou. After he truthfully informed Xie Zheng, the Marquis let out a cold laugh and ordered his subordinates, “Bring the person in.”

The person dragged in by two personal guards was one of Sui Yuanhuai’s advisors. Even though he was tied up, upon seeing Xie Zheng, he still kowtowed frantically, begging for mercy, “Marquis, I was truly forced to stay in the Changxin Prince’s mansion. I originally just wanted to make a living, so I became an advisor at the Changxin Prince’s mansion. After the Changxin Prince rebelled, I wanted to escape, but the Changxin Prince feared we would leak secrets, so anyone who proposed leaving the mansion was silenced. That’s why I didn’t dare to leave.”

A personal guard at Xie Zheng’s side demanded, “How did Sui Yuanhuai manage to escape Chongzhou City with the rebel army? Tell the truth!”

The advisor hurriedly said, “It was Wei Yan colluding with Sui Yuanhuai! I accidentally overheard Sui Yuanhuai and the military advisor plotting this. Wei Yan’s people planted in the army would secretly help them leave the city.”

Lu Dayi was indeed someone Wei Yan had recommended to the army.

All evidence seemed to point to Wei Yan colluding with the rebels.

Vice General He hadn’t expected that the near-catastrophic battle in Lu City was a political struggle. His eyes reddened with anger as he shouted, “Outrageous! Lord He died because of these scoundrels’ schemes!”

He immediately knelt before Xie Zheng: “I beg the Marquis, after returning to the capital, to seek justice for Lord He and the soldiers who died in Lu City!”

Xie Zheng, with half his face hidden in the shadows of the candlelight, replied, “This blood debt, I will collect.”

With these words from Xie Zheng, Vice General He, thinking of He Jingyuan’s unjust death, couldn’t help but wipe his tears with his sleeve.

Xie Zheng only said, “General, please restrain your grief.”

His gaze fell on the corpse covered with the white cloth, his eyes cold as ice.

The dead man wasn’t Sui Yuanhuai.

But from now on, there would no longer be a person named “Sui Yuanhuai” in this world.

Although the truth about Jinzhou seventeen years ago remained obscure, this bloody incident in Lu City was enough to completely overthrow the Wei faction.

It was precisely because this evidence was too perfect, and he knew Sui Yuanhuai’s true identity, that he became increasingly suspicious of the truth behind this bloody incident.

Sui Yuanhuai, like himself, had a grudge against Wei Yan. How could he collaborate with Wei Yan?

This might be another bloody incident identical to the Jinzhou tragedy seventeen years ago.

But the mastermind knew that he also harbored a deep hatred for Wei Yan, so they deliberately sent the evidence to him, making him the blade to chop off Wei Yan’s head!

Xie Zheng’s fingertips exerted force, breaking the wooden armrest of the chair of state.

What he couldn’t tolerate most in his life was this kind of “scheme” that used the lives of countless soldiers as pawns in political games!

General Tang Yi’s army arrived at the Hour of the Dog.

Upon entering the city and learning that Lu City had been defended but He Jingyuan had died, Tang Yi, a man of eight feet, immediately burst into tears with a “huo” sound. He knelt before the hastily set up funeral hall, blaming himself, “It’s this subordinate’s incompetence. This subordinate has failed Lord He and betrayed his trust!”

Vice General He and other officers who had served under He Jingyuan all tried to console Tang Yi.

“General Tang, don’t blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. It’s Wei Yan colluding with the rebels, his heart is despicable!” Vice General He, in his grief and indignation, told everyone about what Sui Yuanhuai’s advisor had confessed.

The military officers, born and bred on the battlefield, valued loyalty above all. Upon hearing that so many brothers had died in two rounds of bitter fighting today due to the schemes of treacherous individuals, they all cursed loudly, vowing to punish Wei Yan.

Li Huai’an had come to Lu City with the army. Amidst the chaotic cursing, he quietly gazed at He Jingyuan’s coffin in the center of the funeral hall, his eyes swirling with complex emotions.

Everything was proceeding according to the plan to bring down Wei Yan, but he suddenly felt a heaviness in his chest.

Lying in that coffin was a good official and a respectable elder.

But he had died in the grand plan to overthrow Wei Yan.

Was the path he and his family had chosen truly wrong?

A general heavily patted his shoulder. Li Huai’an turned to see only the general’s grief-reddened eyes: “Lord Li, you must petition the Emperor to seek justice for Lord He and the soldiers who died in Lu City.”

Li Huai’an looked at those sincere and sorrowful eyes, and after a long while, he only managed to say, “It’s my duty, it should be done.”

Did he feel guilty?

He did.

But he and the Li family had no way to turn back now.

A commotion arose outside the funeral hall, and the chaotic crying and cursing subsided.

Li Huai’an looked up and saw Xie Zheng walking in from outside, treading on the thick night. The cold moonlight shone on his face, seeming to coat it with a layer of frosty chill.

As soon as he arrived, everyone instinctively fell silent.

Li Huai’an only glanced over reflexively, but his gaze happened to meet Xie Zheng’s.

The coldness in that gaze sent an indescribable chill down his spine.

It was as if he had already become the doomed prey in the eyes of a wild wolf.

He forcefully composed himself, furrowed his brow, and looked again, trying to discern something, but Xie Zheng had already walked past him.

An attendant handed over lit incense. Xie Zheng took it, bowed three times before He Jingyuan’s spirit tablet inserted it into the incense burner in front of the spirit tablet, then raised his eyes to look at He Jingyuan’s spirit tablet. Still without a word, he left.

His arrival had been sudden, and his departure equally so, but no one dared to comment.

After the crying and the curses denouncing Wei Yan were interrupted, the room full of seven-foot men didn’t continue to wail and sob. Vice General He arranged for people to take turns keeping vigil and let the other generals who had rushed back, travel-worn, go and rest.

Li Huai’an walked alone towards his temporary lodging, recalling the look in Xie Zheng’s eyes when they had made eye contact. His brows involuntarily furrowed.

Had he already learned something?

As he reached a small path ahead, he noticed someone who seemed to have been waiting for a long time in the nearby waterside pavilion. He was slightly startled, then immediately clasped his hands together and bowed, “Marquis.”