Zhu Yu – Chapter 160

Fan Changyu had witnessed Xie Zheng’s stubborn nature firsthand, but she knew little about Wei Yan. Everything she knew about this powerful minister was hearsay, and her only encounter with him was on the night of the palace coup.

She couldn’t judge how similar these uncles and nephews were.

Wei Yan’s first impression of her, however, perfectly matched the rumors about him among the people: cold-hearted and ruthless, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals.

Unlike Grand Tutor Li, who at first glance appeared to have the noble and pure demeanor of a Confucian scholar like an old cypress tree, Wei Yan was as cold and hard as a blade or a rock, seemingly without any weakness.

Fan Changyu sat upright on the bamboo mat and hesitantly asked, “May I ask, adoptive father, was there something between Wei Yan and the former Consort Shu?”

Grand Tutor Tao raised his eyelids and re-examined Fan Changyu. “Why do you ask such a question?”

Fan Changyu then recounted the confession of the palace maid from the Cold Palace and Qi Min’s accusations.

Grand Tutor Tao put down his teacup, his wrinkled hands caressing the rim. His eyes showed the wear of time as he spoke, “I wasn’t in the capital back then, so I’m not very clear about what happened in the palace. But since she was from the Qi family, no matter how cruel Wei Yan might be, I don’t think he could have brought himself to set fire to Qinghe Palace.”

Seeing Fan Changyu’s confused expression, he continued, “Consort Shu was originally a daughter of the Qi family. When she was still unmarried, she was good friends with that rascal’s mother. At that time, the Xie family wasn’t as prominent as it is today. The pillar supporting the entire Da Yin was Old General Qi. Both Wei Yan and Lin Shan had been trained under Old General Qi. Later, when Old General Qi passed away, Lin Shan became the backbone of the Northwest, while Wei Yan gave up the military path and entered the civil service. The Qi family girl entered the palace around that time.”

Fan Changyu’s brows furrowed slightly. According to Grand Tutor Tao, Wei Yan, and Consort Shu must have known each other since they were young, and the two families seemed to have had quite a good relationship.

With this connection, it made even less sense that Wei Yan would later orchestrate a bloody purge in the palace and burn Consort Shu.

She mentally calculated Consort Shu’s age. Consort Shu must have been of the same generation as her parents, and Crown Prince Chengde was also of the same generation as her parents. By this calculation, wouldn’t the Emperor be old enough to be Consort Shu’s father?

Although she knew that some wealthy old gentlemen would still marry several young and beautiful concubines, realizing this point made Fan Changyu frown involuntarily. “If Wei Yan had feelings for Consort Shu, why didn’t he ask to marry her before she entered the palace?”

Grand Tutor Tao let out a long sigh. “Do you know who Crown Prince Chengde’s birth mother was?”

Fan Changyu shook her head.

Grand Tutor Tao said, “Empress Dowager Xiao Zhong Su Ci Qi was Old General Qi’s younger sister, Consort Shu’s aunt.”

Fan Changyu was quite stunned. So, Consort Shu and Crown Prince Chengde were cousins?

Although throughout history, there had been cases of aunts and nieces serving the same husband, given the presence of Crown Prince Chengde and Old General Qi, she pondered that Empress Qi, whose son had already been named Crown Prince, wouldn’t have needed to bring her niece into the palace to secure her favor, would she?

Everything she was thinking was written all over her face, as Grand Tutor Tao continued, “The court today is a muddy pool, and it wasn’t much cleaner back then. The chronic ailments of this dynasty have accumulated generation after generation. When the old ones are cleared, new ones attach themselves over time, and there’s never a moment when they can be completely cleared…”

Grand Tutor Tao sighed softly again, seeming to be filled with emotion. “Since you’ve already investigated the palace maids around Consort Jia, you should know how favored Consort Jia was back then. Half of the civil and military officials in the court almost bore the surname Jia. In the early years, with Old General Qi as the pillar of the nation, no matter how favored the Sixteenth Prince was, the Crown Prince could still sit securely in the Eastern Palace. But when Old General Qi passed away, the Empress lost her support, and the Crown Prince’s path became difficult.

The streets were filled with curses about Consort Jia bewitching the Emperor and her family interfering in politics. After Old General Qi’s death, the Empress also fell ill and was bedridden. Fearing that if she were to pass away, the Crown Prince would be left without support in the back palace, she used the excuse of needing care to bring the Qi family girl into the palace. I had seen that girl before; she was intelligent and well-read from a young age, with the beauty to captivate all who saw her. This period of care lasted for a year. A year later, Empress Qi passed away, and shortly after the girl returned home, she entered the palace with the selection of imperial concubines and was given the title of Consort.”

Fan Changyu fell silent upon hearing this.

The reason for Consort Shu’s entry into the palace was heavier than she had imagined.

The power struggle among princes involved bloodshed and death. If Crown Prince Chengde were to fail, the fate of the Qi family line would be uncertain.

With the lives of the entire family resting on her shoulders, what choice did Consort Shu have?

A thought flashed quickly through her mind, and Fan Changyu suddenly raised her head: “Adoptive father, both Wei Yan and General Xie had been promoted by Old General Qi in the military, and later they both supported Crown Prince Chengde. Consort Shu in the palace was also helping Crown Prince Chengde contend with Consort Jia and her son. Looking at it this way, Consort Shu’s death and the charge of having an affair with her that was pinned on Wei Yan both seem very suspicious!”

Grand Tutor Tao nodded: “If all this was indeed done by the Jia family, then Wei Yan’s purge of all Jia surname officials in the court after he took sole power wasn’t just about cleaning up the court.”

He sighed softly: “When that rascal initially believed Wei Yan was behind the Jinzhou tragedy, I thought there must be some hidden truth, so I came to the capital to seek out Wei Yan. That man may have a heart of iron and stone now, but back then, he and Lin Shan were brothers who entrusted their lives to each other on the battlefield. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have betrothed his beloved sister, whom he cherished like the apple of his eye, to Lin Shan.”

Hearing all this, Fan Changyu recalled what Xie Zheng had said when she found him at the Xie family mausoleum – that Wei Yan used to take him alone to pay respects every year, not allowing servants to follow. Her emotions became complex.

She asked, “Did you hear any rumors about these events in the palace later?”

Grand Tutor Tao’s gentle and calm smile took on a bitter edge: “Girl, do you know how long the Da Yin empire was in chaos after Jinzhou fell and the Northern Yue invaded from the south? The Crown Prince died, the generals perished, and the Emperor passed away. Those barbarians thought to take the opportunity to strike directly at the capital! The mountains were filled with bones, the rivers ran with blood, and nine out of ten homes in the countryside were empty…

The front lines holding back the Northern Yue’s advance were so brutal, and in the face of national survival, the deaths of a few consorts in the palace were but a few grains of dust in the bloody waters of this chaotic world. Both of my children also died in the war. Fortunately, Jing Yuan was able to collect their bodies, so they at least have a thin coffin and a grave.”

Fan Changyu felt bitterness in her throat and lowered her head in shame: “I’m sorry, adoptive father, I…”

Grand Tutor Tao waved his hand and simply said: “It’s all in the past. After the fall of Jinzhou, Da Yin and Northern Yue continued fighting for another three years. The national treasury was empty, people were displaced by the war, farmland was abandoned, and even military rations couldn’t be collected from the civilians… If the war had continued, Da Yin would have fallen apart before the foreign tribes even reached the capital. It was at this time that Wei Yan stepped forward and single-handedly brokered the deal to cede twelve counties in Liaodong in exchange for twenty years of peace for Da Yin.

At that time, I told him that in future history books, he would surely be condemned for this action. He replied that a minister who loses the country would also be cursed by future generations. Since he would be cursed either way, he might as well gamble on the future by ceding territory for these twenty years, while the barbarians beyond the passes were also exhausted after years of fighting.”

Fan Changyu, having been a general herself and having spent much time in military camps, understood the situation at that time from Grand Tutor Tao’s explanation.

After the fall of Jinzhou City, Da Yin, like a centipede that continues to move even after death, managed to hold out against the Northern Yue for another three years. During these three years, there must have been countless loyal souls like General Xie and Grand Tutor Tao standing at the forefront, allowing them to hold out for so long.

But Northern Yue could no longer sustain the war, and they were unsure how much longer Da Yin could hold out. That’s why they agreed to Wei Yan’s proposal to withdraw from the twelve counties of Liaodong in exchange for twenty years of peace to recuperate.

Perhaps the Northern Yue people didn’t expect that it wouldn’t take twenty years for Jinzhou to be recaptured by the descendant of the Xie family who had died there, and for the twelve counties of Liaodong to be taken back.

Thinking of Wei Yan’s harsh treatment of Xie Zheng, and his request for Grand Tutor Tao to become Xie Zheng’s teacher, Fan Changyu felt she understood Wei Yan less and less. She couldn’t tell if his actions were to protect Da Yin or simply to maintain his power.

But he had indeed pinned an eternally infamous reputation on her maternal grandfather and killed her parents.

Fan Changyu couldn’t help but purse her lips: “Adoptive father, is Wei Yan… ultimately a good person or a bad person?”

Grand Tutor Tao’s gaze, complex yet broad-minded as if it could contain a hundred rivers, rested quietly on Fan Changyu. He simply said: “Those of the time can only do what is necessary in their situation. Whether it was right or wrong, meritorious or blameworthy, let future generations judge.”

Fan Changyu responded softly, lowering her gaze to the chessboard before her. She held a chess piece in her hand but remained silent for a long time.

After leaving Grand Tutor Tao’s place, Fan Changyu took Chang Ning and Bao’er to Mr. and Mrs. Zhao’s home. She thought that since Qi Min had also been captured along with Grand Tutor Li, finding Yu Qianqian shouldn’t be too difficult.

Xie Wu was injured while protecting Mr. and Mrs. Zhao. Fan Changyu called for Xie Qi and instructed him to arrange for people to search for Yu Qianqian’s whereabouts. Xie Qi informed her that Gong Sun Yin had already sent people to find Yu Qianqian, but for some reason, Qi Min hadn’t brought her to the capital. Instead, she was being held in a prefecture guesthouse. It would take another day or two for the people sent to retrieve Yu Qianqian to return.

Regardless, knowing that Yu Qianqian was safe, Fan Changyu felt relieved.

She had always remembered the kindness Yu Qianqian showed her when she was at her lowest. Even when Qingping County was in turmoil and Yu Qianqian fled south with Yu Bao’er, she still thought of taking Fan Changyu and Chang Ning along. How could Fan Changyu not appreciate her goodness?

She inquired about the current situation from Xie Qi and learned that Grand Tutor Li was indeed dead. Qi Min, who had been shot with an arrow, was still clinging to life. Gong Sun Yin wasn’t sure how Xie Zheng would deal with this descendant of Crown Prince Chengde, so he had the imperial physicians keep him barely alive.

The young Emperor had also been found in Wei Yan’s mansion, but he was in a state of madness. It was unclear whether he had truly gone insane or was merely pretending.

The statement about “dragon veins in chaos and improper ascension to the throne” that Qi Min and Grand Tutor Li had the Imperial Astronomer’s Office release before the palace coup now seemed to work in Yu Bao’er’s favor.

Currently, the court officials are looking to Xie Zheng for leadership. All that was needed was an appropriate opportunity to place Yu Bao’er on the throne.

Thinking about the still unclear truth behind the Jinzhou tragedy, Fan Changyu felt a heaviness in her chest. She thought about returning to practice some sword techniques to calm herself.

Lost in thought, she accidentally bumped into Xie Zhong, who was limping while carrying a stack of items to Xie Zheng’s study.

The box in Xie Zhong’s hands fell to the ground, and its contents scattered.

“I’m sorry, old sir,” Fan Changyu said, feeling guilty. Seeing that Xie Zhong had difficulty moving, she quickly crouched down to help pick up the items.

Xie Zhong’s expression, initially cold, softened when he saw it was Fan Changyu. He spoke gently, “It was this old servant who saw the General lost in thought and didn’t dare to disturb you. My legs aren’t nimble, so I couldn’t avoid the collision…”

Fan Changyu was about to comfort the old man when she noticed that among the items that had fallen out of the box were not only letters but also three tiger tallies. Her expression immediately changed.

All three tiger tallies bore the small seal script of Chongzhou. They were all Chongzhou tiger tallies.

But why were there three?

Weren’t tiger tallies always in pairs, left and right? The left tally was given to the military commander, while the right one remained with the Emperor.

Fan Changyu’s breathing suddenly became rapid. Her hands trembled slightly as she tried to fit the three tiger tallies together.

The left and right halves of the tiger tallies easily fit together, with the seal script at the cut perfectly matching.

The extra one was a left tally!

And the one her father had been responsible for delivering was the right tally given by the Emperor!

The family steward had said that King Changxin had attempted to match the tally her father delivered in front of his subordinate generals, but the tallies didn’t fit!

So it wasn’t that her father had delivered a fake tally, but that the Sui family had produced a fake one!

This realization made Fan Changyu’s blood seem to surge. She suddenly looked up and asked Xie Zhong, “Where did these items come from?”

Seeing her grim expression and how tightly she was gripping the tiger tallies, Xie Zhong quickly answered, “The strategist who previously accused Wei Yan in the Court of Judicial Review later recanted and implicated the Li family. He also revealed the location where the Sui family hid their correspondence with the Li family. The Marquis had earlier ordered people to retrieve this evidence, and it was just rushed back from Chongzhou today.”

Upon hearing this, Fan Changyu, without further explanation, began searching through the letters. “Old sir, I need to look for something. I’ll explain to Xie Zheng later.”

Xie Zhong’s attitude was unexpectedly calm: “General, if you need anything, feel free to look. The Marquis instructed early on that you have free access to everything in the mansion.”

The urgency to uncover the truth about the Jinzhou tragedy from seventeen years ago overshadowed the slight oddness Fan Changyu felt upon hearing these words.

Unfortunately, there was no correspondence between the Wei and Sui families among the letters.

Fan Changyu stared at the three tiger tallies in her hand for a moment, then stood up and said, “Old sir, I’ll borrow these tiger tallies for a while.”

Xie Zhong simply replied, “General, please feel free to use them as you see fit.”

Fan Changyu took the three tiger tallies and went straight to find Grand Tutor Tao.

When the door was kicked open, Grand Tutor Tao had just poured himself a cup of tea. The loud “bang” startled him, causing his hand to shake and spill tea all over his robe. He began to scold, “You girl, didn’t you just leave? Why are you back in such a rush? What’s the matter now…”

Fan Changyu presented the three tiger tallies: “Adoptive father, look at these tiger tallies. Are they real or fake?”

Grand Tutor Tao’s drooping eyelids lifted, his scolding abruptly ceased, and his expression immediately became serious. “Let me see them.”

Fan Changyu handed over the tiger tallies. Grand Tutor Tao held them up to the light coming through the window and examined them carefully before saying, “These are Chongzhou tiger tallies, without a doubt.”

Fan Changyu’s hand at her side clenched tightly. She lowered her head slightly, her calm voice struggling to suppress something: “The tally my father delivered back then was real. It was the Sui family who had ulterior motives!”

Grand Tutor Tao’s wrinkled brows furrowed: “This Sui family is truly strange. When they were needed to deploy troops to save the situation, they didn’t. But after Jinzhou fell, they promptly stepped up. If the loss of Jinzhou was entirely the Sui family’s fault, why did that old Wei Yan cover for them?”

Fan Changyu turned to leave: “The Imperial Grandson… The Imperial Grandson is still alive. He harbors a deep hatred for the Sui family. Perhaps he knows something!”

Grand Tutor Tao watched Fan Changyu’s rapidly departing figure, then turned to look at the unfinished game on the chessboard and sighed softly: “You old stubborn fool, what secret could be so important that you’d take it to your grave?”

In the dark dungeon, only a beam of light filtered through the skylight. Fine snow particles drifted in, forming a thin layer beneath the skylight.

At the end of the prison, chains rattled. A pair of brocade boots slowly walked along the green brick pathway, stopping in front of one of the inner cells. Cold eyes gazed at the old man sitting cross-legged inside, his posture still straight and proud, without saying a word.

The dungeon was so cold that the snow on his cloak showed no signs of melting.

Wei Yan lifted his cold phoenix eyes to look at the young man standing outside the cell, the one who would soon become the backbone of Da Yin, and spoke calmly: “The victor becomes the king, the loser becomes the outlaw. Since you’ve defeated me, you surely haven’t come here today just to see how I’m faring.”

Xie Zheng just looked at him silently, his expression cold and indifferent: “The Chancellor has guessed correctly. This Marquis came today to see what a man who has spent his entire life grasping for power looks like after losing it all.”

Wei Yan sneered: “It seems I’ve disappointed you.”

Xie Zheng tilted his head slightly. His long hair was meticulously bound by a golden crown. The light from the distant skylight fell on his profile, making his features appear even more profound. His eyes held a bone-chilling indifference, with something else lurking in their depths that was hard to discern. “I wouldn’t say disappointed. Chancellor, with your serpent’s heart and wolf’s nature, I fear you’ve forgotten what it means to be human. How can I judge something that can’t even be considered human?”

A flash of coldness appeared in Wei Yan’s eyes, not just anger, but also the sternness of an elder towards a junior.

Xie Zheng looked down at him with cold phoenix eyes: “Angry? What right does the Chancellor have to be angry? Or perhaps you want to tell this Marquis that you had no choice but to kill your sister and brother-in-law?”

Wei Yan’s facial muscles tensed, and he simply closed his eyes, refusing to respond.

Xie Zheng continued casually: “The woman you married and kept in your household for over twenty years came to plead with me for your life. That’s when I learned you were unmoved by Wei Xuan’s death because he wasn’t your flesh and blood. Were you equally unmoved when you killed my parents?”

He slowly raised his eyes, a mocking smile on his lips, but his voice was filled with cold derision: “Or perhaps my mother wasn’t your real sister either, and once she stood in your way, she had to be eliminated?”

His words were extremely sharp, and in his phoenix eyes full of cold mockery, there was a faint trace of bloodthirst.

“Silence!” Wei Yan suddenly shouted coldly. In those phoenix eyes so similar to Xie Zheng’s, a flash of deep pain appeared momentarily.

Xie Zheng suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Wei Yan’s collar forcefully, causing him to crash against the cell door with his shackles. The hatred suppressed beneath his calm exterior broke through the thread of reason in his mind, and his expression became somewhat fierce. He shouted coldly at Wei Yan: “Then tell me, why did you kill my parents? You’ve had me call you uncle for over twenty years, are you worthy of it?”

Wei Yan’s hands were bound in iron shackles. As Xie Zheng yanked him forcefully, both sides of his temples hit the wooden pillars of the cell hard, quickly drawing blood. But his gaze only became fierce as he said, “As you said, they stood in my way, so they had to die.”

The last two words were spoken with extreme heaviness.

Xie Zheng’s jaw clenched tightly, his eyes reddening. The hand gripping Wei Yan’s collar had veins bulging. He forcefully threw Wei Yan away and stood up somewhat awkwardly, only gritting out three words: “You’re lying!”

Wei Yan fell back onto the straw pile, slowly catching his breath. Hearing this, he no longer responded.

Xie Zheng slammed his palm hard against the solid wooden pillar of the cell, his eyes filled with hatred as he stared at Wei Yan: “You disown all your relatives, focused solely on power. Now that you’ve lost your power, who are you still covering for by concealing the truth about the past?”

Wei Yan still didn’t answer.

Finally, Xie Zheng left in anger, his steps rapid. When the door at the end of the corridor was opened and then slammed shut, it made a loud “bang,” and the chains attached to it rattled, indicating the fury of the person closing the door.

The jailer dared not speak or ask questions. He simply fiddled with the chains on the door and reattached the lock.

The heavy snow hadn’t stopped, drifting down slowly through the skylight that cut a line of white light into the dungeon.

Wei Yan lay on the pile of dry straw, watching the flying snow intertwine with the dim light in the cell, looking too clean to belong in this dungeon.

He closed his eyes.

His path of retreat had been sealed off seventeen years ago.

Even if it meant being reviled for ten thousand years, even if he deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces, it was enough for him alone to bear it.

That person, as pure as spring snow, should remain clean, without leaving any shameful mark in the history books.