Shen Que’s testimony gradually unveiled the beginning of the conspiracy from six years ago—a plot that had buried fifty thousand loyal souls.
At that time, Shen Que was twenty-three years old. Although he was a hereditary Duke, his heart was always filled with resentment. He knew where this resentment came from—it stemmed from the actual ruler of Great Zhou, the high and mighty Empress Dowager, the murderer of his mother.
Every reward the Empress Dowager bestowed upon him, he viewed as humiliation. And every time he knelt to express his gratitude to her, it caused him extreme pain. As a son, not only could he not avenge his mother’s death, but he also had to bow and scrape to his enemy. Was there any son in the world as useless as him?
Under this extreme suffering, his personality became increasingly twisted. He began to act arrogantly and engage in corruption, selling official positions. He was gambling, wagering on how long his hypocritical and vicious aunt would tolerate him. He wondered when she would finally tear off her fake mask and make a move against him, just as she had done to his mother and sister.
But his aunt never made a move against him. Perhaps she simply didn’t have the time to deal with him. She was busy handling the Li family royal clan and the officials of the realm. She was still grasping for power because her son was already seventeen, and she had no reason to continue ruling from behind the curtain. Although she had nominally returned power to her son and given him some decision-making authority, she still firmly held the major powers of policy-making. Even for the appointment and dismissal of officials, the Emperor had to consult her before daring to apply his imperial seal.
Such a spineless Emperor was truly a marvel of the world.
While he harbored hatred for his aunt and contempt for his cousin, he continued to live a life of debauchery in Chang’an. Yet the spark of vengeance didn’t extinguish with time; instead, it grew brighter.
And finally, the opportunity came. Pei Guanyue, the Governor of Feng Prefecture, sought him out when he returned to the capital for duty.
Accompanying him was Lu Yumin, the Minister of Revenue.
Shen Que was somewhat surprised. It wasn’t strange that Pei Guanyue approached him—Pei was adept at following the prevailing winds. Born to a humble family, he had married the legitimate daughter of the Wang family from Taiyuan, maintaining good relationships with both humble and prestigious families. He navigated the officialdom as a fish takes to water. However, Lu Yumin was a rigid person who despised evil. He had even submitted memorials to impeach Shen Que several times. Shen Que didn’t understand why Lu would approach him now.
Pei Guanyue pretended not to notice his surprise and asked him directly, “General Shen, I know you harbor hatred for the Empress Dowager. Now there’s a way to make her lose power. Are you interested?”
“What way?”
“Guo Qinwei, who was promoted by the Empress Dowager, is guarding the six prefectures of the Guannei Circuit at the border. People say that with Guo Qinwei there, the Turkic horsemen cannot step into the Great Zhou,” Pei Guanyue said. “But what if the Turkic horsemen did advance, and Guo Qinwei was defeated due to an error? If the six prefectures of the Guannei Circuit were lost, he would become a target of criticism, and the Empress Dowager would also bear the consequences of appointing the wrong person. I ask, what qualification would a woman who has lost national territory have to continue controlling the government?”
Each word from Pei Guanyue shocked Shen Que deeply. He considered himself not to be a good person, but Pei Guanyue was a hundred times more vicious.
He couldn’t help but say, “This is too malicious. What about the people of the six prefectures? The lands of the six prefectures? Should we just hand them over to the Turks?”
“Those who accomplish great things must make sacrifices,” Pei Guanyue said without changing his expression. “Our Great Zhou has countless territories. What does it matter if we lose a mere six prefectures?”
Shen Que clicked his tongue in amazement. He looked at Lu Yumin, who had remained silent. “Minister Lu, do you think the same?”
Lu Yumin finally spoke. He said slowly, “This plan was my idea.”
Shen Que looked at him in disbelief. Lu Yumin’s face remained expressionless. “Allowing a woman to crow like a rooster at dawn is a failure of us officials. For the sake of the Great Zhou’s state and the peace of the world, I have no choice but to do this.”
He then asked Shen Que, “General Shen, if this plan succeeds, we will achieve our desires. If it fails, we will die without burial grounds. Whether you’re willing or not depends on your decision.”
There was nothing for Shen Que to hesitate about. He had never been a patriotic person who loved the people. What did the lives of the people in the six prefectures matter to him? What did it matter if the Great Zhou lost territory? He only wanted to avenge his mother. He would do anything that could make the Empress Dowager unhappy.
The three of them—one seeking revenge, one seeking power, and one seeking justice—immediately agreed. In Pei Guanyue’s home, they repeatedly refined every detail of the conspiracy, striving to make the plan foolproof.
In the damp prison cell, Shen Que slowly said, “Afterward, Lu Yumin wrote a letter to Khan Nidu of the Turks, promising to gift the six prefectures of the Guannei Circuit to the Turks. In return, the Turks needed to eliminate the Tianwei Army, with their advance stopping at Ningshuo, not invading Chang’an.”
What happened next was that after Khan Nidu received the letter, he was overjoyed. This deal was unquestionably profitable for the Turks. They would eliminate a major threat and gain the land and people of six prefectures. It was truly a heaven-sent opportunity.
Khan Nidu readily agreed. According to the plan, he gathered his forces and fiercely marched toward Feng Prefecture. Pei Guanyue pretended to be unable to resist and lured the Tianwei Army to come to his aid. Then, taking advantage of Guo Qinwei’s trust in him, he leaked the Tianwei Army’s marching plans to the Turks, ultimately resulting in the tragedy at Fallen Goose Ridge.
This was the complete picture of the Tianwei Army case.
Cui Xun had already walked out of the adjacent compartment. Although he had long pieced together the truth of the matter, hearing it from the perpetrator’s mouth still caused his blood to surge. Both Ah’man and Lu Huai were too shocked to utter a word, especially Lu Huai, whose face had turned so pale it was almost bloodless. He looked no different from a wandering ghost. Cui Xun’s fingers dug into his palm as he tried his best to suppress his emotions. He asked Shen Que one final question: “Did His Majesty know about this?”
“Of course,” Shen Que answered. “Lu Yumin was His Majesty’s teacher. His Majesty followed his every word. How could His Majesty not know about this? Moreover, without His Majesty’s approval, would Pei Guanyue dare to do something that could result in the execution of his entire family? Without His Majesty’s imperial seal, would Khan Nidu believe a letter? His Majesty certainly knew.”
Cui Xun felt a wave of dizziness. This was his sovereign, his father-emperor!
He gripped the iron bars of the prison cell, barely managing to stand. The sorrow in his heart was indescribable. His mind kept recalling Guo Qinwei’s teachings during his time in the Tianwei Army. Guo Qinwei had said, “Seventeenth Young Master, you excel in both civil and military affairs. Though your temperament is somewhat extreme, it doesn’t detract from your character as a person of feeling and righteousness. However, there is one thing you’re doing quite wrong.”
At that time, he deeply respected Guo Qinwei. He respectfully asked, “Please correct me, General Guo.”
Guo Qinwei sighed and said, “Perhaps because your father didn’t treat you well, you lack some reverence for the ‘five relationships’—heaven, earth, sovereign, parents, and teachers. But your father gave you life, your teacher educated you, and your sovereign feeds you. Even if you cannot be close to them, you must respect them, especially your sovereign. The sovereign is the father of all people under heaven. You should respect and be loyal to him even more.”
Guo Qinwei’s words still echoed in his ears. And Guo Qinwei had lived by his words. Many generals promoted by the Empress Dowager didn’t take the Emperor seriously during his youth, but Guo Qinwei was different. He treated the Emperor with the same respect he showed the Empress Dowager. He would not allow any soldier in the Tianwei Army to speak ill of the Emperor, and anyone who did would be expelled from the army. So while the Tianwei Army was said to be the trusted force of the Empress Dowager, in reality, each soldier had the words “sovereign father” engraved in their bones.
But how could they have imagined that their sovereign father would be complicit in sending them to their deaths?
Cui Xun was filled with grief and indignation. His fingers dug into his palm. After a long while, he coldly said to Shen Que, “Are you willing to sign these testimonies?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” When facing Cui Xun, Shen Que resumed his usual arrogance. He glanced at Ah’man and smiled. “I’m going to die anyway. Consider this a good deed before my death.”
Having said that, Shen Que wrote down his confession and signed it.
His life was about to end. Looking back on his life, it was filled with evil deeds too numerous to count. Before his death, he had experienced a moment of tenderness, but this tenderness quickly turned into a dagger piercing him, causing unspeakable pain. Upon reflection, it was truly his retribution.
After Shen Que wrote down his confession, Cui Xun rolled up the document. He knew that news of Ah’man’s visit today would quickly reach the residences of Pei Guanyue and Lu Yumin, and possibly even the Daming Palace. The time left for him was short.
As he was about to leave the prison, he stopped and turned back to check on Lu Huai in the adjacent compartment. Lu Huai’s face was ashen, and he sat there as motionless as a clay statue without life. Cui Xun pressed his lips together and said, “Lu Huai, when you were appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Dali Temple, you wrote, ‘Those who break the law or neglect their duties, even if they are close to me, must be punished.’ I wonder if that still holds?”
Lu Huai just stared blankly, with no light in his eyes. That ambitious and talented young man seemed to have completely disappeared overnight. Cui Xun added, “Choose for yourself whether to live as a human or die as a ghost.”
Without waiting for Lu Huai’s response, he left the Imperial Censorate prison with Ah’man.
Just as Cui Xun was about to board his carriage to leave, Ah’man finally came to her senses. “What are you going to do with Shen Que’s testimony?”
Cui Xun said, “What needs to be done?”
Ah’man gasped. “One is the powerful Minister of War, one is His Majesty’s teacher and the current Grand Councilor, and the other one…” She paused, her eyes filled with uncertainty. “Is it possible?”
“You shouldn’t ask that question.”
Ah’man lowered her eyes and then said, “Have you never forgotten the vengeance for my brother and the others these past six years? Have you been waiting for this day all along?”
But Cui Xun no longer had time to speak with Ah’man. He only said, “Go back. I’ll send people to protect you.”
With that, he stepped on the footstool, ready to board the carriage. Ah’man looked at his slender figure, as thin as bamboo. She bit her lip and suddenly called out, “Brother Wangshu.”
Cui Xun turned back.
Ah’man’s nose stung with emotion. This was how she had addressed him when she first met him while visiting her brother in the Tianwei Army. At that time, her cheeks had flushed red, and she had said, “You are my brother’s friend, which makes you my brother too. So I’ll call you Brother Wangshu.”
The past was still vivid in memory, but everything had changed.
Ah’man forced a smile. She didn’t say anything more, but sincerely said to Cui Xun, “Thank you.”