HomeAfter I Bloom Hundred Flowers DieChapter 546: Inevitable Trade-offs

Chapter 546: Inevitable Trade-offs

The news of Geng Liangcheng’s capture quickly reached the Northwestern King’s city. This was Shen Xihe’s last day of keeping vigil for Shen Yueshan.

“County Princess, I must go to Tingzhou personally,” Wei Ya said, standing before Shen Xihe in full military attire, holding his helmet with a serious expression.

Shen Xihe glanced at him, then looked behind her. Zhenzhu, who stood at her side, immediately knelt in courtesy before leading everyone away, leaving only Wei Ya and herself in the room.

“Elder Brother has gone to Tingzhou. Uncle Wei can remain here to guard this place,” Shen Xihe said frankly.

“The heir has gone to Tingzhou?” Being astute enough to suspect Geng Liangcheng, how could Wei Ya not be perceptive? He immediately gleaned much information from this single sentence. “Did the County Princess and the heir know beforehand that the Turks would attack the city?”

Wei Ya was born in the Northwest. Since he could remember, the fighting between the Northwest and the Turks had never ceased until Shen Yueshan unified the Northwest, bringing nearly ten years of peace. He did not fear war, but having suffered from its ravages, he disliked it.

He especially disliked when people deliberately provoked war for their benefit. This battle had nearly led to Tingzhou’s fall, and according to current reports, the Northwest had already lost thousands of its sons.

“Elder Brother went after the battle,” Shen Xihe noticed Wei Ya’s fingers tightening on his helmet. “Neither my brother nor I anticipated the Turks would attack the city, but this matter is not unrelated to me…”

Shen Xihe explained how Shen Yueshan’s fake death was initially just a collaboration with Xiao Huayong, with the simple goal of helping her leave the capital and attend her brother’s wedding under the pretext of searching for her father. Later, events snowballed, drawing in more and more people, all to disturb the current situation, achieve their goals, and satisfy their interests, making the situation increasingly complex.

Xiao Huayong played a crucial role in this. She truly hadn’t anticipated it would trigger a war with the Turks. The farthest she had thought ahead was to diminish His Majesty’s authority and remove his influence in the Northwest. Xiao Changtai hadn’t been part of her calculations.

But Xiao Changtai must have been part of Xiao Huayong’s calculations. Everything must have been anticipated by Xiao Huayong. She didn’t blame Xiao Huayong for this, nor did she have the right to. This sin began with her, and she should bear the burden.

After hearing Shen Xihe’s words, she told Wei Ya everything except that Xiao Juezong was Xiao Huayong in disguise.

Wei Ya’s eyes flickered continuously as his emotions churned. He didn’t see this as Xiao Huayong’s fault because he had realized something even Shen Xihe hadn’t: since Shen Yueshan wasn’t dead, he could have prevented this war simply by appearing in Tingzhou. He certainly could have swept away the Turks, but he hadn’t gone.

This was because they all needed Geng Liangcheng to become a traitor guilty of collaborating with the enemy. Only then could they maintain their unity.

They had been through too many life-and-death situations together. Even if Shen Yueshan had obtained evidence of Geng Liangcheng’s allegiance to Emperor Youning, people would still plead for mercy. Even if Shen Yueshan had evidence that Geng Liangcheng intended to kill Shen Yun’an, unless Shen Yun’an died, people would still try to use their past relationship to wear him down.

If Shen Yueshan agreed, it would be like releasing a tiger back to the mountains, making it impossible to severely punish other traitors in the future – this would break the rules. But if Shen Yueshan refused, those close to Geng Liangcheng or who had received his favors would certainly feel he was being inhumane.

They would condemn Shen Yueshan, feeling he was no longer the great general who had shared their hardships, but merely the aloof King of the Northwest. They would become estranged from him.

Once their united heart showed cracks, with added instigation or deliberate creation of conflicts, the cracks would only grow larger, leading to more people rebelling against the Northwest. This was why Emperor Youning wanted to manipulate Geng Liangcheng.

Only if Geng Liangcheng himself proved to be a coward who colluded with the Turks would these people feel, amid their heartbreak, that his death was deserved.

This was human nature. When one’s bottom line hasn’t been crossed and interests haven’t been harmed, people always remember their gratitude toward the executioner, hoping others will show leniency. If leniency isn’t shown, they say the person has changed or lacks compassion.

Wei Ya heaved a long sigh. Seeing Shen Xihe’s dim eyes, his perceptive nature immediately understood her guilt. “County Princess, don’t overthink it. Since Geng Liangcheng had already allied with His Majesty, if we hadn’t found a way to eliminate him cleanly, the sacrifices would have been far greater…”

Without Geng Liangcheng’s infiltration, Shen Yueshan wouldn’t have needed to fake his death. Even with Xiao Changtai’s silver tongue, if Shen Yueshan were alive, he couldn’t have convinced the Turkish king to attack.

“Thank you for your comfort, Uncle Wei.” Shen Xihe forced a smile. She raised her eyes to the Northwest’s azure sky. Though cloudless, perhaps because the sun was too bright, it seemed covered in dust to her. “I just don’t like this feeling…”

The power struggles between those in high positions affected innocent soldiers.

Shen Xihe’s methods of planning had always differed from Xiao Huayong’s, not because she couldn’t plan on a grand scale, but because she disliked involving too many people, especially innocent ones. How tragic was it for people to have their fates controlled without knowing anything?

“County Princess, in Lord Wang’s position, sometimes there’s no way to avoid making certain choices. We all hope for perfect solutions, but this world doesn’t offer that many perfect solutions. This was already the minimal sacrifice.”

Not killing Geng Liangcheng and keeping him close would have had unimaginable consequences.

To kill Geng Liangcheng, it had to be done in a way that convinced everyone. Unfounded charges would only be a time bomb that could shatter the Northwest.

Geng Liangcheng had been so careful and had won the hearts of the Northwestern people that even if Shen Yueshan wanted to gradually demote him, he couldn’t. Moreover, without pointing out his danger, even if he were stripped of his position, he could easily spy on Northwestern secrets through his former brothers.

Shen Xihe wasn’t one to dwell on things, nor was she particularly benevolent. She just thought of those young soldiers who died under Turkish blades in Tingzhou, and since this matter began with her affairs, she naturally felt some remorse – but it was only remorse.

If she had to do it again, even knowing this outcome, she couldn’t change this choice. Everyone has a selfish side, and she couldn’t let the Shen family take risks. Once they knew Geng Liangcheng was a traitor, eliminating him required the most irrefutable crime.

Whether it was Shen Yueshan’s soldiers, Geng Liangcheng’s brothers, or the Northwestern commoners who trusted Geng Liangcheng, they all needed a reason to be unable to forgive him, so they wouldn’t harbor resentment over his death.

Since both Shen Yueshan and Shen Yun’an had gone to Tingzhou, Wei Ya only sent men as reinforcements for appearance’s sake, without leaving personally.

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