“Youyou…” Shen Yueshan suddenly called her name seriously, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back, “Father will return soon.”
Shen Xihe watched Shen Yueshan swiftly ride away. His unspoken words surely concerned Xiao Huayong. Though he didn’t say it, it made her slightly furrow her brows, but she didn’t dwell on it.
Shen Yueshan had noticed his daughter growing increasingly attached to her husband. Even knowing his daughter’s strong will and that she could endure even the worst outcome, he still didn’t want her to experience such mortal grief.
He worried about the future but couldn’t presently advise his daughter to care less for her husband. Setting aside whether Xiao Huayong would improve later, one couldn’t hope for his decline. Even considering the worst, they couldn’t remain detached in matters of love. Just thinking of Xiao Huayong’s sincere efforts for the Northwest, Shen Yueshan couldn’t bring himself to say it.
With Shen Yueshan personally taking action, it took just two days to silently steal the treasure Xiao Changtai had given the Turkish Khan. Though the Khan had cautiously hidden it in several places, the potion’s effect on the trained rats was too strong, and Shen Yueshan didn’t miss a single location.
After stealing the wealth, Shen Yueshan had it carted before them in boxes, opening them brazenly to show them clearly. The Turkish Khan fainted on the spot. The Turkish leaders, led by the Southern Great King, knowing they couldn’t gain any more benefits, immediately harbored ill intentions, wanting to take advantage of the Khan’s illness to take his life, using his offense against the celestial empire as justification to negotiate maximum benefits for themselves.
With the Khan atoning through death, and the Shen father and son pressing harder, they could use this to incite all Turkish warriors. At worst, there would be another battle, and the Shen father and son might not gain much advantage.
Shen Yueshan clearly understood their intentions. That night, he led men to infiltrate the royal tent, timely rescuing the Turkish Khan from a flurry of blades, and coincidentally killing the Turkish Southern Great King.
Having killed their Southern Great King, the Turks could only swallow this anger, as they had saved the Khan, and the Southern Great King was a traitor.
The Turkish Khan, having escaped death, was angrier about the Southern Great King’s death than about the latter’s murderous intentions, knowing that with the Southern Great King’s death, Turkey’s military leadership would quickly wither. It would be impossible to challenge the celestial empire in the short term.
Forced by circumstances, he could only bow his head and accept Shen Yun’an’s proposal.
“Khan, previously I proposed three thousand war horses annually from you as terms of surrender. Now that we father and son have saved your life, we can’t calculate it that way. You must tribute five thousand war horses annually to the Northwest, for a term of ten years,” Shen Yun’an grinned roguishly, raising the price.
The Turkish Khan rolled his eyes in anger, but Shen Yun’an crossed his blade at the necks of the Khan’s remaining two princes. One slash and the Turkish royal court would have only his left!
“Fine!” The Turkish Khan nearly used all his strength to squeeze this word through his teeth.
Afterward came the haggling over other matters, which Shen Yun’an didn’t care much about. He wanted the war horses – fierce war horses were the foundation for strengthening the army.
The next day, both parties signed the agreement outside Tingzhou city. The agreement was made in triplicate: one for the Turks, one for the Northwest Prince’s mansion, and naturally, one was rushed to the capital to make the Emperor envious.
These things belonged to the Northwest, but the gold and silver treasures Xiao Changtai had given to the Turks had been exposed. These items were of dubious origin, and with Huafu Hai opening markets in the Northwest, they didn’t care about these things. Shen Yueshan magnanimously returned them to Emperor Youning as consolation.
Emperor Youning felt no consolation upon receiving them. Knowing these were bribes Xiao Changtai had given to the Turks, thinking that his exiled son had amassed such wealth made Emperor Youning want to dig him up from his grave.
After resolving the Tingzhou affairs, Shen Xihe and the others returned to the Northwest royal city, where they were welcomed by citizens lining the streets. Everyone knew about this defeat of the Turks, how the Turkish royal family was reportedly reduced to just one or two survivors, and that the Turks would pay tribute in war horses for ten years, meaning they wouldn’t trouble them for at least a decade.
Although the Turks hadn’t invaded for many years before this, they would occasionally cause minor disturbances, keeping everyone constantly on edge. Now they could finally relax and raise their families with peace of mind.
Following Shen Xihe’s carriage, Xiao Changfeng watched the commoners revere the Shen father and son like gods, having to admire how deep the Shen family’s roots ran in the Northwest.
In his youth, he had followed his father in the Northeast, where the people also greatly respected his father. When news of his father’s death came, citizens there also mourned, but it couldn’t compare to Shen Yueshan.
The Northeast people appreciated his father and grieved his death, but they didn’t become helpless, fearful, or feel the sky was falling without him – the Northwest people did.
Just as Shen Yueshan had to go to great lengths to kill Geng Liangcheng to stabilize the Northwest’s leaders and people, if the Emperor wanted Shen Yueshan dead, he would need to convince the Northwest people thoroughly, or the Northwest would instantly fall into chaos.
With this thought, deep worry appeared in Xiao Changfeng’s eyes.
They arrived joyfully at the Prince’s mansion gate but unexpectedly encountered Geng Liangcheng’s wife, dressed in mourning clothes, suddenly rushing out holding Geng Liangcheng’s memorial tablet. Her appearance froze the smiles on everyone’s faces, and the surroundings instantly fell silent.
“My Lord, my late husband followed you since childhood, repeatedly risking his life for the Northwest, never harming it in the least. His parents died at Turkish hands while he defended against them, how could he collude with the Turks? This humble woman doesn’t believe it!” Madam Geng fell to her knees with a thud, holding Geng Liangcheng’s tablet high: “The gods watch over us, please restore my dead husband’s innocence!”
As Madam Geng’s words fell, surrounding citizens began to whisper, memories of Geng Liangcheng’s good deeds surfacing in their minds, making them realize that, thinking carefully, it seemed true as Madam Geng said – General Geng had never failed the Northwest. If he had wanted to collude with the Turks, he should have betrayed them when his parents were in Turkish hands.
People of the time valued filial piety; most children valued their parents’ lives above their own.
If even his parents’ lives couldn’t make Geng Liangcheng betray them, how could he become a traitor in his twilight years just to preserve his own life?
“Sister-in-law, do you truly want me to judge this matter before the entire city?” Shen Yueshan’s gaze was heavy.
Madam Geng didn’t believe her husband would betray the country. If this charge wasn’t overturned, the Geng clan would struggle to maintain their footing in the Northwest.